Vol. 2 Chapter 105 – Adult Birthday (2)

Going back in time a bit to Saturday afternoon at 1 PM.

I was waiting for that moment to arrive with the mindset of someone facing a great battle.

Today was August 8th—Asahi Hikaru’s birthday as listed on her official profile.

Various social media platforms were already flooded with congratulatory messages for Hikaru’s birthday posts.

From simple words of blessing to people showcasing self-written poems.

There were even people who’d made Hikaru-themed cakes and created ritual-like altars with tons of photos.

It was like the treatment of a hugely popular idol.

I could keenly feel that Asahi Hikaru was gaining national popularity right now.

And today, I had to make Hikaru happier than any of them.

That was natural as her boyfriend, and I had confidence that I could do it now.

I’d been researching from Monday until today, and my preparations to deliver the ultimate experience were perfect.

All that was left was waiting for the guest of honor—

Ding dong.

She’s here!

I moved toward the entrance at speeds exceeding the limits of human reaction time.

“Coming to bother you again today!” (Hikaru)

When I opened the door, Hikaru was standing there, already more energetic than usual.

“Welcome. Please come in.” (Reiya)

Like a first-class hotel concierge, I invited her into my room.

I didn’t say the word ‘birthday’ yet.

I had confidence that even if I built up expectations higher and higher, I could still exceed them.

“Ahh… this is relaxing…” (Hikaru)

Hikaru flopped face-down on my bed.

She also didn’t say the word ‘birthday’ yet.

It was like we were facing each other in iaido stance, both keeping our blades sheathed.

“Are you sure you want to stay home today?” (Reiya)

“Yeah, we played a lot at the beach last week! Today I’m in the mood for relaxing at home!” (Hikaru)

“Oh, then I put together an album of last week’s photos—want to see?” (Reiya)

“Really! I want to see!” (Hikaru)

I threw out a light jab before the real battle, and she took the bait.

I sat in my usual chair and displayed the album from last week’s beach on screen.

Hikaru moved to the edge of the bed and peered at it from beside me.

“Wow… there are so many…! Oh, when we rode the SUP together!” (Hikaru)

“I was trying to take a photo right when you lost your balance and fell, so the framing’s a bit off.” (Reiya)

“I think that was the fourth time I fell?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, you fell four more times after that… so you fell eight times total.” (Reiya)

“I fell that many times?” (Hikaru)

“You fell so much that by the end you’d mastered the art of falling safely without drinking water.” (Reiya)

“Ahaha! What’s that supposed to mean~” (Hikaru)

Hikaru burst into laughter at my words.

I continued showing the slideshow of over a hundred photos we’d taken, one by one.

Each photo was packed with memories, and just looking at them together brought back vivid recollections of those fun times.

“It was really, really fun. But even though it was just last week, it feels like ages ago.” (Hikaru)

“That means this week’s practice was that intense?” (Reiya)

“Yeah, I was pretty selfish asking for time off, so Mom was even more Spartan than usual this week. She had this demonic expression.” (Hikaru)

I laughed out loud at Hikaru’s wide-eyed expression of that terrifying experience.

“Oh, is this the end?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah. The group photo we all took at the very end.” (Reiya)

The slideshow ended with a photo taken just before we left.

Hikaru and I stood in the center, with the guys lined up on the left and the girls on the right.

Everyone was smiling, clearly showing we’d had the best summer ever.

If I’d shown this to myself before the trip, I definitely would have thought it was taken in a parallel world.

“This is such a great photo.” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, it feels like the perfect ending.” (Reiya)

We gazed at the photo on screen together, immersing ourselves in the travel memories once more.

Even without words, we both hoped to spend next year the same way.

…All right, that’s enough ranged harassment.

I confirmed that Hikaru beside me had completely relaxed her guard, then smirked to myself.

“Well then, if we’re relaxing at home, should we play games like usual?” (Reiya)

“Yeah! So, what should we do today—” (Hikaru)

Now that her guard was completely down from the preliminary harassment, this was the perfect chance to land my super move!!

I grabbed the remote and switched the TV to the screen I’d prepared in advance.

Armored Ring 6: Lord of Zenecon

“NOOOOOOOOO!!” (Hikaru)

Seeing the title screen of this summer’s biggest blockbuster, Hikaru let out a scream close to a cheer.