Birthday.
The day a being receives the blessing of life and takes its first steps into the world. A day we generally celebrate each year, congratulating one another. I bring this up because today is July 4th. In other words, Nagisa's birthday.
Ever since I guessed Nagisa's birthday correctly on a written exam question I didn't know the answer to, July 4th has been an unforgettable date for me. You could call it a small miracle, and Nagisa's birthday was the symbol of it.
And so, I decided to enlist the help of others to plan a surprise party for her. It was the first time I'd ever decided to throw a surprise party for someone. As luck would have it, the gift I'd been preparing was finished just in time for the big day.
When I was younger, I didn't have the luxury of putting in that kind of effort for someone, and as I got older, I lost my sense of wonder and never actually threw a party like this. But now, I have plenty of both money and time. For money, I have the almighty Tea Party card, and as for time, I've worked hard for the past three months and have a lot more to spare.
As for that sense of wonder? Well, after living in a high school girl's body for a few months, it started to come back. Honestly, I'm aware that my personality has changed significantly since I transmigrated. It seems I couldn't escape the influence of this body. I should just be glad my firm sexual preferences haven't changed.
Anyway, with all the conditions met, my personality dictated that the plan was already in motion.
The first people I asked for help were the girls from the Filius Faction. I was planning to throw a fairly large-scale party in the high-rise Tea Party office, and to do it properly, I needed their cooperation. And who better for the job than the students of our Filius Faction, who genuinely respect and admire Nagisa?
To prevent the preparations from becoming a chaotic mess, I put Seia in charge. Having been friends with Nagisa for at least a year, Seia would know her likes and dislikes and could guide the students in the right direction.
Tea Party work? Pfft, I can just put it off for a day. Nagisa's and Seia's work would pile up too, but if I just worked a little harder, it was a manageable problem. Why is my extra work the default assumption? Well, that's just the weight of this damned Host position...
Sigh. Don't you guys ever do this. Except for Seia. I've never wanted Seia to take over the Host position more than I do now.
The guest list for the party consisted mainly of the Filius Faction girls and other students who were relatively close to Nagisa. The latter group was mostly made up of Trinity's high-ranking, named students, and the rest were the heads of other factions. With a guest list like that, it was hard to tell if this was a birthday party or a political gathering, but I figured I could handle that part somehow. Probably.
The problem was outliers like Hifumi. Among the guests, who were mostly second and third-years, Hifumi was practically the only first-year close enough to Nagisa to be invited. So, after ten seconds of serious thought, I decided to invite Atsuko, Azusa, and Hanako as well. It was a brilliant solution that would have made even Yuuka instinctively exclaim, 'Perfect~'.
Atsuko is generally easygoing, so she'll get along with everyone just fine. And since I was planning to introduce her to Nagisa anyway, this would kill two birds with one stone. By putting the relatively easygoing girls together so Hifumi wouldn't feel awkward, the pressure on Hanako, who wants to avoid Trinity's political side, would also be lessened. On top of that, I was already planning to take Azusa to the amusement park with Hifumi soon, so letting them get to know each other beforehand was a good thing. Basically, aside from Atsuko, this is pretty much a one-shot of 'Remedial Knights: The Beginning.'
My role, of course, was to hang out with Nagisa until the party. That's how surprise parties work, right? One person enjoys the day, and the others do the preparing.
Is my conscience clear? If I had a conscience, would I still be in this Tea Party Host position?
Anyway, I did have to pay a small price to get Seia to cooperate, but I think it was well worth it.
And so, when Nagisa, having finished her morning classes, came to have lunch before starting her Tea Party duties, I promptly kidnapped her and took her downtown. The kidnapped Nagisa looked bewildered, but since she knew it was her birthday, she wasn't too flustered.
Some surprise parties involve everyone pretending not to know it's the person's birthday, but realistically, that's impossible these days. MomoTalk literally displays birthdays; how could anyone pretend not to know? And there's no point in stubbornly ignoring it, because the moment the birthday girl says, "Hey, it's my birthday," the whole flimsy plan goes down the drain.
So, separate from the party in the evening, we were going to celebrate her birthday together, just the two of us. I was fully prepared to treat her like a princess for the day. I actually tried to dress up like a bodyguard for the occasion, but when I looked in the mirror, it just didn't look right, so I gave up. My features are too soft, and I'm too short, so the result was just... awkward.
So, where was the starting point of this pseudo-date course?
"...This is a flower shop."
"Ahaha, this is a little present I prepared for today~ Let's go in!"
I took Nagisa's hand and pulled her inside. The bell on the door jingled, and the scent of flowers that had been tickling my nose grew stronger.
"Welcome, customers... Ah, Misono-san! You're here to pick up your... order."
The owner, a cat-person who looked for all the world like a Scottish Fold, stood up abruptly at the sound of the bell and greeted us. The dissonance between his large frame and his ridiculously small, cute head was incredible.
Fearing he might spoil the surprise for Nagisa, I quickly raised a finger to my lips in a 'shh' gesture. Thankfully, the owner caught my signal and cleverly trailed off.
"Yes, this young lady next to me is the guest of honor today!"
"Ahem... Good afternoon, sir. My name is Nagisa Kirifuji."
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you! Kirifuji-san, did you know that when Misono-san placed this order, she insisted it was a very important gift and that I should take special care with it?"
"No... I didn't even know Mika-san was preparing a gift like this."
"But if you knew beforehand, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Now, Nagisa-san, please stand here and close your eyes!"
I gently guided Nagisa to stand in front of the counter, and the owner nodded in understanding.
"Aha, so it's that kind of event. Please wait just a moment while I retrieve the item. Kirifuji-san, please keep your eyes closed as Misono-san said."
As the owner disappeared into the back of the shop, Nagisa turned to look at me as if to say, 'Are you serious?'
"Ahaha! Nagi-chan, this isn't a prank, so hurry up and close your eyes! It'll only take a second."
"...Alright."
"Yep, good choice. ☆"
Now that she had finally closed her eyes, I crept up to her and waved a hand in front of her face. Hmm, no reaction. Good, she's not peeking.
After about thirty seconds, the owner returned with a flat box and a mirror, placing them on the counter. I'd forgotten to mention a mirror, but he was thoughtful enough to bring one anyway.
"Here we are. Kirifuji-san, please don't open your eyes just yet."
"That's right. You have to keep them closed until I say so, Nagisa-san."
Nagisa flinched when she heard me use polite speech, which must mean it really doesn't suit me. But what can I do? My face is well-known as the Host now, so I have to be mindful of these things in front of others.
"Misono-san, here."
The owner opened the box to show me its contents. It wasn't breathtaking, but I was quite pleased with it. It was worth the effort. I raised my hands.
"...Nagisa-san, you're absolutely not allowed to open your eyes, okay?"
"Yes, I promise I won't, so you don't have to keep emphasizing it, Mika-san."
"I'm just saying because I'd be a little sad if you did."
I repeated myself because I was worried she might get startled and open her eyes during what I was about to do. And just as I'd thought, Nagisa's eyes twitched as I carefully removed her headband. Well... I was blocking her view with my body anyway, so it didn't really matter. And by now, she probably had a good idea of what I'd prepared.
I quickly smoothed down her hair with my hands, then carefully took the contents of the box and placed it on her head. And seeing the final result...
"Whoa—!"
It was so picturesque that I couldn't help but let out a gasp.
I admit it, Nagisa. For today, you're my favorite!
Her usual headband was now confiscated. I tucked it safely away in my handbag.
"Nagi-chan, you can open your eyes now!"
"Mika-san, your tone..."
"Ah. It's just that you looked so pretty, it slipped out. Sir, this is our little secret, okay?"
"Of course. I don't think people would be disappointed to see that side of you, Misono-san, but a secret is a secret."
I feel like I should have slipped up a few times already, but surprisingly, this was the first time I'd made a mistake while trying to maintain polite speech. That's how stunning Nagisa looked with the flower crown I'd given her.
"...It's beautiful."
Yes, the flower crown. I'd wanted to make one myself, but I decided to save that for another time. Next year, I'll take the time to study and make one with my own two hands.
By the way, I thought that only white lilies might be a bit plain, so I'd asked for pink lilies to be woven in as well, and seeing it now, it was definitely the right choice. For some reason, the owner gave me a strange look when I mentioned it, but I'm not sure why.
Image here
"Ahaha, right?"
"It's truly beautiful. So much so that I wish I could keep it for years."
"Hmm... but this is made of fresh flowers, so that might be a little difficult."
"Yes, unfortunately, lilies are not only difficult to dry, but their shape and color don't preserve well either. I would recommend taking as many pictures as you can, Kirifuji-san."
"Fufu... I was just speaking my mind. I enjoy gardening as a hobby, so I do have some knowledge on the subject. I really didn't expect a gift like this..."
For a long time after that, Nagisa couldn't take her eyes off the mirror. A stranger might have suspected her of narcissism. Though, if it was Nagisa in a flower crown, even I would have to nod and say, 'Narcissism? With that face, she's earned it.'
"Thank you, Mika-san."
"Of course, I'm glad you like it. ☆"
"...However."
"Hm?"
"You're not going to make me walk around wearing this all day, are you...?"
"Ahaha, Nagi-chan! Why would you even ask that?"
"Right...? As pretty as it is, it's a little embarrass—"
"Of course you have to wear it!"
"..."
Uh-uh, put that hand down. You can't just disregard someone's heartfelt gift like that!
Besides, the embarrassment isn't mine to bear. All I have to do today is stick by her side and take pictures for her birthday photoshoot. And admire the beauty of my temporary favorite while I'm at it. The owner himself just said that since it's hard to preserve a lily flower crown, you should take a lot of pictures, didn't he, Nagisa?
"So, for today, you and that flower crown are one and the same. ☆"