7:00 PM, at the Nibutani Residence
"Happy Birthday, Shinka!"
Hiratsuka Ryosuke held out the homemade strawberry cake and placed it on the small table in the living room.
"Wow, cake, cake!" Nibutani Shinka's eyes lit up when she saw the cake.
The living room wasn't decorated extravagantly, nor were there many people. It was just Ryosuke, Nishimiya Shoko, Nishimiya Yuzuru, Mrs. Nibutani, and Shinka herself gathered around the table.
"Aren't you close with Yamada Elf? Why isn't she here?" Ryosuke asked. Over the past few months, Elf and Shinka had often been seen together, saying things that were difficult to understand, like "accomplices" doing something bad. Given their relationship, it was strange for Elf to be absent from Shinka's birthday.
Shinka tilted her head and showed Ryosuke her phone.
"Mori-sama, I will definitely come to celebrate your 500th birthday."
"Aren't you on a deadline?"
"Hmph, a trivial manuscript. I can finish that in five minutes."
"You're amazing! As expected of a best-selling author."
"Someone's at the door. I'll get it."
The conversation was followed by a series of photos. A terrified Yamada Elf was seen lying on a table, surrounded by a group of women in black suits and sunglasses.
"Waaah, Mori-sama, save me!"
Ryosuke's eyes widened. "Hey, you didn't call the police?"
"Don't underestimate me, Ryosuke! I would definitely help a friend in need!" Shinka patted her chest proudly, then sighed and shrugged. "But I found out later that they were just her editors. Elf missed her deadline. She's a best-selling author with 300,000 copies sold of her first volume, but she still procrastinated."
300,000 copies for the first volume?! If she could maintain that quality, a million copies for the entire series and an anime adaptation were just a matter of time. Hearing that number, everyone in the room leaned back in tactical disbelief. Are all elementary school students this incredible now?
This also reminded Ryosuke that a best-selling author could make a lot of money. In his previous life, he only remembered some of the general plots of popular works. And in this world, entertainment was just as developed. Popular mainstream manga like Doraemon, One Piece, and Naruto also existed here. Knowing the general plot was different from writing an entire story, which was why he hadn't tried to copy any of them yet.
Realizing there was a best-selling author right in front of him, he made a mental note to get some tips from the "Fairy" sometime.
"Shinka, this is for you," Shoko said, handing her a beautiful hair clip.
"Me, too! Shinka-san, this is from me," Yuzuru said, giving her a cute pillow.
"Thank you! I love both of your gifts!" Shinka said, her eyes turning into crescent moons as she happily accepted them. She then looked at Ryosuke with a hopeful gaze and held out her hands. "Ryosuke..."
Ryosuke walked over to Shinka and slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and the ring part onto her middle finger.
"Wow, what a beautiful bracelet!" Shinka exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. She then paused, looked at the hair clip, then the bracelet, and had a sudden moment of clarity. "Wait for me for a second." She grabbed the hair clip and ran into her room.
She came back a moment later, her steps light and graceful as she returned to her seat. On her head was a flawless, lotus-petal-edged veil. The hair clip Shoko had given her held her bangs in place. She put a toy gecko on the pillow Yuzuru had given her. After putting on the accessories, Shinka seemed like a completely different person, possessing a mysterious and ethereal aura.
"Now it's time for me to make a wish, my Guardian Knight," she said, clasping her hands and looking at Ryosuke with a loving gaze.
Ryosuke's eyelid twitched, and he clenched his fist. Calm down. It's Shinka's birthday. Just deal with it. Deep breaths, deep breaths. He stuck thirteen candles into the cake and motioned for her to make a wish.
Shinka closed her eyes, her expression devout. "Today is my 500th birthday. For the past four hundred years, I have watched the flow of human hearts, and the spirits have been spreading love without a moment's rest. My wish is to light up the world with love!"
Click!
A shutter sound rang out. Ryosuke held up his phone and took a picture of Shinka. He had a feeling this would come in handy later.
"What? My Guardian Knight wants to immortalize my brilliant moment? Hehe, I permit it," Shinka said calmly, her voice as pure and beautiful as a heavenly melody.
"Um, Shinka-san, you're not supposed to say your wish out loud, or it won't come true," Yuzuru said, raising her hand meekly.
"The candles are almost out. I'm going to turn off the lights. You'd better hurry up and make your silly wish and blow them out," Ryosuke said calmly, walking to the light switch. He flipped it, and the room was plunged into darkness, save for the faint glow of the candles on the cake.
For once, Shinka didn't argue with him. She wore an even more devout expression than before, put her hands together, and blew out the candles. The lights came back on to the sound of applause.
"What did you wish for this time, Shinka?" Mrs. Nibutani asked her daughter gently.
"Hmph! It won't come true if I tell you, so I won't tell you, Mom!" Shinka said, pouting, refusing to answer.
A mother knows her daughter best, and Shinka's reaction was all the answer she needed. Mrs. Nibutani's smile grew wider.
Half an hour later, the Nishimiya sisters were on their bus. Ryosuke and Shinka walked side by side, watching the bus drive away. They walked without thinking until they reached the park near their homes.
"Ryosuke, let's sit for a bit," Shinka said, looking at the swings with a nostalgic expression. Right now, she wasn't her goofy self from the birthday party, nor was she her chuunibyou self from the daytime. She was a poised, refined young lady. She walked to a swing and slowly sat down.
The night breeze brushed against their faces, and the cold moon hung in the sky. Their two shadows stretched out on the ground. Ryosuke sat on the other swing, staring blankly at the sky. Neither of them said a word, just enjoying the quiet night.
"You were so cool back then, Ryosuke," Shinka said, a nostalgic look on her face. She sat still and continued, "Today is my birthday, and I wanted to find that feeling—a little hazy, a little blurry, a feeling that would make this day different from the other 364 days. But I realized it's no different from any other day because you've always been here."
"Where else would I go?" Ryosuke asked, still looking at the moon.
Shinka didn't answer. She just smiled faintly at the boy next to her.
"Happy 13th birthday, Shinka." This was the second time Ryosuke had said happy birthday tonight.
"Thank you, Ryosuke, for always being here for me all these years." Shinka turned to look at him, her expression serious. Then, her eyes twinkling, she asked, "By the way, Ryosuke, aren't you curious about what I wished for tonight? My wishes always come true, you know."
Ryosuke got up, exasperated. "It's probably the same as last year, 'guided by the spirits to regain lost memories and bring peace to the world.'"
Shinka nodded, then shook her head, and finally smiled. "Ryosuke, you really are... the best dummy!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a big dummy." Ryosuke turned to look at his childhood friend. The cold, clear moonlight shone on her delicate face. In that moment, she looked like a moon spirit from a fairy tale, and Ryosuke was momentarily stunned. He quickly regained his composure and turned his head. "It's getting cold. Be careful not to catch a cold. Let's go home." He started to walk ahead.
"Okay, okay~" Shinka got off the swing, brushed the dust off her pants, and followed Ryosuke with her hands behind her back. As she watched his back, a faint smile appeared on her face. She thought to herself, Dummy Ryosuke, my birthday wish is the same as last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.
In the past, now, and in the future... I just want to be by your side and grow up with you.