— — — — — —
Kawasaki did have a beautiful smile.
Oikawa found himself confirming that once again.
Of course, he meant the kind of smile that came from genuine happiness, not the perfunctory one she wore most of the time.
...
At five in the evening, the area in front of the station was packed. Students just out of school, office workers fresh off their shifts, noise and chatter everywhere.
"Over here, over here!"
Oikawa was still scanning the area for the KTV Yui had mentioned when her bright, energetic voice reached him first.
Hachiman Hikigaya looked a bit stiff, occasionally adjusting the backpack on his shoulder. It seemed pretty heavy.
Yukino Yukinoshita stood beside him, holding a cake, her usual cool and distant expression in place.
"Happy birthday."
Oikawa handed over the panda plush.
"Thank you!"
"Oikawa, how did you know I love pandas so much?"
Yui Yuigahama happily accepted the gift.
Well, what girl doesn't love pandas? Oikawa thought.
"Happy birthday," Kawasaki said as well, handing over her gift.
"Thank you, Kawasaki-chan!"
Yui grabbed her hand, though Kawasaki didn't seem entirely comfortable with that kind of closeness.
After a bit of small talk, they passed through the automatic doors into the KTV, where the noise immediately swallowed them up again.
Once they confirmed their room, a staff member led them inside.
The room was called "New World."
"I'm exhausted…"
As soon as the staff member left, Hachiman dropped his backpack onto the seat, looking completely drained.
A loud clatter came from inside the bag.
Cans and bottles of drinks.
Apparently, no matter the country, teenagers all thought the same way when it came to sneaking things into places.
"Well then… Yui, happy birthday."
When no one else spoke up, Oikawa raised his glass first, breaking the slightly heavy silence.
"Happy birthday."
"Happy birthday!"
Yukino, Hachiman, and Kawasaki followed one after another.
"Thank you, everyone! I'm going to blow out the candles now!"
After Yui blew out the candles, they clapped.
And then…
Silence.
Honestly, this was exactly why you needed at least one outgoing, high-energy person at a birthday party. Otherwise, this was what you got.
Especially when everyone wasn't that close yet.
And with Kawasaki still holding a bit of a grudge against Yukino, the atmosphere only got more awkward.
Oikawa had asked her several times why she disliked Yukino so much. Only after he annoyed her enough did she finally admit the reason.
Since middle school, the one subject she excelled at, historical geography, had always been overshadowed by Yukino Yukinoshita.
It was kind of a funny reason, honestly. Turns out Kawasaki had a surprisingly childish side.
"Huh? Why is everyone… so quiet?"
"This feels kind of weird…"
Yui looked around, but no one knew what to say.
"Maybe we're just not used to this kind of thing," Kawasaki said. "I've only ever celebrated birthdays for my younger siblings. Never been to one like this."
"Same."
"…Yeah."
And just like that, the conversation died again.
Then suddenly, the door to "New World" opened once more.
A girl stepped in.
The moment Oikawa saw her, he felt like he'd just spotted a savior.
Komachi Hikigaya.
"Yui-nee, happy birthday! This is my present!"
Komachi's voice rang out loud and clear. "Why hasn't anyone picked a song yet? If no one's singing, I'll go first! I'm doing 'LOSER' by Yonezu!"
"Yui-nee, sing it with me!"
In that moment, Komachi was the main character of "New World."
And the rest of them?
They were the title of the song. Losers.
Still…
Thanks to her, the mood finally started to lift.
Soon, laughter and chatter filled the room. Even Kawasaki, after some coaxing from Komachi, went up to sing.
Everyone was genuinely having fun.
Oikawa was too. Honestly, it felt even better than winning the grand prize from Dengeki Bunko.
"Hachiman, do you have a cat at home?"
Kawasaki, surprisingly, had become more talkative. "I've always wanted one too. Taishi loves them as well. But it feels like we wouldn't have the time to take care of it properly, so I figured we shouldn't."
"Our cat is super cute!" Komachi said.
Hachiman, on the other hand, muttered gloomily, "Cute, my ass."
"It acts like it owns the place. When you call its name, it just lazily flicks its tail at you. And in the middle of the night, it sneaks onto my bed and steals my blanket. It even sniffs my socks on purpose, then acts like it's been poisoned every single time. Like it hates them that much!"
Clearly, Kawasaki did not agree.
"If anything, that makes it sound even cuter. Now I really want one…"
Then she suddenly turned to Oikawa.
"Oikawa, do you like cats?"
"Me?"
Oikawa thought about it seriously.
Cleaning up cat hair was a pain. Taking care of a cat was a hassle too.
But still…
"Yeah. I like them."
It wasn't often that Oikawa gave such a definite answer.
"Really? That's great!"
For the second time that day, Kawasaki smiled genuinely.
Though for some reason, Oikawa couldn't shake the feeling that she was plotting something.
.
.
.