The candles were lit, their small flas dancing gently in the dim room. Kotomi drew the curtains and turned off the lights, plunging the bedroom into a cozy glow illuminated only by the soft light of the birthday candles.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
Sitting across from gumi, Kotomi clapped her hands softly as she sang the birthday song, her voice warm and cheerful. As she sang, a flicker of bittersweet nostalgia crossed her face. How many years had it been since soone last sang her a birthday song?
mories of her second life flooded back—birthdays spent in solitude. Her lips curved into a faint, lancholic smile, but it was fleeting. Almost imdiately, her smile grew brighter, full of warmth and determination.
This ti around, she vowed to live a carefree life filled with joy and companionship. No more loneliness. And maybe, just maybe, when her birthday ca, soone would sing for her too.
With this thought, Kotomi clapped even more enthusiastically as she finished the song.
The honor of making a wish and blowing out the candles naturally belonged to gumi.
With her hands clasped and her eyes gently shut, gumi looked serene, deep in thought as she silently made her wish. After a few monts, she opened her eyes, leaned forward, and gently blew out the candles, extinguishing the flas in one soft breath.
"Happy birthday, gumi!" Kotomi exclaid, switching the lights back on and clapping with genuine excitent.
gumi tilted her head to look at Kotomi, her eyes brimming with affection. She reached out, pulling Kotomi into a warm embrace. Stroking Kotomi's silken white hair, she leaned in close and whispered,
"Kotomi, when your birthday cos, I'll sing for you too."
The tenderness in gumi's arms brought a rush of warmth to Kotomi's heart. Nestled against gumi, she nodded softly.
"My birthday isn't until next year, though," she murmured.
"No matter if it's next year, three years from now, or ten years later—or even decades—I'll always rember your birthday, just like you rembered mine." gumi's voice was a gentle promise.
As she finished speaking, she mischievously blew a soft puff of air against Kotomi's ear, sending a flush of red across her cheeks.
"L-Let's eat the cake already!" Kotomi stamred, flustered, and quickly changed the subject.
Seeing Kotomi's embarrassed expression, gumi decided not to tease her further—too much shyness might not end well. She released Kotomi and watched her hurry to the low table where the cake was set.
Using the plastic knife provided by the bakery, Kotomi carefully sliced the cake, making sure to give gumi the slice with the most fruit.
Halfway through eating, Kotomi noticed sothing strange. gumi was eating her cake, but her movents seed strained, almost forced. It reminded Kotomi of the ti she'd seen gumi struggle to eat boiled eggs. That had been before Kotomi learned gumi didn't like eggs.
Concerned, Kotomi spoke up. "gumi, I know you don't like eggs, but... do you not like cake either?"
As she spoke, Kotomi's thoughts raced. She'd been in such a rush earlier that she hadn't thought to ask about gumi's preferences.
gumi blinked, montarily startled. She quickly waved her hand in denial. "No, no, it's not that! I love cake—I really do! Don't you rember how many tis we've eaten cake together? I always eat a lot, don't I?"
Kotomi thought back to those monts. Indeed, gumi had always seed fine eating cake before. Today's hesitation was out of character.
"I don't think you're lying, but you seed a little off while eating. Is sothing wrong?" Kotomi pressed gently.
Caught off guard by Kotomi's keen observation, gumi froze. How does she notice these things so easily?
"You little penguin," gumi laughed softly, reaching out to pinch Kotomi's cheek. "Why aren't you eating your own cake and instead watching like a hawk?"
With her cheek squished, Kotomi's muffled voice ca out distorted: "So... you... don't like... cake after all?"
"It's not that I don't like cake," gumi admitted with a wry smile, pointing at the fruit filling inside the cake—yellow peaches, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, and kiwis. "I just don't like kiwi."
She explained that eating kiwi always left an uncomfortable sensation around her mouth, so she'd simply grown to avoid it.
Hearing this, Kotomi's face fell slightly. "Ugh... If I'd known, I would've asked you what you liked beforehand. I had no idea you didn't like kiwi..."
She glanced at the cake again, noticing just how much kiwi had been packed into the filling. The bakery had been generous, but this ti, it was a problem.
"Wow, they really went overboard with the kiwi," Kotomi muttered, scratching her cheek.
gumi let out a soft laugh. "It's okay. I'll eat it anyway!"
Even though she didn't like kiwi, gumi was determined to finish her slice—it was a gift from Kotomi, after all.
"No, absolutely not!" Kotomi objected, firmly holding gumi's fork back. "I told you before: if you don't like sothing, don't force yourself to eat it. Why don't you ever listen to ?"
Her tone was serious, carrying a hint of chastisent. It sounded less like a friend scolding and more like a wife fussing over her husband's bad habits.
"But the cake..." gumi glanced at the half-eaten dessert. It felt wasteful not to finish it.
"I never expected us to finish it in one sitting anyway. I figured we'd eat half now and save the rest for later. But since you don't like kiwi, I'll take the leftover cake ho to Aimi," Kotomi declared matter-of-factly.
She stood up, as if preparing to go fetch an apron and start dinner. If her long white hair had been loose instead of tied up, the sight of her pulling it back into a ponytail while tying on an apron would have made anyone imagine an idyllic married life with Kotomi.
"But I still want cake!" gumi suddenly grabbed the hem of Kotomi's shirt, pouting adorably.
Faced with gumi's unexpected plea, Kotomi hesitated. She didn't want gumi eating sothing she disliked, but she couldn't deny her either. After thinking for a mont, Kotomi lightly dipped her finger into the cake's whipped cream and held it out.
"Fine... Here. Eat this," she mumbled. "But don't bite , okay? It'll hurt. Just lick off the cream."
Before Kotomi could react, gumi had already leaned forward, taking the whipped cream into her mouth. Normally, whipped cream could be cloyingly sweet after too much. But sohow, eating it off Kotomi's finger felt endlessly delightful—like she could never tire of it.
An idea—one she'd been planning to save for Kotomi's birthday—suddenly popped into gumi's mind. But why wait?
With a mischievous smile, gumi scooped Kotomi into a bridal carry, making her yelp in surprise as she was brought back to the bed.
gumi placed Kotomi down gently, then—
Grabbed the leftover cake.
"W-What are you doing, gumi?!" Kotomi stamred, her cheeks flushing bright red as gumi sared dollops of whipped cream across various parts of her skin.
"Eating cake," gumi replied with a devilish grin, leaning in closer.
For the next two hours, Kotomi could only be grateful that they were the only two people at ho that night.
Night had fallen, and in the city's hazy skies, stars were hard to co by. Even on a clear evening, only a few faint points of light could be seen. Among them, two stars seed tightly intertwined, much like Kotomi and gumi's fingers, softly interlaced, their hands resting together under the warmth of a single blanket.
Kotomi lay nestled in gumi's arms, her delicate eyelashes trembling slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was gumi, who hadn't fallen asleep at all. Her gaze was fixed intently on Kotomi, unhidden and unwavering, sending a rush of heat to Kotomi's cheeks and palms.
"W-Why aren't you asleep yet?" Kotomi mumbled softly, her face flushed.
"I never went to sleep," gumi admitted, her voice calm and serene. "I've just been lying here like this, quietly watching you."
Kotomi wished gumi could've co up with a small lie instead—sothing like, Oh, I just woke up too. But no, gumi was brutally honest, making Kotomi's cheeks burn an even deeper shade of red.
"H-How long were you watching?"
"Since about 30 minutes ago. As soon as you fell asleep from exhaustion, I just stayed here, watching you like this," gumi replied with a contented smile, her earlier disappointnt entirely replaced by satisfaction.
Of course, that satisfaction ca at the cost of Kotomi being "teased" for nearly two hours.
Kotomi shifted slightly, trying to sit up. While her exhaustion had eased, a dull soreness lingered in her arms and legs. The discomfort was unmistakable, and her face puffed up in mild protest as she lightly swatted gumi's arm with no real force.
"You... you're so an! You said you'd go easy on today since it's your birthday and you didn't need the 'main course'! Hmph!"
"I didn't have the 'main course,' did I?" gumi replied, her innocent expression making her look like a saint.
"Sure, you didn't. But why on earth did you go at the 'appetizer' so hard?! Who uses that much energy eating a simple salad?"
Kotomi's voice was tinged with grievance, her face full of dissatisfaction as she muttered her complaints.
Strangely, this wasn't the first ti gumi had made such a promise, only to bend the rules. She always maintained the sa pattern: acknowledge her "mistakes," offer sincere apologies... and then escalate things the next ti.
It was already 8 p.m., and while Kotomi had told her mother she'd be celebrating gumi's birthday at her place, she couldn't stay out too late.
As she moved to put on her clothes, Kotomi beca keenly aware of the residual stickiness on her skin, remnants of the cake's whipped cream. Although gumi had licked it all off, the lingering feeling of oiliness was familiar—like the aftermath of those childhood cake-smashing gas. It was uncomfortable, and Kotomi knew she'd feel gross until she could wash it off.
Squirming slightly, she mumbled, "The leftover cream feels sticky... I need a shower. Can I borrow your bathroom?"
"Of course, you can. Want to join you?" gumi teased with a playful grin.
Kotomi shook her head furiously. If she showered alone, it'd take less than 30 minutes. But if gumi joined her... there'd be no chance of going ho tonight.
Seeing Kotomi's adamant refusal, gumi changed her tactic with a sly smile.
"Oh, wait! I just rembered—the showerhead in the bathroom is broken. Guess you can't use it after all~"
It didn't take much for Kotomi to see through gumi's antics. "Broken showerhead"? That was pure nonsense.
"Hmph! You're such a an-spirited miser!" Kotomi huffed, puffing up her cheeks in indignation.
gumi simply chuckled, brushing a strand of hair behind Kotomi's ear. "How could I possibly be stingy? But think about it—if you shower here and go ho squeaky clean, don't you think Aimi might notice? You ca here to celebrate a birthday, but you return freshly showered? What do you think she'll assu?
"I don't mind, but... do you really think you can handle Aimi's interrogation?" gumi's words hit their mark, sending a chill down Kotomi's spine.
Thank goodness gumi had thought this through—otherwise, Kotomi might've gone ho freshly bathed, walking straight into Aimi's sharp gaze.
With Aimi's personality, she'd never let Kotomi off without a thorough explanation.
"You're right," Kotomi admitted, nodding. She felt a wave of relief wash over her. While uncomfortable, she could tolerate the stickiness until she got ho.
After getting dressed, gumi asked, "It's pretty late already. How about staying for dinner? What do you feel like eating?"
"Sothing quick, if possible. I don't want to trouble you."
"I've got frozen chicken nuggets in the fridge, along with cold noodles, so veggies, bacon, and eggs. How about stir-fried noodles and reheated chicken nuggets?"
"That works! Let make it, though," Kotomi volunteered enthusiastically. It was gumi's birthday, after all—she couldn't let the birthday girl cook.
"I appreciate the thought, but... considering your current state, do you really think you can stand steadily and hold a pan properly?" gumi teased gently. "Leave it to —it'll be done in no ti. You can co down to the kitchen once you're ready."
Her words earned her an indignant glare from Kotomi, whose legs still wobbled slightly with every step. She didn't need reminding of who had made her this way.
Unbothered, gumi chuckled to herself and headed downstairs.
After so ti, Kotomi finally managed to get dressed and cautiously descended the stairs, her legs trembling slightly with every step. She focused intently, determined not to slip—
But alas, as soon as she reached the bottom, her footing gave way.
"Ahhh—thud!"
She landed on her bottom with a small yelp of pain.
"Kotomi? What happened?"
Hearing the commotion, gumi hurried out of the kitchen. Her eyes imdiately landed on Kotomi, who sat pitifully on the floor, her eyes misty from the sting of her fall.
"I... I fell on my butt..." Kotomi whimpered, standing up gingerly.
gumi couldn't help but laugh, but quickly stifled it—this was, after all, her fault. She gently supported Kotomi and guided her to the kitchen.
Despite her earlier complaint, Kotomi perked up the mont she caught a whiff of the stir-fried noodles and chicken nuggets. She practically skipped to the table, all traces of her earlier pain forgotten.
The plate set before her contained a fried egg on top.
"That one's yours," gumi said with a smile. Though she didn't like eggs, she knew Kotomi did.
"Itadakimasu!" Kotomi declared, her spirits high as she dug in.
When the al was over, gumi stared in disbelief at the empty plate in front of Kotomi.
An entire mountain of noodles... gone?
Seeing gumi's dazed expression, Kotomi asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking... I really need to work hard and make more money," gumi replied after a pause.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because otherwise, I won't be able to afford to feed you in the future."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon/DaoOfHeaven
User Comments
0 comments from readers