Here's to You, Kid

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENJI!!!"

A chorus of voices greeted him as he opened the door to the office, and he was promptly covered in streamers from the party poppers Atsushi and Tanizaki had fired as he entered the room.

Today was August 27th and it was Kenji's 20th Birthday.

"Woaaaahhh," Kenji looked around the room, heavily decorated with banners and balloons, before turning his gaze to the group of his co-workers standing in the centre. "Thank you so much, everyone!"

"How does it feel to finally be a legal adult, ehhhh?~" Dazai swept in from the side, putting an arm around Kenji's shoulders with a dubious expression on his face. "Got any enjoyable things planned now that the adult world is available to you?~"

"Ummmm..." Kenji looked up as he thought for a moment. "Not really. But I'm sure I'll have an enjoyable day with you all here!" he responded with a bright smile.

"Oh come now, Kenji, haven't you even considered going out for a drink, finding a pretty woman, taking her home and-"

Dazai was cut off by a swift smack to the back of the head.

"DON'T BE INAPPROPRIATE!" Kunikida interjected before Dazai would, inevitably, go into great detail about what he expected Kenji to get up to with a pretty woman.

"Owwww~ Kunikida how mean~ We're all adults now, we can discuss this kind of thing," Dazai pouted, rubbing the back of his head.

"We're still in a work environment." Kunikida pushed his glasses up his nose. "Besides...nobody wants to hear what you get up to in your own time."

"But you do, don't you, Kenji?~" An innocent expression had returned to Dazai's face as he turned back to look at Kenji.

"Sure! I'm always happy to hear what my friends enjoy doing,"

Atsushi and Tanizaki, watching from afar, shared a strained smile as they were reminded of Dazai's antics on their own 20th Birthdays. Dazai had attempted to engage the pair of them in similar conversations, though in Tanizaki's case Naomi gave him more information than he'd been comfortable with, but Kenji's insurmountable naivety was leaving Kunikida at a disadvantage this time.

"Alright everyone, we're ready~" Naomi's head appeared from around the door to the meeting room and the chaos momentarily stopped.

Yosano pushed Kenji towards the centre of the room as Kunikida went for the lights. Ranpo stopped eating sweets in the corner of the room and joined the rest of the members as they gathered close to Kenji and began to sing.

Holding the cake between them, Naomi and Kyouka appeared from the meeting room and slowly brought it over to him. Kenji's eyes lit up at the beautifully-decorated cake and the 20 lit candles neatly arranged on top. Dazai, still singing, was oh-so-innocently inching around behind him, preparing to give him some traditional Birthday 'tough-love'.

As the song drew to a close, Kenji blew the candles out - oblivious to Kunikida putting Dazai in a headlock behind him - and everybody cheered.

The cake was quickly cut, distributed, and enjoyed by everyone who worked in the office. Kenji was congratulated on reaching adulthood and the joint gift was brought out and received with joy.

Despite the inevitable end to the celebrations as Kunikida reminded everyone that it was a work day, Kenji thoroughly enjoyed himself and left the office that afternoon with a smile.

"Ah, hello again!"

Chuuya jumped at the sudden voice and spun around, spotting Kenji waving to him as he walked over.