𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐄 ☆ | oshi no ko oc insert

04 | humbling experiences

Time flies, especially when you're getting accustomed to a new life. And that's how, 9 months after she learned what had happened to her previous body, Megumi celebrated her first birthday around those who loved and cherished her. Her whole family had gathered and bought her gifts - which ranged from childrens' toys to money for her parents to safekeep and give to her when she got older. Point was, though, the house was as busy as it had been when her parents had first brought her home from the hospital.

One thing she had however been contemplating on, was how to tell them what her one and only birthday wish was.

See, she had already made a decision long ago - in the first week or so of being alive. It had sounded obvious to her, after just a bit of thinking ; after all, even in her past life, it had been a dream left unaccomplished. But now that she has another chance, why not try it and see how that goes for her?

She had also been thinking. What was an appropriate time for a baby to say its first words? Some apparently started babbling as early as 9 months, but Megumi wasn't really fond of the idea - babbling when she was able to form coherent sentences? That was just embarrassing. So, she had opted for pretending to 'learn' how to speak in real time, without the babbling. And her plan was kickstarted on her own birthday.

☆

''ma... mama, can Xǐ have... this?'', Megumi asked, as she pointed to the strawberry on her strawberry cake.

Suddenly, everyone ceased partaking in their own conversations, before the Chinese side of Megumi's family started squealing in happiness - she had referred to herself using the first particle of her chinese name - how would they not be happy?

Megumi's mom shed a tear of happiness as she held her daughter close; she had said her first word - no, her first sentence. She was understandably happy - and so was her husband ; he had hurriedly walked over to hug his daughter as well, though he was playfully pouting about her first word not being 'papa'.

But Megumi's question was a genuine one, albeit also a way to start her plan - she really did want that strawberry, though. While she didn't really dislike the attention and congratulations addressed to both her and her parents, that damn fruit had been tempting her for about an hour or so, and she'd get really mad if someone else ate it.

As her cheeks inflated in frustration, she poked her dad's sides to force him to look at her, before aggressively pointing at the strawberry, and then her.

''Oh, of course'', Akihito chuckled as he gestured for his wife to free Megumi from her hold. He then sat her back down on her baby chair, and grabbed the strawberry with a fork. He was about to ask Megumi to repeat the name of the fruit after him, to make sure she remembered it - but seeing the insistent gaze she had and the way her arms were crossed, he couldn't help but gulp and simply give her the fruit.

☆

Megumi laid in her cradle, her quiet room leaving her free to think. The celebrations had finally ended and her extended family had gone home, leaving her parents to clean up while she pretended to sleep, judging 7 pm to be an appropriate time for a baby to get tired.

Now that she was back to being by herself, she could finally stop being a baby - that also meant she could go back to thinking about her plan. Her parents let her watch TV a few hours a day, which meant she could pretend to learn vocabulary through that - she wasn't so worried about that part of her plan.

However, how should she tell them that she wanted to be an actress? That it was her dream and what she wanted to dedicate her life to? Surely, if she didn't give them a reasonable explanation, they'd pass it off as a whim?