[Hajime pov]
Today is my birthday. Usually, I don't throw parties and just celebrate it in a low-key fashion, but today is different.
"Banchou, you seem overwhelmed." Ririka chuckled while massaging my shoulders gently.
"Yeah..."
"I'm surprised you are actually throwing a party." Raden claimed
"Well, I was... convinced," I mumble.
* "Banchou throw a birthday party this year!" Kanade-san shouts at me
"Eh, but I usually don't do that..." I say
"Yes but I want to come!" She yells back*
"She was invited..." I say
Ririka sighs. "You don't get it."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"You just invited her to hang out on your birthday and not directly on your birthday like you did me," Ririka says.
"Is there a difference?" I ask.
"Yes, when people lo-care about you, there is!" Ririka chimed, cutting herself off and changing her wording mid-sentence.
Kanade-san came running with a pitiful expression plastered on her face as she panted. "Sorry, I'm late. Ao-san was slow."
"Oh, so it's my fault?" Ao-tan muttered
"Yes!" Kanade-san shouts
"It probably isn't anyone's fault..." Hitomi sighs while standing up and walking over to Ririka, adjusting her sunglasses as if she were trying to make Ririka look perfect to impress someone.
"Hitomi-chan, I'm fine..." Ririka sighs
"No, your mistress is here." Hitomi whispers into Ririka's ear, which the girl shakes off.
"Hey Kanade-san, you have a present for Banchou!" Ririka whistles
"Oh, I do!" She said this before showing me the neatly wrapped gift. I only recently told her my birthday was today, so she shouldn't have been able to give me a gift this fast. "You can open it." She told me
"Sure," I say softly.
"If you don't like it, I have something else." She ended up saying
I unwrapped it and saw a tiny jewelry box. I tilted my head to the side, confused by this, but then when I opened it, I realized that it was a really stylish necklace, and I remember that during one of our sessions, I told Kanade-san that I really liked the look of that necklace and I wanted it, but I couldn't afford it.
"How-how did you afford this!?" I ask
"My lips are tightly sealed!" She giggles
Rirka laughed, "Mine aren't. She did some work for me part-time for money-not much, but she wanted to be able to get you this gift, and I respected it. She already had been doing street performances after school, and I guess I felt like she did need the extra help." She explains
"Wait... so you've been tackling school, street performances, working part time for Ririka, and modeling for me!?" I shout
"Yeah!" Kanade-san replies
"That's too much!" Ao-tan shouts, butting into my conservative with Kanade-san.
"Look, Ao-san, I really wanted to get this gift." Kanade-san told her
"Ririka-chan, why would you help her so much!?" Ao-tan asks
"I already explained that, and besides, we're friends." Ririka sighed
"Riri is so nice!" Raden cheerfully shouts
Ririka smacked Raden over the head and began to shout at her as my brother approached us. He smiled "You seem happy." He laughed loudly.
"Yes, look what Kanade-san got me!" I say
My brother smiled and pulled Kanade-san to the side, whispering something into her ear, which caused her face to turn bright red. I thought she may be sick, but she seemed perfectly fine.
Ririka cleared her throat and handed me a gift. "I can't compete with her gift." She said
"Compete. Why would you be competing?"
Raden pulled me aside and said, "Don't worry about it." She told me, which confused me, but I wasn't going to question it. I stepped back over to Ririka and took her present, unwrapping it.
"Cute!" I said seeing the jacket she got for me, it was kind of like a stylish yakuza-like outfit. I put it on immediately, and with the necklace, it was a good fit, as if they teamed up to get gifts that would fit with each other.
"I don't have much money, but I bought you a gift." Raden claimed
She handed me her present, which was just in a bag. I looked inside and saw a collection of collectible pins. She probably got them from a thrift shop or something, but these are quite rare.
"Thank you!" I tell her, inspecting the pins and seeing that some of this is serious stuff.
"I forgot to get a gift..." Ao-tan sighed
"I told you to buy her a gift, even if it was cheap!" Kanade-san claimed
"Yes, but I didn't have time!" Ao-tan shouts
"You have been screwing around with me; I know you have more than enough time to have gotten her a gift!" Ririka shouts
"Look, I got the cake!" Ao-tan said
"That Shachou and I baked!" Kanade-san said
"Wow, you baked this?" My brother asks
"Yes, Shachou and I did it as part of my little internship at her company; she also said that it wouldn't be fair if she was the only one that baked the cake." Kanade-san said
"Let's set the cake out," my brother said.
Hitomi helped him bring the cake over, and then Kanade-san forced Ao-tan to light the candles. They sang happy birthday, and as soon as I made my wish, I blew the candles out.
"Let's have cake and drink!" I shout
We got alchohol out and poured glassed "Cheers for my birthday!" I shout
"Cheers!" They all shout in unison.
We slammed the glasses together and began to drink.
"Banchou, can I lean on you?" Kanade-san asks
"Sure," I say.
She gently leaned on me and sighed, "Happy Birthday." She slightly hiccups.
"Thank you. Don't drink too much," I say.
"Don't worry about me..." She softly said,
For some reason, I was happy that she was leaning on me. Maybe next year I'll have another birthday party.
*Happy Birthday Todoroki Hajime 6/7*
YOU ARE READING
Delinquent's Crescendo
RomanceOtonose Kanade makes a deal with Todoroki Hajime to become her model. That is all she thinks of it; however, could there be more to that than she thinks?
