Nijika had a vague feeling that everyone in the band had been acting strangely over the past two days.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she couldn't shake the sense that she was being treated differently—though not in a particularly good way.
The clearest sign was how much closer Ryo, Ikuyo, and Hitori had become recently. They often huddled together, whispering to each other whenever Nijika stepped away for a moment.
But whenever she came back and curiously asked what they were talking about, they would brush her off with vague responses and avoid giving her any real answers.
This had happened more than once, so it was no wonder she was feeling suspicious.
Still, with the music festival drawing closer and preparations ramping up, she did her best to push these feelings aside and not let them affect the others.
Even so, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt by how her bandmates seemed to be shutting her out.
And today was no different…
On the train, Ryo and Ikuyo sat together, their heads close as they whispered to each other.
Every now and then, they would glance over at Nijika and stifle their laughter.
If she hadn't already noticed their odd behavior over the past few days, she might not have thought much of it.
But at this point, there was no way she could ignore it. Being excluded like this… really didn't feel great.
Feeling a little down, Nijika turned her gaze toward the window.
Unlike her gloomy mood, the weather outside was absolutely beautiful, with clear blue skies and a gentle breeze.
…
"Sorry for intruding."
Arriving at Hitori's house, Nijika politely greeted her parents.
Then, as if she had discovered a rare treasure, she gently patted the head of the mini-version of Hitori standing in front of her.
"You're so cute. What's your name?"
"Gotoh Futari. Nice to meet you, big sis."
"You're so polite! Ah, I remember Pochi—um, Hitori-chan mentioning you before.
But I forgot to bring you some candy today… Tell you what, let's go to the nearby supermarket later, and I'll buy you some."
"Thank you!"
While Nijika was interacting with Futari, Ryo suddenly grabbed both Hitori's and Ikuyo's hands.
"Alright, Nijika, why don't you take Futari to buy some candy now? The rest of us will head up to Pochi-chan's room first."
"Huh?"
"Sorry, Nijika-chan. We'll go on ahead."
With that, the three of them quickly left the living room.
Seriously? You three aren't even trying to be subtle.
Chisato, who had been observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but sigh and facepalm.
Especially Hitori and Ikuyo—one looked way too nervous, while the other was practically glowing with excitement.
Their faces might as well have had "We're secretly planning something behind your back!" written all over them.
Ironically, the one person who usually messed things up—Ryo—was the only one staying composed.
Her usual poker face was doing a good job of masking her thoughts.
But with two out of three acting so suspiciously, even Nijika, as dense as she could be sometimes, must have figured it out by now…
"Ugh…"
Wait, no! Why does she look so heartbroken?
Chisato turned his gaze to Nijika in concern, only to see her watching the three of them leave with an expression of loneliness and disappointment.
Even her usually perky ahoge drooped down! This was serious.
But why?
"Nijika, are you okay?"
"Suzumiya-kun… Thank goodness, at least you're still willing to talk to me."
"Huh?"
"Did I do something to upset them? Have they started to dislike me?"
"…"
Chisato took a moment to process her words before quickly realizing what had happened.
It seemed that everyone sneaking around to prepare her birthday surprise had made her misunderstand.
Once he figured it out, he relaxed. This wasn't anything serious.
In fact, in just a little while, once she stepped into that upstairs room, her emotions were probably going to skyrocket from rock bottom to cloud nine.
"That's not it at all. Your relationship with them is just as strong as ever."
"But…"
"It's fine, it's fine. For now, let's just take Futari to buy her candy, okay? Look at how excited she is."
"Ah… okay…"
Just then, Mrs. Hitori poked her head out from the kitchen.
"Chisato, since you're heading out, could you grab a bag of salt for me? We're running low."
"Got it."
After making sure Futari was securely perched on his shoulders and holding onto her legs to keep her steady, Chisato headed out with Nijika.
The convenience store was close by, so the trip didn't take long.
Along the way, a group of kids passed by.
The leader of the group casually turned to his friends and started wondering out loud how a black-haired dad and a blonde-haired mom could end up with a pink-haired child.
Nijika heard it loud and clear. She snuck a glance at Chisato, then at Futari, who was happily waving around a foxtail grass she had plucked from the roadside.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
Setting aside the hair colors… They really did look like a little family.
Chisato, maintaining a neutral expression, replied in a voice loud enough for others to hear,
"Your zipper is down. The Hello Kitty cartoon design is showing." Instantly, the attention shifted to the other party.
Watching the kid hurriedly zip up while being teased by his friends, Chisato chuckled indifferently.
This small incident, along with the lively and adorable Futari, somewhat lifted Nijika's spirits.
After returning home, Futari ran off with her candy to show off to her parents and tried to share it with her father, who had turned gray and dejected for some reason upon seeing Chisato.
What a good kid.
Mrs. Gotou, upon receiving the salt Chisato brought back, handed them two plates of neatly cut fruit wrapped in plastic wrap, telling them to take them upstairs.
"Have fun. I'll call you when it's time for dinner."
"Thank you, Auntie."
They responded in unison.
"Nijika, be careful when you open the door later. Don't drop the fruit plates. It's not that I mind the plates breaking, but I'm afraid the shards might cut your skin."
Hearing Mrs. Gotou's overly cautious reminder, Chisato thought to himself, Auntie, you could make it a little less obvious.
Luckily, Nijika didn't interpret it that way at all. Instead, she completely misread her words.
"Auntie, don't worry! I'm not that clumsy. I'll hold it steady, really steady!"
"Alright, go on up."
While climbing the stairs, Nijika whispered to Chisato,
"Seems like Bocchi-chan must have broken quite a few plates at home, huh?
Otherwise, Auntie wouldn't have warned me like that. But either way, Bocchi-chan's mom is really kind."
"Yeah."
"Which room is Bocchi-chan's?"
"The one with the little guitar charm hanging on the door."
"That's so her."
"Well, it was her 'friend' that helped her get through those lonely times."
"But how come it's so quiet? They were so noisy back in my room."
"Maybe the room has good soundproofing. Ahem!"
Just as Ikuyo was about to push the door open, Chisato suddenly let out two deliberate coughs—the prearranged signal.
The moment the door swung open—
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
"Happy birthday, Nijika-chan!!!"
Small party poppers burst open in unison, filling the air before a stunned Nijika with a shower of streamers and confetti.
She was so surprised that she didn't even notice Chisato reaching out to steady the slightly wobbly fruit plate in her hands.
It wasn't until her bandmates took her by the hand and led her to the cake in the center of the room—its candles already flickering—that she finally snapped out of her daze, overwhelmed with emotion.
"You guys..."
"The cake was ordered and picked up by Suzumiya. The decorations were prepared by Bocchi-chan and the others.
Ikuyo-chan and I just brought the cake out and lit the candles."
As Ryo explained, Nijika sniffled, her eyes slightly misty. She glanced around the room.
"You guys... So you were keeping this a secret from me the whole time. I thought... I thought..."
Chisato placed the fruit plate on the table.
"Sorry, it wasn't easy to explain. We had to let you misunderstand for a bit. But now... you're happier, right?"
Nijika nodded. That was exactly how she felt.
The contrast made the surprise all the more impactful, and since the result was so fulfilling, those previous uneasy feelings no longer mattered.
However, the other three had no idea what the two of them were talking about and all looked confused.
Nijika didn't explain. She simply wiped the corners of her eyes with a tissue.
Though her emotions were far from settled, at everyone's kind urging, she clasped her hands together, made a wish over the candlelit cake, and blew out the candles in one breath.
After the cheers and applause subsided, she first looked toward the most familiar face—Ryo—both expectant and a little embarrassed.
"Since you've gone this far with the preparations, then, then… there should be that, right?"
Ryo gave a subtle smile and suddenly took on a mischievous expression.
Silently, she pulled out a gift box wrapped with a bow from behind her and, with an almost villainous grin, slowly moved it close to Nijika's face, lightly brushing it against her chin and cheeks.
"Oh~ what could it be? If you don't say it clearly, Nijika-chan, I won't understand."
"I mean… I mean…"
Nijika's face flushed, her breathing turned odd, and she grew even more flustered.
Ryo continued coaxing her.
"Come on, say it. What is it? Say it quickly. If you don't, this old man here won't be able to help you properly… mmph!"
"Stop bullying Nijika, you troublemaker."
"The troublemaker is you! I was this close to getting Nijika to make that utterly embarrassed face! Don't you want to see it?"
Ryo grumbled, clutching her head, sending a resentful look toward Chisato, who had interrupted her.
"Not interested. If you want to play this ridiculous shame game, do it after I leave."
"Tch~"
Reluctantly, Ryo gave up and properly handed over the gift.
With permission, Nijika unwrapped the present. Inside was a clay figurine that looked exactly like her.
"Ryo, did you make this yourself?"
"I tried. I really wanted to give you a definite 'yes,' but unfortunately, my hands are only good for playing instruments."
In other words, she had asked a professional to make it.
But gifts weren't about who made them or how—they were about the thought behind them.
So Nijika happily hugged her and thanked her.
After that, Ikuyo and Hitori also presented their gifts.
Ikuyo gave a set of beautiful hair ties, while Hitori gave her a cute mug.
Finally, it was Chisato's turn. Nijika opened the package and found a pair of wireless in-ear headphones inside.
"I remember you complaining once about your current earphones cutting in and out lately. I figured these might help. Happy birthday."
Chisato's greeting was practical, as expected.
But Nijika fell into deep thought, recalling what he had mentioned.
She had said something like that once—late at night, in the recording studio at Starry.
But… was Chisato there at the time?
It had been a while, so she couldn't remember at all. But he remembered it so clearly…
"Thank you, Suzumiya-kun."
"You're welcome."
"Oh, it's Audio-Technica. Looks like a new model. Must've been expensive."
Ryo leaned in, resting her chin on Nijika's shoulder as she examined the gift.
"The price doesn't matter. As long as it works well, that's enough.
The store owner said this model has great quality and sound, and if there are any issues, you can get it repaired or replaced anytime. I'll send you the store's address later."
"Ah, okay."
Overall, no matter how one looked at it, this birthday surprise party was absolutely perfect.
Though for some reason, Nijika seemed a little absent-minded now and then.
Everyone simply assumed it was because she was too happy.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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