"You can't get Chrono a bible for his birthday!" Kamui tries to tell Ibuki. If he's really honest with himself, he's not slightly surprised at Ibuki's, well, odd choices on this matter. It's probably been a while since the last time Ibuki went to a fifteenth birthday party. Not that other twenty year old people would think of the Holy Bible as normal birthday present. Ibuki seems to pretend he didn't hear Kamui's comment. He sighs.
"People don't do that, you know."
It takes another few moments of waiting before Ibuki shows any signs of having heard Kamui. "Why not," he asks, frowning. "There's still a lot Chrono needs to learn. I don't see why we should pamper him in any way."
"But isn't that the point of birthdays? To have fun with your friends and get cool presents. Not some old boring book you saw at your grandparents place."
Ibuki frowns more instead of laughing at the joke. He's silent, looking almost grumpier than before. Just in case that's even possible. It makes Kamui wonder if Miwa lied when he said Ibuki used to be a cheerful kid in the past. He certainly doesn't seem like one.
"But Chrono has so much potential," he tries again, but Kamui cuts in.
"I know."
"It would be a shame to waste it."
"He's not wasting it," Kamui insists. Then in a softer tone, he adds. "Having fun with friends is never a waste of time."
Ibuki seems to think over his words for a while and Kamui uses the time to grab Ibuki's wrist and drag him away from the book selves. Of course, he doesn't want to influence Ibuki too much on his choice for a proper present, but there's no way he'd let him show up with the Holy Bible as present for a fifteen year old. Not when he knows how excited Chrono (their boyfriend, he thinks and the thought brings a smile to his face) is about the upcoming party. Though well. Upon further thought, it could be funny to see the reaction of Chrono and his friends.
Maybe next year.
They don't get far away from the book until Ibuki stops again to look at some pens inside a glass showcase. "What about a new pen? He needs them for school."
As excepted, Ibuki treats everything like it's related to business. Kamui wants to sigh again. But hey, it's Ibuki's present. Even when it doesn't feel right to him, there's not much to object against a pen, so he doesn't argue. Except – "Man, have you checked out the price tag?"
Seems like Ibuki hasn't, but at Kamui's words, he leans closer to the glass to look at it. "I don't see what's wrong with it."
Now Kamui does sigh. "You still don't have a job," he starts. "If I can't afford this with the money I get from my part-time job, then you definitely can't. Which makes me wonder. How do you even buy your food without any income?"
Ibuki hesitates, tensing, like he always does when he is asked about his personal life. Kamui doesn't actually want to press the subject. The question just happened to cross his mind. Knowing Ibuki, he'll ignore any question that bothers him anyway. Kamui is already looking at some of the other, less expensive pens and pencils on a shelf next to the showcase, when Ibuki replies. "I got some savings... That, and Mamoru keeps inviting me over."
Kamui nods in acknowledgement, for the lack of anything else to say. He is about to move on to go somewhere else, when Ibuki speaks up for once.
"What are you getting for Chrono?"
There's no way to tell if the curiosity in his voice is just part of Kamui's imagination or not. Ibuki wouldn't ask something he doesn't care about or deems as unnecessary. It instantly reminds Kamui how Ibuki was the one who suggested to come to this shop together. He is truly serious about finding a good present for their boyfriend, Kamui thinks. It makes him remember talking to Chrono on the phone yesterday before going to sleep. It's the first birthday I get to celebrate with so many friends, he said. His voice was not much different than usual, but Kamui could tell he's beaming in excitement.
From what Kamui knows, this might as well be the first time for Ibuki to go to a birthday party. At least both Mamoru and Miwa claim they never saw him at any sort of celebration that's not directly linked to his work or a Vanguard tournament. It reminds Kamui of the first time he saw Ibuki, right before the start of the Messiah Scramble. That time, Ibuki almost destroyed the whole world – although he can't really be blamed for it, according to what Aichi and Kai explained later. Kamui simply hopes they won't have to suffer any collateral damage this time Ibuki Kouji goes to a party.
"Some new card sleeves I asked Misaki to order for me the other day. I also got this orange bracelet I saw because it sorta reminded me of him. Oh, and some of my favourite sweets," he lists.
"Something that reminded you of him, huh?"
Kamui rubs the back of his neck, a grin spreading on his face. "Seemed right to me. You know, this whole dating thing is still new to me as well, but I just hope I didn't do too bad. Just thought this feels right. I'm sure the feeling is what matters in the end."
"So you just got him what feels right to you?"
"Yeah!" Kamui replies. "You should try that too. I'm sure if you like something, he'll like it too."
Ibuki nods, as if he found reassurance in Kamui's words. "So the book from earlier it is."
What is wrong with this man?
"Ah, well. There's also the option to make something yourself," Kamui suggests. "Bake a cake or something. It would be cute."
Ibuki seemingly dismisses the idea without giving it a thought. "I've never done that before." He already turns around to get back to the book shelves and at this point Kamui can't find a good reason to stop him any more. If a man wants to get a bible for his boyfriend's birthday, then it's the best to just let him be.
("If you want to, we can bake a cake together, you know," Kamui says on their way home. "Just in case you still want to do something yourself for him."
Ibuki looks a bit surprised, but then seems to think about Kamui's suggestion, before he shrugs. "Why not.")