7
Preparations for the Anticipated Day
Ten days had passed since the lunch date with the Fujibayashi twins and Yuki, still barely having any idea on what to give Yuki for a birthday present has been a struggle for Tetsuya. During that ten-day span, Tetsuya had gotten to know Yuki and her family a lot better since he would stop by the bakery after school. "Oh boy it is only four days until Yuki's birthday and I still have not gotten her a gift yet. Well if the gift is for a friend then it really is not a problem to find one. However, since this for a girl that I have strong feelings for then it is going to be tough. Because I do not know if she will love the gift that I hopefully can find. Maybe I should seek out advice from an old friend first." Tetsuya had thought to himself while sitting on his sofa and proceeded to pick up his phone. It was in that moment when Tetsuya had dialed the number to the Sarutobi residence.
"Oh hello, Tetsuya. How are you?" Hiruzen responded to Tetsuya's phone call. "I am doing good. Well there is a question I want to ask." Tetsuya responded back. After that response is when Tetsuya started to act a little nervous over the phone. This was unusual considering the phone conversation involved with someone who had known Tetsuya most of his life and afterlife. "Ok what is the question you wanted to ask me?" Hiruzen asked with a stern voice on his end of the phone conversation. "Umm…what kind of gift would be suitable for a person that you deeply care about and have strong feelings for?" Tetsuya nervously stated the question back to Hiruzen. That was when Hiruzen had started to feel a little baffled in what Tetsuya was asking at first before realizing the purpose of this phone conversation. "I had never expected that kind of question coming out of you, Tetsuya. Since I can understand where you are coming from well the solution is quite simple. Pick out either a piece of jewelry or something that the person you care about really loves the most." Hiruzen boldly responded back. "Thank you for the advice again, Professor. Tell everyone over there that I said hello. Good-bye." Tetsuya said before he ended the phone conversation.
After the phone conversation is when Tetsuya started to remember some of the recent conversations he had with Yuki. In those conversations was when Yuki had pointed out two things she really likes and addressed them to Tetsuya. "Well Yuki did say she likes stuffed animals and necklaces. Why not give her both a nice necklace and a stuffed animal? Now that is a great idea. So I better head off to the shopping district tomorrow after school in search of these gifts." Tetsuya had thought before the day's conclusion came to pass. Then the following day after school is when Tetsuya had set in motion his thought out plan not before a familiar face stumbled right behind him. It was Ryou Fujibayashi that had stumbled right behind Tetsuya on the entrance to the academy. "Sorry if I bumped right behind you, Tetsuya." Ryou apologized once she got back up from the fall. "It's alright Ryou. I was actually going to the shopping district to get Yuki's birthday gifts." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face. Tetsuya had explained to Ryou earlier that day in private about what he was going to give Yuki for her birthday. Then Kyou appeared with a blunt look on her face after overhearing the conversation and decided to signal Tetsuya towards her direction.
"So Tetsuya have you told Yuki about how you feel about her yet?" Kyou asked Tetsuya this straightforward question. "Well I am going to wait until her birthday. That way so it can give me time to find the right words on my feelings for Yuki." Tetsuya honestly answered Kyou's question. Kyou with a smile on her face proceeded to meet up with Ryou and headed on their way. Meanwhile, Tetsuya went towards the direction of the shopping district before the stores were starting to close down for the day. Upon arriving in the shopping district, Tetsuya had been in luck because the department store was still open. Then Tetsuya had found a necklace with a star shaped pendant and a stuffed bear which he thought were the perfect gifts for Yuki.
After he had bought the gifts is when Tetsuya decided to go back to his apartment. Once arriving back at his apartment Tetsuya had seen a note stuck on the front door. Upon taking the note down from the door is when Tetsuya chose to read it once he got situated in his living room. "Hmm... this is a suspicious note. I wonder what it says. Was somebody wanting to talking to me while I was out." Tetsuya had thought to himself before he started to read what was written on the note. The note was written to inform Tetsuya that someone wanted to meet him at the playground area in front of Sakagami Bakery as soon as possible. So after he threw the note in the trash can is when Tetsuya left the apartment heading towards the playground. Immediately after stepping foot into the playground is when Tetsuya had seen Yosaki standing there anticipating for Tetsuya's arrival.
"So you got the note I wrote on your doorstep, Tetsuya. You see I was meaning to talk to you about something very important. However, the head of your apartment complex told me you were gone and that is when I placed the note for you to meet me here." Yosaki said to Tetsuya once they found a bench to sit on. Tetsuya looked a little distraught into why Yuki's father wanted to talk to him about an urgent matter. "What is it that you wanted to talk me about, Yosaki?" Tetsuya had asked out of curiosity. Then Yosaki with a sigh under his breath and brought out a thermos alongside an empty cup stated, "Tetsuya, do you want to have a cup of tea?". Tetsuya shook his head in a yes fashion before Yosaki poured the cup of tea and being aware that this would be a long explanation for the sudden meeting.
Upon gazing at the stars shining is when Yosaki had a calm look on his face toward Tetsuya's direction. "Well there is something I think you need to know about Yuki. This is something that only me and Shiznae had known about for a couple of years now. It pertains to why Yuki had always stayed around us and did not get out much before she met you, Tetsuya." Yosaki stated with a stern look on his face to Tetsuya. Then Tetsuya had a calm look on his face after he had taken a sip of his tea and proceeded to ask Yosaki, "So what was it that caused Yuki to be this way?". With a sigh under his breath, Yosaki thought of where to begin telling the tale of an incident that occurred in Yuki's past. "The incident that I am going to be talking about began about three years ago. Before this incident, Yuki wanted to go to many different places after she got done with school and bringing Shia everywhere they went. Then on Yuki's birthday which had been an ordinary day and Yuki had decided to go towards the shopping district with Shia. Shiznae and myself had given the okay for them to head out that way since Yuki wanted to spend some of the money we gave her on that day. A few hours had passed by and we had not heard from either of them which got us very concerned." Yosaki said before he took a sip of tea out of the thermos he had brought with him.
That started to make Tetsuya even more curious into what Yosaki was even talking about in the first place. Then Yosaki after taking the sip of tea and with a blunt look on his face said, "Then I had heard a knock on our door and Shiznae decided to see who was there. By the time Shiznae came back to where I was she had a very sad look on her face and it was then that I knew something was terribly wrong. Once I had reached to the front of the bakery was a sight that I will never forget. For what I had seen is that Yuki had been crying with Shia who had been out consciously. It was then that Yuki had proceeded to tell me and Shiznae that while walking out one of the stores Shia who had been waiting for Yuki outside unexpectedly fainted which caused her to panic. In my heart, I think that Yuki never forgave herself for what happened on that day. It was in that moment when Yuki had decided to stay closer to home so she could stay right by Shia's side and gave up on going out to have fun outside of school. Every year on the day that the incident happened Yuki gets sad or depressed on her birthday." Tetsuya had a shocked look on his face upon hearing what Yosaki had to say. "How come you wanted to tell me this now, Yosaki? If you don't mind me asking." Tetsuya asked Yosaki out curiosity. Yosaki then responded with a calm tone in his voice, "I did not want to tell you this the first time me and Shiznae met you was for a particular reason. It was that we did not want to see Yuki feeling depressed again if I told you that story and made you uninterested in seeing us again. After all you are the first person since that incident who made Yuki feel happy. Now after getting to know you these past couple of weeks I have realized something that pertains to you, Tetsuya."
Upon hearing that response is when Tetsuya pondered into the purpose why Yosaki had told him about the feelings Yuki has on her birthday. "What is it that you are starting to realize about me, Yosaki?" Tetsuya asked Yosaki with a calm look on his face. Then Yosaki responded honestly by saying, "Well Tetsuya I am starting to realize how important you are to Yuki after all of the time we have gotten to know you. Also I know how you feel about my daughter even though that is something I usually do not say to any guy friends of Yuki's however you are an exception. Well Shiznae and myself are throwing a little birthday party for Yuki on her birthday if you want to come. It will be our little secret." After hearing that response is when Tetsuya became shocked that Yosaki, Yuki's own father had figured out Tetsuya's feelings about Yuki. "Sure I will come to the party, Yosaki. By the way how did you figure out that I have strong feelings for Yuki, your own daughter?" Tetsuya responded right as he was about to leave for his apartment. "Well it is because I was the same way upon the time I had fallen in love with Shiznae. Also it happened to be a father's intuition to think that in the first place. By the way thanks for letting me have this opportunity to talk to you, Tetsuya. Anyways I will see you at the party then." Yosaki responded as he was about head back to the bakery. After they greeted each other with goodbyes is when Tetsuya and Yosaki went their separate ways.
Once Tetsuya had made it back to his apartment is when he decided to make himself dinner since it was getting late. While eating dinner and with a smile on his face is when Tetsuya had thought to himself, "After what Yosaki had told me about what happened to Yuki and realizing my own feelings for her. This has given me even more confidence to express my feelings towards Yuki on her birthday. I now wonder if Yuki has any strong feelings for me despite what everyone else around me is been saying these past couple of weeks. Well I hope that this birthday party will be one that either myself or Yuki will never forget for the rest of eternity." Then after cleaning up his dinner is when Tetsuya had wrapped the gifts and put them in a spot in which he can easily remember.
