Disclaimer: The game this is based on belongs to Yuki Kaori and Konami.

Nearing Towards You - Chapter 8

Erika found out about Naoji's birthday only two days before it arrived. A chance to talk to him had not come up since the first of the year, but from what she knew of Naoji she doubted he would have gone out of his way to tell her about the occasion anyway. Instead, she heard of his birthday from a group of giggling classmates when she passed them in the dorm. Their none-too-quiet conversation about what kind of gift the foreign exchange student might like caused Erika to nearly trip up the last few steps to her floor. Embarrassed, she hurried to her room to mull the idea over.

"What would he like?" she asked herself as she dropped a stack of books from the day's classes onto her desk. A few obvious and rather generic answers came to mind, but they were all things she was sure other girls at school would try to give him. Sighing, she slumped into the chair and rested her chin on the books. Minutes passed that way and a soft sound of frustration built in her throat. "Isn't there anything original I can give him?"

It was true that Erika had no real idea if Naoji had grown close to any of the other girls at school. She assumed his position as a Strahl Candidate kept him busy for most of the time he did not spend in class. "Except for the literature club," she mused as she leaned back in her chair. "I bet the girls in that know more about him than I do." The thought stung and made Erika's cheeks flush with embarrassment. Only the memory of the times she had shared alone with him could raise her spirits.

"Poetry... language... tea at the cafe... studying... Kuchen's history..." Erika felt on the verge of an idea, but it remained just out of reach. "Literature... history..." An image of the bookshelves that lined the makeshift library in her family's home filled her mind. Before she came to Rosenstalz she had not paid much attention to the volumes bound in leather, but she wondered if one of them might not make a good present. Her father read a great deal on many subjects, and though he might be loathe to part with any of the books Erika felt that her best chance was to try asking for one.

It would take a good two hours by carriage to reach her home, but Erika reasoned that if she left early Saturday morning then she could find a suitable gift and be back to the dorms by mid-afternoon at the very latest. "Plenty of time to find Naoji and give it to him," she decided with a nod. "Even if I don't know where he'll be. I'll stay outside the boys' dorm all evening if I have to so I can catch him as he goes back to his room for the night."

Her dilemma mostly solved, Erika tried not to think about it anymore and began her studies for the next day's classes.


"Eri~!"

The elongated wail and rapid footfalls that came after halted Erika in her tracks as she headed out of the dorm at eight o' clock sharp on Saturday morning. She turned and waited for Marin to catch up. "Yes, Marin?" She smiled at the shorter girl and tried not to fidget despite her impatience to be on her way.

"Where are you going on such an important day?" the redhead asked with a pout as she came to a stop in front of Erika.

Dread clenched Erika's heart painfully and stopped it for a second before it let go. "What's so special about today?" she asked hesitantly. Her friend had not brought up the subject of Naoji's birthday a single time, despite Erika's self-assurance that if Marin knew about it then surely she would have been brimming with excitement about it days beforehand.

Surprisingly, Marin sniffed and looked aside with her arms crossed. "If you don't know then maybe I shouldn't tell you." The tone was light enough that it could have been a joke, but something about her deliver gave Erika a sinking feeling. She decided to move on to another topic.

"I need to go home today," she explained to Marin in as apologetic and placating a voice as she could muster. "There are some things I'd like to have here in my dorm room to help with school, and they would really come in handy before the next round of exams. I'll be back around midday, if there's something you need help with..?" The last part she added on after a deep sigh from the other girl.

Marin shook her head and the curly tips of her pigtails continued to sway to and fro after she stopped. "All right, I'll let you off the hook this time. But when you get back, you're coming with me on a very special errand, okay?"

Positive that she did not want to know what Marin had planned, Erika smiled weakly and nodded. "Of course, Marin. I'll come find you after I get the things put away in my room."

"Promise!" Marin gave her a quick squeeze around her middle before she ran off into the dorm again. A long, weary sigh left Erika as she watched the redhead disappear, then she turned and continued on her way to the campus gate.


Contrary to Erika's thoughts beforehand, her search through the family library took until well into the afternoon. Even though her father let her take the family carriage back to Rosenstaltz instead of waiting for a rented one to arrive she still did not return to the school's campus until it was nearly time for supper. The small trunk Erika had packed while at home clattered heavily to the floor when she let go and sank down onto her bed, the most important item from her trip cradled in her other hand. The olive green leather that bound it was well-worn in places, and the once golden lettering on the spine had faded with time. Erika smiled when she thumbed through the pages gently and caught sight of the slanted strokes of handwritten lines.

Her father had been straightforward in his reluctance to part with the rather old volume of poetry and prose, but something about the way Erika explained her situation had changed his mind. "It's a good thing I didn't tell him the present was for a boy," she murmured sheepishly as she flopped backwards across her bed, "otherwise he might've told me no after all."

Rapid knocking at her door made Erika wince. She had completely forgotten about Marin's request in the rush to get back to campus before dark. "Coming!" Leaving the book on her bed, Erika went to greet her friend.

Marin bounced on the balls of her feet, a worried expression on her face and a long, thin box the size of a couple of candlesticks cradled in her hands. "Eri, you forgot about me!" the redhead chastised, her tone hurt.

"No, no," Erika assured as she shook her head, "I only just got back. It took a lot longer than I expected, that's all. I'm sorry, Marin. Did I spoil your plans?" Now that she thought about it, Marin had not told her what errand she wanted Erika's help with. But I've got a pretty good guess.

A slight shake of her head sent the reddish curls bobbing around her head. "No, there's still time. Last I checked he still hadn't come back from town yet."

Erika's mouth went dry. She swallowed to try and relieve the scratchy feeling in her throat. "Who's that?"

"Naoji, silly," Marin answered with a smile so bright it seemed like she had taken any happiness Erika felt prior to her arrival and kept it for herself. "It's his birthday today, and I guess the other Strahl Candidates took him out for the day. I'm too nervous to give him a birthday present on my own, so I need you to come with me." The redhead grasped one of Erika's hands and tugged her toward the door. "Come on, they could return any minute!"

Think fast, Erika! Digging her heels in against the floor, Erika stopped their momentum. "Just a second, Marin. I have a book I borrowed from Naoji a while ago, and I haven't had a chance to return it. I'll take it with me." The words caused Marin to stare at her wide-eyed.

"When was that, Eri?" Something in her voice made Erika wary of saying too much. The way Marin's smile looked the slightest bit forced discomfited her.

Erika waved a hand carelessly as if the topic were no big deal. "Sometime when we were both in the library. He had a grammar book that explained certain sentence structure better than our textbook, so I asked if he would loan it to me so I could copy down some of the rules." It surprised Erika how easily the lie fell from her lips. If she had not known the truth she would have believed it herself. Since she had not even had the time to put so much as a ribbon around the book it lacked the appearance of a present.

"Oh, is that all!" Marin's good spirits returned in full force. As soon as her fingers grasped the leather bound text Marin pulled her out the door. Erika realized as the shorter girl hurried them down the steps and outside just how late it had gotten. For a brief moment she hoped they were too late to catch Naoji on his way back to his dorm, but she knew Marin would simply ask another boy to get him from his room.

Nervous anticipation filled her until Erika was no longer sure whether she wanted to see Naoji or not. Her free hand clutched the book so tightly she thought her fingerprints would remain in the leather even after she let go. A turn in the path brought the boys' dorm looming in front of them. Erika's breath caught as she saw the five boys walking up the steps, the colors of their uniforms unmistakable even in the dying light of sunset.

"Naoji~!" Marin's loud call made Erika jump. Ahead she noticed the group stop and turn around. The redhead started to run as fast as her dress and shorter legs would allow, her grip on Erika's wrist ensuring that she had to do the same. Feeling more than a little foolish, she tripped along beside Marin the rest of the way down the path.

When they arrived only Naoji remained outside. Marin finally let go of her hand once they got near. Erika looked up at the dorm's large doors and caught sight of Eduard waving to them before he disappeared too far inside to see. Embarrassed by the rash behavior she had been dragged into, Erika gave Naoji a weak smile. "Good evening."

"Good evening," he returned with a nod of his head.

"Happy birthday, Naoji!" Marin said cheerfully without preamble, then held out the box to him. "I hope you like it!"

Though she would not admit it aloud Erika thought the startled expression on his face was adorable. Naoji accepted the box hesitantly. "Thank you, Marin. I appreciate your kind thoughts." At that moment Erika began to wonder just how much time Marin had spent around him since he both recognized her and remembered her name. Naoji examined the present for a few seconds then looked at the redhead again. "May I open it?"

Nodding vigorously, Marin chirped, "Of course!"

Long, graceful fingers carefully opened one end of the thin box then tipped its contents into his open palm. Layers of tissue paper parted to reveal a wide, white ribbon with carved wooden leaves attached to one end. Erika's heart sank a little as she realized just how perfect a present the bookmark made, and she wished she had thought of it herself. After he ran his thumb along the smooth surface of the ribbon Naoji returned his gaze to Marin. "Thank you. This is a wonderful gift, and I like it very much."

Marin grinned from ear to ear and practically bounced with joy. "You're welcome!"

The inquisitive look Naoji leveled at her next took Erika by surprise. "Ah, yes, happy birthday," she said sheepishly. As she went to clasp her hands in front of herself nervously she remembered the book. Fervently hoping that he would go along with what she said and give nothing away, she added, "This is for you. Thank you for letting me borrow it. It helped a lot."

Naoji's eyes moved from the book back up to her face before he reached out and took it. The momentary flicker of puzzlement faded as if it had never been there. "You are quite welcome. If you found it useful then I am glad I loaned it to you." He nodded, then placed the bookmark and its box on top of the leather volume. "I must be getting inside. Thank you both for the well wishes, and please take care on your way back."

"We will!" Marin singsonged, still smiling as if it were her own birthday instead of his.

"Good night." A nod and quick smile later Erika found her arm linked through Marin's as they headed toward their dorm. The redhead hummed a lilting tune that spoke of just how happy she felt, and Erika internally allowed herself to feel some amount of joy as well. I hope he looks at the book when he gets inside, and that he isn't upset at me for making him go along with my lie to Marin. More than that, I hope he likes it.

As they walked up the dorm steps Erika's stomach growled and reminded her that she had yet to eat since her return. After excusing herself from Marin, who wanted to go tell Wilhelmine and August about how well her gift-giving went, Erika hurried to the cafeteria before it closed for the night. Along the way she made a mental note to try and find Naoji as soon as possible so she could explain her actions.


Calendar notes:
January 16th, 1936 (Thursday)
January 18th, 1936 (Saturday) - Naoji's birthday