"Ah… Did I do this one right?" Akira glanced over at Goro's worksheet to the problem he'd been working on. "Yeah, you got it. Just remember to carry over the first digit if it gets to ten," he explained. Goro nodded with renewed vigor and set to work on the next equation. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes before Goro flopped himself backward onto the floor with a defeated sigh. He looked over at Akira, who had already finished his worksheet.
"How are you so good at this, Aki-chan?" Akira's cheeks color at the nickname. It had already been a month since he'd been dropped into this weird timeline, but he'd already managed to become close to Goro. He'd even started calling Akira by that nickname (which never failed to throw Akira off; how could he take it seriously when it was spoken so sweetly in Goro's voice?).
Akira shrugged non-committedly. "I've already learned this stuff, I guess," he looked off to the side. While he appreciated this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he'd been given, it still didn't make having to repeat elementary school any less mind-numbingly boring. Goro groaned from on the floor, "lucky."
'Not really,' his mind supplied, but he chose not to say it aloud. "I'm good at math, but you're really good at reading and writing," he pointed out. Goro turned his head to the side and Akira could tell he was suppressing a smile. "I-I'm not really that good," he chuckled bashfully. Akira smiled; he found it rather endearing how fast Goro practically turns into a stuttering wreck when he receives praise, how a bright red takes over his entire face, sometimes even reaching the tips of his ears. It was cute. Just then, the bell outside rang to signal that it was time for dinner. Goro shot up, eyes glimmering with determination. "C'mon! We'll definitely be the first ones there today!"
They most definitely were not the first ones there, but that was okay because when they collapsed into their seats at a table close to the wall, chests heaving laboriously, Akira couldn't help but realize that in this past month, he had been so much happier than he could ever remember.
"My birthday is next week," Goro admitted in a whisper. The two had been quick to move their beds closer together after they had been caught by one of the advisors one night. It was easier for them to talk at night like this, anyway. Akira lifted his head a bit to stare at Goro, who pointedly looked away. "How come you didn't tell me sooner?"
"I dunno," Goro rolled his shoulders, still not meeting Akira's gaze, "I guess I just forgot."
"How do you forget your own birthday?" Akira asked incredulously. Goro shyly looked up at him. "I never really celebrated it before." Akira's heart clenched, and it took all of his willpower not to clutch at his chest in agony. How was this child so innocent in a world that had brought him nothing but pain?
'We'll just have to change that,' Akira resolutely nodded to himself. He wanted to make sure Goro had a more positive reflection of himself, and that had to start with helping him make happy memories of the day he was brought into this world.
By the time the second day of June finally rolled around, Akira had already set his plan into motion. Today was going to be about making Goro feel like the most special person in the world; that's what a birthday is supposed to feel like as a child, right? That's why Akira went to the cafeteria workers the morning before to ask them to make Goro's favorite meal for dinner. It would have been greater had it been a weekend, though; maybe he would've been able to take the brunette out somewhere. Instead, it was a Wednesday, so he couldn't really do much. That was okay, though. He could make do with this. Once they'd gotten out of school, Goro met up with him so they could walk home together like always. Akira gave him an apologetic look and shook his head.
"You can go on ahead. I have something I have to do first, so I'll be back a bit later, okay?" Akira explained. Goro's face fell in disappointment, but he nodded anyway. Akira had to remind himself that he'd make it up to the other boy later, lest he give in to the brunette's sad puppy-dog eyes. No, he had to see this through, for his sake…
That was how he found himself in town, one hand over his pocket just to reassure himself that all of his money was still safely tucked away. He'd been saving it all up since he'd received his first allowance, not letting himself spend any of it. He couldn't lose it; without it, this entire plan would be pointless.
During the times he and Goro had come into town together over the weekends, he'd gotten a pretty good feel of the town. The main street was where the majority of the business was. There was a dentist's office, a couple of restaurants, a small park, a game arcade, and some shops and convenience stores. Most importantly, Akira had noted, was a bakery nestled comfortably between a couple of stores. Standing in front of the almost sickeningly-cute pastel pink building, Akira stared up at the modest sign hanging over the entrance: "Kappu Keiki Confectionaries". How corny. With a sigh of resignation, he entered the bakery.
There were only a few customers inside; a younger couple idling at the counter presumably waiting for their order and a woman sitting by herself munching away at some kind of cake. Akira awkwardly stood around and waited until the couple had been served and left. Akira approached the counter. There was a young lady behind the counter furiously scrubbing at a pan until she noticed Akira's presence. Her short brown curls bobbed against the nape of her neck with the movement.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Just give a moment," the woman called out as she finished up what she was doing. She settled the clean pan onto a drying rack and yanked off the rubber gloves she'd been wearing, hurrying to dry her hands off. She rushed out towards the counter and smiled sheepishly.
"My apologies, I didn't see you come in. What can I get for you today, young man?" Akira made an unappreciative noise in the back of his throat and made to look up at her, only to nearly lose his footing. This woman… She looked very similar to a certain kind, fluffy-haired girl—almost unnervingly so. Her voice, now that he was thinking about it, was very much like her's, too; high-pitched but somehow soft and easy on the ears. Picking his slackened jaw up off the floor, he looked away, feeling rather flustered from having been so thoroughly thrown-off.
"I— I'm looking for a cake! A birthday cake… Do you, um, have anything under ¥4000," Akira asked, voice shaking. He couldn't quite understand why he was so shaken up over this. Maybe it was because nobody ever really knew anything about Haru's mother, but if this truly was her, Akira thought, it made him feel almost as though he were prying into his friend's private life, albeit completely unintentionally. Seemingly unaware of Akira's inner turmoil, the curly-haired woman smiled brightly down at him.
"Yes, I do have one, actually!" She motioned toward a cake in the far right of the display. It was a simple white cake with an elegant light yellow border around its edge. It wasn't too bare, but it wasn't flashy, either.
"It's perfect—I'll take it!" Akira fumbled for the notes in his pocket. The woman giggled. "Thank you! Let me prepare the box for you," she stated, opening the back of the display and sliding the cake out, removing the protective plastic cover from over it. She then smoothly slid the cake out into a white box with a curvy pink design on the side. Just as she was about the fold the top of the box closed, she paused and glanced back to Akira once more.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Would you like me to write something for you?" She smiled sweetly, and Akira floundered, mouth snapping shut. She seemed to have sensed his hesitation because her smile appeared to grow even wider (if that were even possible). "Don't worry, it's completely free. I can write anything you'd like."
Akira took a moment to consider it, nodding his head in thought before coming to a decision. "Alright, then in that case, could you write…" He gave her the message and she nodded, retreating to the kitchen to retrieve a tube of icing with a fine tip on the end. With a hum, she set to work on neatly inscribing Akira's message onto the cake's smooth surface.
When the cake was finally boxed up and ready to go, Akira slid the money across the counter and she scooped it up, only glancing at it briefly before gently nudging the box toward him with a wink.
"Thank you, I hope your friend's birthday turns out lovely," she crooned, waving him off. Her word choice struck him as odd, but he decided not to let his thoughts linger; he still had a few more preparations to make for this to be perfect.
By the time Akira finally returned, the sun had already begun to set, painting the sky a beautiful orange-pink gradient. An orange hue was cast over everything, giving off a relaxing vibe. He snuck off to the mess hall to drop off the cake and found one of the tables in the center of the room decorated with a white tablecloth that draped over the edge of the surface. Streamers were suspended over the table with a few colorful balloons tied to the ends. A few colorful boxes were tucked away underneath the table for later. He placed the cake on the table, and just like that, everything fell perfectly into place. It was ready. A hand fell on his shoulder and Akira turned to find the head cook smiling down at him. She was an older woman with greying hair and soft wrinkles engraved into her features, but she was very kind. She had been more than happy when Akira came to her that morning with his request, promising that she would help him set everything up. "Leave it to us," she had said.
"This all looks amazing, thank you so much for helping me with this. I wouldn't have been able to set this all up on my own…" Akira sighed with relief, a small, content smile stretching across his lips. She gave him a gentle yet knowing look. "Takuto's with him right now, giving him little things to do to preoccupy him while we got everything ready. Now that you're back, we can bring him in," she turned away to head to the door, but suddenly paused. She slowly turned and cast him a warm smile. "Gocchan's very lucky to have a friend like you."
A few moments later, a small group of people began to flow into the room; a few of the orphanage's staff workers, one of the counselors, and the rest of the cafeteria workers. They arranged themselves so that they were standing in front of the table, hiding it from immediate view.
"Alright, here we are," a voice announced from the entrance, and there was Mr. Maruki, ushering a very confused-looking Goro into the large room. He took a few uncertain steps towards them, and when the brunette's gaze met his, his brows furrowed as if asking, 'what did you do?'
Before he could ask anything, however, they all parted, stepping off to either side to reveal their handiwork, their voices all ringing and mixing together into a chorus of: "Happy Birthday, Goro!"
Crimson eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in shock. Everything after that moved in slow motion, like watching a car speeding towards you head-on, but not having the power to jump out of the way. Goro's face shifted between several different emotions in the span of a few seconds. His lower lip trembled and his face scrunched up as though he were in pain, and the tears finally spilled. "Wh—" Akira recoiled as if struck, "why are you crying?!"
Had he messed it up? Was this whole idea a mistake after all? He hadn't even thought to ask what Goro thought about all of this, and now he's gone and upset—
His inner-ramblings were cut short by Goro's body slamming into his as the shorter boy all but threw himself at Akira, his tiny hands grabbing at the back of his shirt as he buried his face in Akira's chest. He stood stock-still for a long moment before bringing a hand up to pat the shaking brunette's back gently as he silently sobbed into his shirt. He simply offered him a smile and a tissue when he had calmed down enough to pull away. He received a watery smile in return.
The onlookers hid their warm smiles, trying to pretend they weren't watching. Goro had needed this more than they could have known, and Akira grinned softly. The surprise was a success after all.
