Summary [chapter 16]: Taiga stopped having someone to tell him 'make a wish' when he came back to Japan. That was why Miyuki wanted to celebrate her best friend's birthday. That was also why she invited some of his friends (yes, his friends).
Following the canon chronology with some additions for the purpose of the story. Main pairing of the story: Midorima x OC.
Written in the third person. The words in italic are characters' thoughts and the words written like this are said in another language (French or English). No harem x OC.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OCs
[PRELUDE OF HALCYON DAYS ARC]
FRAGMENTS
~.~
Chapter 16: make a wish
Taiga had no idea how it ended up that way but he knew it was Emilie's fault.
Wait.
He knew why. How could he forget about last night's 'conversation', as she put it. He should have known she was up to something after he saw that annoying half-smile on her face.
"I'm taking you to dinner at Maji Burger tomorrow night! Do not fret, I'll pay for everything since it's since it will be your birthday."
"Cool, I'm–"
"... and Tetsuya, pretty face and Midorima will be there too."
"Uh?!"
"It was that or a big surprise birthday party," she said in a deadpan face. Damnit, he had no choice, didn't he? He found the three of them annoying but a surprise birthday party for him was even more annoying. "I'll choose your outfit. No, it won't your usual tank top but it won't be something too fancy either."
Taiga took great offense over her shading his fashion sense but he had to admit (only to himself) that she made a point and perfectly knew how to shut him up.
... And that was how Taiga ended up hanging out with those idiots (Emilie included) at Maji Burger on his birthday. Or rather how he ended up waiting for Kuroko, Kise and Midorima.
On his birthday.
"It's my birthday and I'm the one waitin' for them," Taiga grumbled. "I'm hungry, can't we just go in?"
"I was there from the start," a voice said.
"ARGH KUROKO, YOU BASTARD!"
That asshole did it on purpose, didn't he?
Taiga was getting pretty good at spotting Kuroko's presence compared to the rest to the team, minus his best friend so it meant the bastard did supress his presence to annoy him there.
Emilie feigned annoyance but he knew she wanted to throw him one of her shit-eating grins.
"Calm down Taiga, it's only been five minutes."
"Does Kagami-kun want to have his gift now?"
Taiga raised an eyebrow at the question. Had that kid never been invited to a birthday party or what?
"We can do that after eating, Tetsuya," Emilie answered for him with a good-natured smile.
"I see," Kuroko slowly nodded. "Masuko-san looks beautiful."
She truly was. Sometimes, Taiga felt stupid for taking so lonh to notice it.
"Thank you! It's one of my favorite dresses, I thought it was a good ocassion to wear it."
It was one of the few summer dresses she had in her possession that reminded him of auntie. She and the rest of Emilie's family were still in France until late August and Taiga knew it affected her since she was close to them.
"My mother made it for me and offered it to me after my team and I won Departmentals. She always says that floral dresses are calm joy."
"Masukocchi! Kagamicchi!" a loud voice screamed.
There goes the calmness...
Kise just arrived. And with... flowers in his hands?!
"Please, tell me these flowers aren't for me."
It was more a plea to Kami or even basketball gods because there was no way in hell he was going to accept that bouquet of sunflowers and white roses he was sure he had already seen at a wedding.
"They aren't! This bouquet is for Masukocchi! Masukocchi, merci for your drawing!" Kise shouted while bowing and handing her the bouquet.
That was it. Taiga probably passed out during today's hellish practice and landed in another dimension.
It was either that or a fever dream. It had to be one of them, right?
Because if Taiga hadn't known better, he would have said it almost look like a scene from one of the shoujo Emilie's sister loved and forced him to read.
Except there weren't shoujo bubbles... Who was he even kidding, Kise always had sparkles and shoujo bubbles around him (which was one of the reasons why Taiga found him so annoying).
It was like a shoujo but at the same time it wasn't... And then, it hit him.
Taiga had wondered for a few seconds whether it was a confession or not before realizing how stupid he was.
Emilie not only made a drawing for Kise but also gave it to him. She rarely did that since she was very private about her art. He guessed the drawing was the thing Kuroko had to give to Kise during half-time...
The half-time of the match Kise had just lost, against that bastard Aomine of all people.
Taiga might be an idiot but it didn't mean he never noticed things, especially when it came to his best friend.
She accepted the bouquet, a peaceful smile on her face before hugging him and leaving a peck on each cheek. It was the usual way to thank a friend for a gift in France but her hug was slightly tighter and longer than just a regular 'thank you' hug.
He wished Kise wasn't here with them now. He wished Kise would be playing a semi-final in Inter High instead.
"The flowers are lovely, merci beaucoup. And it fits perfectly with my dress!" she added on a light tone.
They all pretended they didn't see the shiny tears in the corners of Kise's eyes. Taiga couldn't help but notice the unreadable look on Kuroko's face but it was gone as soon as he felt Taiga's eyes on him.
"This is a cute dress! Where did you get it?" Kise asked.
"Maman... My mother made it for me! She's good at this, it's one of her hobbies. She's helping my friend who wants to be a designer later... the who made the dress I wore at the ball."
"Is Masukocchi sure she doesn't want to become a model-ssu?"
Emilie started laughing. "I'm sure, I already have enough photoshoots to deal with."
"What does Masukocchi mean–"
"Hey hey! I brought you a package!"
They all turned their heads to see Takao and Midorima with that rickshaw again. Why was Taiga even associated with these weirdos again?
"Shut up Takao," said 'package' answered.
"Thanks a lot, Takao-kun," Emilie replied while ignoring Midorima's usual 'Shut up, Takao!'
"Happy Birthday Kagami," Takao said before starting to leave as quickly as he arrived.
"Thanks!"
"It's always because of you somehow," Midorima sneered at Emilie. Taiga still noted the lack of his usual snide towards his best friend.
"That's such an honor," was her witty answer as she put a kiss on each of Midorima's cheeks as a greeting, proceding to shut him up at the same time.
Taiga thought it was probably because of his tsundere side but he always looked embarrassed whenever she greeted him this way.
What a weirdo.
His stomach grumbled and they all looked at him.
(He was hungry, okay!)
"We shall go inside and order our food."
He appreciated the lack of mockery but then remembered it was just because Emilie said she would be nice for his birthday.
Maji Burger was emptier than usual and Taiga could only spot three tables taken.
Unfortunately, while their usual spot was empty, it was too small for the five of them but the tables Emilie, Kuroko and he used whenever Seirin would eat there should do for them. The few clients present were eyeing him in a weird wat since he ended up holding Emilie's flowers. It wasn't as if he cared though.
"Masukocchi... Are you sure you want to pay everything? We can do half-half," Kise asked.
"I told you three that it's okay!" she said before turning her back and check the menu.
He knew she was pouting.
Kuroko, Kise and Midorima seemed mildly embarrassed and looked away.
"She's way richer now than you anyway," Taiga added with a shrug before ordering without remorse. "Fourteen burgers please. And two French fries with Coke."
The part-time employee in front of him didn't even look surprised anymore while he heard gasps in the back.
"I thought you would take more for your birthday," Emilie teased.
"Nah. You made another birthday cake for me, right?"
"Maybe..."
'I did' was what she meant. She had also brought a yummy chocolate cake the team ate with the rest of the team after practice.
"FOURTEEN BURGERS? Are you crazy?" Kise asked, bewildered.
"It's what Kagami-kun usually orders," Kuroko added. Taiga simply shrugged.
"Kagamicchi really ate everything..."
"We told you."
It took them more than a hour to finish before heading towards Taiga's apartment.
"I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it."
Miyuki silently nodded.
"Are you living close to Maji's Burger?"
She laughed. "We go there twice a week so yes."
It was also a good thing since her arms hurt from using too much her crutches she mentally added.
"Shut up!"
"We both know that if I wasn't here, you would be there at least four times a week despite being a capable cook who can prepare healthy yet delicious dishes for himself."
"... True."
"Well, you're lucky your stomach is a black hole while I have to be careful about eating," she said.
No, she wasn't sulking or anything.
"The doc said you can eat fast food!"
"I know... And I don't mind eating more vegetables than usual since I like vegetables. It's just that I find it hard to go back to my former physical shape."
She didn't even need to look at the other to tell that they were making a grimace. None of them could understand what she felt anyway because none of them had been through a long term injury.
At least not yet... Hopefully never.
She kept a note to herself to talk to pretty face alone. She knew the symptoms when there were some.
While she didn't regret letting the risk of worsening the injury than what she could have had if she would had immediately signaled it to her teammates or coach (papa), it was more or less a calculated risk. She was the perfect example of what could happen to pretty face.
Miyuki knew she wasn't critically risking any potential career she could get.
She didn't even need to watch the match to be sure both of them (pretty face and Aomine Daiki) overdid it and surpassed their bodies' limits by making reckless moves to try to outplay the other...
"Masukocchi doesn't look in bad shape."
While Miyuki appreciated the confidence boost, she knew that it wasn't exactly true. "I'm going through reeducation so I haven't picked up too much fat but I lost some of my muscle mass and an important part of my stamina as well. The doctor said I'll be allowed to take off this knee pad next week and that I'll be able to walk normally again in two weeks. I'll probably be able to start doing sports with no contact in late August... or in September, who knows."
It was August 2nd and though she could see herself starting to walk without her crutches soon, she had doubts about her riding a bike or swimming just after that.
Her doubts had to be obvious just by the look of everyone's face. They all stopped walking and just... stared at her with a bizarre look. She couldn't pinpoint what was that although she was sure it wasn't pity.
"Why are you looking at me this way?" she directly asked them.
"It's the first you're bein' honest 'bout it with 'em," Taiga said.
"About what?" she retorted.
The four young men looked at each other before looking her back.
"Your injury, that is," Midorima slowly replied.
Oh.
It was the first time one of them clearly said the word 'injury' (except Taiga) when talking about her knee. It was surprising none of them dared to say it before, really. Especially Midorima, who was blunt to the point of sounding condescending.
She sighed. "It's just... This situation is frustrating. The last time I played football was in April and we're now in August. Imagine having to spend four months without playing your favorite sport..."
Not to mention she didn't even had her teammates with her anymore, she added to herself.
Or more like they were now on the other side of the planet.
"Although I am aching to play football again, there's no need to worry too much about me... All of you. I'm a big girl. I know I'll eventually football once more, I'm just getting impatient. Now, let's go to Taiga's apartment," she finished before heading towards their apartment block.
She didn't need to hear their answers. Nor did she want to.
There was no need for her to look behind to know they all started to walk again.
All of them had to prepare for Winter Cup and there was no way that she would be a burden to them.
They arrived at their apartment block to see that the elevator was out of service.
"Great. Just great," she grumbled.
"I'll carry you," her best friend proposed.
"No, it's your birthday," she said. She was also being childish and wanted to avoid having him whispering at her questions about her knee while he was carrying her.
"What?"
"I won't let you carry me to the fifth floor on your birthday!" Miyuki firmly repeated.
"Uh? Are you stupid?"
"I can carry Masukocchi," pretty face volunteered before she and Taiga started bickering.
"Kise-kun..." She stopped herself. No, asking questions concerning his foot would draw more suspicion. "Fine. Here, hold my crutches. Taiga can hold everyone's gifts and my flowers instead."
It highly amused her to see Taiga eyeing pretty face that way.
She suspected Taiga thought pretty face wanted to date her while the truth was that all the flirt from pretty face was there to try to tease her and try to get a reaction from her.
Pretty face was cunning, if only people could see that. Unfortunately for him, it didn't work on her.
"The piggy back ride is unfortunately impossible for me since I'm wearing my knee brace and a dress. Midorima will do it!" she proposed. It was impossible for her to bend her knee.
"I'll carry Masukocchi in my arms!" pretty face insisted.
"Are you sure, you can just hold my crutches while Midorima– Ah!" Pretty face swiftly put a hand around her back and put the other hand was placed around the bend in her knees to lift her.
There was no indication of hesitation in his gestures and Miyuki concluded that he was either used to do that with his conquests or with people close to him (family probably).
Despite the enormous amount of fangirls he had, pretty face was single. He was popular but ironically didn't have many friends... He always hung out with them or his team which meant that he was probably used to carry his sisters or cousins.
Pretty face was a decent young man despite what his looks could suggest and did his best not to expose her underwear while carrying her, his hand firmly holding the hem of her dress.
She usually liked putting tight shorts under her skirt or her dress but it was too bothersome with that knee brace. Not to mention that it was too hot.
Who knew Japan could be so hot and humid in summer?
Miyuki looked at his face in case he would flinch. She hoped her weight wasn't too much of a burden for his injured foot.
"Now that I think about it, Midorima and you went to Taiga's apartment when you helped him to pick the food and bring it to the hospital."
"Not really, we just waited at the front door."
She threw a look full of judgement to Taiga to show her disapproval about his lack of manners.
"It was just to take food, come on!" Taiga tried to defend himself.
She shook her head. "Still."
"It's because– Weren't you the one to close the door this morning?"
"You're right... Here!" she said as she handed him the keys from her pocket. Miyuki was particularly happy maman sewed pocket in that dress.
"Thanks."
"Kise-kun, you don't need to carry me anymore."
"I can carry Masukocchi to the couch-ssu!"
"But I have to prepare the cake!"
"Then I'll carry Masukocchi to the kitchen-ssu," he kept insisting in a cheery voice.
She sighed in surrender. "Fine."
Taiga finally opened the door after his quarrel with Tetsuya about how big his apartment was.
"Put your shoes here, I'll get you some drinks."
"Waaaah! Kagamicchi really lives here alone?"
Kagamicchi's place was huge! And didn't look like how Ryouta pictured it at all.
"I told you, I was supposed to live here with my old man but he's still in the States. And Emilie kinda lives here most of the time."
"My family will arrive in two weeks and a half so I either go here or he comes to my apartment since we live in the same apartment complex," Masukocchi added.
Ryouta thought that it would be messy. Kagamicchi was similar to Aominecchi in some points but it visibly wasn't the case here.
There were barely any decorations apart from a few photos hung on the wall (Ryouta was sure it was Masukocchi who made him do it). There were a minimum of furnitures and a mix of basketball magazines and football magazines scattered in several places. Books too (definitely Masukocchi's).
Traces of Masukocchi's presence were subtle yet obvious. It made the apartment look more... alive despite its minimalist decoration.
"Could you please carry me to the kitchen?"
Ah right, Ryouta was still carrying her.
"Sure!"
Masukocchi was lighter than he thought... Not that he thought she would be heavy but she was an athlete... she wasn't exaggerating when she said that she did lose mass muscles.
He tried his best to avoid touching or looking at her knee brace. It made him think about his foot.
Ryouta looked at the rest of the apartment instead. Kagamicchi had an open-plan kitchen: it made sense. He heard from Midorimacchi (!) that Kurokocchi (!) now came there almost every day to eat (!) breakfast with Kagamicchi and Masukocchi or dinner after practice.
Kurokocchi looked so comfortable there and took what was probably his usual seat in front of the counter.
Ryouta was glad someone was there to make Kurokocchi eat before and after practice, he always worried about Kurokocchi's weight.
"How does Masukocchi cook with these crutches?"
"I use this chair here. Whenever I can't reach something, I ask Taiga or Tetsuya to help me. I only cook half of the time though, Taiga is the one cooking the rest of the time or we're eating at Maji Burger."
"Here!" Ryouta tried to be as gentle as possible as he put her down.
"Merci," she replied before leaving a quick peck on his cheek. Ryouta wasn't used to that kind of platonic affection from a woman who wasn't one of his sisters. And yet, Masukocchi made it look so simple.
And perhaps it was that simple.
"Since Taiga doesn't like having a grand party for his birthday, I didn't make anything too complicated. Midorima, could you please open the fridge and give me the cake, please. Kise-kun, could you please take the candles in the drawer on the right?"
It was surreal to see Midorimacchi comply orders that weren't from a coach or Akashicchi.
"Where do I put the cake?" he asked
"On the counter, please."
"It's so pretty!" Ryouta said at the sight of the pastry.
"Miyuki-san's cake looks amazing."
"Thank you. It's a French vanilla cake with caramel frosting and brandied noix de pécans."
"It looks awesome! Did you put some cinnamon?"
"Of course!"
"I'm gonna make milkshakes," Kagami said.
"Vanilla milkshakes?" Kurokocchi immediately asked.
Everyone in the room rolled their eyes. Kurokocchi's attachment to these beverages were a well-known fact.
"Yes, Kuroko. It'll fit with the cake's taste anyway."
If someone would have told Ryouta he would be in Kagamicchi's apartment with Kurokocchi and Midorimacchi a few months ago, he would have thought the person was crazy. And if someone would have told him that he would watch Kagamicchi and Midorima talk about cooking, he would have thought that it would be a parallel universe. It had to ne.
But it was happening. It was real, warm and comforting, especially after that crushing defeat against Aominecchi yesterday.
"Kise-kun, did you find the candles?"
"Uh? Oh, yeah."
Ryouta turned his head before handing her the candles.
He was getting distracted again.
Damn his brain for that and damn her for apparently noticing it.
"Can you put the flowers in the vase here while I put the candles on the cake?"
He was grateful she didn't say it in front of everyone though his guts were telling him that time would come at one point.
"Hai!"
"How 'bout you only put one candle here?"
"Come on Taiga, it's your birthday! Being sixteen deserves having sixteen candles and as maman says 'there's never too much candles on a cake until you're 30!'"
Ryouta wondered how Masukocchi's parents look like? Were they tall?
Were they as nice and kind as Masukocchi?
"Fine!" Kagamicchi conceded.
She waited for Kagamicchi to finish preparing the milkshakes before lighting the candles. Masukocchi easily convinced Kagamicchi to take a picture of them all with a tripod.
"Kuroko, did you just drink half of your mishake?"
"... I don't know what is Kagami-kun talking about."
"Liar!"
"Can you both be quiet for once?" Midorimacchi sternly said.
"Guys, calm down," Ryouta proposed.
"It's my birthday so I won't shut up!"
In the end, none of them but Masukocchi was watching the lens but she looked satisfied with the pictures taken.
"I don't know if people sing 'Happy Birthday' in Japan or if it's something else..." Masukocchi whispered, mostly to herself.
She turned her head to silently question Taiga. He shrugged.
"Don't ask me, I never celebrated it here, only in the States."
Kagamicchi's answer seemed to upset Masukocchi. Kagamicchi noticed it and decided to ask them about how birthdays worked in Japan.
"We don't really celebrate it here with a cake and a party except when we were kids. It's usually a day spent with your other half for older people."
"But when we do, we sing 'Happy Birthday' in English," Midorimacchi said.
He probably knew it thanks to his little sister... Midorimacchi really was a tsundere.
"We'll sing 'Happy Birthday' then!"
Their 'Happy Birthday' chants were somewhere between messy and chaotic but it was perfect in its own way. Kagamicchi didn't mind and Ryouta was sure he never saw him smile that much off the court.
"Make a wish," Masukocchi told her best friend.
Ryouta considered himself as someone who was selfish. He was cold towards people in general and only cared about the people he respected. He wasn't like Masukocchi and would never be like her.
Being kind to everyone was a hassle. Despite that, he respected her... and she still willingly helped him, a rival to her team and to her best friend.
He couldn't help wondering why she did that?
Really, he now completely understoodd why even Midorimacchi was taking a liking to Masukocchi.
Miyuki considered Taiga's little birthday party as a success.
He had opened his gifts while they were eating her cake and she was happy to see her best friend smile so freely.
Tetsuya had gifted him a set of headphones while pretty face had gotten him a stylish shirt and Midorima offered him tomorrow's lucky item. Miyuki personally offered him a collector basketball magazine (and refused to reveal its price) and Seirin had given him a bag with his favorite snacks with Maji Burger coupons before practice in the morning.
Miyuki excused herself after finishing eating the slice of her cake and went to her bedroom to change her clothes. Taiga asked her if she needed help but she refused.
She was capable to walk by herself for short distances although her steps were always slow and hesitant.
It was also the only moment of the day where she was allowed to take off her knee brace. She looked at the scars on her knee. Her two incision scars were still there months after the surgery. But at least, it didn't hurt anymore.
Taiga and Riko both asked her and she simply answered that it didn't bother her anymore.
It wasn't a lie. It was just there as a ghost, an evidence of the past few months of frustrating reeducation.
She came back to the living room to see that the boys were all busy chattingwith each other. Taiga and pretty face were going though Taiga's basketball magazine collection while Tetsuya and Midorima were looking at the collection of books (her collection, obviously).
"You can bottow them if you want. Most of them are in English or French but I also like reading Japanese novels," she told them.
She knew everyone looked at her surgery scar now visible to everyone's eyes after taking off her knee brace and wearing her shorts.
"Is Miyuki-san sure?" Tetsuya asked softly.
She was grateful nobody said a word about her scar.
She nodded. "I've already read them several times already. I also have manga volumes if any of you is interested, they're on the other book shelf."
"May I borrow this book?" Tetsuya asked, his eyes slightly sparkling as he looked at the cover of the book he was holding.
Ah, of course Tetsuya chose a detective novel. Miyuki silently nodded in approval before moving.
"I'm going to the balcony to get some fresh air. Kise-kun, could you help me, please?"
Nobody questioned why pretty face of all people, deducing that she probably wanted to thank him again for his bouquet in private.
It was only partly true.
"Hai!"
The balcony wasn't big but it was spacious enough to install a few plants along with a small table and three chairs.
It was where she, Taiga and Tetsuya eat breakfast and dinner whenever it wasn't cold or raining outside.
"Does Masukocchi need to be carried again?"
"No, I'm fine! Just stay beside me in case I lose balance."
It was baffling to see how a short distance such as the one from the middle of the living room to the balcony was so long to her when one of her knees was still in that current state.
She appreciated pretty face's patience. He walked at her pace and stayed by her side all along. He opened the sliding window and helped her to sit on the chair without hurting her knee.
"Are you always so nice with girls?" Miyuki asked him in a teasing tone.
"I treat my fans well but they're not my friends."
Miyuki blinked. She expected a joke from him, not a genuine answer.
"Since I'm your friend, I'll be honest with you too. I know about your foot," she said in a low voice so the others couldn't hear them.
Pretty face gasped. "What– There's nothing..."
They both knew his attempt at lying was pathetic.
"You do have a pretty face but you don't know how to act..." Miyuki observed. "Before you continue to try to deny these facts, just know that I won't tell anyone outside of your team. However, I won't hesitate to tell to Genta-san if you don't tell him yourself."
She knew she sounded like an asshole but it was exactly what pretty face needed right now.
Despite being Seirin's manager, she decided not to tell her team and hope that piece of information would remain unknown by the other members of the Generation of Miracles, even if said member was Tetsuya or Midorima.
She knew pretty face had his pride and she knew it could weaken Kaijo's credibility.
"Why?"
Why are you doing this to me?
She could hear pretty face's anger and accusation in that simple word whispered. He was hurt in more ways than one and she couldn't blame him for that, she had been there too.
She decided to brush it off. "I don't want you to become like me. You saw my insicion scar on my knee, and you can see how I'm struggling while trying to walk. Do you want to go through that too?"
All she got was silence.
"Only my team and my dad know that but... I knew something was wrong with my knee for weeks. I had felt it but I still overdid it and I got injured. I informed them after my injury occured but I didn't say a word to Taiga. Both of our situations are different since my injury is also due to a collision with another player but I avoided telling about my knee before on purpose and it got worst... It's dumb and I don't regret taking that risk because I knew it would be my final tournament with them but it's not your case. You have the Winter Cup and many other tournments to come. As your friend and as an injured athlete, I'm asking you to rest."
She wanted to tell him to stop overtraining but it was no use. She would try when the time would dome. She knew pretty face enough to guess that after his defeat against Aomine Daiki, he would train harder but telling that now would be too muh. He needed to rest and be more receptive.
They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes until he looked away.
"Coach and Kasamatsu-senpai will kill me," he finally whispered.
She breathed again. "Don't even tell me. Papa was also my coach so he got really angry." 'Angry' wasn't strong enough to describe his wrath, even if she knew most of his anger was directed at himself for not seeing it earlier. "I can go with you. I know Genta-san and he'll probably scold me too since papa probably told him about my injury. I can talk to your captain although he looks shy around girls," she proposed.
"Yeah, sure. Too bad you found out though..."
Was he pouting? She laughed. "I know... Too bad I have to make you betray your secret but I can go to Kaijo tomorrow morning."
"Really?"
"Sure. You can sleep here, we have a spare room. It must take time to go back to Kanagawa Prefecture, and it's already late."
"It's just fourty minutes, that's not a problem."
"I insist, we'll go together after taking breakfast."
"But doesn't Masukocchi have a team?"
"I can miss half a day of training, I'll say that I'll go to scout your team," Miyuki brushed it off. Being Riko-san's favorite person in the club had its perks.
"... Is that really okay?" he asked, still reluctant.
"I did promise not to tell anyone but your team, and I meant it," she said in a solemn voice.
"I guess I have no choice... In one condition."
Miyuki cocked her head. "What is this condition?"
"Why was Masukocchi sad before?"
She frowned, not sure she understood. What was that question? "Is that really a condition?"
"I want to know. Why was Masukocchi sad before, when Kagamicchi said he never celebrated his birthday in Japan."
She almost wanted to curse him. He really was more observant than people thought.
"It's... Taiga used to always have someone to tell him 'Happy Birthday' and 'Make a wish'. It used to be his mother, then it was his father, my parents, Tatsuya and I. But I left Los Angeles, then Taiga went to Japan alone so he didn't have anyone to be there with him... I sent him a post card and a gift every year and called him but it wasn't the same."
It was the reason why she didn't protest when her parents told her they would move to Japan.
She had missed Taiga and she hated the idea of leaving him alone in a country that was his and not his at the same time. Taiga's dual citizenship wasn't only in paper: he was also used to American culture and traditions.
She understood more than anyone that living in Japan after being in another country so different in a cultural standpoint for years was difficult... And for someone like Taiga who was so hungry for challenges, carefree and had the tendency not to care about etiquette, Japan wasn't the most welcoming place.
"When we were in Los Angeles, Taiga used to say his wish outloud." Taiga used to be such a sweet and naive boy at the time. "Tatsuya told him that saying it outloud would jinx it so Taiga closed his eyes and silently made his wish instead."
"Long ago, there was a time where he wished Tatsuya, him and I could stay together forever. And now that we're in August, it means that Tatsuya is coming back to Japan. The ring around my neck is just a daily reminder that Taiga and Tatsuya will face each other in December and I don't know if I'm ready for that."
There was no 'if'. She knew it had to happen. Her best friends will tear each other apart and she would have to watch them do that.
She rest her face on the table. Its metallic coolness felt good on her cheek.
Pretty face was still looking at her with something akin to confusion and for one instant, he reminded her of Théo.
"You're a good guy despite your pretty face," she blurted out.
"Ehhh?"
"Are you... blushing?" The thought was hilarious but the facts were there.
Despite the fact that it was night, she could still see a faint blush on his cheeks.
"I'm not!" he denied.
"Aren't you used to hear that you're pretty? You're a model after all."
"It's not that... It's Masukocchi's eyes, they're... Wait, did Masukocchi just insult me?"
"I don't trust people with a pretty face. But I'll make an exception for you."
Her best friend was Himuro Tatsuya so she knew what she was talking about.
A/N: Himuro and Murasakibara will be the main stars of the next chapter with their entrance! Masuko and Himuro's dynamic will be more explained. I wrote what is happening between September and October though it is not the case in the manga.
Ironically, despite being about Kagami's birthday, this chapter focused a lot on Masuko's friendship with Kise. It's because this chapter is more of an interlude and a bit of an introduction about how Masuko will deal with Himuro's arrival and her family coming to Japan as well.
I would like to thank the people who has favorited or/and is following this story after I published the previous chapter: animelovemg, LegitimateLostGirl, halyyy, lamm2293, Savage Kill, Isabella Hale, DangerJacky972, Justareader0314...
Once again, thank you for the fav/following! Don't hesitate to post comments, I'll make sure to answer them on next chapter's A/N or through PM :)