Birthday Gift
There were many things that Satoshi Hiwatari didn't understand about Risa Harada. He wasn't about to start listing them, because he was positive that such a task would be tedious and a waste of time. The only thing he was concerned about at the moment in time was her... standing in front of him... with a cupcake in her hands.
"Happy birthday, Hiwatari-kun!" she said cheerfully, despite the fact that it was half past seven in the morning.
"... It's not my birthday, Harada-san," he told her, confused.
She shrugged. "Yeah, but you never told me when your real birthday was, so I just used the day I met you." She set the cupcake down on his desk and smiled at him. "If you don't want to eat it, I can understand... but Riku's been teaching me, and I made them early this morning, and she tried one and said it was good. Of course, I don't know if she was saying that so my feelings wouldn't get hurt..."
How was he supposed to respond to that? He couldn't think of anything. Risa merely sat back down in her seat, and class began ten minutes later. Satoshi must have spent the entire period just looking at the chocolate cupcake.
Why would that? Does she really care that much? Am I supposed to care about her birthday as much? Should I eat it, or pretend I ate it?
Finally, at the end of the class, Satoshi crumpled up the empty cupcake wrapper in his hand, his stomach feeling warm for some odd reason that he was sure was not only due to the cupcake. He walked by Risa on his way out the door and smiled. Genuinely smiled. He wasn't paying attention to the girls swooning over him, just to Risa.
"Thank you," he said, truly meaning it. "Your culinary art skills have improved greatly."
With that, he left, leaving a bunch of homicidal fangirls and a blushing Risa in his wake.