Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

A/N: Also written for ChibaHaya Week 2018 Day 1- Birthday.

Happy Birthday, Hayami 12/7

Hayami's birthday wasn't off to the greatest start.

Why did I wake up late? Hayami questioned herself as she hurriedly brushed her teeth. It was an extremely rare occurrence as she was very organized. She quickly changed and went out to the living room to have breakfast.

Hayami saw a piece of paper on the table and took it. It was a birthday note from her mother. She had gone out early.

Well, Hayami thought. At least she remembered. Her dad was even less present.

The class had just begun a rigorous training for assassination, so there were practices even on weekends.

Even though the weather was warm, an odd shiver ran through her spine. Ignoring it, Hayami put the dishes in the sink.

Her phone screen lit up. "Good morning, Hayami-san," Ritsu greeted her brightly. She was wearing a multi-coloured party dress with a birthday hat.

Hayami looked at Ritsu's clothes suspiciously before realizing it was because of her birthday. "Good morning, Ritsu."

"Happy birthday, Hayami-san."

"Thanks."

"Would you like me to sing the birthday song?"

There was a pause. "No," Hayami replied decisively.

"That's alright. By the way, you are meeting Chiba-san under the stairs in nine minutes, thirty nine seconds, thirty eight…"

Hayami pushed her chair away and stood up. She usually had exactly fifteen minutes to walk to school. What was wrong with her that day? She seemed so sluggish.

"Thank you Ritsu, I'll get going." Ritsu disappeared from the screen.

Hayami hurriedly grabbed her belongings and rushed out of the door. She strode briskly and managed to meet Chiba on time.

"Good morning," Chiba greeted once he saw her.

Hayami wanted to answer his greeting but she sneezed.

"You don't look that good." Chiba noticed. He remembered on the day before, they had sat in the rain for two hours, shooting. A lot of people had told them to rest, but the snipers thought they had to be prepared for any sort of weather, including heavy rain.

"You don't either," Hayami replied as she blew her nose.

"I didn't catch it as bad as you did though. Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thank you."

When the reached the campus (early as usual), they saw Karasuma and Isogai talking. When Isogai saw the snipers, he immediately marched over to them, an unusually grim expression on his face.

"You two are taking the day offm" Isogai decided firmly.

Chiba and Hayami shared a glance before Chiba spoke for both of them. "Why?"

Isogai gave them a rare glare. "You two have been working too hard. You need some rest, especially after sitting in the rain yesterday."

Before the snipers could object, Karasuma walked over and said, "I was notified of the situation by Isogai-kun. As your teacher, I recommend some rest."

They all knew when Karasuma recommended something, he meant they had to do something.

"We have to do our best to be useful assassins," Chiba said.

"You two won't be any use in the assassination if you got sick from overworking," Karasuma replied.

As if on cue, the snipers both sneezed in unison. The look on Isogai and Karasuma's face downright said "see, I told you".

"Rest for a day. If you refuse, I'll forbid you from practicing for a whole week." Karasuma's word was final and he walked away.

Chiba and Hayami shared a glance and then walked down the stairs silently.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Chiba asked his partner.

"Not really." Hayami checked the time. It was 10:34. "It's still pretty early."

"Maybe we should take Isogai's advice and go home to rest," Chiba suggested.

Hayami hated to admit but she could feel goosebumps on her skin even though they were under the glaring sun. Suddenly, she remembered something and began to rummage through her bag.

"Just as I thought," Hayami muttered after a fruitless search. "I forgot my keys."

"Maybe you have someone at home?"

"My mother won't be home until night. My father's rarely home and I have no siblings." Hayami sighed, mad at herself. She had been keeping a key for almost a decade, why did she have to slip up now?

It was the first time that Chiba had ever heard of Hayami's family situation. He couldn't really relate as he had three sisters. There was almost always at least one person at home.

"Well, you have almost half a day to spend outdoors," Chiba mused. "That's a pretty long time."

"I can go to the library. And probably walk around. What are you doing anyway?"

"I was thinking of returning home, but now I might as well give you some company."

It was a bit strange coming from him, since Chiba and Hayami were known to be one of the most isolated people in Class E. But Hayami knew she couldn't reject him: it would be weird and too cold.

"Don't you have things to do?" Hayami looked at her friend briefly.

"I have nothing to do since I cleared out this time slot for training," Chiba replied.

They went for a walk in the park, but there were only so many times they could walk around the same place in silence. Besides, it was nearing noon, so it was starting to get hotter.

"Want to do lunch?" Chiba offered.

Seeing they were out of options, Hayami nodded. Since they were both a bit sick, their appetite had decreased, but they knew they had to eat something.

Then suddenly, Chiba realized something. They hadn't been out with each other before, and now he had just suggested to have lunch… which somehow resembled a date? Even though his intentions were nothing like that?

Chiba pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, and tried to focus on the present.

He and Hayami sat on the opposite of each other, so they were face to face. The air conditioner in the restaurant was quite strong, which Chiba would have appreciated if it was any other day, but today he was sick and the cool wind did not make it any better.

As Hayami ate, she could feel a steady throbbing in her head. She tried to ignore it, but it gradually got stronger and stronger, until it felt like someone was hammering her head.

There was a sudden beep from her phone. Hayami turned on the screen to reveal Ritsu.

"Hello, Hayami-san. Isogai-san wanted to check up on you to make sure you and Chiba-san are not secretly practicing."

Hayami sighed internally. Like the caring class leader he was, Isogai would make sure they would get sufficient rest. She spooned some food in her mouth.

"I'm eating. And so is Chiba."

"Thank you for the information. I hope you have a speedy recovery." Then Ritsu vanished.

As they ate, both Chiba and Hayami were consciously aware that this was their longest time they spent together that didn't involve work. Everyone thought whenever the sniper combo got together, they would just train, but maybe, maybe they could do other things when they were too sick to work?

There was an awkward silence between them. Neither knew what to say and neither wanted to take the initiative.

Chiba looked up briefly and to his alarm, he saw the exhausted Hayami almost falling asleep on the table.

"You can stay at my place for a few hours if you want," Chiba found himself suggesting before he could think. He immediately regretted his offer for two reasons. One, he had never brought anyone home in his whole fifteen years of life, so his parents and sisters would think it was strange. Two, there was absolutely no reason for this impromptu appointment to be more like a date. And somehow Chiba didn't think he and Hayami were close enough to go to each other's home.

Hayami's head shot up so quickly he was surprised. "No," she answered bluntly and went back to eating.

Hayami had been taking care of herself ever since she was a kid, since her parents were not the most attentive. Maybe that was why she refused help from others. Hayami was mad because she had failed to take good care of herself, and she was determined to heal on her own.

She's too stubborn. Chiba thought. She thinks she can deal with everything on her own. Actually, he knew he wasn't much different, but somehow his concern for Hayami was larger than his concern for himself.

After they had paid for the meal and went outside, Chiba tried again to convince Hayami to stay at his home.

"No," Hayami replied fiercely as she rubbed her arms. "I'm fine, and I don't want to bother you." She tried to walk away from Chiba, despite not knowing where she should go.

Hayami was never one to think that everything should go smoothly because it was her birthday. It was just any other day to her, except being a year older.

She was beginning to feel sleepy so she stood against the wall. Chiba followed and stood next to her.

"It's no big deal to me. And if you're sick, you shouldn't be ashamed of resting."

Say that to yourself, a voice in Chiba's head said. He realized he was giving advice to himself. To be honest, he was only out there because of Hayami.

"I'm not sick," Hayami muttered feebly but she wasn't fooling anyone, including herself. She drank some water in hopes of relieving the pain from her headache, but it didn't work.

"Well, you're sick too." Hayami said to Chiba, turning the tables. "So you should go back home."

"And leave you out here in the heat and the coldness of air conditioned shops? You'll just get sicker."

"And so will you." Hayami mumbled. She knew they were having one of those childish arguments, but honestly, at that moment, she could've cared less.

Chiba knew he had a trump card, and was about to use it when he saw a familiar figure turn the corner.

"...Mom?"

Hayami lost track of how many times she had apologized for bothering the Chiba household.

"It's okay," both Chiba and his mom assured her.

Hayami didn't think it was okay. She had a feeling that it had been a long time since Chiba brought anyone home and she didn't want to be the exception.

It was one thing to refuse a friend's offer, but another to refuse a friend's parent's offer. Hayami had no idea how to push it off.

So that was why she ended up there.

Awkward.

Chiba could sense that his mother was being a lot more cautious around Hayami. She probably didn't want to scare away what she thought was the only friend he had.

The tension was almost too much for Hayami to bear. Suddenly thankful that she was sick and therefore tired, Hayami curled up on the couch and fell fast asleep.

"I'm glad to see you have friends," his mother mentioned after a brief silence. A gentle smile formed on her face.

Chiba remembered the old days when he was bullied for his eyes and was really unhappy. He had talked about it with his parents, but nothing seemed to change. He finally decided to grow out his bangs, and he isolated himself from others. Chiba knew he must have caused a lot of worry for his family because he was so distant.

There was a pitter patter of footsteps and a girl of around ten appeared. She looked curiously at Hayami, then at Chiba.

Seeing the confused look on his sister's face, Chiba explained, "She's my friend. She needs some rest and she can't get home so she's staying here for a while."

The girl widened her amber eyes. "Oniichan has a friend? This is as surprising as the moon exploding!" Her voice got louder and louder as she got more agitated.

"Fumiko," Chiba reminded when he saw Hayami began to stir.

"Whoops. Sorry." Fumiko looked apologetically at the sleeping Hayami. She ran into a room, her ponytail flying, and Chiba could hear her exclaim, "Mi-chan! Come out! Something big has happened!"

Chiba's youngest sister, Minori, or Mi-chan as her family called her, came out, a fluffy grey cat in her arms. The five year old girl had her hair in pigtails, which swung from side to side as she followed her older sister.

"Oniichan has a friend! Oniichan has a friend!" Fumiko whispered excitedly.

"Oniichan has a friend!" Minori followed cheerfully. She had a tendency to copy what her older siblings said.

"Okay okay," Chiba held open his arms. "Calm down. It's not that big of a deal." He felt a shiver down his spine, and remembered that he was sick too, so he retreated into his room and slept for a while.

"Oniichan's friend is pretty!"

"Shh Mi-chan, we can't scare her away."

"But she's really pretty! What if she's oniichan's girlfriend!"

Fumiko chuckled. "Well, we mustn't think too far on that."

"Mmm…" Hayami rolled over when the whispers of the two sisters woke her up. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes only to find herself in an unfamiliar location. Her sleepy green eyes travelled to where the voices came from.

A big smile broke on Minori's face. "Your eyes are pretty!" she complimented Hayami.

Hayami blinked when she realized she was at Chiba's place, and these two were his sisters. "Um. Thanks." Hayami replied, looking at them a bit oddly.

"You weirded her out!" Fumiko scolded Minori, trying to be discreet but failing.

"Sorry." Minori apologized, giving Fumiko the puppy eyes look. Fumiko sighed before turning to Hayami. "Can I call you oneechan?"

Hayami did not know how to react. In fact, the longer she was awake, the more she took in her surroundings and the more awkward she felt. "Uh... sure, if you like. My name is Hayami Rinka."

"I'm Fumiko and this my younger sister Minori," Fumiko introduced herself. Clearly she was the bolder one of the two sisters, and Minori was distracted by the family cat. "Thank you for being friends with my idiot of a brother because he is very antisocial."

Hayami nodded, but her attention was focused on the cat. She thought if she was there, she might as well attempt some conversation.

"That's a cute kitty."

"His name is Snuffles," Minori held up the big cat proudly. "Rin-neechan, do you want to pet him?" Hayami hesitantly reached out a hand and petted his head. The cat purred and Hayami felt her heart melt. She liked kittens more but cats were also one of her favourites.

"She named him when we found it on the street a couple years ago," Fumiko explained. "Mi-chan saw that name from a storybook she read."

"A fellow cat lover, I see." Hayami knelt down and petted Snuffles' head again. A rare smile spread across her face. "Aren't you cute," she cooed and scratched his chin. The cat leapt from Minori's arms to Hayami's arms, and Hayami stroked his fur happily.

Hayami was already lost in the cute fluffy world of kittens when she remembered that she was acting in a very embarrassing way. In her classmate's house. Her cheeks flushed when she wondered what would happen if Nakamura or Karma got a picture of her cuddling cats. Or worse, what if Chiba caught her. His respect for her will disappear surely after seeing her at the mercy of felines.

"Ah, you're awake."

Speak of the devil.

Chiba had been observing Hayami cuddling the cat, secretly thinking that this side of Hayami was undeniably cute. If his mom hadn't seen him and Hayami on the streets, Chiba would have used the cat as bait to tempt Hayami. That was his ultimate trump card.

He felt bad for staring at Hayami, though. But there was something irresistible about her endearing expression that made him feel all warm and fluttery.

Hayami's face turned red when she saw the slight smirk on her friend's face. She tried to put the cat down, but it seemed to be attracted to her too, and clung onto the girl.

"Here's some medicine," he tossed a pill box at her. Hayami managed to catch it while trying to get Snuffles off her leg. "Thanks."

Meanwhile, Fumiko and Minori were eagerly watching the interaction between Chiba and Hayami. As if they sensed their stares, Chiba and Hayami spun to look at them in unison before turning away.

"Their stares are in sync." Fumiko gasped. "They must be really close friends."

"Really close friends!" Minori repeated.

Chiba sat on the couch next to Hayami (but not too close). "You feeling better?" he asked.

"A bit," Hayami replied, trying to pry the cat away. She thought if the cat didn't leave her soon, she would lose control and mindlessly cuddle it, therefore acting like a total idiot.

"See, some rest does the trick."

Hayami's face flushed. "Don't act so smug. You are sick too."

"It seems that you're not the only one who left something at home," Chiba said as he took something out and gave it to Hayami. "Happy birthday, Hayami."

Hayami looked at the cat keychain in her palm. On the keychain was a small kitty plushie. It wasn't too big, and Hayami felt like it could hang comfortably on her bag. Hayami squeezed the plushie, enjoying the way it felt. "It's cute. Thank you, Chiba."

"You're welcome."

"So, it's oneechan's birthday? Happy birthday!" Fumiko said to Hayami.

"Happy birthday!" Minori followed, a wide smile on her face.

"Thanks." Hayami continued to play with the keychain, but then looked up suddenly. "Chiba, how do you know that I like cats?" she asked, her eyes piercing through him.

Chiba felt cold sweat form on his forehead. The glare from Hayami was scary, unlike the cute Hayami he had seen earlier. "Umm… one day I saw you at the pet shop…"

Hayami remembered that sometimes she would go to the pet shop after school, and cuddle some kittens. It was one of her most guarded secrets, one that she would die of embarrassment if it got out. "That… wasn't… me…" she muttered feebly.

Chiba raised an eyebrow (which no one saw). She was clearly bluffing. "Ah yes, because the peach haired pigtailed girl wearing the Kunigigaoka uniform wasn't you, my bad."

Hayami knew he was teasing her, and that infuriated her even more. And when did their relationship become, well, less work-like? Maybe Chiba was more comfy in his home. She scowled darkly. "If this ever gets out I'll kill you."

One couldn't underestimate the threat when one was in the assassination classroom. "Okay, I get it." Chiba raised his arms in surrender.

Hayami ran her fingers through Snuffles' fur. She smiled when he purred.

"You know what…" Chiba trailed off.

"What?" Hayami asked.

"We were told to rest, and we did that already… so technically we can do some work now?"

"Oh." Hayami looked at the cat in her lap. Half of her wanted to play with the cat, and half of her wanted to do something productive. "What do you want to do?"

"I can help you with maths," Chiba offered.

Hayami blinked and remembered that the boy was talented at math. "Okay, let's do it."

"Class dismissed," Karasuma announced, and everyone began to pack their things.

"My muscles hurt," Maehara groaned. They had scaled the hill today under Karasuma's orders. "But a date with a pretty girl will ease the pain!"

"You stink. No one will want to be with you," Okano remarked flatly and walked away.

"Now now Okano," Maehara winced a bit at her remark.

"Maehara, let's go. Do you wanna get some ice cream?" Isogai suggested.

"You bet! I'm sweating buckets now!"

As they walked into the streets, Isogai was distracted by a poster about a discount at a supermarket. A bored Maehara observed his surroundings, and saw a pretty girl nearby. Her raven black hair was down to her waist, which swayed with her every move. There was a wine red cello case on her back.

Excited, Maehara went to her, but before he could even say a word, the girl turned around and glared at him.

"If you're going to ask me out, then no," the girl said directly.

"I-I wasn't going to-"

"Besides, you're just a middle schooler," the girl cut in.

On closer inspection, Maehara realized the girl was older than him, and was a high school student. He turned red with embarrassment.

Isogai pulled Maehara away. "I told you to stop flirting with girls," he muttered. Then he turned to the girl. "I apologize for the inconvenience caused by my friend."

The girl looked at him in appreciation. Maehara was ticked off that the girl liked Isogai more than him.

"Better teach your friend some manners," the girl said and walked away. "And find someone in his league."

Maehara was speechless. After a few seconds, he finally stuttered out, "Let's get that ice cream."

The girl that Maehara flirted with sighed and opened the door to where she lived.

"Welcome back Shiho-nee!" Fumiko said brightly.

The girl stepped in, put her cello down, and immediately noticed two new things.

One, there was a new girl.

Two, her brother was teaching said new girl maths.

The girl rubbed at her forehead and wondered if she was having a hallucination. She blinked. The new girl blinked back, neither of them knowing what to do.

Now Hayami had seen all three of his sisters, she wondered what Chiba's eyes looked like. The elder sister and Minori had bright blue eyes, while Fumiko's eyes were amber coloured.

Chiba looked up, and saw his older sister Shiho and Hayami staring at each other with confused expressions. After quick, hasty introductions, their mom asked them to get some groceries.

"They have a major discount at this time," she said.

"I'll go," Shiho said immediately. In some ways, she was very like her brother and Hayami, quiet and serious.

"I'll go with you," Chiba offered. He turned to Hayami. "Are you okay here on your own?"

"Yep." Hayami stroked the cat in her arms. "I'll be fine." She giggled softly as Snuffles purred, and suddenly Chiba was sure if a cat was present, Hayami would be very much fine.

Meanwhile, Maehara and Isogai were sitting on a bench, five feet apart and eating ice cream.

"Eh, isn't that Chiba?" Maehara asked after he took a huge lick of his ice cream. Chiba was with Shiho, and they were exchanging short sentences, their preferred way of communicating. "A-and that girl?"

Isogai narrowed his eyes. "I told him and Hayami to rest." When Chiba came closer, Isogai asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Chiba replied.

Shiho nudged Chiba. "And there's the boy I was telling you about."

Chiba gave Maehara a deadpan look, which wasn't noticeable because his eyes were covered. That womanizer would never change his ways.

"Hey Chiba, you know that girl?" Maehara asked, curious. He was also feeling irked because it wasn't often when Chiba knew a girl that he didn't know.

Chiba glared at him. "She's my sister."

"Oh." Maehara abruptly shut his mouth and just stared.

"Ohh," Isogai said, a way too innocent expression on his face. Everyone could see Isogai was purposely teasing Maehara. Maehara, however, was reminded that Chiba was one of the best snipers in their class and gulped, fear creeping upon him.

"If you hit on my sister, maybe she'll hit you back. And if she doesn't, I will."

The two boys watched as the Chiba siblings walked away. Maehara's ice cream began to drip, but he paid no notice.

"Hopefully that teaches you a lesson," Isogai commented. "But anyways, Maehara, you really need to break your habit of always flirting with people. No one will want to be with you."

"S-stay for dinner? Thank you, but I can eat outside."

Chiba's mom looked immensely disappointed. Hayami immediately regretted her words.

She looks so excited and happy that Chiba brought someone home.

"I won't mind cooking for an extra person, though."

"Ah… then I'll stay for dinner. I hope I won't cause much trouble for you."

"Oh no, you won't."

Hayami sighed. One thing had just snowballed into another.

Great… how I do survive meeting his third sister… and his dad.

At that precise moment, Shiho and Chiba stepped in. The siblings announced their presence, then put the groceries on the kitchen counter. Hayami fidgeted nervously. Dealing with the younger sisters were comparatively easy, but the elder sister intimidated Hayami. Shiho looked like she could kill people with a mere glare.

Chiba awkwardly sat beside her and looked at the textbooks in front of them. Fumiko and Minori peered at the pages curiously, and Chiba felt like he was attracting too much attention.

"Umm, maybe Hayami and I should study in my room-"

"I would rather you stay here," Shiho cut in curtly. Her voice was quiet but authoritative, and Hayami had the feeling Shiho had command over all of her siblings. Shiho gave Hayami a significant look and then went away.

What does she think we'll do in my room?! Chiba screamed internally. She doesn't think that we'll… that we'll… Chiba's cheeks grew warm and he didn't want to imagine what his sister had in mind. It was too weird.

Meanwhile, Hayami was worried that Shiho didn't like her. So far, Chiba's family had given her a warm welcome, but Shiho was just… civil. Polite but aloof.

With the cat on her lap, Hayami listened to Chiba's teachings. He certainly was no Korosensei but Hayami felt comfortable working with him. With his weird octopus analogies, learning with Korosensei could be a bit exasperating at times.

After studying math for a while, Hayami offered, "I can tutor you on Social Studies in return." It was basically their way of working. They would use their strengths to help each other, no matter in assassination or in studying.

"Alright. I'll get my text books." Chiba stood up and disappeared in his room. Coincidentally (or not), Shiho reappeared, and sat on the couch. Hayami froze and tried to act normal, ignoring the loud thumping of her heart.

"So, Hayami-san, is it?" Shiho asked, breaking the ice. "You study at my brother's school, right?"

"Yes, we're also in the same class."

"So, Hayami-san," Shiho leaned forward, and Hayami suddenly felt like she was being interrogated. "What do you do for fun?"

Hayami's heart skipped a beat. "I like to dance."

"Oh?" One of Shiho's eyebrow raised slightly. "Which kind?"

"Jazz dance."

"Ah, I take it that you like jazz music too."

Hayami nodded mutely.

"Do you like classical music?" Shiho asked in a hushed tone. Hayami took it as a sign of Shiho being closer to her.

"Yes. I'm particularly fond of the violin and the piano."

A smile broke out on Shiho's face, and Hayami internally sighed with relief. "That's great! I play the cello."

Hayami shot a look at the cello case lying against the wall. "That's really cool."

"Do you happen to have a thing for heavy metal, punk, genres like that?"

Hayami's smile faded slightly. "I'm not really into that." If Shiho's music taste was like that, Hayami was afraid they might not get along.

"Ryu!" Shiho called in the direction of Chiba's room. "Even your friend over here dislikes Japanese punk!"

An irritated Chiba poked his head out. "Shiho-nee, please stop corrupting Hayami!"

"She's also fond of classical music," Shiho continued with a slightly smug tone.

Chiba glared daggers at his sister. "Not only did you corrupt her, you also brainwashed her!"

So they have conflicting tastes in music, Hayami sweatdropped.

The only good thing that came out of the mini fight was that Shiho seemed to have deemed Hayami as worthy of her and her brother's friendship, and behaved less cold around her.

The two continued to study until Hayami decided she wanted a bathroom break. When she came back out, Chiba's mom was making a phone call.

"...Ryu has a friend! It's her birthday… yes she's a girl… so be a darling and buy a cake when you go home from work!"

Hayami was rendered speechless. The look on Chiba's face told her that he had unsuccessfully tried to stop his mom. Minori was looking pleased at herself; evidently she was the one who had told her mom about Hayami's birthday.

"... I don't think this is necessary…" Hayami said once the phone call had finished.

"Nonsense! If you're eating here, and it's your birthday, we have to celebrate by eating a cake!"

Shiho and Chiba noted that this was the most excited look they had ever seen on their mother. She hummed cheerfully as she went to the kitchen to cook.

Chiba and Hayami decided to take a break from studying and they played with Snuffles. The sisters joined in, and soon there were five people fussing over the cat.

Even with this amount of people, oddly enough, Hayami wasn't very uncomfortable. In fact, she quite liked seeing the interactions between Chiba and his sisters. Besides, there was a cat.

Fumiko cemented Chiba's favourite music genre as "emo" and Minori joined in chanting "emo emo emo" even though she had no idea what it meant. Chiba crossly defended himself, while Shiho just made dry, sarcastic comments.

Hayami had only seen the side of Chiba when he was at school. Sometimes she forgot that he had a side he only showed to his family.

Hayami thought about herself. Her family wasn't the best; her mom was always working, she didn't usually see her dad, and she had no siblings, no pets. She often came home to an empty house. But Hayami didn't complain. She didn't long for a complete family because she was okay with what she had. She should be grateful for what she had. It wasn't like she could change that. It was the way it was.

(But Hayami felt like her own class and its teachers were a good enough family for her. She wouldn't say it out loud though, due to her being reminded of Takaoka every time she thought of her class as a family.)

She watched Fumiko and Chiba engage in a mock fight. Both of them were laughing as they tried weakly to thump their fists on the other. It was surprising how Chiba opened up in his home. Hayami wondered if she would do the same if she had a family like his too.

It was no secret that she and Chiba were similar. Both of them were quiet, serious and hardworking, but Chiba had a noisy, happy family supporting him from behind. Compared to him, Hayami suddenly felt so lonely when she was in her house. Hayami mentally scolded herself for thinking like that, but now that she'd been exposed to Chiba's family, she did feel a bit wishful…

Hayami didn't mind being alone. She didn't mind the silence in her room. She didn't mind that she couldn't see both of her parents every day.

But Hayami thought a bit of liveliness, and a bit of laughter, would do her good too.

Chiba's father may look like a stern man, but nobody could miss that soft smile he had on his face when Minori greeted him. He put a cake box on the table and exchanged a few polite words with Hayami. Hayami had wanted to set the table but Chiba's mother insisted she do nothing. So Hayami was tasked to feed Snuffles.

During dinner, Hayami sat between Shiho and Chiba. She lowered her head and ate quietly, not wanting to draw attention. But Hayami wasn't rude, so she also praised the dishes accordingly. Chiba's mother blushed with delight.

The conversation somehow turned to asking Hayami about how Chiba did at school. Chiba felt he was at fault because he didn't talk much about his school experiences.

"How is my son at school? Is he doing okay?"

Please stop talking about me as if I'm not here, Chiba thought, but he didn't say it out loud.

"Yes, he's doing well."

"Other than you, does he have any other friends?" Fumiko butted in.

Hayami and Chiba shared a glance. "I suppose he does," Hayami replied.

"Does he have other female friends?" Fumiko asked, eyes wide with curiosity and mischief.

"Fumiko, don't ask tactless questions like that!" Shiho scolded. But then Shiho leaned down and whispered in Fumiko's ear, "We mustn't try to escalate their relationship...". Hayami shifted awkwardly, knowing the implications of what Shiho had said.

"What do oniichan and Rin-neechan do at school?" Minori waved her little arms excitedly.

Think of something not related to assassinations, Hayami drilled herself. "Umm… we learn how to cook and sew," Hayami said, hoping this topic would interest Minori.

"I luff eatin'!" Fumiko cried with her mouth full. Noticing the disapproving looks from her elders, she swallowed then said, "I remember that one time where oniichan brought cookies back! They taste real good!"

"We also made soup and pudding once." Chiba recalled how Kayano had completely dominated that period. He poked Minori's plate with one of his chopsticks. "Hey, Mi-chan, you have to eat your vegetables."

Minori made a face. "But I don't want to!" she exclaimed childishly, a cute frown on her chubby face.

"Broccoli-san will be very unhappy if you ignore him," Chiba said, and Hayami blinked, surprised by the softer, cuter tone in Chiba's voice. And when did he do "baby talk"?

"I- I dun wanna upset anyone," Minori stated plainly. She stared at her plate. "Alright, broccoli-san!" She picked up the vegetable and placed it in her mouth, making a face as she ate it.

Chiba smiled. "Good girl." He reached over the table and ruffled his little sister's hair.

"Momma!" Minori gabbered, tugging on her mother's clothes eagerly. "Oniichan said I am a good girl! Can I have ice cream tonight?"

"Sweetheart, we already have cake for dessert," her mother told her, albeit in an affectionate way. "Maybe for another night?"

"I want to eat cake!" Minori proclaimed, jumping up and down in her seat. "Cake! Cake!"

"Finish eating your meal first," Chiba's dad spoke, but he was clearly amused by his daughter's antics.

There was a brief silence, the only sound being Fumiko's loud munching, which attracted quite a few stares, but Fumiko never seemed to have noticed.

"So," Hayami coughed deliberately. "Broccoli-san, huh?"

Chiba's face flushed an unflattering shade of red. "How else am I supposed to speak to a five year old?"

"Strawberry-san," Hayami continued, enjoying how Chiba looked so flustered. She was secretly happy about how she was part of the reason why he was so agitated. He was so different from what he seemed on the surface. "Egg-san. Fish-san."

"It isn't funny," Chiba tried to protest, while his siblings and parents smothered their giggles.

"Carrot-san. Potato-san. Apple-san," Hayami showed a rare grin. Oh, how she liked to tease Chiba. "Banana-san. Peach-san."

Despite being jokingly mocked, Chiba found this side of Hayami rather endearing. Her tone was less aloof and stiff, letting the playful part of her show through her lilting and more childish voice. Hmm, maybe she's also affected by this home's atmosphere.

He knew how Hayami was an introvert, like him. But strangely enough, she seemed comfortable here.

Maybe it's just because of Snuffles, he told himself.

But deep inside, he knew it was more than that.

"Happy birthday to you~"

Hayami was embarrassed yet flattered by their care. They had just known her for a few hours but she had basically been assimilated into their family. And now there she was, sitting on a chair in a darkened room, as everyone sang the birthday song in a circle around her. Hayami couldn't remember the last time her birthday had been celebrated by a proper cake and song, and although she didn't say it, her heart was brimming with gratefulness. In fact, she was so happy it almost hurt, because she hadn't felt like this for a long, long time.

At the end of the song, they all clapped and cheered, and told Hayami to make a birthday wish.

A birthday wish… that's kind of childish…

Hayami laughed and she decided she would let herself indulge just this once. She closed her eyes, and wished that the world could be saved. She blew out the candle among the whoops of her companions.

This birthday is different… but a good sort of different...

Time flied by and soon it was time for Hayami to leave. Surprisingly enough, Minori became very attached to her, to the point that she started to cry and wail when Hayami prepared to leave.

"Will Rin-neechan come back?" Minori's eyes were huge and watery.

Hayami felt a pang in her heart. "Sure, we'll see each other again."

"I want Rin-neechan to be my sister!" Minori bawled and hugged Hayami's leg tightly.

"She can't be your sister; we have different family names," Fumiko explained, her hands on her hips.

Fumiko's words seemed to have inspired an idea, because Minori stopped crying and looked up hopefully at Hayami. "Rin-neechan! Can you promise me something?"

"Of course. Anything."

Minori's smile grew bigger and her eyes practically shone with delight. "C-can you marry oniichan when you grow up?"

At the moment, everything screeched to a halt.

"Whoops," Fumiko cackled, looking upon the scene with interest and anticipation. Shiho and her dad remained as poker-faced as ever, while her mom's hand flew to her mouth. Chiba's jaw had dropped and his face burned with embarrassment.

"Huh?!" Hayami gaped at the child.

"It's 'cause if you marry oniichan, we will all have the same surname! You can be my sister!" Minori pronounced innocently. "We can be a big family!"

Hayami felt her soul spiraling in the depths of hell. Her cheeks steadily began to grow warmer. "Uh, umm…"

Minori's face began to drop, the corners of her little lips turning down. "Rin-neechan… doesn't want to be my big sis?"

"D-don't cry!" Hayami replied hastily, her mind a tornado of thoughts. She didn't want to make Minori cry, but she also didn't want to agree to marry Chiba. Well, not yet.

Hayami's heartbeat accelerated. Did she just think that she would be okay with marrying Chiba in the future? What was wrong with her? Logically speaking, Chiba would make a good husband. He would do chores and he was also good with children. Plus, he was responsible and respectful, two qualities Hayami admired.

Well, logically speaking, Hayami was still a teenager. Chiba was still a teenager. They were just friends. Hayami had completely no reason to be venturing in this very dangerous territory.

Due to Hayami's lack of response, Minori became on the verge of tears again. For once in her life, Hayami acted before thinking.

"Alright! I'll marry your oniichan if you want!" Hayami rushed over her words because she could actually process them. Once they left her mouth, Hayami immediately regretted it. She had just somehow proposed to Chiba. To satisfy a five year old. With all of his close family members as witnesses. But she couldn't exactly take it back because Minori would burst into tears again.

Minori's face lit up like the sun. "Yay! I love Rin-neechan!"

"Yeah yeah…" Hayami muttered, desperately trying to not meet anyone's eyes. She grabbed her bag and shuffled to the door. "Well, I'll be leaving."

"Wait!" Chiba's mom cried, and Hayami winced, not wanting to have anything to do with the Chibas at the moment. "It's unsafe for you to be outside alone at this hour! Ryuunosuke, go walk her home!"

"H-hah?" Chiba stammered, clearly shocked by the notion and the consequences walking Hayami home could lead to. "I'm sure Hayami will be fine." And he was very sure she will be. Hayami underwent regular training, and besides, if anything threatening happened, Korosensei would help her.

Chiba's mom, who knew nothing about training or weird octopus teachers, did not take that as an answer. After Hayami properly said goodbye to the Chibas (which took eight minutes), Chiba escorted Hayami out of the house.

"Remember to invite me to the wedding!" Fumiko reminded them loudly as she waved.

"Wedding!" Minori repeated enthusiastically.

Shiho shot them a cool glare. "Fumiko, Minori, that's quite enough." Shiho looked apologetically at Hayami. "Sorry for that."

"I-it's fine," Hayami muttered, still mortified.

To prevent further humiliation, Chiba quietly grabbed Hayami's arm and pulled her away from the threshold. The duo walked away, using their rapid footsteps to hide the feelings they had. There was a noticeable distance between them. It was enough to distinguish them from strangers to acquaintances, but that was it.

But soon, the silence became too awkward to bear. The tension was almost crushing them.

"I like your family," Hayami said shortly, still refusing to make eye contact with Chiba. "They're diverse."

"They're a bit noisy but they're good," Chiba muttered. "I really am very sorry for their behavior just now. They're usually not so… excited."

"It's okay. I understand."

Hayami fidgeted with her clothes. "Also, uh, you can forget what I said just now. The," she blushed and stared at her shoes. "Wedding part."

"Ah," Chiba tugged his beanie down. His reflex action to protect himself was to make sure his eyes were hidden. "Let's pretend… that, ah, never happened."

"I hope they all forget about it."

"My parents and Shiho-nee know how to discreet, but for Mi-chan, I hope she eventually forgets it. I feel like the main problem is Fumiko. I bet she'll keep on teasing me about it for the rest of my life."

"I'm sorry," Hayami continued to stare at her shoes. They were oh-so-interesting at the moment.

"It's fine. You were put in a hard place." Chiba trained his eyes at a moth hovering around a street light.

"I hope you aren't offended," Hayami began to speak quickly. "You're a good guy and I'm sure you can find someone in your life if you want to and you have a way with kids and you're hardworking but now the time is just not right so I hope you don't take any offence," Hayami rambled in one go. Chiba had a hard time catching all the words.

"Pardon?" Chiba tilted his head, slightly confused.

"I'm not repeating," Hayami almost snapped back.

There was a pregnant silence.

"I'm not actually good with kids," Chiba professed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Fumiko and Mi-chan used to cry when they saw my eyes."

"Oh…" Hayami knew Chiba's big insecurity around his eyes, and her heart hurt for him. "But that's not your fault. They still love you."

"...Thanks for that."

The road seemed much longer than usual, but the weight on their shoulders was relieved. Chiba was starting to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere when Hayami spoke.

"Knife-san. Rifle-san. Scope-san." A hint of a smile appeared on Hayami's face, making her seem more like a middle-school student than usual.

Chiba sighed. He was a bit annoyed by Hayami's constant teasing, but at the same time, he liked seeing this lively side of Hayami. "You're never going to let it go."

"No, I'm not." To Chiba's surprise, a little giggle escaped Hayami's lips.

He stared at her.

She stared at him.

Hayami immediately snapped back to aloof mode. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Chiba hummed leisurely.

"Huh," Hayami glowered at him, her eyes filled with the bloodlust of an assassin.

"Alright! I like seeing you so playful!" Chiba admitted, hoping Hayami wouldn't whip her gun out.

"You mean childish."

"Well, I do think it's healthy to be like a kid every now and then," a new voice interrupted them. Chiba slid a pistol out from his pants pocket and Hayami did the same, duo guns pointing at a street lantern.

"Come out, you spying octopus!" Hayami ordered.

Korosensei slithered out from behind the lantern, his face pink and blissful. "Ah, two youthful hearts walking together at night~~ How romantic~~"

"Excuse me!" Chiba exclaimed and opened fire, the pink bullets zooming towards the stalker. Hayami followed suit, nimble fingers pressing the trigger. She knew she wouldn't hit Korosensei, but she was just purely annoyed.

"Chiba-kun, Hayami-san, I am very happy that you take your studies and assassination seriously. But you two are middle-schoolers, no matter you like it or not." Korosensei's pink face was replaced by his normal yellow one as he turned to teach them. "It's okay to have a bit of fun. Why, one day you might look back and regret that you didn't fully enjoy your days of youth!"

"Well, I'm not certainly enjoying my 'days of youth' if I'm unable to kill you!" Hayami declared, shooting more and more bullets.

"Nyuaa!" Korosensei screamed. "I was just trying to help!"

Hayami's birthday ended with shrieks of an octopus, a hail of pink bullets, and ultimately a fun time with her partner.

A/N: *barrels through after a one year hiatus* YOOO I'M BACK with this birthday chapter that is one (1) year late. I'm really sorry. I got focused on other projects.

Also, kudos to you for reading all the way here. Now I've reread it, every chapter here is a steaming pile of cheese and cringe. Urgh. I'm surprised at the favourites and follows, so thank you very much for them! Also, we've reached 10k views! Thank you! :D

Organizing ChibaHaya Week 2018 was basically an excuse for me to finish this :) So you can expect more updates for this oneshot series as I tear through ChibaHaya Week.

Minori and Fumiko's names are taken randomly, while Shiho's name is taken from Hayami's voice actress in the anime, Kawaragi Shiho.

If you want to know what ChibaHaya stuff I'm mainly writing now, check out Which Partner. It's a crossover with Miraculous Ladybug. Even if you know nothing about ML, it's fairly easy to understand (I hope). It's basically about Chiba and Hayami being superheroes and the ship ChibaHaya is split into four different but fun dynamics.

Thanks for reading! Please review! :D