A/N: We are here again to celebrate another year for the blue-haired bean! Happy birthday, Hitomi! 🎉

This isn't a different birthday she celebrates, but rather the aftermath of the surprise party she had back in Ch. 26 of the main story. I actually wrote this a little after I wrote the birthday chapter, and it was meant to be the first chapter of the Side Stories, so it's pretty old. Somehow I just never got around to posting it 😅

This is unedited, and since I wrote this back when I was still getting the hang of writing, I apologize if the quality isn't the best.

Art - Add /0rd4rigutiw to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

"You're seriously lucky I finally got my Japanese Driver's License last month."

Kinkata turned off the ignition of his silver CUV, popping open the trunk before stepping out. Hitomi sweatdropped as her older brother stared at the pile of gifts by her feet, having been waiting for him on the street for almost 10 minutes. It was only after everyone had left that Hitomi realized there was no way she'd be able to carry all of her birthday presents home by herself, leading to her calling Kinkata for help.

Along with Nari's help, the two siblings began loading everything into the trunk, having to shove the giant Pikachu plushie into the backseat because it was too large to go with the other presents. Hitomi finally settled into the passenger seat once they'd finished, opening the window as Kinkata started the car.

"You sure you don't need a ride home?" Hitomi asked Nari, who had stayed in front of the boba shop.

The blonde shook her head. "The deal was that I have to work an extra shift today in exchange for using the shop, so I can't go home yet anyway."

"We can wait for you…" Kinkata suggested before Nari waved him off.

"I'm gonna be here until closing, and you can't stay parked on the curb here very long anyway. It's fine, really!"

"Are you sure?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Hitomi huffed before finally settling back in her seat. "...Alright then. Good night, Nari."

"Night!"

Hitomi saw Nari wave in the side view mirror as the car drove off, watching her figure get smaller and smaller.

"So how was it?" her brother asked as Hitomi finally faced the front.

"The party? It was… really nice, honestly. But now I'm kind of exhausted from talking and laughing so much…"

"Everyone brought you gifts, right? Any odd ones?"

Hitomi shook her head as she stared at the road. "Surprisingly, no. I would've expected to get something gross from Mineta—he's a total pervert—that I'd have to burn, but he just got me some hair clips."

"Mineta… was he the one that stuck himself to the back of that ponytail girl back at the sports festival?"

"Mhmm," Hitomi nodded.

"Ew."

"Yup."

"Well, any gifts you really liked?" Kinkata asked, trying to change the topic. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed his sister's cheeks redden, making him wonder who it was that could have that kind of effect on her.

"Umm, I got these really pretty earrings…"

"Oh?" Kinkata questioned, his curiosity piqued. He was very interested to find out just who gave her these earrings.

"So… you know my hero name, right?"

"Yeah. Blue Moon. One you picked 'cause of what Nari said about your eyes, right?"

Hitomi fiddled with her hair absentmindedly, staring at the road ahead. "He gave me these really pretty earrings that are moon-shaped, and they're blue. I mean- it's probably just a coincidence, but they're really pretty either way… I just really like them."

"'He'? He who?"

"Huh? Oh, Bakugou."

"BAKUGOU?!" Kinkata exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat as to keep his attention on the road instead of turning to Hitomi in shock. "As in, 'the one who was chained to the first-place podium' Bakugou?!"

Hitomi raised a brow. "Uh, yeah…?"

"Wow, that's just- wow. Would not have expected that from someone like him. He must really like you to get something that thoughtful, huh?"

"Like me? It's more like we're… friends, I guess…? I don't think he even likes me very much after I slapped him, though... "

"You slapped him?!" Kinkata exclaimed again.

"Uh, yes. He was being a jerk, so…"

"Wow." Kinkata turned a corner, trying to calm down his surprise. "Well… maybe he likes your face and that's why he got you those earrings."

Hitomi blushed at the thought of Bakugou thinking she was pretty, finding that to be something that would never happen in a million years. "Nope. No. That's impossible."

Kinkata chuckled as he slowed down at a stoplight, reaching under the back of his seat to hand Hitomi a wrapped box. "Hm, whether he likes you or hates you, my gift is still the best."

Hitomi stared at it curiously before ripping the wrapping paper off, gasping at what was underneath.

"You… you're not serious, are you..?"

Hitomi stared at the Nintendo Switch sitting in her lap, picking it up to check its weight. It could be a prank where it's an empty box…

To her disbelief, though, it didn't feel empty.

Kinkata shrugged as the light turned green, driving forward. "Why wouldn't I be serious? This way we can finally play the latest games together, if you want to. Besides, you haven't been able to play the newest Pokémon game that came out last year 'cause we didn't have a Switch, right?"

"...So this Switch is just for me?"

"Yup."

"I'm gonna be in debt for the next 5 years!" Hitomi shouted, distraught.

"Huh?!"

"I've gotten way too expensive gifts this year! First the tea set, then the earrings and gift card to a designer brand store, then a fancy-ass necklace, and NOW a Switch? That's so much money spent on me!"

Kinkata's brow furrowed as his sister continued her freak out before finally chuckling, making her halt.

"What?!"

"Sorry, Hitomi," Kinkata stuttered between laughs. "It's just- Regardless of whether they spent a lot of money on you or not, it's clear your classmates all really care about you."

"That's not…"

"It is true. Don't deny it," he said as he ruffled her hair. "They wouldn't have celebrated with you if they didn't care."

Hitomi huffed, blushing as she leaned further into her seat. "...I suppose."

A/N: If you're interested, I actually drew out a special comic for Hitomi's 13th birthday! I wasn't originally planning to, but when I started thinking about it I was compelled to draw it out 😂 You can check it out on my Insta! (hitomi . mimii)

Okay, so since we're here I have some IMPORTANT things to say:

First of all, I am so so sorry IPP still hasn't come off of hiatus yet. I know I said it would be back by mid-June, but that was a severe overestimation on my part and I apologize.

This time around, I plan to draw nearly all the chapters before I start posting them again, so that I can maintain a consistent upload schedule and don't have to stress out over not meeting a deadline on time. This means the art will be better quality, and that I can draw more art per chapter as well. However, this means it also takes a lot more effort and a lot more of my time.

I've been drawing nearly every single day, and to be honest, it's felt really tiring lately. I've started to feel burnout, which is what I was afraid of and is hampering my motivation to draw. I will do my best to bring IPP back as soon as I can, and I hope the quality of the art will make up for the long wait.

If you want to stay tuned for any updates or other content, follow my Instagram.

Thank you for reading and until next time ❤️