December 6th, 12:30 pm.

"I've got an announcement to make!"

Phillip rose a brow and closed his textbook upon hearing Kiana's declaration before looking off to his left towards her. She was seated on the bench closest to the outer edge of the building, both palms pressed against each other. The only one of the three that looked genuinely surprised was Mei, who sat on the bench across from Phillip.

Phillip was the first one to respond. "Does it have anything to do with your birthday tomorrow?"

Mei briefly switched her attention to Phillip, eyes widening at the revelation, before looking back to Kana with the same expression. "You never told me your birthday was coming, Kiana-chan! I could have made you a cake, any kind that you wished!"

It was time for Kiana's eyes to widen as she ran up to Mei and grabbed her arms. "D-Does that mean you won't now?!"

"No, Kiana-chan, I can still make you a cake. It just limits my options on what to make on short notice."

Kiana, who started salivating at the idea of a Mei-made cake, immediately began her demands. "I want a chocolate cake–no, wait–chocolate ice cream cake! With vanilla frosting and sprinkles and- "

"Kiana, simmer down," Phillip called, pulling both girls' attention towards him. " We had a feast just a week ago, and Mei made a good portion of the food. She might be strained of ingredients right now."

Kiana went into a stupor upon remembering the feast they had. The only words that escaped her mouth were "fried turkey" and "pumpkin pie," two essential parts of the meal and the only parts Phillip had a direct hand in making. Everything else was from Mei's research and dedication in giving Phillip a " strong reminder" of his home country.

"Oh, no, it's okay," Mei said, a smile blessing the two. "You two have given me so much. It's only right to give back the same, isn't it?"

"Don't use material means to pay an emotional debt," Phillip rounded with a shake of his head. "You'll run out of items before you feel free of them." Both of the girls titled their heads at this, which forced Phillip to change subjects. "Nevermind. Kiana, what was your announcement?"

Kiana snapped out for her confusion, letting out an "oh" as she did, and pressing her hands together again. "Besides my birthday, I got a hot date tomorrow too!"

"Huh?!"

The word slipped through Mei's mouth, causing her to place both hands over her mouth when the other two looked her way. After a moment, Mei cleared her voice and tried speaking regularly despite the quiver in her voice.

"T-That's nice to know, Kiana-chan. Is it with someone nice?"

"Dunno," Kiana admitted blatantly. "She kinda walked up to me today and asked me out suddenly. She was pretty cute, so I said yes."

Mei seemed distressed at this. "Kiana-chan, I don't think you should go. You don't know her, and she might hurt you for simply knowing me."

"Nah," Kiana said, waving her right hand to dismiss the words. "She's way too pretty to be a part of those goons." A form of realization passed over her features before looking back at Mei. "Oh, but you're prettier than she is, Mei-senpai! Like a million-trillion times prettier!"

Mei blushed lightly at this but shook it off. "That's not the point, Kiana-chan!" Mei shifted her focus to Phillip in hopes he'd provide a better argument. "Phillip-kun, please convince her that she can't do this."

Phillip stared blankly at Mei for a moment before looking up at Kiana. At first, he would have just repeated Mei's words with more focus, but locking eyes with the white-haired girl gave him the untold story.

She needed to do something, and this was the best shot at accomplishing that. Nothing the other two could say that could convince Kiana to let it go.

So, Phillip did the best thing he could think of. "Are you prepared for what could happen?"

"Duh," Kiana responded dully before giving him a cheeky smile and a thumbs up. "Don't underestimate a Kaslana!"

"Then do what you want."

"Huh?! Phillip-kun, please-"

Kiana gave Mei the same pose. "Don't worry, Mei-senpai. It's just a date."

Mei switched between looking at Phillip and Kiana for several seconds with desperation on her face before giving up with a sigh. "Fine, I-I understand. Just… be careful, Kiana-chan."

Kiana let out a triumphant giggle at this before looking over at Phillip. "I want my gift by tomorrow; you get me?"

"Keep demanding things, and I'll forget your present exists."

She let out a humph at Phillip's words, crossing her arms over her chest. "Butthead. Why do I hang out with you?"

"Because you're madly in love with me," Phillip said in a monotone voice.

"You wish!"

Mei gave out a giggle at this, causing the other two to look at her, one confused and the other inquisitive. This caused her to continue to laugh, with Kiana to follow after with a goofy grin while Phillip gave a soft smirk at the scene.

The lunch finished rather calmly after that.

5:20, at the end of the school day,

"Could you help me?"

Phillip looked up blankly at Mei, who was bowing at him for whatever reason.

The school had finally let out, and Phillip stayed by Mei's side as they left the school. Kiana joined them soon once they got to the exit. The three stayed together all the way to the sidewalk, Kiana hounding Mei about dishes for her birthday. As Mei attempted to soothe the energetic white-haired girl on what they would be eating, Phillip tried to excuse himself from the group and leave. Upon seeing his retreating form, Mei paused to convince him to stay for a private audience. Needless to say, Kiana wasn't thrilled with the idea.

It took several minutes of Mei convincing Kiana that it was only a talk before Kiana begrudgingly stopped arguing about it. Kiana left with vary a peep after that, simply washing them goodbye before sprinting off to the apartment complex. Mei breathed a relieved sigh before rounding to him with this question on her lips.

Phillip blinked a couple of times before responding. "With what?"

Mei picked herself up to explain to him the problem. "I know Kiana-chan enjoys my cooking, but this is a special day for her. I want to make food to her tastes, and you have known her for longer than I. You must know what she likes most."

"Sorry to say this, Mei," Phillip said, shifting to lean against the school wall. "But Kiana and I aren't exactly friends. We're more like neighbors that hang out every once in a while."

"… Isn't that friends do?" Mei looked confused on the matter, more so when she leaned her head against her right hand to think. "Or am I missing something?"

"Don't think about it," Phillip replied, trying to prevent the girl from going too far into the prospect. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't know much about Kiana. So, if you want to know more about Kiana, you're going to need to talk to Kiana."

"O-oh, I see," Mei spoke dejectedly, eyes now staring sullenly at the ground. "I-I'm sorry. I was just hoping to make it a surprise was all." She gave another bow, one straighter than the previous. "I'm sorry to have taken your time. I hope you'll forgive me." With that, she took hold of the door handle and opened the door.

"Well, you certainly have a knack for words, don't you?"

Oh, shut it, Phillip hissed back, guilt gripping his heart like a vice despite himself. I don't want to lead her on with some grandiose idea that I know anything about Kiana.

"Don't think about it as getting it right," Gabriel insisted. "Think of it as the first real moment for you to learn about the girls."

We've got too much to handle right now. Are we not trying to deal with Cocolia's shipments so Mei can live freely longer?

"I can handle that independently. What you need to do is keep her happy, which won't happen you're dismissive of her concerns."

I don't-

"Don't," Gabriel interrupted Phillip, an edge to the angel's voice. "It doesn't matter how you see it; it's about her perspective on it." The angel switched to a gentler tone once Phillip's guilt was close to overwhelming him. "Spend time with her today. I'll handle the operation tonight."

With that, the angel faded from Phillip's mind, leaving it to his emotions to decide his fate. With nothing else planned and his friends getting the better of him, his mouth opened before he realized the situation.

"Mei, wait."

She heard him just before she could step into the vehicle, looking at Phillip with confusion and a sliver of hope. With him in the spotlight, he took a deep breath to summon whatever courage he could muster and tried speaking.

"I might not know what Kiana really likes when it comes to food, but I'm willing to help you with anything you need."

With the sentence having now left his mouth, his face flushed with embarrassment. He didn't know what he was trying to say, honestly. He just wanted to convince her to bring him along, but every word started to feel more and more idiotic as he told them.

As he tried to mutter out an apology, he was interrupted by Mei's soft giggle. His blush stretched to his ears as he looked up to meet Mei in the eyes, who looked back at him with a calm, peaceful expression.

" I'd like that, Phillip-kun."

At the Nagazora main grocery store,

"Maybe this? No, that doesn't feel right. What about… no, that seems a bit much."

Phillip watched the worried Mei pace around the grocery store, constantly evaluating and reevaluating any potential dishes she could think of during the trek. At some point, he felt highly tempted to simply try and convince her to pick one and stick with it, but he didn't want to yank her away from the task if she deemed it essential.

So, all Phillip did was stay beside Mei, keeping an eye on other customers while she determined what she wanted to make Kiana.

"If only we had some indication on what she likes the most."

Phillip shook his head at this. "Kiana just likes food, Mei. If she can eat it, she's going to eat it."

"I know, but," she sighed as they passed by a row of vegetables, an odd combination of determination and exhaustion on her face. "Tomorrow is something special to her. She deserves to have something for her, right?"

Phillip shrugged his shoulders at this. "Honestly, I spent one birthday with her, and she was happy with what she had." He looked around a little, making sure people kept their distance before continuing. "We aren't making much headway here. We should focus on the cake for now and figure out something for lunch later."

She looked over at him with reluctant eyes before letting out a sigh. "I understand. I just wanted something extra special for her." She then let out a humorless chuckle. "It's funny, really. The person that loves to eat is the hardest one to make food for."

"Let's be fair, Mei," Phillip started, placing a hand on the cart to steer it to the baking materials. " Anything you make is something Kiana will devour." A thought passed his mind at this point, and he decided to ask it, just to be sure about it. "You know how to make an ice cream cake, right?"

His answer was a slightly worried look from the heiress. "It shouldn't be too hard. I can always look up a recipe if needed."

7:30 pm, in the Northern area of Nagazora,

Phillip inspected Mei's house with an unimpressed expression. "You know, I honestly thought you'd have a larger house."

That wasn't to say Mei's house was small by any means. A traditional Japanese manor with white walls and a red roof took up a large plot of land with several interconnected buildings. All of this was sealed off with a wooden wall-like fence with a white top. The gate that led to the main building was tall and doorless, leaving a welcoming yet intimidating feeling to those walking up to the manor.

Mei looked slightly surprised at this. "Really. Most people told me it was rather excessive."

"For them, maybe," Phillip replied, starting to walk into the house with the groceries in hand. "I just thought that, with the amount of money your father had, things would be much bigger."

"I see," Mei said, carrying only one of the bags they had. Once they were inside, they left their shoes at the door, and Phillip followed Mei through the expensive house to the kitchen; their footsteps echoed dully on the wooden floor.

The kitchen was far more modern than the rest of the house's traditional feel thus far had given. White tile covered the floor, walls, and ceiling, while cobblestone countertops were found on any surface that wasn't the stove. A gray, double-door refrigerator, tall enough to touch the ceiling, stood off to a corner while the range was squished between two cupboards, all of which were pure snow white.

Phillip looked at Mei with a raised brow. "What's with all the white?"

"Oh, it's simple, really," Mei replied as she set her bag down. "Because stains will show easier on white surfaces, it made sure the maids would do their utmost best to keep the area sanitary." Mei gave a nervous giggle at that moment. "It took me a while to get the same level of cleanliness as they did after they left."

"I'm glad you can laugh that off," Phillip said before hosting the several bags along his arms. "Where do these go for now?"

Mei placed her bag on the counter next to her. "Put the ice cream in the freezer – it's at the bottom of the refrigerator – then leave the rest here. I need to refresh myself, so please lounge around for a minute or two."

With that, Mei took her leave from the area, the twin doors of the kitchen swaying as she left. Phillip did as she instructed before washing his hands in the silver sink next to the fridge. Finding a towel in a drawer nearby, he dried off and walked out of the kitchen.

Standing in an undecorated hall, Phillip looked around for a moment before going down the left side, intending to analyze the place without going too fast from his previous destination.

After a few feet were traveled, Phillip stumbled across a place found at an intersection between his hall and another that seemed like a dining room. A small, short square table was stationed in the middle of it with two cushions at either end rather than chairs. A few potted plants decorated this small area, with some low-hanging paintings to accompany them.

Deciding this works as a nice place to lounge, Phillip sat beside the closest cushion target than on it, in fear of being disrespectful if he sat upon it. Closing his eyes, he crossed his legs and began meditating. As his senses expanded even further than with chakra, Phillip felt Mei's presence in a room a few feet away from him. Expanding even further, he felt Gabriel as the angel started the sabotage. However, the angel responded in kind with a feeling that felt too much like Gabriel wicked at him.

Cutting the connection to the world, Phillip opened his eyes shortly, taking in the lights slowly but surely. He knew Mei was making her way back to the kitchen now, so he stood and made the trek back as well.

Back in the kitchen,

"Alright, let's begin!"

Mei stated this with a clap, multiple bowls laid out before them on the counter space. Mei was now wearing a pink apron with her hair in a bonnet to prevent any hair from falling into the ingredients, while Phillip was given one of the white aprons of one of the previous chefs.

Phillip looked at Mei, a gleeful look on her face, with one more passive. "Where do you need me?"

Mei studied him for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "I'll handle the actual baking. Can you hand the items as I need them?"

Phillip gave a nod at this, though a smirk had graced his lips. "So, you want less of an additional chief and more of an extra pair of hands, hmm?"

Mei's eyes widened at this, and she quickly tried to explain away the situation. "I-I'm not saying you're a bad cook! Honestly and truly, I feel you're better than I am and-"

"Alright, don't lie to my face like that," Phillip stated with a smile, louder than Mei's frantic reply, before putting his hand up to stop any rebuttal. "And I was just teasing."

"O-oh," Mei replied, a blush of embarrassment flooding her cheeks. After a moment, she managed to shake it off and placed her focus on cooking. She collected the necessary utensils and relayed her first orders while preheating the oven.

It was… a rocky start, to be sure.

"Is there a problem, Phillip-kun?"

Phillip yanked on both sides of the bag of flour, trying not to put too much strength as to not cause it to burst. However, the bag remained adamant about being sealed. By the time the oven was set, he had not managed to open the bag, and Mei started to watch his struggle. A few seconds more, and she was reaching over to take the bag from him, a gentle smile to show she meant no disrespect. When she was just about to take the bag away, it suddenly popped open, sending a cloud of flour up and out of the opening.

Mei pulled back in surprise, yanking her hands to her chest as she waited for the cloud to dissipate. It did so a second later, revealing Phillip was his entire head covered with the white powder. A heavy breath from his nose forced a small cloud out in front of him before Phillip looked over to Mei.

She stood there for a moment, perplexed at the scene in front of her before a smile split her face as giggles bubbled up from inside her. Not long after, the giggles evolved into a full laugh, something she tried to hide with a hand over her mouth.

Phillip rose a brow before looking down at the bag in his hands. He placed it down on the counter and walked over to the sink to wash the flour off. However, as he passed Mei, Phillip drew a finger across his right cheek and poked Mei's nose with it, leaving a white dot there. Staying only long enough to note the look of surprise on her face, Phillip continued his trek and started his clean-up.

When he turned around, Mei stood next to the bag of flour with her hands hiding her eyes. While his instincts suggested danger, Phillip ignored them this one time and walked back over to her. Once he was close, Mei lunged at him, a palm-full of flour sent his way. He didn't dodge it, allowing his face to be caked in flour once more.

However, when he noticed that victorious smile on her face, he deemed it correct to enact revenge. He stalked over to the bag and dug his hand into the bag, giving Mei a sinister smirk while the girl slowly backed away despite her own playful smile.

The fight was set in motion, and only one could be the winner.

15 minutes later,

"I think we went a little too far."

This was Mei's statement to their current situation. While the room was already white in most areas, it was apparent how much flour was wasted in their battle. The floors and counters looked like it had snowed indoors, while the range and fridge were painted to match their surroundings.

Despite this, Mei's smile couldn't have been more brilliant than at this moment. It was as if most of her worries for the past few months had disappeared, and the stress it caused had washed away. Phillip would have stopped to admire the scene had he not been focused on cleaning up.

As he swept, Mei wiped down all the surfaces that got splattered in the crossfire. While it took a couple of minutes, the place was back into shape within a reasonable amount of time. Soon, the kitchen was thoroughly cleaned, and they could place everything back in the janitor's closet.

Mei let out a sigh of both relief and reassignment as the two of them shelved the cleaning supplies. "We shouldn't have done that. I doubt we can make a full cake now."

"Maybe so," Phillip accepted, placing the broom onto its holder. " But it was nice, wasn't it? At least we didn't delve into egg throwing."

"Oh, I don't need that image in my head," Mei groaned, rubbing the side of her now snow-white forehead with an equally coated palm. "Cleaning the flour is enough hassle for me today. Thinking of an egg-covered kitchen just sounds like a nightmare."

Phillip shook his head at this while beginning the trek back to the kitchen, Mei making sure she was at his side. "Well, I think we could just make Kiana a cake slice. She might not like that she doesn't have a full cake, but she'll enjoy it all the same."

Mei tilted her head slightly, eyes now looking down at the ground as she said, "I guess," with a slightly diminished tone. However, as they rounded the corner into the hall going to the kitchen, her eyes sparkled with a glint Phillip couldn't place. "Or we could…."

Phillip rose a brow at this. "Or what?"

"I think I can make this work after all," Mei muttered before raising her head back up to stare down the hall. "First things first, though: we need to clean ourselves before we can start making anything."

"Alright then, lead the way."

Later that night,

Phillip sat at the table in that same room once again, though now on one of the cushions at Mei's persistence. They had finished creating Mei's cake project, working on the lunch in between baking the layers. Once everything was set and done, however, Mei insisted on trading him before his departure. He didn't protest against, going with the flow to keep the light-hearted mood going.

Phillip stayed there for roughly five minutes before Mei appeared, carrying two mugs in her hands. She placed one in front of him and sat to his right, moving the other cushion to sit there.

"The weather is getting slightly chilly, so I thought I'd try my hand at some hot chocolate."

"You spoil me too much," Phillip replied, a soft grin on his face as he took up the cup and sipped on the drink. While the temperature was scalding, it didn't stop him enjoying the rich flavor. He voiced his satisfaction with a contented sigh and placed the mug back onto the table.

Though, Mei wasn't as happy with the nonverbal action. "Is it good? Did I make it right?"

"Mei, the hot chocolate is great," Phillip said to dissuade her fears. "At this point, any food you make is going to be amazing. So don't fret about your cooking skills; they're fine."

She still didn't seem enthused with this compliment, sighing as she rolled the mug in her hands. "I expected it from Kiana-chan but not from you, Phillip-kun. You can cook, so you must know something I can improve upon."

"I'm not much of a critic," Phillip stated flatly. "I just speak my mind as the thoughts come to me and, from what people have told me, it comes out rather bluntly."

"… I guess I can take that to mean I haven't made any faults recently." Mei then looked at him with an odd expression, almost sympathetic in some regards. "Though, in another, it sounds like you've didn't have many friends growing up."

Phillip decided that he wouldn't continue the topic, so he let out a "hm" loud enough for Mei to hear before changing subjects. "You have a way to transfer it to the school tomorrow without the ice cream melting, right?"

Mei seemed confused on the sudden shift but nodded nonetheless. "There is a cooler inside the refrigerator, so I'll be able to bring them over without accident." She slumped a little, slight concern on her face. "I do hope she likes them."

"She will," Phillip said like it was the most obvious thing in the world (which it was) before looking over to a nearby window. Faint moonlight was taking through and, while he couldn't make an estimate of time from just moonlight, his internal clock warned him that curfew was about to set.

"I should get going." Taking the mug, he downed the contents quickly and stood up. He gave a short bow to Mei and thanked her for the hospitality before starting down the hall.

"Wait!" He turned to Mei once more, analyzing the now standing girl as she spoke. "You don't need to leave. You could stay here tonight if you wish."

Phillip arched a brow at this. " Are you sure about that? I don't want to intrude-"

"It's fine!" Mei explained suddenly, a broad smile gracing her face. "Just give me some time to clean up the guest room, and everything will be set!"

Seeing this amount of energy from the ordinarily calm girl surprised Phillip. " Is everything alright, Mei-san? Did something happen here?"

This seemed to snap Mei from her trance-like state, wiping the smile away in exchange for a frantic apology. "N-No! It's nothing like that, it's just…." Taking a breath to calm herself, Mei locked eyes with Phillip, indigo eyes starting into chocolate brown. "This house, this place, feels too empty without father here. It feels less like a home and more like a cage where, despite leaving so often, I can't escape."

"But, today, just the short time we had together, made that feeling disappear," Mei said, her brilliant smile returning. "So, I'm sorry if I'm being selfish, but could you stay here, if just for tonight."

Phillip simply stood there, trying to determine if it was a good idea. He wanted to get back to the tasks he had to do, but Gabriel had demanded Phillip to take the day off technically. Also, he understood what Mei was telling him, more than he was willing to admit, so to see her in such a state hurt.

Phillip took a heavy breath and answered. "If it's okay, then I'll stay tonight."

The reaction to this was more substantial than he expected. He thought he would receive a "thank you" before the girl left to clean the guest room. Not the bone-crushing hug that she did give.

What did I get myself into this time?

December 7th, 12:15.

"Mei, we've done everything we could. Stop worrying so much."

Phillip and Mei were seated on the school's vacant roof, waiting for the birthday girl to arrive. With all the food being stored in Mei's bag, there was very little they could do was to keep calm. However, just as they say down to settle in, Mei started to get antsy and questioned the idea.

"We should have gone and gotten another bag of flour," Mei chastised herself as she started to fidget in her seat in discomfort. "Or maybe we should have increased the portion size. She could be famished now and-"

"Mei, I doubt she's going to have a problem with double her normal meal," Phillip advised, his stoic expression not shifting as he watched the door. "If anything, she'll be ecstatic to eat that much."

Mei gave him a critical eye as if both impressed and appalled by his lack of concern. "Are you not concerned about the possibility of being underprepared? How are you so calm about this?"

"Practice," Phillip stated, boredom starting to set in. "And if Kiana throws a fit, you and I can keep the food to ourselves."

"I'm not going to keep her birthday meal away from her."

"And she won't let you," Phillip clarified. "She'll either apologize for doing something dumb, or she'll try to steal it away first. Regardless, she'll eat and be happy about it. So, just relax."

Mei sighed at this. "I suppose I should, but we should try to have a bigger party next time."

"Maybe next year," Phillip replied, coming out more like a yawn than actual words. "Though, I don't see the reason for extravagance. This is fine in my eyes."

"…Have you ever had a birthday party?"

"Nope," Phillip said, popping the P as he spoke. He took notice of some movement behind the door and tried to shut down any more conversation. "She seems to be here now. Let's calm it down."

Mei pouted at this but controlled her emotions as the door flew open, and Kiana walked through. The white-haired girl waved furiously at them as she got closer and sat down beside Mei, grabbing onto her left side.

"Hello, Mei-senpai! Good morning!"

"It's no longer morning, Kiana-chan," Mei stated with a soft tone and gentle smile. "It's better to say 'good afternoon' instead."

"Ah, but 'good morning' sounds better," Kiana exclaimed in exuberance before looking at Phillip with a neutral look. "Hey." Phillip acknowledged this was a single-finger salute before both returned their attention to Mei.

Kiana popped the question first, giving Mei her full attention. "What did I get for my birthday?"

"I'll get you something after school, before your… meet-up," Mei said calmly, though the last bit came out strained. "I didn't have much time yesterday to both buy a present and make food, so a shopping trip will have to suffice."

Kiana pouted a little at this but nodded her head as the pout shifted into a wide smile. "Okay, a day alone with Mei-senpai would be great." With that out of the way, Kiana looked over to the duffel bag Mei brought to carry everything with ravenous intent. "I can smell the food from here, so let's eat now!"

Phillip shook his head at this while Mei unloaded her bag. "Couldn't wait a moment, could you?"

Kana simply blew him a raspberry before staring at him for a moment. "You didn't come back yesterday. Where were you?"

Phillip nodded over to Mei to answer the question. "Mei wanted me to help her with something, so I did. It ended up taking longer than we thought, so I started at her house last night."

Kiana's eyes widened at this before her expression became pouty once more. "What?! I want a sleep-over with Mei-senpai!" With the idea in mind, she turned to Mei as the older girl pulled the cooler out. "Mei-senpai, can I come over to your house at some point?"

Mei was taken aback by this. "Um, sure, if you want to."

Kiana gave a fist pump before looking back to Phillip with a victorious shine to her eyes. "Another point to me! You better give up now!"

Phillip gave her deadpan face before looking over to Mei with the same expression. He wanted to say something sarcastic in response but held his tongue so any remains of a festive mood could be had.

So, he simply watched as Mei pulled out a plate from the cooler, hosting several vanilla frosted mini-cakes on it, each topped with one raspberry each. Kiana looked at them with interest before starting up at Mei.

"What's this?"

"Ah," Mei paused for a slight moment before deciding to try and explain the story. "Due to unforeseen circumstances," she sent Phillip a playful glare, "there wasn't enough flour to make a complete cake, so we were forced to improvise."

"Replace 'we' with 'she,' and that would be the gist of the situation."

Mei blushed at the statement and murmured, "You did help me, though,"

"Not in cooking, I didn't," Phillip stated, chuckling as the girl's blush seemed to increase at this. He then looked over to Kiana, who seemed somewhat disappointed about it all. "You've also got an increased helping of, what we've decided, your favored foods. If you think we're wrong on what we picked, tell us for next time."

"Okay," Kiana muttered before letting out a groan. "This sucks! Two great chefs and only one makes the food?" She sent Phillip the stink eye with a huff. "What kinda guy leaves the girl to do all the work?"

"I can still throw your present away, you know."

"No, wait, please don't!"

Mei let out a cough, silencing Kiana's begging and stopping Phillip's incessant taunting. "I think we should eat now. Lunchtime is short enough as it is."

Both Kiana and Phillip nodded at this and gathered closer to Mei. As Mei tried giving out the boxes lunches (Kiana's looking slightly over-stuffed), Kiana grabbed one of the little cakes and bit into one, moaning with happiness upon doing so.

"Kiana-chan, the cakes were supposed to be for after lunch," Mei bemoaned, looking at the Kaslana in mild disapproval.

"I say we give the birthday girl some leeway," Phillip replied, picking up two of the cakes handing one off to Mei. "Besides, if she's eating the cakes, maybe I can actually eat my lunch today."

Mei seemed to accept it as she took the cake with only a small sigh. "Okay, but only for today." With that, the three are their lunches, only wanting to enjoy the remainder of the day.

This chapter felt a lot longer than it actually was. I don't know if that's a bad sign or not.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this and see you later on.