The most difficult part of being childhood friends with your lover is their birthday. You’ve been together for so long that surprises aren’t a thing anymore, and if they are, it’d be a difficult feat. This is Miyagawa Takane we are talking about, after all.
Kanaho silently sighed behind the stack of papers she was carrying (and Takane was already helping her with it) as they stopped bit by bit, continuously running into people.
“Happy Birthday, Takane-san.”
“Takane-sama, happy birthday, kyaaaaa!”
“Takane, it was a pleasure to know you. Have a good one.”
The greeting varies, although it’s not often, there are a few gifts with the greetings here and there, and Kanaho’s starting to feel bad that she’s carrying papers and those gifts on top of those.
Kanaho sighed again as the boxes in Takane’s arms increased.
“…Thank you.” Takane smiled as she took one more box into her pile.
“Ah, Takane-sama! Please use this!” Himeka suddenly ran towards their direction opening up a large foldable bag.
“Himeka-san, thank you. This might be my favorite of all that I’ve received so far.” Takane joked as everyone laughed and helped put the boxes into the bag.
“Geez, Takane-sama, please don’t joke like that.” Himeka helped with the packing. She then faced her fellow first year students and scolded them lightly. “I know you want to express your love for Takane-sama, but please be responsible, and make sure that your gifts are easy to bring home.”
Himeka’s fellow first years nodded in agreement as Takane was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief with the stack of papers safe in her arms, and a bag of their presents kept in one hand.
“Finally.” Takane continued walking forward, taking a glance at the white haired girl next to her. “Kanaho?”
“Mm? I didn’t say anything.” Kanaho blinked as she responded. They continued to walk the halls, and the greeting started again.
“Ah…” Takane watched the bag get filled up. “Thank you.” She gave them her stellar smile, but Kanaho knew that Takane’s beginning to feel tired of it all. She was worrying for her, enough to keep her jealousy at bay. “Phew…”
“Are you okay?” Kanaho asked, sliding open the student council room door. “We’re here so take a rest. I’ll just have to look over these and separate them.”
“Thank you. I promised I would help you…” Takane settled the papers on the desk and stretched her arms above her head. “I think I would.”
“…Nope.” Kanaho hugged her stack of papers and carried them to the other side of the table far far away from her hands. “Takane-chan, for once, please listen to me, and take a rest.”
“…You sure are mean sometimes, Kanaho.” Takane stretched her arms forward and rested her head onto her arm. “All right. Wake me up in ten minutes?”
“…You call me mean? Geez.” Kanaho smiled at her and sat on the other side of the table to avoid distractions. “I’ll wake you.”
The loud ringing of the school bell echoed in the empty halls of the school as Takane slowly opened her eyes. She slowly turned her eyes to the wall clock above her head that showed a few minutes past four in the afternoon. She wanted to stretch her arms but felt a weight shift on her left side.
Kanaho’s quiet breathing was the last thing she could hear inside the empty student council room. Her face looked so peaceful, Takane actually felt bad that she might have to wake her soon before their first years panic and search for them.
“Kanaho.” Takane slowly shifted her arm so Kanaho’s head would drop inside her arms instead of just leaning on her shoulders. “Kanaho, if you don’t wake up I’m gonna kiss you?”
“Takane-chan, you never change, do you?” Kanaho slowly opened her eyes as gold met lilac while Takane leaned over her face.
“…What could you ever mean?” Takane laughed. “…Are you not saying no?”
Kanaho’s eyes avoided those intense purples. “…It’s your birthday, so maybe I’ll allow it only for today…?”
Takane slowly leaned in… until the door slid open and a bubbly white haired student walked in. “Ah! They’re here! Kanaho-senpai, Takanyan-senpai☆”
“Is everything gone?” Takane moved swiftly as she pretended to remove something from Kanaho’s eyes.
“Y- Yes, thank you, Takane-chan. Akari-chan. Is it time already?” Kanaho fixed her slightly disheveled uniform from her afternoon nap with Takane. “I’ll just run my eyes on these papers one last time and we can go.”
“Okay~ I’ll go tell Sadamori and Tokki~!” Akari raised her hand and smiled.
“…Too bad.” Takane muttered to herself as Akari only looked at her with curiousity.
After getting back to their legion room, Takane was immediately greeted by confetti and a few balloons. It was a party arranged by the first years for her inclusive of a short program and a few letters.
Once their party have ended, Kanaho helped Takane bring back the gifts she received over the day back to their dorm room.
They both settled it on their living room sofa, sitting down on the couch side by side. Kanaho lifted one of the bags on to the table and looked at Takane who wasn’t doing anything.
“Kanaho, wait.” Takane held Kanaho’s hands that were on the bag. “I’ll open these tomorrow.”
Kanaho only blinked and looked at her. “Why?”
“…The only gift I want to open today, is the one I receive from you.” Takane settled all the bags of gifts she received in one side and faced Kanaho. “That’s what I’ve decided to do. Is that okay?”
Kanaho smiled, a small blush on her cheeks. “Geez, Takane-chan… Wait here.” She stood up and went to the kitchen cabinets.
Although “giving a gift to your lover-childhood friend is difficult” was what Kanaho thought, she always ended uo finding a small thing she wanted Takane to have that she hasn’t given to her yet.
Kanaho returned with a box neatly wrapped in purple wrapping and returned to Takane’s side.
“Here. You can open that and I’ll take out your favorite tart.” Kanaho smiled as she watched Takane’s increasing interest on the box.
“…Then I’ll pour some tea first, then I’ll open this later.” Takane settled the box on the table as they both prepared for the post-party evening tea.
“Mm… I love your tarts the best, Kanaho.” Takane smiled as she put down her plate.
“Geez… You get to eat that all the time.” Kanaho smiled at her. “Open your gift?”
“Okay.” Takane nodded and took the box. She slowly opened it. It was a hardbound notebook with a flower logo on top. “A notebook?”
“Mm. Take a look inside?”
Takane opened the notebook’s first page. There was a clear bookmark, and something written on the page.
“Dear Takane-chan,
Happy Birthday.
I wasn’t sure what to get you this year but while I was going around stores, I fell in love at first sight with this notebook like I did for you… We will be third years soon, and from there on we’ll just get busier so I thought, maybe we can share an exchange diary. I also made a bookmark from dried lilies on the front, and dried lilacs on the back. It’s kind of like us, right?
I love you always.
From Kanaho. -XXXX, May 21″
Kanaho sipped tea from her teacup. “Mm… Takane-chan’s tea is always the best for me too.”
Takane closed the notebook and put it on the table. “Kanaho, is it fine?”
“Mm?” Kanaho turned to look at Takane as she watched her blonde lover take the teacup from her hands and put it on the table. “Of course.”
Without any hesitation, Takane wrapped an arm around Kanaho’s body as she pressed their lips together in a warm and slow kiss. Kanaho wrapped her arms around Takane’s neck as she smiled on her lips.
“Takane-chan…” Kanaho mumbled on Takane’s lips as their kiss grew but still soft and slow. “…Thank you for being born. Happy Birthday.”
Takane pushed Kanaho further onto the couch as the kiss grew deeper, more desperate.
“Mm… Kanaho… I love you. Thank you.” Takane stopped kissing her and hugged her tightly. “I’m glad to survive everyday, because I’m with you.”
Kanaho breathed a deep sigh as she tried to regain back some air. She carressed Takane’s hair as they hugged. “I love you too, Takane-chan. Please always stay by my side, okay?”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Takane kissed her again. “…May I continue?”
“…Of course. Today’s your day.” Kanaho initiated a kiss and touched Takane’s cheeks. “…Do as much as you want, whatever you want.”
~*
Kanaho opened her eyes, part of her shoulders feeling the cold as air hit her body directly. She closed her eyes again as she searched for the blanket but another pair of arms pulled on her tightly, and a long and slender arm pulled the sheets over to her shoulder putting her back into warmth.
“Takane-chan… What time is it…”
“Around 1:20am.” Takane whispered directly into Kanaho’s ear making her body shiver. “You were out for about an hour.”
“Mm… I see.” Kanaho breathed in and out as the hand wrapped around her stomach started trailing feather touches over her stomach and thighs. “Mm… Takane-chan?”
“Kanaho…” Takane closed her eyes as Kanaho turned around to face her. “…I love you so much what do I do?”
“…Since I’m awake again, maybe you can show it to me.” Kanaho kissed her lightly on the lips and smiled.
“…Where do you learn these words from…?” Takane whispered into Kanaho’s ears as she climbed on top of her again.
“Who knows? Maybe it’s only for today.”
~*
True to her words, the morning after, Kanaho was back to half-ignoring Takane after getting angry at her in the morning for accidentally leaving a kiss mark right below her ear… but still accepts her helping hand whenever she loses her inner balance because of her hips in pain.
Akari questioning Kanaho’s “mosquito bites” is a story for another day.
(END)
