Keisuke and Asuka sat cross-legged near the door, their eyes flicking to the clock every few seconds, hearts brimming with anticipation. Their small hands fidgeted with the edge of the carpet, and every passing minute stretched longer than the last. Today was not just any day—it was special. The day they could finally ask their Oto-san about their birthday gifts.
The sound of footsteps outside made both of them spring to their feet. They ran to the door like wind chasing the clouds.
As the door opened, their Oto-san stepped in, his figure still in uniform, eyes tired yet filled with warmth. A gentle smile stretched across his face as he saw the two excited faces rushing toward him.
"Oto-san!" they chorused, practically tackling him with a hug.
He laughed softly, ruffling Keisuke's hair and then brushing Asuka's cheek with his thumb. "So," he said, placing his bag down by the door, "what have you two decided about your gifts?"
Asuka's eyes lit up like stars. "Headphones!" she announced, her voice bubbling with joy.
Oto-san blinked, clearly surprised. He tilted his head, studying her expression. "Headphones? Really? You want those for your birthday, Asuka?"
She nodded rapidly, clutching her hands together, her eyes wide and hopeful. "Yes! The real ones. I'll take good care of them, I promise. I'll study too, every day."
Oto-san raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing yet thoughtful. "But you know, those are something older kids usually have… not little ones like you."
Asuka didn't back down. "I know, but I really want them. Please, Oto-san. Just this once?"
He looked at her for a long moment, his face softening. Finally, he sighed and smiled. "Fine. If you want them this much, then alright."
A squeal of joy burst from Asuka as she jumped and hugged him tightly, her happiness filling the room like sunlight.
---
3rd November…
The house had never looked more magical. The room shimmered in hues of silver and icy blue, reflecting the soft golden light of the overhead bulbs. Balloons danced gently above their heads, swaying with every movement in the room. Shiny silver letters spelled out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" against a curtain of sparkling blue fringe, giving the room an ethereal glow.
In the center of the table, a delicate blue cake sat proudly—decorated with tiny butterflies and white pearls. Around it, candies were scattered like treasures, and gift bags, carefully wrapped with love and excitement, formed a colorful halo.
Asuka stood near the table, her eyes wide in wonder. "It's beautiful…" she whispered.
Keisuke grinned beside her. "This is so cool!" he exclaimed, his fingers twitching with the urge to tear into the wrapping paper of the gifts.
Everyone was there—Oka-san and Oto-san sitting together, Manjiro, Emma, Inupi, chika and Kota sitting together with Asuka and keisuke talking about their little chit chats about school life and random stuff.
Laughter filled the air, echoing through the room like a melody. The children danced, played, and chased balloons around, their cheeks flushed with joy, their eyes sparkling.
As the evening faded into night, guests slowly began to leave, waving their goodbyes with warm smiles and lingering hugs.
Keisuke beamed as he unwrapped the gift he'd secretly hoped for—a model car set he'd eyed at the store for weeks. He hugged it to his chest like it was a dream made real.
Asuka finally tore open the box she'd been waiting for—the headphones the real one which she wished.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she held them. "They're perfect…" she whispered, eyes gleaming.
She turned to Oto-san, her voice softer now. "Thank you…"
Oto-san leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You earned them, Asuka."
The night continued with joyful chatter and opened gifts, with crumbs of cake on plates and blue icing on fingers.
That night, as the stars blinked quietly outside, the house was full of warmth, love, and the quiet happiness of dreams fulfilled.
The next few days passed in joy, filled with laughter and mischief. The four of them—Manjiro, Keisuke, Asuka, and Emma—welcomed each festival with childlike excitement. They celebrated Christmas with silly sweaters and too much cake, then counted down to the New Year with sparkling eyes and loud cheers. Life, for once, felt normal again.
Until one afternoon, when Keisuke began acting... a little strange.
Without a word of explanation, he marched straight to Manjiro's house, dragging Sanzu with him. Once there, the three slipped out quietly for one of their usual aimless strolls.
"Hey, guys," Keisuke said with a sly grin, "I bought something."
He pulled out a glossy magazine from under his jacket and held it up like it was treasure.
Sanzu blinked. "What is that?"
Manjiro raised an eyebrow and read the title aloud: "The 48 Positions?"
"It's an erotic magazine," Keisuke said, barely suppressing a snicker. "For adults."
"For adults?" Sanzu repeated, a bit too loudly.
Keisuke shoved the magazine into their hands. "Yeah, you heard right. See for yourself."
As they flipped through the pages, Keisuke's face started turning crimson, and Sanzu looked like his brain had short-circuited.
"Dude… what is this?" Sanzu muttered, quickly slamming it shut.
"Well, that was something new," Keisuke and Sanzu mumbled in unison, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Manjiro, on the other hand, remained oddly calm. His expression didn't waver as he took the magazine back and started flipping through it again like he was reading a manga.
After a long pause, he muttered, "Some of the 48 positions are overlapping."
Keisuke stared at him, stunned. "That's what you're thinking about right now?!"
Before Manjiro could respond, Keisuke tried changing the subject. "You know, I heard a guy around our age fought off some middle schoolers for bullying a weaker kid."
Manjiro looked up briefly. "That's cool."
"I know, right? I think his name was… Draken or something."
"Strange name," Manjiro replied flatly, his attention still on the corner of the magazine page.
Keisuke and Sanzu exchanged a look of disbelief. This guy was seriously reading that thing like a textbook.
Suddenly, as they rounded a corner, Manjiro bumped into someone.
The magazine slipped from his hands and hit the ground with a light thud.
He looked up.
"Asuka…"
She bent down and casually picked up the magazine. "Here," she said, handing it back to him.
Keisuke froze. His soul practically left his body. We're dead. She's going to tell Oka-san. I'm going to be buried alive.
"Hey, Asuka," Manjiro said, completely unfazed. "How many times I count, it's just... some of the 48 positions are overlapping."
Keisuke silently screamed inside. No, no, no—why would you SAY THAT OUT LOUD!?
Asuka blinked at him, her expression unreadable. "Overlapping what?"
Without hesitation, Manjiro handed her the magazine.
She took it, skimmed the cover, flipped through a few pages, and then looked at him.
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "You sure have a… wierd taste in things."
Manjiro looked mildly puzzled. "You're not answering the question."
Asuka closed the magazine and gave him a mischievous grin. "Try it yourself and find out—when you're grown up."
For the first time all day, Manjiro's eyes widened. A rare, visible expression crossed his face—shock … maybe even embarrassment?
Asuka handed the magazine back and walked off, calm and confident.
Keisuke collapsed dramatically onto Sanzu's shoulder.
"I'm dead," he whispered.
Sanzu patted his back. "We both are."