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Birthday Blessings
“Juza, you’ve eaten like half of the cake! This isn’t even your birthday!” Banri elbowed Juza aside as he went for seconds of the large strawberry cake Omi had wonderfully made.
Juza frowned. “...It’s only my fourth slice.”
“ Four slices?! Your sweet tooth is insane! You had three at Tasuku’s celebration…!”
Juza glanced away, still loading his plate as he ignored the comment.
Omi laughed, reaching into the fridge. “Don’t worry, don’t worry! There’s plenty more. I knew better than to just have one cake for our big crowd.”
Laughter and bickering faded out as Sakuya stepped out the door into the courtyard garden, quietly closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath and smiled, letting the cool night air tousle his hair in the wind. Taking several of the many gifts given to him in his hands, he leisurely put them away just inside his dorm.
On his way back, as the evening felt so warm and the mood so content… he took a seat on the bench by the flowers to look up at the bright pink sakura leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Being at MANKAI was the happiest and liveliest time of his life, and he felt like his heart was overflowing from the warmth of it all.
He hadn’t settled but for a minute when the courtyard door opened again, this time Tsumugi emerged and gently closed the door behind him. Sakuya could hear a quick exchange of “How many strawberries can you eat before you die?!” “THIS INSPIRES ME TO WRITE A POEM-” before the door muffled the rowdiness once more.
Tsumugi gave a bemused chuckle before noticing Sakuya watching on the metal courtyard bench.
“Oh, Sakuya…!”
“Tsumugi! Sorry, was I away too long?”
“No, no, I just came out to appreciate the spring evening like you seem to be doing,” Tsumugi said. He joined the younger actor on the bench and looked up to admire the trees with him, taking a deep breath.
They enjoyed the silence and the atmosphere for a moment before Tsumugi spoke up.
“Happy birthday again, by the way. Have you had a good one?”
Sakuya nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Every day here is a good one when I’m acting with everyone!” (They of course played party games earlier by doing improv bits in groups, a perfect way to celebrate the acting junkie in training.)
Tsumugi chuckled, resisting the urge to ruffle Sakuya’s hair. “You sound like a spokesperson for the company on TV.”
The Spring Troupe leader grinned, “Hehe, any time! I love it here with all of my heart.”
“Haha… You know, you’ve really grown a lot as an actor here, from what the Director has told me,” the other Troupe leader commented. “Yuzo said similar things, albeit in a very different way.”
Sakuya beamed. “Really? Well, I feel like I’ve gained so much more than I’d imagined since joining the company. I’m so thankful and blessed, I’ll never be able to express it enough…!”
Tsumugi noticed that the young man beside him, despite having the most heartfelt smile, had tears in his eyes. Knowing roughly of Sakuya’s past situation before joining MANKAI, Tsumugi gave Sakuya a compassionate smile.
“I know it isn’t really my place to say, but I think our found family here really has been all because of you… and the Director, of course,” Tsumugi said.
Sakuya shook his head. “She’s done more than I ever could, really!”
“Well, a director is nothing without their actors. Just you coming that day planted the seed that made it all possible.” Tsumugi placed his hand on Sakuya’s shoulder. “Thank you for that. All of us found ourselves and each other here.”
Sakuya wiped the sneaking tears away, grinning. “Hehe, you know… you’re like the big brother I never had, Tsumugi…! Thank you for your words.” And the young actor pulled Tsumugi into a friendly hug.
This caught Tsumugi off-guard, but if he’d ever felt brotherly instincts, they were the ones that screamed to protect and cherish this blooming actor in front of him. He hugged Sakuya back, and the two broke away with the brightest of smiles.
“And if you’re like my big brother, I’d say Director is like a big sister to me! She always knows how to support me and lend me an ear, too!” Sakuya added.
Which was timely, seeing as Izumi herself was hurrying down the hallway. She skidded to a halt and hurried over to the two content actors on the bench.
“There you are, Sakuya!” Izumi cried, huffing a bit, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! I almost forgot to give you something…!”
She handed him the item she’d been cradling as she dashed around, and the young man gasped.
Izumi looked pleased at his response and said, “Surprise~! A homemade snow globe of Romeo and Julius ! A lot of the guys helped me out with it, but I think it ended up pretty good!”
A rough but heartfelt snow globe with little figures crafted as the Spring Troupe (plus a Chikage on the side) performing Romeo and Julius on a mini MANKAI theater. Instead of snow, little sakura petals fell when the globe was shaken. Sakuya even found that there was a small crank at the bottom of the globe when he flipped it over.
“You gotta twist it!” Izumi mimed it to him.
Twisting the crank, the tune of Bokura no Kizuna played lightly from an internal music box.
Izumi looked slightly smug. “The music box was really impressive, since we had to combine the skills of Matsukawa, Masumi, and Kazunari without Masumi killing them, but eventually- oh!”
She stopped short, because Sakuya had set the globe down to give her a big hug. He pulled away with a teary but happy smile. “Thank you so much, Director! I’ll treasure this always. You’re the big sis I always wish I’d had…!”
Deeply moved, Izumi hugged him again, nearly sobbing herself. “You can call me big sis any time, absolutely! Waaah…!”
Tsumugi chuckled. “Hopefully this doesn’t make the others too jealous…”
Sakuya gasped, suddenly distraught. “No! I can’t let Tasuku think I don’t see him as my ultimate role model…!” His eyes shined as he no doubt looked to his mind’s version of Tasuku.
The recently assigned big brother and sister to Sakuya felt a wave of defeat.
It hurts, but you can’t deny Tasuku’s acting and muscles...
“Regardless, I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Sakuya! We look forward to working with you as you grow yet another year older!” Izumi said.
Sakuya’s grin couldn’t be brighter. “Thank you very much!”
In the party room, Tasuku sneezed.
Happy Birthday, Sakuya!