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Chihiro cautiously tiptoed down the halls, trying not to make a sound. It was much too late for anyone to be up, though that hadn’t stopped Chihiro from staying awake every night for the past week. Sure, it wasn’t great for her to be staying up that long, and Chihiro knew it. However, she also knew this project was the single most important thing she had ever worked on in her life, and she needed it to be perfect. Sleep would have to wait.
Regardless of how little sleep she was getting, there was only so long Chihiro could go without food, and she was pretty sure she passed that mark about 3 days ago.
She was just going to grab something to eat from the dining hall, and hopefully some caffeine. She wasn’t really a fan of coffee, but she supposed she could choke some down. Just so she could stay awake a little longer. It would all be worth it...
With bleary eyes, Chihiro stepped into the dining hall. However to her surprise, there was already someone there.
“Oh! Fujisaki, what are you doing here?” Chiaki said, hastily throwing her hands behind her back, away from Chihiro’s line of sight.
Chihiro, slightly startled, stammered out a response.
“O-oh! N-Nanami! I was j-just going to grab something to e-eat… W-what are y-you doing here?”
Chiaki sighed, taking her hands out from behind her back.
“Well, I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but I guess I can give it to you now…”
Chihiro looked down to see what Chiaki had placed on the table. It was a cupcake, vanilla with swirled green icing and chocolate sprinkles. It looked homemade.
“A cupcake?”
Chiaki nodded.
“It’s your birthday today right?
Chihiro paused for a moment.
“I think so, I lost track of the days a while a back.”
Chihiro nervously looked down as she admitted this, worried her classmate would disappointed in her. She didn’t want to look so scattered in front of her upperclassman.
Chiaki pulled out her phone, and turned the lock screen to Chihiro. Chihiro took a glance at the date, sure enough it was March 14, the numbers displayed against a lock screen of Chiaki's entire class, smiling at the camera.
To Chiaki’s surprise, upon reading the date, Chihiro looked down, and tears began to well in her eyes.
“Fujisaki?”
Chihiro wiped her eyes.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, s-sorry! I j-just wanted t-to finish in t-time…”
Chiaki placed a comforting hand on Chihiro’s shoulder.
“It’s alright, Chihiro. What did you want to finish?”
“Y-your birthday gift.” Chihiro said quietly.
Mentally, Chiaki slapped herself, completely having forgot her own birthday as she fretted over what to get Chihiro.
“My birthday?” Chiaki asked.
Chihiro bit her lip, reaching forward to take Chiaki’s hand.
“H-here, I-I’ll show y-you.”
Chiaki quickly grabbed the cupcake, and followed along as Chihiro lead her down the halls to her room.
Chiaki placed the cupcake on the dresser of Chihiro’s room, then set to looking around as Chihiro headed over to the bed, retrieving her laptop from a tangle of blankets.
It was dimly lit, and a bit messy, with a mess of wires tangled on the floor, draped across the unmade bed. A strip of LED lights wound around the room, currently glowing a mix of soft pinks and greens.
“Here.” Chihiro said anxiously, handing the laptop over to Chiaki.
Chiaki blinked at the screen, fingers hesitating over the keys.
“This is… how?”
Chiaki stared at the screen, glowing with an HD logo of an old, originally non-HD game. A game she had never played. A game, once entirely in a language she couldn’t speak, unavailable for purchase in Japan. With hours of gameplay, that she had lamented over her inability to play, for weeks.
And here she was, staring at the start screen in perfectly clear Japanese.
“I-i got Rantaro to h-help me t-translate, a-and by w-watching g-game p-play videos and r-researching on-online, rebuilt the g-game from s-scratch. B-but I d-didn’t f-f-finish in time, s-so the in g-game AI isn’t fully implemented.”
Chihiro looked down, teary-eyed once more.
“I’m sorry, Nanami.”
Chihiro was then met with a sudden hug, as Chiaki tackled her in a hug.
“Thank you!” Chiaki cried, burying her face in Chihiro’s neck. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!”
Chihiro slowly reciprocated the hug.
“R-really?”
Chiaki nodded.
Chihiro smiled, a relieved smile, as tears still clung to her eyelashes.
“I’m glad.”
She giggled a bit, her laugh turning into a yawn.
Chiaki eyed the younger girl.
“When was the last time you slept, Chihiro?”
Chihiro blushed.
“L-last w-week, I-i think.”
Chiaki shook her head.
“Nuh-uh. Alright, you need to sleep.”
Chiaki, arms still wrapped around Chihiro, pulled her down until they were both laying on the bed, in each others arms.
Chihiro blushed harder then ever.
Chiaki reached over to grab a a blanket, falling off the side of the bed. She spread it across the past of them, then turned to meet Chihiro’s eye.
“Are you alright with this, Fujisaki?”
Chihiro nodded.
Chiaki smiled.
“Great, goodnight then.”
As Chiaki whispered those words, she leaned over to plant a soft kiss on Chihiro’s forehead.
“Happy birthday, Chiaki.”
Chihiro whispered, nodding off.
In the morning they would spilt the cupcake, and after a bit of work, play the game together. Now, however, they held each others as they slipped off into unconsciousness.
“Happy birthday, Chihiro.”