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The brushstrokes on her arm were indecipherable. Some of the lines were long, and some of the lines were short. The black on her skin stood out, though everyone had it; no one paid any mind to someone walking around with lines painting his or her skin. Everyone had them, and they represented the name of a person’s soulmate. A few lucky people found their soulmates, though many were confined to living with someone whom they weren’t destined to be with or in solitude. If during or after someone’s seventeenth birthday, they met their soulmate, the strokes would rearrange themselves into something more apparent: the name of their soulmate; there would be a grace period of one day before the letters took action, though.
Riko nervously looked in the mirror on 19 September before going to school. It’s my birthday, she thought. I wonder who my soulmate is. Her uniform was pristine; she wanted to look good on her birthday, after all. Taking one last glance at her arm’s calligraphy before heading out to catch the bus, she decided to pause, taking a moment to think. You sure have a complicated name, mysterious soulmate person.
Even though she hesitated to head to school, she was still much earlier than many of the other students at Uranohoshi. Navigating the hallways, she stopped in front of two grand double doors, the entrance to the director’s office; she overheard a conversation between Dia and Mari. “Mari, that idea is absolutely ridiculous; we cannot show favoritism or bias to any student, even if she is one of our best friends.” That’s Dia-san, alright, always so stoic and sticking to duty.
“Oh come on you joykiller, just this one time. Please~?” Mari used her accent that the members of Aqours and Uranohoshi knew all too well. And there’s Mari, always trying to break Dia down. ]
“As I said, violating school policy -”
Riko chose this as the most opportune moment to interrupt the two highest-ranking students’ argument. Opening the door, she said, “Dia and Mari? You two were talking about me?”
The two of them turned around, greeting her. Mari spoke up, saying, “Riko-chan, it’s not a joke~. Ms. Grumpy over here doesn’t want to host a birthday party with Aqours today just because it’s a school day.”
“That is a preposterous nickname, Mari. You know it is against school policy for students to skip school when they are present. The rules are there, and they are in my favor.”
Mari turned around, a smirk present on her face. She walked over to Dia, moving her hands to the student council president’s chest in her signature move that would’ve gotten someone arrested for sexual assault anywhere in an instant or elicited a large pummeling. “Shiny~ might I remind you who the director of this school is?”
Dia stood up, angrily removing Mari’s hands from her body. “You- that’s corruption, Mari! You’re going to get fired!”
“Who’s in a position to fire the director of the school, hm?”
Riko chuckled, quietly concealing her exit from the room. Those two go so well together, she thought. Though, I think I can skip class. I think Mari’s going to come out on top this time, though it’s just as likely they’ll spend so much bickering they won’t attend to their duties. That’s kind of cute.
She took one last look at them before closing the door, deciding to wander the halls to see if she could chance upon any other interesting events that were related to her fellow members of Aqours. Scouring the halls, she looked for any sign of any of her friends, whether in or outside of a classroom. That’s strange; at least one of them should be here, right? Finding no trace of the other members of Aqours, she began to have suspicious thoughts. Are they really planning something for my birthday? Well, if they are, that’s very sweet of them. But, I’ll go check the rear courtyard one last time before I go toil in the tedious work known as school.
Uranohoshi’s rear courtyard had been recently renovated; the wilting plants had been restored and renovated, giving the area a new vibrant aura and glow. The geometry of the school was also appealing; the shapes and patterns that could be found scattered throughout the rear courtyard were mesmerizing and beautiful in their symmetry. Somehow, only 98 people wanted to bask in this beauty, she thought. While she was entranced with the plants in the rear courtyard, she heard a small rustle in one of the hedges. That’s strange; the squirrels usually don’t frequent this place often.
Suddenly, a figure leaped out of the hedges. “Aah!” Riko screamed, clearly surprised that someone had managed to conceal themselves in the small plants so well.
“Fear not, little demon Riri! It is only the fallen angel Yohane acting as the herald of favorable tidings and wondrous offerings on this special occasion!” Yoshiko emerged from the bushes with a few leaves still clearly stuck to her.
“I know it’s my birthday, but you didn’t have to go all out, Yocchan.” I guess that’s why I couldn’t find any of them in class today, she thought.
“Yohane has also brought seven of her most loyal attendants along to commemorate the momentous occasion; even though she may reside on the heavenly plane, she still knows of mortal trends! Now then, bring yourself forth, faithful and true servants of Yohane!” As if on cue, the other members of Aqours appeared; somehow, even Dia had agreed to this idea. Hopefully, Mari didn’t bring the helicopter out on her.
“Well … thank you to you all. I’m assuming Mari planned this?”
“That’s right~.”
“Now then, let us proceed forth with the great ceremony; we all wish upon you a life of prosperity and longevity on your birth date, Riri!”
“Happy birthday, Riko-chan!” Aqours’ seven remaining members shouted in unison. Have the classes on the upper floors not been bothered yet?
Riko cleared her throat to ask for a brief moment of attention. “Mari, why did you ask for Yocchan to lead the whole fiasco?”
Mari paused before speaking, slightly unconventional for the girl. “Mm, let’s just call it a premonition of mine~.” She raised one of her hands to form a peace sign.
Is there anything below the surface I’m missing?
“We are going off on a tangent. Let us commence the presentation of the gifts! I believe we all know what’s in order.”
Surprisingly, Dia stepped out to greet Riko first, holding out a metal card that could fit in a wallet. “Well, Riko, I may not have approved of your trio before, but a person who only sees through red tinted glasses will only see red. I’ve gained a new perspective of you, and I think you deserve a lifetime coupon to the best sandwich buffet in the world. Of course, Mari provided the funds.” Behind her, Mari performed a small victory dance.
“Well then, thank you Dia and Mari.”
“Wait! I have a present for you too!” Chika shouted, holding out a card similar to Dia’s. “Here! A lifetime pass for free stays at the Takami inn?”
You stepped forward, putting a hand on Chika’s shoulder. “Chika? Did you think your present through?”
“What do you mean, You-chan?”
“You already let Riko stay over for free ….”
“Oh crap!” Chika gasped, a shadow appearing over her forehead; she was stunned.
After Chika finished having her existential crisis, Yoshiko walked up to Riko. She was holding a small box wrapped in pink wrapping paper. “This one is from Zuramaru, Ruby, and I, though Mari, in her great loyalty and truness to me, granted a great portion of the gold. Come on, little demon Riri, open it; everyone thinks it truly will commemorate the occasion well. Plus, a wild result from a session of fortune telling has predicted that this will bring greatness.”
Riko’s chest beat slightly harder and faster as Yoshiko closed the distance between them, but she didn’t pay any mind to it. She looked at Ruby and Hanamaru for a brief second, both of them gesturing for her to open it. She hesitantly tore the wrapping paper, looking at the contents inside; it was just one small box. “Come on little demon Riri, claim your reward for your loyal service.”
Quickly opening the box, she found a necklace with a ruby attached to it. “Little demons Zuramaru and Ruby helped Yohane with the production of this tribute; we sincerely hope that it is to your liking.”
Riko slowly sniffled as she held the necklace in her hands, only later putting it around her neck. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had for a while, she thought. Her eyes slowly scanned everyone in Aqours, but her gaze eventually shifted back to the scattered marks on Yoshiko’s arm. “Thank you everyone … really. Even you Chika, even though I may already have free rides into the Takami inn. Also, Yocchan?” She paused slightly, taking another glance at Yoshiko’s arm. “Your soulmate will be so lucky to have you.”
The next morning, Riko woke up; it was going to be another normal school day, and there would be no special exceptions. However, a spare glimpse of her gave her great shock. What! The strokes have arranged themselves into something coherent … 津 … 島 … 善 … 子. Wait! That’s Yocchan; this means that … Yocchan’s my soulmate? I’ll have to show this to her.
Outside her house, Kanan removed a pair of binoculars. Turning her head around, she said, “Mari, are you serious? We could’ve just found out about this crap at school; we didn’t need to spy on her.”