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Counting down the minutes, Mafuyu looked at her phone. It was almost 9 AM, meaning it would be time for her birthday party soon. She wasn’t really sure if she would be able to do anything, considering her family probably had some activities planned out already, but... for herself, Mafuyu had some other plans, later at night with Nightcord. It was her birthday after all, it’s only fair if she got to celebrate it too.
Getting up from her desk, Mafuyu brushed off her skirt and prepared to meet her guests, hearing the doorbell ring throughout the hall, when she was pleasantly surprised on arrival. Looking forward, she saw a couple of her friends at the door instead, rather than complete strangers, softly smiling at her. Opening the door, she let the duo happily trot into the Asahina household, with presents in hand.
“Huh? Shizuku, Emu, Are you the people my mother invited to my party? It’s a pleasure to see you here!” Mafuyu’s voice worked faster than her brain, a smile coming across her face, as she looked at the party of two that arrived. It wasn’t much but, at least her mother had taken the time to invite somebody Mafuyu actually knew, rather than… family friends or whoever Mafuyu usually invited. Now, she had actual friends that were invited, this felt… different, special. This day… it felt special, was it going to be her first successful party?
“Happy birthday, Asahina-senpai! I tried setting up the party this time, there’ll be more people coming soon, I swear!” Otori exclaimed, smiling her brightest smile.
Reaching forward, Mafuyu wrapped her hands around Emu, smiling softly, and genuinely. This… this felt like a dream come true. A birthday finally to her own accord…!
“Thank you, Otori-san… I really appreciate this…” Mafuyu choked out, trying to hold back tears of joy. Surely this day couldn’t get any better, even if it was just the two of them-
Suddenly, the doorbell rang throughout the hallway. Looking up from her position, Mafuyu walked towards the door, opening it to see Ena and Akito, both holding presents, and smiling brightly, a rare sight for the two of them.
“Shinonome-kun? Ena? What are you two doing here?” Mafuyu asked, still in shock at the situation.
“Here for your birthday, silly goose.” Ena replied, smiling brightly and hugging Mafuyu tightly, kissing her on the cheek. It was pretty rare for Ena to show physical affection, so Mafuyu made sure to savor the moment while she could.
Noticing it now, Mafuyu was noticeably taller than Ena, but she decided against bringing it up, otherwise she’d face the wrath of the older Shinonome again. Besides, it was kind of cute, wasn’t it-
“Mafuyu, is everything alright? You look a little lost, my bunny, have you been resting well?” Ena rubs Mafuyu’s forehead, trying to gauge for a fever of some sort.
Smiling, Mafuyu grabs Ena’s hand, and pulls her in for a kiss, dipping down as the couples did in the movies. Mafuyu almost tripped, but that’s alright, Ena didn’t seem to notice, or care. She appreciated the other’s warmth… until someone interrupted their intimate moment.
“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt you two love birds, but we have another visitor. Also, I’d like to come inside the house and put down these presents…” Akito’s voice rang out from the outside, shivering from the winter cold.
“Oh right, sorry Shinonome-kun.” Mafuyu hurriedly ushered out, bringing Akito inside, and greeting their new visitor, an all too familiar Mizuki Akiyama. Pink hair, gorgeous dress, they really did it all. Letting her partner in, Mafuyu greeted the other with a kiss on the cheek.
“Aww~ Is our bunny happy to see us?” Mizuki cooed, rubbing Mafuyu’s head with care. This really was Mafuyu’s day, wasn’t it? This felt like paradise for the young girl, who hadn’t really been expecting this much. Kissing her partner on their hand, Mafuyu closed the door behind her, and allowed her guests to take a seat with Shizuku and Emu, who had been waiting by the couch, presents placed on the table.
Clearing her throat, Mafuyu let the words come naturally out of her mouth, like she’d rehearsed time and time before. “Thank you everyone for making the time to stop by my birthday party. It really means a lot to me, seeing my friend gather around for this celebration.”
Mafuyu looked around to see a small crowd of smiling faces, and let go of the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Forgetting her speech, Mafuyu let her words of appreciation come from the heart, smiling to those who had accompanied her.
“I didn’t really expect anybody to show up, so seeing my friends make an appearance was definitely the best present I could’ve gotten today. I’m so glad that I could spend my birthday with such wonderful people, all sitting in front of me… Thank you so much, everyone.”
Taking a bow, Mafuyu felt her heart’s warmth. She was here, she was alive, and it was all thanks to the people she made friends with, the people who convinced her to keep going. Speaking of which, there was someone missing, wasn’t there?
“Hey, where’s Kanade?”
Mafuyu’s question was met with an awkward silence coming across the room. Ena and Mizuki looked at each other, before looking back at Mafuyu, and shrugging. Did nobody know whether Kanade would be coming? For some reason, Mafuyu felt a pit in her stomach. Where is Kanade?
As if Mafuyu’s prayers were answered by the gods, the doorbell rang once again, for the third and final time. Getting up to open the door, she found an out of breath Kanade, and Ichika besides Kanade, trying to help the composer catch her breath.
“Kanade. . .” Mafuyu mumbled under her breath, before her arms moved to envelope the small silver-haired girl in front of her. Finally, her party was complete, now that Mafuyu had everyone she wanted by her side, right?
Carrying Kanade in her arms bridal style, Mafuyu greeted Ichika with a grin, and let her in, following close behind with Kanade in her arms, the door shutting behind them. Now, it was finally time for the party to begin, wasn’t it? Everyone was here, and Mafuyu had a grin on her face.
“Everyone, let’s get this party started!” Emu yelled out, followed by the cheering of her peers. Soon, everyone was dancing to their heart’s content, with the birthday girl taking the main stage. Mafuyu twirled and danced with all of her guests, smiling with each new dance she made.
After a while, people started to dig into the small buffet, enjoying the delicious food that had been ordered for them. Mafuyu couldn’t help but enjoy the delicious meal a little more alongside her friends, though.
At the end of the night, they all parted ways, Mafuyu waving goodbye to everyone but Ena, who wanted to stay behind. Smiling at one another, they went up to Mafuyu’s room, changed into pajamas one by one, and cuddled in the bed, blankets warming up their cold bodies in the winter weather.
Parties could be fun with friends, Mafuyu concluded that night, kissing Ena’s forehead, and resting her head on the pillow, drifting off to sleep.