"What was that?" The President looked past her table, at the faces of everyone part of the Arius Squad.
With a firm voice, Saori said once again, "We'd like to know of... Her birthday." Her voice got lower and lower the more words escaped.
The president, her face covered in a mask, tilted her head slightly, as if she were confused by Saori's statement.
"Like I said, I won't know who 'She' is unless you clarify her name." Crossing her fingers, she leaned her chin on top of her fist.
Hearing this, Saori hesitated. But it wasn't hard to see that she was merely avoiding the topic of names.
"...I can say it if you don't want to, Leader." Misaki said from the back.
"No, it's alright." Saori shook her head in response. "As the President, you have access to every student's personal information, right? In that case, could you please tell us... Karumi Kasuka's birth date?"
After saying so, she clenched her fist as she waited for a response.
But it wouldn't be long before the President responded to her inquiry.
"It's the 3rd of August."
'It's so close?!' Hearing the answer they were looking forward to, they were surprised to know that Kasuka's birthday was actually only a week away from the current day.
"There, I answered it. In return, finish this mission by next month." After saying so, the President pushed forward a paper that contains the information regarding their 'Price'.
"Understood." Nodding, Saori accepted the paper and proceeded to exit the room; following her was the rest of the squad.
"We would've missed it if we didn't ask..." Hiyori muttered. "But that means we missed her birthday four times..."
"Let the past stay in the past. For now, do we have any plan on how to celebrate her birthday?" Saori said as she turned around to face her friends.
The first to give their idea was Azusa, "Let's bake a massive cake."
"How massive are we talking?"
"Two story-"
"Denied."
"ᓀ‸ᓂ"
"Next suggestion." Putting Azusa's idea aside, Saori turned towards Hiyori to see whether she had any idea of what they could do.
Hiyori didn't disappoint as she immediately gave her own idea, "We could... Um... Organize a party...?"
"Good idea, but the person isn't there to attend. Next suggestion." Saori's mouth twitched as she said that.
"Why don't we just drink?"
"We're underage, Misaki."
"And what's stopping us?"
"...Hime, do you have any suggestions?" Seeing that they're out of options, it seems like Atsuko was their final straw of hope in these trying times.
'Let's go stargazing in the plains near the D.U.' Using sign language, she gave her idea.
"Stargazing?" Hearing this, Saori tilted her head slightly. "That's not a bad idea... but why D.U.?"
'...I just thought that would be the place with the least amount of pollution.'
"In that case, let's make it a picnic. We'll buy some food and prepare some foldable chairs and tables."
"I'll help us apply for a leave with the President, return without me." After saying so, Saori turned to go back to the President's office.
"Get back safe." Misaki waved before she led everyone back home.
---
A couple of days before their outing, Azusa decided to go out into the Trinity District to buy some necessities. Since she got distracted by a plushy on an open television, Atsuko and Misaki were forced to wait for her to finish watching the show.
And it stayed like that until the night started creeping over the sky.
Come back next week to see what happens to the Perorodzilla!
Just like that, the show ended, and Azusa finally came back to her senses.
She apologized for being distracted, but nobody blamed her since it was also their first time watching such an... interesting show.
At the very least, they never thought that the story of Godzilla had a spinoff called Perorodzilla.
You learn new things every day, probably.
Looking at the street lamp lights, which were each turning on one by one, Atsuko's gaze inevitably moved upward towards the sky.
A sky filled with stars that spans across the entire universe.
'...The stars are visible from here.'
"True. We couldn't see them from Arius because, apparently, the light pollution was so bad to the point that there was not a single star visible in the night sky." Misaki explained as Azusa nodded her head at the new information.
Their eyes moved across the sky as a single star suddenly caught Azusa's eyes.
"...Look." Muttering like that, she pointed towards a specific star in the sky. "It's the brightest..."
'...'
"..."
That was indeed the case. The star Azusa had pointed to turned out to be the brightest from what they could see.
"I wonder how it would look from D.U..."
"We'll have to wait for that. I heard that the Leader already got the permit for us to leave for a while. Besides, the mission given was actually quite easy this time." Misaki pointed out.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
After Atsuko signed so, Misaki quickly said that they needed to return before it got too late.
And without wasting any more time, they walked back in silence.
---
"Whoa...!" Hiyori's eyes sparkled as the stars seemed to reflect from her them. "It's so much clearer here than in Trinity..."
"Of course. This place is quite far away from the main city, after all." Saori said as she placed down their equipment.
Everyone did their part, and after a while, they finally had a tent and a resting place to watch the stars from.
"Hah..." A sigh escaped from Misaki's lips. "Finally... A place that doesn't feel as cramped."
"I get what you meant. Arius could feel a bit suffocating at times, I understand." Saori nodded as she realigned her cap. "But it's much better than before."
"That's true, I suppose..."
"Azusa, stop climbing that tree and come down here and lie with us."
"But we'll be able to see more from higher ground."
Saori's eyes twitched, "And be seen as a creep? Get down, now."
"...Ok." Without wasting time, she climbed back down and found a spot to sit.
It was deep into the night, and the stars were all aligned. Constellations began to appear, making interesting shapes in the sky.
Peaceful and comfortable silence.
Saori opened her phone and looked at the time: 11:59
And the moment the clock struck 12, she muttered quietly, but loud enough for the rest to hear, "...Happy Birthday."
And just like a set of dominoes, the rest followed along with their own congratulations.
"Happy Birthday, Kasuka."
The millions of stars in the sky surround them, making a beautiful appearance to the world.
As Atsuko's eyes flickered, a single thought floated on the top of her head.
'...Where'd it go?'
The brightest star in the sky had disappeared quietly, almost as if it had never existed.
---
Author's Note: Btw, these two Extra stories are inspired by the words Kasuka had said in chapter 11.
"Hm... Flowers? They could grow here? I'd like to see...!" (Flowers Could Bloom Even in the Most Unlikely of Places)
"There are stars above us! Trust me! Although you can't see it right now, it's because this place is a victim of light pollution! I promise I'll show you the stars someday!" (The Beautiful Night Sky)