20 April 2026
Morning sunlight quietly entered through the curtains.
The room was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Because the moment Kentarou opened his eyes—
He thought about Violet.
"...Tomorrow."
The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them.
Tomorrow was 21st April.
Violet's birthday.
For the past few days, that date had occupied almost every corner of his mind.
The necklace.
The party.
What he would say.
How he would give it to her.
What she would think.
Every possibility had already played out in his imagination at least a hundred times.
Kentarou stared at the ceiling.
"...What if she doesn't like it?"
A few seconds passed.
"...No, she liked it."
Another few seconds.
"...What if she thinks it's weird?"
His brain immediately started creating worst-case scenarios.
'Sorry Kentarou, I can't accept this.'
'Why are you giving me jewelry?'
'That's creepy.'
"..."
Kentarou buried his face into his pillow.
"I should stop thinking."
Unfortunately—
That was impossible.
Because tomorrow wasn't just Violet's birthday.
It was also the day he would finally give her the necklace.
The necklace currently hidden inside his desk drawer.
Safely protected like a national treasure.
Then—
The bedroom door suddenly opened.
"Kentarou."
A familiar voice.
Kenta.
Kentarou slowly lifted his head from the pillow.
His younger brother stood at the doorway.
Still wearing pajamas.
Still half asleep.
Still somehow carrying more energy than him.
"What?"
Kenta yawned.
"Mom said come downstairs."
"...Why?"
"How should I know?"
Fair point.
The two of them went downstairs.
The smell of breakfast had already filled the dining room.
Kentarou's father was reading something on his phone while eating.
His mother placed the final dishes on the table before sitting down herself.
Soon—
Everyone started eating.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Kenta, as usual, was the noisiest person at the table.
Meanwhile, Kentarou was thinking about only one thing.
Tomorrow.
Violet's birthday.
After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"Mom."
"Hm?"
"Are we going to the birthday party tomorrow?"
His mother looked up.
"Of course we are."
Kentarou felt relieved.
Then she continued.
"Actually, Mrs. Kubo asked both me and your father to help with the cooking and decorations."
"Oh."
His father nodded.
"We'll be going there early."
"How early?" Kentarou asked.
"Ten in the morning," his mother replied.
Kentarou almost dropped his chopsticks.
"Ten?"
"Yes."
"There are going to be that many preparations?"
His mother laughed.
"It's a birthday party, Kentarou. Things don't magically prepare themselves."
His father added,
"Besides, Mrs. Kubo wanted some help."
Kentarou nodded quietly.
Then suddenly—
Kenta raised his hand dramatically.
"What about us?"
Everyone looked at him.
His mother smiled.
"You two will come later."
"Later?"
"When everything is ready."
Kenta looked disappointed.
"What if I want to help?"
His father laughed.
"You'll probably eat half the food before the guests arrive."
"That's not true!"
"It is true."
"It happened last time," Kentarou added.
Kenta immediately became speechless.
His mother smiled victoriously.
"We'll call you when everything is prepared."
"Fine..."
Kenta reluctantly accepted defeat.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou's thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
If his parents were leaving at ten...
That meant he would have several hours to prepare himself.
And more importantly—
To prepare the necklace.
The necklace sitting safely inside his drawer.
Tomorrow.
Only one day remained.
Without realizing it—
A small smile appeared on his face.
His mother noticed immediately.
"So excited for the party?"
Kentarou nearly choked on his food.
"N-No."
His father and mother exchanged a knowing look.
Kenta started laughing.
And Kentarou suddenly felt that breakfast had become a very dangerous place to be.
---
After breakfast, Kentarou got ready for school, completely unaware that the lunch break would bring another interesting conversation waiting for him.
____________________________
The morning classes passed slowly.
Or perhaps—
They only felt slow because Kentarou's mind was elsewhere.
The teacher was explaining something on the board.
Students were taking notes.
Yet every now and then, Kentarou found himself staring outside the window.
Tomorrow.
The date kept appearing in his thoughts.
21st April.
Violet's birthday.
The necklace.
The party.
The possibility of talking with her.
The possibility of embarrassing himself.
All of it occupied his mind.
Then—
Ring!
The lunch bell finally rang.
The classroom immediately became lively.
Students stood up from their seats.
Some took out lunch boxes.
Others rushed toward the canteen.
Kentarou remained seated near the window.
Until—
"Ken."
A familiar voice called him.
Senku stood beside his desk.
One hand was inside his pocket.
The other was holding an empty wallet.
"I'm hungry."
Kentarou looked at him.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Senku nodded seriously.
Then pointed toward the door.
"Let's go to the canteen."
"You say that like we're going on an adventure."
"We are."
"We're buying food."
"Exactly."
Kentarou sighed.
Still—
He stood up.
"Fine."
Senku smiled immediately.
"Good."
The two of them began walking toward the classroom door.
Then suddenly—
"Wait."
They turned around.
Yui Takamura was standing a few steps away.
She had apparently finished putting away her books.
A playful smile appeared on her face.
"Can I join you guys?"
Senku answered instantly.
"Sure."
Then he looked at Kentarou.
Kentarou blinked.
"...Why are you looking at me?"
"To make sure you agree."
"I don't own the canteen."
"Good point."
Yui laughed softly.
"Then I'll take that as a yes."
And just like that—
The group became three people instead of two.
The three left the classroom together.
As they walked through the corridor, students moved around them in every direction.
Meanwhile—
Senku was already talking about food.
"I heard they added a new menu item."
"You hear that every week," Kentarou said.
"Because food is important."
"More important than your grades?"
"Much more important."
Yui laughed.
"At least he's honest."
"See? Takamura understands me."
"I understand that you're hopeless."
"I'll accept that."
Soon—
The three arrived at the canteen.
The canteen was as crowded as ever.
Students filled almost every table.
Some were chatting.
Some were eating quietly.
Others were desperately trying to finish homework before the next class.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou, Senku, and Yui had finally found an empty table near the corner.
Senku was already halfway through his meal.
"How are you eating so fast?" Yui asked.
"Years of training."
"Training for what?"
"Life."
"You're hopeless."
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, Kentarou was absentmindedly poking his food.
His thoughts had drifted toward tomorrow again.
Finally, he looked at Senku.
"Hey."
"Hm?"
"Should I take leave tomorrow?"
Senku swallowed his food.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"For that birthday party?"
Kentarou immediately looked at him.
"...How did you know?"
Senku looked offended.
"Ken."
"What?"
"You literally spent the last two weeks thinking about that party."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Kentarou looked away.
Unfortunately—
That was basically an admission of guilt.
Senku continued.
"Besides, I was invited too."
This time Kentarou was genuinely surprised.
"...You were?"
"Of course."
"Since when?"
"Since your aunt—"
"Mrs. Kubo isn't my aunt."
"Close enough."
"No."
"Anyway, I was invited."
Meanwhile—
Yui was looking back and forth between them.
Confused.
"Wait."
Neither of them heard her.
Senku continued eating.
Kentarou continued talking.
"Are you actually going?"
"Obviously."
"Why obviously?"
"Free food."
"..."
"A wise man never rejects free food."
Yui raised her hand.
"Excuse me."
Neither replied.
"Hello?"
Still nothing.
The two boys were completely focused on their conversation.
Yui stared at them.
Then leaned forward.
"HEY."
Both boys finally looked at her.
"What?" Senku asked.
"What party?"
Silence.
Then—
The two boys looked at each other.
Then back at Yui.
Then at each other again.
As if they had forgotten she was sitting there.
Yui slowly narrowed her eyes.
"...Wow."
"What?" Kentarou asked.
"You two completely ignored me."
"We did?"
"YES."
Senku scratched his cheek.
"Sorry."
"No you're not."
"Fair point."
Yui sighed dramatically.
Then pointed at both of them.
"Now explain."
Kentarou and Senku exchanged another glance.
Then Senku spoke first.
"It's a birthday party."
"Whose birthday?"
Kentarou froze slightly.
Yui noticed immediately.
"...Interesting."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Why are you smiling?"
"No reason."
There was definitely a reason.
Unfortunately for Kentarou—
He knew that smile.
It was the same smile she wore whenever she was about to tease him.
Luckily, Senku unknowingly saved him.
"So are you taking leave tomorrow or not?"
Kentarou thought for a moment.
Honestly—
There wasn't much point in attending school.
His parents would already be helping with preparations.
He would spend the entire day thinking about the party anyway.
And most importantly—
The necklace.
Finally, he nodded.
"...Yeah."
Senku grinned.
"Good choice."
"I know."
Yui tilted her head.
"So you're really that excited?"
"No."
"You're lying."
"No."
"You're definitely lying."
Kentarou decided not to answer.
Some battles were impossible to win.
Then suddenly—
Senku asked a question.
"Oh right."
"What?"
"What are you wearing tomorrow?"
Kentarou blinked.
"...What?"
"What are you wearing?"
"Clothes."
Senku stared at him.
"...Amazing."
"What?"
"The most useless answer possible."
Yui laughed.
"He's right."
Kentarou sighed.
Then thought about it.
Tomorrow...
He actually hadn't considered that.
The necklace?
Prepared.
The gift box?
Prepared.
His speech?
Not prepared.
His clothes?
Definitely not prepared.
Yui immediately noticed his expression.
"...You haven't thought about it."
Silence.
"YOU HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT."
"...Maybe."
"Unbelievable."
Senku nodded.
"Agreed."
Yui placed her drink down.
Then spoke with surprising seriousness.
"Wear something nice."
Kentarou looked at her.
"Like?"
"Casual."
"That's vague."
"Nice casual."
"That's still vague."
"Something that doesn't make you look like you're going to the library."
Senku almost choked laughing.
Yui continued.
"And wear a watch."
"A watch?"
"It makes people look more mature."
Senku nodded immediately.
"Actually true."
"You're agreeing?"
"Because she's right."
Kentarou thought about it.
A nice casual outfit.
And a watch.
Honestly—
That sounded reasonable.
"...Okay."
Yui looked satisfied.
"Good."
Then she pointed at him dramatically.
"And comb your hair properly."
"What's wrong with my hair?"
"Everything."
Senku nearly fell off his chair laughing.
And for the first time that lunch break—
Even Kentarou couldn't stop himself from smiling.
Tomorrow was getting closer.
And somehow—
That fact made him both nervous and excited at the same time.
_________________________
21 April, 2026.
The day had finally arrived.
Morning sunlight entered Kentarou's room through the curtains.
For a few seconds, he simply stood in front of the mirror.
Looking at himself.
Then looking again.
Then again.
"...This might be okay."
He was wearing a black shirt beneath an open white T-shirt.
Black jeans.
A black watch on his wrist.
The exact thing Yui had suggested.
Well—
Almost.
The hair had also received special treatment.
Which meant Kentarou had actually combed it properly for once.
The result wasn't bad.
At least according to him.
The problem was—
He wasn't the one he wanted to impress.
His eyes drifted toward the calendar.
21 April.
Violet's birthday.
Immediately, his heartbeat sped up.
"...Calm down."
Unfortunately—
His heart didn't listen.
---
Meanwhile—
His parents had already left hours ago.
Just as they had promised.
They were currently helping at Mrs. Kubo's house with the decorations and cooking.
Which left only Kentarou and Kenta at home.
And surprisingly—
The waiting was harder than expected.
The birthday party wasn't scheduled to start yet.
So the brothers had nothing to do except kill time.
At first—
They attacked the snack cabinet.
Several bags of chips disappeared heroically.
Then they moved on to video games.
"You're cheating!"
Kenta pointed accusingly.
"I'm not."
"You are!"
"I'm better than you."
"That's cheating!"
Kentarou laughed.
"That's not how cheating works."
"It is if you're losing."
"Then you're cheating too."
"Impossible."
The argument continued for several minutes.
Eventually—
Kenta lost.
Again.
---
After the games—
The boredom returned.
So Kenta immediately demanded entertainment.
"Kentarou."
"What?"
"Tell me a story."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"...Fine."
Kenta immediately sat down beside him.
Victorious.
"What kind?"
"Horror."
Kentarou looked at him.
"You won't sleep tonight."
"I will."
"You said that last time."
"That doesn't count."
"It absolutely counts."
Still—
Kentarou began telling a story.
A creepy one.
About a student who stayed alone in school after sunset.
About footsteps in empty hallways.
About classroom doors opening by themselves.
About a mysterious figure standing near the windows.
Kenta listened carefully.
His confidence slowly disappeared.
By the end—
He had moved from the opposite sofa to directly beside Kentarou.
"...Continue."
"There isn't more."
"There has to be more."
"There isn't."
Kenta looked around nervously.
The living room suddenly felt much scarier.
Kentarou smiled.
Mission accomplished.
---
Then—
Bzzz.
A vibration interrupted them.
Kentarou looked toward his phone.
The screen lit up.
Mom.
Immediately, he picked up the call.
"Hello?"
"Kentarou?"
His mother's voice came through the speaker.
"Yeah."
"Everything is ready."
Kentarou sat up immediately.
His heartbeat quickened.
"We're ready?"
"Yes."
"Already?"
His mother laughed.
"Come here now."
"Okay."
"And bring Kenta."
"I will."
The call ended.
For a moment—
The room became silent.
Then Kenta jumped up.
"Can we go?"
"We're going."
"Finally!"
Kenta immediately rushed upstairs.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou stood still.
His eyes slowly moved toward his desk.
The drawer.
The necklace.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at it.
Then quietly opened the drawer.
Inside—
The silver necklace rested safely inside its small gift box.
Perfectly wrapped.
Exactly as he had prepared it.
Kentarou carefully picked it up.
For some reason—
It suddenly felt heavier.
Not because of its weight.
But because of what it meant.
"...Today's the day."
He slipped the gift box into his pocket.
Then took a deep breath.
---
A few minutes later—
The front door opened.
Kentarou and Kenta stepped outside.
The weather was perfect.
Not too hot.
Not too cold.
A gentle breeze moved through the streets.
Kenta walked ahead excitedly.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou kept touching his pocket every few minutes.
Checking if the gift was still there.
It was.
Every time.
And yet he checked again.
Soon—
The familiar streets leading toward the Kubo residence appeared before them.
With every step—
His heartbeat became louder.
The birthday party was waiting.
Violet was waiting.
And unknowingly—
One of the most important days of Kentarou's life had just begun.
___________________________
Kentarou and Kenta finally arrived in front of the Kubo residence.
The house looked more lively than usual.
Colorful decorations could be seen near the entrance.
Voices.
Laughter.
Music.
The birthday party had already begun.
For a moment, Kentarou stopped walking.
His hand unconsciously touched the small gift box inside his pocket.
Still there.
Good.
Kenta looked back at him.
"Are you coming or are you going to stand there all day?"
"...I'm coming."
Kenta grinned.
Then immediately opened the gate and rushed inside.
"KENTA, WAIT—"
Too late.
His little brother had already disappeared.
Kentarou sighed.
Then followed behind.
---
As soon as he entered the house—
He was greeted by noise.
Lots of noise.
Children were running around everywhere.
Some were playing games.
Some were chasing each other.
Others were eating snacks before the main meal had even started.
The living room and hallway were filled with guests.
The atmosphere felt warm.
Comfortable.
Like a real family gathering.
Meanwhile—
Kenta had already joined a group of children.
Without hesitation.
Without introductions.
Without fear.
"...How does he do that?" Kentarou muttered.
His little brother's social skills remained one of life's greatest mysteries.
---
Kentarou removed his shoes and entered properly.
Then slowly walked toward the living room.
He could already hear conversations coming from inside.
Some adults were helping with preparations.
Others were talking about work.
Others were discussing family matters.
Everything felt alive.
Then—
Kentarou's eyes stopped moving.
Because he saw her.
Violet.
For a brief moment—
The sounds around him disappeared.
The conversations disappeared.
The noise disappeared.
Everything disappeared.
Only Violet remained.
She was standing near the center of the living room.
Talking with a few younger children.
Wearing a beautiful white dress.
Simple.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
The kind of beauty that didn't need anything extra.
Her smile looked brighter than usual.
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
And for a moment—
Kentarou simply stood there.
Watching.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Just watching.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The nervousness he had carried all day suddenly felt worth it.
The waiting.
The necklace.
The excitement.
Everything.
Because seeing her smile like that—
Made him strangely satisfied.
As if this was exactly where he wanted to be.
---
Then—
Kentarou took a step forward.
And another.
He wanted to greet her.
Maybe say "Happy Birthday."
Maybe give her the gift.
Maybe—
Actually talk to her properly for once.
But before he could take another step—
His eyes noticed something.
Someone.
A boy sitting beside Violet.
At first, Kentarou didn't pay much attention.
Then he looked again.
The boy was looking at Violet.
Not casually.
Not as a friend.
Not as a guest.
The way he looked at her...
Was familiar.
Too familiar.
Because it was the same way Kentarou looked at her.
The same admiration.
The same attention.
The same feelings hidden behind silent eyes.
The boy wore a white shirt with a black T-shirt underneath.
His wolf-cut hair fell neatly around his face.
And the moment Kentarou recognized him—
His heart skipped a beat.
His Cousin.
Takahashi Gen.