Chapter 195
She arrived at the door, rang the doorbell, and was just thinking about how to chat with her Childhood Friend when the door opened, revealing an unexpected person.
"Natsukawa, what are you doing here?"
The girl's face looked rather pale.
"Of course we're here to celebrate Kōko's birthday, aren't you, Sawamura?"
Natsukawa Masuzu blinked her seemingly innocent eyes, but the teasing in them was undisguised.
That's right...
Eriri pouted slightly, looking somewhat resentful.
This is somewhat different from what she expected!
"Ah, this is a perfect opportunity. I have a question for you, Sawamura. I wonder if you could help me resolve my doubts?"
With her hands behind her back, Natsukawa Masuzu touched her toes and leaned slightly forward.
What a pretentious fellow!
Eriri thought to herself, "What do you mean?"
"Go ahead and say it, it depends on my mood."
She didn't have much patience either.
"What I want to know is, did the Club President have his first kiss?"
Natsukawa Masuzu softened her voice, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"... Probably not."
She denied it.
That's wonderful!
Just moments ago, Natsukawa Masuzu had a completely innocent expression on her face, but the next second, she revealed Witch- like, delighted smile.
"Looks like the Club President's first kiss wasn't with you, Sawamura, but with me Natsukawa Masuzu ~"
Why did things turn out like this? I was the one who started it.
Upon hearing this, Eriri's expression clearly showed a moment of surprise.
First kiss...?
No, that can't be!
How could Izumi be so easily won over by this woman!
This must be fake!
This guy is suspicious and trying to fool me, wanting to see me make a fool of myself.
"Hahaha..."
The thought flashed through the mind of the girl with golden pigtails, then she smiled shyly and said, "This must be a JoJo reference, right?"
"Hey, Sawamura, you know JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?"
Natsukawa Masuzu somewhat surprised.
Because of JoJo's unique art style, many people are turned off, so the readership is relatively narrow, and beautiful young Young Lady like her are even rarer.
She originally thought that Sawamura would at most read novels like "Love Metronome," just like the Club President had said.
"Well, I guess so. Because of Izumi, I know a bit about manga and light novels."
Eriri blames her childhood friend to cover up the fact that she is a more serious otaku and a master of Childhood Friend.
"I see..."
Natsukawa Masuzu seems to agree with this statement.
"Alright, you should move aside and stop blocking the way."
Eriri squatted down on the threshold of the entryway, put the doll aside, turned around and took out a pair of women's slippers from the shoe cabinet, and put them on.
"Are there slippers provided?"
The Silver-haired Witch's eyes flickered.
This is a sign of close relationship. People like them either go in barefoot or wear indoor shoes, but they don't receive this kind of treatment.
However, it's also possible that the other party specifically requested it, and given the Club President's personality, he probably wouldn't refuse.
"Then I'll go in first..."
She gave a soft snort to herself, then stopped after taking two steps, glancing behind her with the dark corner of her eye.
"Oh, right, Sawamura, I was just joking, but it was actually true..."
Is it... is it true!?
Eriri looked up abruptly, her mind buzzing with those three words echoing repeatedly.
Chest tightness, dizziness, shortness of breath, and other negative effects suddenly hit her, making her feel physically unwell.
This feeling, which arose from within, was even more torturous than the two weeks I spent resting in the hospital bed; it almost drove me mad.
Is this what heartbreak feels like?
"Why did it turn out like this? It was me, I was here first, I was the one who came first..."
The girl hugged her knees, her eyes filled with disappointment, and murmured to herself.
Inside the living room.
"Why did you come back alone? Did you deliver the newspaper?"
Nibuya Morika turned her head and asked.
"It's Sawamura."
As Natsukawa Masuzu answered, she gracefully sat down on the sofa.
"Is she the Childhood Friend's Lord Sage in this world? How wonderful, what a lucky mortal death to receive the Lord Sage's favor."
Dekomori Sanae pouted, saying with a hint of jealousy.
"It's just that we've known each other for a long time. As the one who serves by the Sage's side, I am the person he trusts the most. This is determined by the contents of the contract."
Standing at the window, Takanashi Rikka gazed at the gradually darkening night sky, catching glimpses of the newly lit stars.
"It's just a made-up contract."
Natsukawa Masuzu scoffed.
"By the way, why hasn't Sawamura-san come in yet?"
Nibuya Morika had some questions.
"He's probably hiding in a corner, suffering."
Natsukawa Masuzu gave a teasing smile.
"You're still as awful as ever."
From those eyes, Nibuya sensed the darkness in people's hearts.
One minute later.
The blonde Young Lady walked in, looking completely nonchalant.
"Why are you the only ones here? Where did Quan go?"
Eriri glanced around and noticed that the living room was decorated quite differently from usual. There were colorful lights with English letters on the walls, various balloons floating around, candles in some places, and a birthday cake nearly a meter tall on the dining table.
"While the Seeker of Truth is still tutoring Kōko in the room, we took this opportunity to decorate the room in preparation for the birthday celebration later."
Nibuya Morika proactively provided the answers.
"Yeah."
Eriri gave a very simple answer and stood there without approaching them.
This kind of calm is somewhat eerie.
For a moment, a sense of unease filled the silent living room.
Nibuya Morika turned her head away, her expression tense, cold sweat pouring down her face.
The atmosphere is terrible!
What's going on?
Dekomori Sanae tried to make eye contact with her master.
"Have no idea."
Takanashi Rikka cast an innocent glance at him.
"In short, this is not a problem we should be solving."
The master and servant reached an agreement.
Natsukawa Masuzu and watched everyone's performance with an appreciative expression.
Suddenly, my phone beeped.
It came from a message in the group chat.
"Get ready."
"Kōko is coming out."
The members of the Far East Magic Society simultaneously broke through this atmosphere that resembled a battlefield.
"Thud."
The bedroom door was opened.
Kōko wasn't happy today because she had already hinted to her brother, both openly and subtly, that her birthday was approaching.
However, the older brother seemed unmoved, as if he wouldn't even prepare a sumptuous dinner.
However, when she followed her brother out of the room and saw everything in the living room, she instantly understood.
Everyone wanted to give her a surprise!
"Smack!"
The girls pulled the pins of their firework tubes, and colorful sparklers, sequins, and fragrant petals filled the sky. Kōko, bathed in this spectacle, was overjoyed.
Happy birthday, Kōko!
Then, everyone applauded and offered their blessings.
Hasegawa Izumi then puts a birthday hat on her Little Sister, adding to the blessings for today's birthday girl.
"Kukuku, in all these long years, even I have forgotten such a day, yet you remember it so clearly. You are truly thoughtful. I will accept your blessings!"
Kōko chuckled wickedly a few times, revealing a satisfied and approving expression.
He smiled, then pointed in various directions several times.
The lights were turned off, plunging the living room into darkness, but the candles around it were lit again, emitting a warm glow.
That would create a more festive birthday atmosphere.
'Was that Izumi's superpower just now? That's amazing! So convenient!'
Eriri was amazed when she saw it in person for the first time, and then joined in the fun, singing a birthday song with blessings.
We can deal with other things later; the present matters are more important.
Happy birthday to you~
As the song played, Kōko approached the cake, took a deep breath, and blew out the small candles on it.
After the birthday candles went out, everyone started to cut and eat the cake.
The cake was nearly a meter long, and in terms of size, it was more than enough to earn points. However, even so, it wasn't enough to satisfy everyone.