Honami's Birthday

Wednesday morning, July 20.

At the back of the Class 1-B classroom, Shiranami Chihiro was hanging handmade decorative streamers by the windows, while Kanzaki Ryuji helped rearrange the desks and chairs.

Today was the birthday of their class's central figure, Ichinose Honami, and a few of her close friends had taken it upon themselves to organize a small celebration.

"Ichinose went to pick up the cake she ordered. She should be back soon." Shiranami glanced at the time.

Karuizawa Kei leaned against the doorway, occasionally glancing down the hall.

Last night, she had made a point of calling to check again. "Brother No, you've got the present ready, right? Honami's really looking forward to it."

The reply had been brief. "Yeah."

"Honestly, what would it hurt to say a few more words..." Karuizawa muttered, though she was smiling.

Ichinose Honami came around the stairwell corner, carrying a cake box.

She wore a light blue dress today, her long hair falling smoothly over her shoulders. She looked especially radiant.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kei." Honami approached with a gentle smile.

"Happy birthday, Honami!" Karuizawa went to meet her and took the cake. "Brother No should be here soon."

Just then, Hoshida No appeared at the other end of the hall. He was dressed in his usual simple, dark casual clothes and carried a plain paper bag.

"Brother No!" Karuizawa waved.

Hoshida approached, his gaze settling on Ichinose's face. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." Ichinose's smile deepened a little. "You really didn't have to go out of your way to get me a present..."

"Of course he did!" Karuizawa cut in. "You only have one birthday a year!"

When the three of them entered the classroom, Kushida Kikyo had already arrived.

She wore a pale yellow short-sleeved top and was arranging the drinks. When she saw Hoshida come in, her eyes lit up. "Hoshida, you're here."

"Yeah."

Kanzaki Ryuji nodded to Hoshida in greeting.

He had seen Hoshida's performance during the Seven-Day War and felt a cautious respect for the boy who had risen from Class D.

Shiranami Chihiro studied Hoshida with some curiosity. He's the one who stole my Honami away.

With everyone there and the room simply decorated, the celebration began.

Ichinose opened the presents from her classmates. Shiranami had given her an elegant notebook, Kanzaki a decent fountain pen, and the others had brought gifts chosen with care.

Karuizawa Kei had given her a light purple scarf. She personally tied it around Honami's wrist. "It looks great with your outfit!"

"Thank you, Kei," Ichinose said gently.

At last, everyone's gaze turned to the paper bag Hoshida had brought.

Ichinose Honami took it. The bag wasn't heavy.

Carefully, she took out a deluxe edition of an illustrated guide to marine life and a small, dark blue velvet box.

Inside the box was a simple silver bracelet, its delicate charm shaped like a tiny anchor.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Karuizawa leaned closer for a look.

Ichinose picked up the bracelet, her fingertips brushing the pattern on the anchor charm. She looked at Hoshida. "This is..."

"The guide is the edition you mentioned wanting to read." Hoshida's voice was even. "The bracelet is an extra. In nautical terms, an anchor represents stability and a safe harbor. I thought it suited you."

The classroom fell quiet for a moment.

Ichinose lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly.

She clasped the bracelet in her hand. A few seconds later, she looked up, her smile softer than before. "I really like it. Thank you, Brother No."

Kushida stood off to the side, her smile flawless, but her fingers tightened slightly around her drink bottle.

She had seen a brightness in Ichinose's eyes that wasn't usually there.

Karuizawa Kei puffed out her cheeks. "Brother No, you're so biased. That's such a thoughtful present."

Hoshida looked at her. "You'll get a suitable present for your birthday next year, too."

"That's more like it!" Karuizawa immediately cheered up.

The celebration continued, and everyone shared the cake in a relaxed atmosphere.

Kanzaki Ryuji chatted briefly with Hoshida about rumors surrounding the next Special Exam, while Shiranami Chihiro asked Hoshida curiously whether he really knew martial arts.

Kushida Kikyo kept the mood lively, making everyone laugh now and then, but her peripheral vision never left Hoshida.

When she saw Hoshida raise a hand to shield Honami from any wax that might splatter as she blew out the candles, his face still expressionless, the gesture so natural that it went almost unnoticed, Kushida's smile stiffened for a fraction of a second.

Partway through the party, Ichinose went to the restroom. Karuizawa followed her.

In the hallway, Karuizawa asked quietly, "Honami, you really like the bracelet Brother No gave you, don't you?"

Honami was washing her hands. The sound of the running water covered her silence for a moment.

She turned off the tap and slowly dried her fingers with a paper towel before answering softly. "Yeah. He put a lot of thought into picking it out."

"I knew it!" Karuizawa Kei smiled. "But then again, even though Brother No always has a poker face, he's really nice to both you and me."

Honami didn't respond. She looked out the window at the blazing summer sun.

That's right. He's nice to everyone. Calm, rational, efficient. The way he handles class matters—precise and flawless.

But just now, when he said those three words, "it suits you," her heart had skipped a beat.

It was the first time she'd heard him say something that felt like a truly personal judgment.

Back in the classroom, while Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei were away, Kushida Kikyo took the empty seat beside Hoshida.

"You and Honami are really close, Hoshida," she said with a sweet smile, propping her chin on her hand. "She looked so happy when she got your present."

Hoshida looked at her. "Birthdays should be happy."

"True." Kushida absently traced her fingers across the desk. "Speaking of which, do you still remember the handkerchief I gave you?"

"The pink one. I still have it."

"You kept it..." Kushida's voice grew quieter. "I'm a little surprised. It wasn't anything valuable."

Hoshida didn't answer right away. He remembered the day in the dorm, when Kushida had spilled a glass of water and, as he was cleaning up, she had looked at the handkerchief in his pocket.

"An item's value isn't determined by its price," he said.

Kushida blinked, then smiled. "Sometimes you say things that are so... hard to understand, Hoshida."

She paused, then suddenly lowered her voice. "Yamauchi's seemed kind of off lately. I heard him talking with Sotomura about some strange things. They mentioned Ryuen, and... you."

Hoshida's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Like what?"

"It sounded like they were planning something." Kushida wore a suitably worried expression. "I don't know the details, but it didn't seem like anything good. Be careful, Hoshida."

"Thanks for letting me know."

Just then, Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei returned, and the conversation naturally came to an end.

As the celebration drew to a close, everyone began cleaning up. Kanzaki Ryuji said to Ichinose, "Ichinose, the class has an activity this afternoon, too. Don't forget."

"Yeah, I remember." Ichinose Honami nodded.

Karuizawa Kei tugged at Hoshida. "Brother No, you're free this afternoon, right? Come with me to buy more sunscreen. I ran out of the last one."

"Sure."

Kushida Kikyo waved with a smile. "I should get going. I'm meeting Sakura this afternoon. See you, Hoshida."

Everyone went their separate ways. When they left the school building, Ichinose Honami and Hoshida No were at the back. The hallway was empty except for the two of them, their footsteps clear.

"Brother No," Ichinose said suddenly.

Hoshida turned his head to look at her.

"Thank you so much for the present." She raised her wrist, the silver bracelet already fastened around it. The anchor charm glimmered faintly in the light. "I'll treasure it."

Hoshida's gaze fell on her bracelet and lingered for two seconds.

"I'm glad it suits you."

Honami laughed, her voice carrying a hint of lighthearted exasperation. "There you go again. Sometimes, Brother No, you're really..."

She trailed off and shook her head.

They reached the entrance to the school building. Karuizawa Kei was waiting under the shade of a tree, and she waved when she saw them.

Ichinose Honami stopped. "I should get back to the classroom and take care of some class business. See you later, Kei, Brother No."

"Yeah. Let's have dinner together tonight!" Karuizawa Kei said.

Ichinose Honami nodded and turned toward the Class B classroom. After taking a few steps, she looked back.

Hoshida was already heading for the school gates with Kei. Kei was gesturing as she said something, and Hoshida was listening attentively.

She turned away and gently touched the anchor on her wrist.

That evening, when Hoshida No returned to his dorm, two messages arrived on his phone.

One was from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: Yamauchi and Sotomura went sneaking around the old Class C building this afternoon. Should I keep following them?

The other was from Ichinose Honami. It was a photo of the bracelet on her wrist, with a small potted plant on the windowsill in the background. The caption read: The sun was lovely today, and the bracelet shone so brightly. Thank you, Brother No.

Hoshida first replied to Ayanokoji: Keep watching. Record their movements and the times.

Then he opened the photo Ichinose had sent and looked at it for a few seconds.

She had shifted the anchor charm to the side of her wrist bone, where it would usually bump against a watch. But she had used the potted plant as a backdrop, giving the whole picture a soft feel.

He remembered Karuizawa Kei at the cosmetics store that afternoon, grumbling as she picked out sunscreen. "Honami's especially happy today, isn't she, Brother No? Did you notice?"

"Yeah."

"She doesn't usually let her feelings show so clearly." Kei turned to look at him. "Honami always seems to be smiling, but she's actually under a lot of pressure, isn't she? Everyone in Class B relies on her."

Hoshida hadn't answered at the time.

Now, as he looked at the photo, his fingers paused over the reply box.

In the end, he typed just a few words: As long as Honami likes it.

Outside the window, the sun sank toward the horizon, bathing the room in a warm orange glow.

Hoshida walked to his desk and opened a drawer. The pink handkerchief was neatly folded in one corner, beside a voice recorder and a few Martial Arts Club documents.

After noticing Kushida's reaction last time, he had put the handkerchief away in the drawer. He picked it up and unfolded it.

The cotton fabric had grown a little soft from washing, and its color was no longer as bright.

But as he looked at the handkerchief now, he realized he had been using it for a long time.

And the message he had sent Ichinose Honami today...

When had he started to change?

Hoshida folded the handkerchief again and put it back in the drawer. As he closed it, his hand paused for the briefest moment.

No one saw it.

Just like the indescribable tightness in his heart at that moment, something only he could sense.

P.S. The next side story will be about Honami, but I want to wait until she and Hoshida No get together before writing it.