Denia, Happy Birthday!

7:30 PM.

"Phew~ I'm exhausted..." Dania yawned, looking rather listless.

"After all, Sister Nia, you've been out all day," Lynae grinned.

"Ha... All I want to do right now is go home, lie down, and get some sleep."

"No, Yaya," Sigrika said seriously. "You need to take a shower and change your clothes first. Otherwise, it will be a hassle to clean up if you go to bed all dirty, and it won't be comfortable to sleep in."

"Uh... okay, Xixi, I understand."

Dania, still dozing off, had no idea what surprise awaited her behind the door.

She unlocked the door with her fingerprints and found the room completely dark.

"What's going on?" Dania asked, confused. "The lights in the house are broken?"

"Oh, maybe?" Sigrika's voice was filled with barely suppressed laughter.

"Maybe there's a power outage at home?" Lynae tried to smooth things over, suppressing a laugh.

"Tch... What's all this about...?"

Dania took off her shoes in the entryway and tiptoed into the living room. She was about to call Xiao Ling over to ask about the situation when her gaze inadvertently fell on the flickering candlelight.

By the soft glow of the candlelight, Dania immediately spotted her birthday cake in the center of the dining table.

The cake has three layers: orange, raspberry, and strawberry, topped with fresh cream. Its sweet aroma can be smelled from afar. Eighteen candles are placed on top of it, each candle casting a warm glow to welcome the birthday boy.

Looking at the enormous birthday cake, Dania felt her eyes well up with tears before her cheeks even turned red.

The melodious piano music started at just the right moment. Dania heard it clearly; it was the tune of Happy Birthday, which she knew all too well.

Then, as if triggering some kind of magical mechanism, the sound of friends singing together suddenly came from the surrounding darkness.

"Happy birthday to you!"

"Happy birthday to you!"

Wishing you happiness and good health!

"Happy birthday to you!"

Ah, is that so? Today is my birthday? But that doesn't make sense; she clearly remembers never having a birthday. So why...?

Dania's mind was buzzing like fireworks, and for a moment she didn't even realize that tears were already streaming down her face.

Until a pair of strong, large hands patted her shoulders heavily from behind.

"Come on, Yaya, it's your birthday today, how can you cry?" Xiao Ling teased with a mischievous smile.

Dania knew without a second thought that this sudden surprise was the work of some big bad guy—just as she hated!

"Ling, you're such an idiot, an idiot, an idiot!" Dania turned around and lightly punched Xiao Ling with her small pink fists, as if that could hide the tears that were falling from her eyes due to genuine emotion. "What kind of surprise is this? Put in a little more effort! At least let me change into some clean clothes first!"

"Why so many procedures? Do you expect me to consult the almanac and choose an auspicious day to celebrate your birthday?" Xiao Ling grabbed her little pink fist, her tone mischievous, "Cart Cart Thyia!"

"Here!" Cartethyia's lively voice rang out.

"Put the hat on our little birthday boy!"

"Here I am!"

Cartethyia rushed to Dania and carefully placed the daisy crown she had meticulously woven on her head.

"Alright! Go make a wish, Little Dania!" Cartethyia said with a beaming smile. "Everyone's waiting for you!"

Dania wiped away her tears, and through her blurry vision, she saw her friends smiling and waiting for her to make her birthday wish.

So, after taking a few deep breaths, she revealed a stunning smile, walked to the birthday cake covered with candles wearing the daisy crown, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture.

What should I wish for? Ah, that's it!

"I hope to be with everyone forever, and never be separated!" she made a sincere and earnest wish in her heart.

Then, she took a deep breath and blew out all the burning candles in one swift motion.

Suddenly, the lights in the room came on, and then with a bang, the cannons were fired by the crowd who had come to celebrate Dania's birthday. Confetti and streamers gently landed on Dania's shoulders and long hair, offering silent blessings to the birthday girl.

"Happy birthday, Dania!" Everyone smiled and wished her a happy birthday in unison.

Dania couldn't bear this genuine affection at all; the tears she had just held back were about to spill over again.

"Thank you... really, thank you everyone!" she said, wiping her eyes and her voice choked with emotion.

"Oh dear, looks like our little birthday girl is going to cry again," Roccia with a smirk. "Girls, hurry up and get out the birthday presents to cheer Dania up."

At Roccia's urging, everyone began to present Dania with birthday gifts one after another.

"Yaya, this is for you!" Sigrika gently placed the prepared metal box into Dania's hand. "Let's make it clear, you're not allowed to open it now! At least not here!"

Dania instinctively wanted to ask what kind of mysterious gift it was, but Sigrika's cute charm made her swallow her words.

"Okay, okay, I'll go back to my room and turn it on again," Dania said with a somewhat helpless smile.

There's nothing I can do; she's my best friend, so I have to spoil her.

"Xiao Ya, Xiao Ya!" Following closely behind was Aemeath, holding a kitten doll. It was exactly the same style as the black cat doll the Rover had given her when she was a child, only now it was Calico. "Look," she said, "I made it myself. It might be a little rough, but I hope you won't mind."

"This is... the Calico from school?" Dania took the kitten plush toy and immediately recognized the source of its image.

"Oh, really!" Aemeath said with a bright smile. "Actually, I originally wanted to give you a real cat, but after thinking about it, I felt it wouldn't be appropriate, so I sewed a doll myself, modeled after Senior Calico."

"It's a lovely gift, I love it!" Dania smiled as she accepted the gift.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's my turn!" Lynae quickly squeezed through the crowd, holding a necklace made of various seashells. "Sister Nia, this is the seashell necklace I made. Take good care of it, okay? It took me a lot of effort to find these seashells!"

"It's a beautiful necklace, thank you Lynae, I'll keep it safe."

The gift-giving ceremony proceeded smoothly, with each friend present bringing a gift they had prepared long ago to celebrate the birthday of the little celebrant.

However, the gift-giving did not go as smoothly as expected. When it was Crimson Snow's turn, she only took one step forward, which caused Dania to reflexively take two steps back.

Crimson Snow looked a little bewildered and tried to approach Dania again, but the latter took a few more steps back.

Clearly, whenever the priestess showed any intention of getting close to Dania, Honey Peach would very consciously keep a safe distance from her.

"She doesn't seem as open-minded as you say," Crimson Snow suddenly pointed at Xiao Ling, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines.

"Uh... haha, really..." Xiao Ling was a little embarrassed, then reassured Dania, "Alright, Yaya, they're here to give you a gift, not to give you anything. Don't be so wary."

"... Whoa whoa."

Dania tiptoed closer and closer to the powerful priestess, as if she were ready to run away at the slightest sign of trouble.

Crimson Snow looked at Dania, who had obediently come to her side, and slightly curled the corners of her lips before carefully placing her gift into Dania's cherry-pink hair.

"Yes, it suits you very well." Crimson Snow nodded after examining it for a moment.

Dania took out her phone and glanced at it, only to find that she now had a paper flower hair accessory on her head, which matched perfectly with the paper ribbons she often wore.

"It looks pretty good, Yaya." Aemeath nodded in approval.

"Hmm... it looks good. Thank you, Shrine Maiden." Dania thanked Crimson Snow somewhat reservedly.

"There's always tomorrow, Dania," Crimson Snow said with a smile.

Following this little incident, everyone from Rinascita sent their blessings to Dania.

"Here, for you." Iuno handed Dania a gold crescent-shaped brooch. "I made this jewelry myself; it's one of a kind. You must take good care of it!"

"It looks so expensive. Selling it would probably cover my food expenses for a lifetime," Dania remarked.

"Of course! In Septimont, the line to buy this thing stretches from the Averardo Vault all the way to the Governor's Mansion!" Iuno said seriously. "... Don't actually sell it, or there won't be any replacements!"

Dania remained silent, but carefully tucked the brooch into her bosom.

"Here, keep this." Augusta handed her the Septimont bronze coin he had made himself.

When Lupa saw the copper coins, she couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes.

"This... this... this...! Copper coins personally struck by the Governor!" She exclaimed excitedly, as if she had seen something extraordinary.

"What's wrong with this copper coin?" Dania asked, puzzled.

"Xiao Ya, look at the back! Look at the back!"

Dania turned the coin over and was shocked to find her name engraved on it.

"I don't see anything special about it." Dania shook her head.

"Just think of this copper coin as an identity card for a citizen of Septimont," Iuno explained. "But to have the Governor of Septimont personally engrave it for you, you must at least be considered an honorary citizen."

Upon hearing this description, Dania felt the light copper coin in her hand suddenly become heavier.

"Don't feel guilty, you deserve this honor." Augusta's words were full of respect for Dania. "The Septimont Septimont people have always admired the strong, and your deeds are an epic worthy of being passed down through generations in their eyes."

"That's too much... I was just trying to protect my friend," Dania said modestly. "But I appreciate your kind intentions, thank you, Governor."

"If you encounter any difficulties, you may come to me at any time," Augusta nodded.

The gifts kept coming in one after another, leaving Dania somewhat overwhelmed.

It wasn't until Ye Qing and Ye Xue presented their gifts to Dania that everyone realized the mastermind behind the birthday surprise and his mother hadn't yet brought out their own gifts.

"A-Yu, where's your gift?" Aemeath nudged Xiao Ling's arm.

"Lao Ling, don't tell me you didn't prepare anything except a birthday surprise?" Ye Qing teased immediately afterward.

"How could that be? I'm not that kind of person," Xiao Ling retorted.

"Could it be that your gift isn't presentable enough?" Iuno's lips curled into a sly smile. "You said it yourself, if your gift loses its value, you'll have to obediently eat a cream feast."

"Is that so?" Lynae rubbed her hands together excitedly, seemingly unable to wait any longer.

"Hey, hey, hey, is that really how it has to be?" Xiao Ling shrank back. "We just mean, leave some room for maneuver in the future, so you can meet again someday."

"You can't say that, senior. Yaya is definitely looking forward to your gift too," Sigrika teased with a smile. "You agree, right, Yaya?"

Xiao Ling turned his gaze to Dania and found that her eyes were sparkling, and she was staring at him expectantly, as if she was really curious about what good treasure he would take out.

"Were you thinking of changing into a new outfit just now?" Xiao Ling asked seemingly out of the blue.

"I did have that thought just now..."

"Here, take this. Go change it and see how it looks." Xiao Ling handed his gift box to Dania.

Dania took the gift box and eagerly opened it, finding a new dress inside.

A Hanfu with a cross-collar design, primarily in pink and blue.

"This is the one I tried on at the clothing store..." Dania said softly.

"Yes, go try it on! I made it especially for you; it should suit you perfectly."

Dania nodded a few times, then quickly picked up the dress and went upstairs.

A moment later, she walked down the stairs in the cross-collar Hanfu and gracefully approached the crowd.

The cross-collar Hanfu fit her perfectly, blending seamlessly with her curvaceous figure as if it were a natural creation. The pink and blue gradient main color added a dreamlike quality to the Hanfu. Her slender waist was firmly tied up with a belt, and the skirt swayed lightly with Dania's movements. Combined with her stunningly beautiful face, she looked like a fairy from a painting.

"I love it!" Dania exclaimed with a beaming smile.

"What a beautiful dress!" Aemeath circled Dania a couple of times, her expression full of envy. "I want one too!"

The other girls, upon seeing Dania's Hanfu, all showed expressions of envy to varying degrees.

"Xiao Ya, hold out your hand," Xiao Yue said gently with a smile.

Dania, who was excited, immediately nodded obediently when she heard Xiao Yue speak, and extended her soft hand.

Then, Xiao Yue took out a longevity lock strung with red thread and carefully tied it to her wrist.

"This is..."

"This is a longevity lock," Xiao Yue chuckled. "It's used here to ward off disasters and evil spirits. I don't have any expectations, I just hope you live a peaceful and happy life. But, it would be even better if you could have a son or daughter."

"Mom, it can't be that fast..." Dania blushed, her eyes filled with an indescribable shyness.

"Alright, alright, let you young people discuss this. I'm still in good health, I can wait." Xiao Yue smiled and nodded.

The gift-giving session is over; now it's time for the much-anticipated cake-cutting!

"The birthday girl should make the first cut." Xiao Ling placed the knife in Dania's hand.

Dania held the knife, frowned, and circled it twice before finally making the first cut on the top layer adorned with fresh oranges.

After everyone applauded a few times, Xiao Ling took the knife Dania handed back and began to cut the cake for everyone present.

Dania looked at the enormous birthday cake in her hands and couldn't help but find it a little funny.

Even though I've never eaten a birthday cake before, there's no need to cut such a big piece for myself.

However... the birthday cake covered in cream and decorated with fresh fruit, which I couldn't have last time, was finally fulfilled today, surrounded by friends.

She forked off a piece of birthday cake and put it in her mouth. The sweetness of the cream and the tangy sweetness of the oranges burst in her mouth, bringing a blush of happiness to her cheeks. The intense emotions in her heart were something she couldn't let go of.

She looked at Xiao Ling beside her and found that Xiao Ling was also looking at her at that moment, his eyes filled with undisguised doting affection.

"Is it good?" he grinned.

"It's delicious, very sweet, and makes me so happy!" she said with a bright smile.

Dania was truly touched. This rascal had gone to such lengths to prepare such a surprise for her, filling the Blank of never having eaten a birthday cake and making up for the regret she had felt in the past.

"Then eat more."

Before she could finish speaking, Dania was ambushed by Xiao Ling, who smeared a piece of cake directly on her face.

"Yay! We did it!" Xiao Ling exclaimed excitedly. "I've been wanting to try smearing cake on someone's face for ages!"

With her face covered in cream, Dania blinked blankly a couple of times before realizing that she seemed to have been pranked.

Give me back the emotion I felt just now, you bastard!

"Xiao! Ling!" Dania, enraged, grabbed a piece of cake and began chasing Xiao Ling. "Don't run! You stay right there!"

"If I stand still, you'll smear cake in my face! Bye-bye!"

Chun, who was enjoying the cake and watching with great interest, was about to take another bite when Xiao Ling, who was oblivious to her surroundings, accidentally slapped the cake onto her face.

Chun looked at her face covered in cake, sighed helplessly, and then joined the chase.

"Lynae, those guys look like they're having so much fun! Let's join in!" Aemeath, always eager for a good show, pulled Lynae along, wanting to get into the fray.

Lynae happened to be a demon ball as well, and the two hit it off immediately, raising the cake and launching a surprise attack on the surrounding crowd.

The other girls caught in the crossfire were equally determined and launched a counterattack against the two demonic orbs, filling the air with laughter and pleas for mercy.

"Finally caught you!" Dania slapped a piece of cake on his face with satisfaction, then began cleaning her own cheeks.

"Are you happy now?" Xiao Ling said, feigning grievance.

"I'm so happy right now!" Dania said with a grin.

Unlike Dania, Miss Chun didn't smear the entire cake on Xiao Ling's face. Instead, she smeared a few lines of cream on his face and then continued enjoying the next piece of cake.

After Dania and Xiao Ling spent a lot of time cleaning the cream off their faces, they found that the others nearby were having a blast. Everyone had cream stains all over their faces and bodies, but they didn't care at all and were enjoying themselves.

"Look what you've done!" Dania scolded playfully.

"Is it my fault?" Xiao Ling shrugged helplessly.

"Um... Yaya, I have something to give you."

When Dania heard that her best friend was going to give her something, she turned around without any suspicion.

"Xixi, what... are you going to give me...?"

Dania, who got cake smeared in her face again, was utterly speechless this time.

Dania: Xixi, how did you become so bad? You're no longer that innocent, cute, and funny Little Orange.

"Yaya, are you alright?" Sigrika asked knowingly.

Dania looked at Sigrika's sly smile and sighed helplessly.

"Something came up, so I've come to get revenge, Xixi!"

Dania immediately grabbed Sigrika, who was trying to run away, and smeared cream all over her face.

Sigrika laughed merrily as she begged for mercy, trying to rekindle the last vestiges of their friendship.

"Ah, youth is truly something..." Xiao Ling sighed.

And so, amidst the laughter, playful banter, and the sweet aroma of cream, the birthday party specially held for Dania came to an end.