Archive of Our Own

The noon Summer sun shone through the window as Yu sat on his sofa. He was staring down at his phone.

The screen displayed the words 'No New Messages'.

A disappointed yet unsurprised frown appeared on his face as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. He pushed himself off the sofa and glanced at his calendar as he left his bedroom.

July 10th.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Yu saw his uncle hurriedly collecting some folders from the table and Nanako hanging up the laundry in the garden.

"Hey, Yu, sorry but I've gotta head to work." Dojima informed the silver haired teen after spotting him.

"Yeah, I had a feeling." He replied with a small smile.

"Have you had a message from your parents?" The detective asked.

“No.” Yu answered blandly.

Dojima's eyes widened in shock. Really? On today of all days?

"I just came down to get a drink before starting my homework." The teenager told his uncle as he plucked a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and quietly went back upstairs.

Dojima hummed thoughtfully as his nephew disappeared from sight.

"Everything's on the line, daddy. They should be dry by the time you get home." Nanako announced as she came back inside, placing the now empty laundry basket down next to the table.

"Thanks, Sweetie… Hey, Nanako, c'mere a sec." Dojima beckoned his daughter over.

Nanako shuffled over with a curious look on her face. The detective glanced over at the stairs to make sure Yu wasn't around before whispering to Nanako.

"So, it's Yu's birthday today-"

"Really?!"

"Shh! But it… looks like Yu thinks that everyone's forgotten… So, what do you say we give him a surprise?" The man suggested with a soft smile.

An excited grin spread across Nanako's innocent face at the idea.

"That sounds great! What do we do?!" She eagerly whispered.

Dojima frowned thoughtfully as he tried to come up with ideas. In the end, he decided it would be best if they kept it simple.

"Okay, look, I've gotta head to work, so why don't you ask his friends for help and set up a little surprise party, you know decorations, cake, small presents, stuff like that? Yeah?" He suggested, picking up his bag.

"Yep! Can do!" Nanako giggled.

"That's my girl! I'll see you later." Dojima chuckled, lovingly ruffling his daughter's hair before hurriedly leaping out the front door, not wanting to be late for work.

"Bye, daddy!" Nanako called out as he got into his car.

She kept the door open as she pondered her plan of action. Which one of Yu's friends would be the biggest help?

That was when an idea hit her. She enthusiastically slipped on her shoes and grabbed a bag.

"Big bro! I need to buy some vegetables for dinner! Could you keep an eye on the washing machine please? There's some more clothes in there." She called out from the doorway.

"Sure thing. Be careful out there, okay?" Yu called back from his bedroom.

"I will! See you later!" Nanako cheered, happy that Yu believed her. With an excited giggle, she shut the front door behind her and began her jog over to Junes.

Goosebumps appeared on Nanako's arms as she wandered through the chilled section of Junes, searching for one person in particular. She scanned her eyes through the food as well, pondering potential snacks for the party.

"Dammit, Teddie! I just put those there!" A familiar voice huffed in irritation. Nanako giggled happily.

That was the voice she was searching for! She skipped around the corner and found them arguing with their teammate.

"Yosuke!" She cheered as she saw him.

The brown eyed boy glanced over in her direction, distracted from his annoyance at Teddie.

"Nanako-chan?"

"Nana-chan! Hey! Didja come to play?" Teddie giggled.

Yosuke frowned at him again.

"You're supposed to be working!" He reprimanded him.

"Actually, I need your help with something." Nanako informed them.

That intrigued the duo.

"Oh?" Yosuke replied, raising his eyebrows in anticipation.

Nanako giggled and gestured for the two to come closer. The boys complied and leaned down, letting Nanako whisper in their ears.

"It's big bro's birthday and I need help throwing him a party." She explained.

"Really?! Sensei's birth- Uughh!" Teddie began to shout before receiving an elbow in the gut from Yosuke.

"Seriously?! He didn't say anything to us about it…" Yosuke whispered back with a surprised expression.

"He didn't say anything to us either! Daddy just remembered when he saw today's date." Nanako informed him.

"Did Sensei not know it's his birthday?" Teddie suggested.

"I sincerely doubt that…" Yosuke huffed as he rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Nanako.

"So, what do you need help with?" He asked, spreading a soft smile across his face.

"Yeah, yeah! I wanna help!" Teddie excitedly chimed in.

"Um… I dunno… Daddy said to just keep it simple… Just some decorations and cake and snacks and stuff…" Nanako admitted with a confused tilt of her head.

Yosuke nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Sounds like we're gonna need a lil more help, don't you think, Nanako-chan?" He remarked, pulling his phone out and grinning playfully.

Nanako beamed brightly.

"Mm-hm!" She agreed in delight.

"We're gonna get everyone to help?" Teddie asked, mimicking Nanako's smile.

"Yup, it's only fair and besides, it'll make everything a lot easier… hopefully… Either way, I gotta go ask my dad if I can get off work early for this. You two go wait in the food court; I'll meet you there." Yosuke informed them as he quickly jogged off to the manager's office.

"Okay~!" Nanako and Teddie called back in unison.

"C'mon, Nana-chan, let's go! I'll buy us some ice cream!" Teddie cheered, gently pulling Nanako's hand.

"Thanks, Teddie!"

"I can't believe Narukami didn't tell us it was his birthday…" Huffed Chie as she leaned back in her seat.

"I know… I don't think he's ever mentioned it before…" Yukiko added with a thoughtful expression.

"He could've at least told me!" Pouted Rise.

"Keep dreamin', Rise." Kanji huffed back.

"Shut up, Moronji…"

"Whether or not he told us, it doesn't change the fact that it's his birthday and we should celebrate it." Naoto butted in before an argument could start.

"I don't really know a whole lot about birthdays… All I know is you eat lots and lots of delicious food and you get presents and you get to do whatever you want!" Teddie admitted, starting off sad but growing more excited as he continued talking.

"That's a good point, actually… Do shadows celebrate birthdays? ...Do shadows even have birthdays?" Kanji muttered with an intrigued frown.

Rise nudged him and made a gesture towards Nanako. Kanji's eyes widened when he realised what he'd said.

"Shadows?" Nanako repeated, tilting her head in confusion.

"U-Uh… It ain't important, don't worry about it, Nanako-chan! Just me bein' weird! Y'know same ol' Kanji! L-Let's just get back on track and plan Senpai's party, yeah?" The bleached haired boy hurriedly stuttered, waving his hands around wildly.

"Real smooth…" Chie sarcastically mumbled as Yukiko struggled to contain her giggles.

"Yosuke-senpai? You've been really quiet, are you alright?" Naoto asked, turning the group's attention to the brown eyed boy.

"Yeah… You've just been scribbling in that notebook…" Rise added, leaning forward to try and get a glimpse at what Yosuke was doing.

"I was making notes of what we'd need to do and what we'd need for 'em. All we've really gotta do is decide who's doing what. Although… The hard part is gonna be doing everything without Yu finding out…" Yosuke muttered as he displayed his notes.

"True… Narukami is way too observant…" Chie sighed with a troubled frown as she scanned her down Yosuke's notes.

"Then, why don't we add the task of distracting him?" Suggested Naoto.

"Yeah, good idea." Yosuke agreed, quickly adding it to the list.

"Buying snacks, making decorations, baking a cake, finding a gift, distracting Senpai… I'd happily bake a ca-" Rise spoke up.

"No." Yosuke hurriedly shut her down.

"Bu-"

"No." Kanji repeated.

"Chie and I would he-" Yukiko interjected.

"No." Naoto objected.

"We're trying to make Sensei happy, not ill!" Teddie exclaimed bluntly.

The three girls just sat there and pouted.

"Now that I think about it, Yu's the best cook of our group… Hmmmm… It's the best option, I guess… Naoto, would you mind baking the cake with Nanako?" Yosuke suggested.

Naoto's eyes widened in surprise.

"I-I'm not the best cook there is… but if there's a recipe book, I should be able to manage…" The detective apprehensively agreed, pulling their hat down to hide their eyes.

"It'll be okay! We've got mum's old cookbooks! And big bro's been teaching me how to bake so we'll be fine!" Nanako reassured him with her usual adorable optimism. Naoto's cheeks flushed a deep pink as he smiled back at Nanako.

"Yeah… You're right… I look forward to working with you, Nanako-san." He chuckled in amusement.

Yosuke scratched that task off the list.

"Hmmmm… I think making decorations is the thing that's gonna take the longest, so should we put the most people on that one?" He suggested as he looked down the list again.

"Yeah… That sounds like it'll save some time." Chie agreed.

"Well, this goes without saying, but Kanji, you're up. You're in charge of decorations." Yosuke huffed.

"Sure thing, Senpai. I'm gonna make sure that it's the cutest looking party ever! Senpai won't know what hit him!" Kanji enthusiastically agreed.

"Although… Who's gonna help out?" Naoto asked.

"Um… If it helps, I sometimes make origami to decorate some rooms at the inn." Yukiko spoke up.

"Hey, yeah, I forgot about that! Yukiko's origami is amazing!" Chie cheered, sitting upright and grinning proudly. Yukiko just blushed at the compliment.

"Ooh! I saw this tutorial thing online about how to make origami cats and I wanna give it a try! Please? I know Senpai loves cats!" Rise excitedly pleaded.

"Well, alright then! Guess I've got my group! We're gonna need a shit ton of crafting paper…" Kanji stated. Rise nudged him again.

"Language!" She hissed.

"Oh! Sorry…"

Yosuke just rolled his eyes as he scratched decorations off the list.

"Teddie…" He muttered.

"Hm? What is it, Yosuke? You've got a scary look in your eyes…" Teddie nervously whimpered.

"I am going to put you in charge of buying snacks… DON'T go overboard… Understand?" Yosuke very seriously informed the bear as he handed him a wad of cash. Teddie squealed ecstatically.

"Whoo! Thanks, Yosuke! I won't let you down!" He cheered as he took the money.

That's when an idea clicked in Yosuke's head.

"Hey, guys… What do you think of when it's Summer? I mean, when it comes to food?" He asked.

"Well, I mean… It's gotta be a barbeque, right?"

"Barbeques"

"A barbeque and watermelon?"

"Aside from festival foods, barbeque."

That's when the group realised what Yosuke was suggesting.

"Hell yeah, Senpai! That sounds great!"

"Ooh! My mouth's already watering!"

"Well, wait, hang on! Don't forget that it ain't our house! We'd need to ask Dojima-san's permission first!" Yosuke quickly reminded them.

"Um, I know daddy's number. So, you could call him if you wanna ask him?" Nanako suggested innocently.

"Oh! That would be great, thanks Nanako-chan." Yosuke gasped in surprise as Nanako pulled a small card out of her pocket and handed it to him. He couldn't help but smile as he realised Dojima probably gave that to her so she could contact him if she ever got into trouble.

Carefully reading the card, Yosuke typed Dojima's number into his phone and, after making sure it was correct, dialled the number.

He handed the card back to Nanako and made sure she had it safely back in the same pocket as the phone.

The entire group sat in silence, staring at Yosuke intently as the phone rang. They had to admit it… All of them found Dojima a little bit intimidating… So they couldn't help but feel a little nervous about calling him.

Eventually he picked up.

"Hello, Detective Dojima speaking. How can I help you?"

"O-Oh, um, hi, Dojima-san, it-it's Yosuke Hanamura. Nanako-chan gave me your number." Yosuke squeaked out, trying his best to sound cool and collected.

He could hear papers being shuffled around through the speaker as Dojima replied. "Oh, Hanamura? I take it she went to you for help with Yu's surprise then?"

Yosuke nervously chuckled. "That's right, we've got the whole group here. We just wanted your opinion on something."

"Hold on-" The sound of folders thwacking down onto a pile of more folders entered Yosuke's ear as Dojima let out a stressed puff of air and quickly chastised Adachi for something Yosuke couldn't quite make out. "Fire away."

"We were talking about what foods to do and the topic of barbeque came up. We all think a barbeque would be great for a low-key kinda party but obviously, y'know, it's your home so we wanted to ask for your thoughts before going ahead."

A thoughtful hum rumbled through Dojima's throat. "A barbeque, huh? Yeah, that sounds great, especially for this time of year. I've bargained with my co-workers so I'm definitely finishing at five, so you kids just buy everything you need and I'll grill everything up when I get back."

Yosuke blinked in surprise as his mouth fell agape. "Seriously?!"

"Yeah, Yu's been helping out pretty much everyone he meets, he deserves a treat on his birthday. Just… try not to go crazy or anything. Only get as much as a group our size will need."

Yosuke couldn't help but shoot a quick glance at Chie. "I'll… try my best. Well, thanks Dojima-san. We'll have everything ready by the time you're back!"

"Haha, glad to hear it! And thanks for helping out Nanako, she really enjoys hanging out with all of you."

"And we love hanging out with her! Thanks again!"

"Alright, good luck."

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Yosuke hung up and faced the rest of the group who were awaiting the reply with anticipation.

"That's a yes on the barbeque."

Everyone cheered, glad to hear they had Dojima's support.

Yosuke cracked his knuckles as he pulled his notebook back over to him. "Okay, so, what we've got is… Kanji, Yukiko and Rise making decorations. Naoto and Nanako baking the cake. Teddie in charge of snacks… That leaves me and Chie… How are we gonna do this…?"

Chie raised her hand. "How about you leave the distraction to me? I've got an idea."

Naoto anxiously tugged on his hat. "And what exactly would this distraction be? Because keep in mind, we don't know how long it will take to get everything ready."

"There's a small pond my dog likes to play in just outside the town centre and he tends to make a mess so… If I happen to… 'Accidentally' lose grip of his leash while taking him on a walk nearby, I'd need someone's help to catch him and wash him…" Chie grinned as she slowly spelled out her plan.

Everyone nodded and smirked back as they got the picture.

"That's perfect, Chie! We'll leave that to you then!" Yosuke cheered as he noted that down in his notebook, knowing from previous experience how long it took to catch the dog in question. "So then… What should I do…?"

"Honestly, Yosuke-senpai? I think you should just be in charge. I mean you've already organised everything else." Rise bluntly shared her opinion, resting her chin in her hand.

"... Seriously?"

"Yeah, same. You're surprisingly good at this, Senpai, no wonder they make you work so much at Junes." Added Kanji.

Yosuke raised an eyebrow as the tone of Kanji's comment left him unsure whether to take it as a compliment or not.

"Perhaps you should buy everything for the barbeque and then a present for all of us to give to Yu-senpai, and then head over to the Dojima house to help the rest of us." Suggested Naoto with a thoughtful tilt of his head.

Yosuke sat there, stunned at the support he was being shown by the group.

Nanako smiled at him brightly. "You'd be a huge help, Yosuke!"

The headphone wearing boy tried his best to hide his giddy smile as he cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Alright, if you say so… Well, since we’ve assigned all our roles: Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Right!”

Nanako's heart was pounding as she opened the front door to the Dojima household.

Everything had been planned out, now they just had to hope that it worked.

Yosuke and Teddie were still at Junes buying snacks and supplies for the barbeque.

Kanji, Yukiko and Rise had headed over to Kanji’s house to collect his crafting supplies.

Chie had returned home to get her dog ready for a fun excursion.

Naoto was hiding around the corner of the street, waiting for Nanako to give him the signal that it was all clear to come in.

“Welcome back.” The silver haired boy called out to Nanako as she slipped her shoes off.

He was in the back garden, hanging up the laundry Nanako had asked him to keep an eye on.

Nanako fidgeted nervously, trying her best to hide the cake ingredients underneath the vegetables she’d placed on top as a decoy in her shopping bag. She’d never had to lie like this before so she couldn't help getting cold feet.

“Thanks for sorting the laundry out, big bro.” She said with a smile.

Yu smiled back as he stepped back inside the house. “No problem. Happy to help.”

Nanako felt a little bad that he was doing chores on his birthday but as long as he had his guard down, it worked to their advantage.

As she slowly unpacked the shopping bag, she kicked off their master plan.

“Oh no!”

Yu flinched when he heard Nanako gasp in disappointment. He turned to look at her with worry. “Is everything okay?”

“I forgot to buy dish soap…” Nanako muttered with a pout, hiding her eyes under her hair.

Yu glanced over at the sink. They were almost out… That wasn't good.

He leaned over to get a closer look at Nanako. Her face was a rosy shade of pink and she was glistening slightly with a thin layer of sweat.

“Hm… I don't think you should be out in this heat for too long… I’ll go get it, so you have a cold drink and sit down in front of the fan to cool off a bit, okay?”

Nanako discreetly breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that he fell for the bait, before flashing him a grateful smile.

“Thanks, big bro.”

Yu just smiled back, gently ruffling her hair. As he stood back up, he patted his pockets. After making sure he had his wallet and phone, he walked over to the front door and put his shoes on.

As he opened the front door, he stood in the door frame and glanced back at Nanako. “I shouldn't be too long but if you need anything, just call me, okay?”

Nanako smiled and nodded. “I will!”

Yu smiled at the young girl again then shut the door behind him, making his way down the street.

Nanako opened the door a crack and peeped through the gap, watching carefully.

The moment Yu disappeared around the corner, she opened the door and leaned out, waving to Naoto.

The detective discreetly jogged over and hopped into the house, letting Nanako quickly shut the door behind him.

“Great job, Nanako-chan!” He chuckled with a supportive smile.

Nanako giggled back. “You should let the others know that he’s on his way to Junes!”

“Will do.” Naoto immediately agreed, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his contacts. He clicked on one name in particular and waited for them to pick up.

He only had to wait about five seconds.

“Y’ello?”

“Chie-senpai? Yu left just a little while ago. You should get yourself into position.”

“Okie dokie. You and Nanako should make a start on the cake now, and when I get Yu to help me with Muku, I’ll text Yosuke.”

Naoto nodded. “Alright, well, we’ll expect to see everyone else within the hour, then.”

“Okay, see you later!”

“Good luck, Chie-senpai!”

“Same to you!”

Naoto hung up with an excited smile, glancing down to find Nanako with a similar grin plastered on her adorable face.

“Well then, Nanako-chan - Why don't you find your mother’s recipe book, and we make a start on Yu-senpai’s cake?”

Nanako's grin grew larger.

“Sounds good!”

Chie knelt next to her dog, gently patting his side to keep him calm and behaving himself while she waited for Yu to appear.

She could feel Muku’s muscles clenching, clearly resisting the urge to charge straight over to the pond within his sight and fling himself in. The only thing stopping him from doing that was Chie’s iron grip on his leash.

And Chie knew this.

She let out an anxious huff of air as she once again glanced down the street. There was a reason she tended not to throw surprise parties… The sneaking around was too stressful.

But still, Yu had done so much for everyone in their little group… He deserved a nice surprise.

“Ooh!” Chie gasped out as a familiar head of silver hair entered her vision.

Speak of the devil!

She waited patiently until Yu was about halfway up the street and absent-mindedly fiddling with his shirt collar before making her move.

She released Muku’s leash from her hand.

The handle didn't even have time to hit the ground before Muku bolted towards the pond.

Chie hid her grin as she sprung after the large dog.

“Muku! Get back here!” She shouted as loud as she possibly could.

Yu froze for a second after seeing an extremely large white and brown dog and one of his friends dart across his peripheral vision. However, it only took a short while before his instincts to help out took over and he jogged after Chie.

“Hey, Chie! Is everything okay?” He called out, raising his voice to reach Chie’s ears.

Chie slowed down and stopped with a huff, feigning it as annoyance while Muku cannonballed into the pond, turning his fluffy white fur into a brown, matted down mess.

She turned to look at her friend who had managed to catch up to her by this point and gestured towards the dog happily frolicking in the wet, muddy pond he adored so much.

“Muku got loose while I was giving him a walk and… Well, you can see what happened…” She explained with a tired groan, giving herself a mental pat on the back for her acting.

Yu awkwardly chuckled back as he watched the dog shake his head, flinging mud everywhere. “At least he's having fun…?”

“Yeah, but now it's gonna be a pain to get him outta there… AND I’m gonna have to give him a bath…” Chie huffed, stealing one last glance at Yu before making the big move for their plan. “I hate to be a pain in the ass but would you be able to help me nab him and get him back home?”

“Sure thing.” Yu instantly agreed.

As expected.

He just can't say no to helping someone.

Chie sighed out a large huff of gratitude. “Oh, thanks so much, Narukami!”

“No problem.” Yu replied with his usual pleasant air of helpfulness.

Chie couldn't help but feel a bit bad since she could tell that Yu obviously thought this was gonna be easy. But he was about to be proven wrong.

He clapped his hands to get the dog’s attention as he took a step forward.

Muku playfully lowered his body into an active stance.

“Muku… This isn't a game…” Chie grumbled, shuffling closer to him.

Muku ignored that statement, bolting away from the two, his tongue cheerfully trailing out of his mouth as he sprinted around the field.

“O-Oh, okay… C’mon boy! Come back here!” Yu gasped in surprise, taking a moment to regain his composure before sprinting after the dog.

Chie discreetly pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a text to Yosuke.

[Chie: With Yu now. Safe 2 go 2 Dojima’s now.]

[Yosuke: Thx gud luck]

Chie grinned as she slid her phone back into her pocket and rushed after her dog.

“Muku! Sit! Stop messing around!”

“Alright, I’ve let Kanji know the coast is clear so he and the girls should be heading over to Dojima’s place now. We should finish up here and join them.” Yosuke informed Teddie as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

“Okie dokie!” Cheered Teddie, grabbing a bag of popcorn and chucking it into the shopping cart between the two boys.

Yosuke was pleasantly surprised to see that Teddie had restrained himself from buying anything and everything; he’d actually stuck to snacks and finger foods suited to parties along with a few soft drinks.

Things like cupcakes, brownies, tortilla chips, dips, cocktail sausages, etc…

He had to admit: the bear did a pretty good job this time.

Yosuke had pretty much finished with everything he needed to get as well. The shopping cart had all sorts of things perfect for a barbeque, with chicken drumsticks, ribs, burgers, sausages, even some steak chunks for skewers along with some peppers and onion… Yosuke’s mouth was already watering just thinking about it.

Although… he still had one thing to worry about… Yu’s present.

He'd been thinking about it during the whole shopping trip and yet he was still drawing a blank.

Yu was difficult to buy for…

He had that unreadable poker face, and not to mention, he was a… pretty odd guy at times - It was hard to tell what held his interest.

Especially since he spent a lot of his time helping others, he very rarely focused on himself…

An annoyed grumble escaped Yosuke’s lips as he grew frustrated, glaring at everything on the shelves as he willed for any type of inspiration to strike.

What would Yu like…?

He liked cooking… but something about giving him a recipe book felt a little presumptuous… Maybe because Yu liked cooking for other people, Yosuke felt as if it would benefit everyone else over Yu…

He liked reading… but would getting a single book really be all that interesting? Not to mention, all the books Yosuke had seen Yu reading were so wildly different from each other that he had no clue what would appeal to him…

He liked fishing… but Yosuke didn't have the faintest clue about fishing gear and the like… He wouldn't even know where to start searching for a gift in that…

“Dammit, this is impossible…” He muttered under his breath, stressfully pushing his hair up off his forehead.

Part of him couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he found his best friend so hard to read.

In the end, Yosuke decided to just wander through the shop towards the checkout with Teddie, hoping that seeing what was on the shelves could give him even a speck of inspiration.

Teddie was happily humming to himself as he skipped along the aisles, pushing the shopping cart in front of him, while Yosuke trailed a little bit behind, examining everything they had on offer.

“Careful, Yosuke! If you don't pay attention, you’ll slip and fall in!” Teddie discreetly joked, noticing how Yosuke was veering closer and closer to the displays due to not paying attention to where he was walking.

Yosuke looked up at him with a baffled expression, having no clue what he was talking about until he realised where they were.

The electronics department.

More specifically, the television display in the electronics department.

Yosuke’s eyes couldn't help but wander to that one TV in particular.

It was weird to think that everything began here all because Yosuke and Chie were messing around, teasing Yu for having a weird dream about getting sucked into his TV.

Yosuke had to admit that it was funny in hindsight, now knowing that Yu was, in fact, not lying about that.

The headphone wearing boy couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself as he reminisced on his memories of the beginnings of their team.

Wait…

… ‘Memories’…?

Yosuke’s eyes shot wide open as an idea hit him like a slap to the face.

“Teddie, you go ahead to the checkout while I go find Yu’s gift! I've got a great idea!” He called out to the blond as he sprinted away.

Teddie stood there, stunned. “Oh, uh, okay?”

“Ooh, and try to find a small roll of wrapping paper on your way!” Yosuke quickly added before disappearing around the corner.

“Wrapping paper - got it!” Teddie gave a dutiful salute before continuing on his merry way.

“Well, whaddya think, Kanji?” Rise asked expectantly as she held up her finished creation for her friend to inspect it.

She knew he was probably going to be super critical but she wanted that. After all, everything had to be perfect for Senpai’s birthday!

Kanji turned and gazed down at the origami cat in Rise’s palm, carefully analysing every inch of it. He nodded.

“A lot better. The folds are still a little lopsided and parts are kinda droopy here and there but way better than your last one.” The bleached haired boy gave his honest feedback, taking his position as the head of decorations very seriously.

Rise sternly nodded back, thankfully for the feedback. She threw her attempt down onto the coffee table in front of her, pausing for a second to take a quick sip of her drink before grabbing another sheet of crafting paper to try again.

The trio of decorators were sat on the floor around the coffee table in the living room with large boxes of crafting materials and tools positioned next to them as they worked at a steady pace.

Kanji had been pumping out tons of creations at a fast pace, clearly knowing exactly what he was doing. He'd made a multitude of different origami animals and was currently working on recreating Izanagi’s face with origami and colouring pens.

Rise hadn’t made anywhere near as much progress as Kanji but she had still managed to make a decent amount of origami hearts and stars. Now, she was struggling to recreate the adorable origami cat designs she’d seen online. She was getting closer to achieving this. All she could hope for was that Yu liked them.

Yukiko had also made a decent amount of progress, making a pile of origami flowers and birds to put on display. After taking a break to cool herself down from the Summer heat, she had now preoccupied herself with making a paper chain with the strips of crafting paper Kanji just happened to have with him. She thought they'd look lovely hanging around the perimeter of the room.

Meanwhile, Naoto and Nanako were in the kitchen making decent headway with their cake. After finding the recipe in the recipe book from Nanako’s mother, they had taken some time to discuss what flavour the cake should be. They were torn between a chocolate sponge cake with mint icing or a vanilla sponge cake with lemon icing and raspberry jam.

They eventually decided on the vanilla cake, believing that it would be best to stick to the simplest option with their relative lack of experience with baking.

The two round cakes were in the oven while the two were making the icing during the wait.

A delicious smell was wafting around the house, making them feel a little proud of their work already.

“Let’s see… It says here that we should let the cake fully cool before adding the other elements and stacking them… Apparently the cake will be less likely to fall apart and it will prevent the icing from melting.” Naoto read through the additional tips section on the page.

“Oh, okay… What should we do while we wait?” Asked Nanako with a curious pout as she washed her hands.

Naoto placed his hand on his hip as he considered what would be a helpful use of their time. As he wracked his brain for ideas, a loud growl echoed out from behind him.

The baking team turned round to face the decorating team with surprised faces.

Kanji blushed.

“Sorry… The smell was making me hungry…” He admitted with a bashful scratch of his cheek.

“To be honest, I'm the same.” Yukiko agreed with a giggle.

Naoto chuckled back.

“Well, we used some extra batter to make a batch of cupcakes as a test run. Would you like to be taste testers for us?” He offered, gesturing to a cooling rack with a batch of a dozen small cupcakes placed on top.

“I’d be happy to!” Rise immediately volunteered, desperately craving something sweet after all her hard work.

“Same here.”

“I’d love to try one.”

Naoto smirked down at Nanako. “Should we give them a try as well, Nanako-chan?”

Nanako enthusiastically nodded in reply. “Yep! Although… Should we just try the cakes… or should we try the icing as well?”

Naoto pushed his hat up as he considered it.

“We’ll put just a small dollop of icing on each cake to try. Sound good?”

“Mm-hm! Sounds good!”

The two immediately got to work; Naoto plucking up a cake and placing a teaspoon’s worth of icing on top before handing it to Nanako who shared them out with the others, all while making sure to leave some for Yosuke and Teddie to try when they arrived.

“Ready?”

Everyone nodded as they carefully held the cupcakes in front of their faces, enjoying the smell wafting up through their nostrils.

“Then let’s dig in.”

They didn't need to be told twice, immediately taking large bites to get decent amounts of both cake and icing.

“Mmm~!” Rise hummed in delight.

“Oh, that's lovely.” Remarked Yukiko.

“Yeah, Senpai is gonna love this!” Kanji added.

Nanako giggled happily, glad to hear all the positive feedback.

Naoto closed his eyes thoughtfully as he pondered his first proper attempt at baking.

He had to admit, it was pretty good.

The cake was nice and fluffy, not too dense but not completely falling apart either.

The flavour was simple, sure, but simple wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The vanilla was a nice sweet flavour but not sweet to the point that it was sickening and on top of that, the lemon flavouring in the icing added a nice citrus kick that made it a little more interesting. Not to mention, the raspberry jam they were going to put in between the two layers of the final product would probably be the perfect finishing touch.

Now, all Naoto could do was hope that he and Nanako would be able to put the cake together without it falling apart.

He just told himself that they’d be fine as long as they followed the instructions in the book while finishing off his cupcake.

Before Naoto’s thoughts could consume him, the oven timer began ringing.

“I’ll get it. Could you make sure there's enough space for both cakes on the cooling rack, Nanako-chan?” Naoto announced, quickly grabbing the oven mitts on the kitchen table.

“Okay!” Nanako immediately agreed, shifting the cupcakes over to the far corner.

Naoto made sure Nanako was a safe distance away before opening the oven and retrieving the cakes as quickly as he could, not wanting too much heat to leak out to the already warm room.

After placing both cakes onto the cooling rack and removing them from their tins, Naoto turned off the oven.

“And now we wait for them to cool down. I hope we’ll have enough time to decorate it…” Naoto muttered, his nerves resurfacing. Perhaps he was so worried about this because it was for a friend…

“Oh, don't worry about that. Akamaru will keep Yu and Chie preoccupied for a good while.” Yukiko assured him.

Kanji glanced over at her with a baffled expression. “... You mean Muku? Where the hell did you get ‘Akamaru’ from…?”

Nanako giggled at the two before kneeling down next to Kanji.

“Is there anything we can do to help you with the decorations?” She asked sweetly.

Kanji glanced down at the table. Honestly, they had made a decent amount of decorations by this point. All they had to do now was… Well, decorate.

The bleached haired boy rummaged around in his craft box before finally pulling out a slab of blu tack and handing it to Nanako.

“We’re pretty much good here, but if you could start sticking some of these on the walls, that’d be a huge help.”

Nanako grinned excitedly. “Okay!”

The small girl immediately leapt into action, carefully grabbing a small handful of the origami creations and carrying them over to the front entrance of the house.

“Is there anything I could do, Kanji-kun?” Asked Naoto, eager to help out as well.

Before Kanji could answer, Yukiko spoke up.

“If you want, Naoto-kun, I’ve already finished quite a bit of my paper chain, so you could start hanging that up?”

Kanji nodded, agreeing that would be a good place to start. “I've got pins and sticky tape, but I’d say use the pins because they'll be more secure.”

Naoto nodded, scooping up a section of the paper chain in his arms. “I'm going to need to stand on a chair to reach… Would someone be able to hold it steady for me, please?”

“I’ll do it. I've finished making my cats, anyway.” Rise offered, standing up and gently kicking her feet against the floor to get some feeling back into them.

“Thank you, Rise-san.”

As everyone got back to work, the sound of the front door opening made them freeze.

“Hey, it’s us, we go- Oh, sorry Nanako-chan, I didn't know you were right there!” Yosuke’s voice entered their ears.

Everyone let out a relieved sigh.

“Are you alright, Nana-chan?!” Teddie asked in a panic as Yosuke shut the door behind them.

Nanako nodded with a sweet smile. “I'm fine! You just surprised me!”

“Whatcha doing out here?” Asked Yosuke.

“Putting up decorations!”

Yosuke beamed brightly, glad that everything was going to plan. “Awesome! In that case, Teddie, help me sort out the snacks. Don't put anything out until the cake’s on the table, just get everything ready.”

“Okie dokie!” Teddie instantly agreed, skipping into the kitchen and making a start on unpacking the bags. “Ooh, cake!”

“It’s cooling down, please don't touch it.” Naoto sternly requested. “But help yourself to a tester cupcake.”

“Ooh, yummy! Thanks, Nao-chan, I’m starving!” Teddie very happily took the detective up on that offer.

“Yeah, thanks, Naoto. Oh! By the way, Nanako-chan, do you mind if I put all the barbeque meat in the fridge until your dad gets back?” Yosuke asked.

“Mm-hm! There should be enough room!” Nanako called back from where she was still plastering decorations to the wall.

“Thanks!”

Yosuke took a moment to stretch his stiff back before placing his bag in front of the fridge.

“Alright, let's get to work!”

Yu couldn't believe how much time he’d spent chasing after this dog.

He only left the house to quickly buy some dish soap… And somehow ended up spending almost an entire afternoon chasing a dog caked in mud.

But he'd finally caught him and helped Chie haul him back to her house.

To be honest, Yu was actually relieved when she asked if he would be willing to help her bathe Muku because, after all that running around in the hot Summer sun, he'd really enjoy being splashed with cold water. And besides, his clothes were already ruined, might as well get them soaking wet and wash off most of the mud.

Chie’s mother was kind enough to give him a topsicle and an ice cold drink while Chie prepared Muku for his bath. Chie’s father was also very kind to Yu, apologising for their dog derailing his day and gave him a pair of cargo pants and T-shirt to wear on his way home.

“Alright, it's ready!” Chie called out from the backyard.

Yu downed the rest of his drink, crunching on the leftover ice cubes as he stood up and made his way out to the garden.

Chie was stood next to a large plastic tub that was filled to the brim with cold water while Muku was lying in the shade of a nearby tree, panting happily after tiring himself out with his little marathon around the fields.

Handing the hose over to Yu, Chie huffed out a determined puff of air. “Alright, I'll get Muku and put him in the tub, and you start rinsing the worst of the mud off, then I’ll start rubbing shampoo on him.”

Yu nodded, quickly rolling his trousers legs up while Chie got Muku up to his feet and slowly plodding over to the tub.

The dog didn't take much coaxing to get into the water, very happily parking himself right in the middle with a large splash and a happy ‘boof!’.

The silver haired teen got to work, turning on the hose and showering the dog with more water.

The dog simply sat there with a contented smile as his original fur colour started to peek through all the grime.

Chie filled her palm with the dog shampoo she’d fetched from the dog supplies cupboard and began lathering it deep into the fur, hoping to shift every last bit of dirt lodged in there.

Yu carefully scrubbed the dog’s face, making sure neither the water from the hose or his fingers got too close to Muku’s eyes.

He honestly found it hard to believe that this laid back, giant teddy bear of a dog was the same excitable dog bounding through the fields earlier. Although, he did still seem a little playful as he nudged his head against Yu’s hand.

Yu frowned as he continued scrubbing the dog’s head but the brown colour wasn't fading in the slightest… It took him a couple of minutes to realise that those particular brown spots were the colour of his fur and not mud.

Chie seemed to notice this as she let out a snicker. “Yeah, that happens to us all the time! That's just how much mud he gets in his fur!”

“How often does this happen?”

“Basically whenever we walk him past that pond and don't have a firm grip on his leash… He’s pretty good at noticing when we’re distracted.”

“Guess you're a pretty clever boy, huh?” Asked Yu, turning his attention back to the dog. Muku responded with a proud bark.

“Okay… Narukami, pass me the hose. Could you use the shampoo and clean his chest and front legs while I rinse off his back?” Chie requested, passing the bottle of dog shampoo over to her friend.

“Sure thing.” Yu immediately agreed, trading the items they were holding. He kept a close eye on Muku while filling his hand with a decent amount of shampoo to make sure the dog didn't try to run off. But the dog didn't make any sudden movements, he just sat there panting happily.

An amused scoff left Yu’s lips as he began vigorously scrubbing the dog’s stained and matted down fur. He had to admit the dog’s nature was quite charming… Although, with how much of a handful he was… Yu still preferred cats.

Muku seemed to be able to tell what Yu was thinking as he suddenly leaned over to the silver haired teen and nuzzled his big fluffy head against his.

“O-Oh! Yeah, hi Muku, could you hold s-still, plEASE-?!” Yu gasped out in surprise as Muku leaned his entire weight against him and sent him tumbling down into the tub. Yu coughed and spluttered as his face went under the water, being pinned down by the large weight of a very happy dog.

“Hey, hey! Muku! No! Get off! You're too heavy for him! You're crushing him! Get up!” Chie hurriedly scolded the dog as she tried to yank him off her friend.

Muku sluggishly complied, slowly standing back up and letting Yu sit up. The sound of the silver haired boy’s coughing drew the attention of Chie’s mother who peeked her head around the door to the back garden.

“Is everything alright out there?” She asked.

“Yeah, we’re good. Muku was just being a little too friendly again!” Chie answered, keeping a hold on Muku’s collar in case he tried something like that again.

The mother rolled her eyes and shook her head before looking over at Yu. “Sorry about that, Narukami-kun… He still thinks he's a puppy that can fit in your lap when he's really not… You okay?”

Yu raised his hand to tell her not to worry. “Oh, I'm okay, just a little surprised… and a little wet.”

“Do you want to borrow our hair dryer before you head home?”

“No, thank you. My hair will probably dry soon enough in the sun.”

“That's true… It's warm enough for that to happen. Alright, if you're sure.” The mother nodded before heading back inside.

“Alright Muku… Be a good boy and sit still.” Chie huffed. While this idea worked wonders as a distraction, she didn't take into consideration the amount of effort it would take… Oh well, it was to give Yu a nice surprise, so it was worth it.

Yu gently lifted Muku's leg, holding his paw in one hand as he coated his leg in shampoo with the other hand. Muku simply sat there with a giant smile on his face.

Chie sighed and shook her head as she began rinsing him off, glad to see that the dirt was shifting pretty easily. She rubbed her hands through the sopping wet fur, making sure all the leftover dirt and bubbles were washed away.

She glanced over to see that Yu had fully covered Muku’s front with shampoo and immediately set herself to work again, rinsing everything off of that area of the large dog. After all of that muck had been cleared, there was just one area left to clean.

“Alright, Muku… lay down.” Chie commanded.

Muku complied.

“Roll over!”

Muku complied again, rolling onto his back. His head was hanging over the side of the tub and his tongue was drooping out of the side of his mouth.

“Okay then… Almost done. Narukami, give me a hand with his stomach, would you?”

“Alright.”

“And be careful - Muku gets pretty playful when people rub his belly.

“A-Ah…” Yu wasn't sure how much more of Muku’s playfulness he could take… Could he go back to feeding the lazy cats by the Samegawa river plain? They were a lot easier to handle…

Well… No use in complaining after he had agreed to help… Yu filled his hand with more shampoo and got to work. Sure enough, Muku really enjoyed having his belly rubbed. His leg thumped back and forth after Yu had apparently found the spot. He decided to keep that hand there so they could keep Muku happy and less likely to wander off.

That plan seemed to work as Muku lazed around, letting out the occasional contented ‘boof!’ as the two teenagers scrubbed his big, fluffy stomach.

After she was happy with the amount of bubbles and foam covering the dog’s belly, Chie grabbed the hose again and set to work rinsing everything off of him. She used the fact that this was the last set as motivation to get it over and done with. Yu helped, rubbing his hands through the thick fur and squeezing out the excess soap.

A few minutes later, the two let out accomplished huffs as the last of everything had finally been washed off Muku.

The dog was once again his usual sheen of bright white and chocolate brown.

The once clear water in the pool was now a murky shade of brown.

“Okay… Up you get, Muku, all done!” Chie puffed, slightly exhausted from the ordeal.

Muku grumbled as he sluggishly pushed himself to his feet and shook off the excess water. Chie and Yu hurriedly held their arms in front of their faces to protect themselves from the sudden sprinkler attack.

“Mum! Dad! We’re done washing Muku! How should we dry him?” Chie shouted to her parents.

Her father poked his head around the back door. “Oh, don't you worry about that. I'll dry him. You two change into some dry clothes. Oh! And speaking of - my wife’s fetched you a bag to carry your clothes home, Narukami-kun.”

“Thank you very much. And thank you for lending me some of your clothes. I'll be sure to wash them and return them as soon as possible.”

“Oh, it's no trouble at all! Take your time, it's not like I wear them very often anyway. Besides, it's the least I could do after you had to deal with our fluffy idiot.”

Yu chuckled quietly. “Alright, thank you, Satonaka-san.”

“Although, you sure you wanna dry him, dad? Muku’s kinda…” Chie trailed off as she glanced over at the sopping wet dog strolling around the garden.

“Eh, I'm used to it by now. Go on, you two dry off.” The father chuckled as he rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a nearby towel.

“Alright… Tell you what, Narukami - I'll walk you home. Just as a way to say sorry for taking up your afternoon with my dog.” Chie turned her attention to Yu, trying her best to hide her excited smirk.

Yu looked at her in surprise. “Oh no, you don't have to do that, I'm fine.”

Chie rolled her eyes and elbowed Yu in his side. “Aww, c’mon Narukami! It'll be more fun having someone to chat to on the way back!”

Yu smiled softly before thoughtfully placing a hand on his chin and looking off to the side. “Alright, thanks Chie… Although… There was something I meant to do…”

Chie tilted her head quizzically. “Were you headed somewhere when we bumped into you?”

Yu snapped his fingers as it came back to him. “Dish soap!”

“... Huh?”

“I was heading to Junes to buy dish soap because Nanako forgot it and I didn't want her out in the sun for too long!”

“Ohhh… In that case, let's get changed and head to Junes then!”

“Alright, I wanna get home and make sure Nanako's cooled down.”

Chie giggled softly, finding it adorable how much Yu cared for Nanako. After watching him fetch the clothes her dad had lent him and enter the bathroom, Chie pulled out her phone and wandered up to her room.

[Chie: Just finished washing Muku]

[Chie: Heading 2 Junes 2 buy dish soap]

[Chie: Will that b enuff time?]

[Yosuke: Yep all done here]

[Yosuke: Head over when ur done]

[Chie: Cool! C u in a few mins]

With an excited chortle, Chie swung open her closet to find a dry outfit.

She really couldn't wait to see the look on Yu’s face!

“Again, Chie, you really didn't have to go out of your way for me.” Yu stated again as the two wandered down the road.

“And again, you didn't have to go out of your way to help me with Muku but you did anyway.” Huffed Chie, really wishing Yu would stop acting as he were a burden of some kind. “Besides, it's nice chatting with you.”

A bashful smile spread across Yu’s face. “R-Really? That's nice of you to say…”

“Why do you sound like you don't believe me…?” Chie squinted her eyes suspiciously at the boy.

Yu blinked in surprise before looking away. “Oh, no, it's nothing, just… I've always been told I'm pretty boring to be around.”

Chie scoffed incredulously. “Who the hell says that?!”

“Most of the people I went to school with in the city.”

Chie was about to rage about these idiots before a thought occurred to her. “... And how many of them would you call your friends?”

“Huh?”

“How many of them were you close with?”

“Mm… None of them, I guess.”

“Then who cares what they think? They didn't really know you.”

Yu fell silent, staring at Chie in surprise. While she often has difficulty wording her thoughts in a way that made sense to others, she still had her moments where she said incredibly insightful things. Not to mention, her bluntness in those moments always made her point really hit home.

She was right, after all. Now that Yu thought about it: Yosuke and Chie were the first proper friends he'd made… maybe ever.

He chuckled softly as he looked down at the ground with a bashful smile. “Thanks, Chie.”

Chie grinned. “You don't need to thank me for anything!”

‘Yet.’ She thought as the Dojima house appeared in their vision from around the corner.

Her heart was pounding in anticipation as they drew closer and closer to the house and, by extension, Yu’s surprise.

Everyone was in position.

It was finally go time.

“Nanako, I'm home. Sorry for taking so long…” Yu announced as he opened the door and stepped inside.

… Silence.

Yu glanced up at the living room in confusion as he was taking off his shoes.

“... Nanako?”

The only sound was Chie shutting the door behind her.

Weird… Not even the TV was on…

Yu’s brow furrowed in concern as he stepped into the living room.

“Nanako, whe-”

*POP!*

“Happy Birthday!”

Yu flinched and stumbled backwards, just barely being caught by Chie as everyone leapt out of their hiding places and launched party poppers at him.

The group giggled in delight, overjoyed that their surprise was a success. They walked over to join the two who had just entered while Chie helped Yu back to his feet.

Yu blinked rapidly and clutched his now pounding chest as he tried to process what just happened.

“…W-What?” Was eventually all he could think to say.

“Happy Birthday, big bro! Did we surprise you?!” Cheered Nanako, skipping towards Yu and hugging him tightly.

Yu knelt down and hugged her back, still baffled by the sudden situation he found himself in. “Y-Yeah, really surprised! But how did you-...?”

“Daddy told me! He said to surprise you!”

“Nanako-chan planned all this though. She asked us for help.” Yosuke added with a smile.

Yu glanced around in surprise, finally taking in all the details around him.

The walls were covered in adorable origami decorations; hearts, stars, cats, birds, flowers, even some made to look like his personas… They all looked amazing. Not to mention, around the perimeter of the room hung a long, bright and colourful paper chain. It added a nice cheery atmosphere to the room.

The dining table in the kitchen was covered in lots of little snacks: plates with cupcakes, cocktail sausages, brownies, cucumber sticks, bowls of popcorn and tortilla chips alongside all different kinds of dip… And right at the back of the table, like some kind of centerpiece of the arrangement, was a birthday cake.

Yu couldn't tell what kind of cake it was but he knew that, whatever it was, it smelled delicious. It had icing lightly spread over the entire thing, with a ring of dark blue piped around the edge. He leaned over to get a better look at the top, only to find the words ‘Happy Birthday, Yu!’ piped on the top of the cake with shaky writing. It was simple but it was so heartwarming to Yu.

“Nanako-chan and myself made the cake. It's nothing special, just vanilla, lemon and a little raspberry jam, but I hope it’ll suffice.” Naoto explained after noticing Yu staring at it.

Yu shook his head, smiling as he tried to hold back tears. He really couldn't believe that everyone went through all this effort for him. “N-No, it's perfect. I love it.”

“By the way, Senpai… That's a new style for you… It kinda works though.” Rise spoke up, noticing the clothes Yu was wearing.

“Oh. Right, these… They belong to Chie’s dad. My clothes got ruined when I-” Yu froze when a thought suddenly hit him. “Wait, did you deliberately let Muku get in the pond so you could distract me?!”

Chie averted her eyes and whistled. “Guilty as charged~”

“Seriously…?!”

“C’mon, Senpai! If she hadn't done that, you would've caught on immediately and we wanted to surprise you.” Kanji interjected, not wanting Yu to be upset.

Yu ran a hand through his still slightly damp hair as he hummed thoughtfully to himself. “Yeah, I guess so… Thanks for that, Chie."

“You really don't need to thank me for that. I know how annoying it can be to deal with Muku sometimes.”

A soft chuckle left Yu’s mouth. This was honestly a lot to wrap his head around. This morning he was just minding his own business and doing his homework, and now - after a few detours - he was surrounded by his friends who were here to celebrate him.

‘Come to think of it… When was the last time I had a party for my birthday…?’ Yu pondered to himself as he placed his wet clothes into the washing machine.

Usually he got a present and a card from his parents and then they had dinner together and that… was pretty much it. Although, these past few years, they hadn't even been having dinner together because his parents were so busy with their careers…

Yu gently shook his head to prevent the wave of melancholy that was descending upon him. He shouldn't think about that right now, the past wasn't important. The important thing was that, right now, his friends had put together a party for him and he should enjoy himself.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Yu-kun? Help yourself.” Yukiko suggested, gesturing towards the large spread on the table.

“Hold up! Shouldn't we wait for Dojima-san to get back?” Kanji hurriedly spoke up.

“I got a text from him not too long ago. He said he's finishing work soon and to just make a start without him. All he asked was that we save him a slice of cake and to leave the present until he got back.” Yosuke informed the group, raising his phone into the air to back up his point.

“Don't mind if I do~ Ooh! What should I eat first?!” Teddie cheered as he practically pounced towards the snacks.

“Hey, hey! Easy, Ted! Don't fill yourself up too much! We’ve still got the barbeque, remember?!” Chie huffed, yanking Teddie back by his collar before he could grab everything on the table.

“Barbeque…?” Asked Yu, glancing over at Yosuke for answers.

The headphone wearing boy smiled. “Yeah, we figured if it's Summer, we might as well have a barbeque. But we’re leaving the grilling part to Dojima-san, so that's why we have to wait a while for that.”

“Dad’s really good at barbeques! We haven't had one since…” Nanako trailed off as her mind wandered to the past. It was pretty easy to fill in the blank of her sentence.

Yu gently stroked her hair and flashed her a soft smile. “Well, in that case, I’m looking forward to it. I'm sure it’ll be delicious.”

Nanako beamed back at him. “Mm-hm!”

“Senpai! Do you want to blow out candles on your cake, or do you want to just cut it up now?” Asked Naoto as he found a knife to cut the cake and carefully carried it over to the table.

“I’m fine wit-” Yu froze as he noticed Nanako and Teddie staring at him with bright eyes. He shakily sighed before answering. “I’ll blow out candles.”

Naoto lowered his hat, cutting off eye contact as he struggled to hold back his snickering while Nanako and Teddie excitedly went to fetch the candles.

Teddie gasped in delight as he found the candles. “Hey, Sensei! How old are you today?”

“17.”

“Wow, you're almost an adult, big bro!”

Yu chuckled, endeared by his young cousin’s enthusiasm. “No, not quite. I've still got a ways to go before I'm an adult yet.”

Teddie excitedly handed over the box of candles to Naoto, who plucked out the ones shaped into ‘1’ and ‘7’ before delicately pushing them into the cake.

“Is there anything I could use to light them?” Asked Naoto.

“Dad keeps his spare lighters in that drawer there, but I'm not allowed to touch them…” Nanako informed them, pointing to a small drawer under the kitchen counter.

“Good girl, Nanako.”

“I’ll do it.” Yosuke volunteered, really not wanting Teddie to reach them first. He hurriedly lunged towards the drawer but slowed down as he neared it, hoping to set an example of being responsible in front of Nanako.

A small smile on Yu’s face showed he approved as he gently held onto Nanako's hand and walked closer to the table.

Yosuke chuckled as he approached the cake. Very carefully, he ignited the lighter and moved his hand over the cake. After holding the flickering flame over the candle wicks for a few seconds, they were both lit with small flames of their own wavering as everyone crowded around.

With that job done, Yosuke turned off the lighter and safely returned it to its original place. “Alright, go ahead, Yu.”

“Wait! We’ve gotta sing happy birthday first!” Nanako protested with a desperate gasp.

The teenagers all tried to hold in their adoring giggles, not wanting Nanako to think they were making fun of her.

“Alright, Nanako-chan, do you want to lead?” Offered Yukiko, quite accustomed to celebrations like these being held in the inn. It was always the small children who took birthday celebrations the most seriously, after all.

“Okay! Ready…” Nanako took a deep breath and lifted her hands to cue everyone in.

“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday, dear Yu~ Happy birthday to you~”

Yu smiled shyly as everyone sang to him, his cheeks growing rather hot as he stared down at the glimmering candles.

After everyone had finished singing - Some of them having their own variation of how they addressed him, not to mention Rise taking the opportunity to show off her vocals a little bit - Yu leaned in closer to the cake.

He closed his eyes as he thought up a wish.

‘... I wish we could stay like this forever.’

With one powerful breath, Yu blew out the candles, leaving only small plumes of wispy smoke behind.

Everyone else cheered and clapped while Naoto carefully plucked the candles off the cake.

“So, what'd you wish for, big bro?” Asked Nanako, staring up at Yu with sparkling eyes.

Yu looked back down at her with a mysterious smirk, lifting his finger up in front of his lips. “If I tell you, it won't come true.”

“Oh right! Sorry…”

“Do you want me to cut the cake, Naoto-kun? I'm quite good at portioning things like this.” Yukiko offered politely, her upbringing at the inn being made obvious yet again.

“Oh, thank you, Yukiko-senpai, that would be great.”

“At least she's good at something involving food…”

“You say something, Yosuke-kun?”

“N-No, nothing!”

Yukiko very carefully cut the cake into equal slices, making sure there was enough for everyone while leaving behind two extra slices: one for Dojima when he got home and another slice for Yu since this cake was made for him.

Once she had handed a small plate with a slice of cake to everyone, Nanako gazed up at Yu with an intense stare. This was her first time baking something without him, after all. She was eager to see his reaction.

Yu held in a snicker at the sight of her wide eyes as he got a forkful of cake and lifted it to his mouth. Nanako’s eyes grew wider when he placed the forkful into his mouth.

“Mm~!” Yu hummed in delight as the flavours hit him.

It wasn't anything insane, but it was certainly delicious. The sweetness from the vanilla and the cake itself, the lemon from the icing making sure it wasn't sickeningly sweet, and then topped off with the bright tartness from the raspberry jam to complete the experience. It was simple, but very effective.

“It's really tasty! Great job, Nanako!” Yu praised his little cousin, reaching down and gently ruffling her hair.

A relieved sigh left Nanako’s mouth, her shoulders relaxing before she flashed Yu a big, beaming smile. “Naoto-san helped me!”

Yu glanced over at Naoto who shyly readjusted his hat.

“I didn't do much… I just helped Nanako follow the recipe.” He mumbled while his cheeks turned slightly pink.

“No, no, that's great. Thanks, Naoto.”

Naoto smiled. “I'm glad you enjoyed it, Senpai… I actually quite enjoyed the experience.”

“Yeah? Maybe you could join me and Nanako in our attempts sometimes?” Suggested Yu with a welcoming smile.

Nanako hurriedly nodded her head to show she agreed, not wanting to speak with a mouth full of cake.

Naoto stood stunned for a few seconds before composing himself, quite flattered by the offer. “That sounds lovely, Senpai. I may have to take you up on that.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Hey, hey, Sensei! C’mon, don't be shy, dig in! Yours truly bought all these delicious snacks to celebrate!” Teddie barged into the conversation, childishly grabbing onto Yu’s arm and yanking him closer to the table.

“Yeah, with my money… and hey, be gentle with the guy!” Huffed Yosuke, already getting irritated at Teddie’s overexcited antics.

“H-Hey, don't eat too much, Ted! We’ve still got a barbeque coming later, remember?!” Kanji reminded the blond boy while grabbing himself a handful of popcorn.

“Barbeque~! Haha~! Chicken, pork, beef, steak~! I can't wait! Bring on the meat!” Chie chortled, drooling slightly as she thought about the foods that were yet to come.

Yukiko snorted before bursting out laughing, clutching her stomach as she giggled hysterically. “Ch-Chie…! You! You sound just like that…! That cannibal character from that movie we watched a few weeks ago…!”

“Oh, come on, don't compare to that character! And hey, don't remind me of that movie! It was terrifying! Why the hell did you laugh all the way through it?!”

“Ooh, Senpai! I just thought! How’d you like to have a private Risette concert right here as a birthday present? Well~? Sounds good, right?” Rise suggested, leaning forward with a cheeky grin.

Yu smiled back. “No, it's okay. You’re on break from showbiz, no need to strain your vocal chords for me.”

“Shot down again! I'll get you yet, Senpai…” Rise clicked her tongue, feigning annoyance while she found Yu’s constant deflections of her offers pretty entertaining. If only she could figure out what he was thinking behind that poker face of his…

Yu chuckled quietly before turning his attention to Nanako. “Is there anything you want to eat, Nanako?”

“Mm…” Nanako hummed thoughtfully as she scanned her eyes across the large spread. “I wanna try those brownies. And some of those little sausages.”

“Alright. Here, I'll fill your plate up for you.”

“Thanks, big bro.”

The sound of the front door pulled the group out of their conversations. Just as they were about to question who was there, that question was answered by the person calling out to them.

“Hey, I'm home! How’re things going?”

“Daddy!” Nanako cheered as she ran up to the front door.

A hand extended from the entrance way and patted Nanako’s shoulder before Dojima stepped into the living room.

The detective glanced around the room, taking in the bright decorations and cheerful company. All in all, he was glad the group was able to put something nice together for Yu - he deserved it, after all.

Looking past the group, he noticed the half empty plates on the table.

“You guys want me to make a start on that barbeque now or are you a little stuffed from all the snacks?” He asked, loosening his tie slightly.

“I’m fine for now.”

“Yeah, we tried to pace ourselves but we got a little carried away…”

“Besides, you deserve to take a load off after work, Dojima-san.”

“You want me to get you a cold drink?”

Dojima stared at the teenagers in surprise. Even through all this excitement, they still made sure to check up on him… Yu really had found himself some good friends.

“Alright then, and yeah, a cold drink sounds great.”

Yukiko, who was the one standing closest to the fridge, nodded and fetched a bottle of fruit juice.

“Oh right, Dojima-san, I bought all the typical barbeque meats, they're all in the fridge and ready to go when you are.” Yosuke informed the detective.

“Right, thanks for doing that."

Dojima turned his attention to Yu, realising he hadn't actually spoken to him yet. He smiled gently and gave him a one handed hug.

“Happy birthday, Yu. Sorry I couldn't get you anything too special but I hope the party’s been going well.”

Yu smiled back and shook his head. “No, it's okay. I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to remember so this is more than enough.”

It was obvious that Yu was completely sincere with that remark but it struck Dojima as odd. “... Why didn't you think anyone would remember?”

A subtle glint of panic flashed through Yu’s eyes, almost as if he'd said too much. Yu looked away, towards the laundry billowing in the back garden.

“No reason.”

Dojima’s brow furrowed.

That was… definitely odd. Now that he thought about it, Yu had told him he hadn't heard from his parents… Did they perhaps-

“Ooh! I just thought! Dojima-san said not to let Narukami open his present till he got back, right?! Why don't we have him open it while he's taking a break?” Chie’s excited suggestion pulled the detective out of his thoughts.

That sounded like a good idea to him. After all, right now the most important thing was that Yu was happy.

“Sounds good. Well, first off, let me sit down… My feet are killing me…” Dojima huffed as he shuffled his way past the teenagers and sat down on the sofa, letting out a sigh of relief as the weight was removed from his feet.

“Do you want some cake, Dad? We saved you a slice.” Asked Nanako.

“Oh right! You made a cake, didn't you? Sure, I’ll have my slice now. I'm excited to see how it turned out.” Dojima replied with an eager smile. Nanako had been showing a lot of interest in baking recently; he couldn't help but feel a little excited to try her first attempt without Yu’s help.

Nanako beamed from ear to ear, delighted by her father’s enthusiasm. “Okay!”

“I'm sure you’ll like it. It's really good.” Yu added, glancing over at Nanako with a proud smile.

“Oh, that's high praise coming from someone like you… Now I'm even more excited!” Dojima chuckled.

Nanako giggled in anticipation as she carried a small plate with the cake slice and a fork over to her tired dad.

“Thank you very much."

Yu smirked as he noticed Nanako staring at her father with the same wide eyes she'd stared at him with when he tried the cake. The small girl clenched her fists tightly as her father took a bite. Dojima’s eyebrows raised while he chewed.

“Wow, that's really nice! Good job, Nanako!” He cheered, leaning forward and ruffling her hair. The taste reminded him of his wife’s baking. Now that he thought about it, Nanako had found her mother’s old recipe book recently… That's probably where she got the recipe from…

Her mother would be proud.

That thought put a loving smile on Dojima’s face as Nanako beamed up at him with prideful glee.

“Alright, I'll fetch the present! Yu, you sit down next to Dojima-san.” Yosuke announced as he darted back to where he'd hidden the gift he'd purchased on behalf of everyone.

“Alright, alright… You said this was from everyone, right? Did you all decide on it or was something else going on?” Yu asked out of genuine curiosity as he sat himself down on the sofa.

“Yosuke-senpai chose and bought it but he showed us and we all agreed it's perfect.” Rise answered with a giddy smile, eager to see Yu’s reaction.

“I-I mean, it's nothing mind-blowing… but I hope you like it.” Yosuke stuttered, a little nervous that Rise was going to set Yu’s expectations too high.

As Yosuke handed the present to the birthday boy, the first thing that Yu noticed was the wrapping paper. Not the design itself or anything like that; the way it was wrapped. It was so unbelievably clean and precise.

He smirked knowingly as he gently slid his thumb under one of the folds. “Did Kanji wrap this, by any chance?”

Kanji flinched as his eyes shot wide open.

“H-How’d you know?!”

“Yep… Kanji’s the only one who can wrap stuff that well…” Chie huffed, honestly not surprised that Yu figured that out. Kanji was by far the best at the more crafts-y stuff.

“I tried to wrap it first, Sensei! … But it didn't go so well…” Teddie informed, trailing off in shame as he admitted his failure.

“I still don't understand how you managed to wrap yourself in the sticky tape…” Muttered Naoto.

Yukiko stifled a giggle, placing a hand in front of her mouth. “You looked like some kind of mummy…!”

“Shh! Senpai’s opening his present!” Rise urgently hushed the rest of the group.

Yu breathed out a small chuckle, amused by her excitement as he carefully unfolded the wrapping paper. He honestly had no clue what it could be… The only thing he guessed, based on the shape, was that they'd wrapped two things together. It looked as if there was something longer and thinner on the bottom with something more cube shaped on top…

Well, only one way to find out.

Yu could feel everyone’s gazes burning into him as he unfolded the final layer. With all the sticky tape undone, Yu flipped the present upright and pulled the wrapping paper away for the big reveal.

He was right.

The gift was two things.

Not things he was expecting to receive.

The more cube shaped box on top was a camera, and the thinner shape below it was a photo album.

Yu picked the two items up - one in each hand - and inspected them with curious eyes.

‘Why a camera?’ He wondered to himself. He hadn't mentioned an interest in photography… Not that he could remember, anyway…

Seemingly sensing what Yu was thinking, Yosuke spoke up to explain his reasoning. “I was thinking about our conversation about you going home next year… You didn't say it but you looked pretty bummed out about having to leave. So I thought, if you have to go, it would be nice if you could at least take your memories of being here with you.”

Yu stared at him with a stunned expression.

Yosuke… had noticed his hesitation about leaving Inaba? But Yu had tried his best to hide how he felt about that… Did it really show on his face?

Although… He had to admit that he loved that idea. The photo album was quite a large one; he’d have to make sure to take plenty of photos in order to fill it up.

“Wow… Even Yosuke can get poetic at times! Bravo, Yosuke!” Teddie gasped in amazement, giving Yosuke a round of applause. Chie and Rise clapped along with him.

“Dammit, Teddie, I was being serious! What, am I not allowed to genuinely do something nice for a friend?!” Yosuke snapped, irritated by the bear’s insistence on ruining every moment he had.

“No, it's not you doing something nice that's weird… It's just you wording it so beautifully… That ain't you at all, Senpai.” Kanji remarked, expanding on Teddie’s earlier comment.

Yosuke could've sworn he felt a blood vessel burst. “Really?! You're the last person I wanna hear that from, Mr. Sub-buttle!”

“Oh, why'd you have to bring that up?!”

The argument was luckily cut off before it could begin by the sound of Yu quietly laughing.

The silver haired teen looked around at all his friends with a touched smile. “Thanks, I love it. I'll make sure to put them to good use.”

Yosuke's annoyance slowly drained from his body upon seeing Yu’s serene smile. His irritated scowl morphed into a relieved smile.

“Yeah? Well, I'm glad you like it.” He replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

“Seeing as it's a special occasion, why not take your first photo now?” Suggested Dojima as he placed his now empty plate onto the coffee table.

“Hm?”

“Why not take a photo now? It's your birthday and all your friends are here. I could take it for you. Hey, Hanamura, does it have film in it already?” Dojima reiterated after taking a sip of his drink.

“Oh! No, it's a digital camera, you don't need film to take photos.”

“What?”

“It's digital, all the photos get saved onto the memory card in the camera. And when you print them, you can just take the camera to the usual places or, if you buy the right kind of paper, you can print them off yourself at home with a computer or a laptop.” Yosuke explained, gently taking the box from Yu and opening it to find the instructions.

Dojima took the instructions and read through them carefully, not wanting to make a mistake with something bought for Yu. Luckily, it wasn't as complicated as he thought it would be.

“Ah, I see… That's a lot more convenient.” He muttered, quite impressed by how much they'd managed to squeeze into a camera so small.

“Yup, and when you take it to a shop to get the pictures developed, it's a lot quicker than getting film pictures developed so you don't have to wait like a week anymore.”

“Good to know.”

Yu made sure to read through the instructions himself. He'd never really used cameras before, aside from the one on his flip phone, but that was different. Besides, he liked the idea of having physical photos in a book… Somehow it felt a lot more sentimental than having photos stored on his phone.

“Alright, I think I've got it. All of you into the garden.” Dojima commanded as he readied the camera for action.

The teenagers all obeyed, cheerfully pulling the back door open and skipping out onto the soft grass. Nanako and Rise cutely tugged on Yu’s hands, pulling him to his feet and along behind them.

“Okay, everyone, into position!”

Everyone quickly posed themselves for the photo.

Yu gently held Nanako’s hand as she leaned in closer to him, resting her head on the side of his torso.

Yosuke wrapped his arm around Yu’s shoulders and flashed the camera a carefree smile.

Chie and Yukiko leaned in together, holding each other as Yukiko held in a giggle fit that threatened to make her lose her balance.

Kanji awkwardly stood at the back, leaning forward and down with a shy smile, just hoping that his height didn't get him cut out of a photo again.

Naoto stood in front of Kanji, stealthily standing on his tip-toes to appear the same height as everyone else.

Rise clutched onto Yu’s arm with one hand and flashed a peace sign with her other hand, all while showing off her signature Risette smile.

Teddie crouched down so he was closer to Nanako’s height and spread his arms far apart in a dramatic gesture, almost as if he were showing off all of his amazing friends.

Dojima couldn't help but chuckle at the sight as he held up the camera, getting everyone in the shot.

“Okay… 3,2,1! Smile!”

*Click!*

Immediately afterwards, Rise and Teddie lunged forward. Dojima rolled his eyes knowingly and turned the camera around to show off the photo.

“Aww! That's so cute!” Rise cooed.

“We all look awesome!” Cheered Teddie, jumping up and down in excitement.

Yu smiled softly at the sight. It really was a sweet photo. He loved it.

“D-Did I get in the shot alright?” Kanji asked anxiously.

“Yep, see, you're right there, no issues.”

The boy with bleached hair let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, with that out of the way, what do you kids say to getting this barbeque started?” Dojima suggested, carefully placing the camera onto the coffee table.

“Ooh, yes please!"

“That sounds great!”

“Yes! Meat!”

“Alright, can one of you fetch all the meat while I get the grill set up?” The detective requested as he fetched all the required tools.

“I'm on it!” Chie immediately volunteered, dashing back inside and towards the fridge.

“Oh, hey, Dojima-san? All your laundry’s dry; should we put it away so it doesn't end up smelling like smoke?” Yosuke enquired, gesturing towards the clothes blowing in the late afternoon breeze.

“Oh, right! Yes, that would be great. Thanks, Hanamura.”

“Alright, hey, Yukiko, Kanji - Could you give me a hand with this?” Requested Yosuke as he began removing the pegs from the laundry and gently draping the clothes over his shoulder.

“Oh, of course.”

“Sure thing.”

“I’ll help, I know where all the clothes go.” Offered Nanako.

“Oh, no, Nanako, it's okay. Just shove them into the laundry basket for now. We’ll sort them out tomorrow.” Dojima hurriedly spoke up, wanting his daughter to focus on having fun instead of chores today.

“Oh, okay!”

“And what should I…?” Asked Yu, seemingly feeling as if he should be doing something.

Dojima shot him a knowing glance. “The food’s not going to take that long… Just sit down and enjoy yourself. It's your day, after all.”

“Yeah, c’mon, Senpai! Come chat with us while we wait.” Added Rise, pulling Yu down to sit on the porch beside her and Naoto.

Yu looked up to find most of the group looking at him with stern faces. They clearly weren't going to take ‘no’ for an answer.

He sighed out a quiet chuckle, genuinely quite touched by how much they cared.

“Alright.”

The barbeque was a huge success. All of the different meats were delicious and everyone very happily stuffed their faces. Dojima was a little worried that Yosuke had bought too much, but it seemed he was a good judge of his friend’s appetites and decided to buy a little extra.

The smell even attracted the attention of some of the neighbours, who were very graciously invited to join by Dojima and Yu. They'd all grown quite fond of Yu during his time staying at the Dojima household, what with him being a kind, charming boy who was always happy to help out. Every single one was eager to wish him a happy birthday; some of them even hurried home to bring over some small treats of their own, whether it be candy or a book they thought he’d enjoy… Everyone wanted to show their appreciation for him.

Yu honestly seemed a little dumbfounded by all of the attention but it was clear he appreciated it.

Meanwhile, Dojima really enjoyed grilling everything up for everyone. He'd forgotten how much fun he had holding barbeque parties; it had been so long since their last one after all… Maybe he’d have to make it a Summer tradition after this. Yeah… That sounded good. With how close Nanako had grown to him, Dojima had no doubt that Yu would come to visit during school vacations. Not to mention, all of Yu's friends… and the neighbours… Hell, maybe he could even invite his co-workers! He knew damn well none of them would pass up the opportunity to have a barbeque.

By the time everyone was full and had let their food go down somewhat, the sun was setting in the sky. Not to mention, it was Summertime so it was probably later than everyone expected.

There was still quite a bit of food left over that the house of three people with small appetites would not be able to finish by themselves, so Dojima portioned it out and gave some to everyone as they were about to head home, making sure to leave a little bit for the family in the fridge.

Apparently the excitement of the day had caught up to the main group as everyone was rubbing their eyes and trying to hold back yawns… And to add a little cherry on top, Yu and Nanako had already fallen asleep.

Thanks to that, Dojima was the one seeing everyone off as they slipped on their shoes and stepped out the front door.

“Thanks again for helping Nanako put all this together. I wanted to, but I had to work…” The gruff detective thanked the teenagers again. They all flashed him bright smiles.

“It's no problem. We all had fun and we love Yu, so… It was a no brainer that we had to do something for him.” Yosuke was the first to speak up. It was to celebrate his partner’s birthday after all, of course he would help out.

“Yeah! Besides, I had a ton of fun making those decorations!” Rise agreed with a cheery giggle.

“Oh! Speaking of… Do you want me to help take all those down?” Asked Kanji, anxiously fidgeting with his case full of crafting materials.

Dojima simply smiled and shook his head. “No, it's alright. They can stay up for a few days; they add a nice bit of colour to the house.”

“If you'd like, you can keep the paper chain!” Yukiko offered.

“Really? Oh, thanks, that'd be great. Perfect for Nanako’s birthday and Christmas.” Dojima chuckled softly. Nanako would probably be thrilled to see those decorations up for her birthday too.

“Well, hey, if you wanna surprise Nanako-chan for her birthday too, you don't even have to ask!” Chie chimed up with a grin.

Naoto hummed a quiet, contented laugh. “True. I think it's safe to say that we’ve become quite attached to Nanako-chan.”

“Mm-hm! Mm-hm! Nana-chan’s the best!” Teddie immediately agreed, furiously nodding his head at high speeds.

Dojima laughed quietly. “That's great to hear, thanks for that, all of you! Well… You all should be heading home now.”

“True… It's getting pretty late… C’mon, let's get moving.”

“You take care on your way home, alright?” Dojima called out to the group as they walked away. With all the weird happenings the past few months, he couldn't help but worry.

Yosuke raised his hand and waved it nonchalantly. “It's alright, we’re all heading home in groups. Thanks for worrying, though!”

“Yeah, thanks, Dojima-san!”

“I hope Narukami had a great time!”

“Good night!”

Dojima smiled softly, waving one last time at the kids and watching them round the corner before heading back inside and locking the front door.

He was pleasantly surprised by how tidy everyone was - making sure to put all their rubbish in the bin and all their dirty dishes in the sink. He'd been to some parties when he was younger where people were like animals… Oh well, at least that didn't leave much for him to clean up. There was just enough that it was acceptable to leave it for tomorrow.

As he made sure the back door was also locked and closed the curtains, Dojima glanced over at the two on the sofa.

Yu was lying flat on his back, cradling Nanako by his side while fast asleep. His face was serene as his chest slowly raised and lowered. One leg was hanging off the side of the sofa. His arm was probably going to be dead tomorrow from the weight of Nanako lying on top of it...

Nanako was curled up on her side, snuggling up next to Yu with a small smile on her face as she slept. Her hand gently gripped onto Yu’s shirt. Dojima chuckled lightly after noticing she still had a little bit of barbeque sauce smeared by her mouth.

A loving smile spread across Dojima’s face as he took in the sight. As he went to turn around, he stopped when his eyes glanced over the coffee table.

An idea hit him.

He carefully picked up the camera and repositioned himself, making sure to get the adorable scene from a good angle. After all, might as well preserve the memories that Yu himself wouldn't remember too.

*Click!*

Nanako shifted slightly after the photo was taken. Dojima froze, worried that he'd woken her up…. Nope, she was just fidgeting in her sleep.

A relieved sigh left Dojima’s mouth as he placed the camera back onto the coffee table. Although, another thought occurred to him… How exactly was he going to get these two to bed?

After pondering that question for a few minutes, he eventually figured that one night sleeping on the sofa wouldn't hurt and decided to just leave them there for tonight.

He carefully readjusted their positions so they were less likely to fall off the sofa in the night, and then placed some cushions on the floor just in case they did fall off. Afterwards, he grabbed the thin blanket that was usually draped over the back of the sofa and wrapped it around the two. Despite how warm it has been lately, he figured they could probably use some sort of cover while they slept.

Once he was sure that they were alright for the night, Dojima made his way over to the staircase and placed his hand on the nearby light switch. He turned back to look at the two kids one last time before heading up to bed himself. A smile spread across his face as he whispered,

“Sleep well.”

And turned off the light.