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March has arrived.
Which means the semester is coming to an end and so is his second year of highschool. Haruichi starts his day as usual, but he can feel some sort of strange air floating around him.
'Hmm.. Maybe it's the fact that the third years are graduating so everyone is starting to feel the blues? Especially Eijun-kun with Miyuki-senpai, but still.. something feels odd.'
He thinks to himself.
‘Ah, maybe it's just my imagination.'
He's usually quite perceptive when it comes to the people around him, especially his close friends. Everyone isn't really acting differently, but they seem to act a little awkwardly when they talk to him. He can
feel
that there's something about today that makes his friends act a weird, but he can't put a finger on what it is just yet. Nothing comes to mind.
That is, until dinner comes around.
Today is Friday, so evening practice is a little more rigorous than usual, but Coach Kataoka seems to be extra hard on Haruichi at today's practice. Well, not that he minds. He's always up for the challenge to better himself. That being the case, he does end up feeling more tired than usual. He just wants to shower, eat, maybe do a little more batting practice, and then sleep.
Life has other plans for him though.
It's not often that he gets out of the shared bath last, but his body is aching a little more than normal today, so he wants to stay in the bath longer. Being the last one in the bath means that he's also the last to arrive at the dining hall, he hopes that there will still be enough side dishes left for him when he gets there.
Walking closer to the dining hall, Haruichi noticed that the place is really.. quiet. Too quiet considering how rowdy his teammates are. He’s starting to feel concerned.
‘Is everyone done having dinner yet? But no.. it’s not even 9 PM yet. Plus, the light is still on. Why is it so quiet inside..?’
He walks towards the dining hall hesitantly, bracing himself for whatever he is about to face in there. He can hear people whispering inside now that he’s close enough, that makes him feel slightly relieved. The moment he grabbed the door handle though, it seems like everyone inside simultaneously goes quiet that it startles him a little. He opens the door very slowly and suddenly…
Confettis. A couple of confetti cannons pop right on his face.
“SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARUICHI!!”
“Oh.” Haruichi stares at the scene with wide eyes, dumbfounded.
‘Of course, today is my birthday. How could I have forgotten?’
He can see everyone gathered here, from first, second, third years, even Coach Kataoka and Rei-san are there! He can see Furuya holding a cake in his hands, Eijun laughing at his expression while shouting something along the lines of “we surprised you, right???” and Kuramochi is beside Eijun, also laughing while holding up his phone.
“Kyahaha! Look at him, Ryou-san! Seems like your prediction was spot on, he did forget his birthday!” Kuramochi cheers at his phone screen.
“Wa-wait, You-san! Is that Aniki you’re calling??” Haruichi shrieks, taking a step back.
“Yup! Video call, actually. Gotta make sure your brother is seeing this live, y’know?” Kuramochi grins teasingly as he flips his phone, showing Haruichi the screen with his brother on it with the usual smile.
“Nice face you got there, Haruichi.” Ryousuke teases.
Haruichi can feel the blush creeping up his face. He’s so embarrassed having his brother watching him being fooled like this. He huffs and turns his face away from the camera, looking at the others instead.
“So, you all planned this? You even got coach involved?” Haruichi questions his teammates.
“Mm, yes, you can say that.” Toujou answers lightly.
Haruichi isn’t sure how to react, if he’s being honest. He didn’t even get such a surprise last year so this is a new experience for him. Before he can think of anything, someone is already grabbing his hand and pulling him into the crowd. He's standing right in front of the cake Furuya has been holding now.
“C'mon. Make a wish, Lucky Boy! Or should I say, Birthday Boy.” Kanemaru mocks as he lights the candles on the cake.
Haruichi just sighs in embarrassment. All the people around him is watching him intently, waiting for him to blow the candles out. He groans, finally giving in.
“Fine.” He says before blowing all the candles out.
Everyone claps, shouting out “happy birthday”s again. Furuya puts the cake down on the table and one of the managers starts to cut the cake into small, even pieces so that each person gets some. Some of them are starting to crowd around the cake while Haruichi steps away, overwhelmed by his teammates’ enthusiasm.
“So, what did you wish for?” Furuya, who's suddenly right beside him, asks.
“If I tell you, then it wouldn't come true.” Haruichi answers.
“Ah.” Furuya nods in acknowledgement.
Haruichi smiles watching the people around him excitedly asking for a piece of cake. This is surely the most boisterous birthday he has ever experienced. He feels extremely happy and thankful about it.
As for his wish, well, what else can he possibly ask for other than another shot at Koushien?