It’s my birthday.
My birthday is on the first day of the month of the sky god. Apparently months are named after famous gods.
Miss Lan told me that a lot of villages don’t care too much about keeping track of days precisely, but the one where I grew up did.
…It was probably for my sister, so they could celebrate her birthday. My parents always made sure to keep track of the days too.
Now that I’m here in the beast people’s village, I don’t really care what day or month it is, but miss Lan came from the capital, so she always knows what month and day it is. Incredible.
…It’s my birthday, and I wake up a little nervous. Miss Lan says everyone is going to celebrate my birthday.
I’m happy, but also a little anxious. No one has ever celebrated my birthday before.
I get up to go wash my face as always, but hear a knock on the door. I respond, and Gaius opens the door and enters.
“Good morning Lerunda!”
“Good, morning.”
“Were you going out to wash your face?”
“Yes.”
I go with Gaius. I take water from the well and wash my face, with Gaius by my side.
“Let’s go Lerunda!”
“Where?”
I start thinking it’s strange that no one is around, not even the gryphons and Scifo. Gaius takes me by the hand and we move forward to the square in the center of the village.
Everyone is there, and they all say happy birthday when they see me.
I’m very surprised as everyone says happy birthday at the same time, and miss Lan approaches me with a kind smile.
“Happy birthday Lerunda. I talked to everyone, and they all said they wanted to celebrate your birthday, even Nirushi and the other cat beast people.”
“…I’m only here because a child’s birthday is something to be celebrated.”
Says mister Nirushi as he sees miss Lan looking at him, and turns away.
It’s my first time hearing someone say happy birthday to me. Miss Lan did say they were going to celebrate my birthday, but actually hearing the words happy birthday has a big impact.
Those words that were never said to me, but I heard said many times to my sister. It was something that never had any relation to me, but I’m surprised at how good it feels to hear them being said to me.
My heart feels warm.
“Lerunda! Happy birthday from me too!!”
Gaius says with a smile, while still holding my hand. I can tell he means it from the bottom of his heart, and it feels warm.
“…Thank, you.”
“Lerunda, why are you crying!?”
I startle Gaius, and even mister Nirushi, who looked away, turns my way and is flustered.
“H-hey, this is no reason to cry. What’s wrong!?”
Mister Nirushi is confused, and crouches to look me in the eye.
“I’m just, happy.”
I’m happy. They are celebrating my birthday and saying happy birthday to me. My heart feels warm.
“Come on, is hearing the words happy birthday reason enough to start crying of happiness…”
Says mister Nirushi as he pats my head. He supposedly hates humans, but he’s nice. That niceness makes me happy, and I think I’m going to start crying again.
All this happiness and kindness is turning me into a cry baby.
“Hey! Why are you crying!?”
“Mister, Nirushi… You’re, nice.”
“Ah!?”
“You’re, celebrating, my birthday…”
“No, I…”
“I like, head pats.”
“Ah, I see…”
“I’m happy, everyone is saying happy birthday…”
They’re words straight from the heart, and I’m so happy. Having people I like so much wish me a happy birthday… I can’t help but be happy.
Mister Nirushi and Gaius, who are flustered, miss Lan who is looking at me with kind eyes, everyone said it.
“What are you talking about… Being so happy after just hearing people say happy birthday… It’s just starting.”
“Lerunda, we’ve made preparations, so there’s still more to come.”
“We planned a great birthday for you. Everyone helped, so we hope you have fun.”
Say mister Nirushi, Gaius, and miss Lan.
Just starting? I don’t understand what that means, and I hear the gryphons behind me.”
“Gurugurugurururu. (Lerunda’s birthday.)”
“Guru, guru. (Celebrate, celebrate.)”
“Guruguruguruuuu. (We’ve been practicing our singing.)”
“Gururururuuru! (Listen!)”
The little gryphons say as they line up. I’m sat in a chair in front of them, and they start singing a song I don’t know with their cute chirps. Miss Lan says it’s a song sung on birthdays, and that she taught them.
Hearing them sing on my birthday makes me very happy.
Some of the lady beast people dance for me, and everyone gives me presents. Everything that’s been happening since I woke up this morning feels like a dream.
People celebrating my birthday and saying happy birthday to me makes me more happy than I could have imagined, but that’s not all, I received other things too.
I had a very nice meal, made with something that Gaius and mister Athos hunted.
“Me and my father hunted it!”
He says proudly, while shaking his ears and tail. I want to touch them, but I’ll control myself. Everyone points out the things they picked or prepared, and smile.
All this time, this was a day for my sister, but today it is being replaced with a happy day for me.
“Thank you, everyone.”
I say without thinking.
“I love, everyone.”
I say while I smile too, and everyone laughs. This space is so warm.
This day is like a dream. I wish every day could be this happy.
—Girl and birthday part two
(The girl that is probably the miko has a blissful day.)
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Yeyyyy \(~u~)/
Nirushi is tsundere