Never Be Apart

CHAPTER 29

Two months later...

"Happy birthday, Natsumi!" we all shouted as soon as she stepped out of her room.

We were at her house to surprise her. I think she even forgot her own birthday, especially since things aren't great with her aunt, so she probably didn't care much.

She looked shocked to see us, her hair a mess and clearly just waking up. We laughed at her surprised face, but she quickly ran back into her room and locked the door. We couldn't help but giggle as we followed her. Haruki knocked on the door a few times. We figured she was in the bathroom getting ready. She's usually the first one up when we all stayed over.

While we waited for Natsumi, we decided to head to the living room. Before long, the cake we ordered arrived, and Aki eagerly grabbed it. That left Haruki and me alone.

"What are your plans for school?" she suddenly asked, still staring at her phone.

"Huh?"

"I mean, what's your plan for your studies? It's been two months. You might not be able to go to college if you don't get back to it," She said, finally looking at me.

"I'll talk to my adviser to see if I can catch up," I replied.

"Are you ready to study again?" I just nodded in response. She stared at me for a bit longer before looking away as Aki came back with the cake.

I slowly accepted that I couldn't win that case if I kept pushing for it in this state. They were right, I was still young and not in a position to seek justice for my parents. So, for now, I had no choice but to keep living and focus on what I wanted to do—what my parents would have wanted for me.

Before long, Natsumi showed up, drying her hair with a towel as she walked over to us. We greeted her with smiles. "Wow. You guys remembered this?" she asked, surprised as she looked closely at the cake box.

"Of course! It's your 19th birthday anyway," Haruki replied, and Natsumi beamed at her.

I stood up to open the cake and headed to the kitchen to grab a lighter. Natsumi watched me with a smile, and when I lit the candle, I carefully took the cake out of the box and presented it to her with a grin.

The other two joined us, and Natsumi was practically glowing, her smile so wide you could see her gums. We gestured for her to make a wish, and after a quick moment of closing her eyes, she blew out the candle. We happily sang to her, and she kept smiling even as she sat back down on the couch.