Happy Birthday

August 16. Saiki's birthday.

Of all the days. Of all the days Akechi chose to visit him, it had to be today.

Saiki had a certain "fondness" for Akechi, as did he, but they had recently been...

Closer.

Saiki didn't particularly like or dislike his birthday, so they never did much. If his birthday was on a weekday, which it usually was, he would pretend to be sick, and stay home from school. His mother would bake a small chocolate cake with strawberries, and his parents would insist on singing him a song before letting him eat. His mother would try her best to make coffee jelly, but it wasn't as good as the one in the cafe.

He never told anyone his birthday, because he liked staying home all day. Even his group of friends who threw him a surprise party got the date off...

By three months.

But it wasn't their fault, it was only miscommunication. It was a pain to pretend it was his birthday, but at least on his real birthday, he could have peace and quiet.

Or so he thought.

"Happy Birthday, Kusuo-kun! It's been a while since I celebrated your birthday. Second grade was it? I doubt I'll wet myself this time, though. I went to the bathroom before I came over, just in case. I brought you a present! I haven't visited you in a few days, and I figured, what better day than today?"

Saiki looked at his hands. Instead of being at his sides as usual, they were full. He was carrying a purple balloon, and a small box. It was carefully wrapped in white paper, with a small tag reading, "To Kusuo-kun". A gold ribbon was neatly tied and curled over the parcel.

He knows it's my birthday, and seems to have known for a while. He seems too prepared to have just found out. How did he find out?

'That's more than I needed to know. Why are you here? And how did you know it was my birthday?'

"Sorry about that, I have a tendency to over-share. I wanted to celebrate with you. And I know because you told me, Kusuo. Do you remember?"

Saiki didn't remember at all. He had made it a point to keep it a secret. But maybe...

No, it couldn't have been. It would've been too long ago, right? But this was Akechi...

Akechi giggled.

"I can tell by your expression that you don't remember. It's understandable, it was a long time ago. We were seven, Kusuo. It was June 5th, 1:39 PM, we were playing on the swings during recess. I asked you your favorite color, and you said purple. I said green, but my opinion has changed since then. And then I asked you your favorite food, and you said cake, and I agreed. And then I asked you your birthday, and you said August 16. I wrote it down that day, so I wouldn't forget. I wanted to get you a balloon for your birthday, because we were friends. I'm sure you know what happened after that. I was sorting through my old papers a few months ago, and I found a paper that said " Kusuo". It was a little hard to understand my handwriting, but it was legible."

Saiki was shocked. He didn't think he had ever told anyone.

Akechi smiled and held the balloon to Saiki.

"I finally got you a balloon! Is purple still your favorite color?"

Saiki smiled slightly.

'I guess so. Thank you.'

He took the balloon from his hand and stepped to the side to let Akechi inside.

Akechi beamed with excitement.