𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 || 𝕂𝕪𝕠 𝕊𝕠𝕙𝕞𝕒

I Wasn't Thinking

In just two short months, Hiyori's second year of high school will have reached its end. She will officially be a third-year student, inching toward graduation. And after that...

Well, the last thing Hiyori wanted to think about in the morning was that. Granted, it's one of the last things she wanted to think about at any time of the day, but that's not the point. The point is that she didn't want to start off her day like this. For Hiyori, starting her morning right was important. If she began with a smile, keeping it up all day would be easier.

When she woke up, Tohru was already gone. That wasn't especially uncommon, so Hiyori didn't think much of it. Tohru had always been an earlier riser and Hiyori had always been...not that.

Opening the curtain, she found a cloudy grey sky. Not unexpected for a cool day in mid-February. Hiyori still didn't like this sort of weather, but if it meant slowing down time, she would welcome an eternity of cold and grey with open arms.

She put on her lavender sweater over her uniform. Downstairs, when she approached the kitchen, she heard nothing but silence. Not even the sounds of Tohru cooking behind the door. That struck her as odd, considering it was still too early for her to have finished cooking. But when she opened the door, she realized why.

Standing there were Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure. Tohru was holding a plate of fluffy soufflé pancakes with fruits and whipped cream -- otherwise known as Hiyori's favorite breakfast. She and Shigure were beaming as they sang together.

"Happy birthday, Hiyori~!"

Blinking at them, Hiyori smiled blankly. "...Huh?"

"Seventeen years old." Shigure sighed wistfully. "Our Hiyori is growing up. It brings tears to my eyes."

Tohru grinned at her. "How are you feeling, Hiyori? Any older?"

Hiyori was still staring at them. "Is...Is this a prank? It's not my birthday."

•

•

•

All four of them froze. They stared right back at her. "...Huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Yuki asked her. "We celebrated on this same day last year."

She smiled weakly. "But...That can't be right." She turned to look at the calendar on the fridge. "My birthday isn't for another..."

Seeing the date on the calendar, she trailed off. February 19th.

Then she shrieked in bewilderment.

~🦋~

The cackling laughter during lunch break turned many heads in their classroom. Feeling the eyes on their group, Hiyori flushed.

"Seriously?!" Speaking through her laughter, Uo clutched her stomach. "That's hilarious! If it was anyone else, I wouldn't believe it! Only you could forget your own birthday!"

Smiling, Hana nodded. "That is true. You really are one of a kind, Hiyori."

Hiyori slumped in her seat. "That doesn't sound like much of a compliment..."

Snickering, Uo ruffled her brown hair. "Sure it is. The world wouldn't be the same without you."

"Right..."

In all honesty, Hiyori was a little worried about Uo these past few weeks. She wondered if her friend really would be able to move on from Kureno like she said she would. But she should have known that Uo would be fine. The blonde was smiling and laughing a lot more lately. She seemed happy again. Naturally, that made Hiyori happy, too.