Alice woke up at dawn and got out of bed. She walked down the hall to go to the bathroom, then she passed by the calendar. Alice glanced at it and assumed there was nothing before realizing it was February 23rd, her birthday.
"Today's my birthday huh? That means I'm officially 17 years old." She said to herself, still a bit drowsy.
She began preparing for the day with a quick shower, brushing her hair, and then wearing her school uniform. Alice walked downstairs to the living room where she saw her grandpa sitting at the dinner table while listening to his favorite broadcast.
"Morning Grandpa." Alice said in a cheerful tone.
"Good morning sweetheart. I've made some fried rice and sunny side-ups." Her grandpa told her.
"Ah, thanks Gramps." She said.
Alice sat down across from her grandpa and he scooped some fried rice and placed it onto Alice's plate. Her grandpa hands the plate of fried rice over to her and she happily accepts it. She took a spoonful of rice and chowed down on it. As they happily settled in, Alice decided to let him know discreetly about her birthday,
"Hey Grandpa, noticed anything different about me?" She asked him.
He began examining Alice, trying to find if there were any physical changes.
"Hmm, I can't place a finger on it. Did you get shorter?" Her grandpa said to her.
Alice felt a bit annoyed by her grandpa's comment and began pouting.
"You seriously think I got shorter huh? Don't you remember what day is it?" Alice asked him.
"Today's Friday right?" He casually asked.
"Jeez, I can't believe you forgot!" Alice said to him, feeling a bit sad.
Her grandpa slightly chuckles seeing his grandchild's annoyed face.
"I'm just teasing you, happy birthday Alice." He told her.
Alice was surprised when he told her that he had remembered her birthday. Her eyes glowed and she smiled brightly.
"So you do remember!" She said happily.
"Of course, I would. I was looking forward to the day you were finally 16 years old." Her grandpa told her.
Alice was confused when he mentioned she was 16 years old.
"Uhm, I'm 17 years old gramps." Alice told him.
"W-What? You're 17 already!?" Her grandpa was shocked to hear that.
"What do you mean? We celebrated my 16 birthday last year!" Alice reminded him.
"Sorry, I'm beginning to forget things here and there. I guess I'm not getting any younger." Her grandpa told her.
"It's okay, but you're still pretty handsome for someone your age. People would probably mistake you for a 30-year-old." Alice said as he tried to cheer him up.
"I don't need any flattery from a youngster. I still got that dog in me!" He chuckled.
They shared a quick laugh before continuing breakfast. While Alice was eating, her grandpa stood up and walked into the storage room. Alice wondered what he was doing before seeing him coming back with a small box.
"I think your father would love to have this." The manager told her.
Alice opens the small box to find a heart-shaped locket necklace in it. Alice looked in awe and took it out of the box.
