For the first time—
Kentarou understood something clearly.
This wasn't just a possibility anymore.
This wasn't just his imagination.
This wasn't just jealousy.
The boy sitting beside Violet was looking at her with the same feelings he had hidden for years.
Kentarou's eyes slowly widened.
The noise of the party faded into the background.
His hand unconsciously touched the small gift box inside his pocket.
And then—
He finally recognized him.
Takahashi Gen.
---
"Kentarou brother is here!"
A loud voice suddenly echoed through the house.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Kentarou blinked.
His dramatic realization was shattered within a second.
"Huh?"
Several children suddenly looked toward the entrance.
Their eyes lit up.
"It's really Kentarou brother!"
"He's here!"
"Brother Kentarou!"
Before Kentarou could react—
A group of children charged toward him.
"W-Wait—"
Too late.
He was completely surrounded.
One child grabbed his arm.
Another tugged his sleeve.
A smaller kid hugged his waist.
"Kentarou brother, play with us!"
"No, tell us a scary story!"
"No, play tag!"
"No, tell us the ghost story from last time!"
"Yeah!"
"Ghost story!"
"Ghost story!"
The children immediately began chanting.
Kentarou sighed.
Somehow—
This always happened.
Meanwhile, from across the room, Violet had noticed the commotion.
She looked over.
Then smiled softly.
---
"He's popular."
Gen muttered quietly.
One of the younger children nearby nodded immediately.
"Of course."
"Hm?"
"Kentarou brother always plays with us."
"He tells stories too."
"Sometimes horror stories."
The child suddenly looked around nervously.
"Then I can't sleep."
"...Then why do you ask him to tell them?"
"I don't know."
Gen laughed.
For some reason—
The image of the quiet Kentarou being surrounded by children felt strangely natural.
---
Meanwhile—
Kentarou was still trapped.
"Please save me."
"No."
The children immediately protested.
"No escaping!"
"You're staying here!"
"We caught you first!"
Kentarou looked defeated.
Then—
A familiar voice spoke.
"Kentarou."
The children turned around.
So did Kentarou.
And for a moment—
His heart nearly stopped.
Violet was walking toward him.
Step by step.
Her white dress moved gently as she walked.
The sunlight from the nearby window illuminated her hair.
Her smile.
Her eyes.
Everything.
To Kentarou—
She looked less like a person and more like an angel descending from heaven.
An angel...
His brain immediately supplied the word.
Definitely an angel.
Meanwhile—
The children exchanged knowing looks.
Then one by one—
They quietly disappeared.
Some ran toward another room.
Some went back to their games.
Others simply vanished.
Within seconds—
The crowd surrounding Kentarou had completely dissolved.
Leaving only two people standing there.
Kentarou.
And Violet.
---
"Happy birthday."
The words finally escaped his mouth.
Simple.
Short.
But genuine.
Violet's smile became slightly brighter.
"Thank you."
Just those two words.
Yet somehow—
Kentarou felt ridiculously happy hearing them.
Then Violet pointed toward the sofa nearby.
"Come sit."
"...Okay."
The two walked toward the sofa.
Unfortunately—
The available seat happened to be beside Gen.
Kentarou sat down.
Immediately becoming aware of his cousin's presence.
Gen glanced toward him.
Kentarou glanced back.
Neither spoke.
A silent battle began.
One that only existed inside Kentarou's head.
---
Then—
Violet sat down.
Directly beside Kentarou.
For a second—
His brain stopped functioning.
To his left—
Violet.
To his right—
Gen.
He was literally sitting between them.
The situation felt so absurd that he wasn't sure whether he should be happy or terrified.
Stay calm.
His heart disagreed.
Stay calm.
His heart disagreed even more.
---
Before the awkwardness could grow further—
Another voice suddenly appeared.
"Am I late?"
Kentarou immediately turned.
And nearly cried tears of joy.
"Senku."
Hayashi Senku had arrived.
Wearing casual clothes.
Holding a small gift bag.
And looking completely relaxed.
Never before had Kentarou been so happy to see another human being.
Senku walked toward them.
Then looked at Violet.
"Happy birthday."
"Thank you."
Senku handed over the gift.
Then casually looked around.
The only available seat remained obvious.
Between Kentarou and Gen.
"Perfect."
Without hesitation—
He sat down.
Kentarou almost wanted to thank the heavens.
The pressure immediately decreased by fifty percent.
Senku looked at him.
Then at Gen.
Then at Violet.
Then back at Kentarou.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
A small smile appeared.
Because somehow—
He immediately understood everything.
And that smile told Kentarou only one thing:
"This party is going to be interesting."
---
Time passed surprisingly quickly.
The awkwardness from earlier slowly disappeared as the conversation continued.
Violet sat comfortably with them, occasionally laughing at Senku's jokes and answering Gen's questions.
At one point, she looked toward the three boys.
"So... are all of you studying at the same school?"
Gen nodded first.
"Yeah."
"I'm in Grade 9."
Violet looked surprised.
"Really?"
Gen smiled.
"Most people don't believe it."
Then she looked at Senku.
"What about you?"
"I'm Kentarou's classmate."
Senku pointed at Kentarou.
"Unfortunately."
"What does that mean?" Kentarou asked.
"It means I have to listen to your problems every day."
"I barely talk."
"Exactly. That's the problem."
Violet laughed.
Meanwhile, Gen quietly watched the interaction.
Then Senku suddenly leaned forward.
"Oh right."
"Hm?"
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
The question came out so naturally that nobody reacted immediately.
Then—
Everyone froze.
Including Violet.
Including Kentarou.
Including Gen.
Even Senku looked surprised at himself.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Senku."
"What?"
"You just asked that."
"Oh."
Violet laughed softly.
Then shook her head.
"No."
Kentarou felt his shoulders relax.
At the same time—
Gen also relaxed.
The two boys accidentally looked at each other.
Then immediately looked away.
---
The birthday celebration continued.
Cake was served.
Photos were taken.
Children ran around the house.
Adults chatted happily.
Laughter filled every room.
For once—
Everything felt peaceful.
---
As evening slowly turned into night—
The stars began appearing in the sky.
The moon shone brightly above the city.
Kentarou looked toward Violet.
Then quietly stood.
"Kubo."
She turned.
"Hm?"
"Can you come with me for a moment?"
She tilted her head.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
---
The two stepped onto the balcony.
The noise from inside became distant.
Only the cool night breeze remained.
For a while—
Neither spoke.
They simply looked upward.
At the stars.
At the moon.
At the endless sky.
Then Kentarou finally spoke.
"The sky looks beautiful."
Violet smiled.
"Yeah."
"It does."
Silence returned.
A comfortable silence.
Then—
Kentarou slowly placed his hand inside his pocket.
His heart was beating faster than ever.
The gift box.
The reason he had waited for this day.
The reason he had visited the mall.
The reason he had spent days thinking about what to say.
He carefully took it out.
Then looked at her.
"Happy Birthday."
Violet blinked.
The small box was now in front of her.
For a second—
She looked surprised.
Then she accepted it carefully.
"Kentarou..."
"Open it."
She slowly opened the box.
And immediately froze.
Inside—
The silver necklace reflected the moonlight beautifully.
For a moment—
She simply stared at it.
Then her eyes widened.
"It's beautiful!"
The reaction came instantly.
"Kentarou, when did you buy this?"
"Did you choose it yourself?"
"How did you know I liked this style?"
"Wait, is this silver?"
"How much did it cost?"
"Did you really buy this for me?"
Question after question.
One after another.
Without pause.
Without breathing.
Without giving Kentarou even a single chance to answer.
He simply watched.
Watching her smile.
Watching her excitement.
Watching her happiness.
The moonlight gently illuminated her face.
Her eyes sparkled.
Her smile looked brighter than any star above them.
For a moment—
Kentarou forgot about everything else.
The party.
The guests.
Even Gen.
None of it mattered.
Because right now—
She looked happy.
And that was enough.
A small smile appeared on his face.
A satisfied smile.
The kind of smile that only appears when something precious goes exactly the way you hoped.
Then Violet carefully closed the box.
Holding it close.
And looked at him.
"I'll cherish this."
Those four words alone—
Made every worry worth it.
Every second.
Every doubt.
Every nervous thought.
Worth it.
---
Then suddenly—
A voice came from behind.
"Kubo."
Both turned.
A boy stood near the balcony door.
"Everyone's looking for you."
Violet blinked.
"Oh."
She looked back toward Kentarou.
Then smiled.
"I'll be back in a moment."
Kentarou nodded.
"Okay."
She carefully held the gift box.
Then walked back inside.
Leaving the balcony.
Leaving Kentarou alone beneath the night sky.
---
For a few moments—
He simply stood there.
Looking upward.
The stars seemed brighter than before.
The breeze felt cooler.
His heart felt lighter.
Then—
Another voice spoke beside him.
"The sky looks beautiful, right?"
Kentarou remained silent.
The voice continued.
"Just like her."
Kentarou slowly turned his head.
To the right.
And saw who had spoken.
Wolf-cut hair.
Calm expression.
Hands in pockets.
Takahashi Gen.
Their eyes met.
Neither smiled.
Neither looked away.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Then Kentarou finally spoke.
"What do you want?"