"Hayasaka, it seemed like you didn't want me to eat cake just now."
After getting over her anxiety about her figure and weight, Hayasaka realized that Ren seemed to subtly suggest she skip the cake.
"It's not that I didn't want you to eat it. The main issue is, if you eat cake today, you'll probably end up eating it tomorrow, and the day after that too."
"Huh?"
Hayasaka was stunned for a moment before understanding.
"So, other people have birthdays too?"
"Yeah. Yesterday was Miwako's birthday. Today's yours. Tomorrow is Aizawa's, and the day after that is Sonoko's."
He listed off four names in one breath. All of them had birthdays in early April—it felt like some kind of cosmic prank.
Almost like early April was one big April Fool's joke.
But these birthdays weren't jokes.
"You're all bunched together."
Hayasaka hadn't expected to share her birthday with so many people. Then, she caught on to the idea.
"So, Ren, you're planning to gather everyone and celebrate all the birthdays at once?"
"Exactly. Regardless of whose birthday it is, we'd all end up attending anyway. But attending a birthday party three days in a row isn't really practical. So I figured, why not just combine them into one big party?"
A group birthday party? Hayasaka couldn't help but picture everyone gathered together. It would definitely be livelier than expected.
Thinking about it, Hayasaka started to look forward to it.
There had been plenty of times in the past when she couldn't properly celebrate her birthday. But this time, she'd be sharing it with several people. That kind of experience was rare.
"What do you think, Hayasaka?"
Coming back to her senses, Hayasaka nodded slightly.
"A party like that should be really lively. But holding a group birthday party like this takes planning, and we need the right venue. So, Ren, do you already have a place in mind?"
"Actually, Kaguya's place, Nagi's place, and Aizawa's place are all suitable. But if I had to pick one, I'd go with Nagi's."
There were three possible locations, but Ren still believed that Nagi's home was the most appropriate.
"Aizawa has lots of friends in Hakuo, and Nagi does too. Once we invite those friends, it'll be easier to reinforce Nagi's social position."
"As for Kaguya and you—do you two have anyone at Shuchiin you'd actually want to invite, besides Fujiwara?"
Hayasaka thought about it, then sighed.
"Unfortunately, my relationships at Shuchiin are mostly surface-level. I maintain my social network while hiding my identity as Kaguya's maid. Because of that, my public image there is just some flashy girl who likes gossip."
"When it comes to friends, I only have classmates I interact with to maintain my cover. They're not real friends."
"Kaguya's situation is about the same. Shuchiin is like a cage for her. She's too exceptional. Aside from Fujiwara Chika, she doesn't really have close friends."
In short, Hayasaka wasn't going to invite anyone from Shuchiin.
Her so-called classmates were just that—classmates. No one she could genuinely call a friend.
And Hayasaka was also certain that Kaguya would never invite Shirogane from Shuchiin to this birthday party.
If he came, it wouldn't be to celebrate. It'd just stir up unnecessary trouble.
So no one else from Shuchiin would be attending.
Given that, Kaguya's place wasn't a suitable venue.
Aizawa and Nagi had overlapping friend circles, and both had connections in Hakuo. So, the best location would be Nagi's home.
"Yeah, Nagi's house is definitely the best option."
Having reached that conclusion, Hayasaka knew what needed to be done next.
"So, next step is to talk with Nagi?"
"Yeah. Let's contact her and make sure she's awake first."
Hayasaka instinctively glanced at her phone.
7:23 AM. For her, it was already quite late.
Back when she was busier with maid duties, waking up at 5 AM was standard.
But considering today was the weekend and Nagi was only 13, it wasn't strange that she was still asleep at this time.
Ren pulled out his phone and called Nagi.
The line rang for more than 20 seconds before someone finally picked up.
"...Hello… who is it…?"
A groggy Nagi answered, her voice still drowsy.
"It's me, Nagi."
"Mmm… Ren… Hmmm~"
After a long yawn, Nagi's voice became more alert.
"Ah~ You called me so early. What's up?"
"Birthdays. Today is Hayasaka's. Tomorrow is Aizawa's. The day after is Sonoko's."
"...Right, tomorrow's Sakuya's birthday too."
Hearing Sakuya's name seemed to finally wake Nagi up.
She suddenly remembered it was Sakuya's birthday tomorrow. Now that she thought about it, she'd completely forgotten. She hadn't even prepared a gift.
"That's weird… Why didn't Sakuya remind me about her birthday this year?"
Normally, Sakuya would let her know in advance every year. Why didn't she say anything this time?
"Maybe she's been busy lately?"
"And we've been hanging out on weekends a lot lately. Maybe she forgot her own birthday?"
"Hmm… that's possible."
Nagi thought about it carefully. That really seemed like the only explanation. If Sakuya remembered, she would've already sent out invitations.
"So Hayasaka and Suzuki also have birthdays around now? Are you calling to throw a party for them too?"
"Yeah. Hayasaka and I are going to come over first. We'll talk more then."
"Sounds good."
(To be continued.)