Chapter 103: Birthday (Part 1)
The third term had started, and the days passed by as usual.
Alicia had set aside every Wednesday as her rest day, disconnecting our synchronization.
At first, I was a bit thrown off by Alicia’s absence, but once I got used to it, I began to think that maybe it was actually a good thing.
No matter how much I cared about Alicia, being under her constant gaze made me feel tense, whether I realized it or not.
That weekly break helped ease that tension—and precisely because she wasn’t there, I was able to truly feel how important and irreplaceable Alicia was. For me, those rest days became a chance to reawaken that awareness.
Then came February.
While the rest of the world was swept up in Valentine’s Day fever, our household was preparing for a completely different, yet equally important event.
Our birthdays.
February 8th was Yuna’s birthday, and mine came just a day later on February 10th. And this year, Alicia—who was born in the other world at the exact same time and day as me—would be joining us in the celebration.
Every year, we held a birthday party on February 9th, the day right between Yuna’s and mine.
We planned to do the same this year. Since I’d gone missing last year and we couldn’t celebrate, Mom had been eagerly preparing for a big celebration this time, starting weeks ago.
Wednesday, February 8th
Today was Yuna’s birthday. Coincidentally, it was also Alicia’s rest day, when we weren’t synchronized. After school, I went out into town alone to do some shopping.
To buy birthday presents for Yuna and Alicia.
That said, I’d already picked out what to get during a recent Sunday outing with both of them. At a general store, we had come across a pair of large stuffed penguins—each about fifty centimeters tall. I was planning to give one to Yuna and the other to Alicia.
Alicia had taken a particular liking to penguins—second only to dolphins—after seeing them toddling around during our last visit to the aquarium.
And there was a reason I wanted to give the same gift to Yuna.
At the aquarium, Yuna had said she was too old to ask for a stuffed toy. But every time she came to my room, she’d hug my stuffed dolphin and bury her face in it. I figured that deep down, she still wanted one but had held back.
Besides that, I also bought a tartan checkered stole I found at a clothing store—Alicia had asked me to pick it up as a present for Yuna.
Alicia probably asked Yuna to get something for me as well. A little surprise even among close friends—or in our case, family.
“Oh? Isn’t that Alice?”
Just as I’d finished shopping and was walking through the town center, someone suddenly called out to me.
When I turned around, I saw Hisui and Souta standing there.
“…Hey.”
“This is rare. You two being together.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen this brother-sister duo out together—probably not since elementary school. It’s not that they disliked each other, but they didn’t get along well enough to do things just the two of them very often.
“Well… it just sort of happened.”
Souta looked awkward for some reason.
“You’re acting like someone caught you sneaking off on a date.”
“Wh—what!? A date!?”
Souta panicked, while Hisui shot him a look of genuine disgust.
“Alice, jokes like that just aren’t funny. Souta said he couldn’t come up with a present for you, so I’m just tagging along to help him.”
“…You shouldn’t be talking about presents in front of the person they’re for.”
“I didn’t say what he was getting, so what’s the big deal? Besides, going with Souta means I can increase my own gift budget. It's like having a walking wallet along for the ride.”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of harsh to say to your own brother…?”
“Honestly, for a pervert who said he wanted to give Alice pure white underwear for her birthday, I think I’m being downright kind. It’s seriously disgusting.”
Hisui spat the words out with open disdain.
“S-Seriously…?”
I forced a bitter smile.
So Souta wanted to give me that but didn’t have the guts to go buy it on his own—so he worked up the courage to talk to Hisui about it. He definitely directed his bravery in the wrong direction there.
“…Souta, do you really want to see me in white underwear that badly?”
“Th-that’s not it, okay!? That was just a joke—I wasn’t being serious!”
“…Oh really?”
Hisui’s icy stare pierced through Souta.
“Well, I’m not really bothered by it, so it’s fine.”
I already knew all about Souta’s tastes.
…Though, even if he had given them to me, there’s no way I’d ever show him what I looked like wearing them.
“I’m telling you, it was a misunderstanding…”
Yeah, I know. I get it.
“Come to think of it, where’s Alicia today?”
Noticing Alicia hadn’t reacted at all, Hisui asked the question.
Her eyes had that distant, penetrating gaze, and I could tell she was looking at our souls in that moment.
“Alicia takes Wednesdays off—she disconnects our synchronization on those days.”
“Now that you mention it… it is Wednesday, huh. Are you okay?”
Hisui asked with concern in her voice.
So dramatic…
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s only once a week, and I’m used to it by now.”
“…I see.”
Hisui’s expression twisted with unease. Did I sound like I was putting on a brave face? That’s not how I meant it at all…
“Are you heading home now?”
“Yeah. I just have to stop by the supermarket to pick up what Mom asked for, then I’m going back.”
“…You sure you can carry all that by yourself?”
“If you want, I could make Souta help carry it to your place.”
Brother and sister, worrying about me together. I guess they do get along in some ways.
“It’s just bulky, not heavy, so I’m good. Besides, I’m probably stronger than Souta anyway, remember?”
“…I mean, I know that in my head, but it’s still hard to believe when I look at you.”
“You two are going shopping now, right? Don’t worry about me—just have fun. I know I’m the one getting the present, so it’s kind of weird for me to say, but…”
“…Whether I’ll actually have fun with him is another matter, but fine.”
“Looking forward to tomorrow. I’m really excited for the party.”
Besides my family, Souta, Hisui, and Suzuka were also coming to tomorrow’s birthday party.
“It’s been a while since you two came over, huh… When was the last time?”
Back when I was still a guy, we used to visit each other’s houses pretty often.
I’ve gone to Souta’s house a few times since I became like this, but this’ll be the first time they’re coming to my place. It felt kind of emotional, in a way.
“…You seriously don’t remember?”
Souta looked at me with a mix of disbelief and exasperation.
“We were last at your house for the funeral, remember?”
…That’s right.
“…I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay now. You came back to us, and that’s what matters.”
“Still, I never imagined we’d be celebrating a birthday after a funeral.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
The three of us shared a laugh.
It made me genuinely happy that we could all smile together like this again.
“Well then, see you tomorrow.”
“Say hi to your mom for us.”
With that, I parted ways with Souta and Hisui as they headed off into town.
“Welcome back.”
Mom called out to me from the kitchen, where she was working on preparations for tomorrow.
“I’m home, Mom. Here’s the shopping you asked for.”
“Thanks, Alice… Did you go up to your room first?”
“Yeah, I wanted to put away the gifts I bought. Need any help with anything?”
“I’m okay. Today’s just prep work.”
“I see… Something smells really good—what are you making?”
“Cake.”
“That’s amazing! You can bake cakes now too, Mom?”
“I thought I’d give it a try since it’s a special occasion. This year’s birthday is extra special, after all. You’re home again, and we get to celebrate with Alicia.”
“Can I take a look?”
“Sure, though they don’t look as neat as store-bought ones…”
“Not at all! Wow—they look delicious!”
There were two slightly smaller round cakes lined up. One was a strawberry cake for Yuna, and the other was chocolate—Alicia’s favorite.
On the name plates were written: Alicia, Alice, Yuna… and Ikuto.
“…Mom, this…”
I hadn’t expected to see that name, and emotion swelled up from inside me.
“Because Ikuto is my beloved son. Of course I’m going to celebrate him properly.”
“Mom…”
“I know you’re Alice now, so I treat you as my daughter in daily life—but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten you were Ikuto.”
She reached out and gently touched my cheek. I hadn’t even realized tears were falling.
It wasn’t sadness—but I couldn’t stop crying. Was this body more prone to tears?
Mom held me gently in her arms until I had calmed down.
The next day, February 9th—party day.
But even then, Alicia and I remained disconnected.
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