Leo

Tomorrow, at 3PM

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The next day

"Happy birthday to you~"

"Happy birthday to you~"

Chouchou sang and clapped along with her friends from team 10 and 7 while she displayed a slightly confused face.

"Happy Birthday, Mitsuki!"

Everyone clapped and congratulated their now 16 years old friend(who wore both a tiny blue party hat and a wide smile) with laughs and good wishes in front of a spontaneous birthday cake. Chouchou approached Sarada and whispered carefully

"Hey Sarada, was Mitsuki's birthday really today?"

Sarada crookedly smiled

"We actually just found out yesterday..."

Chouchou watched from afar the birthday guy. Mitsuki has grown a bit taller than her, but he looked the same. She long ago stopped to call him an average looking guy, but it wasn't that she changed her mind, she was trying to be more polite with him. It was hard for her to admit it openly, but Mitsuki was a good guy... She could even dare to say he was cool. Not hot cool, of course. Perhaps chill was the right word here.

Mitsuki smiled back at Chouchou and she realized she had been looking at him for too long. "Better not give him ideas, he probably is still into me," she turned away crossing her arms in an effort to look uninterested.

"Here, your present!"

Well, fuck. Now everyone had probably a present but her. She had a half-eaten bag of chips in her pocket, something not that worthy for the celebration. While everyone gathered closer to the birthday guy, Chouchou sneaked out in a hasted motion to the nearby grocery store. Said action was noticed by someone else...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chouchou grabbed one by one each potato chip bag between her hands not knowing for sure what to pick for Mitsuki. "What does this guy even eat?" She had never seen him put anything in his mouth before... Not even the chips she gave to him on that one mission. Chouchou grabbed the console flavored chips(The yellow/orange baggy) between her hands as memories of that day flooded her mind.

"I give chips to the people I like, huh?"

Chouchou chanted with some fondness what she said back then. If it wasn't for Mitsuki's speech she wasn't sure what could have happened-

"Yeah, I remember that."

Chouchou's skin jumped out of her body when she heard a familiar deep, robotic voice. Mitsuki stood next to her with his usual gentle smile.

"W-what are you doing here?! You scared me!"

Mitsuki took one hand to his chin

"You looked troubled before leaving."

"I thought it was suspicious."

Chouchou looked away while she fixed her long auburn hair.

"Sorry, I didn't buy you a present like the others..."

"It's fine. I don't need presents."

Humans were really into strange rituals, Mitsuki pondered. He sometimes would follow them just not to alienate himself more from the group. People being upset for not receiving a present was still a mystery to him.

"I want to give you something too, OK?"

"..."

"Then, can I have those?"