Today is July 16th, and we are gathered at Alice Margatroid's house to celebrate her birthday. Marisa had invited us, although Alice herself is unaware of the surprise celebration.
As the night falls, Alice is currently engaged in a conversation by Lady Patchouli in the human village, providing us with the perfect opportunity to prepare everything inside her house.
"Marisa... are you done yet?" I asked, growing a bit impatient.
"Hold on, I'm planting something!" Marisa responded, engrossed in her task.
"What are you planting?" Sakuya inquired, placing the cake in the center of the room.
"Hm? You don't need to ask! Birthdays always come with fireworks, you know?"
Sakuya and I exchanged a glance, wearing matching blank expressions.
"T-That's for New Year's, Marisa,"
"It's still the same!"
Reimu entered through the door, "Patchouli and Alice are on their way!"
"Eh?! Already!?"
Reimu nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"I'm closing the lights now!"
"Alright, everyone! Let's do this!" Marisa encouraged us, her voice filled with anticipation.
Youmu proceeded to turn off the lights, creating an atmosphere of suspense as we waited for Patchouli and Alice to arrive.
We could hear the distant voices of Lady Patchouli and Alice engaged in conversation, growing closer with each passing moment.
"Hm? I don't remember turning off the lights..." Alice says, looking through the window in confusion.
"This is why I told you to take a break from magic research, Alice," Patchouli sighs.
But just as Alice opens the door, a sudden burst of fireworks fills the sky, illuminating the surroundings with a kaleidoscope of colors.
"Surprise! Happy Birthday, Alice!" we all shout in unison, stepping forward to reveal ourselves in the glow of the fireworks.
Alice's eyes widen with astonishment and delight. "Oh my, you all... You really did this for me?"
Marisa grins mischievously. "Of course, we did, Alice! It's your special day, and we wanted to make it unforgettable."
Reimu adds with a warm smile, "Happy birthday, Alice. May this year bring you joy and happiness"
"Hehe... Thank you, everyone. Though I must say... you all did a great job, but I already knew the moment Marisa entered my house," Alice says, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"EH!? Seriously!?" Marisa exclaims, looking surprised.
Alice sighs and points at a doll hanging on the shelf. "That doll over there. Its position changed slightly when Marisa entered."
We all turn to look at the doll she pointed out.
"Ah..."
We all turn back to Marisa.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Marisa apologizes with a sheepish grin.
"Now, now~ Let's not dwell on that. Let's get to eating," Yuyuko says cheerfully staring at the food.
"Oh, and the gifts are right in your room," Marisa adds her grin widens
"Thank you, everyone."
And so, we continue to celebrate Alice's birthday throughout the night, filled with laughter and delicious food. As the celebration winded down, many of the guests became intoxicated and headed back to their homes, leaving only me and Alice in the house. I decided to stay behind to clean up.
"Shun," Alice says, looking at me with a soft gaze.
"Still up, I see? Glad you're not drunk," I smirked.
"Heh, nope," she replies with a gentle smile.
We share a moment of silence, the air filled with a comfortable atmosphere.
"Um... I actually wanted to give you this personally," I say, reaching into my pocket and taking out a small box, which I hand to Alice.
Her eyes widen slightly and blush colors her cheeks. "An engagement ring?"
"Uh?! No, no. It's actually..." I open the box to reveal a delicate necklace.
"Hehe, I was just kidding," Alice says, teasingly.
"Don't give me that... You'll make my heart jump,"
"Well, if this is for me... Do you mind putting it on for me?"
I look at her and smile, nodding in response. I carefully take the necklace from the box and slowly fasten it around her neck.
The necklace gleams like a precious gem against her skin.
"Thank you, Shun."
I nod, my heart filled with warmth. "Happy Birthday, Alice."
(Author Note: It's true! It's her birthday today!)