Ch.140Chapter 140

“Happy birthday to you~”

The birthday song. Clapping hands, celebrating Sera’s birthday, cheering, and blowing out the candles on the cake.

It was a moment that passed in an instant with a “poof,” but that moment itself seemed to express its presence so intensely that it felt deeply etched in my mind.

Sera, Aria, and Karen all smiled as if they were enjoying themselves. And in between them, my emotions that couldn’t contain their joy burst forth like the fireworks that had exploded earlier, as I slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

Just as I was about to smile widely, I saw Ouro stretching her hand out in front of me.

“I’ll eat it.”

Ouro tried to grab it with her hands, just like she usually does with pizza or chicken.

“W-wait a minute! You don’t grab it with your hands!”

I stood up, slamming both hands on the table.

You can eat pizza or chicken with your hands. But not cake. Just like you don’t grab the topping part when eating pizza, it was better not to grab cake with your hands either.

The cream would get all over your hands.

I tried to find forks. If I had known we would all be eating together like this, I would have asked for disposable forks, but I was caught off guard because I never dreamed we would be eating here.

“Professor…!”

“I don’t have any disposable forks…”

Y-yes, of course…

Who would have thought that a research lab meant for research would become such a lively space for eating cake?

We had been hanging out for an entire semester, but I never expected we’d be eating cake here too. There was no way there would be forks. I froze at the Professor’s regretful voice and hung my head.

“But this is really cute. I never thought Ourr would prepare something like this.”

“She must have specially ordered it from the bakery, not just bought it!”

“That’s adorable.”

I turned my head. I could see Karen and Aria responding after Sera’s admiration.

I felt embarrassed but also incredibly happy inside. The thought wouldn’t leave my mind that if we could eat together now, it would surely be fun to enjoy not just with Sera but with everyone else too.

If only we had forks.

That thought kept circling in my mind. Ouro, who was being held by Aria, was struggling as if she wanted to eat the cake right away. But Aria, who was hugging Ouro, wouldn’t let her go.

“Okay, I’ll be right back!”

“Huh? Where are you going?!”

I closed my eyes tightly and called out to my friends. Before they could react, the Professor asked first.

She seemed a bit surprised that I was going somewhere alone.

“To get forks…”

“The bakery that made this custom cake is far away. And if you want to find forks, you’d have to go quite a distance… I’ll go instead. Everyone have some drinks while waiting.”

As I hesitated, the Professor sighed deeply and stood up.

The Professor, wearing a short jacket, placed her hand on my head and smiled.

“Chat with your friends.”

“But…”

“It’s okay.”

The Professor left the research lab quickly, as if there was no need for me to go.

It became quiet for a moment, as if a storm had just passed. With the sound of the door closing, Aria spoke first.

“…We should probably put the cake back in the refrigerator.”

“You’re right.”

Sera nodded. She seemed to have decided we couldn’t eat it right away.

I agreed with that opinion, but I still felt a bit disappointed. It seemed cruel that after saying happy birthday and singing the song, we had to wait for the cake.

It couldn’t be helped. Even with the air conditioning, if the cake stayed out without being eaten, the cream might melt.

“Can’t be helped…”

It wasn’t like we couldn’t eat it at all. We were just postponing it.

Still, disappointment was disappointment, and I had to reluctantly nod. Karen, seeming to understand my feelings, came closer and gently added:

“The Professor will be back soon. Until then, why don’t we chat about something fun?”

“Yeah.”

“What about the cake…? I’ll just eat it with my hands.”

As the mood shifted toward putting the cake back in the box, Ouro struggled in Aria’s arms, wanting to eat it right now.

“You can’t do that.”

Aria held Ouro even more firmly.

Ouro, naturally weaker in strength, couldn’t escape from Aria. I felt sorry watching her twist and turn her body in vain, unable to break free.

Missing out on something delicious is certainly disappointing, but perhaps the thought of having it right in front of you and then not being able to eat it was unbearable.

“Uuuuugh…!”

Though her facial expressions weren’t dramatically changing, the desperation in her voice evoked sympathy from everyone.

We chatted about various things with the others. Things that happened during summer vacation, and what each of us did at home. Before long, the Professor returned with disposable forks to distribute.

She must not have been able to just ask for forks at the convenience store, as she came back carrying a lot of extra things.

I looked toward the rustling sound. Without making us wait any longer, the Professor immediately placed everything on the table with a thud.

“Here, since cake alone won’t be enough, let’s eat these too.”

“Wow. What’s all this?”

Sera clapped her hands in response. I also became curious about what was in the bags and looked up.

Glancing over, I saw the Professor smiling wryly as she opened the bags wide.

“Nothing special, just some food from the convenience store. Chicken, sausages, I grabbed everything.”

“Wow…”

“Thank you for the food…!”

My mouth fell open.

They were foods easily found at convenience stores, but I never dreamed she would bring so many, and my eyes widened.

The Professor’s choice was wise. If she had asked them to fry chicken, it would have taken a long time, but by grabbing what was already at the convenience store, she could bring it back quickly without waiting.

Attracted by the delicious smell, Ouro’s attention shifted from the cake to the fried food.

“Yummy things…!”

“Oh my.”

Ouro’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the sight of the fried food. Aria, perhaps feeling bad about restraining her any longer, relaxed her arms.

Released, Ouro immediately ran to the Professor. She hugged her with a thump and then grabbed the fork the Professor had put down.

“Can I eat with this?”

“Yes, you can. Come on, let’s eat.”

At the Professor’s gesture, everyone sat back down properly.

Ouro, now free, clenched her fist and shook it up and down excitedly. When a piece of chicken was placed in front of her, she started devouring it without a moment’s hesitation.

Though she attacked it eagerly, she wasn’t particularly fast. With her small mouth and jaw strength nowhere near that of an alligator, I could see her holding onto one piece and chewing it for a long time.

“Delicious!”

“Thank you for the food.”

Following Ouro’s exclamation, everyone thanked the Professor and reached for their forks.

Chicken, sausages, hot dogs. Plenty of food. Enough food to celebrate a birthday.

Of course, there could be better food out there. We could have gone to a restaurant for something delicious. If we had brought just the right amount, we might have eaten it while it was warmer.

It wasn’t piping hot, just food that had been fried once and cooled down, but the taste felt incredibly intense right now.

A tangy flavor tickled my nose.

I was happy. I had thought every day was just an ordinary routine, but special days like this one sparkled in between, touching my heart.

I felt emotional. It was nothing special, but I felt like crying.

It was a busy day celebrating Sera’s birthday, and here I was getting all sentimental by myself.

I took a sip of the drink that came with the chicken, pouring it into a paper cup. I pinched my tingling nose and squeezed my eyes shut. The tingling sensation made my body tremble without me realizing it.

By the time I opened my eyes, everyone was staring at me.

“What’s this, is Ourr weak to cola too?”

“She must be drunk! Professor…!”

Startled by Aria’s words, Karen immediately called for the Professor’s help.

“We can’t let Ourr get drunk…!?”

“What’s wrong?”

Following Sera’s bewildered voice, the Professor also questioned.

I tilted my head, ignoring their voices.

It was nice that they were concerned about me getting drunk. After all, I had ended up in that state after drinking just one can of beer before.

But something felt odd. What I drank wasn’t beer but soda, so why would they think I was drunk from that?

“I’m not drunk! How could I get drunk from drinking cola!”

I snapped.

After yelling at my friends for saying such nonsense, they finally calmed down and scratched their heads.

I felt a bit better after scolding my friends who genuinely thought I could get drunk from something like this.

“Phew…”

“Sorry, your face was so red that we thought…”

As I sighed deeply, Karen apologetically put her hands together.

“This is just… because I’m happy…”

There was no need to apologize that much. Misunderstandings happen all the time. As long as they weren’t completely unreasonable and didn’t lead to unfair treatment, it was fine.

After brushing it off, I looked at the cup I had been clutching in both hands and emptied it in one gulp.