The Best

“Hmm, how should I handle Lua’s birthday…?”

Birthday.

In other words, a day that is celebrated and blessed by its very existence.

“According to the current schedule, you’ll only have time in the afternoon.”

“My, our capable vice guild master. Can’t I take just that one day off?”

“…Are you serious?”

“N-no, it’s a joke, a joke. Why are you getting so serious?”

Still, relatively speaking, it was more relaxed compared to usual. It hadn’t been just one or two days that she had been overworked as guild master until late in the evening.

Rather, since she had time to devote to her precious child’s birthday, she wanted to create an even better memory. Come to think of it, this was almost the first birthday they would spend together.

“But I haven’t heard anything about a birthday from Ms. Lua herself.”

“She must have forgotten. She’s still a child, after all.”

After that, she set aside the documents she had been reviewing and continued to contemplate her child’s birthday.

Of course, as might be expected, her strict secretary’s nagging that she should focus solely on work when working pierced her ears… but what did such work matter?

Document approvals could be postponed a little.

“But our Lua’s birthday can’t be postponed, you know?”

“The dispatch date for guild members can’t be postponed either. Even if you plan Lua’s birthday party, please finish all the document approvals first.”

It was about five minutes later when she reluctantly picked up her pen again due to continued urging and pushing.

So, from the time she started scribbling her signature after checking only the important content, how much time had passed?

“…What should I do about the cake and present?”

As she finished approving the last document, she once again voiced a question about the child’s birthday.

What came next was a voice that was calm as always.

“They say a gift is up to the giver’s heart, but for a cake, I heard it’s better to let them choose directly.”

“Is that so?”

Why did it seem convincing despite the lack of any particular evidence?

However, while she might not know about other things, she couldn’t easily yield her opinion on matters like the scale of the birthday party.

“A poster the size of a 2-story building isn’t celebrating, it’s traumatizing.”

“No matter what, it’s not traumatic!”

“I dare to confidently say that it will be the worst birthday in Ms. Lua’s life.”

In the end, they repeated a rather nutritionless argument for quite some time.

The conclusion reached only about an hour later was a kind of compromise.

“For now, let’s just have it between the two of you first. As for others who want to celebrate Ms. Lua’s birthday separately, let’s select just a few representatives.”

Since she unconsciously realized that this was already quite a concession, she couldn’t retreat any further.

Instead, though it’s not quite a substitute, she had said that the child’s birthday gift could be expanded to include quite useful artifacts.

“Hmm, Lua. Is there anything you need or want separately?”

She indirectly asked the child, whom she met again only late in the evening when it was well past quitting time, if there was a separate birthday gift she wanted.

However, unlike a child of an age where one would typically want many things, she didn’t express any particular requirements.

“Just letting me into your guild is enough. I’m serious.”

“R-really…?”

In the end, she pondered deeply once more.

But no matter how great a guild master of one of the three major guilds is, they cannot possess better insight than someone who has cared for children their entire life.

[Why do you only look for me when you’re in need, Asha? Where were you when you made a busy person make wasted trips?]

“Come to think of it, there were still repair costs for equipment lent to the academy, weren’t there?”

[I’m pleased to be of assistance to our Lunatic Guild Master. I don’t know why you keep misunderstanding my words…]

She asked the man on the other side of the device what children of a similar age to her precious child typically needed.

Or what they most wanted to have.

The answer that came back from the only man among her acquaintances who was engaged in education was something she hadn’t thought of at all.

[But she’s still a beast person, right? And a cat beast person at that. How about catnip toys? They seem to enjoy playing with them occasionally.]

“…You’re joking, right?”

[I’m serious. Have you ever seen wolf beast people or dog beast people dislike giant bones?]

In fact, she had never seen it.

She had been deliberately avoiding mentioning it because it seemed like discriminating against people as animals, but it was an undeniable fact that various beast traits remained in beast people.

[Isn’t there also a tiger beast person in your guild? You can ask that person if I’m right or wrong.]

“Reiner, don’t tell me, just because they’re both feline animals—”

Before she could finish what she was saying, click.

After trying to contact him a few more times, the continued silence indicated that something must have happened.

In the end, with a nothing-to-lose attitude, she summoned a guild member who happened to remain in the guild dormitory…

“Since she’s still a child, it might be less effective than for an adult, but I think she’ll like it?”

“…Really?”

“Why would I lie about something like this? Ah, right. Can we also give Lua birthday presents?”

Strictly speaking, there was no reason not to.

After all, the more, the better, when it comes to birthday presents.

She sent the guild member back with only the admonition not to prepare anything too dangerous for a child to possess.

So, as time passed and passed. Finally, the birthday day.

Specifically, the afternoon of that day.

“I bought two types just in case. Which flavor do you think would be better, Big Sister?”

She was slightly taken aback by the child who, for some reason, had brought two birthday cakes when one would have been sufficient.

But well, if she wanted to eat both.

She had no intention of saying no.

Almost simultaneously, click.

She turned off all the brightly lit lights, filling the surroundings with pitch-black darkness in an instant.

“…?”

While the child was bewildered by the suddenly darkened office, she quickly lit the candles she had prepared in advance.

Right after that, she began to slowly walk toward the child while singing the most popular birthday song.

“Happy birthday!”

What she showed was the same friendly smile as always.

Her voice was also as bright as ever.

But why.

-Drop.

“Huh…?”

Why would today’s protagonist, the birthday person, rather than being greatly delighted, be bewildered by dropping a faint tear?

“L-Lua? What’s wrong?!”

It wasn’t a disappointed expression.

It wasn’t a displeased expression either.

Nor was it a frightened expression, or one afraid of something.

Only…

“This is… for me?”

With a noticeably moistened voice, she asked if this cake was really for her.

Despite having even sent a separate message saying “the cake you, Lua, want to eat,” she asked if it might not be for someone else.

“Yes, it’s your cake. So, make a wish!”

As most children celebrating their birthdays do, she encouraged the child to fully enjoy her birthday.

However, after the candle flames died down with just one faint breath.

The child, who still had an expression somewhat distant from joy, uttered another question rather than wishes or aspirations.

“Why… do you do all this for me?”

What she faced was an unfamiliar expression on the same familiar face as always.

To that expression, which even subtly bore the form of pain, she unconsciously uttered the simplest yet most accurate answer.

“Because it’s you, Lua.”

Was there any other reason needed?

Having that precious name by her side until now had been enough.

“…I’ve been nothing but a demanding child.”

However, it seemed necessary.

For the child to accept someone’s kindness as kindness.

It seemed she needed a sufficiently convincing reason.

…Since when had she been thinking like this?

When, exactly…?

“What’s wrong with a child asking an adult for things?”

“I keep causing trouble. Making you worry.”

“Everyone grew up that way.”

“I’m a guild member, but I can only do simple errands.”

“Everyone does their best according to their abilities.”

“…It’s not my best. You know that too…?”

“It is your best.”

What she conveyed to the child afterward was nothing but sincerity and truth.

There was truly not even a grain of sand’s worth of excuses forcibly squeezed out to momentarily comfort the child, or nice-sounding words.

“So, don’t have strange thoughts. The cake and everything else are indeed yours, Lua.”

To lighten the mood that had become too heavy, she deliberately smeared the cake’s whipped cream on the child’s cheek.

Only then did she clearly smile, if only slightly, like any other ordinary child she had encountered until now.

“…Thank you.”