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It’s been a great morning.
“I hope you enjoyed the surprise, Saki-chan,” Kohane says with a little laugh, leaning against the desk Saki sits at as the two of them watch her bandmates scramble around the classroom, frantically cleaning the party before the rest of the students can arrive. “Even if I think you surprised us more than we surprised you.”
Saki laughs, shaking her head. “No! I was plenty surprised!” She hesitates, then adds sheepishly, “Usually the surprise parties end up taking place after school, not beforehand. So I wasn’t expecting to walk in on anything.”
She grins. “Besides, it was fun helping set up. Too bad we can’t keep the whiteboard like this the entire day. I guess the teacher will need it for class though…”
It’s probably a good thing she turned up early and crashed the surprise, Saki realizes, watching as Shiho and Ichika argue about where to put what decoration. She’s happy she got to spend even longer with all her friends who showed up before school began, instead of being forced to wrap the party up quickly as the rest of their class funneled in.
As it is, most of the class has shown up, and have given Saki their own birthday congratulations. Saki sits at her desk as she waits for the day to begin, chatting with Kohane. Kohane’s not in her class, but with Ichika and Honami still wiping down the whiteboard, she’s opted to wait to return to 2A with them instead of alone.
Kohane giggles. “You four love your surprise parties. I guess it wouldn’t even be that big of a surprise if you’re expecting them anyways, huh…”
Saki shrugs. “I guess not. But finding out what’s planned is half the fun of it. And then sometimes our plans are busted and we have to come up with a new surprise on the spot, like Shiho-chan’s last year. Which worked out great, thanks to a certain someone.”
The other girl blushes. “I just wanted to make sure Shiho-chan could still be surprised, and none of your efforts went to waste.” She smiles. “I guess it is a good idea that they switched it up this year and held your party in the morning.”
“And now~!” Emu adds, sliding up behind the two of them. Her sudden presence makes Kohane yelp. “~there’s a whole entire day up ahead for more parties! Isn’t it great?”
Saki nods energetically. “Yeah! We’re just getting started!” She lowers her voice, leaning forwards like she’s sharing a secret with the two. “Besides, I have a surprise for them today, too.”
Kohane’s expression shifts into one of confusion. “What is it…?” she asks, mirroring Saki’s whisper.
Saki grins. “It’s our six month anniversary! Isn’t the timing perfect? Right on my birthday. I think it was fate.”
Kohane’s eyes widen. “Is it?” she gasps. “I had no idea! I… I was under the impression you all started dating just this year.”
Emu stares at her, jaw slacked. “You’ve been dating for six months?” She pouts. “And Honami-chan never told me?”
Saki frowns. “You never heard?”
Emu shakes her head. “Well, not from Honami-chan. When I asked her if there were any major life updates since new classes that us as former 1B students needed to know about, she said no.” Emu pauses. “Wow…! Six months!”
Kohane chuckles. “I guess no one knows how long they’ve been dating. Really, it feels like it’s been a year with the way you act around each other.” She sighs wistfully. “Minori-chan and I were sure there was something going on with the way Shiho-chan spoke in class everyday.”
Despite herself, Saki feels her cheeks take on a slight blush. She usually doesn’t get flustered too easily, but learning that the most stoic of the four spoke so openly about them and their relationship melts her heart a little bit. She pulls herself together quickly, laughing. “Well, it’s been six months. I know that because that’s the day Icchan confessed! And the first thing I did was see when our six month anniversary landed, and as it turns out…” She trails off, giggling. “I may be the only one who’s tracked it, though…”
“Well, good for you guys.” Kohane grins. She looks like she’s about to say something else, but she never gets the chance to before she’s cut off by Ichika and Honami approaching the desk. Ichika looks mildly pleased with herself, an expression Saki can’t figure out the cause of until Shiho appears a second later, face hidden behind the giant bag they’re carrying. Kohane frowns. “...Shiho-chan?”
Shiho stumbles over to their desk (one table directly to Saki’s right), and practically throws the collection of snacks and decorations to the floor underneath it. They huff, shooting Ichika a glare. “Hi, Kohane.”
“Don’t look at me like that.” Ichika pouts. “You volunteered.”
“I volunteered to keep the bag with me, not lug around everything we brought all day—”
“I think we should go to our classroom now,” Honami interjects swiftly, leaning forwards to grab Ichika’s arm before the two of them can continue. The drummer smiles sweetly at Saki in a way that makes her feel like she’s melting, before turning to Kohane. “Are you ready, Kohane-chan?”
Kohane giggles, glancing over at Saki. “Yeah, I am. Happy birthday again, Saki-chan! Enjoy the anniversary.” With that, the three of them walk away.
“—versary?” Saki vaguely hears Honami saying as they exit the door. “That’s a strange way of saying birthday—”
Shiho blinks, glancing at Saki. “That’s today?”
Saki frowns, shooting a look back. “What, did you forget?”
“I didn’t forget!” Shiho protests, turning red. They fish their phone out of their pocket. “I… uhm… maybe the date’s wrong.”
She huffs a snort. “You got the date wrong?”
“I didn’t… get it wrong!” Shiho narrows their eyes. “No, I’m sure that—“
“Happy six months, Shiho-chan!” Emu says out of nowhere, popping up behind Shiho to wrap her arms around the bassist. Shiho makes a ‘hrk’ sound as Saki laughs, watching Emu bound back to her seat.
Shiho shakes their head, then blinks, head snapping up. “Wait, six—?”
And then the bell rings, and the teacher begins to talk, and the conversation ends at that.
——
The previous conversation doesn’t come up at all throughout the day.
Truth be told, Saki forgot about it. It was swept away in a sea of birthday wishes and sweets. She spent her day snacking on the chips her girlfriends bought her, eating candies that were gifts from Kohane, enjoying talking with Emu about all the shows her brother has planned to perform for her, and just generally having a great time.
It makes her really happy. She doesn’t think she can ever express how much this all means to her— and she’s tried! She really has, she vocalizes her love and joy for life every day as much as she can. But there’s just so much warmth in her heart that it’s hard to share all of it.
The day feels a little less surreal than the year prior. Last year, her first year back in school in years, being present in the classroom to celebrate her birthday had almost felt foreign. She had teared up when her friends presented her a bulletin board pinned full of birthday messages from her friends, delighted to be able to spend the day with all the people she loves.
Because that’s what it’s all about, right? Celebrating life, and celebrating with those who make her life so incredible in the first place.
She’s just happy to be here.
She’s really, really happy to be here.
The rest of the day is amazing. After school, Ichika mentions wanting to go to a family diner, where Saki found the entirety of MORE MORE JUMP! sitting there and waiting for her. Giddily, Leo/need joined them for dinner— another surprise for her birthday.
It felt even better when a few fans came up to the table, recognizing the idols, but also recognizing her! Well, they recognized Ichika at first and then realized the rest of the band was there, and asked for a selfie with the entire group of combined professionals.
“I can’t believe we keep getting recognized,” Saki whispers, kicking her feet as the fans walk away. “We haven’t even been professionals for that long…!”
Haruka smiles at her. “Fanbases form quickly, don’t they?” Her eyes take on a teasing glint. “And besides, Ichika has a marketable face.”
Ichika, sitting on Saki’s right, turns red. “What’s that supposed to mean…?”
“It means you’re pretty, Icchan!” She giggles, leaning into the other girl. “Maybe that can be our secret weapon.”
Ichika groans, and that’s that.
Eventually, they all finish eating, and Saki waves goodbye to her idol friends as she and her bandmates begin their journey home. The sun is setting now, casting a beautiful golden glow over the city. The night is warm. That’s one thing she’s always adored about her birthday— it’s always so nice in spring when May rolls around, brushing away the final chill.
They’re planning to head home now. As much as Saki would like to spend the night with them, they do have school tomorrow, so they hold those plans off for the next night. However, there is one more thing she wants to do…
“Let’s take some pictures!“ she pleads. “I’d like to, as a memory of today. I want to do a photoshoot with everyone.”
Ichika and Honami agree immediately, and so Saki turns her sights towards Shiho. “Shiho-chan…!”
Shiho’s cheeks turn red, and they sigh, looking away from her. “…I didn’t say no, did I? It’s your birthday. Come on, let’s go.”
Saki grins. “Shiho-chan!” She launches herself at them, wrapping her arms around their torso. “I love you!”
“Hey! I didn’t say you could do that!” Shiho protests, twisting around in her grasp.
She giggles, pressing herself closer to them. Ichika and Honami laugh behind her, but she hears it die down as she presses a kiss to Shiho’s cheek and then pulls away. As she spins around, she frowns, tilting her head at the expressions her friends are making. “What?”
“Did you just… kiss Shiho?” Ichika asks.
Shiho’s blush comes back. Saki just nods. “Yeah…?”
Ichika opens her mouth, then closes it. She looks at Honami, something desperate in her eyes. Saki can’t quite understand it. She whispers, “Is this what… Kohane was talking about earlier?”
Honami frowns at her, shrugging.
Saki blinks. “Is something wrong?”
“Are you two dating?” Ichika blurts out before she can stop herself. The instant the words are out, she pulls back and covers her mouth. “Sorry, I—“
“What do you mean?” Saki interrupts. “All of us are…?”
Now that was a bombshell. Ichika and Honami both freeze up immediately, stiffening like they were just tazed. They exchange another frantic glance, before Honami offers up a stumbling “W-What are you talking about?”
“I mean six months ago when we all started dating!”
“I seriously think you have the date wrong,” Shiho mutters. “I checked my calendar. It’ll be two months in a week.”
“You’re wrong— awh, Shiho-chan, you put our anniversary in your calendar?”
Shiho blushes. “That’s not what’s important here!”
“Okay, I think we need to have a talk,” Honami starts. She inhales, then blurts out, “What are we?”
“Leo/need…?” Shiho says.
Honami looks like she’s five seconds from driving her palm into her face. “Not the band! I mean like… us! Because apparently you—“ She motions to Saki— “are telling Kohane-chan it’s our six-month anniversary, you—“ She glances at Shiho— “are convinced we have a week to go until two-months, and you—“ She turns to Ichika, then hesitates, seeing the look on her face. “…I don’t think you have any idea what’s going on.”
“I really… don’t,” Ichika admits helplessly, running her fingers through her hair.
Saki sputters. “But you’re the one who first asked all of us out!”
Ichika gives her startled eyes. “What?”
“Yes! Six months ago!”
“I seriously don’t know where you’re getting six months from…” Shiho says.
“Where are you getting two?” Saki counters.
Shiho flushes. “That’s— that’s when you kissed me for the first time!”
“Why would I kiss you if we weren’t already dating?”
“I thought it was a confession!”
“I guess that explains why you wouldn’t hold my hand until two months ago,” Saki mumbles. She giggles, reaching over to clasp Shiho’s hand with her own. Shiho makes a noise, but doesn’t end up pulling away.
“What do you mean I… asked you out?” Ichika asks tentatively, trying to redirect the conversation.
“Back in December…?” Saki replies. “When we went to the park one day to watch the stars even though it was really cold outside, and you were clinging to me the whole time because of it.” She laughs. “And then you gave us gifts and told us you loved us more than anything?”
“I— I didn’t think—“
“Icchan you— you literally confessed your love that day!”
“Ichika-chan always does that!” Honami defends the guitarist, who has slid down the wall and is now sitting with her head in her hands. Saki can only imagine how red she is right now. She kind of wants to pull her hands away so she can see her cute face for herself.
“Well yeah but it was different this time! Like— more romantic! The stars were so bright, and she had flowers, and she went on a long spiel about wanting the four of us to be together forever and… ohh… yeah.” Saki tilts her head, frowning. “You’re right.”
Honami chuckles, ruffling her hand through Ichika’s hair. That just gets her a groan. “Ichika-chan is a bit of a romantic.”
“Well!” Saki starts again. “That doesn’t explain why she kissed me!”
Shiho pauses. They’ve been mostly quiet in this conversation, red in the face, letting the others do the talking as they took it all in. But now they stare at Ichika with an incredulous expression. “You kissed her and still thought it was pining?”
“She kissed me!” Ichika cries like that makes it sound any better, looking up. She looks as embarrassed as Saki pictured. “I— I just thought, well, I—“ She sputters. “It was a Saki-like thing to do!”
Already on a trainwreck of a tangent, Ichika continues, “A-And sometimes Honami and I will kiss but we never established anything between us two and so I—“
“Ichika-chan!” Honami squeaks. It’s her turn for her face to go red. “That— that was just—“
Shiho raises an eyebrow at the two of them. “Wow,” they say. “You guys are worse at this than me.”
“Oh, give yourself credit, Shiho-chan,” Saki says, leaning against them. They shoot her a look. She grins back. “You’re a bit of a charmer.”
Shiho rolls their eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, sunshine.”
Saki giggles in delight, then glances back at the other two. They’re both beet-red, watching the scene in front of them play with flustered cheeks. Clearly they all feel the same way about each other— frankly, this is the way Saki has always felt about them. The gap between ‘friends’ and ‘lovers’ has always felt nonexistent when it comes to her bandmates. After all, they’ve always just been childhood friends.
Her childhood friends, her childhood best friends— the three girls she loves more than anyone else in this world. Maybe that’s why they’re in this whole disaster in the first place— nothing has changed, and nothing will ever change between them, even when it comes to love. Because Saki loves them, and she knows they love her, and there’s truly no other girls she’d rather be having this embarrassing conversation with on her birthday.
What a fun birthday present, she thinks, giggling.
“Well,” Saki starts. She lets go of Shiho and walks forwards, standing in front of Honami. The taller girl looks down at her. Saki grins. “If Icchan can get a kiss from you, then can I get one? A birthday present? For me?”
Honami clears her throat, then smiles. “Anything for the birthday girl.”
Their lips meet, and everything is right in the world.
Eventually, a question crosses Saki’s mind that had been unanswered throughout this entire exchange. “Wait,” Saki says, pulling away from Honami. Her cheeks are all red, but she looks happier than Saki’s ever seen her. “What did you think we were…?
Honami flushes brighter. She looks down. “I told Yoisaki-san we were in a situationship…”
Saki doesn’t think she’s ever laughed harder.
——
“Goodbye, Saki-chan.”
“Night, Saki.”
“Bye, Saki! Happy birthday!” Ichika smiles at her. Her eyes are warm and bright, full of that very same love Saki feels everytime she looks her way. “I hope you had a fun day today.”
Saki giggles, reaching out to squeeze Ichika’s hand. She still looks faintly embarrassed, but there’s a new glow of energy to her, and it’s clear as day when she smiles. Saki loves when Ichika smiles. She always manages to take her breath away. “I did. It’s all thanks to you three!”
She leans forwards, catching Ichika’s lips with a quick kiss. When she pulls away, Ichika’s eyes have widened, and she quickly clears her throat to try and wipe the stupid expression she’s started to wear. She offers Saki a shy little smile, squeezing her hand back. “I’m glad.”
“Same time next year?” Shiho jokes, nudging Saki with their shoulder.
Saki grins. “You bet. And next year it will be my birthday and our one year anniversary. Just to avoid any confusion.”
“Can’t believe you thought we started dating six months ago…” Shiho mutters, chuckling.
“Can’t believe that you and Icchan—“
“Please, just let me die in shame with dignity,” Ichika begs, putting her head in her hands.
The four of them laugh together, the most beautiful music that Saki’s ever heard.