"It's Takiyo-kun's birthday!!" Yuko cheered.

"Oh yeah." Takiyo mused as he entered the classroom.

"So? You turn 17 today, right?" Arisu asked, leaning in his table. "You're so grown up."

"You're the same. And you turned 17 a couple of weeks ago." Takiyo told her.

"I forgot we had the same birth-month!" Arisu said cheerfully, giving him a one-armed hug.

"We have the same zodiac!" Syo argued, also giving him a one-armed hug.

"What are you guys arguing over?"

Takiyo realised something. "Nishikawa, when's your birthday?"

"I turn 18 in February." Yuko replied.

"What? So old..." Syo said. "I'm still 16."

"Call me 'onee-chan'!" Yuko said proudly.

Takiyo nodded. "I see... Well, good to know."

Yuko stared at Takiyo as he turned away. He had been acting strangely. He was being much nicer to her. She sensed a decrease in the sarcasm. She didn't know why. Takiyo just acted friendlier towards her. She had no idea of the reason, and so she tried to disregard it.

Meanwhile, Takiyo knew exactly why he was trying to be nicer to Yuko. Ever since the conversation with Syo, it seemed as though a sleeping monster had awoken. He kept feeling as though he was using her. He wanted to convince himself that he wasn't. He was trying to be nicer, so as to verify it. He couldn't bare the thought that his first friend after so long was just made for his own advantage.

"Takin, are you doing anything for your birthday?" Arisu asked him.

"Nothing really." Takiyo shrugged.

"What? How boring." Arisu whined.

"How about we come over to your house, huh?" Ren asked excitedly.

"All of you...?" Takiyo looked around at them all.

"Yes!" Arisu cheered.

"Are you sure...?" Takiyo asked, unsure.

"Why not? It'll be fun!" Yuko said, smiling.

Takiyo looked at her for sometime. This was normal for friends. This is what friends did.

"Okay, sure." Takiyo complied.

"Yay!!"

***

"So this is Takiyo's house..." Syo said, looking up at it as Takiyo unlocked the gate.

"Come on in." Takiyo beckoned them over. Then he opened the door and yelled, "I'm home!"

"Welcome back." His mother poked her head out of the kitchen, then looked surprised at the small crowd around the door.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Yuko, Ren, Arisu and Syo chorused, bowing.

Mrs. Hamasaki stared for some time. Then slowly, the corners of her mouth turned up. She covered her face with her hand to hide her freakishly large smile.

"Takiyo, is your mom okay?" Syo whispered.

"Don't worry about it." Takiyo said, taking off his shoes and walking in. "Ka-san, meet everyone. Everyone, this is my mom."

"We've met plenty of times before, Riko-san." Arisu said, shaking Mrs. Hamasaki's hand, and Ren eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes, and I remember meeting Ren-kun before too." Mrs. Hamasaki smiled, and Ren returned it.

"This is Syo-chi," Arisu introduced, and Syo bowed.

"I'm Teruya Syo." he said.

"And that's Yu-chan."

Yuko was looking at her feet. "N-Nishikawa Yuko." she mumbled.

"Come on, Yu-chan, it's Takin's mom!" Arisu told her.

"I don't bite." Mrs. Hamasaki giggled.

"Nishikawa has social anxiety." Takiyo told her.

"Wow, really?" Mrs. Hamasaki's eyes widened, and she grinned. "I had a friend in high school who had social anxiety."

Yuko looked up. "Really?"

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Yuko-chan." Mrs. Hamasaki said. "Take your time." She suddenly gasped. "I need to make more soba noodle salad! It's Takiyo's favourite, you know. But back when he was a little boy, he loved omurice like any other kid."

(Note: Soba noodles are thin noodles made from buckwheat flour. Omurice consists of an omelette made with fried rice and thin, fried scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup.)

"I'll help, Riko-san!" Arisu offered, dropping her bag and rolling up her sleeves.

"M-me too!" Yuko quickly offered.

"Thank you. You boys can wait over there." Mrs. Hamasaki said. "I don't need more help. Too many cooks spoil the broth!" She winked.

"We have cake!" Syo said quickly, holding up a box. "It's from my family's bakery!"

"Oh, how nice." Mrs. Hamasaki said, taking the box. Then she studied him for a while. "You remind of Takiyo somehow." Then she brightened. "A smiling Takiyo!"

"Right?" Ren and Arisu exclaimed.

Takiyo, Ren and Syo sat down around the kotatsu.

(Note: A kotatsu  is a low, wooden table frame covered by a heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source.)

"Oh, you've already got your kotatsu out?" Syo ask, getting comfortable.

"Yeah," Takiyo replied, also settling down. They talked for a bit, and then Takiyo said, "Just quiet for a bit..."

Ren and Syo watched Takiyo straining his ears. Then they heard it too.

"...I remember, when he was this small, with flour on his nose..."

Takiyo leapt up and charged into the kitchen. Yuko, Arisu and Mrs. Hamasaki looked around as he entered. "What's wrong, Takiyo?" his mother asked innocently.

"Nishikawa. Kaneshiro. Leave." Takiyo hissed.

"What? Why?" Arisu asked, whining.

"Yeah, I wanna listen some more...." Yuko whined.

"I don't–" Takiyo began, but then stopped.

"Speaking of which," Mrs. Hamasaki broke the ice instantly. "Did you know that Takiyo could cook better than me?"

"What?" Yuko and Arisu looked at Takiyo, shocked.

"Then why isn't he cooking?" Arisu protested.

"Because it's his birthday. Get him to make you stir fry vegetables sometime. Or fried rice." Mrs. Hamasaki giggled. "Even though I cook more than him."

"What? Really? You should!" Yuko sqeauled. Then she grinned. "Women like men who can cook."

Takiyo turned around and left the kitchen. He sat down at the kotatsu, and Ren and Syo were chatting. They greeted him, but he didn't notice them. Ren and Syo exchanged looks. Takiyo was busy thinking.

The root of his problem: Michi. The one thing that really made him feel Yuko was a tool. He didn't know why but he really didn't want to treat Yuko as a tool. He didn't want to accept her as a tool. He wanted to accept her as a friend.

He didn't know how or why he felt like this, and proved true for the other three. Ren, Arisu and Syo. He didn't want to feel as though he was using them. It was funny how people could make you feel. Without his realising, they all became important to him, and ranked surprisingly high in his priorities.

He didn't have this inkling of using them from Ren, Arisu or Syo. Rather, they put more strain in the use of Yuko. Using Yuko to become their friend.

He knew thinking about all this was stupid and pointless. He was having a baseless argument with himself. But sometimes, you're brain starts thinking, and no matter how much you want to stop thinking, it keeps thinking. Even if you pushed it at the back of your mind, it would still be playing around.

The monster awakened in his mind only whispered one thing to him to prove whatever he wanted to. Cut off the promise to assist with each other's unrequited loves. Then only it would be silenced, having proved what was true. But he didn't want to. He felt as though that was what bound him to Yuko in the first place.

He slammed his head on the table, making Ren and Syo jump. Physical battles were tiring, mental battles were exhausting, but self battles were downright draining.

***

Yuko, Ren, Arisu, Syo, Mrs. and Mr. Hamasaki all gathered around Takiyo to sing him happy birthday. He cut the cake, which Syo claimed to have decorated himself. Mrs. Hamasaki prepared to take the the cake away to cut it properly, but then Arisu stopped her. Takiyo had already turned away.

"Takin~"

"What?" Takiyo turned around and received a face full of frosting. His brain took a while to process what was going on, then he wiped the frosting out of his eyes. "Why you..."

But Ren got him next. "Wow, you look like Santa Claus. Takiyo Claus."

Takiyo scooped up a handful of frosting. "I'm gonna frost you two."

"Nooo! My beautiful frosting!" Syo cried, and Yuko patted his back sympathetically. She looked over at Takiyo, Ren and Arisu's battle. In the end, Takiyo was the one with the most. His parents laughed.

"Go clean up." Mrs. Hamasaki laughed, taking the mutilated cake away, but not before Yuko got a finger-full of frosting. She gave half to Syo, then winked.

The two of them snuck up on Takiyo as he wiped his face clean. When his face was finally frosting-free, he pulled his face back, and Yuko and Syo attacked, adding a new smear to each cheek.

"I'll seriously kill you!" Takiyo yelled, turning around.

Yuko and Syo snickered.

"There, there," Yuko patted his head.

"It's fine." Takiyo muttered, and turned back to the sink to wipe his face.

"What~? Why the boring reaction?" Yuko asked playfully.

"What?" Takiyo asked, wiping his face dry.

Yuko studied him for sometime. "Nothing." she replied. Syo looked between the two of them, and then realised. A grim expression overcame his face.

Later, they all sat together, eating the cake.

"At least it tastes fine!" Ren was saying positively, but he didn't know the real reason behind Syo's grim-looking expression.

"Yeah! Vanilla sponge, right?" Arisu complimented by licking her lips.

Syo nodded, and Ren and Arisu looked nervously at each other.

"Takiyo-kun, won't Michi-chan wish you on your birthday?" Yuko asked.

Takiyo stared at her some time. Then he looked back down at his cake. "It's fine." he muttered. "You don't need to do anything." The look on on his face somehow stopped her from going further.

"Hey, Takiyo-kun." Yuko said, bringing out a paper bag. "We didn't really know what to get you, so we all bought you this. Since you love to read and stuff."

She watched nervously and Takiyo took his gift. It was revealed to be a new mystery novel. They all watched with anxious faces. Takiyo stared at the novel for some time, then looked up at them.

"Thank you. I love mystery." he said.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Except for Yuko.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "It's not much..."

"No, I'm serious. Thank you." Takiyo told her, and Yuko looked up.

He was giving her a small smile. An actual smile.

***

"Come again, come again!" Mr. Hamasaki was saying, sending them off.

"Takiyo-kun, I want to talk to you for a minute." Yuko said quietly, tugging on his arm. She pulled him a little away from the others. She turned to him, arms folded, and Takiyo felt he was being confronted.

"Why are you acting so weird with me?" Yuko asked clearly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why have you been acting so nice with me?" Yuko asked. "I mean, you didn't really attack me when I frosted you, you haven't been as sarcastic lately, and you smiled at me today. Actually smiled."

Takiyo looked away from her. Yuko sensed he was feeling uncomfortable and her expression softened. She gave him a smile.

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine." she said softly. "Just... it's making me worried seeing you acting like that. It makes me feel as though I have done something. I don't really like how you are acting now. It's too weird. I prefer the other Takiyo-kun. The one who found it a bother to wish me 'good morning'."

Takiyo pressed his lips together. Yuko knew she hadn't got to him yet. So, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Be normal. That's what I like." she said clearly.

Takiyo looked at her for sometime. She genuinely wanted him to be the way he usually was. She wanted to accept him as he was. Why would he ever use her as a tool?

He smiled to himself, but then quickly stopped, remembering the normal him didn't smile.

Yuko grinned at him. "Well, bye." She waved at him.

"What are you two doing?" Ren yelled.

"Coming!" Yuko called back. Then she turned back to Takiyo. "Also," She used her fingers to lift the corners of her mouth up. "Show Michi-chan that smile more often."

Then she waved and joined the others.

"Bye, Takiyo!"

They were gone now. He went back into the house, and smiled. Properly.

Author's note
Bleh, this chapter is weird. Sorry, I just wrote this chapter. It's definitely not one of my best. But okay. I was facing minor writer's block while writing this chapter. But my idea for next chapter is perfect, so don't worry. Sayonara!