They all have hidden attributes!

As soon as it hit midnight, she jumped up from the sofa without hesitation.

Happy birthday, brother!

Her crystal-clear purple eyes gazed at Makoto Takahashi, radiating a light unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Yuki Tachimi reached out her hand beside her, radiating a peaceful and comforting warmth: "Makoto-kun, thank you for being born into this world, thank you for meeting me."

Her sweet voice and gentle smile clearly conveyed her genuine joy.

Having not celebrated my birthday for several years in a row, an unexpected surge of enthusiasm and emotion welled up inside me.

Joy, anticipation,感慨, and the loneliness accumulated over the past... With emotions filling his chest, Makoto Takahashi subconsciously looked at Maya Uesugi.

She touched her burning earlobe, her expression instantly turning icy, and she spoke slowly and rudely:

"I am so grateful for the day you were born, because without you, I would never have been able to truly believe that love is real."

“She practiced for a long time and even memorized it. These few sentences are only half of the story.”

Kashima Reiko mercilessly exposed Uesugi Maya's true colors, her turquoise eyes looking straight at her: "Happy birthday. Thanks to you, I feel truly happy."

"Are you all prepared? I thought all we had to do was eat cake."

Hina Nekoya seemed to have missed another crucial piece of information and quickly tried to make amends: "Cheng, happy birthday. I don't know what to say, just be happy."

The heartfelt thanks and blessings brought a light and comfortable feeling, making Makoto Takahashi feel his cheeks begin to burn.

Just as I was thinking about what to say, Shiraishi Junka came over with a cake.

"I'll go turn off the lights."

Hanakawa Kaori ran quickly to the switch, placed her finger on it, and looked back at her with eager eyes: "Brother, the chocolate signature on it is mine."

The double-layered strawberry cream cake is exquisitely designed and exudes a sweet aroma. It is signed with the words "[Happy Birthday]" in chocolate.

Shiraishi Junka placed the cake in front of Takahashi Makoto, then with a "click," she lit a lighter, flicked the flint, and a bright flame ignited. The living room ceiling light then immediately went out.

In the darkness, only a dim yellow flame remained, illuminating the faces of everyone present, their eyes, glowing with firelight, captivatingly beautiful.

"This is Makoto's first birthday since he was born. He's celebrated his first year in this world, which is amazing." Shiraishi Junka lit the first candle and placed it on the cake.

“At the time, I was still in Kyushu, and I didn’t think it was anything special,” Makoto Takahashi said with a smile.

"Acheng, why have you suddenly become shy?" Nekoya Hina asked.

"Hina-nee, don't ruin the mood!" Hanakawa Kaori suddenly poked her head out from between her and Tachimi Yuki.

"Two years old, three years old, four years old, five years old, six years old."

Shiraishi Junka continued putting candles on the cake, stopping when she counted to "seven years old": "Congratulations, you're starting elementary school now."

"Is this the time you're leaving Kyushu?" Uesugi Maya asked.

"Yes." Makoto Takahashi nodded.

After he answered the question, Shiraishi Junko continued to count while placing candles. When she reached "thirteen years old," she congratulated him again: "You're going to middle school."

Kashima Reiko clapped her hands lightly, joining in the applause.

Three years of middle school passed in the blink of an eye, and I turned sixteen in high school.

“Since that time, Cheng-kun has never celebrated his birthday again.”

Yuki Tatsumi pouted her pink lips slightly, as if feeling a pang of heartache, and said unhappily, "I really want to go to Yamanashi High School, so that I can become Makoto's first love."

"Stop dreaming." Uesugi Maya absolutely refused to let the title of his first love be taken away from him.

Shiraishi Junka ignored the eye contact between the two and continued to stick candles on the cake.

"Seventeen."

Eighteen years old.

"You came to Tokyo, and this year the most important thing in your life happened."

Under her tender gaze, Makoto Takahashi suddenly felt uneasy, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

"What is it, Makoto?" Tachimi asked with a smile, the atmosphere suddenly turning dangerous.

Uesugi Maya shot a threatening look at them, while the others wore expectant expressions in the firelight.

Knowing that if he gave the wrong answer, he might have to go through this every year in the future, Makoto Takahashi racked his brains and thought hard.

"They received sunshine and love, were firmly chosen, and found meaning in their existence."

"Happy 19th birthday, Cheng."

Shiraishi Junka lit the last candle, put away the lighter, and Takahashi Makoto made a wish under their watchful eyes and blew out the candle.

The overhead light was turned on, and Nekoya Hina squinted, saying somewhat sullenly, "We've only known each other for this one year."

“There will be more in the future,” Tachimi Yuki comforted him.

“That makes sense. Let’s cut the cake next.” Nekoya Hina’s spirits lifted again.

"What wish did you make, brother?" Hanakawa Kaori asked curiously.

"To be in a band for life." Makoto Takahashi picked up a cake knife and deliberately cut it from the middle of the chocolate signature.

Chapter 243 Birthday (Part 2)

"Next up, a birthday present guessing game!"

After finishing the cake, Hanakawa Kaori used her fist as a microphone, acting as the host, and loudly announced that the entertainment program had begun.

It's clear that due to her long-term unhealthy lifestyle, she became more energetic as the night deepened.

Makoto Takahashi lowered his gaze; five wrapped gifts were laid out on the table.

"The rule is to open them one by one, and then guess who gave the gift. If you get them all right, you can get a prize," Hanakawa Kaori said noisily.

"What prize?" Makoto Takahashi asked curiously.

"It'll be a secret for now~" Tachimi Yuki put the paper crown back on his head, her eyes subtly glancing at Uesugi Maya, a hint of mockery in her gaze.

"Tch." Uesugi Maya said with a disdainful attitude.

It seems like Haki Night really wants to participate, but he's unwilling to swallow his pride.

As Makoto Takahashi thought to himself, he opened the first gift. Inside was a loose black bathrobe that felt very soft to the touch and, judging from the texture, was made of silk.

I picked up the bathrobe and looked it over, but I couldn't find the brand logo. The gold decorations, which looked like they were randomly splashed, had a very artistic feel to them.

Makoto Takahashi thought for a moment and looked at Junka Shiraishi: "I've only told you that I prefer this kind of bathrobe to two-piece loungewear, as well as this custom-made one without a logo and its aesthetic."

"Mm." Shiraishi Junka nodded gently.

"Wow, you got it right!"

Hanakawa Kaori opened her mouth wide in surprise, then picked up another gift box: "Junka-nee was so easy to guess, what about this one?"

Makoto Takahashi opened the second gift, which was filled with all sorts of gifts.

Bluetooth speakers, headphones, handmade silver pendants, wristbands, portable music players, CDs, arcade gift cards, gift certificates...

"That's very Hina's style. If you don't know what to make, just stuff everything in." Makoto Takahashi smiled at Hina Nekoya, who scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

Then came the third gift, which I realized was a shrine maiden outfit before I even fully opened it.

Makoto Takahashi immediately thought of Maya Uesugi, but then he realized that if it were Maya Haki, she would probably give him matching couple gifts.

"Lengzi?" he asked uncertainly.

"Correct." Kashima Reiko nodded calmly, seemingly prepared to become a shrine maiden.

The fourth gift was a handwritten greeting card and a photo album.

Flipping through the album, there was no need to guess; it was full of photos of Hanakawa Kaori, including pictures of her from childhood to adulthood, as well as photos of her outings with Takahashi Makoto. The dates and locations were clearly written on the back.

Because Tachimi Yuki had already given him the manor that Takahashi Makoto originally wanted to buy, only Uesugi Maya's gift remained in the end.

Just as Takahashi Makoto was about to open it, Uesugi Maya suddenly stood up from the sofa and said coldly, "I'm sleepy, goodnight."

Even though you're already capable of performing on the street, do you still feel shy when opening your birthday presents?

Kind of cute.

Makoto Takahashi gazed at her slender figure, trying to find an excuse to keep her there, when Hanakawa Kaori leaned over to join in the fun: "Brother, hurry up and open it! I also want to know what gift Maya-nee gave me."

"Tsk."

Uesugi Maya stopped behind Hanakawa Kaori, exuding a gloomy aura, and reached out to grab the back of her collar: "Come back to sleep with me."

"Huh? But there's a surprise gift part too."

"What's it to you? Go back."

"Yada~ I don't want to! No, no!"

Hanakawa Kaori struggled desperately, but was ultimately dragged away mercilessly by Uesugi Maya.

The sound of the guest room door closing came from inside. Takahashi Seisai opened the last gift, which contained only a notebook filled with Uesugi Maya's handwriting.

Skiing, surfing, skydiving... She had meticulously planned out the things she wanted to experience together, and there was also a development plan called "Starting from Urban Legends," which outlined how to gradually achieve Makoto Takahashi's original goal of becoming a "pure love god."

Putting away his notebook, Makoto Takahashi turned to meet Yuki Tachimi's eyes: "Yo is really cute."

"is it?"

Yuki Tachibana smiled slightly, and at her command, Junko Shiraishi hugged him from behind, pulling Makoto Takahashi into her soft embrace.

Turning his head, he saw Kashima Reiko taking away the shrine maiden outfit. He blinked and asked, "Is this the surprise? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to do it in the living room?"

"What's wrong with it?" Tachikami asked with a smile, pulling open the bow at the neckline of her dress.

"Uh, I'm going to take a shower first."

Nekoya Hina fled, her face flushed. Takahashi Makoto dropped his feigned concern and gave chase: "Let's go together, the water bill in Roppongi is way more expensive than in Tsurumizawa."

......

Hanakawa Kaori suffered a severe scolding from Uesugi Maya. She didn't stay up all night, but still slept until noon.

She opened her eyes, stared at the ceiling for a while, then jumped out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked out of the guest room.

The apartment was spotless, with sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and falling on the smooth glass surface of the coffee table. The spacious living room showed no trace of last night's gathering.