After receiving the gifts from Ichin and Utaha, Yukino went on to open the rest of the presents everyone had prepared for her.
Originally, when the invitations were sent out, everyone had been told not to bring any gifts. But of course, once they arrived, it turned out that everyone had secretly prepared something anyway.
That caught Ichin a little off guard — but also made him happy. It showed just how close everyone had become with Yukino. No one even needed to be told; they just naturally wanted to do something for her.
Haruno's gift for her younger sister was a necklace — elegant and simple, carefully chosen to suit Yukino's style without being flashy.
"Yukino's twenty now. When you go out, you should dress up a little — you're such a beautiful girl, after all!"
Her words were immediately met with nods and murmurs of agreement.
There was no denying Yukino's beauty, and lately her sense of fashion had improved quite a bit too. But when it came to makeup or accessories, she still barely paid them any mind.
As an unrepentant siscon, Haruno of course wanted her sister's charm to shine even more.
Listening to her sister's teasing, Yukino frowned slightly in embarrassment — but seeing the necklace, she nodded in the end.
"I'll… try my best."
Once all the gifts were unwrapped, Yukino's haul for the day was quite impressive. Next came the cake-cutting.
Holding the knife, the birthday girl carefully cut a slice for everyone. With the milk tea Ichin had prepared, it made for the perfect afternoon tea.
It was only a little past two in the afternoon — still plenty of time before the evening party, so everyone was happy to indulge a bit.
After her first bite, Haruno closed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Wow, Ichin, this cake is amazing!"
As the birthday girl, Yukino also abandoned her usual restraint on sweets and was already on her second slice.
Since Ichin had made it himself, every ingredient had been top-notch. Both the sponge and the cream were perfectly balanced.
Even though it was a bit heavy on calories, Yukino didn't mind in the slightest — it was delicious, with the smooth outer cream and fruit-filled layers giving it a rich, vibrant texture.
While everyone enjoyed the cake, Ichin turned to Umiko.
"So, Umiko, how was your trip back home?"
"Pretty good," Umiko replied with a smile. "I was gone quite a while, but since my income's gone up a lot, my family doesn't object as much to me being a programmer or living in Shanghai alone. Though…" She sighed playfully. "They have started pestering me to get married. So I was thinking, maybe I'll take Nene home to meet them this year."
"OHHH!!!"
The entire group — including Yukino — turned to look at Umiko and Nene with mischievous grins.
Nene's face turned crimson. She smacked Umiko's arm in embarrassment.
"D-Don't just say things like that out loud!"
Umiko only laughed.
"It's fine, everyone here knows anyway — it's not like they're outsiders."
Everyone nodded eagerly.
A scene like this — sweet and wholesome — who wouldn't want to see more of it?
Ichin, noticing Peppa trying to sneak a lick of the leftover cream, picked up the cat and set it back on the floor before looking toward Kō and Rin.
"Kō, Rin… what about you two?"
"Ahem— the cake's really good!"
Kō's clumsy attempt at changing the subject made everyone sweat-drop.
Finally, Toyama stepped in to explain.
"We've been talking about it too. It's not as complicated for us as it is for Umiko's side. Our families are pretty laid-back."
That was good to hear.
Doing the math in his head, Ichin realized he'd known Kō and Rin for almost four years now. Back when they met, both had already been twenty-five — which meant they were twenty-nine now. Not exactly old, but definitely not the youngest in the group anymore.
Seeing how well the two were doing together — relying on each other and happy — filled Ichin with genuine warmth.
For him, whether it was Kō and Rin, or Aoba, Hifumi, and Shinoda — the people who'd been there from the start — they weren't just coworkers or business partners anymore.
They felt like family.
There were no more walls between them, no more pretenses. Everyone spoke freely, shared openly — it was easy, warm, and real.
Ichin couldn't help but wonder: if things kept developing this way, would this eventually become its own kind of "family business"?
That thought… was actually kind of fun.
After finishing their afternoon tea, everyone decided to move the party downstairs to the old studio — which was now Kō and her team's shared dorm.
Ichin's apartment had been fine for the birthday celebration, but with so many people, it was starting to feel a bit cramped.
Downstairs, the space had already been set up — blankets, cushions, snacks piled high, and a fridge stuffed with ingredients for the grand dinner they were planning to cook together later.
After putting away all her birthday presents, Yukino arrived last.
As soon as she stepped in, she found everyone deep in discussion about the dinner menu.
Umiko rolled up her sleeves, her expression full of confidence.
"During my time in Shanghai, I stopped by Ichin's house a few times and learned some cooking from his mom. I'm not just good at grilling anymore — I've picked up quite a few other dishes too. Let me handle part of dinner tonight!"
Aoba's eyes widened.
"Eh?! Umiko-neesan, you've been learning to cook?"
Ichin nodded.
"She has. When I video-called my mom last month, Umiko was there. My mom's gotten really into teaching people to cook lately — she even said she wanted to take Umiko as her apprentice. Since she's volunteering, let's count her in. The kitchen's small, so we'll keep it to a few people — me, Umiko, Rin, and one more. The rest can relax."
"I'll join too," Yukino said, raising her hand.
But before she could even stand up, Iijima Yun pressed her hand back down.
The lolita girl, speaking in her lively Kansai dialect, declared,
"Not today, Yukino! You just had your birthday party — you're off kitchen duty. Leave the dinner prep to me! I've been practicing hard at home over New Year's!"
Shinoda raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Bridal training, huh? Makes sense — you're about the right age for matchmaking now, Yun!"
"Shut up! Who said anything about matchmaking?! You'd better be careful, or there won't be any dinner for you tonight!"
"Wait—! I'm sorry! Anything but that!"
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