#miraitabi

SolaRise

Well, since he assumed that the majority of them were coming from his fans or maybe his colleagues, the option of just leaving them all under the cold of the night seems to be considered inappropriate here. So, he decided to take all of them into his residence.

Speaking of which, he also noticed that one notable-sized present with the tiny card written “from Nara Division” laying down on the floor —It was a roll of blackout curtains with so many cuts that all lights shining through them would mysteriously portray the silhouette of nighttime cityscapes and this was somehow striking some kind of aesthetics to him.

Carrying the large roll of curtains into his arms, suddenly his area of sight caught up on something nearby —It was a miniature black coffin with a lot of accessories in the theme of his interest, but what made him a little bit surprised was the name addressed as its sender and the small letter attached inside.

“Yo, What’s up, Shiba-kun (and greetings to Shiba-chan if she is around there).

First and foremost; Happy birthday and long time no see★

Time does fly very fast, doesn’t it? I thought I’ve just seen both you and your sister as a pair of shorties among the crew from back then. But now, look, you have already turned out to be even taller than me right now!

To be honest, it was such a regret when I heard you decided to quit showbiz so soon. Ever since then the world of entertainment had lost quite a number of young talents and also a lot of its muchness after you left.

However, above all else, I hope you guys are doing alright and content with the path you choose to walk from now on.

But WAIT, what if I’m already writing this long but you still have no idea of who I possibly am?! Haha, just kidding… I know you would never since both of us got our grand debut from the same drama series after all.

—ASHIBI

(My stage name is still the same, you see?)”

Lyall blinked as he read the letter. Gosh, it had been so long since he thought about the series that had given him his big break. No one could ever have expected how huge “Andromeda’s Children” would become. The series finale alone was watched by millions of people. Even now, reruns of the show were still popular to watch.  

Ashibi, huh? Lyall tried to remember who that could be and thought back to everyone who played a part in the drama. Then, all of a sudden, a figure appeared in Lyall’s mind. Someone who played a certain character and who understood what it was like to be suddenly shoved into the spotlight. 

The gifts that those kids in the division have picked for Ritsuko were a set of coasters designed after specimens of human’s brain and a bottle of colorful temari candies. For some tidbits, the candies were symbolized after some traditional ball toys called ‘Temari’ which were often gifted to children on New Year’s day to wish for their happiness. And apparently, one of many reasons why kids crave sweet things is because the principal energy for human’s brain is also glucose —the end product from breaking down most sugars. What a good match for the presents(?)

“And hey. If you seem that scared, why do you follow me here in the first place huh, little miss?”

Chishio frowned a bit as he noticed a small creature snuggling around his shoes after it spending a brief moment running around and checking the new environment it had visited.

…Wait, why was that kid’s kitty stalking him again today?

Gently picking the kitten up from the ground, the old man muttered something as if he was talking with her.

“I knew my master doesn’t really like cats much due to some allergy he has to your fur, but I’m sure that he has never done something rude to you as well. So, why can’t you just stay there and enjoy your time with your owner instead of running around like this? Outside is full of harm, just you know.”

The old man sighed. For whatever he had spoken out just now, there was no way the petite feline in his arms could neither understand nor answer him anyway.

—How ridiculous can this be? He could persuade that smart kid not to tag along with him in almost dangerous places but couldn’t do that with his cat.

“…Fine, let’s go home Ojou-chan. At least you make a less annoying companion than the other ‘cat’ I know.”

Ritsuko plucked a Temari from the bowl and rolled it around her fingers, inspecting the small treat. How amusing, she thought as she popped it in her mouth and began to chew, it was indeed sweet and it scratched at her sweet tooth nicely. Those specimens from Nara were quite intriguing, not only due to their gift giving habits but also because of the members themselves, the scientist made a mental note to do more research on them, she had a feeling that they may prove useful to her.

Taking by curiosity, she unwrapped the mysterious package and was greeted by a box of homemade crunchy cookies with a small piece of paper tucked inside. To be honest, she thinks that its appearance did look a bit familiar to some crunchies she has known as the ‘Fortune Cookies’ back in her hometown.

“Tsujiura senbei (辻占煎餅) ——in case we were at crossroads, how would we know that which path is the brighter one? Whatever that means, let’s face forward! For different ways are different more opportunities!

Happy Birthday & Wish you an early merry Christmas

—Yuuya Kanata & Asahi Tomoharu, Nara Division”

The card she found nearby had said so, but the excitement had not ended yet as the red-haired Alice noticed one more present humbly folding beneath the box of cookies

…And Ta-da!

It was a cute kimono modified with the modest Kawaii fashion sent straight from a certain professional seamstress in Kyoto ‘Suzuran Minazuki’.

Another letter written in a lot neater handwriting was read,

“Greetings, kid

My cousin requested me to hand this little present to you after your collaboration with her from the Halloween Night Party. She did say that she is looking forward to working on some designs with you once again. Maybe she is looking for an apprentice but that’s who knows anyway

—Saigo Fuyugami”

As she opened the furoshiki, she was pleasantly surprised with the fortune cookie like pastries.

“ Oh, how delightful! I haven’t had anything similar to fortune cookies in a long time.”

She takes out the card attached to the furoshiki, reading it.

“ Yuuya and Asahi from Nara Division..Oh! I remember now, I helped with costumes for the Halloween Night Party, so I got to interact with Nara Division there.”

After reading the letter, she noticed the present underneath the cookies.

“Oh goodness, this is gorgeous! The patterns are quite intricate, I can’t imagine how much time this took.”

She reads the second letter.

“I see, so Ms. Minazuki must be Mr. Fuyugami’s cousin. Well, I did enjoy working with her on the Halloween night party, so it’d be an honor to work with her on some designs again!”

Alice neatly sets aside the presents, calling Ririko.

“Oh, Miraitabi sent you some birthday gifts? Aw, how nice of them! You know, their leader, Yuuya, is around your age, maybe this could be your chance to make a friend in your age group! Want me to set up a hangout with them?”

But before the Hispanic chef has to do anything, the pink-haired visitor is the one who greets him first.

“Oh, good evening! You are Luis-san, aren’t you? My name is ‘Asahi’ from ‘Harumatsuya’ in Nara! This is probably the first time I met you in person, I often heard of you from my grandparents.” 

The young man speaks in a cheerful manner. Somehow it literally make him think that this young man’s atmosphere feels very bright even if the surroundings have become dusky due to the absence of daylight. 

“Granny and gramp seem to know Uehashi oba-san from the cuisine expo some time ago, hence they told me to go greet her by myself today…Well, granny can’t come because she has to look after our shop and my gramp obviously can’t leave home. Both of them told me to deliver their blessings to you though!” 

He laughs a little as he picks something out of his bag.

“As you may know… I’m not here today only on my grandparents’ request, I also come here as the representative of my team —the Nara Division, too.”

Inside the tiny box he holds out to the chef are the wagashi in a cute pumpkin shape to celebrate a certain day of October.

“So, this is some little gift from me. Happy birthday to you and Happy early Halloween! I’ve already left the gift from my shop to Uehashi oba-san when I arrived, it’s the set of wagashi specially made to enjoy the taste of October’s fall. My leader YuuYu has helped me in making them as well.”

“...And here is some souvenir from Saigo-san. It’s the Kashikata cake mold carved by an artisan he knows. He told me that he has lots of contacts of great craftsmen if you wanna order the more intricate or customized designs for whatever occasion.”

After handing his and his team’s presents to the chef, Asahi waves his hand as the farewell.

“Sayonara~~~ Hope you and your grandma have the great new year ahead! Let’s meet again another time, Luis-san. Now I’ve to hurry home before my grandma closes the shop all by herself!

Luis hadn't actually planned on leaving his house, but Karada apparently had some "emergency" and needed his help, ASAP. Tomi, of course, wasn't going to be bothered, so that just left Luis. After trudging the way to his friend's house and solving whatever problem he had, (his oven door wouldn't open, which ruined the cookies he was planning to make) the chef returned back home to find a strange, yet familiar-looking pink-haired young man on the porch of his house, making him frown slightly.

After hearing his name and the name of his shop, it was then that Luis's expression changed. He had recalled his grandmother once buying some sweets from a shop in Nara. To be honest, after trying them once, he had wanted to stop by and pick up some, himself, but never managed to find the time. Between working at his restaurant, taking care of his grandmother, and making sure his teammates didn't do anything to piss off the rest of Japan, he didn't have much free time on his hands. So having the guy who personally made the sweets come down and deliver them himself was a welcome sight.

"Thank you, Asahi-san," Luis stated. "I've been wanting to stop by, but couldn't find a chance. Give my regards to your teammates, as well. And if you find the time to come here again, be sure to stop by my restaurant. My cooks and I will serve you all something nice."

Once a certain jet-black car has reached its destination at one of the best hot-spots being reviewed in Okinawa, the boy with reddish hair has been spotted stepping out of the car …with a number of boxes in his arms. 

The seashell chimes hanging above the bar’s doors let out their lovely rattling sound as he gets inside.

“Good afternoon, mister. Are you perhaps Mr. Young of Eagle’s Nest? I’m Yuuya Kanata from Nara division. I’m here today to relay the birthday presents from my team.”

“This box is my gift. They may look all yummy but they are in fact scented candles I found nice. If by any chance, I think they will make good decorations to your bar at nighttime. Their smells are quite something too. This one has a vanilla scent, this one is strawberry milkshake, this one is butter cream, and many more —Well, they all smell like desserts in my opinion.”

And then he brings out a cooler box. 

“Okay, these ones are actually edible haha. They’re Monaka ice cream made from my teammate despite him telling me that making ice cream isn’t really his land of expertise. Even so, he expects something cool like ice cream would sell off rather well in summer and more particularly; maybe somewhere with a tropical climate like in Okinawa. And in case you want to be more creative with them, the empty shells (crispy wafer) are also available in the additional bag.”

“From Saigo-san are the beautifully painted ceramic plates and the last one is from Mr. Chishio —Hmm, the latter is like… the assistant of Saigo-san? Honestly, just how many jobs this guy has been carrying under that title. I don’t know why, but Mr. Chishio seems to know your place rather well even before we entered the DRB. He even asked me to tell you ‘Thank you for the trading’ and give me his own gift for you.”

Inside the box from the guy called Chishio are a collection of kitchen knives for various uses ...Just don’t get the wrong idea. Japanese are known for using different knives for each different role in the kitchen. So, the ultimate motive behind this gift is only for cooking …Definitely, not for murdering someone, maybe?

“And that’s all we’ve got for you today. Lastly, Happy Birthday Mr. Young —EH? YOU ALSO GOT A KITTY?” 

Seemingly distracted for a minute, the boy soon keeps his composure back from petting the kitten a couple of times. 

“…It’s a shame that I’ve to fetch some seafoods for my teammates before dinnertime, so let me say a good-bye for today. Nevertheless, hope you and your teammates all have a nice year!”

——— BONUS: about fifteen minutes ago

Chishio: We’ve already arrived at the bar so why don’t we order some liquor on our way home?

Yuuya: How do you forget that I’m still underage and alcohol seems likely to be downright sedative to me? What wicked humor you have today, Chishio-san. At least don’t convince your minor to be your drinking friend!

Chishio: *chuckles* Aren't you 19 this year, kid?

Rashaad smiled at the handful of gifts he had received from the Nara Division. Truthfully, he wasn't all that familiar with them, though he did know of them. It was one of the many perks of being a bartender; you knew just about everyone in Japan, whether they had revealed themselves or not. He made a mental note that he'd have to interact with the Nara team later on when he had some free time. Before he departed, the bar owner disappeared quickly into his bar before returning with a bottle of sake and some cups.

"For Chishio-san and Fuyugami-san," Rashaad stated, handing him the bottle and the cups. "Tell them to make sure it's thoroughly heated first."

Bidding the young teenager a farewell, Rashaad looked at the gifts he had received. Out of all of them, the candles were perhaps his favorite. Opening a random one, he quickly lit it with his lighter. In a matter of seconds, the entire bar seemed to smell like some fruity cereal, making Rashaad nod his head, enjoying the aroma.

Sitting down on one of the stools in his bar, he chose the vanilla and chocolate parfait as he began digging into it, eating it was his hands. He heard a small 'purr' from above and looked as it was his kitten, Coco, whom Rashaad had forgotten was on top of his head. Looking up at him, he placed a small thing of ice cream on one of the plates, Fuyugami-san had given him.

The feline, not needing to be told twice, dug into the sweet milky treat, using his small tongue to eat it. The scene made Rashaad grin; this birthday was truly shaping up to be, perhaps, his best upon leaving the States.

With a letter attached between the folds of cloth, the renowned MMA fighter and descendant of Viking warriors picks it up and give it some read;

“Hello Iwasaki-san and greetings Taito Division. This letter is from Nara Division and recently this season has become my turn to deliver our birthday blessings on account of the rest of my team www. 

Unfortunately, I still have classes and a work shift today so I can’t deliver them in person, but if you’re reading this, then I guess our presents are safely sent to your home. Now, let me introduce what we’ve chosen as your birthday gifts.

I’ll go with Hi-chan’s first!

He made you the Hourai manju. If I remember correctly, they’re believed to bring happiness and are quite the good picks for the celebration …and also the wedding —That may be why he wants to send both of you some little gifts since we’re a bit late in knowing your good news with Kirumi-san (Well, congratulations again to your wedding!). Maybe we should enjoy life like enjoy these manju; looking plain from the outside, some of us may never expect to find a lot of small colorful manju packed inside unless you want to savor them. 

And next one is Saigo-san’s Narazake. 

Well, it would be a lie if I say I’m not biased to anything related to my hometown (I also don’t know much about liquor btw). Still, I want to insist that the sake from our hometown is the top-graded one! Granted that they are chosen by that picky old man of all people.

And we’ve come to the last;

Japan’s summer has always felt a bit overbearing as of late. Also, at this time around, heat stroke has become rather popular in not a good way. So, it makes me think maybe I should send something that can help beat these crazy heatwaves… 

Hanging around your neck, it’s a portable neck fan; light, rechargeable, and doesn’t contain any blades inside! It has no need to be worried of getting your hairs caught up in the device as well.

Lastly; Happy Birthday, Stay hydrated, and please don’t do too much work-out during the death heat of the day.

—Hope you and your team have a great (and safe) summer

Yuuya Kanata”

Looking at the box wrapped in the red cloth, the MMA fighter cocked an eyebrow as she held the box in one hand and read the letter attached to it in the other. Blinking with her one good eye, she shrugged as she opened the package and looked at the manjū. Biting into one of them, her mouth experienced many different flavors, some good and some... out there. It wasn't bad, but she didn't know if she could eat these things on a daily basis. Shrugging, Eldrid finished it off and left the remaining one for her wife, Kirumi when she returned home.

Looking at the next gift, Eldrid smiled at the sake bottles. Ever since she had married Kirumi, she tried to control her drinking to only three or four times a week. She would just count this as one of those days.

"I'll save you three for later tonight," Eldrid said, putting the bottles in her fridge.

Looking at the other gift, Eldrid's eyes grew as looked at the neck fan. She had been wanting to buy one of these for the longest ever since Summer started but had never found time or had been putting it off. Placing the device around her neck, she turned it on and felt a blast of cold air hit her, making her smile.

"Better break this thing in now while I can." She said as she headed to her room, coming out three minutes later in her jogging outfit. "Yuma, I'm going for a run. Call me if you need something."

With that, the MMA fighter opened the door and started off down the street until she was out of sight. Today was shaping up to be a good birthday.