The First Love Song With Your Name

For some people, birthdays are just a date.
It was like that for me, too.
Until… someone else’s birthday started to feel like it was my own.

That day...

It was Lyra’s birthday.
But somehow, everything felt like it was revolving around my heart.

A week had passed, and it seemed the accident had faded from the media.
Of course, I had also spent exactly three days doing nothing at home, as if I had faded too.
My family, although unaware of anything, had started to look at me strangely. Which was understandable.

It had taken three sleepless nights for me to digest everything that had happened.
During that time, my conversations with Lyra were scarce and fragmented — her work was overflowing.

That day, Lina had messaged me.
“Come over now. Bring the stuff below. And don’t tell my sister!”

I eventually gave in and went after a back-and-forth argument with her in messages.

We were planning a surprise for Lyra.
But she wasn’t around yet and wouldn’t return until evening.
So the two of us got to work on the surprise.

The kitchen was a mess thanks to me and Lina.
Cake batter everywhere, colorful balloons on the counter, confetti scraps on the floor…

But most of all, there was this anxiety inside me, bouncing my heart off the walls.

“Nii! Spread that cream properly!” Lina shouted.

Startled, I dropped the spatula I was holding.

“I studied engineering, Lina, not pastry architecture!”

“Today, you are a pastry architect! This is special for my sister!”

“I am already doing something special for her…” I muttered.
But Lina pretended not to hear.

As the hours passed, the excitement in me only grew.

Today was Lyra’s first time back on TV after the accident.
Her face had been blurred, her voice slightly filtered, but... I would recognize her.

Her smile would echo through her voice, and even in silence, her presence would fill the room.

Today…

I didn’t just want to say “Happy Birthday.”
I wanted to say...
“I’m glad you exist.”

And maybe...

We had managed to make a beautiful cake and some nice food.
Now, all that was left was for Lyra to arrive.
My heart raced wildly at the thought.

Would she like it?
Would she think it was weird?
I didn’t know, and I was scared too.

“Don’t worry, I told her this morning that she’d be surprised when she saw you. I told her she should get excited,” Lina whispered beside me, giving me a mischievous look.

Let’s hope that’s true.
And then... the doorbell rang.
I locked eyes with Lina.
And a deep breath.

She narrowed her eyes and grinned slyly:
“Think the time has come?”

I didn’t answer.
Because my heart had already decided.

We turned off the lights. Candlelight now decorated the room.
It had ended up looking kind of romantic, and I had just realized it…

“Wait, crouch down a bit.” Lina grabbed my hand and pulled me down. She whispered near the door so Lyra wouldn’t hear.

“What now?” I asked, squatting down curiously. She moved behind me and suddenly leaped onto my shoulders. “W-wait, what are you—”

“Never mind that now! Let’s open the door!” She hissed at me while interrupting my sentence — weird in so many ways...

“Three, two, one...”
We opened the door together.

“Welcome!” we both said in unison. Lina threw her arms wide open above my head.

“Careful, you’re going to fall…” I staggered from the weight. Lina let out a small yelp. I managed to steady myself.

“You knew this was a bad idea,” I said, frowning. She had almost fallen.

“Oh, come on, what’s the worst that could happen?” Lina lowered her head and gave me a scolding look.

“Oh right, Lyra—”
Then I remembered — Lyra was standing at the door.

Lyra…

Was crying.

What the hell?!

When Lina lifted her head and saw her, she immediately dropped to the floor in worry.

“S-sis, are you okay? What happened?”
Lyra was sobbing uncontrollably. Lina took a step forward, but...

Lyra rushed inside and hugged both of us tightly. So tightly I was afraid she’d squeeze Lina flat.
“What did you two do today?” Lyra continued to cry.

But her tears… they were tears of joy.

“I just wanted to make you happy, sis…” Lina started crying too.
Help. I was so not ready for this emotional rollercoaster.

“I am happy, dummy. That’s why I’m crying.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you. This has been my happiest birthday ever.”

We stayed like that a while longer, in a shared silence.

Lyra lifted her head and looked at me. When Lina slipped out of the hug, I realized I was the only one she was still holding.

“S-sorry!” she said, embarrassed, covering her face with her hands and looking down.

“I-it’s okay.” Seeing her like that embarrassed me, too.

Lina, on the other hand, was grinning mischievously. That girl…

Finally, Lina said, “Sis, look!” and started showing Lyra everything.

She toured the place — the table full of cake and food, decorations, and LEDs all around. The whole setting felt magical.

There was a satisfied smile on Lyra’s face. She looked around while holding her sister’s hand, and glanced at me too.

Our eyes were speaking volumes. A smile spread across my face that just wouldn’t go away.

“Well then, let’s eat — I’m starving!” Lyra, like a little joy bomb, rushed to the table.

We all celebrated her birthday together.

“Happy Birthday, Lyra,” we said.

We laughed and talked over dinner.

I kept seeing that smiling, sparkling face of hers.

After the joyful dinner, the evening had begun to settle in…

We cleaned up, and it was already night.

“So, how about a movie now?” Lyra asked excitedly, heading to the living room TV.

“Sure! What are we watching?” Lina chimed in with matching enthusiasm.

“Hmm, let’s go with action!”

“Yess!”

“Is that okay with you, Yuta?” Lyra turned to me. Meeting her eyes made my heart pound.

“Yeah, anything’s fine with me.”

The two of them joked and played around.

I quietly put away the dishes, watching them with a soft smile.

Wait… wasn’t Noa in this building too?

Was it really okay for the three of us to be ending the evening like this?
And also — Lyra hadn’t said a single word about me being there.
Even that silence said so much.

Things had spiraled so far out of my control that I didn’t even know what to weigh or how to calculate anymore…

Chapter 41 – 3

We had finished the movie. It was a good one. Western films do action so well.
I turned my head to look at Lyra and Lina.

“So, what did you—”

“Shhh…” Lyra cut me off, signaling me to be quiet.

Lina had fallen asleep in her sister’s lap. Lyra had covered herself with a cardigan.

We smiled at each other.
I helped carry Lina to her room. It was getting late — no surprise that the little one had dozed off.
When we returned to the living room,
It was just the two of us.

“Out like a light, huh?” I said with a smile.

“She must’ve been really tired today,” Lyra replied with a similar smile.

A short silence fell between us. The room suddenly felt so quiet. I could swear I heard my breath echoing.

The candles were burning low — it was impressive they’d lasted this long.

The room still held traces of fruity and vanilla-scented perfumes; with each breath, I felt her presence more.

“Sorry, we surprised you like that today. Your sister told me about your birthday and asked for this in return.”

The room had grown dark in the dim light. Only the candles and the TV gave off a glow.

Lyra looked into my eyes.

“It’s fine. I’m glad you were here. And thanks for helping her.”

I turned to her. She had broken our agreement.

Slowly, I reached my hand toward her.

She didn’t pull back. She didn’t resist. She didn’t say a word.

I gently tapped her nose.

“What did we say about saying no to each other?”

“Still... I want to keep saying it. But only because it makes me feel like someone I can truly appreciate is right beside me.”

Lyra looked at me, eyes piercing through. Her face flickered in the orange candlelight from the darkness… that expression...

I swallowed. I didn’t want to hide anymore. I didn’t want to resist any longer.

“Lyra, I…”

I was scared. I was afraid of everything.

I’d only been rejected once in my life.

Some people had liked me before... but none of them had ever made my heart beat this fast.

I never thought I was someone worthy of truly loving or being loved.

I never thought I needed love.
I always felt inadequate. In everything.

I always thought I was the most average, the most ordinary person.
I thought I didn’t need anyone… but—

She showed me I was wrong.
She showed me I was different. She showed me the good in me.

Maybe deep down,

I wanted to see those things.
I didn’t want to hold back anymore. I didn’t want to be afraid.

Even after everything — the lies, or maybe the truths hidden for our good —
Even just this past week,
After learning everything,
We were still here, together.

I loved her.

Even if our lifestyles were different,
Even if our pasts didn’t match,
Even if we clashed or didn’t fit…

I still loved her.
Being different wasn’t a barrier.

I had come to know her well enough to notice that very difference.
I had come to love her “as she was,” without anyone else’s influence.
And I didn’t want to lose her anymore.

So now, I was sure…
My eyes met Lyra’s.
I took a deep breath.

"I love you.”