How My Birthday Went

Some months passed after my first magical boy fight.

I didn't hear of that red-eyed demon anymore. I still wasn't sure if pushing him from that high up would defeat him once and for all. Are demons able to die anyway?

But even if he died... I was sure that more enemies would come to avenge him. I mean, that's what happens in anime, right? You have to deal with the small fries and then you deal with the meat. The final boss is defeated only after killing some of the least important demons. And the battle gets tougher and tougher every passing time.

****

I spent my time studying. I was really busy with school, that I didn't even have time to watch any anime.

Then October came. That was the month of my birthday.

When I was younger, I loved my birthday, but now... I was afraid.

I had been friends with Isas for a long amount of time and he knew that my birthday was on the 13th of October. I feared that I would meet him on the street. Just seeing his face would be enough to make me anxious and ruin my day.

I just wanted a perfect birthday.
I wanted a beautiful happy day full of fun.
I wanted a day without being threatened, without bullying or violence.

****

The special day finally came. The 13th of October fell on a Monday.
It would have been better if it fell on the weekend, but yeah... I can't complain.
I woke up early and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. I think it's funny how even people that love oversleeping can wake up early on their birthdays.

"Jun, happy birthday!" my mom exclaimed.

"Aw... Thanks."

"I didn't expect you to wake up earlier than usual. Will you invite any friends for the party today?"

"Well, I might invite some friends from school," I told her while eating. "How many people can I invite?"

"As many as you'd like. There's no limit. I will make a cake for you later. With white chocolate, as always."

"Thanks a lot, mom," I said smiling. 

I finished my plate and then I looked at her as if I got reminded of something important: "But where is dad?"

"He went to work earlier. Don't worry. He didn't forget your birthday."
"I know he didn't. Okay, I better go now." I said while wiping my mouth with a handkerchief.
"Alright, be careful son."

I went to school. I passed by the hospital, the barbershop, the library, and the bus station.
When I entered the school gate, Meiko greeted me: "Happy birthday bestie! Also, good morning! I didn't know what to say first, but... yeah, you get the idea."
"Hehe, it's okay. Thank you for remembering."
"Excuse you? There's no way I would forget."
I lowered my eyes to the ground and smiled a little.

The weather that day was sunny, even though we were in the middle of October.
I entered my class and I sat down.
I was waiting for other people to wish me, but no one seemed to care.
"Oh well, it's not like it's their fault. I don't remember their birthdays either." I thought making a carefree face.

A few minutes later, Aristel entered the classroom.
He took off his schoolbag and quietly sat down.
We exchanged looks but he started taking his books and notebooks out.
"Did he forget too? I would have never expected that from him!" I thought while trying to pretend I was fine.

Then, as if he read my thoughts, he said: "Happy birthday Jun!"
"Thanks, man. I thought you forgot. You know, only my mom and Meiko wished me today."
"And that's still good. I'm sorry I was lost in thoughts."
I looked at him concerned. "Anything wrong?"
"I don't remember if I fed my male octopus today or not."
"Random question, but how do you know he's male?"
He looked at me in disbelief.
"Jun, that's not the point! I don't know if I fed him or not!"
"Okay dude, I'm sorry. You can feed him when you're back home though." 
"True. But yo, don't worry. Other people will wish you too."
"How can you be sure?"
"Just tell them it's your birthday and they will inevitably wish you!"
"What the heck, that's not even funny," I said, but I laughed. To be honest, I always laughed at things that aren't funny.

When Meiko approached us, I turned to face her and said: "Oh, you two can come to my house today."
"Wow, this is actually the first time you invite me," said Meiko.
"It's my first time coming to your place too," said Aristel.

After class was over, they came over directly to my place.
All three of us walked together. We passed by the bus station, the library, the barbershop, and the hospital.
After taking a turn to my left I exclaimed dramatically: "Lady and gentleman, this is my house!"
"Your room is on the second roof, right?" asked Aristel.
"Yep, now let's go inside. After you."

I opened the door expecting some balloons or decorations on the walls, but the house was the same as it was in the morning. What's more, the house felt empty.
"Hello?' I said, ironically like a stranger going to someone else's house.
Suddenly, my mom and my dad get up and shout as loud as they can: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"Jeez, you scared me for a moment," I said.
"Oh, so these are your friends?" my dad asked.
"Yeah, this is Meiko and this one is Aristel." (I'm so good at introducing people, heh)
"Thanks for inviting us," they both said at the same time while bowing politely.

After that, we sat down to eat white chocolate cake, we played different board games, then we ate cake again until we were full.

At a certain moment, I see Aristel and Meiko handing me two different gifts.
"Wh-What? When did you find the time to buy these? We were together the whole day, right?"
"That's a secret," Aristel said.

Oh, so they both planned this? But they didn't even know if I was going to celebrate it with them or invite them.
Is this how birthdays feel like with real friends?

****
This was how my birthday went. A beautiful autumn day that felt more like summer.
I had only two friends come over, but we still had fun.
I'm glad I didn't meet Isas that day.
To be honest, I was so happy the whole day that I didn't even think about him once.