Always Around - 2

2

It was already getting dark when we left the house. But, according to him, wearing costumes at night was something that could not be compared to anything else in the world. That is why he had been doing it every year for his birthday.

We had no choice but to trust him, so we all dressed up and endured the embarrassment of people staring at us curiously as we walked past on the street (and on the bus too).

Zena: We're here! …Right?

That is what the cheerful vampire girl walking beside me said, swinging a large plastic scythe in the air as she spotted what she thought was our destination.

Noe: Yes, according to what she said, this should be the place.

Jean: So he's actually Many's neighbor.

That is what the girl and boy who completed the demon-angel duo walking behind us said as they looked at the other houses in the area.

Lani: Finally…!

The way that line came out of my mouth managed to reflect the exhaustion hidden beneath my costume. Under a large black hood, I was supposed to be Death that day.

I was also supposed to carry a large plastic scythe, but Zena had it at the time because my hands were full with a large white box that contained our gift.

Although, looking back at it, maybe giving Zena a scythe was not the best idea, because I got accidentally bumped a few times while we were walking.

Lani: My arms were already getting tired.

Noe: I told you I could help you carry that!

Lani: No. The moment I hand it to you is the most likely for it to fall, and I don't want to risk it.

I really thought that was true. But also, for some reason, I really wanted to be the one to deliver that large white gift box.

I could not explain it well, but the thought of someone else doing it just felt wrong.

Anyway, we walked toward the door of the house next to Many's, and Zena cheerfully rang the doorbell and knocked a few times.

We waited in silence for someone to open the door, and we could hear some noises coming from inside. First a voice, and then footsteps that stopped before reaching the door.

???: I really appreciate you calling, and it's great to hear from you! We'll see each other again someday…

That is what happens when it is your birthday. The likelihood of receiving calls from family, friends, or just someone you know increases, especially for someone who gets along well with many people.

Finally, after the voice said goodbye, the footsteps continued on to the door, and we all smiled when we saw who answered.

…

Doing my best to cope with my racing heart, especially after a call with my old friends and knowing that my new friends were waiting on the other end, I opened the door.

And, as expected, I could not help but smile when I saw them all together, happy and ready to celebrate in the best way possible.

Jean, Lani, Noe, and Zena.

I took the time to observe each of them before saying anything, and then I noticed that they had done exactly what I had asked. Their costumes… Their costumes!

Twen: Awesom—!

I exploded into a thousand pieces, right there. I became a huge, powerful ball of destruction covered in fire and smoke. I leveled everything in the vicinity of the neighborhood, causing irreparable damage to property and sparking panic among all my neighbors…

Or, at least, that is how it felt. All that really happened was that a little colorful smoke came out of my mask, but nothing too violent.

Everyone: Happy birthday!

Twen: Thank you so much!

Although not everyone said it the same way (especially Jean, whom I could barely hear), they all said it, and they were already there, making it clear to me that that day was simply destined to be unforgettable.

Twen: By the way, your costumes are awesome!

Noe: I know, right? Those two look beautiful.

Twen: And you… And Jean… What a great idea!

I could not help but laugh when I saw those two, especially because I never imagined seeing Jean take the angel side in that duo, wearing a halo over his head.

Twen: Seeing you as an angel… How do I put this…

Jean: They didn't have any demon costumes for men! Damn perverts who just want to see my boobs…

Noe: But you look really cute like that.

Jean: Shut up!

Twen: And there's also Zena, the vampire-gardener.

Zena: Oh, no, this is Lani's.

Lani: I still don't have enough hands to hold it all… Here, this gift is from me and Zena.

Looking at me with her violet eyes from inside her dark hood, Lani handed me a large white box that seemed to be straining her arms, so I quickly took it.

Although, as I did, I also said thank you a few times while my eyes sparkled, because I already had an idea of ​​what was inside, and thinking that it was made for me simply warmed my heart.

Noe: But wait, Twen, that's not all. This time we brought something too.

Zena: Okay, okay…

With that, Noe handed me a paper bag with a piece of clothing inside. And then, as if that was not enough, Jean tried to give me a rectangular box with a bottle of some kind of alcohol inside.

Before I could properly examine what everyone had given me, and lacking free hands, I created multiple tentacles that helped me carry the gifts to the other side of the front door.

And, as my black and white mask fluttered, I created two final tentacles so I could hug them all at once. The joy I felt at that moment truly consumed my heart.

Jean: Look, Twen, I'm glad you like the gifts, but… Don't hug me again wearing so little clothing.

What he said was strangely true. At that moment, I was not wearing much clothing, but not because I wanted to show off or anything. It is just that, like everyone else, I was also in costume, although not in something you could see everywhere.

What I was wearing was the typical outfit used in the Street of Colors show in Copihual. I was not wearing a shirt, but I did have lots of necklaces and bracelets made of brightly painted wood.

It is worth noting that this is not something I do for all my birthdays, but this was my first celebrating it since moving to Novadía, so it made sense.

And it is also worth mentioning that my silver bracelets were still around my wrists.

When Zena saw them, she lifted my wrist and showed them to Noe, seemingly mocking the fact that she kept winning in terms of the number of gifts given to me.

Finally, I invited them to come into my house, and they all greeted as if they were coming back from work (it was the first time that most of them were there).

However, they soon noticed that something was not quite right.

Lani: This looks different…

Noe: Different?!

Lani: From what I expected! It's different from what I expected.

Noe: Oh… Well, yeah, this isn't even a house.

Trying to keep the fact that she had already spent a night at my house a secret to avoid further misunderstandings, Lani mentioned how strange the place was.

And indeed, upon crossing the threshold of a house, the last thing one would expect to see is a small, circular island in the middle of the sea, lit by torches and bathed in the colors of the sunset.

In the center was a long plastic table surrounded by a few chairs of the same material, and a bunch of tentacles helped to tidy the place up.

Once we were all inside, I was finally able to open my gifts and examine them calmly. The box Jean gave me contained an aged rum from Novadia, and in the bag Noe gave me was a black and white sweater.

In box from Lani and Zena was a large chocolate cake, with the same two colors, and a chocolate-covered mask on top.

After a few seconds, frozen and lost in thought, I turned to look at Lani and Zena. By then, my mask had transformed into a bright and cheerful eye-mask.

Twen: Is it okay if we eat now?

Zena: Sure!

Lani: It's your cake, so you decide...

Happy with their response, I grabbed a knife and brought it to the cake, but before I cut it, something else popped into my head.

Twen: Wait... Is it really okay if we just eat this like this?

Lani: Like what?

Twen: With this presentation! I mean, doesn't it deserve something more?

I quickly asked my tentacle assistants to spruce things up a bit, transforming the table and chairs into expensive, elegant wooden furniture, complete with candles, tablecloths, and pristine silverware.

My assistants also dressed up a bit, wearing ties to enhance the elegance of the scene.

Twen: This is better, isn't it?

Noe: So stylish!

Lani: I'd love to see my cakes in a place with this kind of aesthetic… But you don't have to go to all that trouble. It's just a cake—

Twen: It's not just a cake! It's a gift, and it's mine! Plus, you two made it! It's very special.

Zena: Yes! It's very special! …Although I'm not sure if something so fancy suits us.

Jean: I also think the plastic things were fine.

Noe: By the way, why did you start with plastic tables and chairs instead of, say, anything else? Why not something more rustic? With wooden logs and stuff…

Twen: Oh, well… It was the first thing that came to mind.

With that, we quickly reverted to the original style, and my tentacle assistants threw their ties to the floor as if they had been fired from their jobs.

I considered it an amusing sequence of events, although the fact that Lani did not seem to think her own cake was anything special worried me a little.

I mean, a cake as beautiful as that, whose unknown flavor kept piquing my curiosity, already seemed to deserve the attention of everyone.

Consequently, I wasted no time and started cutting a piece for everyone, ruining the mask design in the process.

Everyone was already seated, and we were about to savor that piece of culinary art, but there was a feeling that something was missing.

However, when I locked eyes with Zena and saw her smile accompanied by her lungs filling with air, I knew what was coming.

Zena: HAAAPPYYY BIIIIRTHDAY~!!!

Initially singing slowly so that everyone could join in, she managed to fulfill the worldwide tradition of the "happy birthday" song.

Perhaps the awkward feeling of the birthday person not wishing happiness to anyone but themselves was also similar everywhere.

In my case, although I was smiling while listening, I also felt embarrassed to the point that my mask shook. But, once it was over and we got back to what was important, that embarrassment was replaced by pleasure.

The moment I tasted that cake made especially for me, only one word crossed my mind… Thanks!

I had probably told Lani and Zena this a thousand times already, but one more time would only bring me closer to my true feelings.

A beautifully pale vanilla sponge with two layers of filling; a dark chocolate ganache on the bottom, and a glutton hug of pastry cream and cherry on top.

The black and white decoration also complemented the flavors inside, making the cake beautiful and delicious even if all the flavors did not come together at once.

When my mind finally escaped this world of pure culinary pleasure and returned to ours, I looked up and found the two artists to thank them, as I said, perhaps a thousand times.

Zena already seemed happy before even hearing my opinion, but the eyes of Lani were fixed on mine, filled with expectation, seriousness, and perhaps even a touch of fear. However, from my point of view, there was absolutely no reason for that last part.

When she heard me, it seemed as if a weight of several tons slowly fell from her shoulders, and she seemed to rejoice inside her black hood.

The five of us were more than satisfied with our pieces of cake, so when Lani asked me if I thought about magically recreating it, I said no.

I certainly did not understand why she was asking, but it made me think that I would love to try something like that again in the future.

That is why I told her not to forget her own recipe, because someday I might ask her to make it again, and then another ton seemed to fall.

Anyway, although it was unforgettable, a cake could not be the only thing we did to celebrate my birthday.

As we got up from our plastic chairs, a tentacle assistant handed me a volleyball, and with just a glance, everyone understood what was coming next.

…

A few hours later, we collapsed on the floor, exhausted from the intense game, which included a touch of magic.

At first, we did nothing but throw the volleyball to each other, trying to keep it from touching the ground. But as soon as someone dropped it, they had to do a costume-related dare.

Although, in reality, it seemed more like an upgrade than a dare.

The first to try it was Noe, the demon girl, who became able to control the fire that surrounded us (like in the torches, for example), and the first thing she did was light the ball and throw it to Jean.

The second was Jean himself, the angel boy, whose white wings came to life and allowed him to fly above our heads, becoming able to intercept passes and make others lose.

The third was Lani, Death, who noticed her new ability when she asked her best friend about it. She was able to transmit her voice directly into the ears of others, as if death itself were stalking them from behind, causing them absolute fear and discomfort.

The fourth was Zena, the vampire girl, whose physical abilities already seemed fine, but became inhuman when the ball first landed in front of her. Furthermore, and purely for aesthetic effect, her eyes turned red and she grew large, real fangs.

The fifth was me, and my penance was to rid myself of an emotion. By removing the red from my outfit and replacing it with blue, I suddenly felt extremely sad.

It was as if I had lost hope in life in an instant, and kept playing because it was all I ever knew…

Many things happened that I knew I would remember fondly, but every good story comes to an end at some point.

In this case, that was when we were all exhausted and the sky darkened. As we walked through my front door again, everyone was once more confused by how that trick worked.

Twen: You know I'd love to take you home now, but honestly, my head is starting to hurt, and using the powers of my mask might not be the best option…

Noe: Don't worry, it's fine. We've all got that problem sorted out, and we can't rely on you for all this stuff—

Twen: I've been told more than once to be careful if I feel these pains, because something bad could happen, so even though I'd love to help, it'll be really complicated—

Noe: It's fine!

Zena: He can't help it, Twen's a gentleman.

I did not know how to react to that comment, but I decided to take it as confirmation that they would not hate me for not being able to offer a hand at that precise moment.

Lani: Seeing you apologize for not being able to do something is… Weird. I don't like it.

Twen: I'm sorr… Uh…

Lani: By the way, how's your mom doing? I didn't get a chance to say hi to her today.

Twen: Oh, because we didn't end up going into my house… She's working, as always, but all things considered, she's doing pretty well.

Lani: I hope she can take her breaks. But still, I need to see her again sometime. I feel like I need to clean up my image a bit, you know?

Twen: Don't worry about it. I'm sure she has a very good impression of you. Maybe too good.

Lani: That's nice to hear… No, but I still feel the same way.

Twen: Then we'll stop by the X-Café one of these days.

Lani: Oh, really? Well, that settles it, I guess. We'll be looking forward to it~.

Bowing the way she used to as she worked as a waitress, with the big difference that this time she was hidden inside a large black hood, Lani finally said her goodbyes and left with the others.