“Perhaps this is inappropriate...”
No, that wasn’t a good start. Una wrung her hands. This was awkward. Did a situation like this call for formalities, or was it expected for her to be casual? It was hard to tell where their friendship stood. She wouldn’t say she was uncomfortable around him, not at all, but when occasions like this popped up, it was hard to decide rules and boundaries when they had no precedent. What if it turned out that they were only close enough for something small and simple like a cell phone charm? That would be obnoxious.
Debating with herself, she eventually pulled from her bag a parcel wrapped in multicoloured paper and thrust it toward him. “Your birthday has not escaped my attention. Although I desired to surprise you, I would not have liked to interfere with any prior plans by taking you out on any impromptu activities. So, er. These are for you.”
If he were to open the package, inside would be a pair of sweaters. Or rather, she thought them a pair even though they had nothing in common aside from, perhaps, the cut. The darker of the two was a deep blue, nearly black, and covered in stars and planets. It was casual and subtle and maybe even classy. The lighter of the two was more ostentatious: with a shark, a strip of white space at the top, and a swimmer, it featured the iconic graphics from the movie Jaws, complete with red lettering. The fit of each one was relaxed, just a tad too big for him, but the slouchy fit was intentional. She was going to recruit everyone into her sweater army.
“Oh, but that’s not all, Aoba.” Okay, that was a mistake. Way too intimate. They were not close enough to drop honorifics. She knew that much. Her face grew warm. “This is a special, special gift, alright? Please don’t take it lightly, because I don’t give these out freely.” And then she handed him a small slip of paper, holding it from the corners politely as though she were giving him her business card. The paper wasn’t printed on, but had a handwritten message and small drawing denoting it as a coupon good for one free favor. No expiration date. For someone who kept such fastidious records of debts and payments, to issue something like this was a big deal. She bowed her head. “Please use it wisely. And lastly...”
With a wry smile, she tilted her chin upward. Her head dipped slowly from side to side as she decided on her target. Then, she went for a three-hit K.O., quickly placing a light butterfly of a kiss on each of his cheeks before letting the final one settle on his lips. “Well, that was more of a gift for me, I suppose, but it’s always nice to get attention from a pretty girl, no? I really do wish you the best of luck this coming year, Kuronuma-san. I hope you find your presents practical.” There. That felt right.