It was midday when the doorbell to the Miyuki household rang out. This was no real surprise as it was the matriarch's birthday. Sighing, the daughter of Sayaka Miyuki, Kureha Koizumi, ceased what she was doing and answered the door. Looking as it was a deliveryperson, she began the eye-rolling and boring task of signing for the packages with which her mother was delivered. Struggling as she carried all of the packages into the living room, she sighed as she dropped them carefully onto the floor.
"Hey Sayaka," Kureha called out to her mother who was in the kitchen cooking lunch for the family. Poking her head out, the birthday woman looked at all of the gifts scattered on the floor, making her eyebrows raise. Ceasing her cooking, the woman came out and looked at all of the gifts, having a good idea who sent them, as they were usually the same four people who sent something to her every year.
Smiling, the mother picked up the first package, unwrapping it.
Sayaka's eyes raised as it was a Kindlebook. She had seen Lola and Kureha, but she had never thought to get one herself, preferring holding onto a leather-covered book. Looking at it, she looked at the letter that was attached to it, which read:
"Happy birthday, Butterfly! I hope you're having a good one! They were giving these Kindle books for half off online and they looked too good to pass up! WGG mentioned that you were having trouble seeing small print in books, so it's time you upgrade to this instead. I expect you to use that thing! Even half off, it wasn't cheap! Anyway, enjoy the rest of your birthday!
Aranai "Ride or Die" Norikoru"
"You told Aranai I was having trouble seeing?" Sayaka asked, frowning slightly at her daughter.
"Actually, what I said was, I mentioned that you were one of the few people in Japan who probably still reads books," Kureha explained, upset that Aranai had twisted her words. "She apparently thought I meant that you had trouble reading and she took it from there."
"Well, I personally agree with her!" Lola said, appearing on the side of Sayaka. "I've told you time and again it was time to get one of these things. Nobody reads using books anymore, Love."
"I happen to know plenty of people who still read paper books," Sayaka argued. "Kisouna-san and Kensaku-san are two examples."
"Not very good ones..." Lola mumbled.
"Can we move on, please?" Kureha asked, not in the mood for a debate.
Picking up another gift, Sayaka unwrapped the packaging and looked at what was underneath.
It was a bird feeder. It looked similar to the one Sayaka had meant to buy earlier when she noticed that her old one had been broken by some squirrels that had found their way into her garden. She smiled as she knew who it was that most likely sent this. And the letter proved her suspicions correct.
"A most joyous and blessed-filled happy birthday, Sayaka-san! I truly hope you are having a good one! I recalled that you mentioned your old bird feeder had been broken, so I bought you a new one that was affordable and still good. I hope it serves your garden well. And if you need tips on keeping squirrels at bay, I've heard that cayenne pepper works. Looking forward to our next meeting! Again, happy birthday!
"A bird feeder?" Lola questioned. "Kind of plain, don't you think?"
"It was given out of love by Shisuta-san, Lola," Sayaka stated, frowning as she set it down on the living room table. "I appreciate both it and her very much. And that cayenne pepper trick will help greatly."
Lola didn't respond; instead, she simply shrugged her shoulders as Sayaka picked up the third package. Unwrapping it, she looked as it was quite larger than the previous two gifts.
Sayaka blinked as it was an ice cream maker. She had previously seen these kinds of machines at the store and on the Internet. And they weren't exactly on the cheap side. Though she already had an ice cream maker, the mother was already thinking in her head about what she could make with this machine. She looked as, like the previous two gifts, a letter was attached, which read:
"A very happy birthday to you, Sayaka-san. I sincerely hope that it is a good one. I saw this ice cream maker in the store one day, and I wanted to thank you sincerely for your work in that robbery case, as it helped me to put away three criminals for life. I know that may be a poor reason or excuse, but I hope this ice cream maker serves you well. I hope you are having a good birthday, and look forward to seeing you back at work.
"Ooh, I think I have one of those back in my penthouse!" Lola said, looking at it. "Shame I rarely use it, though."
"Then why have it?" Kureha asked.
"It was a gift from one of my many fans," Lola answered, with a wink.
"Of course," Kureha said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I'll certainly be sure to use mine," Sayaka said, excited at the thought of eating ice cream with her and her daughter, Yoshiko. Putting it off to the side, she turned towards the last package, and smiled as she already knew who it was from, given the sweet smell coming from it. Opening it up, she looked at the gift as it was wrapped in plastic foil.
Everyone's eyes grew at the sight of the sweet two-layered chocolate cake covered in chocolate cookies and candies. The room was instantly filled with a sweet chocolatey smell as the plastic was taken off of the cake and dripped onto the white plate underneath it. Attached to the plastic was a letter, the same as the others.
"A happy birthday to you, Miyuki-san. I hope it has been a good one for you, so far. I apologize if this cake isn't as impressive as the ones I usually send. My restaurant has been busy the past week, and I only had time to make this. Still, I hope you will enjoy it. I made it with a bunch of leftover chocolate. Again, I this birthday has been good, and congratulations on seeing another year. Until next time.
“Yes! Luis always coming in clutch with the best cakes!” Lola squealed and clapped her hands, looking at the chocolate mountain of a cake with shining eyes.
“Between him and Kanra, I don’t know which is better. I’m gonna go grab some plate and forks.” Kureha got up from the floor and head into the direction of the kitchen. Sayaka shook her head fondly, “At least wait until we had dinner, dear.” She smiled and Lola waved her off, “Oh c’mon, it’s nice to indulge and it’s your special day, you can afford too!” The model picked up the ice cream maker and walked off in the same direction as Kureha towards the kitchen.
Sayaka smiled and held the bird feeder in her hands, grateful to receive such wonderful gifts from people she considered friends. It made her feel warm inside, standing up, she went to go install the bird feeder in her backyard and small garden, humming a cheerful tune.
