That night, in the manager's room, the landline rang shrilly.
Unusual, at this hour. The people who knew this number could be counted on one hand.
I picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Nightlight."
Well, well, Amane. It's been a while.
A familiar voice, husky yet full of vigor. The proprietress of a certain ryotei restaurant who had looked after me long ago.
"Ma'am. It's been far too long."
Have you been well? Honestly, you're as impossible to reach as ever, except on this one telephone.
"Yes, well. And you've been well?"
I have, thank you. Why, just the other day, some odd people came looking for you again. "We'd like Mr. Kashiwagi's contact details," they said. Naturally, I didn't tell them a thing.
"...I'm sorry for the trouble."
It's fine. If they found you, they'd only drag you back again. Oh, that's right. More importantly, Amane—
The proprietress's voice softened.
Happy birthday again this year. It's next week, isn't it?
Still gripping the receiver, I fell silent for a moment.
"...You remembered?"
Of course I did. Your birthday, at least. I've never once forgotten it, not in any year.
At that moment, the door to the manager's room was open just a crack.
She must have come to bring me a refill of barley tea. Mahiru was standing frozen in the hallway, a tray in her hands. She'd overheard it through the door.
Next week. Next week is Mr. Manager's birthday.
Mahiru's eyes were wide and round. I hadn't yet noticed her gaze.
Well then, Amane. Make sure you're eating properly.
"...I will. Thank you."
I set the receiver down gently. It gave a quiet click.
From the next morning on, Nightlight was oddly restless.
Upstairs was awfully abuzz. The four of them were discussing something in whispers, yet clearly excited. Whenever I came near, they'd snap their mouths shut. And then all four would look at me at once. Their eyes were somehow sparkling.
"...What's going on, everyone?"
"Nothing!"
Their voices came out in perfect unison.
For several days after that, the four of them were awfully sneaky. There'd be the patter of footsteps in the hallway, and when I poked my head out, it would stop dead. One of them would go out shopping and come back hiding a paper bag behind her back. If I tried to do something in the kitchen, I'd be chased out with "It's fine, Mr. Manager, just sit down!"
"...Did I do something, I wonder?"
I tried asking Komugi. Komugi pretended not to know a thing, but his tail couldn't hide it, wagging away furiously.
That day, even when dinnertime came, nobody came to the kitchen.
Strange, I thought, as I got dinner ready as usual. I was just about to call out that it was almost done when the living room light suddenly went out.
"...Huh. The breaker, maybe?"
I wiped my hands on my apron and headed for the living room. And the moment I opened the door—
The lights flicked on.
"Surprise! Happy birthday!"
The four of them stood lined up in a row, shouting at the top of their voices. Rei. Mahiru. Yume. Rui. And in the middle, sitting proudly, Komugi.
On the table was what looked like a homemade cake. It was a little lopsided. The whipped cream had been spread unevenly, wrinkling here and there. There were plenty of strawberries on it, at least in number. In the middle stood lit candles: not forty-two of them, but four, and then two, perched neatly in place.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. MANAGER
A homemade decoration with those words hung on the wall.
I don't think any of the residents had ever seen the look on my face at that moment.
I just stood there. I knew I had to say something. But the words wouldn't come.
"...Um."
I opened my mouth. But nothing came after it. I looked back and forth, again and again, between the four faces, the cake, and the light of the candles.
"Uh... Is this..."
My voice cracked a little.
"Is this... for me?"
"Of course it is!"
Mahiru nodded, her eyes welling up.
"You're always celebrating us, right? So today, it's our turn."
"We kind of overheard that your birthday's next week," said Yume.
"It's early, I know. But a surprise is more of a surprise this way than on the actual day, isn't it?" said Rei.
"We baked the cake ourselves. We practiced three whole times so we wouldn't mess it up," said Rui.
I stared at the light of the candles. Small flames, swaying.
When was the last time something like this happened?