Chapter 28: Birthday

I took off running.

Kazuya had unleashed strength beyond anything I could have imagined, and Takemikazuchi responded perfectly to my magic. Together, we managed to defeat one of the mighty Demon Lord’s top officers.

With so much joy and relief surging inside me, it was only natural to get swept up in the excitement.

I leapt at Kazuya from behind while he still stood there in a daze.

"You did it, Kazuya!!"

I bounced up and down with energy overflowing from every inch of my body, completely ignoring how surprised Kazuya was to be caught off guard like that.

"A-Ah... We really did it, huh..."

Kazuya murmured dreamily, still not fully grounded in reality.

"Yeah! You were amazing, Kazuya!"

"I see... Yeah, I guess so..."

He repeated it like he was trying to savor the words, his gaze fixed on Takemikazuchi.

"Step back a little, just in case."

At his request, I took a small step back.

Then Kazuya planted Takemikazuchi into the ground and calmed its energy. The discharges stopped, the soft glow faded, and the blade returned to its original silvery form.

With practiced movements, he gently slid it into its sheath and spoke a single word:

"Justice served!!"

His usual catchphrase.

With a deep exhale, Kazuya turned toward me again. But unlike his serious expression from moments ago, he was now smiling—beaming, really.

"Miki! We did it!! We took down a Demon Lord officer!!!"

He threw his arms wide open.

I dove into them and hugged him tightly.

We were both simply overjoyed. Kazuya lifted me up and spun me around on the spot, and I just laughed and basked in the happiness of it all.

After a while, we settled down, still clinging to each other, soaking in the afterglow of the moment.

"—Miki, what was that thing? That lightning spell you hit Takemikazuchi with. That’s when both I and Takemikazuchi got insanely strong. Is that even a real spell?"

Still holding me close, Kazuya asked the question gently.

Of course he’d ask. He was expecting me to strike Typhon with my lightning magic at the same time he did with his lightning slash. He had no reason to think I’d aim at Takemikazuchi instead, and even less reason to expect that doing so would result in a power-up.

"Well, weapons made from Orichalcum—like Takemikazuchi—require a huge amount of high-quality magic during their creation. You know that part. The thing is, the higher the quality and quantity of the magic infused, the more power it returns when the weapon is struck with magic from the same source. That power is shared between the weapon and its wielder. And the stronger the magic, the stronger the return effect."

"I see... So that’s what happened... It’s all thanks to you, Miki. Really, thank you."

"I’m just glad I could help you, Kazuya. But you’re the one who managed to wield all that power. That’s seriously amazing. As expected of you."

"Nah, Miki, you’re way more amazing. I mean, you actually created a sword like that. Sure, Zack’s awesome too, but it’s mostly thanks to you. When I hold Takemikazuchi, I can feel you—like you’re right there with me in battle. There’s this warmth, this kindness... It’s really like you’re inside the blade."

Hearing him say that made me blush. If even a little of me can reach Kazuya through the sword, if he can feel that... then I’m happier than I can ever put into words.

"Well, I did pour a lot of my magic into Takemikazuchi, and I also put in my feelings—wanting to help you... Maybe that’s what you’re sensing."

"Yeah, that makes sense. That’s probably why I feel it so strongly. —Miki."

With that, he hugged me tightly again.

"Kazuya."

I hugged him back just as tightly, not willing to lose out.

---

Zack and Clara must’ve sensed that the battle was over and came to check on us—forcing us to hurriedly step apart.

"You guys are always like this the moment I look away."

Clara was dreamy-eyed while Zack looked exasperated.

"So, how was Takemikazuchi?"

As expected of a first-class blacksmith, Zack was quick to change gears.

"Yeah, it’s incredible. Easy to use, and it just feels right in my hands."

"That’s because of Miki’s magic. But don’t forget—the quality of the sword itself? That’s all me, got it?"

Zack pointed at Takemikazuchi for emphasis. Did he want to be praised?

"I know. I totally understand that it’s thanks to you. Thanks, Zack. You really are the best blacksmith around."

"Heh heh heh, aw, stop it. You’re gonna make me blush."

Scratching his head, Zack looked adorably bashful. I get it—being praised for crafting a legendary weapon with rare materials by the person using it must be the greatest honor for a blacksmith.

---

We returned to the town of Cylindarl and reported the defeat of the Demon Lord’s officer, the Giant King Typhon, to the guild.

We presented his massive, charred ear as proof.

Zack, as a first-class blacksmith, gave his explanation too, but the guild still decided to conduct its own investigation. Our promotion to S-Rank would have to wait until they confirmed everything.

The Cylindarl guild clearly wanted to claim the honor of producing S-Rank adventurers, but rules are rules.

Honestly, I didn’t really care about S-Rank anymore.

Becoming S-Rank doesn’t suddenly make you stronger. What mattered was that we defeated one of the Demon Lord’s top brass. That gave Kazuya more confidence and served as a valuable experience.

Seven Demon Lord officers have been confirmed.

Each one has a title—like some kind of “King of Something.”

The one Kazuya defeated this time was the Giant King Typhon. The one Dominic took down was the King of the Underworld, Underlich.

That leaves five more, and the Demon Lord himself... Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dominic had already defeated a few more by now.

I really can’t stand the guy, but I have to admit—he’s strong. I hate him, but I can’t deny it.

After that, Kazuya and I properly thanked and said our farewells to Zack, Clara, and Fabio. We also dropped by the guild to inform them of our departure from the city.

The guild master looked a little sad but saw us off warmly.

They said any guild we visit will be notified about our pending S-Rank promotion.

Finally, with Zack and our fellow adventurers waving us off, we left the town of Cylindarl behind.

---

One of the towns known as the front line in the war against the Demon King was Spilling. On the way there, we made stops at various villages and towns, and it was in one of those places—Stem Village—that the incident happened.

Stem Village was close to the town of Spilling, and served as the last resting point before entering a truly dangerous region, one where even B-rank threats could appear.

Because of that, the village saw a high number of C-rank adventurers. If you couldn’t handle yourself here, you’d either turn back or train to get stronger. It was a perfect litmus test, a place where people made those decisions.

As such, it had grown into a rather large village—bigger than some towns, in fact, and densely populated.

The village walls were impressive, too. With such sturdy defenses for just a village, it made you wonder if the town of Spilling was practically a fortress.

---

It all began while we were eating dinner in Stem Village, when Kazuya suddenly said:

“By the way, Miki, when’s your birthday?”

“Birthday?”

I hesitated for a moment.

And then—it came back to me.

Birthday. Right. A birthday.

In the elven village where I was born, there was no concept of a birthday. We live for thousands of years, so measured on that scale, a birthday is probably seen as negligible.

So instead, every elf adds one year to their age on the day the calendar turns—January 1st. If you had to pick a birthday, I guess that would be it.

…I had completely forgotten.

Kazuya is human. Which means the concept of a birthday exists for him. And for humans, that day is supposed to be important.

In the elven village, everyone ages together with the new year, so while we do celebrate the New Year, we don’t bother with individual birthday celebrations.

I’m 418 years old now.

I met Kazuya when I was 417. We crossed into the new year, so I added one to my age and became 418. That’s all. I didn’t feel anything special about it.

But humans are different. And the memories from my previous life screamed at me.

What day is Kazuya’s birthday now, and has it already passed!? Ask him!! they shouted.

“S-Speaking of which, Kazuya, when’s your birthday?”

“No, mine’s not important. I want to know yours, Miki. When is it?”

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

If I considered January 1st my birthday, then…it’s already passed.

The moment I remembered that, the weight of the situation hit me.

If I were to hear that Kazuya’s birthday had already passed, I’d absolutely regret it.

And I was sure that, from his perspective, Kazuya would feel the same.

Which is exactly why…it’s really hard to say that mine already passed.

“Uh, okay, listen calmly, Kazuya. Elves don’t really have the concept of birthdays.”

Kazuya looked surprised and asked a follow-up.

“Huh? Then how do you know when you’ve aged a year? You’re 417 now, right? When does it go up?”

Classic Kazuya—he remembered my exact age…wait, that’s not the point!

It was a fair question, and I answered in a small voice.

“When the year turns, we elves add one to our age. So if I had to choose a birthday…maybe January 1st?”

Kazuya looked genuinely shocked when he heard that.

He dropped his fork and froze.

It was already February. That meant it had passed over a month ago.

A long silence followed before Kazuya finally rebooted.

“So…you’re 418 now? Why didn’t you tell me?”

His tone had a slight trace of reproach in it.

I understood now—birthdays are something humans want to celebrate for those they care about. They want to bring happiness. And now that chance was gone.

“I’m sorry. But elves don’t have birthdays, and we don’t celebrate them. So when I turned 418, I just kind of thought, ‘oh, I got older.’ Until you said it just now, I completely forgot about birthdays—forgot they even existed, let alone to celebrate them.”

Kazuya looked down.

I could tell—or at least I thought—that something inside him was conflicted.

Another long silence.

Eventually, Kazuya raised his head.

“…Alright. If birthdays don’t exist for elves, then that’s just how it is. I should’ve asked you sooner. So, let’s make sure to celebrate the next January 1st in a big way. Sound good?”

“Yeah. I’d be happy if I got to have you celebrate it with me. So…about your birthday, Kazuya…”

Trying to lighten the mood, I asked again when Kazuya’s birthday was.

Based on how the conversation was going, I didn’t think it had already passed but…

“…Actually, it’s tomorrow…”

Kazuya replied, looking incredibly awkward.

I let out a wry smile.

Oh, I see. Kazuya had forgotten about his birthday too. That’s why he couldn’t really blame me too harshly.

That must be it.

Still, I didn’t feel like scolding him for it.

More importantly, if it hasn’t passed, then all is well. Let’s celebrate it in style!

“If it’s tomorrow, then perfect!! Let’s throw a huge celebration!!”

And so, it was decided—we’d celebrate Kazuya’s birthday tomorrow.