Editing City Series:Volume7 Layer 7 (section)

===Record 44: Can I Think of It?===
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'''12/19/1997

'''20:00

We were celebrating your birthday in the living room behind the pharmacy at your house.

“Congrats on being another year closer to death.”

You knocked me to the ground for that one. A weird way to thank me for celebrating your birthday.

Anyway, you, Senpai, Snowy, Lady, and I sat around the kotatsu.

“Why am I on the corner and with my back to the chilly entrance?” I asked.

“Because idiots don’t catch colds,” you explained while petting Daitarou on top of the kotatsu.

Lady smiled at your tone.

“You two are such good friends. Have you known each other all your lives?”

Oh, yeah. Lady wouldn’t know about all that since she’s a transfer student. I pointed at you while you grabbed the sugar pills spread out on the kotatsu.

“We’ve known each other since middle school. We were both on the track team and got a lot of records, but we only really started talking after meeting Senpai in our second year. Senpai had gotten into an argument with some idiots, so I intervened.”

“And I ran in at the same moment. I feel like you also saved my life another time too. That’s really about it,” you said with a light clap of your hands.

Senpai didn’t even stir in response and Lady looked around before opting not to say anything. A heavy mood set in and I turned to Snowy, hoping she had a good joke to add some levity.

She was staring at the cake fork in her hand.

I briefly recalled her Mobilized Writing, but I doubted she would cause any trouble here. I decided she was just overly fond of pointy objects in general. I looked to you to find you setting a cake down on top of the kotatsu. You had probably been saving it for later but wanted to provide a distraction.

As soon as you opened the box, Daitarou ate half of it.

I balled up the animal and stuck him under the kotatsu while you sliced the cake with a knife. Lady passed out the slices and then took an excited bite.

“What kind of cake is it? I asked.

“Pharmacy Cake – Attempt 2.”

As soon as the words were out of your mouth, I heard a stone-like crunch from Lady’s mouth and her face grew pale.

Eventually, she left the living room with her expression entirely blank.

Then I heard her hurried footsteps in the hallway.

''Things sure are peaceful here,'' I thought with a glance to the TV. It showed an image of Osaka.

“Babel, huh? I wonder what’s going to come of that.”

I got up and looked over to see Snowy was still staring at the fork.

“Hey, you aren’t really going to use your Mobilized Writing on that, are you?”

“Hm? No, of course not. Why would I need to wield my power on such a joyous occasion?”

''Good, she’s sane,'' I thought.

“However…I am unsure how to use these Western tools.”

I burst out laughing as soon as I heard, so she slashed at me with the fork.

'''Anything a woman’s hand touches can be used as a weapon.

I quickly grabbed her wrist instead of the fork.

“What happened to this being a joyous occasion, you cavewoman!? And have you never used a fork with your school lunch!?”

“I have brought my own lunch since elementary school!”

Was that really something to shout so forcefully?

Senpai and you were ignoring us and enjoying the cake.

Apparently this wasn’t worthy of Senpai’s worry. It worried me plenty, though.

'''Author Comment:

You’s birthdays show up a lot.

I think this is less of a birthday party and more of a laid-back gathering using her birthday as an excuse to party.

But will Daitarou be okay after eating that medicine cake?