The Birtday Party

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

"Okay, you all can talk now." Sumire said once Tatsuo was finished with his song. Then, she turned towards Kasumi, Sadao, and Chiho, more specifically towards Sadao and Chiho. "Hi, I'm Tatsu-Chan's Mom, Soramoto Sumire. But, I'd prefer if you just called me Sumire."

"But…" Chiho muttered, feeling it would be extremely impolite to call an adult by their given name.

"If you insist, Sumire-San." Maou replied, completely unbothered by the informal tone Sumire preferred. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Maou Sadao. I just met Soramoto-San today, and he was gracious enough to invite me into your lovely home."

Hearing Sadao speak like that, Chiho looked at him blankly. She had not really had the opportunity to hang out with him outside of work until now. So, it surprised her that he spoke in the same tone he used when speaking with customers at MgRonald's.

In actuality, the reason Sadao was speaking in such a tone was because he was nervous.

'This place is so much more opulent than the current Demon Lord's castle.' Sadao thought to himself. 'How many promotions will I need before Ashiya and I can live in a place as luxurious as this one?'

"And what about you?" Sumire asked, her gaze focused on Chiho.

"OH, uh… I'm Sasaki Chiho." Chiho replied while bowing her head politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sumire-San."

Although Chiho used Sumire's given name, it was clear that she was uncomfortable. However, Sumire smiled and nodded her head in satisfaction. Then, her expression turned contemplative.

"Hmm? By any chance, are you related to Officer Sasaki Senichi?" Sumire asked.

"Huh?" Uh.. Yeah." Chiho replied in a surprised tone. "He's my father. Wait! Do you know my father?"

"Yes." Sumire replied with a nod. "I've run into him a few times. I'm a private investigator, you see. So, I've worked with the police a lot over the years."

"Oh~, that makes sense." Chiho replied with a nod.

'I wonder if she became a private investigator to find Soramoto-San after he got kidnapped.' Sadao and Chiho thought simultaneously.

"Anyway, allow me to introduce you to my assistant." Sumire said with a smile while gesturing to Mai, who was glaring at Chiho as if she had just killed her family. "This is Shiranui Mai."

'Why is she staring at me/Chi-Chan like that?' Sadao and Chiho wondered at the same time.

"it's nice to meet you, Shiranui-San." Sadao said, briefly drawing Mai's attention away from Chiho.

"Oh, well aren't you a handsome one." Mai said, her eyes lighting up for a moment. "But you've got nothing on my Tatsu-Kun."

"Uh… Thanks… I guess?' Sadao replied in a confused tone.

*Smack!*

"Behave yourself, Mai-Chan." Sumire said while jumping up to slap Mai upside the head.

"But Sumire-Sama, I'm only telling the truth~" Mai whined as she crouched down while covering her aching head.

At that moment, Tatsuo's door opened the rest of the way. Then, he poked his head out the door to survey the situation.

"Oh, what did Mai-Nee do this time?" Tatsuo asked curiously while looking at Mai's current posture. "She said something weird again, didn't she."

"Of course she did." Kasumi replied. "That's the only time Sumire-Sama hits her like that, you know?"

"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Tatsuo replied while shaking his head. Then, he turned his attention towards Sadao and Chiho and put on a smile. "Sasaki-San, Maou-San, glad you could make it. I guess you already met my family, huh?"

"Yes, we did." Sadao replied with a nod. "But seriously, thanks for having us. I've never been in a place this nice before. My roommate will flip when he hears about it."

"Roommate!?" Chiho asked in an angry, high-pitched tone. "You never told me you have a roommate!"

"Huh?" Sadao exclaimed in confusion. "UH.. Yeah… I have a roommate."

Hearing that, Chiho took a step towards Sadao. Then, when she was less than a foot away, she glared up at him.

"And would this roommate be of the f-fe-female persuasion?" Chiho added, her fierce attitude wavering at the end.

"No! It's a guy." Sadao replied, explaining himself strongly.

'Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated by my wife, or something?' Sadao asked himself

"Oh, okay." Chiho said in a relieved tone. "That's good, then."

Meanwhile, the members of the Soramoto family simply watched this interaction with interest. At the same time, things between Sadao and Chiho were getting awkward. While Sadao was unsure what to say next, Chiho's face was reddening after realizing that she had acted so jealously, in front of people she barely knew, no less.

'OMG! Maou-San is gonna think I'm a clingy, possessive girl, isn't he?' Chiho asked herself while on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 'What have I done? I'm not even his g-g-girlfriend, yet.'

"Well, if you two are done with your lovers' quarrel…" Tatsuo said with a smile after watching the awkward atmosphere for a moment. "Why don't you come in? We can play games or just chat until Tsukamoto-San gets here."

Naturally, Tatsuo's statement only made the atmosphere more awkward. While Sadao wanted to protest the "lovers' quarrel" part, he had noticed quite early on that Chiho had a crush on him. And he thought doing so might hurt her feelings. Chiho, on the other hand, blushed even more fiercely than she already was after the "lovers' quarrel" remark.

"Well, we'll leave you kids to have fun." Sumire said with a grin, cutting through the awkward atmosphere. "Tatsu-Chan, we'll let you know when your friend gets here. Then, we can all sit down for dinner, okay?"

"Sure." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"Don't worry about it." Sumire replied happily. Then, she turned to Mai and Kasumi as she continued. "Come on, girls, let's go. We still have a little bit left to finish."

As she spoke her last sentence, Sumire raised her right fist into the air energetically. Then, she marched off towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Mai, like Sumire, also raised her right fist energetically before following Sumire towards the kitchen. She even looked at Chiho much more favorably after realizing that she was not a threat. Kasumi, on the other hand, only shook her head. Then, she shot a pity-filled gaze at Tatsuo before following Sumire and Mai.

Seeing Mai and Kasumi's gazes, Chiho and Tatsuo tilted their head to the side in confusion, respectively. Then, the three exchanged glances before heading into Tatsuo's room.

The next twenty minutes passed quickly with Chiho asking Tatsuo questions about playing the piano while he and Sadao played a fighting game. Despite all Chiho's questions, though, Sadao was soundly beaten in every match. Not that it was much of a surprise, though. Sadao and his roommate were way too poor to indulge in luxuries like gaming, so he had absolutely no experience.

In the future, however, Sadao would start sneaking off to play at arcades, much like he does with movie theater matinees. And when his roommate, Ashiya finds out, he'll be livid about the wasted money.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

At the end of this twenty minute period, the sound of knocking came from Tatsuo's door. And when Tatsuo got up to see who it was, he found Kasumi standing on the other side of the door.

"Tatsuo-Kun, your other friend is here." Kasumi said while smiling gently. "So, Sumire-Sama asked me to come get you three for dinner."

"Alright, thanks, Kasumi-Neesan." Tatsuo replied. Then, he turned back towards Sadao and Chiho as he replied. "Okay, guys, it's time for dinner. Let's go. Tsukamoto-San is here, too."

With that, Kasumi led Tatsuo, Sadao, and Chiho towards the dining room. And just as Kasumi said, Yakumo had arrived. She was sitting at the dining room table while chatting with Sumire while Mai glared at her from the side. However, unlike Chiho, Yakumo seemed to be completely unbothered by Mai's glare.

"Hey, Tsukamoto-San." Tatsuo said upon entering the dining room. "Glad you could make it."

"Soramoto-Kun, thank you for inviting me." Yakumo replied while bowing her head politely. Then, she shifted her attention to Chiho as she continued. "Sasaki-San, it's nice to see you , as well."

"It's good to see you, too, Tsukamoto-San." Chiho replied with a smile. Then, she gestured to Sadao. "And this is one of my co-workers, Maou Sadao-San."

"It's a pleasure." Sadao said with a practiced, professional smile after being introduced.

"Likewise." Yakumo replied. "I'm Tsukamoto Yakumo. I'm classmates with both Soramoto-Kun and Sasaki-San."

"Alright, now that you all are acquainted, you three should sit down." Sumire said happily, liking the atmosphere that more young people brought into her home. Then, she glared at Mai, who was still glaring at Yakumo, and continued. "And you, stop glaring at our guests like that. Go bring out the food."

"But Sumire-Sama~, she's---." Mai whined defiantly.

"Mai-Chan~, bring. Out. The. Food." Sumire said in a cheerful, yet intense, tone.

In response, Mai drooped her shoulders dejectedly before turning towards the kitchen to get the food.

"I'll help, too." Kasumi offered before heading to the kitchen, as well.

After that, dinner went by peacefully. Sumire had actually done all the cooking, despite the fac that both Mai and Kasumi were pretty good cooks in their own rights. But if you asked Tatsuo, he would say that his mother's cooking was on a completely different level. Sadao, Chiho, and Yakumo only had praises for her cooking, as well.

After dinner, Mai and Kasumi returned to the kitchen. And when they came back to the dining room, they brought a large birthday cake with them. However, after seeing the cake, Tatsuo completely understood why Kasumi looked at him with pity when Sadao and Chiho arrived. Because the only thing he could do after seeing it was cover his face in embarrassment.

The birthday cake Mai and Kasumi brought out was personally baked and decorated by Sumire, which was not a problem. The problem was that it was in the shape of Tatsuo's head and decorated to look like a hyper-realistic picture of him smiling brightly.

While Tatsuo was embarrassed all the way to his soul, Sadao, Chiho, and even Yakumo, whose emotions did not fluctuate very much, could not help giggling good naturedly.

"Wow! This is amazing." Chiho said in a genuinely amazed tone after getting her giggling fit under control. "Where did you buy it, Sumire-San?"

"I didn't buy it anywhere." Sumire replied with her flat chest puffed out proudly. "I made it from scratch."

"It's almost too pretty to eat." Yakumo said while looking at the cake with keen interest.

"That's right, Tatsu-Kun is too pretty for you to eat." Mai growled. "So, don't even think about it you thieving cat!"

In response, Yakumo only tilted her head in confusion. At the same time, Chiho finally understood why Mai was glaring at her earlier, and why that glare stopped after she questioned Sadao about his roommate. Tatsuo, on the other hand, only felt his embarrassment rising as time went by. At the same time, Sadao could not help but snicker at Tatsuo's misfortune. Though, he did feel a little bad for him, too.

Meanwhile, Kasumi was busy sticking the fifteen birthday candles into the cake. Then, she struck a match before quickly lighting all the candles.

"Okay, Tatsu-Chan, make a wish and blow out the candles." Sumire said happily after all the candles were lit.

"Hold on, before you do that, can I take a picture of the cake?" Chiho asked as she took out her smartphone.

"Oh, I'd like to get a picture, too." Yakumo added. "I think my Nee-San would like to see a cake like this."

"do you have to?" Tatsuo muttered in a defeated tone. "You two are just looking for blackmail material, right? How about I just give you some? That way it won't be quite so embarrassing if it ever gets out."

"Oh, that's a good idea." Sadao said after hearing Tatsuo's muttering. "You never know when a bit of blackmail material will come in handy. Maybe I'll use it the next time you're beating me so bad in a video game."

"You're truly the most dastardly of villains, Mr. Devil King." Tatsuo replied in a feigned tone of hurt.

Sadao, on the other hand, flinched at Tatsuo's Devil King joke, not knowing that Tatsuo already knew his identity.

"Of course you can." Sumire said proudly while shooting a playful glance at Tatsuo.

With Sumire's permission, Sadao, Chiho, and Yakumo started taking pictures of the cake from different angles. In fact, even Mai and Kasumi, though they had already taken pictures earlier, also took a few more pictures, just to tease Tatsuo a little.

Then, once all the pictures were taken, Tatsuo was finally allowed to blow out the candles. Though, he didn't really make a wish. Since he would rather achieve his goals on his own merits rather than have a cosmic force help him achieve them.

The cake, underneath all the frosting, was a blackberry lemon cake, Tatsuo's favorite from his past life. Though, he was curious to know how Sumire knew that. Since he had never mentioned it in this life. But he just chalked it up to coincidence. Instead, he decided to simply enjoy the cake.

"Tsukamoto-San, did you know Soramoto-Kun plays the piano?" Chiho asked after the group finished eating their cake. "And he's really good! He can sing, too."

"Really?" Yakumo asked while looking at Tatsuo with a curious gaze.

"Yeah, I play a little." Tatsuo replied modestly.

Rolling her eyes, Sumire reached into her kimono sleeve and once again pulled out her smartphone with the camera app, somehow, already open and set to record.

"Play a song for us, Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said with a smile. "It wouldn't be fair if only Yakumo-Chan didn't get to hear you play today, right?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Tatsuo got up from his seat after wiping his mouth with a napkin. Then, he started walking towards his bedroom.

"I don't mind." Tatsuo said without turning around. "Come on, I'll play something."

Hearing that, everyone quickly followed, leaving the dishes for later. A moment later, everyone was gathered in Tatsuo's bedroom,. While Tatsuo sat in front of the piano, everyone else circled it in anticipation. Yakumo, on the other hand, could not help but take a look around the room, as well. Since this was her first time entering Tatsuo's room, unlike everyone else.

"Alright, what should I play?" Tatsuo asked himself while stretching his fingers.

"Play something upbeat!" Sumire requested energetically.

"Upbeat, huh?" Tatsuo muttered to himself. "Okay, I got it."

Then, Tatsuo started tapping his knuckles and palms on the top of the piano to make a rhythm or drum beat. Before he quickly started playing.

{BGM: "Finesse" – Bruno Mars

Sumire, Mai, Kasumi, Sadao, Chiho, and Yakumo remained silent for the entire performance. While Sumire eagerly recorded Tatsuo's performance. Yakumo, having only heard Tatsuo sing and play the piano for the first time, was amazed. Not to say that everyone else was not. However, Sadao and Chiho's expressions turned to embarrassment when Tatsuo reached a particular part of the song while glancing at them playfully.

Then, after playing a few more songs, it was time for the guests to leave. And once Tatsuo was alone in his room again, he went back to working on his protective gear. And he would continue to do so for the next day, as well. Other than the time spent training with his mother, Mai, and Kasumi, that is.