Chapter 69: Happy Birthday, Sirin!

November 11th, clear sky.

The sky today is exceptionally bright. Blue like an illness, a painful blue that is hard to cure.

Chase lies on the hospital bed, his face pale, revealing a hint of sickness and fatigue. His breath is weak and unstable, each breath seems difficult and strenuous.

Compared to before, his figure is even thinner, and the muscles seem to have relaxed a lot. Feeling the condition of his body, Chase couldn't help but silently commend the professionalism of his attending physician in his mind.

"If optimistic, I might make it to Christmas again..." he murmured, his voice carrying a bit of weakness and frailty.

The prediction was accurate; no need to predict again.

However, today is Sirin's birthday, and he needs to muster up some spirits.

"Brother, good morning." Sure enough, shortly after Chase adjusted his condition, Sirin arrived.

The door to the ward was gently pushed open a crack, revealing a cute face with purple hair gently blowing in the wind. Seeing that Chase was awake, Sirin walked in with hands behind her back, greeting Chase with a playful tilt of her body. She looked cheerful, clearly in a good mood.

But, of course, today is her birthday, the first one she's spending with Chase.

Sirin seemed to have dressed up for the occasion. Two delicate and exquisite feather accessories adorned her head. She wore a white short dress with a purple long skirt outside, decorated with golden patterns, and beneath the skirt were fair and slender legs, stepping on low-heeled shoes with purple edges.

"Good morning, Sirin," Chase smiled, praising, "Today's Sirin looks very beautiful. Brother was almost enchanted."

Then, Chase extended his right hand, touching his index finger and thumb together, making a "fingertip universe" gesture.

"Just a little bit more."

Feeling a bit reluctant to shift his gaze away from Sirin's fair legs, Chase turned his head to look at the flowers still open on the bedside table.

The flowers are alive. Although their lives are short, they bloom brightly. They will bud and bloom again next year, just like nature, full of vitality.

Naturally, there are no flowers that bloom all year round in the world, but there are flowers blooming in every season. Whenever the flowers in the vase by Chase's bedside are about to wither, Sirin always brings a fresh bouquet to replace them, ensuring that there are always flowers blooming in Chase's ward. Most of these flowers are the same varieties that Chase once planted in the courtyard in Berlin.

This made Chase sigh at Sirin's thoughtfulness.

Sirin is truly like a little angel... No, perhaps she should be called an angel now. Looking at the grown-up Sirin, she has shed her childishness and gained the purity and liveliness typical of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Of course, she still retains Sirin's unique cuteness!

Chase remembered his earlier act of sneakily glancing at Sirin's thighs and couldn't help but fall into self-reproach.

I'm really despicable...

"Just dressed up casually, it's not as good as Brother said," Sirin said with her mouth, but her heart was blooming with joy. She seemed to be floating, and her smile couldn't be hidden.

But, well, it's true. Today is her birthday after all. It's also the first birthday she's celebrating with Chase.

Sirin once read a sentence in a book:

"A woman who doesn't make other women jealous, does a man think she's a bit lacking?"

So she thought, if a woman can't make other men feel a little moved, is she also a bit lacking?

Of course, Chase naturally didn't know what Sirin was thinking. Right now, he was solely focused on self-condemnation.

I'm really despicable, really despicable.

"Brother, do you guess what kind of flower this is?" Sirin took out a bouquet hidden behind her and raised it in front of Chase, asking happily.

"It's a lily of the valley." Chase was surprised; this was the first flower he gave Sirin when they first met. He didn't expect to encounter it here.

"Hehe (≧?≦)." Sirin laughed happily and warmly. The sunlight filtered through the window and scattered on Sirin's face, making her smile even more beautiful. Chase felt as if he was being healed.

"Now Sirin knows its language, so Sirin wants to give it to Brother, hoping that Brother will get better soon!" Sirin walked to Chase's side, put the lily of the valley she had just brought into the vase, and then turned around, leaning towards Chase. She greeted him with a smile, her mood looking very good.

Chase smiled, "Okay, okay, I didn't mean to blame Sirin. Thank you for coming to accompany me, and..."

"Happy birthday."

Sirin suddenly became shy again, feeling a bit embarrassed. Clearly, she has grown up quite a bit compared to before, but the tendency to be shy hasn't changed.

A hand fell on Sirin's head, stroking her with the most familiar movements. Sirin closed her eyes, enjoying it, and then she heard Chase say:

"Sirin, is there anything you want?"

Sirin was stunned, raised her head to look directly into Chase's deep blue eyes, thought for a long time, and then slowly spoke:

"I want..."

..............................................

On her seventeenth birthday, for Sirin, it was the most important birthday in her life.

Because... this might be the first birthday she spent with her brother, or perhaps the last.

Sirin stayed in her room, sitting in front of the mirror, sorting out her emotions... revealing the most adorable smile, smiling at herself in the mirror, realizing something was missing. She reached out, wiping away the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

These weren't tears of sorrow, but tears that washed away sadness.

Since the day she overheard her brother's limited time outside the hospital door, she had been hesitating, at a loss, like an ant on a hot pan, or a person drowning. She wanted to see her brother but couldn't face him, or rather, couldn't face the impending reality of Chase's death.

But Sirin finally figured it out. If she didn't go to see her brother now, then when?

Sirin didn't want to leave any regrets. So, as usual, she used a happy face to cover up the sadness in her heart and spent the precious time with her brother.

In the blink of an eye, it was a month, and Sirin had never felt time pass so quickly.

The weather today was exceptionally clear. Even though it was night, there were hardly any clouds in the sky, and the moon shone effortlessly, casting a dreamy hue over the entire land. The moonlight was even, reflecting Sirin's face in the mirror, making her look more beautiful.

Sirin finally sorted out her emotions, walked out of her room, greeted her mother, and left with the excuse of a classmate gathering.

When Sirin returned to Chase's ward, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open...

"Bang, bang, bang."

The sound of three fireworks startled her. Her body trembled, and her heart seemed to jump out.

"Happy birthday!" Kiana and her family, each holding a recently used firework, smiled and greeted Sirin.

Sirin widened her eyes, somewhat unable to believe it, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do. Subconsciously, she shifted her gaze to the person closest to her...

At this moment, Chase was looking at her with a gentle smile and softly said, "Sirin, happy birthday!"

Chase's voice was soft, like a spring breeze brushing against the face, but it dispersed the haze enveloping Sirin's heart.

Somehow, Sirin's eyes started to turn red again, and she couldn't control it. She ran to Chase and buried her head in his arms, crying softly.

Chase, on the other hand, smiled gently, patting Sirin's back.

After some time, Sirin gradually eased from that emotional state. Reluctantly lifting her head from Chase's embrace, she found a tear stain on his clothes and felt a bit embarrassed.

"Brother..." Sirin looked at Chase, with a thousand words in her heart, but in the end, it turned into a simple call.

"I'm here," Chase smiled, "Feeling better?"

Sirin nodded, her eyes shining like stars, conveying a mix of emotions, as if telling a story and shedding tears. She stared at Chase for a long time, hesitated, and then hugged him.

She pressed her body against Chase, embracing him and closing her eyes, feeling the warmth of her brother.

"Just like this, it'll be better in a while..." Sirin closed her eyes, whispering softly, "Sirin, don't be greedy..."

A thin quilt couldn't separate much. The girl's softness and warmth transmitted through the quilt to Chase. He stiffened, seemingly unprepared for this situation, not daring to move.

Three years is not just a simple period of growth in age and height for a 14-year-old girl.

Feeling the squeezing sensation through the quilt, Chase was somewhat at a loss. He had experienced a lot in his two lives, plus the simulator, what hadn't he been through?

But this... he really hadn't experienced.

He could only awkwardly extend his hand, gently stroking Sirin's head, mentally reciting prime numbers.

'1, 2, 3, 5, 7...'

1 is not a prime number, damn it! Restart, restart.

..................................

Sirin finally calmed down. Sitting up straight, she felt shy and a bit embarrassed. "Brother, thank you. Sirin is much better now."

Even though Cecilia and the others were present, I actually just... Sirin unconsciously looked around, feeling stunned.

By now, Kiana's family had disappeared, and even Chase didn't know when they had left.

"When did Cecilia and the others..." Sirin muttered to herself, looking at Chase, wanting answers but also confused. "Brother, why are you adjusting the height of the bed?"

Chase awkwardly smiled. "Tiring, just taking a break."

"Then let Sirin help Brother." Sirin suggested, standing up and walking to Chase. She reached out to help, but Chase adamantly refused.

"No need, I can handle it." Chase said, then changed the subject. "Sirin, come here."

"Oh, okay." Although Sirin didn't know what her brother was going to do, she obediently approached. Then her eyes were covered.

At this moment, Cecilia opened the door, Sigfried carried a cake with 17 candles, smiling, and Kiana followed behind them with a cheerful expression.

Seeing this, Chase also smiled slightly and whispered in Sirin's ear:

"Sirin, count with me, 3, 2..."

"3, 2, 1." Sirin nodded in confusion, following her brother. When they reached 1, Chase removed the blindfold from Sirin's eyes and said with a smile to the still slightly confused Sirin:

"Sirin, happy birthday!"

Sirin's golden eyes sparkled, filled with surprise and joy.