When the clue was in your hand the whole time
If it was any other date, we might need to question it. But this...it was too much of a coincidence to bear any other meaning, wasn't it?
"Did the entry start twenty-four years ago?" Natha asked.
The Hero nodded and it was a match then; meaning the person visited Valmeier on his first birthday. And...
"Did he stop visiting because..."
Zarfa did not finish her word, but everyone knew what she wanted to ask. Perhaps, from the very beginning, 'he came alone' meant...well, there was no one to bring, and in the end...
Phew--didn't matter. Whether Valmeier's parents were still alive or not, the important thing was the date of birth. "So it's different," I sighed in disappointment but shook my head immediately. "It's fine, it's only one day. We should adhere to the twenty-third."
"...or we can do it at midnight," Natha shrugged.