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Chapter 55 – Birthday Party, Once Again

On April 11, a birthday party was held for me, Ootori Reiko.

It probably won’t be long before it’s no longer just “held” but elevated to something on the scale of “hosted” or “staged.”

That said, getting to the point of actually holding the party was a major ordeal. It was so difficult that it had to be postponed for a whole week.

A birthday party postponed by a week—how does that even make sense? 

But realistically, holding it on my actual birthday, April 4, just wasn’t going to happen.

In Japan, the Ootori Zaibatsu had just finished bailing out the near-collapse of the Suzuki Group (a fellow zaibatsu), essentially swallowing it whole. And at the same time, the Ootori Group itself underwent a major restructuring.

Between the merger, streamlining, and organizational reshuffling, both the zaibatsu and the clan were thrown into utter chaos.

Because of that, the adults of the Ootori family could only manage to send birthday cards and gifts this year. 

Even Tokita didn’t make it.

Meanwhile, abroad, unrest continued to smolder on the mainland.

Thanks to the Tanaka Giichi Cabinet’s decisive actions, the Nationalist Party’s activities had settled down for the time being. But a power struggle was still ongoing within the party.

On top of that, the authority and military strength of the Nationalists had weakened significantly, prompting northern warlords like Zhang Zuolin, who was based in Beijing, to begin mobilizing.

Chiang Kai-shek had gone into hiding, but it seemed he had effectively taken refuge in Japan.

Even so, things were far better than they were in the history of my previous life.

If events had followed the path of my former life, the Suzuki Group would have gone bankrupt on April 5.

More than anything, the Showa Financial Crisis hasn’t happened, so for now, the Japanese economy is moving along smoothly.
On the mainland, troops were deployed early to suppress the situation, so the conflict hasn’t escalated.

And above all, if things are following the same path as the otome game, which seems to be connected to this world in some way, the Ootori Zaibatsu would have gone bankrupt by now. (In the game, it was called the Hououin Zaibatsu.)

There wouldn’t have been room for something like a birthday party.

That’s why today’s birthday party is practically a victory celebration for me.

Or rather, considering how hard I worked, maybe it’s more like a well-earned break.
In my past life, I was an office worker in my forties, so honestly, it feels more like a thank-you party for surviving.

But those kinds of feelings disappeared the moment everyone showed up.

That’s right—today is my birthday party.

It’s a day to be celebrated by everyone, so surely I’m allowed to enjoy myself a little without guilt.

“Fuuu!”

“Reiko-chan, happy birthday!!”

As I blew out the seven candles stuck in the large birthday cake, everyone burst into cheerful congratulations.

It was the very picture of a birthday party.

Last year, I had completely forgotten about this kind of thing.
But this year, with thorough advance planning and careful explanations, I was able to produce it all perfectly.

A chocolate plaque was even placed on the cake.

Of course, after the birthday wishes, no one forgot to clap.

(Ah… I’m so happy.)

I truly feel that way.

“What, are you crying?”

Ryuichi-kun teased me, but honestly, I really did feel like shedding a tear.

Still, through those tears, I realized something—

Even with all these people celebrating me, this body still doesn’t feel fulfilled.

That’s right.
It’s because the most important people—my parents—have already passed away.

There’s no one left to bless me as they once would have.

That thought only made me cry harder.

Personally, I don’t feel especially sad.
But it’s like I’m sympathizing with the body I now inhabit.

“Reiko Ojousama, I understand that you’re happy, but it’s not good to keep everyone waiting for too long.”

As I kept crying for a little while, Shizu wiped my tears from behind me at a slight angle.

Her voice sounded a bit gentler than usual.

“You’re right. Sorry, everyone. No… Thank you. Thank you so much!”

I looked around at everyone as I spoke from the heart.

Everyone responded in their own way—some nodding, some commenting quietly.

As for today’s guests, Youko-chan, Gentarou-kun, Koshirou-kun, Ryuichi-kun, and Yamazaki Katsujirou-kun—everyone who had promised to come was here.

In addition to that, I also invited my classmates—or rather, those who will essentially become my retainers—Suzumiya Teruo-kun, Shizumi Mitsuko-chan, and Sumeragi Yoshiko-chan, more or less by order.

The more people, the livelier the party, and I also wanted to balance the number of boys and girls.

Above all, if Katsujirou-kun is coming, then of course I’d want to invite Teruo-kun too—that’s just how someone who loved the otome game Tasogare no Ichizoku would feel.

“Alright then! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves today!”

“Before that, we’re supposed to hand over the gifts—or rather, the presents, right?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Geez…”

With Katsujirou-kun’s comment, as he held the biggest gift box, and me playing the fool, my birthday party officially began.

That said, today’s a weekday.
After school, to be exact.

I had thought about holding it on Sunday the 8th, but everyone had their own schedules, and I wouldn’t have been able to prepare enough, so we settled on this day.

So, the kids from the family will stay through dinner here at the mansion, but the other kids are only here from around snack time at 3 p.m. until the evening.

Well, it’s a children’s birthday party—just eating, drinking, having fun, and that’s it.

It’s not the kind of thing that should go on for hours anyway.

If it ever reaches the kind of scale that takes up a whole day, that’ll be 12 years from now—after I win the battle against the original owner of this body and become an adult.

But this birthday party isn’t just about making noise.

Well, we kids are just making noise, but the servants working behind the scenes and the people we hired for this are busily moving around.

That’s because we’re spending money to have videos taken.
Naturally, since it’s this era, they’re using fairly professional filming equipment. 

Of course, they’re also taking plenty of photos.

Both are still in black and white, but the aim of recording this is to promote birthday parties in Japan.
Also, as historical material, it will serve as proof that even in this era, children were holding birthday parties.

Well, I’m not taking it that seriously, but still, having videos and photos taken definitely raises everyone’s spirits.
Especially for me, since I have memories from my previous life and enough experience with exchanging photos on smartphones.

The ones who actively go to be filmed are Koshiro-kun, who’s not shy at all, and Ryuichi-kun, who tends to jump into anything.
In their case, they even interrupt while the focus is on me, the main character, filming me.

Meanwhile, Katsujirou-kun, Teruo-kun, and Oyoshi-chan are the type who just let themselves be photographed.
The ones who get embarrassed are Youko-chan, Gentarou-kun, and Micchan.

And Micchan stayed tense the whole time.

“Hey, Micchan. Try to relax more.”

“R-Relax? What does that mean, Ojou-sama?”

“It means to get comfortable, Mitsu.”

“You’re way too relaxed.”

At my teasing, Oyoshi-chan leaned back on the sofa, lightly raising the glass cup in her hand.

It was just cola inside, but it looked like she was drinking some kind of Western liquor or cocktail. I actually remember seeing a scene like that in the game.

Also, I had told the candidates for servants that birthday presents weren’t necessary, but Oyoshi-chan knelt before me and declared, “I offer you my loyalty for this year.”

When I retorted, “Updating it every year?” She replied, “Loyalty deepens when expressed annually.” 

This isn’t a game, though.

But Micchan took this seriously and said, “I, too, offer my loyalty,” doing the same.

No, not really the same—Micchan, a gift is fine today.

Next, Teruo-kun quietly knelt as well, bowing deeply down to his head, but it looked less like a proposal or confession and more like a knight’s ceremony of loyalty.

Yeah, that’s a bit off.
I couldn’t help but think that silently. 

It was a perfect bow. 

If only there had been a sword, it would have been flawless.

Then everyone found it amusing and took turns doing the same thing in a line.

That said, Katsujiro-kun deliberately waited until last and declared in his usual arrogant way, “I’ll offer you the position of my wife.”

Then the men of the Ootori family started saying things like, “Katsujiro, that’s unfair,” “Today’s not that kind of day,” and “Maybe I’ll give that kind of gift too,” each changing their ‘gifts’ accordingly.

Seeing that, my inner comment was already expected inside me.

(I’m really happy, but unfortunately, beside one of you sits the game’s protagonist Yamanashi Himeno.)

Such a fun moment passed in the blink of an eye.

However, after that, there was a dinner gathering with the Ootori children, my grandfather—the father who finished his military duties—and my older brother Tatsuya, so I was able to enjoy the rest of the half-day.