Chapter 222 Some Everyday Things (Unlockable with 80% subscription): About Birthday Gifts
Gojo Satoru was unusually nervous.
He coughed lightly and made a deal with Kazue Hatake sitting opposite him: "A tasting."
Five meals.
Even when it comes to her beloved Gojo-sama and her brother's partner, Kazue Hatori still haggles over the price.
"Five meals is too much... Three meals a day is enough."
Gojo Satoru, settling for second best, even dragged out the last syllable, adding a touch of his usual coquettish tone—the deliberately softened tone made the second half of the sentence sweet and soft, instantly increasing its cuteness a hundredfold.
He had already tasted the power of the Thai-style fish offal sour curry made by this sister, Yi Hui. If he were to eat it five times in a row... it's hard to imagine what other unique dishes he would eat that would challenge the limits of his taste buds.
Whether she's 16 or 29, Gojo Satoru's cuteness is not only irresistible to her older brother, Hatake Kazumi, but also to her younger sister, Hatake Kazue.
"Okay... alright, just ask me whatever you want,"
Hagoromo Kazue struggled to recover from the shock of Daigo's handsome appearance, gave him a thumbs-up, and added a playful yet confident wink.
"I'll tell you everything I know!"
“First of all,” Gojo Satoru began hesitantly, “I remember Kazuma telling me that he doesn’t have the habit of celebrating his birthday…”
Not only does Kazuma Hatori remember every word Satoru Gojo said, but Satoru Gojo also remembers every little detail that Kazuma Hatori revealed during their time together.
Although this habit was something Ichijin told him when he was in college, Ichijin couldn't tell him about the game at that time, and naturally couldn't explain in detail why he didn't really like celebrating his birthday despite having both parents and loving siblings.
At the time, Gojo Satoru misunderstood him as an orphan, which is why he was so sensitive about it... But now it seems that Kazuma genuinely doesn't like celebrating his own birthday.
Mingming had quite a few creative ways to celebrate his birthday.
Gojo Satoru felt a little resentful about this and naturally wanted to prepare a grand celebration for his lover after learning his real birthday.
Therefore, he deliberately waited until Ichima approached his sister Ichie to find out some details from her—for example, had they never celebrated Ichima's birthday before?
When Gojo Satoru asked the question, Hagoromo Kazue blinked and waved his hand in denial.
"Oh, of course not! Mom loves celebrating our birthdays every year, so she has a legitimate reason to eat as much cake as she wants..."
Gojo Satoru was taken aback. "Huh? You need a reason to eat cake?"
He eats whatever he wants.
"You have to pay attention to your figure and health management, and you can't eat too many sweets. For example, I often go out for a run in the evening, while my mother prefers to practice yoga."
Kazue Hatori rested her chin on her hands and sighed to Satoru Gojo, "I wish I could be like Lord Gojo, able to eat as many sweets as I want without gaining weight..."
"I also get a lot of exercise."
Gojo Satoru chuckled, finding it hard to admit that he had to choose sweets to ensure his brain's energy supply because of the excessive consumption of [Six Eyes]... Well, in addition, he had always attached great importance to his physical training, and even though he no longer lived in a peaceful era without cursed spirits, he still did not slack off in his high-intensity training.
After all, when fighting has become a habit ingrained in one's bones through years of sleep deprivation, it is impossible to completely erase the traces of the past when one suddenly encounters complete and utter relaxation.
"Ah, that's true, you can tell he exercises regularly."
Kazue Hatake nodded knowingly and continued to steer the conversation back to why her older brother didn't like celebrating his birthday, "Probably because Mom and Dad had a lot of whimsical ideas back then."
She covered her mouth with her hand, and just saying this made her burst into laughter.
"When he was five years old, well, I should say five, they specially imitated the way Western families celebrate their children's birthdays in TV dramas, and hired seven professional stage actors... Haha... Hahahaha..."
Seeing that this little sister, Kazue, was laughing so hard she couldn't continue, Gojo Satoru, whose mind was exceptionally quick, had a flash of inspiration.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?"
"Haha, yes... He was surrounded by seven dwarf actors dancing, and then... hahaha... they mistook him for a girl... hahahaha... he was put in a sequined tutu and they shouted 'Happy Birthday, Princess!'"
Hatake Kazuemitsu couldn't help but laugh when he recalled his older brother's suddenly darkened face, and he laughed for a long time before wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Anyway, similar things happened a few more times after that. For example, one year later, Dad insisted on wearing a mascot costume and climbing through the window to give him a birthday surprise. He couldn't see the ground and fell flat on his face, fracturing his tailbone. He had to call an ambulance. It was already late at night, and all the neighbors were peeking out of our house with great interest, thinking, well, that the adults had been caught fighting..."
Gojo remained silent.
Gojo Satoru's efforts to maintain his composure failed, and a short, suppressed laugh escaped his lips—which quickly spiraled out of control.
"After that, Kazuma didn't want to celebrate his birthday anymore?" he asked Kazue Hatake with a smile.
"That's about right. Mom will still buy a birthday cake, but my brother is determined to ban all celebrations."
Kazue Hatake thought for a moment, feeling a little guilty, "Once when I was performing for him, the floor was slippery because it had just been waxed, and I accidentally slipped and fell, hitting my head and knocking out one of his baby teeth that was being replaced."
Fortunately, the tooth was already quite loose, and aside from her rough extraction causing her older brother to cover his mouth and rummage through the first-aid kit for cotton balls to stop the bleeding, there weren't any more serious consequences...
"Ah, there was one more time..."
Kazue Hatake recounted his older brother's unlucky birthdays on his fingers, making Satoru Gojo laugh as he listened, his lips almost never falling into a smile.
So that's why Ichijin has that habitually expressionless and aloof appearance, but is actually a cute personality that's both silly and straightforward?
"I'm not both dull and straightforward."
After listening to Gojo Satoru's smiling retelling of his embarrassing past, Hato Kazuma was speechless for a moment before seriously refuting the most crucial point.
"Yes, yes, yes, you're the birthday person today, so you get to decide."
Gojo Satoru smiled as he stroked Kazuma's hair, his misty blue eyes looking at him with obvious delight. The candlelight had also painted his eyes with a warm, rosy hue, making him look incredibly gentle and beautiful.
In this cozy apartment, which wasn't very big, there was only him, Wu, a birthday cake on the dining table, and a few dishes that Wu had made himself—nothing else.
Wu had already lit the birthday candles, and all the lights in the room were turned off, just waiting for him to put his hands together, close his eyes, and make a wish.
“…”
But Hagoromo didn't want to close his eyes—or rather, he was so dazzled by the dazzling sunset that it was focused solely on him that he forgot what he was going to say and didn't speak for a long time.
"I thought Wu would invite a lot of people to celebrate with me."
After all, Goto specifically asked Kazue to inquire about it in detail.
"Yes, that was the original plan. To gather everyone from my side and Yizhen's side to give you a grand birthday celebration."
Gojo Satoru propped his head up and adopted an even more relaxed sitting posture—and so, a small patch of his smooth collarbone slipped out of his loose-fitting, pure black top, as white as snow pressed on pine branches.
Kazuma Hatori's gaze was fixed on that spot, unable to look away.
Even though he was pretending to listen attentively to his lover, his mind had already wandered far away in that instant.
Because he knew all too well what a lithe and strong body lay beneath this garment that blocked his view, extending down from the view of his collarbone.
And then there's the delicate skin, so smooth and supple, rising and falling with each breath when you touch it with your fingertips; the clear veins that run from the back of your hand down to your forearm when you grip something and exert force; and the "Yizhen" uttered between intermittent laughter and low breaths, both soft and husky, exuding a unique, unrestrained, and mature charm...
Even though Kazuma Hatori didn't utter a single word and his upright posture remained unchanged, his increasingly deep, passionate, and straightforward black eyes were enough for Satoru Gojo to easily guess what the kid was thinking.
His posture remained unchanged, but the smile in his eyes was even stronger.
"...So, after thinking about it for a long time, I've decided to abandon my initial plan and celebrate your birthday myself."
When Kazuma Hatori was finally able to focus his attention on the sounds entering his ears, he only heard Satoru's last words.
He hadn't cared whether anyone celebrated his birthday, but now he seemed to be dazed by the flickering birthday candles, placing his right hand flat on the table, palm up, fingers spread.
"That,"
Kazuma Hatori looked at Satoru Gojo, a similarly pleasant and expectant smile curving his lips.
"What is my birthday present...?"
—In the space that suddenly went dark after the lamp wick burned out, a hand gently rested in his palm, warm and soft.
"I."
The view fell into the dimness illuminated only by starlight. Someone was speaking slowly and deliberately, accompanied by an undisguised low laugh, which seemed so ambiguous and seductive at this moment.
"How is it? Are you satisfied?"
Kazuma Hatori paused for a moment, then almost instantly gripped Satoru Gojo's hand and wouldn't let go.
Immediately afterwards, his reckless act of getting up made a loud thud on the edge of the table—but that was no longer within Kazuma Hatake's attention. He couldn't even spare a thought for the pain transmitted through his nerves. Only the kiss that was about to cover him was so clear and passionate, like a unique wax seal.
"—Just kidding, actually it's the car, it's parked downstairs... um..."
The unspoken words, along with the gift itself, are sealed within this birthday present filled with love and joy.
Kazuma Hatori is absolutely smitten.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
