[Death Note/Otome] Make a Wish

Today is my birthday, a day commemorating the first breath I drew in this world, celebrated by having it framed and preserved. At least, that’s how it should be.

But having people constantly coming and going gets tiresome, too.

“Yeah, that’s right. This year, I want to spend my birthday with my boyfriend.”

“Huh? You’ve got a boyfriend too, Xiao Mingzi? We only saw you a few days ago, and now you’ve already got news like this for us!”

“It’s unbelievable that anyone would date a girl like you.”

“Hey, hey, what’s he like? Tell us about him!”

I smiled sweetly, letting the cold wind slip through the gaps between my strands of hair, though I couldn’t help tucking my face more snugly beneath my scarf. Whether it was the boyfriend I was supposedly dating or these chatty friends, why couldn’t the things that irritated me for no reason ever just steer clear of me? Having to spend time and energy dealing with them when I had no reason to was bound to get tiresome.

So I lied.

Those were the words I said:

“This year, I want to spend my birthday with my boyfriend.”

If the people in front of me were truly close friends who cared about me, they might have shouted, “You’ve only been dating him for a little while! How could you forget about us already?” or “Did someone trick you?!” But sadly, my friends weren’t among this crowd. All I had to face were these “friends,” standing with me in the cold on the street and making a few sparse remarks to ease the awkwardness.

Not wanting to spend my birthday with people I barely knew, and not wanting to make an invitation I had no expectations of them accepting, was the right thing to do.

“Oh, your driver’s here, Mingzi.”

I nodded, no longer forcing myself to talk to them. After a quiet goodbye, I finally escaped by climbing into the open car beside me.

“Miss Mingzi, how are you feeling today? Hehehe, I hope I didn’t forget this...”

The car hadn’t started moving. The driver in the front seat turned around and opened a gift box for me. Inside was a simple, pale yellow cake with no excessive decoration. It had clearly been chosen with care, and at the very least, it wasn’t the sort of thing I’d criticize.

“...It’s very cute. Thank you, Uncle Fujiwara.”

I took it and rested it on my lap, casually turning to look out the window.

I was going home.

“Is Dad not coming today either?”

I scooped up a spoonful of cake and put it in my mouth. Its cloying sweetness went from something I could smell to something I knew, filling my entire mouth. I smacked my lips, tasting the cream, and let my thoughts wander aimlessly.

“Haha, Sir is always very busy, so he can’t find the time to come visit you.”

Is that so?

It was obviously because he didn’t want to see me.

I nodded as if I didn’t care, then suddenly remembered something and told the driver to stop.

“Pull over for a moment... I want to make a wish.”

You’re supposed to make a wish on your birthday, right? Seeing that I’d already eaten part of the cake, I thought of that saying.

[Wishes you make might actually come true!]

My friend had happened to mention that while we were chatting about this and that on the computer last night. After all, my birthday was coming up soon. I’d replied:

“Are you still three years old?”

[That’s what my mom says to me... Honestly, Mingzi, why are you saying the same thing as my big brother?!]

That was what my friend in another city, Yagami Masahiro, had said.

[Be sure to make a wish!]

Make a wish, one that could come true... I pulled a thin candle out of its paper bag and ran my fingers over its cold, unusual texture, then stuck the long golden candle into the cake.

“Lighter.”

I took the fluorescent pink lighter the person in the front seat handed me. It clicked, and a tiny flame flickered and danced before me. With a movement of my hand, I brought it to the candle.

Making a wish was so difficult... What was I missing? Was wishing to see Masahiro too insignificant? All it would take was asking the driver to make a long trip... But did I have any other wishes right now?

My family was well-off. Everything was fine except for the lack of parental affection. I didn’t care for luxury goods or sports cars, and I had no collecting or sharing habits. Given all that, there didn’t seem to be anything I wanted so badly that I could only get it by making a wish...

Oh, if I had to pick something at random...

Then let it be this:

“A boyfriend with a little personality, preferably as low-key as I am...”

There, now I could face those strangers without feeling guilty. I hadn’t lied! The boyfriend who was supposed to spend my birthday with me was simply running late on his way here!

I chuckled at my own joke, blew out the little flame, and put the whole thing out of my mind.

*

Wait, who was this gigantic black humanoid creature in my house?

And why did it have a pair of wings?

He seemed to be a man, a male...

Huh...? Was this the boyfriend I’d wished for?!

Boyfriend Ranking

1. Ryuk (That’s right

2. Mello (Exactly

3. Teru Mikami (A decent guy

Theme: Love is all you need