Birthday Celebration

The town of Encris.

It was the closest town to Ice Heatland.

Even so, it would still take more than an hour by flying creature to reach that hellish region.

We had to cross a vast sea of trees and mountains along the way, so we needed to stop here for a break first.

Encris was famous as a snowy town, and ice trees stood along its main avenue in place of ordinary roadside trees.

Magic made the trees glow, brightly illuminating the streets of this town, which remained dim even during the day.

At a diner in one corner of town, Yuri and I ate warm stew and bread while gazing out the window at the snowy scenery.

It had been a long time since I had eaten with someone while traveling like this.

The last time was probably about five years ago, when I had a light meal with Wolk.

Watching Yuri happily eat her bread made me feel happy too.

Maybe it would be nice for us to eat out together every once in a while…?

Thinking about that, I finished my meal and decided to walk around Encris with Yuri.

This town was famous for the many varieties of Magic Stones mined nearby.

The color of the Magic Stones differed depending on the mine they came from, but all of them were highly transparent and could amplify magical power, making them excellent materials for weapons.

There were also many specialty shops selling magic staves and wands along the main avenue in the center of town.

And because adventurers heading for Ice Heatland always stopped here, there were also specialty stores selling adventuring equipment.

“They’re selling snowproof tents. Maybe I should buy one?”

“Oh, I already have one of those. Besides, Ice Heatland has caves scattered around that can serve as rest areas, and there’s even somewhere to stay near the center, so I don’t think we’ll need it.”

“Somewhere to stay? There’s an inn in a place like that??”

Yuri tilted her head, and I casually replied, “More or less.”

I hadn’t been to “that place” even once since being reincarnated, so I wasn’t sure whether we would actually be able to stay there.

At the very least, it should be more comfortable than sleeping in a tent or cave.

“More importantly, let’s check out over there.”

I pointed toward an accessory shop.

The Magic Stones mined around here were also popular for jewelry, so numerous accessory shops lined the streets.

Yuri and I entered the largest one among them.

Crystal chandeliers and decorative ornaments adorned the interior.

Yuri seemed a little nervous inside the dazzling, glittering shop.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the gleaming Magic Stone products displayed inside the showcases.

There were brooches, necklaces, rings, and earrings, as well as figurines shaped like cats, birds, dogs, and bears.

“They’re so beautiful…”

Yuri’s gaze had settled on a bracelet.

It consisted of a thin platinum chain set with a blue-purple Magic Stone.

“I’ve hardly ever worn things like this before…”

I spoke up after hearing Yuri murmur that.

“Then why not try it on?”

“Huh…? But…”

“Hey, could you show me that bracelet?”

I spoke to the young clerk beside the hesitant Yuri.

The young man readily nodded and took the bracelet out of the showcase.

I fastened it around Yuri’s right wrist.

“…!?”

Yuri stared blankly at it for a while, then eventually looked at me in bewilderment.

“Roy… It’s really beautiful, but… I don’t have enough money to buy this.”

“I’ll take this bracelet. How much is it?”

“Huh…? W-Wait, Roy!?”

“It’s a little late, but consider it your birthday present.”

I handed the clerk some gold coins and finished paying.

Even after we left the shop, Yuri continued staring dazedly at the bracelet, so I patted her on the shoulder and spoke.

“Happy birthday, Yuri.”

“Roy…”

“This is about all I can do for you, though.”

“No… This is more than enough… I would’ve been happy just hearing you say it. I’ll treasure this.”

Yuri spoke with tears welling in her eyes.

If this made her that happy, maybe next year I should celebrate properly… Wait, why was I already assuming there would be a next year!?

There was no guarantee I would still be with her next year! Sure, I wanted to be, but you never knew what might happen in life.

Yuri wiped away the tears threatening to spill over, then spoke brightly.

“Then next time, I’ll celebrate your birthday, Roy.”

“I’m too old to get excited about birthday celebrations. Besides, I don’t even know when my birthday is. I was picked up by the orphanage when I was around two or three.”

“I see…”

“So don’t worry about it. My parents abandoned me, after all. My birth probably wasn’t anything worth celebrating.”

“What are you saying!? I want to be grateful that you were born, Roy!”

“…!”

I-I never expected her to get angry at me… But apparently there were times when being scolded could make you happy.

Emotion welled up inside me, and my face twisted into something halfway between a smile and tears.

Damn… I must be getting to the age where I tear up easily.

“Thanks, Yuri.”

“Once we finish the job, I’ll give you something next. Roy, what do you want?”

Yuri tilted her head as she asked.

My heart gave a sudden thump.

The face peering up at me was so incredibly cute that the next words almost escaped my lips before I could stop them.

I want you…

Gaaaaah!!

What the hell was I about to say!?

This was bad, bad, bad!!

I could tell my face was burning. Yuri hadn’t noticed, right?

“Roy, your face is red. Is it something embarrassing? I don’t mind what it is.”

S-She noticed…!!

You say you don’t mind what it is… but if I said I wanted you, you’d definitely mind that!?

“W-Well, I’ll think about it properly once the job is done.”

“Okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed about it.”

Of course I’m embarrassed as hell!

A cold north wind swept past us just then, but with my entire body burning hot, it felt pleasantly cool.

I was genuinely happy that Yuri wanted to celebrate my birthday.

Being grateful that I was born… huh.

Just as Yuri had said earlier, sometimes words alone really were enough to make someone happy.

Thank you, Yuri. Truly.