Volume 3 Chapter 47 The Fourth Birthday
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Today is my birthday. Since it’s Saturday, I’ve been over at the Totsuka house since this morning, but Suu-chan is acting strange. Usually, she’s all over me, hugging me or clinging to my side, but today all I’ve gotten so far is a “good morning” hug and kiss. As for what she’s actually doing? Well, she’s been peeking at me from the corner of her eye while burying her face in Mio-san’s side. She’s huffing and puffing with excitement. It’s not that she’s in a bad mood; if anything, she’s in top form. Still, I wish she’d bury her face in me instead. (Mio-san, could I perhaps ask you to surrender that position as a birthday present?)
I’m currently being held on Mother’s lap myself, so I suppose I’ll just have to endure it for now. “Maa-kun, happy birthday,” Mother said. I’d already heard it at home, but she offered her congratulations once more as she placed a beautifully wrapped present right in front of me.
”Here, your present,” she said.
”Thank you. Can I open it?” I asked.
”Of course,” Mother replied.
It was a cube, likely in a box. For its size, it felt light-no, wait, it had a bit of heft to it. I wondered what it could be. (Last year’s present was a toy computer. It’s not like I’m complaining, okay? Though, deep down, I couldn’t help but think I’d rather have had a real one, even a second-hand one. To be fair, it had a proper QWERTY keyboard and came with learning programs for Japanese and English. It even taught mouse and keyboard operations. I honestly thought it was impressive. However, my adult logic kicked in, warning me that a three-year-old grinding on a PC would look suspicious. It’s safely sealed in the closet for now, though I might break it out to play with Suu-chan soon.)
Because I gave such a lukewarm reaction last year, it seemed Mother really racked her brain this time. I felt truly sorry about that. Whatever this present was, I was going to rejoice with every fiber of my being. I never want to see that “sad Mother” face again. I peeled away the wrapping, and a powerhouse revealed itself: an electronic dictionary¹. Looking at the back, it had everything-Japanese, English-Japanese, and Japanese-English Madoka dictionaries, an encyclopedia, and even study guides.
(Yes! This is awesome. I’ve had moments where I couldn’t remember an English word and had no way to look it up, which was super frustrating. I’d forgotten because the habit of Googling everything is so ingrained in me, but back in the day, these were the absolute peak of student tech.)
Since it’s a model for elementary schoolers, I was a little worried about the depth of the database, but having a way to look things up was a huge win. I needed to show my gratitude, but then I paused. (Wait. Does a four-year-old even know what an electronic dictionary is? If I act too happy, it’ll be obvious I know exactly what it is. Suu-chan is just tilting her head in confusion. She clearly has no idea. If I’m not careful, this could be even harder to react to than the toy computer… but since Mother is the kind of person who gives a dictionary to a four-year-old, maybe I can play it off. Then again, Mio-san has that “I was in on this” look on her face. I’ve got to be careful…)
”Mother, thank you! But what does this do? Is it a game?” I asked.
”It’s for looking up what words mean. It’ll tell you the meanings of Japanese words, and even that English you like so much, Maa-kun!” Mother said.
”That’s amazing!”
”I’ll show you how to use it later, okay?”
”Yeah! Thanks! I’ll take real good care of it!” I replied.
While Mother’s gift was boosting my desire to learn, Suu-chan was practically vibrating with impatience. She stood by, clutching a gift like it was the most precious thing in the world. She was even wearing the barrette I gave her for her birthday. She usually keeps it locked away, terrified of losing it, but today was a special treat. (I wonder what this year’s gift is. Last year was a message card and a kiss.)
I suppressed the urge to smirk and pulled my face into a serious expression. I set Mother’s gift aside, hopped off her lap, and turned to face Suu-chan. (Alright, lay it on me!)
”Wha-!?” we both exclaimed. Just when I thought she was coming toward me, Suu-chan pulled a U-turn and buried her face in Mio-san’s stomach.
”What’s wrong, Suu-chan?” Mio said.
”…Maa-kun is too cool… huff…” Suu-chan whispered.
(Apparently, I was the problem. Because I tried too hard to look “cool” to hide my grin, I ended up flustering her. Is this what the handsome guys of the world see every day? What is this feeling… superiority? Satisfaction? I feel like I might get the wrong idea about myself.)
I struck a cool pose. Suu-chan huffed. I struck another one. She huffed again.
”Hey, Maa-kun. Stop teasing Suu-chan,” Mio said. I was busy giving “smoldering looks” to Suu-chan as she peeked back at me, but Mio eventually scolded me. Personally, I think Suu-chan was at fault for having such a cute reaction.
”If you don’t act like yourself, you’re going to break her,” Mio added.
(Act like myself? What does that even mean? It’s hard once you’re conscious of it. Maybe like this…?) I let out a little “Pffft.”
”That’s not exactly the face of a birthday boy, is it?” Mio said.
”He’s a handful, isn’t he,” the adults muttered.
Shaking it off, Suu-chan finally made her way over to me. Her mouth was still twitching with excitement. “Maa-kun, happy birthday. Please stay with ssu… together,” she said. She handed me a folded message card with both hands. (That sounded like a marriage proposal. Knowing I’m loved that much makes me genuinely happy. But those words-“Please stay with ssu, together”-really pierce my heart.)
I opened the card to find a drawing of all of us-Mother, Mio-san, Mitsuhisa-san, the twins, and even the dog, Chashibu-all smiling. (Her handwriting is way better than last year. Seeing her grow up makes me feel both happy and… a little lonely. I finally get why parents cry when they get letters from their kids. I never thought I’d experience that at this age.)
Sadly, no tears fell. It wasn’t because I was heartless, but because of the three slips of paper tucked into the card: The “Suzuki Squeeze Pass².”
(I wanted to bask in the emotion, but this is absolutely killing the mood. Tickets that grant the right to give Suu-chan a big hug. In the bottom right, it even says “Exclusive for Maa-kun” in tiny letters. Was she worried Mitsuhisa-san would try to steal them?)
(Wait, we hug all the time! Why would I need a ticket? But then it hit me. If I save these, I could use them when Suu-chan is older. High school, college… now that’s a dream!) I was busy letting my delusions run wild when I glanced at the back. They have expiration dates?! One for a year, one for six months, and one that expires… today.
(I am not a lolicon, I swear!) “Thanks for the amazing present,” I said. Suu-chan poked me while I was frozen in thought. I petted her head, and her face went soft with relief.
But I had to use the one that expired today. I looked at the primary suspect, Mio-san. She was holding up a sketchbook that said: USE NOW! She’d probably written it in English so Suu-chan couldn’t read it. Mother was recording, and Mitsuhisa-san was tasked with holding the twins so they couldn’t interfere.
”So, Suu-chan. Can I use this one right now?” I asked.
”Mm!” she replied.
I handed over the ticket and faced her. She had those sleepy eyes, but she was far too cute for someone like me. Maybe she made these because she wanted me to be the one to initiate the hug for once. (I’ve got to give it my all!) I struck one more cool pose, and Suu-chan immediately spun around, turning her back to me.
I looked at Mio-san. Her sketchbook now said: BACK HUG CHANCE! I reached over Suu-chan’s shoulders and pulled her into a light hug from behind. She was taller than me, so I had to stand on my tiptoes. It was a workout.
”Squeak! Hnn…!” Suu-chan shuddered and sank to a sitting position. Since the height difference was gone, I pulled her in tighter. She smelled like nice shampoo. Then, Mio-san dropped the finishing move: Whisper in Japanese -> “I love SU-CHAN!”
Mother snatched the sketchbook and corrected it: Whisper in Japanese -> “I love SU-CHAN!”
(Fine. I’ll do it.) “Suu-chan… I love you,” I whispered.
”Squeak?! Fwehh?!” Suu-chan bolted from the hug. She started rolling around on the floor in agony, found the dog, and started writhing all over again.
”Suu-chan, how was that?” Mio said, holding a marker like a microphone.
”Maa-kun is… incredible…! huff…” Suu-chan huffed.
”Are you satisfied?”
Suu-chan nodded.
”Want to do it again?”
She shook her head “no” frantically.
”How about tomorrow?”
She gave a tiny, lingering nod.
And so, my fourth birthday was a very busy, very fulfilling day. Though I think the Totsuka ladies had the most fun. I also got an old digital camera from the parents. Since everyone is always taking pictures of Suu-chan, I think I’ll focus on taking pictures of the adults instead. After all, they’re the people I treasure most.
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Summary:
The protagonist celebrates his fourth birthday at the Totsuka household. He receives an electronic dictionary from his mother and special ‘Squeeze Passes’ (hug tickets) from Suu-chan. The chapter ends with a comical, directed ‘back hug’ orchestrated by the adults.
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Trivia:
- The protagonist previously received a toy laptop which he hid in a closet because it was ‘too childish’ despite having a real QWERTY layout.
- Electronic dictionaries were a high-status student item in pre-smartphone Japan.
- The tickets have expiration dates, preventing the protagonist from ‘hoarding’ them until they are adults.
- Mio uses a sketchbook to give directions in English to avoid Suu-chan understanding the plan
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Character Insight:
The protagonist displays a mix of adult pragmatism and genuine emotional vulnerability, particularly when seeing the drawing of his extended ‘family’. Suu-chan is shown to be increasingly shy yet intensely affectionate, as evidenced by her verbal tics and the nature of her gift.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Producer’ role Mio takes on is a meta-commentary on the adults pushing the ‘childhood friend’ romance trope forward for their own amusement.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Totsuka – The neighbor family consisting of a husband (Mitsuhisa), wife (Mio), and daughter (Suu-chan). They are hardcore gamers who provide hand-me-down consoles to the protagonist’s household.
• Mio – 28‑year‑old pregnant mother of Suu‑chan, round belly, bed‑resting; wife of Mitsuhisa (164 cm, 57 kg, baby‑faced, G‑cup curves, elegant in gray). Former relay runner and badminton star turned teacher, cook, photographer who bakes strawberry shortcake and chirashi‑zushi, adores babysitting Ma‑kun, subtly pushes his marriage to Suu‑chan, avoids crowds, devotes herself to her daughter’s education, playful, theatrical, neighbor/family friend in a joint‑destiny child‑rearing unit. Recently returned from hospital after delivering twins, the Totsuka mother is the family’s mood‑maker.
• Madoka – A character or peer mentioned as the person for whom the ‘Rose Rangers’ stay quiet.
• Mitsuhisa – Mitsuhisa-san, 33, 184 cm, 71 kg, is the doting father of the Totsuka family—husband to pregnant Mio and father to Su-chan, Fuu-chan, and Kyo-chan—whose reserved, scowling demeanor belies a surprisingly sporty, protective nature. An IT specialist working from home, he’s surprisingly toned, often seen with a video camera documenting family moments, and harbors a quiet envy toward Makoto, his former college-athlete friend, whose maturity he admires but whose influence over his daughters unsettles him. Reserved with family photographer Akari, he shares playful, sometimes sinister humor with Makoto over gaming lag, and while outwardly stoic, he’s deeply lonely as his children grow independent, balancing breadwinning duty with tender, watchful fatherhood.
• Suzuki – Suu‑chan, 4, daughter of Mio and Mitsuhisa, sports a topknot, braided pigtails, sleepy sparkling eyes, pink rain boots and a tiny umbrella. She’s competitive yet nervous, hugs and pouts, coordinates Makoto’s things, and is his “girlfriend.” Close friend of sandbox‑leader Maa‑kun. In Hinomori’s Younger Class she’s shy, sits in a booster seat, clings to Makoto, and once had seaweed on a tooth after tripping in the Rose‑Class footrace. Now pregnant‑mother’s older sister, she’s energetic, follows Makoto and shows a sad but resolute demeanor as she steps into a big‑sister role.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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