Volume 4 Chapter 67 Candles
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I’d finally been given permission to chat with Maa-kun, but Suzuki-chan was the one who ended up being my main conversational partner. She clung to Maa-kun’s side, radiating a fierce “don’t even think about it” energy that made it clear she wasn’t letting anyone push their way in.
Maa-kun himself seemed to be practicing a bit of self-restraint, probably trying to avoid being flagged for “cheating” by his little guardian. It felt like he’d inherited that “my wife comes first” attitude directly from Totsuka-san. I desperately wanted to get closer to him, but forcing the issue would only backfire. For now, I just had to take it slow and try to blend into the atmosphere.
Still, Suzuki-chan is such a kid. The moment I started buttering up Maa-kun, she got talkative. She was so easy to lead that it was almost worrying. Maa-kun gave her a look that said “Oh, boy…”-or rather, he just turned his gaze toward her, which was honestly adorable. But thanks to her being so chatty, I stumbled upon something absolutely legendary.
I sat at the low table, my eyes locked onto the album Suzuki-chan was showing me, page by page.
”Suzuki-chan, have you liked Maa-kun since way back then?” I asked.
”Nuh-uh. Since the very first time we met,” Suzuki-chan nn replied.
”Is that so? Love at first sight?”
”Yeah! That’s it! First sight!”
”Which photo is it? Show me, show me!”
”Wait…”
She flipped back to the third page of the album titled “Maa-kun’s Record: Age 0” and pointed at a specific shot. There was a three-month-old Maa-kun being held by Akari-san, and an eleven-month-old Suu-chan being held by Mio-san. Their tiny hands were reaching out to each other, captured in a perfect mid-air high-five.
It was devastatingly cute, but… why a high-five?
”Do you actually remember this?” I asked.
”Yeah. I ‘member for real. It’s our ‘versary,” Suu-chan nn insisted with total confidence.
(Do kids this age really keep memories from when they were newborns? My first love was apparently in kindergarten, but I can’t remember his face or his name to save my life…)
”Maa-kun is so tiny and cute here!” I said.
”Yeah, cute. This is a best shot,” Suu-chan nn said.
”Ohh! So cute, so cute!”
”This one is a best shot, too.”
”Wow!”
”And this… and this one.”
”…You have a lot of ‘best shots’ don’t you?” I noted.
”Yeah. That’s why it’s a photo book.”
”I guess you’ve got a point there.”
There were so many photos here that Akari-san had never shown me before. Maa-kun has clearly been Maa-kun since the day he was born. That gentle look he gives Suu-chan… how do I put it? It makes something deep in my chest-well, more like my lower stomach-go all fluttery.
(I wonder if there are duplicates of this? I want one so bad. I’m not asking for a handout, either. I’ve got a decent amount of cash!)
As I racked my brain for a way to negotiate, Akari-san called out from the kitchen.
”Alright, it’s almost cake time! Suu-chan, put the photo book away!”
”Okay!” Suzuki-chan nn replied.
”Aw…” I groaned.
I wanted to keep looking, but Suzuki-chan was a total rule-follower. “Will you show me more of Maa-kun’s best shots later?” I asked.
”Yeah, sure!”
”Thanks!”
(Suzuki-chan, you’re an angel!)
We paused our album session and headed to the bathroom to wash up. Watching them act so responsible without even being told really made me admire how well-raised they were. When we got back, Totsuka-san-who had been doing reps while staring at a certification workbook-skillfully rounded up the two younger daughters who had been climbing on his back and dropped them into their high chairs. Fuuka-chan and Kyouka-chan were staring at the chocolate cake on the table like their lives depended on it, tiny hands reaching out desperately.
”Sorry, girls! Fuu-chan and Kyo-chan can’t have chocolate yet,” Akari-san said.
”Bwah!”
”Eee-ah!”
”Seriously, Auntie Misato is so mean, isn’t she? Demanding something you two can’t even eat!”
”Hey! Akari-san!?” I shouted.
(What a low blow! And don’t call me ‘Auntie’! I’m only twenty-eight! I haven’t even hit the big three-zero yet! What am I supposed to do if Maa-kun and the others start calling me ‘Auntie’ because of you?!)
”It’s okay, babies,” Mio-senpai said, sliding a bowl onto their table. “Mama made you some special love-filled banana yogurt!”
The twins immediately grabbed their spoons… I was about to praise how handy they were, but then they just ditched the spoons and grabbed the yogurt with their bare hands. Oh. Right. That’s just life with toddlers.
”Ooh, that looks good! Papa wanted some of Mama’s love, too!” Totsuka-san cooed.
”Seriously… Totsuka-san doing baby talk is just…” I muttered.
”Should I ban Takanashi from the house?” Totsuka-san asked.
”I’m kidding! I’m sorry! Your voice is so deep and cool I’m practically swooning!” I lied.
”Let’s ban Misato!” Akari-san laughed.
”I’m kidding! I’m sorry! Your voice was so normal it didn’t even register in my brain!” I panicked.
(Close one. This married couple is an untouchable zone. I have to change the subject, fast.)
”S-so, did Suzuki-chan and Maa-kun make this together?” I asked.
”Yeah. I made it with Maa-kun,” Suzuki-chan nn beamed.
”Wow! It looks like it came straight from a bakery! You guys are amazing!”
”You did it, Suu-chan,” Maa-kun said.
”Nn! ♪”
Suzuki-chan nn beamed, hugging Maa-kun in her excitement. (At least you kids are on my side… But seriously, isn’t this cake incredible? Maybe ‘bakery-quality’ was a slight stretch, but for something homemade, it’s legit. The decoration is simple but shows real taste. It’s way better than anything I could do. Well, unless I was drawing it.)
On top of the cake was a chocolate plaque with “Happy Birthday!” written carefully on it. I’m the one who asked for it, but the quality was terrifying. (Is this really something a boy who’s barely five wrote? I’m starting to suspect there’s a catch. Like, it was actually Akari-san the whole time?)
”Did… did Maa-kun write this?” I asked.
”Yeah. I wrote it,” Maa-kun replied.
”Really?! I’m so happy! Thank you!”
(Okay, if Maa-kun said it, I believe it. The youngsters are the only ones who won’t bully me…)
I whipped out my phone and snapped a bunch of photos. Yes. This is my birthday cake. Sorry, Mom, but I’ve never had a cake that made me this happy before.
”Um, if possible, I’d love a photo with Maa-kun and the others…” I ventured.
”Well, it is your birthday, so I guess we can make an exception,” Akari-san said.
”Yes!”
We took a group photo with the cake. The camera wasn’t a phone, but Mio-senpai’s high-end DSLR. I had to give up on a solo shot with Maa-kun because of the “vibe” in the room, so I settled for a three-way shot with Maa-kun and Suzuki-chan. Honestly? I’ll take it!
”I’ll send it to you later,” Mio-senpai said.
”Thank you so much!”
”Alright, time for the candles-“
”Wait! Akari-san, stop!!” I lunged for her hand as she reached for the box.
”…What? You need candles for a birthday cake.”
”No, see… at my age, candles are kind of…”
(I’m twenty-eight. Putting candles on a cake feels like some kind of sick punishment. Are you trying to force me to look the age gap between me and Maa-kun right in the face? Age doesn’t matter when you’re a fan, but can’t you understand a girl’s desire to keep things a little… fuzzy?)
”Akari-san, you wouldn’t put candles on your own cake either, right…?”
”I do it all the time,” Akari-san said.
”You’re lying…”
”Don’t tell me Mio-senpai does it too…?”
”Hm? Yeah, of course,” Mio-senpai said.
”No way…”
(I trusted you guys! Traitors!)
”Misato, a woman only gets more charming as she ages,” Mio-senpai said. The guys all nodded along like bobbleheads.
”You can only say that because you’re married! You’re speaking from the Winners’ Circle¹ !!”
”I can say it because I’m a winner,” Mio-senpai replied.
”That’s so philosophical it hurts!!”
When a woman as confident as Mio-senpai says it, you have no choice but to believe it. Akari-san is single, sure, but she’s Maa-kun’s mom-a position literally no one else can ever take. Is this the gap between the “Havers” and me?
”Suzuki-chan, Maa-kun… the mamas are being mean to me…” I whined.
”Suu wants to put candles,” Suzuki-chan nn said.
”…”
”Blowing them out is fun.”
”…”
”You only get to do it once a year, so I’ll blow them out real careful!”
”…”
Her pure, innocent, age-appropriate logic just dealt me a finishing move. My HP was in the negatives. (Is there no God in this house?)
”…Since it’s so pretty, I think it’d be a waste to poke holes in it with candles,” Maa-kun said.
”…Maa-kun!!”
(Maa-kun! Maa-kun!! Maa-kun!!! Wait, does Maa-kun… feel that way about me? I just want to squeeze him and nuzzle his little face… Whoa, back up. Get a grip, Takanashi Misato. Maa-kun belongs to Suzuki-chan and Akari-san. That is an immovable, unchangeable truth. That’s why I have to be the runner-up. I’m the ‘convenient older sister’ archetype. Even if he baits me, I can’t be the one to reach out first!)
”He’s right! It’s so beautiful! It’d be a crime to stick candles in it!” I declared, jumping onto the “Maa-kun Plan” with both feet.
”Nn. Maa-kun nn has a point,” Suzuki-chan nn said.
”True. No point in bullying the birthday girl any further,” Akari-san agreed.
(Of course, Akari-san listens the second Maa-kun opens his mouth. And Suzuki-chan, where did you learn phrases like ‘has a point’? But I get it. It’s because Maa-kun’s words are just… so full of meaning. They’re precious.)
Having successfully averted the candle crisis, I listened to Maa-kun and Suzuki-chan sing “Happy Birthday to You” with strangely perfect pronunciation. The cake was cut into six slices. Being the guest of honor, I got the first bite.
”It’s so good… thank you, Maa-kun, Suzuki-chan,” I said. It was better than any cake I’d ever had in my life.
”You’re welcome!”
”Nn!”
I’ll probably never find a cake that beats this one. Well, unless Maa-kun is involved. Beside me, as I sat there savoring every single bite-
”Maa-kun, say aahn,” Suzuki-chan nn said, holding up a forkful.
”Aahn… mm, delicious,” Maa-kun replied.
”♪”
”Does Mom get an ‘aahn’ too?” Akari-san asked.
”Hmm, but it’s not Mom’s birthday,” Maa-kun said.
”…It’s Labor Thanksgiving Day² ,” she prompted.
”Well, in that case, maybe I will. Here, aahn.”
”…Thanks. It really is good, isn’t it?”
(A lovey-dovey pair of childhood friends. A lovey-dovey mother and son. And the lovey-dovey married couple, Totsuka and Mio, as usual.)
”Mii-kun, say aahn,” Mio said.
”…”
”……Wait, it’s my birthday,” I whispered.
Takanashi Misato. Twenty-eight. Single. No boyfriend. My battle has only just begun!
—
Summary:
Misato navigates a domestic birthday celebration while confronting the social gap between her and her married friends. She bonds with Suzuki-chan over a childhood photo album and successfully avoids the ‘candle humiliation’ with Maa-kun’s support. The scene shifts to the group sharing a homemade cake while maintaining their established interpersonal dynamics
—
Trivia:
- The album title ‘Maa-kun 0-sai no Kiroku’ emphasizes the long-standing bond between the two families
- The use of ‘Best Shot’ is a common Japanese-English loanword (Wasei-eigo) indicating a favorite photo
- The high-five between the babies suggests a predestined connection noted by Suzuki-cha
—
Character Insight:
Misato demonstrates a protective stance over her ‘maiden heart’ regarding her age, while Maa-kun shows unexpected social intuition by siding with her on the candle issue.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Maa-kun – A young boy in the Rabbit Group at Hinomori Kindergarten. He is highly intelligent, capable of second-grade math and multiplication. He is described as calm, stoic, and helpful, often acting as a ‘handler’ for more energetic children. Akari’s son, nearly five years old. An extreme polyglot and polymath who secretly studies news, martial arts, and multiple languages. Highly sensitive to his parents’ moods. Also referred to as Makoto-kun. Narrator’s son in the Rabbit Group. Popular with other girls but maintains distance. Previously protected Suu-chan during the ‘April Incident.’
• Suzuki – Suu-chan, five-year-old eldest daughter of the Suzuki family and Mio’s child, is a doll-like girl with dark braided pigtails, a topknot, sleepy sparkling eyes, and pink rain boots—fiercely protective of Maa-kun, whom she calls her “Official Wife” candidate, often clutching his arm or covering his eyes to “protect” him. Clutching a pink candy tin, she’s stoic, tomboyish, and shy with strangers, yet deeply devoted to her sisters and a core member of the Sheep Group. The only child who can replicate the tunnel somersault, she races with Maa-kun, interprets results as next-year class placement, and craves physical “recharge” through their runs. Jealous of Jun, she somersaulted with him to win his heat. She shares a cherished memory album with Maa-kun, embodying the close-knit bond between the Suzuki, Totsuka, and Akari families.
• Totsuka – Totsuka Mio, wife of Mitsuhisa and mother of the twins, is a hardcore gamer who regularly supplies hand-me-down consoles to the protagonist’s household, while Mitsuhisa, a diligent man who studies for certifications and exercises, occasionally engages in baby talk with their children; Mio attends parent-teacher conferences, quietly concerned about her daughter’s growing attachment to Makoto, and though Mitsuhisa is polite during house visits, his reserved demeanor reflects the family’s quiet, tech-saturated dynamic.
• Suu-chan – A refined young girl with soft skin who values etiquette and ‘lady’s grace.’ She holds Makoto to a high standard of grooming.
• Akari – Light, 28, is a poised, observant single mother of Makoto and newborn Maa-kun, with long dark-brown hair and subtle makeup that mirrors her son’s features. Estranged from her parents, she works full-time in IT, lives beside her best friend Mio, and serves as a loving yet strict guardian—teasing Misato about her single status while monitoring her behavior, described by Light as tsundere. Outwardly shy and modest, she’s secretly a mischievous shogi player, now more confident in casual attire for Sports Day. She mentors Suzuki with candid photos, navigates parent circles with quiet finesse, and holds a unique role as the mother of the protagonist, balancing kindness, affection, and playful wit in all her relationships.
• Mio – Mio-senpai, a refined postpartum woman with baby-faced charm and a G-cup silhouette, is wife to Mitsuhisa and mother to twins Fuuka and Kyouka, an older kindergarten child, and a beloved figure in her community. Once a Totsuka council chair and former office worker, she retired to nurture her family, now celebrated for her serene grace, creative culinary skills—especially her famed Salisbury steak—and philosophical insights on aging. Stylishly dressed in gray, she wields a high-end DSLR, capturing intimate family moments while teasing them on film, and shares warm, affectionate grill-side time with Mitsuhisa. A homebody who avoids crowds, she quietly mentors Maa-kun in UV hair-drying, confides in neighbor Akari, and is admired by former colleagues and Misato alike as a “winner” in life’s social hierarchy—her seductive aura and maternal warmth radiating from a life of quiet, elegant fulfillment.
• Suu – A female student in the Rose Class. Very close to Makoto (Maa-kun). Has mud on her cheeks and makes high-quality dorodango.
• Kyouka – Younger twin daughter of Mio and Mitsuhisa, a petite, lively girl who shares her sister’s mobility and drooling habit while practicing crawling; active, energetic, and often leads the pair in play.
• Fuuka – The younger twin daughter of Mio and Mitsuhisa, with soft curls and bright eyes, is now belly‑crawling and quietly explores her world. She loves playing “airplane” with her father, giggling as she stretches her tiny arms toward him, while remaining the quieter, more observant twin.
• Fuu – One of the twins, approximately four months old. Currently learning to swivel their head and grab objects.
• Kyo – One of the twins, approximately four months old. Shared traits with Fuu-chan.
• Misato – Misato Takanashi, 28, a former manga‑artist hopeful now among the ‘Single Aristocrats,’ usually in street‑style hoodies but dresses elegantly for her first meeting with the boy she admires. She obsessively watches shota, hides it behind a harmless façade, and quietly observes his birthday story. A ‘non‑haver’ among married friends, she’s a fan of Maa‑kun, struggles with age and single status, works an office job, loves Makoto’s domestic life, and secretly games to impress children.
• Takanashi – The Takanashi family name, carried by Misato. The family name of Misato. She is often teased by her friends Akari and Mio regarding her age and status.
• Mom – A 30‑year‑old mother who recently switched jobs for more time with her son, Maa‑kun. She’s supportive, manages household shopping together with Mio‑san, and balances family life with her new career.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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