[Third Person Pov]
After opening Momo's present and sincerely thanking her for it, Clark moved on to Komi's gift, which came in a small, neatly arranged bag. He reached inside and pulled out a birthday greeting card, turning it over in his hands with a faintly amused look as he examined the front, clearly curious about what she had prepared for him.
Komi, meanwhile, was doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact. She held her drink close to her mouth, pretending to focus on the contents as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world, her gaze locked downward. Her shoulders were slightly hunched as she tried to shrink away from the attention, wishing she could simply disappear from the spotlight altogether.
Clark opened the card, and the moment he did, a small burst of confetti popped out and scattered across his face and shoulders while several yen notes fluttered down onto the table in front of him. His eyes lit up immediately. "Hahaha! Yes! Money!" Clark cheered without a shred of restraint.
"Clark," Seiko called out in a reprimanding tone, her eyes narrowing as she gave him a warning look to mind his manners.
Clark quickly cleared his throat and straightened his posture, trying to recover some dignity. "Cough I mean, thank you, Komi. You truly know the way to a man's heart."
Everyone watched as Clark carefully gathered the yen notes and tucked them into his pockets, making sure each bill was secured properly while still expressing his gratitude. His movements were deliberate, almost protective, as if he expected the money to vanish if he wasn't careful.
'He must really like money…' the Nakano sisters all thought at the same time, recalling his strictness whenever it came to charging for his tutoring services.
Komi let out a small, pleased chuckle at his reaction, clearly happy that he liked the gift so much. Barely audible, she muttered, "Your welcome."
Seiko extended her palm toward Clark, her expression calm but expectant. "Come, give it here. I'll hold onto it for you so you don't lose it."
"You think I don't know your tricks, you witch?" Clark shot back immediately, glaring at her as he slapped her hand away. "I'm perfectly capable of managing my own funds, thank you very much."
Seiko looked off to the side and clicked her tongue without even trying to hide it, her intentions painfully obvious to everyone in the room.
"Wait," Momo said, blinking in realization. She turned to Seiko with a puzzled look. "Didn't I leave you some money to hold for me when I was younger? Where is it?"
"No you didn't," Seiko replied without hesitation, her tone so firm and certain that for a brief moment even Momo questioned her own memory.
Clark stepped beside Momo and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her with open sympathy. "I'm sorry, but you aren't seeing that money for as long as you live. I warned you when we were little, remember?"
…
A few years ago…
Momo and Clark stood side by side, each holding their envelopes of New Year's money, both happily counting the amount they had received. Their expressions were bright with excitement as they compared totals, clearly pleased with their earnings.
Seiko crouched down in front of them, wearing a pleasant and approachable smile as she extended her hand. "You two are still young, so you might be a bit careless. You're bound to lose such a generous amount. Why don't you give it to me, and I'll hold onto it to make sure it stays safe?"
"Over my alien corpse," Clark scoffed immediately, twisting his body away and pulling his money close to his chest to keep it as far from her reach as possible.
"Here you go," Momo said without hesitation, placing her money trustingly into Seiko's waiting palm.
Clark stared at her in disbelief. "Are you stupid, or were you just born that way? How can you trust her with your money? You do realize you're never going to touch a single one of those yen notes ever again, right?" He gestured toward Seiko with exasperation. "It's not too late to take it back. You're being robbed clean and you don't even see it."
"Don't be silly, Clark," Momo replied with a scoff. "She's our grandmother. She wouldn't steal from us, right, Grandma? You would never do such a thing."
Seiko gently ruffled Momo's hair, her smile warm and reassuring. "Of course not, sweetheart. I don't know where Clark gets such strange ideas from. I would never do such a thing. Don't listen to him."
"See?" Momo said, turning back to Clark with a smug look.
Clark simply stared at her, his expression filled with pity. "Oh, you poor child… You aren't old enough to understand that familial obligations and fealty die the moment money is introduced."
…
Present:
Momo stared at Seiko with a look of pure distraught, her eyes wide and almost trembling. "What did you do with my New Year's money?!"
"You wasted it on sweets," Seiko replied plainly, without even a hint of guilt.
Clark immediately looked toward Momo and corrected her without missing a beat. "She wasted it on booze."
"How could you?!" Momo exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief as she clutched at her chest. "I trusted you!" The idea that someone so close to her could betray that trust so casually genuinely shook her.
"I could sue you for slander and defamation of character," Seiko shot back, glaring sharply at Clark.
"Slander and defamation my butt! You know I'm right," Clark scoffed. He reached over and grabbed Momo's cheeks, squeezing them until they puffed out and forced her lips into a pout. "You looked this innocent child in the eyes while she believed in you with all her little heart, and you lied and extorted her."
Momo's voice came out muffled from her squished cheeks. "Yeah, what he said!"
"Just shut up and continue opening your presents," Seiko said, crossing her arms over her chest as if she had already moved on from the topic entirely.
The guests watched the exchange with lighthearted smiles and soft laughter. The way they argued, teased, and accused one another carried no real malice. It was loud, chaotic, and a little ridiculous, but more than anything it felt unmistakably like family. Whatever tension had lingered earlier had completely faded, replaced by a warm and easy atmosphere that everyone could settle into.
Clark turned his attention back to the table and reached for the last present, which came from Nino. Like Ichika's, it was enclosed in an envelope. He opened it with a bit of curiosity, only half hoping it would be more money. Even if he was secretly rich, money was still money no matter how you looked at it.
What he pulled out, however, made him pause. "A coupon?" Clark let out a short laugh as he looked at the hand-drawn slip, which had a small chibi version of Nino decorating the front wearing a chef outfit.
Nino immediately grew embarrassed, especially with so many eyes on her, but she still puffed out her chest and stood her ground. "It's a Nino-exclusive coupon."
"Haha, for what?" Clark asked, turning it over in his hand as he examined it more closely.
"If there's one thing I'm confident in, it's my cooking," Nino said proudly. "Since this was short notice, I didn't know what to get you, so I came up with that. A coupon you can cash in anytime, and I'll make you a home-cooked meal myself."
"I see," Clark said with a faint smile. "Is there a time limit or something on it?"
"No, no time limit," Nino replied quickly, shaking her head. "You can request whatever you want and I'll make it. Just… let me know in advance so I can prepare."
Her confident smile slowly turned a little uneven as a thought crept in. 'It was supposed to be a way for us to go on a date… but now…' She let out a quiet sigh internally, keeping it hidden from the others.
"I see. I'll give it careful consideration. Thank you for going out of your way for this," Clark said sincerely, and he meant every word. It wasn't just Nino he appreciated, but everyone who had come together to celebrate his birthday.
Nino couldn't help but grow flustered at the sincerity in his voice and the warmth in his smile that seemed to strike straight at her heart. "...No problem. I'm glad you like it," she muttered, running a hand through her hair as she looked away.
********************************************
+20 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3