Chapter 332: Aria’s Birthday (Part 1)

"Happy birthday, Aria...whatever you want to do today, just say the word, I’ll make it happen. Today’s all about you, so be as selfish as you want," I smiled, as I gave her a kiss on the forehead."Thanks, Kai, you’re the best...I don’t really have anything particular in mind, though, I kinda just want to laze around all day with you," She grinned sheepishly, before giggling as I ruffled her hair playfully.

Today’s the 2nd of December, 2169, and it was Aria’s twenty-first birthday.

We’d both taken the day off from the Guild to celebrate, and were currently at her place, having just woken up.

We slept before midnight last night, she was pretty drowsy after we had a long day at the Guild, so I decided to wait to wish her a happy birthday after we woke up.

I’ve got plenty of options lined up, amusement park tickets, movie tickets, a reservation at a fancy restaurant, to name a few.

And if she doesn’t want to do any of those, that’s fine.

I also cooked up a full day’s worth of meals for her, which I did over the course of the last couple of weeks, focusing on one dish at a time to make sure each one was perfect, before preserving them in Treasury.

It’d be easier, and probably tastier, if I just made copies of the best food I already had stored in Treasury, but that didn’t feel right to me.

I wanted to put in some real effort, instead of taking the easy way out.

It was tough to cook all of it without her noticing though, I had to make use of what little alone time I had, I hope my efforts were worth it.

I want to make sure she has a great day today.

It was currently a little past 11 AM, the day’s just getting started. Time to kick things off...

"Close your eyes for a sec, okay?" I remarked, an intrigued look on her face as she nodded and closed her eyes.

I took out a small table, one that was made for eating in bed, before setting it over her lap. I then took out a plate, stacked with five rolled-up pancakes, dusted with powdered sugar and surrounded by a ring of sliced strawberries.

"Woah, something smells good," She gulped, as her nose twitched slightly.

"No peeking," I grinned, before taking out a mug of warm chocolate milk, placing it in a circular groove on the table.

I placed a knife and fork on either side of the plate, before taking out a second plate, filled with a bite-sized, deep fried creation I’d come up with, with a container that had a partition in the middle of it placed in the center of the bowl, two different kinds of sauces in it.

"C-Come on, how much longer? I’m gonna start drooling...actually, I already am," She spoke up eagerly, gulping as she began salivating.

"It’s ready, you can open your eyes now," I replied, her eyes lighting up as she opened them.

"Woah, this looks so good! I don’t know where to start...these fried balls are really calling out to me," She decided, picking one up before dipping it in one of the sauces and taking a bite, her eyes widening slightly as a crunch rang out.

"What do you think?" I asked her, feeling a bit nervous.

"Sho good! Where did you get these?!" She exclaimed, before trying the other sauce, promptly reaching for another one while still munching.

"Oh, I made it myself. The center is a spicy, stir-fried mince beef, which is contained in a hash brown layer, which I wrapped in bacon and deep-fried. As for the sauces, the white one’s garlic aioli and the other is a sweet and spicy sauce," I explained, as she wolfed down the contents of the bowl.

"Waif, you really made all thish?!" She responded in surprise with her mouth full, before adding as she swallowed, "Did you cook while I was asleep or something?"

"No, I made it a few days ago," I smiled, as she took a sip of the chocolate milk and turned her attention to the pancakes.

"Mm, so rich and creamy," She sighed contentedly, as she set the mug down.

"I mixed hazelnut spread, regular chocolate and white chocolate into the milk, and also added some cookies I grinded into a powder," I informed her, as she picked up one of the rolled-up pancakes with her fork and took a bite.

"This is great too! The pancake is so soft and fluffy, and slightly sticky, I’m guessing you dipped it in maple syrup...oh, and you’ve put a layer of peanut butter inside it!" She grinned, before I dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin as she got a bit of the peanut butter on that spot.

"Glad you like it. And FYI, each one had a different filling," I replied, her eyes widening as she set down the peanut butter one and picked up a different one, taking a bite with a look of anticipation on her face.

"Ohh, this one’s white chocolate! And this one’s hazelnut spread! Let’s see...mm, is this strawberry jam? And the last one is...milk chocolate! And they’re so filling, I don’t even know if I can finish all of them.

Thank you so much, Kai, this is so sweet...literally and figuratively," She responded with a warm smile, taking a bite of the strawberry jam-filled one, before shifting back to the fried, uh...meatballs, I guess?

Not sure if that’s accurate, since there’s potato in them as well. Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter, what’s important is that she enjoys it, and it looks like she is.

"Eat as much as you want, there’s plenty more where these came from. I’ve got a lot more of everything stored up, so just say the word," I replied, patting her head as she continued to dig in.

"Wait...I don’t wanna eat alone, you should eat too, Kai. Here, say ahh," She smiled, as she picked up one of the fried spheres and held it out towards me.

"Alright, sure," I nodded, opening my mouth before playfully trapping her fingers between my lips as she fed me.

She looks pretty happy, I think it’s safe to say I’ve managed to kick off the day with a good start.

And I’ve still got plenty more in store for her...