As I was thinking about that, the door was knocked and Reona and Riona’s mother — Eren-san — came in. She had to be in her forties but did not look it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, we’re ready.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Looking forward to it this year too.”
We left the room and followed the three of them. The instant we walked into the dining room, party poppers went off.
“Reona, Riona — happy birthday!”
The party popper in hand belonged to Kaito-san, the twins’ father.
“Dad, the poppers are a bit early, aren’t they?”
“You’re usually supposed to do those right at happy birthday, I think.”
“Sorry, sorry. Got excited.”
Reona and Riona shot him flat looks, and Kaito-san looked a little embarrassed. We took our seats at the dining table.
The dining room had been thoroughly decorated for the birthday party, and at the center of the table was a large, clearly handmade whole cake. All of it telegraphed how much the parents loved Reona and Riona.
“Right, prep is done, let’s start.”
“Light the candles and we have to do the annual song.”
“I’ll light. Nee-chan, kill the lights.”
“Got it.”
Riona lit the 1- and 7-shaped candles with a lighter, and Reona killed the dining-room lights once she confirmed.
We sang Happy Birthday to You. Reona’s pitch was completely off, as ever — apparently the tone-deafness was genetic-level commitment.
"" Reona, Riona, congratulations! ""
“You two, congratulations.”
“Congratulations.”
After the song, Mio, Eren-san, Kaito-san, and I clapped. Reona and Riona, wrapped in our words and applause, blew out their candles.
We started in on the food. The menu looked like the kind of spread you’d see on an American sitcom’s house party — and, needless to say, it was delicious.
“Seventeen already, Reona and Riona. Next year you’re adults — time flies.”
“Right? In my head you’re both still tiny.”
“That mental image is way out of date.”
“Please update to a more recent build.”
Reona and Riona looked mildly exasperated. The four of them around the table, talking like that, was a picture.
A wedding-photographer-quality picture. Despite my pretty-confirmed lifelong-bachelor status, I caught myself thinking, I’d love to be doing something like this someday with a family of my own.
Realistically, given how implausibly cute Mio is despite being my sister, she’ll certainly marry. I could attend my nieces’ or nephews’ birthday parties.
“That said — I never expected Reona and Riona to invite anyone outside family to a birthday party. Surprised me.”
“There was no sign of it before, frankly.”
“Ryouya-kun and Mio-chan are basically family.”
“In Riona’s and my heart, he’s already not an outsider.”
“Wow — for Reona and Riona to go that far, you two are loved.”
Eren-san said it cheerfully in response to her daughters. In front of their parents, that statement might be a problem, I thought — but they were clearly fine with that, given that they’d said it.