Bonus Chapter 1:
Under the moonlight
Occasion(?):
Tsukishima Kei's birthday

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

He furrowed his eyebrows. Y/n had asked him and Yamaguchi to go to the rooftop without her since she'll be doing something for a little while. The last time this happened didn't turn out so well.

He hissed at the memory, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Tsukki? Is there anything wrong?" Yamaguchi asked, sitting beside him on a bench. Tsukishima shook his head.

"... Do you think she forgot..?" Tsukishima muttered, watching Yamaguchi pull out a neatly wrapped present from his bag. Tsukishima muttered a small thank you as Yamaguchi handed him the box.

"I'm sure she didn't. Maybe that's why she asked us to go ahead," Yamaguchi stated, smiling innocently. Tsukishima stared at him in suspicion. "That smile means you're hiding something," Tsukishima stated.

Yamaguchi laughed. "Who knows? Maybe I am," Yamaguchi stated boldly. Tsukishima sighed, smiling a little. "You've been very secretive this past week," Tsukishima noted.

"God knows what I've been up to," Yamaguchi retorted. Tsukishima chuckled quietly. "Another unusually bold response by you. But I should've expected it by now," Tsukishima said, making Yamaguchi laugh.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Tsukishima stood by his looker, furrowing his eyebrows at the number of birthday letters inside. Yamaguchi smirked. "I'll be going now, Tsukki. I need to be home early," Yamaguchi said, smiling.

Tsukishima nodded, pushing aside all the letters to get his shoes. His eyes widened as a certain envelope stood out to him. It was taped to the back of his locker, right behind his shoes.

He pulled his shoes out, slipping them on before averting his gaze back to the envelope. While the other envelopes were pink with heart seals (looked more like a love letter than a birthday letter to him), this one was plain white, accompanied by a gold crescent moon seal.

He peeled the tape off, his thumb tracing over the seal. Gently, he opened it, pulling out a sheet of paper with painfully familiar handwriting. It was neat, and a clear signature at the bottom of the paper gave her away. This was Y/n's doing.

'And I thought she'd be more secretive about her identity.' Tsukishima said to himself, reading the letter.

Before I start, I'd like to apologize in advance.

I know it's your birthday and all, but you have to walk around a bit for my present.

And just so you know, I won't make it easy for you.

Don't wanna spoil the birthday boy.

I'm well aware you know who I am. I've been acting suspicious all week, and my handwriting gives me away. As well as that signature at the bottom of the paper.

Now, let's get down to business.

In a place where you usually find me,

Lies something you need to see.

What could it be?

Tsukishima scoffed. "Of course she'd have something in the music room..." He muttered to himself, putting his indoor shoes back on and heading to the music room.

He slid the door open, seeing nothing out of place. 'What the hell could she want me to find here?' Tsukishima questioned.

His eyes landed on the piano. 'The place you'd usually find me...' He thought to himself. He grabbed the stool, checking to see if anything taped under. There was.

It was a note taped to the bottom of the stool. He gently peeled it off, straightening his posture and beginning to read it.

That wasn't so hard now, was it?

Now, let's test your memory.

The day I felt down,

You turned my mood around.

Where did that happen? And what did you get me?

"The day she felt down..." He muttered to himself, walking back to his locker. As he shut the door of his locker, his eyes slightly widened in realization.

'The takoyaki stall...' He thought to himself, quickly walking out of school.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Good evening! What can I get for you?" Asked the stall owner. Tsukishima furrowed his eyebrows. "Well..." He trailed. The stall owner perked up.

"Ah! You must be Tsukishima-san!" She exclaimed. Tsukishima nodded a little. "A special order was reserved for you by L/n-san," the stall owner said, preparing the snack.

"She's a lovely girl," the stall owner stated. Tsukishima hummed quietly, silently agreeing. "It must be nice having a girl like her as your girlfriend, huh?" She asked, making Tsukishima flinch.

"Ah... You misunderstood. She isn't my girlfriend..." Tsukishima trailed. "Not yet..." The stall owner muttered mischievously, handing him his plate of takoyaki.

Tsukishima took it, muttering a quiet thank you. He looked at the plate in confusion. 'What's with this..?' Tsukishima questioned. "L/n-san's a smart girl. I figured that much after she told me what to do for that special order," the stall owner said.

Tsukishima nodded, taking a piece of takoyaki into his mouth. "Just wait for a few minutes. You'll figure out where your next hint is," the stall owner said. He walked away, taking a few pieces of takoyaki every now and then.

He continued eating the takoyaki, his eyes widening as he realized something. 'The sauce is soaking through this plate. Which means this one is essentially thinner than normal.' Tsukishima thought to himself.

He finished up the takoyaki, looking at the now translucent plate. He peeled it off, throwing it at a nearby trashcan. He stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow as he saw what was written on the extra pate placed below (which was seemingly thicker).

It was just an arrow, pointing to his right. He looked in the direction the arrow was pointing, seeing Y/n's porch. A neatly wrapped box laid there, undisturbed.

"Did she..." He trailed. "Did she really just calculate my arrival time and the time it takes for the sauce to soak through the plate..?" Tsukishima questioned.

He stepped onto the porch, kneeling down and grabbing the box. He pulled on the ribbon that kept the box's cover on, placing it beside him as he unwrapped the box.

His cheeks reddened as he saw what was inside. His eyes slightly lit up as he pulled out the contents of the box. It was a dinosaur plushie.

'I don't recall telling her about this...' Tsukishima thought to himself. He reached inside the box again, pulling out the piece of paper he saw earlier.

Let me answer a question for you.

No, you didn't tell me anything about your thing for dinosaurs.

It was Yamaguchi who told me.

He didn't at first, but he gave in when I bought him soggy fries.

Now, for your next hint.

This one is fairly easy.

In a shop where sweets are bound,

Is where your next gift shall be found.

"She really did make this one easy..." Tsukishima muttered, stuffing the dinosaur plushie in his bag and walking towards the nearby pastry shop.

The bell chimed as he pushed the door open, welcomed by the smell of chocolates, mochi, and more.

"Welcome! What can I get you?" A woman at the counter greeted. She perked up in realization. "Oh wait... Tall, blonde, and wears glasses... Are you perhaps Tsukishima? The guy Y/n talked about since school started?" The woman asked.

Tsukishima nodded, ignoring that last detail. The woman smiled. "I see. Wait here for a moment," she said, heading the back where all the pastries were made. In less than a minute later, she came back with a small box.

"I heard from a little bird that your favorite cake was strawberry shortcake- specifically, the ones Y/n make," the woman stated, placing the box on a countertop and motioning Tsukishima to come closer.

"You don't have to worry. Y/n made this herself and left it in my care," she said. "I've tried her sweets myself. She might not be a baker, but damn, she's really good at it. I'm surprised she chose to be a musician. But then again, auntie's a musician as well," she said, making Tsukishima raise an eyebrow.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that I was one of Y/n's cousins. She probably already mentioned having a big family, no?" She asked, handing Tsukishima an envelope. Tsukishima nodded.

"She did," he confirmed. The woman smiled. "Well then, read the letter and get going. Oh, and don't forget the cake Y/n baked you. She really likes baking for you" she stated, making Tsukishima's cheeks redden.

He grabbed the box, walking out of the shop while reading the letter.

Almost there, Kei.

This is the last hint.

This is the hardest to find, so I'll be straight up about it.

Head to the park and you'll find a trail,

The final surprise will finally unveil.

He sighed, heading straight for the park.

As he arrived, he immediately saw what Y/n was referring to. It was a path of flower petals. In the middle of the trail, there was a box.

He walked towards it, curiously peeking inside. The lid of the box had a torn paper taped to it. It read '16 reasons why...', but the rest of the message was torn. In the box, there were more pieces of paper, that Tsukishima thought to be as the reasons (he was right).

You appreciate me.

You're sweet, even if you can be salty for the most part.

The nicknames you give me are cute (they're annoying but I like them).

Listening to your heartbeat makes me calm.

Your hugs make me feel safe.

It's cute when you pretend not to care, but then you end up doing something that proves that you do (as well as muttering something that goes with it).

You take care of me (and might I say, finding a guy that still acts like a gentleman is hard nowadays. You're one of a kind❤).

You inspire me.

I know I can always talk to you.

You make me feel new things.

You gave me the adventure that I've been looking for.

My entire body feels warm when you hold my hand.

You always give me honest feedback on my pieces, even if you don't say anything at first.

You melt my fears and insecurities away.

I learn something new about you every day.

You pay attention to my needs (like that time when you chose to cover me instead of yourself when we were running in the rain).

His cheeks reddened, putting the box away. He continued to follow the path, eventually reaching a part of the park he had never seen before.

There were vines in the way, but it seemed like there was something on the other side. As he pushed them away and walked in, he turned the corner, immediately hearing the sound of a piano playing 'happy birthday'.

As she played the last few notes, she smiled, turning to Tsukishima. "You made it. Happy birthday, Kei," she greeted, smiling sweetly.

He looked around the area. Although he tried not to show it, there was a hint of awe in his expression.

It was a secluded area in the park. There was a gazebo in the middle, with a piano in the center of it. Beside the gazebo was a small koi pond, where you could clearly see the reflection of that night's full moon.

Fireflies lit up the area, being the natural light along with the moon. Numerous kinds of flowers surrounded the area, making it all the more beautiful.

"Wow... It took you a week to do all this..?" He questioned, approaching her. He noticed the other stool beside Y/n's and took a seat there. Y/n smiled, nodding.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble. The dinosaur plush was enough," he admitted. Y/n giggled. "I wanted to make this special. Plus, you should already know by now that the box you found on the trail is some sort of symbol," Y/n said.

"When you read the pieces of paper, you probably plucked them out one by one, then put them back after reading, right?" Y/n asked. Tsukishima nodded.

"Have you thought of taking them all out at once?" Y/n suggested. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow but accepted the suggestion. He smiled a little as he saw the paper taped to the bottom of the box. It was the other half of the paper on the lid.

'I love you'

"I lost," she muttered, smiling sadly at him. "It doesn't matter," he said bluntly. He leaned over, pulling her into a hug.

"I lost too."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

HAHDHEJFNEJF IT'S SEPTEMBER 28 WHERE I AM. I'M SORRY THIS IS LATE FIRJFIENGJR

Anyway, this was one of the planned endings of this book. There are two main endings, one of which has many sub endings. I chose this sub ending for the birthday special lol. Hope you enjoyed it!

Oh, and in case someone didn't understand, the paper taped to the lid of that last box says '16 reasons why' but it's torn. The other half was actually taped to the bottom of the box and was hidden behind the other pieces of paper. It says 'I love you'. Basically, the box is labeled as '16 reasons why I love you'. Why 16? It's supposedly Tsukki's 16th birthday.