CHAPTER 132: BIRTHDAY GIFTS I
"Since you can't cut your hair, have you thought of braiding it?"
"Hmm?" Kael perked up at the question. Of course, he had thought of doing this, but who would help him do so in their current circumstances?
Seeing his reaction, Alice shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"I can help you. I mean, if you don't mind."
Kael really was happy to see her become more talkative. Only now did he realize how beautiful and soothing her voice was.
"I do not wish to trouble you..." He spoke slowly, without completing his sentence.
Picking up on the hint, Alice smiled slightly.
"It is no trouble at all."
"Then you have my sincere thanks."
Alice nodded before gesturing toward a chair. Still gripping Jinx by the tail, Kael swiftly moved before settling down on the seat.
Alice moved behind him. Her fingers ran through his hair from top to bottom, combing through his hair for a while before an actual comb appeared in her hand.
"I should have gotten that," Kael quickly voiced out.
She didn't bother replying and simply continued her actions.
The still-struggling Jinx slowly went still when she saw Alice touching Kael. She joined Seris in quietly observing the young girl. After a while, she crawled across his arm and tried to wriggle free. Kael, seeing her actions, raised a brow, but still let go.
Just like that, the grey-and-white snake moved closer to Alice before studying her intently. What surprised Kael was that she didn't attack like he had expected. Instead, she tried to interact with Alice, but always came up with nothing, earning several annoyed hisses.
Seris, on the other hand, ignored her sister's actions and continued to gaze at Alice quietly, a strange light flashing within her golden pupils.
Just like that, the two young teens remained alone in the room for hours, neither speaking, as they basked in each other's presence, with only Kira's annoyed cries and Sophia's chuckles mixed with Py's occasional chirps from the next room forming a gentle backdrop.
Before they knew it, it was already deep into the night.
Alice gazed outside the window, the resplendent and silvery moonlight washing over the darkness.
By now, she was almost done with Kael's hair, having braided his long locks into several neat braids that flowed backward before being gathered into a single thick tail that rested between his shoulder blades. A few loose strands framed his face naturally, softening the sharpness of his features without diminishing the quiet ferocity hidden beneath. Combined with his taller frame, dark as night eyes, and composed expression, he no longer looked like a mere youth. Instead, he carried an understated regalness, as though he had been born to stand above others rather than among them.
"I'm done."
Kael, who had his eyes closed as he secretly enjoyed her hands caressing his hair, suddenly snapped his eyes open. A feeling of loss welled up within his heart, but he quickly crushed the emotion and rose to his feet.
Moving closer to the window and taking advantage of the radiance of the moon, he was able to glimpse a reflection of himself. What he saw made his eyes widen.
'Is that truly me?'
Kael couldn't help but admit he looked good. Especially when he saw the similarities to Alice's hairstyle, he didn't know why he felt a feeling of contentment and a bit of... pride?
"I know it's still a bit early..."
Alice's soft voice suddenly pulled him out of his inspection, and he turned back to her.
She glanced at the night sky before shifting her eyes back to Kael.
"...But I still want to be the first to wish you. Though, your sister might kill me for it."
Moving closer to Kael, an unremarkable hilt suddenly flashed into her right hand.
She raised the object toward him to the latter's confusion and showed the clearest smile Kael had ever seen on her beautiful face.
The smile was soft, and her purple eyes carried a subtle hint of gentleness.
"Happy birthday."
Her voice wasn't loud, yet it held a warmth that reached straight into Kael's heart.
Kael froze on the spot, his eyes widening like saucers.
"...What?" he couldn't help but whisper after a while.
Only now did Kael remember what tomorrow signified. Or was it already today? Kael wasn't sure. But with how high the moon hung in the night sky, the turning of a new day should already be close.
Kael still remembered the day the apocalypse descended.
He remembered when he had jumped into the girls' dorm and had almost desecrated the corpse of a senior female zombie.
It was also at that time he had met Alice and Natalie.
He had convinced himself back then that he was already fifteen, as only a month had remained before his birthday.
Since then, a lot of things had happened.
He had met the sisters...
Encountered Nathan...
Rescued his sister, Sophia, and Claire from Ben's advances.
They had witnessed the first night event while hiding within a room on the top floor of the girls' dorm.
They had planned and struggled through countless horrors just to keep up with the relentless and merciless apocalypse.
They had participated in their first trial, and he would have lost his friends if it hadn't been for Py.
He had awakened his first Will after seeing how Daniel had treated the female survivors.
His team had gone through their own first trials...
He had been ambushed and almost lost his life...
He had taken a life.
A lot of things had happened within this short month that Kael inadvertently forgot something as trivial as his birthday.
But looking at Alice's face, who still wore that soft smile upon her otherworldly beautiful features, Kael felt a rare warmth fill his heart, and his eyes slowly grew wet.
But he forced the tears away, unwilling to look weak in front of her.
"Thank you."
He barely choked out as he accepted the ordinary hilt from her.
A system message flashed before him, but Kael only caught the first few letters—
[Lege...]
His heart almost skipped a beat.
Thankfully, a chorus of voices suddenly came from the entrance, pulling his attention away.
Kael watched as Rose walked into the room carrying a simple birthday cake, his friends and, shockingly, even the Principal and Claire trailing behind.
Together, they sang...