Chapter 51: Birthday Cake

Chapter 51:
Birthday Cake

That day, Ellen’s whole family was dressed to the nines.

“Hey, Mom, let’s goooo.”

“Nope. Today’s your special day, so you gotta look the part.”

The star of the party that day was Bona. She had just turned nine years old, and her mother was dressing her in pretty clothes and braiding her hair for the occasion. Excited to get to the party, Bona whined for her to go faster, but to no avail.

The occasion in question was a party called the “Children’s Blessing,” which was usually held during the New Year’s Festival. It was a celebration of a child living past their earliest days and growing up to be a proper “kid.” This meant that they’d be able to formally help their parents around the house. While it wasn’t as big a deal as the coming of age ceremony that was held when a child turned fifteen years old, it was still a major event.

As the official ceremony drew near, Ellen and her family decided to hold a private celebration at the Restaurant to Another World.

***

Ellen had given birth to a grand total of five children, but Kai and Bona were the only two to live to their ninth year and celebrate their “Children’s Blessing” day.

Ellen’s first child was a frail little girl who didn’t survive her fifth winter.

Her second child was a tough little boy, and perhaps this is why she and her husband let their guard down. When he was just seven years old, he’d fallen from a tree and passed on to the next world, just like that.

Ellen still didn’t understand how or why her fifth child had died. She’d happily drunk her milk one night, and then Ellen had put her to bed. When she woke the next morning, the baby had turned cold.

And so her only children that remained were Kai and Bona.

Which was precisely why three years ago, they’d decided to hold a huge celebration for their third child, Kai, when he turned nine.

From their small savings, the family used nearly as many silver coins as they had fingers on both hands to order the “special celebration” at Nekoya.

The master had lived up to their expectations and some. Their table for four had played host to a massive feast. And no matter how much alcohol or drink they ordered, the price stayed the same.

And then there was the giant, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth confection that he brought out at the end of the meal. Truth be told, it was a feast that far surpassed the meager sum they paid for it.

Six-year-old Bona would never forget that day. Even three years after Kai’s celebration, she was still clamoring for the special meal her brother got.

***

And so it was decided that they would celebrate Bona’s ninth birthday at Nekoya, which meant that Ellen was going to have her daughter looking her absolute best.

“Hee hee, I can’t wait! I bet the food’s gonna be super-duper amazing! And I get to eat that ‘cake’ thingy again!”

A smile formed on Bona’s face as she excitedly thought about the meal to come. All the while her mother continued to fix her hair.

Being nine and all meant that Bona was far more concerned with eating than she was with her physical appearance. Three years ago, everything she’d ate at her brother’s party was undoubtedly delicious. But it was that confection she couldn’t forget. That was the only time she’d ever been able to sample it.

It had been massive, and sweet to a surprising degree. Even three years later, she still sometimes had dreams about eating it.

It wasn’t rare for Ellen’s family to bump into well-dressed nobies at Nekoya. Bona’s mom would often tell her that “they lived in a different world altogether.” Yet even those fancy people never ate anything as incredible as the confection Bona had eaten that fateful day.

In fact, this small family celebration was more exciting to Bona than the big party on New Year’s.

“Moooom, are we ready yet?!”

She just wanted to get to Nekoya as soon as possible; she couldn’t care less if her hair was braided neatly. She was on the verge of throwing a bit of a fit.

“There. All done. Don’t you look beautiful? Enchanting, if I do say so myself!”

Ellen nodded to herself, grinning at Bona’s pained expression. She was pleased with the job she had done dressing up her daughter. She’d gone as far as to use some of their precious firewood, something they normally sold for a profit, so that she could wash Bona’s hair with warm water. Now it was nice and braided.

Combine that with the brand-new set of clothes Ellen had spent all year making for this very occasion, and Bona looked like a young lady from the city or even a fairy from the forest. She was beautiful.

“Ooh, all done? Let’s get a move on!”

“Moooom, you’re so slow! Let’s goooo!”

Of course, Herman and Kai showed little interest in any of Ellen’s hard work. The two were at their wit’s end; all they’d consumed that morning was some water. Why fill up when there was going to be a massive feast later that day?

So their stomachs were empty, and their patience running impossibly low.

“Mooom! Let’s goooo! I’m hungry, toooo!!!”

The young Bona was completely in agreement with her father and brother.

“Okay, okay! I get it, geez. Shall we?”

Ellen sighed to herself. She was accustomed to her family’s attitude toward her. So together they headed off to the party venue.

By the time the family arrived at their destination, the sun had risen to its zenith.

Ring ring.

“Welcome! We’ve been waiting for you! Right this way.”

The moment the family walked through the door, Aletta was there to greet them with a bright smile. She carefully guided them to their seats.

There was a table specially prepared for a party, with a little sign on top of it that Aletta couldn’t read. The master told her that it said “reserved seats.” She picked it up and gestured to the family to sit down.

“Your food will be right out, nice and hot! Oh, and what will you all be having to drink?”

“Awesome, let’s see… How about a beer to start with?” Herman perused the menu. “Actually, no. Lemme get a, uh, whiskey! Yeah.”

“I’ll be having wine, thank you,” Ellen said.

“Get me a cola!” cried Kai.

“Me, too! Me, too!” his sister echoed.

No matter what they drank, the price would be the same. So Ellen’s family decided to order their absolute favorites.

“You got it! Hold on just a moment,” Aletta responded with a big smile on her face, leaving for the kitchen.

“Master, Mrs. Ellen and her family are here!” she called.

“Oh, perfect.” The master nodded his head. Then he got to work.

Along with some of the regular dishes, the birthday menu was primarily based around a bunch of made-to-order items. He had waited to start final preparations until the family arrived so that he could serve them the cold dishes cold and the hot dishes hot. Now he’d put the finishing touches on the whole shebang.

Now, then. I really hope they enjoy this.

The master glanced over at the fridge.

It’d been three years since somebody ordered this particular item at the Restaurant to Another World. It was a dessert he very rarely served.

That said, it wasn’t actually a rare cake at all. At Flying Puppy and most other cake shops, it was a staple on the menu.

The master would have to be very careful about when he presented the cake to them.

And so the master, Aletta, and the newly hired waitress each carried various dishes over to the family’s table.

“It’s here!!”

“What a feast…”

“Amazing!”

“Wow!”

They sat in stunned appreciation of the mouthwatering display before them.

An entire roasted chicken.

Fresh vegetables—hard to get during the winter—topped with some kind of vinegar-based brown sauce. Thinly sliced fried cobbler’s tubers, crushed and scattered atop the fresh veggies.

Potage soup, made from milk and a yellow vegetable called “corn,” with its slightly sweet aroma.

Fried shripe and scallops, both varieties of seafood, were still making sizzling sounds in their dish. There was more than enough of both for everyone at the table.

Bright yellow omelets filled with smoked meat and cheese, topped with a slightly sour red sauce.

A large plate lined with small sandwiches, each filled with mayo, eggs, marinated eggs, cucumber, crushed cobbler’s tubers, and thinly cut vegetables.

The various dishes lined up on the table were more than enough to send the family’s stomachs into a maddening spiral.

In fact, other customers couldn’t help but glance over at Ellen’s table, their own appetites stirred by the amazing sight.

“We’ll bring out the cake at the very end, so… Please take your time and enjoy yourselves.”

Watching the family struggle to hold themselves back, the master decided to keep his remarks brief.

As soon as he was finished, all four members of Ellen’s family reached for their favorite dishes.

It went without saying, but everything in the party set was delicious. The roasted chicken’s skin was crispy, its meats deliciously juicy covered in sweet and sour sauce. The herb seasoning gave it a fragrant aroma.

The slightly sour sauce and the salty cobbler’s tubers went down nice and easy with the fresh vegetables.

The yellow soup warmed the body; it tasted just as sweet as it smelled.

The various fried seafoods—dishes that the family would normally never get the chance to experience—had unique savoriness. They paired perfectly with the tartar sauce in the middle of the plate.

The omelets were perfectly cooked, gently breaking apart in their mouths. The sandwiches allowed them to experience all kinds of foods in one bite, gently nestled between the soft, high-quality white bread with a touch of sour mayo.

And then there were the endless drinks: delicious booze and sweet beverages.

Ellen’s family quietly tucked into the smorgasbord before them.

They ate in complete silence. That’s how delicious it all was.

It’s so…good…but I have to…hold back.

Along with the rest of her family members, Bona tried a little bit of each dish, doing her best to fight against her natural urge: the need to feed.

Of course she wanted to dig in like everyone else. But she couldn’t.

After all, Bona knew what would be coming out at the end of the meal. She’d been waiting three long years for this moment.

If she let this opportunity slip through her fingers, she’d likely have to wait until her brother’s coming of age ceremony to taste it again.

The greatest food of all, in the best condition possible. Three years ago, she’d been so full she was only able to eat half. Her brother ended up eating the rest of her serving. She would never suffer that humiliation again.

***

At last, the moment came.

“Excuse me, would you like us to bring out the cake?”

Aletta waited until the plates on the table were just about cleared before posing the question.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Ellen said. “Thank you.”

It’s time! Bona thought to herself, hearing her mother’s words.

“Hold on just a moment.”

The little girl watched as Aletta cleared the table of the rest of the plates and left to get the cake from the back.

C’mon, c’mon…

Bona could barely keep still. She’d been waiting so long for this moment. So very long.

“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your birthday cake!”

It was the confection of her dreams: a cake that she could only eat on a very special occasion.

The cake was a special item at the Restaurant to Another World that needed to be reserved in advance. It was so big that Aletta actually had to hold it with both hands.

“Oh, my. That’s quite large.”

“Lady Victoria, did you know they sold that here?”

“No, this is my first time seeing it. In terms of size, it’s about on par with those whole takeout cakes. But I’ve never seen one decorated like that before.”

“Lady Celestine, what is that?”

“I don’t know. But it looks delicious… No, it’s beautiful, even.”

“I’m not sure what to say. It’s amazing. Do you think that the doll and the sign are edible?”

“…I’d say there’s a high probability. Most cake decorations are edible and tasty to boot.”

Voices murmured from the nearby tables.

Bona glanced in their direction, seeing the regulars who often came to Nekoya to eat sweets.

These were the very same people that Bona’s mother had said “lived in another world.”

Their eyes were locked on the cake, as were Bona’s and her family’s.

***

It was both a confection and a piece of art.

Its surface was decorated with red berries and white cream.

The cream covered the entire surface layer of the cake, and was also used to draw complex patterns on top. The red berries adorning the cream were sprinkled with white particles like a dusting of snow. This made the berries stand out on the pure white surface of the cake, a wonderful burst of color.

At the center of the cake there was a brown sign with some kind of pattern on it, along with four cat dolls.

“Wooooow!!!”

“Do you like it, young lady? This is a cake made just for you.”

The master couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the little girl being charmed by her cake. He gestured to Ellen with a cake knife.

“Would you like me to cut the cake?”

“No, I’ll do it myself.” Ellen shook her head. “Would you mind handing me the knife?” She gently accepted the knife from the master.

Now let’s see…

Ellen couldn’t help but feel a little bad, digging the knife into such a work of art. But she cut into it nonetheless.

She took off the sign in the center of the cake, placing it off to the side. Kai said he remembered it being super sweet and delicious from last time.

Each of the four cat dolls were positioned so that each person would get one. That said, the one beside the sign was the largest of them all.

The other three members of Ellen’s family watched carefully as she cut the cake into slices.

“Mooom! I want this one!”

“Now hold your horses! Your old man should get first pick.”

“Stop right there, both of you. Aren’t you forgetting something important?”

Typical brutish man behavior. Despite eating and drinking their fill of the earlier feast, they were both trying to claim the largest slice of cake. Ellen stopped them in their tracks.

“Today’s guest of honor is Bona, so she gets to pick whichever slice she wants. Go ahead, honey,” Ellen said with a big smile.

“This one!”

The answer was obvious.

***

“Yay! Cake time!” Bona cheerfully exclaimed. She grabbed her fork.

“I’m gonna start with this!”

The birthday girl decided to begin with the brown sign with the pattern on it. Three years ago, Kai had taken it all for himself, so she didn’t get to try any.

Her brother told her it was super-duper sweet and delicious to boot.

According to the nice man in charge of the restaurant, the strange patterns on the tiny sign were words celebrating her birthday. But that didn’t matter to Bona at the moment.

“Woooow! It’s bitter but sweet, too! What is this?!”

This was beyond her wildest expectations. The second she bit into the sign, it snapped right in half.

It was simultaneously sweeter than anything she’d ever eaten before and slightly bitter. Underlying it all was the faint flavor of milk. The sign began to melt in her mouth.

As Bona lost herself in the flavor and mouthfeel of the mini sign, Kai looked on with a jealous expression on his face. It didn’t take long for her to finish it off.

“Ah, it’s all gone…”

Then Bona remembered something important.

I still have the whole cake left!

Indeed. The main star of the evening still remained.

As she took fork in hand and cut into her piece of cake, Bona unconsciously recalled her experience from three years ago.

She didn’t want to rush, so she cut a small piece off of her slice and brought it to her mouth.

Aaah, it’s so tasty.

In that very moment, the taste in Bona’s mouth triggered a vivid memory.

A memory from three years past. A memory of a flavor that had pushed her forward all these years.

An explosion of milky, creamy, soft goodness took place on her tongue.

The sweetness of the fruit syrup sandwiched between the cake and the cream burst forth with each chew. That combination was totally different than the sweetness of the cream alone.

And then there was the delicious sour note amidst all the sweetness, which came from the red berries.

This fusion of flavors showed Bona a dream.

It was a dream of sweet cakes, stretching on and on into the distance.

In this dream, Bona ate what seemed to be an endless supply of cake.

This was the very moment she’d been waiting for, all these three long years.

***

And so the dream came to an end.

“…It’s all gone.”

Once Bona finished off the red berries covered in sugar and the crunchy candy doll, she sadly looked down at her empty plate.

How could such a huge cake disappear so quickly?

All that remained was a feeling of fullness. And of sadness.

If only there were more…

She gently rubbed her tummy and looked up at her family.

“Whew, now that’s what I call good eatin’!”

“Ugggh, I can’t eat any more…”

“This place really is the best.”

Everyone had smiles on their faces.

They were wearing pretty clothes and eating delicious food. How could they possibly do anything but smile?

“All right, we’ll hang out a little longer, let this all settle, and then head home.”

“Sounds good to me. I feel like I’m about to burst.”

“Ugggh, it hurts… Ah, miss, another cola, please!”

Her beloved family talked amongst themselves, smiles all around.

“This really was the best… Can I get another cola, too?”

Bona couldn’t help but smile, also, as the best day in her young life slowly came to a close.