"ARGH!!! No! I don't want to wear a necktie!"

"H-Hey! Calm down, Kaz! My suit costs me $37!"

I struggle to stop Zac from getting that tie on my neck. Neckties are my weakness and wearing one makes me feel like I'm running out of air. Ugh... I wish Mom was here to help me dress up. When it comes to Dad, Hayate, Zac, and Damon, they are the worst when it comes to party clothes.

"Come on, Kaz. This is your big day. I'm not going to defend Zac's poor fashion choices with our suits, but at least try to wear something decent for this occasion," Damon says as he starts approaching me. "You're turning 13 and no one can take you seriously as a man if you're not wearing a suit and tie."

"But I don't want to wear something dangerous to my neck... Can't you let me choose what I can wear for my own birthday?"

"And let you wear regular shirts and sneakers on this formal occasion? That's a big negative, buddy," Zac says as he walks towards me with the tie I threw away. "Just bear with us for a while. It will be quick. We promise."

Like I believe you two! I'm not going to be risking my neck over this! I want to leave now!

"Seriously, you two? How can a birthday boy enjoy his party if you continue to torture him with accessories he doesn't want to wear in the first place?"

I gasp as I stop struggling and turn around to see...

"Yuri! You made it!"

I smile upon seeing Yuri entering the suite that was reserved as my personal dressing room. Unlike what I'm about to wear, he's wearing a blue jacket, a green dress shirt without a tie, blue pants, and black shoes. He is also carrying a small gift which I think he might give to me immediately. Knowing my parents, I feel it would get rid of the surprise if I started being impatient. So yeah, I'm still peeved about it. But I have a good reason now to open all of my presents with my family and friends instead of opening along with Hayate.

"Yo, happy birthday to you, Kaz," Yuri greets as he walks towards me. "But seriously, you should give him a break. If Kazuki doesn't want to wear a necktie, then don't. Don't force him into accessories he refuses to wear no matter how silly a reason he has."

"Glad you can understand, Yuri." I smiled for a while until I realized what he said. "Hey! My reasons for not wearing a necktie aren't silly!"

Despite my protests, Yuri chuckles just before I see my Mom come in behind Yuri.

"Well, your tantrums aren't helping your case, young man," she says as she walks up to me. "Then again, I agree neckties aren't your style."

With that said, she removes the necktie that was almost tied up and straightens my neck collar. This gives me the chance to take a deep breath. "Thanks, Mom. You saved my neck again."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. But if you keep complaining, chances are that I won't come back to save you, okay?" Mom said in the gentle voice I know and love. "You're now 13 years old and you need to stop acting like a baby. You don't want to disappoint Hayate, right?"

Oh, right. I'm not 12 anymore. Once the maintenance is over, Hayate won't be my [Guardian Player] anymore. I like the freedom from his overprotectiveness, but I feel lonely just thinking about it.

"I'm sorry, Mom," I say while trying to straighten my suit. "But I promise I'm not only doing this for him. I'm doing it for you, Dad, and our friends. I thought trying to play solo in the game would help me start off being 13, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to go without Hayate. I thought being 13 was supposed to be the start of me acting like a teen like him, but..."

"But nothing, Kazuki," Mom interrupts. "Being 13 isn't about trying to start acting like an adult or emulating your brother or his friends. It's the start of you finding your first step in the new year you're living in. The start of where you begin finding your path in the real world. However, whether you want to follow in Hayate's footsteps or not is up to you. All I'm asking you is to stop rushing in like him and let life take you somewhere that might interest you. Even in this mundane world, you cannot underestimate the wonders and surprises you may discover."

Wonders in the real world, huh? That sounds like what I want to do in . Now that I think about it, is not much different than in real life other than dragons and magic. If anything, it just gives me the motivation to keep moving forward and not let everyone else stop me from doing what I want in my virtual and real life.

"I don't know why you're worrying about being 13 right now. But your Mom is right," Yuri says. "I don't have anything to do other than play video games and build model robots, but I’ve had to work hard with my studies to earn something in life. Maybe after I graduate, I might find something related to my hobbies someday. And perhaps you might make some goals that might help you get to your path soon. Just go at your own pace and try not to be a hothead like a certain someone in here."

"Yeah!" Zac says with his fist pumped up. "Just be you, Kaz. "Haste makes waste," is what I say."

"I think he's referring to you, airhead," Damon sighs.

"Oh, come on, Damon. I think he's..."

And before long, his eyes widen in realization and embarrassment.

"Hey! I'm not a hothead! I'm not even a hothead either, smarta-!"

"Don't call me that in front of Hayate's little brother on his birthday! And don't start blaming me for starting it!"

"Do you want to smack you silly for that comment, egghead?!"

I chuckle sheepishly. Whenever those two start to bicker, I can't do anything but let Hayate stop them unless I'm mad. Luckily, Mom is here to do that. So I slowly back away right next to Yuri as they're about to brawl.

"Should we stop them?" Yuri asks.

"Unless we have the right people, there's no way we can stop them by ourselves. Don't worry, this won't take long."

And true to my words, Mom quickly gets between them and separates them before they can do any damage.

"Enough, you two. If Hayate hears about this, he will be mad for disrupting Kazuki's special day. Plus, you're acting more childish than these two. Try to act your own age for once!"

And there's the finishing blow. It's enough for them to become speechless and for me to sigh in relief.

"Damn... Your mom is more savage than mine," Yuri comments.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Trust me. You don't want to see her when we make her angry by accident."

Then, my Mom sighed and said, "Now then, why don't you two go out and tell Hayate that the show will start soon? I just need to wait for another guest to arrive soon."

Both Zac and Damon look at each other. Knowing them, there is no way they can't turn their ears away after her infamous scolding. "U-Uh... Sure... Let's go, Zac," Damon says before pulling his arm.

"Don't worry, Ms. Palmer. He looks good without a tie!"

"Hmph! Like you care..." I mutter before turning to my Mom again as Zac and Damon silently leave the room to do what she asked them to do. "So Mom, have you heard anything from them? I know Hayate already sent out invitations in the game beforehand."

"Hayate told me about them. But I haven't seen them lately," Mom answers.

I groan. I pray that they will be here by now. It would be bad if they missed my party. It's a shame if they did.

"Um... Hate to be a "Curious George" here, but who are you waiting for anyway, Kaz," Yuri asks. "I thought you said most of your classmates are already here."

Oh, right. Yuri hasn't met them yet in the game. Then again, I haven't met them in real life as well. "Actually, we're waiting for..."

"Sorry, I'm late, Kazu!"

That voice... I know that half-boy, half-girl voice anywhere. I turn around and see a kid with light brown neck-length scruffy hair wearing a tuxedo suit without a necktie.

"Az- I mean, Sheridan? Is that you?"

While I hadn't met them before, they told me their real name through a DM in return for mine. This way, we won't make any accidental misnames that would expose us in the game during the party.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for being late, Kazuki. Parking was full and Dad had to stay back in the basement to find a parking spot," Sheridan says. "Am I late?"

"Why no. You're just in time," Mom said as she turned to them. "You must be the new friend Kazuki is raving about. My name is Tsukino, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Palmer." Sheridan then turns to me and Yuri. "And who's this with you? Is he your classmate?"

"Yeah. New transfer student from Japan, too. My name is Yuri Ichiro," he introduced himself. "I'm guessing you're an player, huh? Nice to meet ya."

Yuri stretches his arm out for a handshake. I thought they would accept it immediately. But I notice that Sheridan seems to be antsy upon meeting Yuri. I wonder why...

"Uh, what's the matter? Tongue-tied or something?"

"I-It's not that," Sheridan answers. "It's just that Kazu should have told you who I really am."

Yuri tilts his head and says, "What do you mean? I'm meeting one of Kazu's friends who is almost the same age as me."

"It's more than age, young man."

As soon as I hear that baritone voice, my eyes and smile widen to see a familiar blacksmith coming behind Sheridan. "Ol' Wally! You're here, too!"

"Sorry! Sheridan should have told you about my parking issues downstairs." Wally then turns to Yuri next. "As for your question, young man, Sheridan is not like any other kid. They're what you call "non-binary"."

"Non...binary?"

Oh, right. I forgot about that, too! Compared to Hayate, I was not very sensitive to this kind of topic before. I seriously need to work on it, though, because I can see Sheridan is about to cry or worse...

"U-Uh... What Ol' Wally meant is that Sheridan is Sheridan and that you need to be careful of what you call them..."

"I know what it means, Kazu. I'm actually surprised that you met someone like Sheridan. This is the first time I met a non-binary before."

My eyes widen. So Yuri knows what Sheridan is.

"Oh? I'm surprised you knew about it, Yuri."

Yuri chuckles. "Yeah. My aunt married a nice lady after she moved to California. My parents were okay with the marriage while my big sis supported it big time. I want to be like her and research more about the LGBTQ+ community so I won't be insensitive to them and be a better friend and supporter when I meet one. AKA you."

Wow, I’ve never known this side of Yuri before. It's even enough for Sheridan to turn their face blushing red as they smile at us.

"Do you mean it, Yuri?"

"Yep. 100% honest fact from the kid who passed a [Hidden Quest] with the mage with the craziest ideas I've ever seen in so far," Yuri says as he puts his arm over my shoulders. "Would you agree, Kaz?"

I'm surprised, yet I agree with what he says. "Yep. Azel is still Sheridan and I wouldn't see you in any other way. I'm still new at this "LGBT" stuff, but I'll do my best to support you."

Yuri nods as he lets go of my shoulders. "Don't worry. After the party, I'll share with you some resources my sis gave me. You and Sheridan really need to read some of my recs."

"That's a good idea, kid," Wally says next. "You two also try visiting some groups who might also be in the LGBTQ+ community. Not all of us are accepting of them and having a good support group with trustworthy people would be a good idea. I did participate in a few good ones after I learned Sheridan's non-binary identity."

"Well, put me and Adam up on the list. He does have a few friends and colleagues in the community after all," Mom says. "But right now, aren't you two supposed to be on stage now?"

Agh! She's right! We've been so busy chatting that I almost forgot that we're supposed to be on stage now!

"You two? I thought it was supposed to be Kazuki's birthday, not Sheridan's," Yuri points out.

"True. But my birthday was yesterday, so we agreed that we could celebrate together," Sheridan said what I wanted to answer. "Don't worry, Dad and I had a small dinner beforehand. We're going to open gifts together in front of our friends and family."

I grin when they say that. "Yep! First time for everything and I want our new friends to share our new memories together!"

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The party started as you can expect. I step onto the stage once my parents introduce me in front of my classmates, relatives, and friends. Mom and Dad's speeches weren't too long or short, though there was a bit of sobbing from my uncle who is infamous for being a crybaby at every party we're in. But the highlight of this part was Dad's speech.

"Congrats on taking the first step of adulthood, Kazuki. I won't say anything redundant for this one. But all I can say is that the path is your choice alone. Become who you want in your fantasy and reality and I wish you luck on your journey to life."

A bit cheesy, but Dad always makes the best speeches. I have to take his advice to heart once I enter the world of once more.

The next main event is Sheridan. Unlike me, they're not stage kid material. Their legs seem to be shaking and they keep stuttering when they try to introduce themself to everyone. I thought I should jump in and save them from embarrassing themself in front of the audience the very same way Hayate did on my 10th birthday. But Wally calls out with my brother to encourage them and before long, me and everyone else joined along to support Sheridan.

"T-Thanks, Dad! T-Thanks, everyone! I promise I will be the bestest friends with Kazuki, Hayate, and Yuri!"

I smiled when they made that declaration. I know they're not going to leave the [Guardian Player] feature since they're only turning 12 this year, but I know that someday, Sheridan, Yuri, and I will go out on awesome adventures in by ourselves. That's a promise I intend to keep as their friend.

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After a few minigames (along with ones I kind of won, which Zac and Hayate called me out on being unfair, which is somehow true, but I don't want to tell them), it's the gift-giving section of the party. I can see many gifts from our friends and relatives (with some on Sheridan's side). I'm so excited to open them up! I wonder if they will give me gifts related to ...

"Um... Can I have everyone's attention, please?"

Huh? I turn to see Dad and Hayate approaching me while everyone backs away to give them space between us. What's with the sudden announcement?

"Before Kazuki and Sheridan start opening their gifts, I think it would be appropriate if the main star starts this off with our gifts."

Dad and Hayate then give me the ones they mentioned. Two of them are small and rectangular, but one is a blue snowy wrapper with navy blue ribbon, and another is light blue with white ribbon. On the one hand, I'm excited to see that they have presents for me this year. But on the other hand, I'm a bit nervous at the same time.

"T-That's awesome. But which one..."

Hayate smiles in response. "Why don't you open them together if you like?"

Would I?! I didn't waste any time accepting their gifts and started to unwrap them (carefully). Once I do, I gasp at what I see...