Alice woke up at dawn and got out of bed. She walked down the hall to go to the bathroom, then she passed by the calendar. Alice glanced at it and assumed there was nothing before realizing it was February 23rd, her birthday.

"Today's my birthday huh? That means I'm officially 17 years old." She said to herself, still a bit drowsy.

She began preparing for the day with a quick shower, brushing her hair, and then wearing her school uniform. Alice walked downstairs to the living room where she saw her grandpa sitting at the dinner table while listening to his favorite broadcast.

"Morning Grandpa." Alice said in a cheerful tone.

"Good morning sweetheart. I've made some fried rice and sunny side-ups." Her grandpa told her.

"Ah, thanks Gramps." She said.

Alice sat down across from her grandpa and he scooped some fried rice and placed it onto Alice's plate. Her grandpa hands the plate of fried rice over to her and she happily accepts it. She took a spoonful of rice and chowed down on it. As they happily settled in, Alice decided to let him know discreetly about her birthday,

"Hey Grandpa, noticed anything different about me?" She asked him.

He began examining Alice, trying to find if there were any physical changes.

"Hmm, I can't place a finger on it. Did you get shorter?" Her grandpa said to her.

Alice felt a bit annoyed by her grandpa's comment and began pouting.

"You seriously think I got shorter huh? Don't you remember what day is it?" Alice asked him.

"Today's Friday right?" He casually asked.

"Jeez, I can't believe you forgot!" Alice said to him, feeling a bit sad.

Her grandpa slightly chuckles seeing his grandchild's annoyed face.

"I'm just teasing you, happy birthday Alice." He told her.

Alice was surprised when he told her that he had remembered her birthday. Her eyes glowed and she smiled brightly.

"So you do remember!" She said happily.

"Of course, I would. I was looking forward to the day you were finally 16 years old." Her grandpa told her.

Alice was confused when he mentioned she was 16 years old.

"Uhm, I'm 17 years old gramps." Alice told him.

"W-What? You're 17 already!?" Her grandpa was shocked to hear that.

"What do you mean? We celebrated my 16 birthday last year!" Alice reminded him.

"Sorry, I'm beginning to forget things here and there. I guess I'm not getting any younger." Her grandpa told her.

"It's okay, but you're still pretty handsome for someone your age. People would probably mistake you for a 30-year-old." Alice said as he tried to cheer him up.

"I don't need any flattery from a youngster. I still got that dog in me!" He chuckled.

They shared a quick laugh before continuing breakfast. While Alice was eating, her grandpa stood up and walked into the storage room. Alice wondered what he was doing before seeing him coming back with a small box.

"I think your father would love to have this." The manager told her.

Alice opens the small box to find a heart-shaped locket necklace in it. Alice looked in awe and took it out of the box.

"A locket? It looks so pretty! Thanks, gramps!" Alice said cheerfully.

"No, this is not from me. I found this in your father's drawer when I cleaned his room and found it inside his desk. This was for your birthday." Her grandpa told her.

"For my 17th birthday?" Alice asked.

"No, it was for your 13th birthday." Her grandfather told her.

"My 13th birthday? That was 4 years ago when dad..." Alice muttered before stopping.

"When your father passed away." Her grandpa said, finishing her sentence.

Alice looked a bit down when she began remembering the events that happened to him. She grudges her hands thinking about the day when her father died.

"Dad shouldn't have died that night." Alice said.

Alice's tears start rolling down her face. She was still devastated by the tragic event that took place. Her grandpa understands her feelings and relates to her.

"Your father would've been with us if it weren't for that. I'm angry that he had to go out like that. But fate has other plans for us, Alice." Her grandpa told her.

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Alice nods slightly as he listens to her grandpa's advice. Alice held the necklace towards her and decided to open the locket. Once she opened it, she noticed a picture of her and her father. They were standing on a podium together, Alice was smiling with her teeth out with her father out of the portion.

"This was the day we won a Karting tournament when I was 7. I had to compete with drivers older than me and I managed to clutch and win the race. When we got on the podium, I felt like I was on top of the world! I told Dad that this was the best time of my life. This is still one of the best times I had in my life." She told her grandpa.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. You were so happy that you would keep bragging about it every time you visited." Her grandpa said, slightly chuckling.

"After that, Dad taught me how to drive a manual. He said that I learned to drive it pretty quickly. Sometimes at night, we would stroll through the city while he put his trust in me. One time we were almost caught by the police but he quickly changed our spots and the cops didn't suspect a thing!" She told him.

"I didn't know about this! That was reckless of him. But I guess it runs in the blood. I taught him when he was 10 years old." Her grandpa revealed.

"I didn't know that! I never knew you did such a thing! I thought you were a goody two shoes." Alice told him.

"I was a racer too y'know? Teaching your father was the least craziest thing I did. Sadly I lost most of my passion for motorsport after my back started aching. But it was fun when it lasted." Her grandpa told her.

Alice smiled throughout their conversation as she listened to her Grandpa's story. Her grandpa happily listens to her story. As they were about to continue their conversation, Alice noticed the time and misjudged the flow of time.

"Holy Crap Grandpa I'm going to be late for school!" She told her grandpa in a panicked voice.

"Oh my, how time passes quickly. You better hurry up and get going." Her grandpa told her.

Alice lifted her plate and finished her fried rice. She quickly clears up the table until her grandpa stops her.

"Leave this to me, Alice. I'll clean the table. You go get going already." He told her.

"Ah, thanks, Gramps! I'll get going!" She said to him.

Alice grabbed the bento prepared by her grandpa and went up to kiss him on the forehead. Her grandpa gently caresses her cheeks before she leaves.

"Have fun at school, Alice." He told her.

"I will." She told him.

"And also, Happy birthday." Her grandpa told her.

Alice smiled cheerfully as she heard her grandpa say those words.

"Thanks for everything grandpa." She muttered to him.

Alice began walking to school and noticed she was still holding the locket. She held the locket by the chains and inspected it. Alice decided to put it on and she held the locket.

"This was probably the best present I've gotten in a long time. I'm glad Grandpa gave this to me." She muttered.

Alice got to school just in time before the gates closed. He made her way to her classroom and greeted her friends.

"Morning guys!" Alice said in a cheerful mood.

"Morning Alice, you're awfully late today." Aini said to her.

"Yeah, I kinda lost track of time." Alice said to her.

"That's very unlike you, Alice." Aini told her.

As Alice sat down, she noticed that Airi and Raain were absent. She turns to Aini and asks about their whereabouts.

"Hey Aini, where are those two?" She asked them.

"I don't know, probably late as well." Aini shrugs.

The class started, and everyone settled down. Alice paid attention to the teacher, who was still scribbling on the whiteboard until she heard the classroom door open. Everyone in the class looked towards the door and saw Raani and Aini were soaking wet.

"What happened to you two? Why are you guys soaked?" The teacher asked them.

"We kinda got into a bit of a problem when walking to school." Raani told the teacher.

"Whatever, go take your seats. Aini go get some towels from the infirmary." The sensei told them.

"Yes, teacher!" Aini said.

Aini got out of her seat and went to the infirmary to fetch them some towels. The teacher resumed her teaching while Airi and Raani went to take their seats. Alice looked confused by their current state.

"What happened to you guys?" She asked them in a confused tone.

"We fell into a pond on our way here." Raani told her.

Alice looked at them, even more dumbfounded.

"How the heck did you guys even fall into a pond?!" Alice asked them.

"We were setting up some props for your b-" Raani was about to tell before Airi cut her off.

"A project she was doing!" Airi told her.

"Ah, I see... A project that requires you to go to the park at dawn?" Alice said to them.

"Yup!" Airi told her.

Aini came back to the classroom and handed towels to Raani and AIri. They wiped themselves and dried up. After a while, it was finally recess. They all gathered their table and ate together. As they ate, Aini noticed something particular about her.

"Hey Alice, since when did you start wearing a necklace?" AIni asked.

Alice's necklace was securely tucked into her shirt to prevent the teachers from confiscating it. Aini surprised Alice by noticing it.

"H-How did you know I had a necklace?" Alice asked in a confused tone.

"I know my fashion, Alice, now spill it! Since when did you get it?" Aini asked her.

Airi and Raani overheard their conversation and began to bud in.

"What? Did Alice get a necklace? From whom!?" Raani asked.

"Well uhm. I got it from..." Alice tried to explain before getting cut off.

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't you guys already know where she got it from?" Airi said in a detective-like voice.

Aini and Raani looked at each other, wondering who it was. Alice was also genuinely interested in who Airi was pointing to.

"Isn't it obvious? A golden necklace? It's obviously from her boyfriend!" Airi said to them with an enthusiastic voice.

Aini and Raani gasped when they heard Airi say those words. Alice on the other hand was flabbergasted when she heard it. The three of them looked with a smirk on their face. She flustered slightly.

"What? That's way off track!" Alice told her.

"Oh yeah? Where's your proof?" Airi asked her.

"What? Why do I need to give you proof? You're the one who should provide proof, Not me!

"No, that's a valid argument." Raani told her.

"I agree with Airi." Aini told her.

Alice was once again dumbfounded. She began thinking how stupid the argument was and didn't know how to react. She pinched her nose and gave in.

"Fine, if you won't believe me. Here." She said to them.

She took off the necklace and presented it to them. They looked in awe at how pretty it was. She opened the locket and showed them the picture of her father and her. Alice handed it over and they inspected it.

"Seems like your love radar was wrong Airi." Aini told her.

Alice was confused and asked about what this 'Love Radar' was.

"What's a love radar?" Alice asked them.

"It's basically Airi's senses where she can smell love in the air. But it seems like she was wrong about this time." Aini told her.

"Curses! I can't believe I got it wrong!" Airi muttered to herself.

"Ah, I see..." Alice said.

Alice felt that it was a bit ironic that the other day she needed to help the other day. While they were still holding the locket, Alice asked them to hand it back.

"Hey, are you guys done? I want it back." Alice told them.

"In a bit!" They said.

They began admiring young Alice Alice smiling with her teeth out with her father out of the portion. Aini managed to take a quick snap of her.

"Little Alice looks so happy!" Airi said.

"She looks like an angel!" Raani said.

"This is going into my Alice gallery!" Aini said.

"Hey! Stop it already!" Alice told them, slightly flustered by them.