"It seems that my friends don't remember my birthday huh? Oh well." Alice muttered slightly but didn't seem to mind.

They were still sitting in a group before Raani started to ramble about something.

"Hey, do you guys have plans after school right?" Raani asked them.

"I don't think I have anything to do after school." Aini told her.

"Me neither, I was planning to sleep in." Airi told her.

Alice began thinking for a while, trying to see if she had anything to do after school.

"No, I don't think I had anything to do after school too." Alice said to them.

Raani smirked and decided to tell them her plan.

"Great, I need you guys to help me at the park after school." Raani said to them.

"I need your help!" Raani told them.

"What do you need help with?" Airi asked.

"I need to help my mother sell some drinks at the park. That's why I asked Airi to move some stuff to the park this morning." Raani told them.

"Yep, it was a pain waking up so early in the morning but I'm glad I get to help, although I'd prefer not to get wet." Airi told them.

"Yeah, we kinda panicked when we noticed it was almost school and rushed to the school after helping Mom." Raani told her.

Alice and Aini nod as they hear their story, but Alice still doesn't understand how they fell in the pond.

"If that were the case, why did you guys get soaked?" Alice asked them.

"Well, as we were running, I tripped on a rock and I pulled Airi into the pond with me." Raani told them.

Airi hits her on her arm as she mentions that incident. Raani chuckled slightly while Airi pouted.

"I was scared when we were in the pond, I thought I was about to drown but thank God the water was shallow." Airi told them, still slightly annoyed.

"Haha sorry, I didn't mean to pull you in." Raani apologetically said.

Airi crossed her arms and looked away while Raani tried to comfort her.

"So how about it? Will you guys help us?" Raani asked them.

Aini and Alice thought for a while before deciding whether to help her.

"Sure, I could join you guys." Alice said to them.

"Yeah, but I'd come a bit later, I need to get something from my home." Aini told her.

Raani got on the floor and prostates towards them.

"Thank You! I couldn't have better friends than you guys!" Raani said to them.

Alice and Aini looked on in confusion at Raani's sudden gesture. They lifted her up and sat her back down.

"Jeez, you don't have to be emotional. We'd help you the best we could." Alice told her.

"Thanks, guys, so everyone except Aini will follow me after school." Raani told them.

They all nodded in agreement. After school, they waved goodbye to Aini and walked to the park. As they were walking, they struck up a conversation about the things the stall they'll be helping.

"So Raani, what are we going to sell?" Alice asked.

"If I remember correctly, we will be selling all kinds of drinks like Sirap Bandung(Rose Syrup with milk), Green Tea, Blackcurrant with lychee, and many more!" Raani told them.

"Ah, so we're going to work as those street vendors that sell drinks." Alice said.

"Yup, but not all of us will be pouring the drinks, there are other jobs as well." Raani told them.

Alice and Airi looked at each other, a bit confused by Raani's last statement.

"What other jobs?" Alice asked them.

"You'll see." Raani said with a smirk on her face.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Airi said.

They got to the park and went up to Raani's stall where they saw a lady pouring ice into the balang(Pail for scooping out drinks with a scoop.) They approach her and Raani hugs her from the back.

"Mother we're here!" Raani told her mother.

"Ah Raani, don't scare Mom like that." The lady said to her.

Raani's mother looked towards them and greeted them.

"Hey there girls, thanks for coming today. I'm sorry you guys have to come on such short notice. My staff today had to bail because of an unexpected issue." The women told them.

"It's no problem miss, we're glad to help." Airi said to her.

"Yeah, we've got nothing better to do anyways." Alice told her.

"I'm glad you girls could help. Thank you for always being there for Raani, this girl couldn't stop talking to me about you guys." Her mother said teasingly as she pinched Raani's cheek.

"Mom don't say things like that! It's embarrassing!" Raani flustered.

They stared blankly at Raani and her mother's close relationship and casual teasing. They put on some bandanas and were about to begin serving the drinks. As Alice is about to grab the drink scooper, Raani stops her.

"Nope, Alice you're doing a different job." Raani told her.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Alice questioned Raani.

"Nothing, it's just that I think it's perfect for you to do this instead." Raani told her.

"Like what?" Alice asked.

We cut to the scene where Alice stood in front of the stall with a giant sign. She sighed slightly as she reluctantly began pointing the sign to the stall.

"Man, why did she give me this kind of job, am I acting as a mascot or something?" Alice muttered to herself.

Raani and Airi were scooping out the drinks and pouring them into cups, customers began flowing in as more and more ordered drinks. Alice sighed a breath of relief as she got the lighter part of the job. Then suddenly someone came up to Alice.

"Uhm, hello, what kind of drinks do you guys sell here?" The girl said in a mild tone.

"We sell Sirap Bandung, Ice limau(Lime with ice), Lychee, and many more." Alice said in a monotone sound.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Aww, can you say with a more energetic voice?" The girl asked her again.

Alice looked up and noticed it was Aini, who just arrived at the scene. Alice stared at her with dull eyes, she took a deep breath and said to Aini.

"Get your butt to the stall right now!" Alice said to her.

Aini smiled with a sweatdrop on her face. After being scolded, Aini went to the stall to grab her uniform and went back outside to help Alice. After an hour, Raani and Airi got tired from serving the customer.

"Alright, it's your shift now. We're going to take a break." Raani said to them.

"Hey, I thought our duty was to attract customers." Alice told them.

"Yeah but now we switch, we'll take over the sign job." Raani told her.

Alice and Aini reluctantly switched jobs and took the drink seller duty now. They began serving the drinks and customers came. After Raani and Air's quick break, they took over the signboard duty.

"Man, it's so hot in here, I can't stand it." Aini complained.

"For real. It's a bit exhausting too." Alice said.

As they were enduring the heat, Raani's mother came over and handed them drinks. They were a bit surprised by her gesture and decided to drink.

"Thanks, Aunty for the drink." Alice told her.

"Yeah, you're a lifesaver aunty." Aini said to her.

"Don't worry about it. You guys are working hard. It's the least I could do." Raani's mom said to them.

They sat together waiting for customers, they looked at Raani and Airi messing around with the signboard and her mother sighed slightly.

"You guys really took care of my daughter well, you know?" Raani's mom told them.

"Well, we're friends, right? Of course, we'd take care of her." Alice told her.

"I know, but she wasn't always this cheerful and energetic girl." Raani's told.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Aini asked.

"When she was in middle school, her teacher described her as a quiet girl. She would sit alone most of the time. After she entered middle school, she would always come home with a cheerful expression and always talk about you guys." She told them.

Aini and Alice's eyes lit up as they heard this for the first time. They didn't know about Raani's past and listened more intensely.

"Tell us more!" They both said.

"Alright then. After she heard that all of you guys were planning to enter City High School, she would stay up all night studying for the exam. She didn't eat much either. After she got the call that she was accepted, she was balling her eye out. After a few years of high school, you all still stood by her side, which made me happy." Her mother told her.

Raani was seen running around with Airi chasing Raani down, seemingly mad at Raani's teasing. After hearing her story, Alice and Aini drank their drinks with tears in their eyes.

"You girls okay?" Raani's mother asked them.

"Y-Yeah, we didn't know about this." Aini said, still in tears.

"Don't tell Raani about this, she would get mad if she knew that I told you guys this story." Raani's mother told them as she placed her index finger on her mouth, telling them to keep it a secret.

"W-We will." Alice and Aini said.

After a while, her mother went to manage the register while Alice and Aini attended to the customers. They handed out the drinks until she heard a familiar voice.

"One Bandung please." The man said.

Alice looked up and noticed that it was Sugimoto who ordered the drink.

"S-Senpai!? What are you doing here?" Alice said.

"I was just strolling around the park and noticed a stall for drinks. So you work here kid?." Sugimoto said while smiling.

"No, I'm just working as a volunteer." Alice said to him.

As they were attending to Sugimoto. Airi and Raani were still pointing the sign to the stall. Suddenly Airi felt her love sensor activated.

"Hold it Raani, I can sense something." Airi said.

"Oh! Who is it?" Raani asked her.

Airi scans the surroundings and it leads closer to the stall. Airi suddenly senses a strong feeling by the stall and she points at Alice.

"Hey, it's her Senpai from the other day. So she does have a thing for him!" Raani said to her.

"Yeah, but I'm feeling it's only one-sided." Airi said to her.

"What? What do you mean it's one-sided?" Raani asked her.

Raani was surprised to hear that it was most likely a one-sided love. They got closer before they hid behind the tent and spied from there.

"How can you tell Airi? What if your love sensor was wrong again?" Raani told her.

"Nonsense, look at her! All flustered and everything." Airi told her.

"So it's only her huh? That's sad. So how do we help her?" Raani asked her.

"I think I know a way. Just follow my lead." Airi said to her.

They went to their original position before making their way to the stall. They can overhear their conversation.

"So you just drive cars all day?" Aini said.

"Well yeah, we just drive until we cross the finish line." Sugimoto told her.

"Isn't that kinda boring?" Aini told him.

"Nonsense! Wait until you get in one of the seats of a race car you will think differently." Sugimoto said to her.

Airi and Raani began executing their plan to help Alice win him over.

"Ah! Alice help! I'm experiencing a stroke!" Raani said to her.

Alice rushed over to Raani to check up on her, meanwhile, Airi went beside Sugimoto.

"Raani are you okay? Are you sure you're experiencing a stroke?"

"Y-Yes Alice, I think I am." Raani said to her with a weak voice.

"Are you sure? You don't seem like you're showing signs of a stroke." Alice said to her.

As Alice was inspecting her. Airi went and nudged Sugimoto.

"Hmm? What is it?" Sugimoto said to her.

"Don't you think she's pretty reliable?" Airi said to him.

"Yeah, I guess so?" Sugimoto said to Airi.

Alice went over to the stall and grabbed a pin. She went over and grabbed her fingers.

"Okay, Raani. It would only hurt a bit." Alice said to her.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Raani asked concernly.

"I'm going to puncture your fingertips to help ease up the blood flow." Alice said to her.

(Author notes: This is not recommended by doctors and paramedics, please follow the basic procedure to help people with stroke. Do not imitate if you're not a professional.)

Raani's eyes widened as she heard that her fingers would be jabbed by a needle. She got up and acted as everything was fine.

"Ah, I'm all good now! Thanks Alice." Raani told her.

Alice looked confused by Raani who got up and no longer experiencing the symptoms. On the other hand, Airi and Sugimoto were still commenting on it.

"See? Alice managed to fix Raani right back up. Isn't she amazing?" Airi said to him.

"S-Sure, I guess." Sugimoto said but was suspicious of it.

"Don't you think she'd make a great wife?" Airi said to her.

Sugimoto looked at Airi with a bit more suspicion, suddenly they saw Raani begin running towards them as Alice chased her with a needle.

"Come back here Raani! I still need to drain your blood just to be sure!" Alice yelled at her.

"Get away from me!" Raani screamed, running for her life.

Raani ran and suddenly slammed into Sugimoto and fell down. Her eyes twirled and felt dizzy.

"Raani you okay?" Airi told her.

"Y-Yeah." Raani said.

Sugimoto held out his arm and offered her to get up. Raani notices this and accepts her offer. Sugimoto pulled her back up and Raani stuttered a bit.

"You okay?" Sugimoto asked.

Y-Yeah, I'm okay." Raani said to her.

After the incident, Sugimoto waved goodbye to them and headed off. Airi huffed as it seemed that their plan didn't work.

"Seems like we failed, we'll get him next time! Right, Raani?"

Raani held herself tightly, seemingly flustered.

"S-Sugimoto is hot!" Raani screamed.

It caught the attention of Alice who was still holding the needle.

"Seems like someone is still experiencing a stroke!" Alice said with a deep voice.

She chased her around for a bit before they came back to the stall, with Raani's finger spared. The sun began setting and Raani's mother went up to them.

"Alright, let's pack it up, girls. We are done for the day." Raani's mother told them.

"Alright!" They all said at the same time.

After they packed all the equipment into a van, Raani's mother spoke to them.

"I'm going to buy a few more groceries. You girls stay here at the park for a bit okay? I'll call you once I'm all done." Alice told them.

They all wave her goodbye before venturing into the park once more.

"The park feels calming at night." Aini told them.

"Yeah, it feels nice." Alice muttered.

They all went to the pond and stood on a porch. They stared into the pond and noticed its waters were illuminated by the moonlight. They felt relaxed as they felt the breeze.

"This is so calming, this is the best!" Airi said.

"Man, I wish I could be here forever." Raani said as she leaned on the railings.

"Be careful to not fall into the waters." Alice said to Raani teasingly.

Alice stood there with her friends by her side, enjoying the view. She felt that this was already the best gift she could've received from her friends. Alice took out the locket from inside her clothes and held it in clenched onto it. Alice took everything into the moment and smiled slightly.

As they were there, she suddenly heard footsteps from behind them, they all turned around and noticed Raani's mother was behind her, holding a cake lit up with candles.

"Happy Birthday!" They all screamed at Alice.

Alice stood still as she tried to process everything. She didn't react as she was surprised. Alice looked around and saw each of her friends happy for her.

"Y-You guys actually remembered?" Alice said to them slowly.

"Well duh, how could we forget?" Raani told her.:

"B-But you guys didn't even mention anything about it." Alice said to them.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise silly." Airi told her.

"Y-You guys are mean." Alice said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hurry, Aunty picture time!" Aini said to Raani's mother.

They got together and took a photo on the porch overlooking the park's pond illuminated by the moonlight. Raani's mom snapped a photo and they were all smiling with Alice holding the cake and her eyes slightly puffed.

Alice turned around and faced her friends.

"Thank you guys! You guys are the best!" Alice told them.

After they celebrated and ate the cake, Raani's mom took them home using the van. Everyone was sleeping in the car except Alice, she stared out the passenger window and took it all in. Airi slept on Alice's shoulder and Aini slept on Airi's shoulder while Raani slept in the front. Alice felt her phone buzzing and decided to check it. There she notices a lot of texts coming from the team's group chat.

"I just got the news it's Alice's birthday! Hurry and wish her a happy birthday!" Ghazali said.

"What for real? Well then Happy Birthday kid! Hope you have a blessed year!" Sugimoto said.

"Happy birthday Alice, may you have a blessed year."The manager said.

"Happy birthday Alice!" A member of the crew said.

Alice smiled and saw more texts coming in from the group chat. Alice smiled and decided to reply back to them.

"Thank you everyone!" She texted.