I hated him so much.

Mitsuki hated her father so much for the way he overheated you with your homework. She hated that every time you got bad grades, he would repeatedly hit your forearms with that damn wooden ruler, which was stained with dried blood from your previous injuries. He never cleaned it.

Your birthday was today, but he never congratulated you or gave you gifts. Your mother barely wished you a happy birthday.

Mitsuki tried to seem normal by inviting you to get ice cream at the mall. She held back the whole morning from congratulating you.

You arrived at a restaurant, and as you finished eating, several waiters arrived, singing the Happy Birthday song for you. One brought the cake, and the other your gift from Mitsuki, which was a giant, soft teddy bear.

"Happy birthday." Mitsuki said, smiling genuinely.