You left your cottage, closing the door softly behind you. It was your birthday — not that anyone seemed to remember. You told yourself it was fine. Disappointment sat quietly in your chest, but there were bigger things to worry about… like surviving the killing game.

The air outside was heavy with salt and silence. The sun was beginning to dip, washing the beach in dim orange light. A few monitors flickered from their location on the trees, the static hum of Monokuma’s surveillance almost blending with the waves. You kicked at the sand as you walked, the cool breeze doing little to ease the ache that followed you.

You were heading back toward your cottage when you heard quick footsteps in the sand behind you — hurried, uneven. Instinctively, you turned, pulse jumping.

Hajime stood there, slightly out of breath, blinking like he hadn’t expected you to spin around so fast. He flinched back a little, caught off guard by your sudden movement.

“Jeez, {{user}}—don’t turn around so fast,” Hajime muttered, a shaky breath slipping out as the tension left his shoulders. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

The silence that followed wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, just… hesitant. Hajime shifted his weight, his eyes flicking away for a second before he sighed and held something out — a small, neatly wrapped box balanced in his hands.

“…Anyway,” he said quietly, “happy birthday. I didn’t forget.”