Maria gave a slight smile.
"Aibar. Do you remember when you offered to become my assistant? Back when you appointed me as the Guardian of Order? I was such an idiot back then. I saw you as my rival and rejected your offer. But now I understand. Being the Guardian of Order is difficult. I need you to be my assistant. Please, please..."
Maria was being completely sincere. Aibar genuinely believed her and had no idea that she had something else in mind. After all, Maria wasn't trying to deceive him with a lie—she really was asking for his help.
Maria immediately clasped one of his hands between both of hers and looked at him pleadingly.
"Please, Aibar. Please..."
At that moment, Aibar's entire attention was focused solely on Maria.
Just then, the teacher for the final lesson arrived.
Without changing his expression, Aibar nodded in agreement, accepting Maria's request.
Maria's face lit up with a happy smile.
And so, the lesson began, with everyone settling into their seats.
Lucas glanced at Maria with slight surprise. However, after a moment, he gave a faint smile and thought to himself:
Maria... What a manipulator you are. No... You're actually incredibly clever...
Classes eventually ended, and everyone went home.
Aibar returned home, where Azamat was waiting for him.
"Master, tomorrow is your birthday..."
Aibar interrupted him in a cold tone.
"Please, Master. Let that day pass like any other ordinary birthday."
"No! This is your birthday. Are you really going to let your fifteenth birthday pass without doing anything? Why do you always refuse to celebrate your birthday?!"
Aibar replied calmly, "First, it would be a waste of money. Second, we're already struggling to make ends meet financially. I have to save as much as possible, even if it means giving up some of my own needs. That would make things a little easier. Third... I simply don't want to."
In reality, Aibar had forgotten what it even felt like to celebrate a birthday, but he wanted to give it a try.
Azamat was somewhat irritated, although his current cyborg body made it impossible for him to express his emotions through facial expressions.
"Fine. You're always like this..."
Aibar looked at him calmly.
"Are you upset? I apologize."
Azamat collected himself and realized that he had no choice but to accept Aibar's decision.
"Very well, Master. You're a hero, after all. That means you need to save money. I understand."
And so, Aibar continued taking care of his usual tasks as always.
Meanwhile, Azamat was sitting at his charging station, recharging his batteries.
After a while, he received a phone call.
Azamat answered it using one of his built-in capabilities. After all, he didn't need a phone—this function was already integrated into his system.
Azamat began speaking, but no sound came from him externally. In other words, he appeared to be quietly recharging, when in reality, he was having a phone conversation.
The person calling him was Symbat.
"Mr. Azamat... It's me, Symbat. Do you recognize me?"
Azamat immediately recognized her.
"Yes, Miss Symbat. You're my master's classmate. I'm listening."
"Is Aibar not with you right now?" Symbat asked.
"No, he's not here with me. Besides, I can talk on the phone without making a sound. It's one of my built-in functions."
Symbat's voice brightened with excitement.
"Wonderful! Sir, we were planning to surprise Aibar tomorrow. Would you like to join us?"
Azamat immediately agreed.
"Of course, of course! I want to make sure my stubborn, seemingly emotionless master remembers his birthday on October 11th properly and never forgets it again."
Symbat chuckled a little at his joke.
"Alright, then. We'll come tomorrow while Aibar is away, together with our classmates."
Azamat continued, "Tell me something. Will Maria, my master's girlfriend, be coming too? I think my master might actually accept the surprise without objecting when he sees it."
Symbat remained silent for a moment before giving a slight smile.
"Of course... Without her, Aibar's birthday wouldn't even feel like a birthday. Besides, she'll keep Aibar busy with various errands and do everything she can to keep him from going home. Meanwhile, we'll use that opportunity to prepare the surprise together."
Azamat replied enthusiastically, "Wonderful! I thought she was arrogant. But it seems my master wasn't mistaken about her after all. However, I think you'd make a good match for him, too. My favorite ship is you and my master."
Symbat immediately blushed, her voice becoming slightly flustered.
"Ahh... You really think so?"
"Yes! Aibar × Symbat... That's my favorite ship."
Symbat was at a loss for words.
"Th-thank you very much. I... I'm happy to hear that."
She cleared her throat slightly and composed herself before speaking again.
"Well, then, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye!"
"Thank you. Goodbye."
And so, their conversation came to an end.
The following day, Aibar arrived at the classroom early as usual, only to find that Maria had arrived before him.
Maria spotted Aibar and happily approached him with a slight smile.
"How are you doing, Aibarchik?"
Aibar replied calmly, "Huh!?"
Maria smiled a little wider.
"It's still hard to believe that you're actually my boyfriend. Whenever you don't understand something and make that 'Huh!?' face, you look so adorable."
Aibar asked calmly, "Did something happen to you today?"
Maria replied, "No, nothing happened. I'm just letting out all the feelings I've been holding inside for so long. Don't mind me."
"Alright," Aibar replied calmly.
And so, all the students arrived, and the lessons began.
However, none of the students in the class knew that it was Aibar's birthday.
Symbat had deliberately kept it a secret for now.
During the third break, Aibar went outside to get some fresh air.
Meanwhile, Symbat, Lucas, So Hyun, and Maria explained their plan to the entire class. Most of the students agreed to participate. Some even contributed a little money to celebrate the birthday of their beloved superhero.
Azamat covered the remaining expenses out of his own pocket.
Their plan was ready.
And so, the lessons continued until the school day came to an end.
As everyone at the school began heading home, Aibar stood up, gathered his belongings, and prepared to leave as well.
However, just as he reached the classroom door, Maria grabbed him by the wrist, stopping him.
Aibar slowly turned around and looked at her.
In a demanding voice, Maria said, "Aibar, don't forget the promise you made me. You're going to stay by my side and help me all day today! Your Guardian of Order needs her assistant. And today, your Guardian of Order needs you all to herself."
Aibar calmly nodded.
Maria released his wrist and walked out through the door.
Aibar followed her out of the classroom and began walking behind her.
Maria had Aibar move heavy objects around the assembly hall, rearrange the furniture, and clean the place. After that, she had him deal with some paperwork.
However, thanks to his exceptionally high abilities, Aibar completed every task effortlessly and in no time at all.
Maria was a little stunned.
"Aibar... Are you actually human?"
Aibar looked straight at her and replied calmly, "Yes, I'm human. I've just trained a lot."
Maria closed her eyes and let out a small, weary sigh.
"Ugh..."
She opened her eyes again and smiled slightly.
"It's hard to imagine how much training and effort you must have put in to become like this."
Aibar replied calmly, "I think talent might have something to do with it, too. Anyway, if we're done here, I'd like to go home. Otherwise, I'll fall behind on my own tasks."
Maria answered calmly, "No... What I meant was, let's take a little break. I'm tired."
A mischievous idea suddenly crossed Maria's mind, and a sly smile appeared on her face.
"Aibar, I'm curious about something. Who's stronger, you or Lucas?"
Aibar looked at her calmly.
"I'd have to think about that. If we're comparing our superpowers, I think he might be stronger than me for now. After all, experience makes a difference."
Aibar walked over to Maria and sat down in one of the seats in the audience area. He crossed his arms and continued calmly.
"But in terms of raw human strength, without using superpowers, I think I'm stronger than all three of you."
Maria sat down beside him.
"Hmm... I might have a slight chance if I use a weapon. But if you picked up a weapon yourself, you could probably eliminate even that tiny chance I have. I have to admit that. But what about three against one? I might argue with you on that point..."
Aibar replied calmly, "Fair enough. Perhaps I'm mistaken. You might be right, too."
He took his phone out of his pocket, checked the time, and put it away again.
"It's almost 5:00 p.m. We should head home before it gets dark."
Maria stood up and held out her hand, helping Aibar get to his feet.
Aibar looked at her calmly.
"Maria. Aren't you guys planning to celebrate my birthday?"
Maria froze at the doorway.
She cleared her throat, slowly turned her head toward Aibar, and gave him a slight smile.
"It's your birthday today? What? How? Why didn't you tell me?"
Maria acted so convincingly that almost anyone would have believed her.
Anyone except Aibar.
Aibar kept a calm expression, pretending not to have noticed anything, and played along with their little secret.
They slowly made their way home. Since Maria's house was near the school, they eventually walked past it, but she continued following Aibar.
Maria wasn't sure what to say. She hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and looked at him.
"Aibar, we've already passed my house, and you know that. But you haven't said a word about me still following you. Admit it... No matter how hard I tried to hide it, you figured out that we were planning a surprise for you today, didn't you?"
Maria suddenly stopped walking.
Aibar stopped as well, turned toward her, and took one step closer before stopping in front of her. Looking straight into her eyes with his usual calm expression, he replied,
"Yes. I realized something was wrong when you started acting unusually affectionate toward me. Though, of course, I didn't figure it out immediately."
Maria's mood dropped a little. She lowered her gaze to the ground and stood there silently.
Aibar calmly raised one hand and gently placed it on top of her head.
Maria was slightly startled. She slowly lifted her head and looked at him.
With the same calm expression, Aibar said,
"Interesting. I wonder if your white hair can get stained as easily as a white sheet of paper... if I touch it with my sweaty hand."
Seeing Aibar's emotionless expression as he made such a silly yet adorable remark, Maria couldn't help but smile a little. Deciding to tease him back, she replied,
"Go ahead. Find out."
A wide smile spread across Maria's face.
Aibar gently began stroking Maria's head. She seemed to enjoy it, as she closed her eyes, looking completely content.
Maria opened her eyes and looked at Aibar, speaking in a soft voice.
"Now, I think I'll start hoping you'll doze off during class again sometime soon. Because I've started wanting to stroke your head, too."
Aibar's hand suddenly stopped moving. He slowly withdrew it.
Then he turned around and started walking toward home again.
Maria followed behind him.
"What happened!?"
With his usual calm expression, Aibar replied, "If you want something like this—having your head stroked, or anything else you might want—you should tell me. I'll definitely give you permission. After all, I'm your boyfriend."
Maria began to blush slightly.
Aibar continued calmly, "Just not in public. I've never liked receiving personal attention in front of other people."
Maria smiled a little and spoke in a teasing tone.
"My shy boyfriend. You're a superhero, so there's absolutely no need for you to be embarrassed. And you're the very first superhero. Thanks to you, the former members of TUTYLU have changed for the better and joined our side."
The two continued walking.
"Even so, I don't want to draw attention to myself," Aibar replied calmly.
Maria let out a small, tired sigh.
"Ugh... Fine. Have it your way."
They were getting close to Aibar's house when he suddenly stopped walking.
Maria stopped as well.
Aibar calmly approached a pile of loose soil, crouched down, and touched the dirt with his hand. Then he stood up and walked back toward Maria.
He crouched in front of her and began smudging some dirt onto her knees, making it look as though she had fallen.
After finishing, Aibar stood up and brushed the dust off his hands.
Maria stared at him in confusion, unsure what he was doing.
Once he had finished dusting off his hands, Aibar scooped Maria into his arms in a princess carry.
Maria let out a small, startled gasp.
Now cradled in Aibar's arms, she stared at him, her face turning bright red.
Aibar looked back at her with his usual calm expression.
"I just want to preserve your surprise without ruining it."
Aibar continued calmly, "Here's the plan. You pretended to fall and hurt your leg, buying the others some time. Then, since I had no other choice, I'd carry you—not to your house, but to mine, so I could take care of you. That way, we could keep the secret of how I found out about your surprise in the first place."
Maria blushed slightly, then nodded in agreement.
The two began making their way into Aibar's house. Still carrying Maria in his arms, Aibar carefully opened the door.
At that very moment...
"Surpriiise!"
After the loud shout, everyone began singing.
"Happy birthday, Aibar..."
Aibar stared at them in apparent confusion, maintaining his usual composure. The only sign of his shock was that his mouth had opened slightly.
His reaction looked genuinely surprised, almost as if he had truly been caught off guard.
Aibar continued playing the role of someone who had no idea what was going on. He gently lowered Maria while she sang along with everyone else.
Maria's feet touched the floor again, and everyone continued singing while clapping their hands.
"Happy birthday, Aibar..."
Aibar still wore a puzzled expression, though his usual calm demeanor remained intact.
Aibar pretended to come back to his senses, then said in his usual emotionless tone, "You all organized everything for me? Thank you."
Lucas quietly moved behind Aibar and twisted one of his arms behind his back, holding him in place without any hostile intent.
Aibar understood that Lucas meant no harm and remained calm.
Symbat and So Hyun approached him. Each grabbed one of Aibar's ears and began pulling on them. To celebrate his fifteenth birthday, they pulled his ears fifteen times.
After they finished, Azamat gently tapped Aibar on the head with an egg.
The egg cracked against Aibar's head, breaking open.
Aibar said calmly, "Honestly, we shouldn't be wasting eggs like this."
"Argh... My stubborn master. You can't even enjoy yourself with everyone on your own birthday. Please, Master, could you forget about being so strict just for today?"
Lucas smiled slightly and released Aibar.
Aibar calmly rubbed his ears, which had turned red almost immediately.
With a cheerful expression, Lucas patted Aibar on the back.
"Happy birthday, my brother, Aibar."
Aibar turned his head toward Lucas and replied calmly, "Thank you."
Then Aibar looked at all his classmates who had gathered to celebrate his birthday and spoke in his usual composed tone.
"Thank you, everyone. I'll never forget this day..."