Chapter 18 – The Fifteenth Birthday (Part 2)
Sunny POV
The morning sun broke through the shutters, painting the room gold. I yawned, stretched, and blinked the sleep from my eyes. Then—BOMPH!
"Happy birthday, Sunny!" Aqua shouted, leaping on top of me like a hyperactive cat. My ribs protested violently.
"Ghh—Aqua! I just woke up!"
She grinned down at me, hair a mess, eyes sparkling. "Exactly! A hero must begin his fifteenth year with a goddess's blessing!"
Before I could react, she kissed my forehead—smack!—then jumped off the bed, arms raised like she'd won a battle.
"Breakfast!" she sang as she ran out the door.
I groaned. Some things never changed.
Breakfast Table Chaos
Belle-mère had gone all out. The table groaned under fried fish, rice, bread, stew, and even a small cake cooling at the corner. Nojiko was setting plates, Nami scribbling notes between bites, and Aqua already stuffing her cheeks like a squirrel.
"Eat up, birthday boy," Belle-mère said, ruffling my hair as I sat down. "Fifteen's a big deal."
I grinned. "Thanks, Belle-mère."
Of course, peace lasted all of ten seconds.
"Aqua, stop hogging the fish!"
"But it's Sunny's birthday fish, so I should eat it for him!"
"That doesn't even make sense!"
"Shut up, Nami! Goddess logic is beyond you mortals!"
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Same circus, different day. Still… I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The Gifts Begin
After breakfast, Belle-mère clapped her hands. "Alright, girls. Let's not keep him waiting. Gifts."
I blinked. "Gifts? You guys didn't have to—"
"Shut up," all three girls snapped in unison. Even Belle-mère.
I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay…"
Nojiko's Gift
Nojiko was first. She shyly pushed a small bundle into my hands. "I, um… made this for you."
Inside was a scarf, deep blue, soft but sturdy. My chest warmed instantly.
"You made this? Nojiko, it's amazing!"
Her cheeks flushed. "It's nothing… I just thought, you're always training out in the wind, so…"
I stood and wrapped it around my neck. "Feels perfect. Thank you."
She smiled, small and soft, but her eyes sparkled with relief.
Nami's Gift
Nami was next, sliding a rolled-up parchment toward me. "This… is my first real map. Of the East Blue currents."
I unrolled it carefully. The details were sharp, clean, professional.
"Nami… this is incredible. I'll treasure it."
Her lips curled into a proud smirk. "Of course. Someday, I'll chart the whole world for you. So you better keep up."
Something in my chest thudded. I smiled. "I'll hold you to that."
She blushed, then quickly stuffed her face with bread to cover it.
Belle-mère's Gift
Belle-mère dropped a heavy box in front of me. "Don't open it too fast, it's heavy."
Inside lay a pair of weighted gloves, tougher and sleeker than anything I'd trained with before.
"Whoa… these are perfect!"
"Yeah, well, don't break 'em in one week like the last pair," she said, puffing smoke from her cigarette. Then her expression softened. "Happy birthday, kid. You're growing up too fast for my liking."
I grinned. "Thanks, Belle-mère. I'll put them to good use."
Aqua's "Gift"
Finally, Aqua cleared her throat dramatically, standing like a stage actress.
"Ahem! For Sunny's fifteenth birthday, I, Aqua-sama, shall bestow my most precious treasure—myself!"
Everyone froze.
"…what?" I managed.
Before anyone could stop her, Aqua grabbed my face and kissed me. Not a quick peck—no, she went all in. Warm lips, tongue, the whole deal. My brain short-circuited.
"MMMM—!!?"
The room erupted.
"N-NANI?!" Nami's face turned beet red.
"Nojiko, cover your eyes!"
"I can't! I'm staring in horror!"
Belle-mère nearly choked on her cigarette. "WHAT THE HELL, AQUA?!"
Aqua finally pulled away, wiping her mouth with a smug grin. "Mwah! There. Now your birthday is unforgettable."
I slumped back in my chair, dazed, face blazing red.
"…I… I think my soul left my body."
{Ego} and [System] Gift
Inside the quiet of my inner world, the air shimmered.
{Ego} appeared first, arms folded, scowl sharp as ever.
"Tch. Listen up, moron. You've been swinging your fists like a muscle-headed gorilla long enough. So I—ugh—we—made something to keep you from being a complete disaster. Don't misunderstand. This isn't because I care about you. It's because watching you flail around like an idiot offends me."
Before I could respond, [System]'s voice chimed in, sweet and velvety, but with that familiar unsettling undertone.
"Ego is too shy. What they mean is… we've been watching you push yourself. And we can't allow you to self-destruct without us. So we crafted something… intimate. A gift only we could give you."
A pulse of black energy ran across my skin, searing hot for a heartbeat, before cooling into a strange weight. I brushed my neck—and felt them. Two perfect black circles, etched into each side, like inked tattoos pulsing faintly with Haki.
> [New Technique: Progressive Seal]
Refined from Jirō's ceiling method. Each seal halves Sunny's strength and Haki reserves. Seals can be stacked. One black tattoo manifests per seal. Seals remain under Sunny's full control—able to release them at will.
My reflection in the inner world showed the marks clearly, glowing faintly like twin shackles of willpower.
"…So that's it?" I asked, flexing my arm. The strength felt deliberately muted, like someone had thrown a blanket over a fire. "You're giving me… restraints?"
{Ego} turned away sharply, ears faintly red.
"Don't get smug. This will force you to fight with your head, not just your meathead fists. You rely on raw power too much, and it's pathetic. If you screw up using this… don't come crying to me."
[System]'s giggle slid down my spine like silk over steel.
"Mm. Don't listen to them. Every circle is a piece of me engraved into you. The more you take on, the more you'll belong to us. Your strength, your body, your will—layer by layer, sealed and unsealed at our discretion."
I frowned. "…My discretion, you mean. I'm the one in control."
"Oh, of course," [System] cooed. "That's what you want to believe. But every time you touch those marks, you'll remember they came from us. You can't escape us, Sunny."
{Ego} rolled their eyes. "Ignore psycho over there. Just… don't waste the gift. Idiot."
The two voices overlapped—one sharp and begrudging, the other velvet-sweet and obsessive.
"Happy birthday, dumbass."
"Happy birthday, my Sunny."
I sighed, running my thumb across the black circles on my neck. "…Yeah, thanks. Both of you."
Evening – Quiet Moments
As the sun dipped low, the laughter, chaos, and noise gave way to calm. Nojiko leaned against my shoulder while I admired Nami's map. Aqua hummed, swinging her legs, smug as ever. Belle-mère smoked quietly, her gaze soft on us all.
Fifteen. I felt older, stronger. And yet… surrounded by them, I felt like the luckiest idiot alive.
"Tomorrow," I whispered to myself, staring at the stars through the window, "I'll be stronger. For them. Always for them."