Among humans, maybe. It's a strange concept to me. I understand festivals that mark the passage of time. Even we shinshi have rituals to complete for New Year's. But celebrating your own birthday is... charmingly egotistical.
Well, anyway. You want me to help make this cake? I've never made a Western cake, but I'm certain I can figure it out. ... Wait. Who is it for?
it makes him think. it's easy not to care about your own birthday when no one else around you cares about it, either. Akechi had said something close to how he hadn't celebrated in a while (a long while, from the way he had phrased it). then again, Ren couldn't imagine he had much time between running feral in the Metaverse and acting under Shido.
then again, the Phantom Thieves always found an excuse to celebrate. maybe it had rubbed off on him. maybe he just wanted to show Akechi he was worth celebrating. ]
[ he doesn't know how not to go overboard!! also he has to show off whenever he learns something new. case in point, literally as he's reading this right this very second: ]
Oh, see, birthdays weren't celebrated in Japan until it received influence from the West. Even you humans used to celebrate only on New Year's. That was the true marker of time.
Will you be taking him on a date? It seems as though that is fairly traditional. Ah, I could prepare a feast while the two of you are out.
[ this is actually his job unfortunately so he will not stop. ]
... I don't often give gifts. Certainly not with intent. I've given trinkets to teahouse girls, occasionally, but they're meaningless. And when I took gifts to others as the shrine's representative, it was Mikage who selected them. I know how to make a favourable impression, as a familiar. My position and my nature have never called for something more sentimental.
[ ok, he's definitely not gonna deny that Goro is fussy, because that's classic Goro. ]
You're thinking too hard about getting it right. There have been other ideas you had, and they were good. [ just not in this context. ] What were you thinking of making?
[ officially sulking about his lack of gift-giving skills now. he can't stand being bad at something. ]
I'll save the full traditional spread until New Year, so... something he likes. He prefers less refined tastes, doesn't he? Mm... Hamburger steak is too basic for a celebration. Maybe yakisoba? He likes your curry, I could use that for curry bread or kareman. Just two dishes isn't enough, I'll have to think of something else too. And we're going to have a birthday cake, but is that all...? Should I prepare mochi as well? Hold on, I need to read more about Western cakes first.
Fruit... Maybe anmitsu, or daifuku with fruit filling. Oh, wait. There's such a thing as coffee cake? Goro drinks plenty of it. Surely he'd like such a thing. If it's bitter then it would go with wagashi in place of green tea. So, a small coffee cake and anmitsu for the wagashi, perhaps. I'll have to practice making the cake first...
I'd have to get the coffee and brew it. I think he'd probably rather just drink the coffee. Why not just the wagashi? I'm sure that would go good with coffee, too.
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I understand festivals that mark the passage of time. Even we shinshi have rituals to complete for New Year's.
But celebrating your own birthday is... charmingly egotistical.
Well, anyway. You want me to help make this cake?
I've never made a Western cake, but I'm certain I can figure it out.
... Wait. Who is it for?
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it makes him think. it's easy not to care about your own birthday when no one else around you cares about it, either. Akechi had said something close to how he hadn't celebrated in a while (a long while, from the way he had phrased it). then again, Ren couldn't imagine he had much time between running feral in the Metaverse and acting under Shido.
then again, the Phantom Thieves always found an excuse to celebrate. maybe it had rubbed off on him. maybe he just wanted to show Akechi he was worth celebrating. ]
Akechi.
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I wanted to know it wasn't someone irritating.
I'll help.
Hmm. I'm looking up information about birthdays, and it seems there's more to it than simply a cake.
Are we throwing a proper celebration?
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anyway he's trying to imagine Akechi in a birthday hat. ]
I got a present.
Akechi isn't really the "proper celebration" type.
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Oh, see, birthdays weren't celebrated in Japan until it received influence from the West.
Even you humans used to celebrate only on New Year's. That was the true marker of time.
Will you be taking him on a date?
It seems as though that is fairly traditional.
Ah, I could prepare a feast while the two of you are out.
[ this is actually his job unfortunately so he will not stop. ]
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[ he actually thought somewhat ahead so this wouldn't turn into Joker's White Day Disaster. please be proud of him from afar, Sojiro. ]
There's no need to go all out.
Why don't you get him a gift?
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Certainly not with intent. I've given trinkets to teahouse girls, occasionally, but they're meaningless.
And when I took gifts to others as the shrine's representative, it was Mikage who selected them.
I know how to make a favourable impression, as a familiar.
My position and my nature have never called for something more sentimental.
Goro is too fussy. Can't I just cook?
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You're thinking too hard about getting it right.
There have been other ideas you had, and they were good. [ just not in this context. ]
What were you thinking of making?
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[ officially sulking about his lack of gift-giving skills now. he can't stand being bad at something. ]
I'll save the full traditional spread until New Year, so... something he likes.
He prefers less refined tastes, doesn't he?
Mm... Hamburger steak is too basic for a celebration. Maybe yakisoba? He likes your curry, I could use that for curry bread or kareman. Just two dishes isn't enough, I'll have to think of something else too. And we're going to have a birthday cake, but is that all...? Should I prepare mochi as well?
Hold on, I need to read more about Western cakes first.
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I don't think he's even expecting the cake.
There's a lot of fruit in season now, you could do something with that.
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Oh, wait. There's such a thing as coffee cake? Goro drinks plenty of it. Surely he'd like such a thing.
If it's bitter then it would go with wagashi in place of green tea. So, a small coffee cake and anmitsu for the wagashi, perhaps.
I'll have to practice making the cake first...
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I'd have to get the coffee and brew it. I think he'd probably rather just drink the coffee.
Why not just the wagashi? I'm sure that would go good with coffee, too.
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