From neverland-anime.com (Aug 22, 2019)

Written by Nanao

220845

“The weather sure is nice!”

The roof of the House glistened under the dazzling summer sun. Beneath the clear blue sky, Emma was prancing around the courtyard with her siblings.

“Emma!”

She glanced down at the young boy who called her name.

“What’s up, Phil?”

Phil flashed a grin at Emma, who had stooped down to question him, before dashing off in a hurry.

“Come over here!”

“Hm?”

Fueled by curiosity, Emma chased after Phil’s fleeting figure. He made a sharp turn at the edge of the House and vanished from her line of sight.

Mom was around the corner, tending to a bed of countless towering sunflowers in full bloom. When Emma made the turn, hot on Phil’s heels, she was blindsided by the expanse of yellow flora.

“Hello? Phil?”

As she looked around for him, the sunflowers began to rustle. Startled, Emma spun around. Out of the shadows between the stalks leapt her siblings, all at once.

“Happy birthday, Emma!!”

Phil presented a bouquet of sunflowers to Emma.

“Wow! Thanks, everyone!”

Her voice brimmed with joy. She waved the bouquet high in the air and called out her two best friends.

“Norman! Ray! Today’s my birthday!”

“Ahaha. Well, yeah.”

“I knew there was no way you’d forget.”

Seeing the happy look on their eldest sister’s face, Jemima and Anna giggled in unison.

“What a relief. I wasn’t sure we could pull it off, even with Mom’s help.”

“Those flowers are so pretty—almost too pretty to be wrapped up like that!”

As Emma stretched her free hand toward the plants burgeoning overhead, Gilda leaned in to divulge a secret.

“Heh heh. Did you know that it was Phil’s idea to surprise you in the sunflower field?”

“Oh really?”

Emma glanced back at her little brother. Phil nodded his head vigorously.

“Yeah, ’cause you’re like a sunflower!”

“I am?”

“Seeing you cheers me up!”

His words put a huge smile on Emma’s face.

“Aw, thanks, Phil!”

“I just wish we could celebrate your birthday again next year…”

Emma had turned 11, which meant that her days at the House were numbered. She narrowed her eyes and met Phil’s dejected gaze.

“Okay, I’ll come back to visit you this time next year!”

Phil’s eyes—as well as the eyes of everyone else who heard Emma’s unexpected response—widened in surprise.

Dumbfounded, Ray was forced to interject.

“Wait… How exactly are you gonna do that?”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re coming too, Ray! So’s Norman!”

“Haha. Sure, why not.”

Amused by the exchange between Emma and the others, Norman let out a chuckle. Phil, who thought this year would be the last, jumped up and down in anticipation of the year to come.

“Hooray! Then I’ll start preparing everyone’s presents!”

Phil looked up at his sister. A smile blossomed across his face.

“I’ll be waiting!”