Three days.
I had successfully gone three full days in a row without stopping time.
I hadn't glitched through gym class, hadn't fixed my falling chopsticks mid-blink, and hadn't reflex-paused time to stop my math test from snowballing into a mistake spiral.
This was my Earth World Streak, and I was proud of it.
Which is why, when my best friend Naomi invited me to her birthday party, I told myself:
"No powers. No weirdness. Just cake, candles, and chaos you didn't cause."
Spoiler: It didn't go that way.
---
The Setup
Naomi's family had rented the rooftop terrace of a café, complete with lanterns, a snack bar, and a karaoke machine of ancient and slightly cursed vintage.
We were fifteen teenagers, hyped on soda, sugar, and way too much free time.
Naomi greeted me in a party hat, hugged me tight, and handed me a glowstick scepter.
"Tonight, we are magical girls. No exceptions."
"But I'm not—"
"Magical." She winked.
I laughed nervously and prayed no one tried to summon anything.
The Party Begins
Everything was going great:
We ate way too many shrimp chips
Someone started a dance circle that turned into a three-person conga line
Kento tried to freestyle rap over "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
And I managed not to stop time when someone spilled cola on my shoe
We even did a group photo where nobody blinked—an actual miracle not caused by time magic, I swear.
I was almost starting to feel... normal.
---
The Cake Incident
Then came the cake.
Naomi's parents rolled it out—three layers, strawberries on top, a tiny edible crown in the middle.
Candles were lit. Everyone gathered around.
Naomi smiled, took a deep breath, and leaned in to blow—
—and her little brother tripped. Right into the table.
The cake wobbled. The candles flared. The whole thing tipped forward in slow-motion horror.
Without thinking, I snapped.
Not mentally—time-wise.
In the space between seconds, I dashed forward, caught the cake stand, gently nudged Naomi's brother back into balance, and used a paper plate to fix the sliding strawberries.
Time resumed.
The cake landed safely. Naomi's brother didn't faceplant. Everyone cheered.
Except me. I froze, holding my soda, trying not to look suspicious.
"Whoa," someone said. "That was close."
Naomi turned to me. "Did you move?"
"Nope," I said. "Just… stood here. Totally normal cake physics."
She squinted at me. "You didn't stop time or something?"
I laughed too hard. "What? What even is time? What a concept!"
She stared.
Then handed me a slice of cake. "Thanks anyway."
---
The Karaoke Twist
After the cake, we did karaoke.
I was hoping to fade into the background—but no, the birthday girl demanded a duet.
Naomi grabbed the mic. "Reika and I are singing 'Sparkle in My Tea' from that magical girl show we binged."
I didn't even know all the lyrics.
But somehow, we nailed it. Perfect rhythm. No stuttering. Harmonized ending.
Everyone clapped like we'd summoned moonlight.
"See?" Naomi said, nudging me. "You are magical."
I just smiled.
Not from another world.
Not a spellcaster.
Just a girl with a party hat, a secret power, and the best best friend on Earth.
---
Later That Night
We lay on the rooftop after most of the guests had gone, lanterns flickering gently overhead.
"Thanks for coming," Naomi whispered. "I know you've been tired lately. I can tell."
"Yeah…" I sighed. "Been a long week."
"You're always helping everyone," she added. "Even when they don't know it."
I turned to look at her.
She wasn't asking. She wasn't prying.
She just… knew, in that best-friend way that transcends explanations.
So I said, "I'm glad I was here."
And I meant it.