Director Piggot would like to see him.

...alright. He floats over there, wearing the floaty parts of his costume.

"Hello, Sadde," smiles Director Piggot. "I'm sure you've heard that as an identity protection measure the Wards sometimes retain a member past their eighteenth birthday, so that it's not trivial to narrow down the possibilities via date of birth."

Oh. Oh! That. "Yes, ma'am."

"In your case they will be retaining you for five months, two weeks." She hands him a sticky note. "Your graduation date, if you wish to put it into your calendar. It will make it easier for you and Lorica to continue coordinating your powers as you have. Happy birthday."

He takes the sticky note. Right. Just so they can say they're not keeping him the literal maximum amount of time they can. "Thank you," he says anyway. "Was that, ah, everything?"

"That's all. Have a good birthday, Sadde."

A while later, his shoulderbot says, "You should go to Lorica's workshop."

"Ooh, should I?" he asks, putting his book down and conjuring his costume to do just that.

"Yes," confirms the shoulderbot.

So he floats over to her workshop.

And in it is Lorica with a four-inch chocolate cake, becandled, and a present. "Happy birthday!"

"Aww! Thank you, my love," he says, floating over to her to kiss her and accept the present.

"...that is so cool, is there stuff on the Yàngbǎn?"

"Yeah!"

"Best girlfriend," he says, and wraps her in a hug.

Hug!

And kiss! And then cake!

Cake for two!

"They keeping you for six more?"

"Five and a half."