As soon as the clock had resumed tig, the overseer turned around and walked off in the dire of the other adults, presumably to talk to them.

  Following his departure, dad reappeared and said. “Ohh I fot to tell you son, make sure to enjoy your party because you’re only 10 once, so have as much fun as you possibly !”

  "Okay, I will, dad." I replied, while giving him a big, wide smile.

  As I was about to head over to talk to Amata standing off to the side and farm some more brownie points, he pced his hand on my shoulder, grabbing my attention.

  "O thing, son. Make sure you spend some extra time with Amata because she did a lot to get your birthday party all set up!" Dad said in a low voice.

  "Already pnned on it."

  "Good, off you go then, champ." Dad said stly while putting me in the dire of Amata before walking off again towards the overseer.

  "Catch you ter, dad."

  Once my old man had walked off, I headed over to talk to Amata.

  “Happy birthday! We really surprised you, didn’t we?” She said.

  “Thank you, and yeah you guys got me really good this time, ha ha.” I replied, chug.

  Amata made a small giggle and tinued. “Ha ha. Your dad was afraid you were on to us. But I told him not to worry so much since I made sure to keep everything a secret and only let a few others in on the party pnning.”

  "Yeah, my dad just told me all about how you put in a lot of wetting this party set up for me. Thanks again Amata."

  She and I the a few minutes chatting before I cracked a joke that got her giggling.

  Her ughter tinued for a couple more seds when she asked. “Guess what I got you for your birthday?”

  I responded very seriously. “Hmm, a date with my childhood friend, Amata?”

  “Ah-ah, n-no silly, I got you a Big Book Of Sce. I know how you love reading that sort of stuff.” She responded, all flustered with red cheeks and all.

  After saying that, she tinued in a barely audible whisper with her head turo the side. “But if that’s what you really want, I wouldn’t mind.”

  Thanks to my 10 perception I was able to hear her loud and clear, thus I took her up on her offer with a smile on my face. “Okay deal, I’ll take you and the book, then.”

  Hearing my response, she went mute whilst her face began glowing bright red.

  "Alright, I'll be taking your silence as a yes, then. So we'll meet up this weekend at 10:00 AM."

  Amata began to try to make some sort of response, but she fumbled her words and just ended up releasing a few small squeaks. A sed ter, she nodded her head in agreement and the moment she ran off and out of the dining area where the party was taking pce.

  Whilst she swiftly fled the se in embarrassment, I looked over to where my dad had walked off to see if I was in trouble. I saw him standing with Amata's father and the both of them appeared to be mighty pleased with themselves sihey were both givihumbs up while grinning from ear to ear just about.

  They then said somethiween themselves before they patted each other on the bad turned back around to tiheir versation with the other vault dwellers that they were versing with inally.

  I suppose I got the go-ahead from the man in charge. Aside from that, it looks like I'll be reallog that extra time with Amata till this weekend.

  After that little event, I headed over to talk to Stanley Armstrong, who was at the ter with Andy, the mister handy. “Hey Stanley, I cut the cake instead of Andy today si's my birthday?”

  “Sure, I don’t see why not. Just don’t hurt yourself, kid.”

  Before I could begin walking off to my destination, Staopped me in my tracks. “Hold up for a sed kid before you wander off and I fet, I got you a present.”

  Reag uhe ter, he brought out a kid’s baseball cap and ha to me.

  “Thanks, Stanley.”

  "No problem, kid." He said stly prior to going back tuing with Andy the mister handy.

  Happy with the gift I received, I adjusted the strap and wore the baseball cap with the bill poio the rear and out of the way. The sed I had the baseball cap fitted snugly on my head, I went off to go talk to Grandma Palmer .

  Arriving in front of Grandma Palmer, I was about to ask her how she's been doing tely but she ed me in a hug with surprising strength for her age and started the versation before I could.

  "Are you having a nice party, my little muffin?"

  "Yeah, I'm having a great time, grandma." I responded, still ed in her arms.

  She held me in her hug for a couple more seds before letting go to get a good look at me.

  "Ten years old, my, my, my. Seems like it was only yesterday that your daddy and you came… Goodness, listen to me ramble! You’re waiting for your present, aren’t you?"

  “Oh nonsense grandma, you being here is already good enough.” I resporying to farm a few additional brownie points that I could cash in for sweet rolls ter on in the week.

  She brightened up at my ansulled me straight bato an and said. "Such a polite grandson I have. Here you go, I baked you a dozen of your favorite sweet rolls this m."

  "Thanks, grandma."

  Returning her hug and smiling from ear to ear since Grandma Palmer never gives me this many sweet rolls at oime, the most she'll usually give me is 2 and no more than that. So receiving a dozen of her legendary sweet rolls at oime is a massive haul. They would st me a few days realistically if I was to eat them sparingly, but because they are basically the equivalent of crack, I'll probably blow through them as soon as I get home and step through the front door.

  Once I was done hugging Grandma Palmer, she gave me the doze rolls she baked freshly this m and said. "Alright, there you go, muffin. Go on and enjoy your party now and remember to eat them slowly, otherwise you'll get a tummy ache."

  "Okay, I'll be sure not to eat them all right away. Thanks again." I said before I found myself i hug for several more seds.

  After I was released, I made my way over to talk to Butd the gang.

  “Hey, how are you guys doing?” I asked them.

  “Ehh, not too bad boss, but we're getting kinda hungry over here.” Butch responded.

  “Yeah, yeah. We’re starving over here, boss. When is the cake gon cut?” Wally and Paul followed up while holding their stomachs ically.

  “Ha ha ha. Well, I better hop to it then ahat cake cut, otherwise you three will wither away. Oh, and here are a couple of my precious sweet rolls. They should be enough to hold you guys over till I'm doting the cake.” I said, while I started handing Butd the gang a couple of sweet rolls to hold them over until I could get the cake sliced up and served.

  "Thanks a bunch, boss." Butch said first, followed by Paul and Wally .

  As I was handing the three of them the two sweet rolls to share amongst themselves, I couldn't help but recall the time when I had th em up a bit because they were b Amata. After I put them in their pce, they straightehemselves out and started following me around and calling me boss for some odd reason.

  I suppose it's a gang thing, though I don't know where they could have learned about gangs down here in the vault. Maybe they overheard one of the old timers on the elder cil reminisg about the time before the great war or they could have possibly gotten their hands on an old ic.

  When I was done handing out sweet rolls to the three of them, I returo the cake to cut it and distribute it among everyone here. A few seds ter, I was back at the ter where Stanley was, thus I asked him for a knife and started slig the cake into even segments as best I could.

  It took a few minutes, but I got the cake separated evenly and pted oes that were already sitting on the ter. With the cake ready to be served, I took one of the slices of cake and put it off to the side for Amata. Ohat was taken care of, I informed everyohat the cake was ready.

  Hearing that, dad and the overseer came over and helped me start distributing the cake. The minute everyone had a piece of cake, I got a sliyself as well and sat down with Butch, Paul, and Wally and started chowing down on the cake that grandma Palmer most likely made, though she probably received a bit of assistance from Amata.

  Hours passed with everyone enjoying themselves, heless we all eventually decided to call ao the birthday party and things up. As soon as that decision was made, all the partygoers collectively chipped in ing up the mess and all the party stuff. After everything icked up for the most part, all the vault dwellers started to slowly file out of the dining area one by oo either go home or to do whatever else they had pnned for the day.

  Staying behind to do a bit more ing and put away several things that were missed, Dad and I were the st oo leave the party. However, once we were finished, I grabbed the piece of cake I had put off to the side for Amata aurned home for the night.

  As we were walking through the vault hallways in the dire of our home, a thought came to my mind just as we began nearing the entrance.

  Hmm, this is probably as good a time as any to ask about going to the vault mines since I got that new perk, but I'll wait till we get into our home before I bring it up.

  Walking in through the doorway, the two of us settled onto the couch, making small talk. Passing the time like that and rexing for the 10 minutes, I brought up the topic.

  "So, dad, I think it's about time you let me ehe old vault mines since I'm 10 years old now and have made signifit gains in most of my physical abilities."

  “Yeah, there is no way that’s happening son, it's way too dangerous for you to go into the mines. Also, if I did, let you ehem and something happeo you. How would I be able to faother ierlife?”

  “Well, what about if I get uncle Gomez and the other officers to train me? What about then?” I resporying to vince him.

  As soon as he heard my response, his face ged to a look of ption and after a while, he came back with. “If, and this is a big if. If you show your uncle Gomez and the other vault security officers that you are more than capable of handling yourself against multiple foes. Then I'll allow it.”

  “Thanks, dad, I'll make it happen!” I said, pumped prior to getting up and giving my dad a hug.

  He smiled and said. “Sure thing, son, just be extraordinarily careful and know your limits.”

  Finished with that topic, we tinued our versation and rexed for a while longer on the couch, discussing what sort of projects he was currently w on and how my library quest rogressing before we both turned in for the night.

  Finding myself ying iaring up at the gray-colored metal ceiling, I began going over my pns for tomorrow in my head.

  Hmm, the number ohing I o do tomorrow is talk to uncle Gomez and ask him if he and the other officers could train me for bat to face the number of mole rats that I will iably enter in the old vault mines.

  The ask that'll o be done following that is that I o make some equipment to ehing goes wrong. Thus, I'm going to o make a set of armor for proteg my body from the mole rat teeth, a melee on, or ons for dealihal damage. And maybe a bow of some sort that would allow me to take them out from afar for my excursion into the mines.

  I've already given this quite a lot of thought already, so the sort of armor I was thinking of produg would use a leather armor body suit as a base with steel ptes sowed upon it. When all the steel has been attached to the armored suit, I'll weld metal spikes onto certaihat would prove useful in various bat situations. Alongside the armor, I'm going to o make a pair of spiked gaus and boots so I don’t lose any fingers and toes.

  All those sharp metal spikes will double as ons, so if I ever lose my actual ons, at least I won't be absolutely defenseless and I'll at least have something that deal some halfway det damage. Lastly, for head prote, I'll fabricate a protective helmet. For the design, I'm thinking of going with something that looks like an alty from my previous world with an inbuilt light powered off a small energy cell.

  Now for the ons, I'm thinking of making a retively rge cleaver-like sword. That sort of on will allow me to take on multiple oppos on my own and cleave right through multiple mole rats at oh a wide swing. I would've preferred to make something with a ripper, but I doubt anyone I know will just give me one of those.

  Besides that, I haven't seen one ever since I've been reborn into this world, so there's a good ce that there might not be a single one down here. My inability to get my hands on a ripper aside, I'll also be making several spears for close-quarters bat and for throwing. For the st melee on, I'll craft 2 bat knives with sheaths that will be attached to one of my boots and the other will sit on my belt.

  I could also make caltrops. But if I do that, I would o put a steel pte itom of my boots to prevent myself from actally stepping on them. Don't particurly want one of those pierg through the bottom of my foot and fug with my mobility in a not so safe area...

  Yeah, that should be good enough for now. It's time to get some mueeded sleep, though I won't be needing my normal 8 hours anymore thanks to the Monstrous Physique perk. I'll have to see how to best use those extra four hours over the couple of days.