Chapter 225.

Chapter 225. Valentine’s Day: Night. (1/4)

When I finally arrived home it was already pretty late. It was 9:00 PM, about the time I’d typically get home after work.

I really put in a good amount of work today. Though all I had to show for it amounted to about six hours of minimum wage. Devils are paid less than minimum wage, if I told someone that, they’d definitely laugh me into my grave.

I obviously wasn’t very good at this unexpected job I’d discovered.

As soon as I stepped inside I bumped into Irene holding her hands behind her. Though she was smiling, it didn’t feel like a welcoming one, but rather one of intimidation. A lioness staring down her prey, that was the best way to describe her.

“You sure have been out late today, on Valentine’s Day no less.”

“I’m… really sorry. I honestly forgot exchanging stuff on Valentine’s Day was a thing like on Christmas. I’ve never had to do such a thing before for Valentine’s Day as you might expect. Don’t worry, it will never happen again in the future. I swear on my life, I will never step foot outside this house on Valentine’s Day again and I’ll definitely be prepared in advance.”

“Oh? Something happened while you were out?”

“It’s terrifying out there on Valentine’s Day. Today is definitely some sort of cursed day.”

“Hahaha, sounds like fun if you ask me~ by the way…”

She closed her eyes, leaned toward me, and sniffed my neck.

“You reek.”

“Sorry… I worked up a sweat running around the mall trying to find something everyone might like. I asked a lot of workers what they’d suggest, but everything they tried to get me to buy was ridiculously expensive and outside of my budget.”

“Were a lot of those workers women?”

“Yeah, they were. Why?”

“Oh, so that’s why you smell like a woman.” She opened her eyes and seemingly came to some sort of understanding of her own.

“Huh? I smell like a woman?”

“Yeah. I didn’t mean you reeked, as in you smelled bad. I meant you reeked of a woman. It was the scent of an unfamiliar woman that lingered on you.”

I broke out into a cold sweat. Safe! Thank god I said what I said and she concluded it was a worker’s scent that lingered on me. I hadn’t fooled around with another woman on Valentine’s Day when I already had them or anything, but still, it definitely looked bad.

“Why didn’t you just get us chocolate though? It would have been a lot easier on you that way.” 

“Well… I went in not wanting to get chocolate because it felt kind of thoughtless of me. I figured that was what the three of you would give me. Haaaaah, if I hadn’t been so stubborn and just went with chocolate from the very start, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time and gotten caught up in such a mess. I ended up stumbling across a chocolate shop I’d been to as a child with my mother.”

“Though I didn’t exactly get chocolate in the end, it can hardly be considered anything original. It’s just a half-pound of chocolate fudge. It’s really good though. My mother used to buy some for me as a treat when she was still alive. I’d completely forgotten about the place up until now.”

I took out one of the plastic bags with fudge inside and held it out to Irene.

“Oh? For me?”

“Yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day. Sorry I’m so late.”

She blinked surprised. She looked like she hadn’t really expected to receive anything at all.

“Uh… honestly... after not receiving anything for the last two years, this is a bit embarrassing. Even though I should be used to Valentine’s Day exchanges.”

“Well, you should get used to it since there will be more in the future.”

“Oh… I suppose I do need to…” Irene smiled rather shyly as she looked away. Irene suddenly stuck her arms out in front of her body, she had something in both hands.

When I saw what it was, I was a bit taken aback.

“Irene… this is…”

“They’re yours.”

When I noticed the checkmark on the side of the items in her hand I couldn’t help but ask guiltily, “Aren’t these a bit expensive? I’d feel bad to accept them when all I got you was-”

“Don’t be stupid, do you know how much happiness you’ve brought me every day? Even just seeing you at home these days makes me smile from ear to ear. I’m able to spend so much time with my family now all because of you. Splurging on the guy I love isn’t a big deal at all. Besides that, I don’t expect you to get me anything expensive, you’re still in high school. It’d just be weird if you went and got me something that cost too much. As an adult, it’s not weird at all for me to spend more on a gift.”

“But your savin-”

“It’s only a bit over half of this month’s savings, it’s not a big deal. You don’t seem to like spending money to buy anything for yourself, so I have no other choice but to spend on you since you won’t splurge on yourself. It’s half your own savings you’re giving me every month. If I don’t spend money on you, I’d be committing a terrible injustice.”

“Why shoes though?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m sure it was probably hard to think of something for me considering there really isn’t anything in particular I want or need.”

“I noticed your shoes were getting pretty worn out. You’ve definitely been using them for a few years now, haven’t you? I bet your mother bought them for you a few sizes up so they’d last longer and you’ve been using them ever since, right? I’m sure you’ve outgrown them by now.”

“Uh… haha… to be seen through like this is a bit embarrassing.” My feet were always killing me these days because they were pretty cramped now, I’d been completely seen through.

“I picked an all-black pair because I thought you’d prefer them that way. You often dress in darker colors, that’s especially the case for work. Seeing that, I figured you wouldn’t want a pair that would stand out at night when you’re heading home in the dark.”

“Yeah, I’m wary of getting jumped at night so I don’t dress in bright colors that stand out, especially after work. I’m surprised you noticed a small detail like that.”

“Of course I’ll notice everything about you. I’m always paying close attention to you.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to be told that.” I scratched the side of my cheek. Irene was always acting this way toward me. A loving wife who oozed with motherly care, those were the best words to describe her.

Looking down at the shoes, I quite liked them. Mainly because Irene gave them to me. Irene is too strong in the field of love. She was no doubt a master in the field.

You could always feel her love. It was warm, tender, and gentle.

Chris was truly lucky to have such a mother. If only my own mother had such a mother too.

“Well? Aren’t you going to try them on to make sure they fit and are comfortable?”

“Oh, right.”

I sat down and put them on. When I stood up, it felt like my feet could breathe for once. I paced back and forth, jumped a few times, and confirmed that they were quite comfortable.

“Do you like them? Did I get the size right? I measured your feet while you were asleep one night, I hope I didn’t mess up.”

“You went that far?”

“Sorry… I wanted to surprise you with it.”

“You don’t need to worry at all, I like them a lot, Irene. I’d like anything I receive from you.”

“Really? Phew. That’s a relief. I wouldn’t know what to do if you said they didn’t fit well.”

“They fit perfectly. Thanks for being so attentive.”

“You know~ if you really want to thank me~” Irene’s eyelashes fluttered as she peeked down at me from the corner of her eye in a sly fashion.

“Haaaaah. Wait in my room, I’ll be there in a bit. I’ve got to give these to Rosa and Alicia,” I whispered in her ear.

“Okay~ see you there~” She whispered back with a flirtatious smile before she gracefully headed up the stairs with her hips swaying from side to side.

“Hmmhmmhmhm.” I heard her hum to herself cheerfully as she rounded the corner at the top of the stairs. She sounded... excited...

But things weren’t always as they appeared.