Volume 3 - CH 25

“Good morning, Arisa.”

“Good morning, Yuzuru-san.”

That day too, Arisa came to Yuzuru’s house to deliver his lunch.

Yuzuru gratefully accepted the insulated bento box and returned the cleaned bento box.

“It was delicious again. Thanks again…”

“No, I’m very glad you ate it too, Yuzuru-san.”

It was the same exchange as usual.

Normally this was where Yuzuru and Arisa parted ways.

Arisa would go to school first, and then Yuzuru, after getting ready, would go to school after her.

That’s the usual flow.

However… today, both of them somehow felt different from usual.

Yuzuru was fidgeting a bit, and Arisa seemed to be fidgeting as well.

The reason was… obvious.

It’s because today is Valentine’s Day.

“…um, Yuzuru-san.”

Arisa’s white skin was faintly tinged with red.

Her voice trembled with nervousness.

Yuzuru also felt his heart pounding.

“Th-that…”

“… Arisa?”

“A-after all, it’s nothing!”

She then ran off as if she were running away.

Yuzuru couldn’t help but open his mouth unintentionally. 

“…Eh?”

Normally, would anyone mess up at this point?

Yuzuru tilted his head, ignoring his own case. 

Then, Yuzuru went to school feeling a little bewildered.

When he arrived at the school… he felt that the atmosphere was still a little different from usual.

There was a definite difference in temperature.

Some of the boys looked happy, some were strangely nervous, some were spreading negative emotions, and some looked no different than usual.

The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be generally cackling.

Girls exchange chocolates with other girls, so they get excited whether they like someone or not.

(I wonder if there are any chocolates in the shoebox?)

It’s embarrassing to give it directly, so let’s put it in a shoebox.

It’s possible that Arisa would do that.

And when he opened it with such expectations, …he found only a pair of shoes in it.

“Ha~a…”

“Yuzurun~!”

“Gyah!”

Suddenly, someone slapped Yuzuru on the back, and he screamed.

There are only a few people, if any, who would do something like this.

“A-Ayaka-chan… That hurts.”

“Ah, sorry. I hit you too hard.”

Ayaka grinned and said with an expression that didn’t seem to reflect much on the situation.

Behind her was another childhood friend.

“‘Good morning, Yuzuru-san.”

“‘Ah, good morning. Chiharu-chan…”

It’s not like the two of them usually come to school together, so they must have just happened to be together.

And she must have attacked Yuzuru with the same tension.

For better or worse, Yuzuru was well aware of the behavioral principles of his childhood friends.

“Yuzuru, did you get it from Arisa?”

Ayaka said with a grin.

Chiharu followed with a mangled grin as well.

“We all made it together, Ayaka-san, Arisa-san, and then Tenka-san, you know”

The two of them knew that Yuzuru had received a lunch box from Arisa earlier that morning.

They probably thought that he received the chocolates at that time.

That’s what Yuzuru would think if he were in their shoes.

“No, I didn’t get any…”

“Eh, really?”

“Arisa-san…messed up at the crucial moment.”

Ayaka and Chiharu looked at each other in dismay.

However, according to what they said, Arisa had prepared chocolates for him, so that was a relief.

(I’d be a little shocked if she was going to say, “Oh, I’m sorry… I actually forgot! “…Or more like that would hinder the plan.)

Yuzuru breathed a sigh of relief.

However, it was not yet confirmed that he would get the chocolate.

It is possible that Arisa will miss the opportunity to give it to him.

“Oh, that’s right. Here. Yuzurun~.”

“Here you go, Yuzuru-san.”

“Thanks for this.”

He received lovely wrapped chocolate from them.

Of course, it was obligatory chocolate.

“The payback should be triple, okay?”

“Of course, please include not only the cost of the raw materials but also the effort and our love.”

“Oh, okay. I’d prefer to call it… something appropriate for White Day, though…”

Yuzuru then scratched his head.

It’s a bit pitiful, so he didn’t really want to say that, but…

“I’m a little short on money… well, I guess I can fill in the missing parts with my feelings, right?”

“Eh? I heard that Yuzuru is making a lot of money from your part-time job though?”

“Did you buy anything?”

“I’m just about to buy it. I’m thinking of buying something for Arisa.”

When Yuzuru said so, Ayaka and Chiharu opened their eyes wide.

“‘Ah, and don’t tell Arisa, okay?”

“‘Of course I won’t tell her!　Not even if my mouth is torn!”

“‘But that certainly explains the lack of money. Black Thunder is fine for White Day.” (TN: It’s a chocolate brand)

“No, obviously, I’ll return something a little better.”

Yuzuru’s conscience will hurt if he returns Black Thunder in return for handmade chocolates, even if it’s obligatory.

Now, they couldn’t just stand around talking for too long.

So after ending the conversation, Yuzuru, Ayaka, and Chiharu headed to their respective classrooms.

Just as Yuzuru entered the classroom, the girls were holding a chocolate exchange.

One of them was Arisa.

When he looked at her…  their eyes met.

But it was only for a moment.

Immediately she shyly turned her eyes down.

Maybe I won’t be able to get it…

Yuzuru took his seat, a little depressed.

…Then he realized.

“Hmm?”

There was something inside the desk.

It was a box wrapped in pretty packaging.

“…”

Instantly.

Yuzuru certainly felt the tension running throughout the class.

(… could it be from Arisa?)

‘You did something surprisingly daring…’

Yuzuru thought, turning his gaze toward Arisa for a moment….

(Oh, that’s wrong.)

She was stunned and looked as if it was the end of the world.

She was frozen like a sculpture.

There is no way that the person in question would have such an expression.

(The sender is …unknown huh)

Seriously, what should I do with this…

Yuzuru let out a big sigh.