The week after surviving the mixed training camp.
As I walked to school along the same unchanged path as always, I noticed a crowd gathered near the entrance. The students were a mix of classes and grades, but the one thing they all had in common was that they were all girls.
"Ayanokouji, what's this about?"
I happened to spot Ayanokouji, who had also stopped in front of the entrance, and called out to him.
"Probably that," he replied, pointing.
Following his gaze, I saw Hirata at the center of the crowd, smiling awkwardly as he accepted something.
"Hirata-kun! This is for Valentine's!"
A girl timidly held out a neatly wrapped square box to him. Soon after, all the other girls present began handing things to Hirata as well.
Ah, I see.
"Valentine's Day, huh..."
I hadn't paid much attention to it, so I'd forgotten, but today was February 14th—Valentine's Day. Seeing someone as good-looking as Hirata surrounded like this made perfect sense.
We could've just pushed through and gone inside, but the unspoken pressure from the girls around us—"Don't get in the way"—made Ayanokouji and me freeze in place for a moment.
After watching Hirata's charming interactions for a while, Ayanokouji and I finally headed to our respective classrooms.
When I entered the classroom, the atmosphere was noticeably different because of Valentine's Day. Most of the guys were restless, and some of the girls seemed to be paying extra attention to them.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun! Here, for Valentine's!"
Almost as if she had been waiting for me, Kinoshita handed me a decorated bag the moment I stepped inside. The instant she approached me, I caught Hiyori and Ibuki shooting complicated glances in our direction—or maybe I was just imagining it.
"Thanks, Kinoshita. I didn't expect to get anything, so this is nice."
"No problem! I'm glad you accepted it!"
With that, she returned to her group of friends. Even if it was just obligatory chocolate, it still felt good to receive something.
Feeling a little better, I headed to my seat—only to be abruptly yanked aside by Ishizaki and his two friends.
"Hikigaya!! Do you have any idea what just happened to you?!"
Ishizaki practically growled in my ear, keeping his voice low enough that others wouldn't hear but with an intensity I'd never seen from him before.
"Dude! Getting chocolate first thing in the morning?! How the hell are you this lucky?!"
"What kind of perfect morning is this?!"
Komiya and Kondou shook me violently as they yelled in envy. Sure, I was happy about it, but was it really worth this much excitement?
"Calm down, guys..."
"How the hell are we supposed to calm down?!"
It seemed like reasoning with them was impossible. Feeling a little guilty, I managed to slip away from their overenthusiastic grip. What was up with Ishizaki and the others getting so worked up like that?
"…Mornin'."
Finally making it to my seat, I was surprised when Ibuki—who rarely spoke to me—greeted me.
"That's unusual. You never say good morning first."
"Whatever. Just felt like it today."
As expected, the conversation died there. While getting ready for class, I noticed Ibuki glancing at me repeatedly out of the corner of my eye.
"Need something?"
Her staring was starting to bug me, so I asked. Ibuki fidgeted with something in her hands before suddenly shoving it toward me with a determined expression.
"H-Here!!"
"Guh—!"
She thrust a wrapped box straight into my chest with enough force to nearly knock me and my chair backward. I barely managed to keep myself from falling.
"Ah—sorry."
"Nah, it's fine. So, this is…?"
Opening it, I saw slightly misshapen chocolate cookies inside.
"Chocolate cookies. Since it's Valentine's Day and all…"
She looked down, fidgeting in a way that was unusual for her.
"Can I try one?"
"…Go ahead."
With her permission, I took a bite. Despite their uneven shape, the cookies were just the right amount of sweet—exactly how I liked them.
"These are good. Sweet, but not too much. Just my kind of taste."
"…I see."
When I gave my opinion, Ibuki turned her face away. At first, I thought she might have been disappointed by my reaction, but…
"…"
Maybe not. For just a second, I caught a glimpse of her expression—she was smiling, looking genuinely pleased.
Well, whatever the case, I decided I'd happily finish the rest of the cookies.
....
After class ended, the lunch break—often considered a student's solace—arrived.
Just as I was about to head to the cafeteria as usual, I received a message on my phone.
"Would you like to have lunch together? I made something for you to eat today, and there's also something I'd like to give you. I'll be waiting on the rooftop—I'd be happy if you came."
The sender was Arisu.
Reading the message, it seemed like she just wanted to have lunch with me. And something to give me... Considering today's date, was it related to Valentine's? No, that'd be jumping to conclusions—way too self-conscious and embarrassing.
I didn't have any plans, and I hadn't promised to eat with anyone else, so accepting her invitation was fine. Besides, Arisu's cooking was better than the cafeteria's. I was already looking forward to it.
After grabbing a drink from the vending machine, I climbed the stairs to the rooftop. Unlike the last time I was here—when Ryuuen and Ayanokouji had their confrontation—this time, the thought of eating Arisu's homemade lunch made the climb feel exciting.
"You're late, Hikigaya-kun."
When I reached the rooftop, Arisu greeted me with a natural smile—one she rarely showed to others.
"Sorry. I stopped to buy a drink."
It might have been an excuse, but as I offered it, she patted the spot beside her, gesturing for me to sit.
Arisu pulled out two lunch boxes—one reasonably sized, the other significantly larger.
"I assumed you'd be hungry, so I made extra. Eat as much as you'd like."
"Of course."
Honestly, I was starving, so I immediately opened the box. Inside was a colorful, delicious-looking spread of food.
"This is amazing..."
"Fufu, seeing you enjoy my cooking always makes me happiest."
"Your food is always great."
"My, what sweet words. If you'd like, I can cook for you anytime?"
"Seriously? I'll take you up on that."
Arisu always seemed in high spirits watching me eat. And for me, getting to enjoy delicious food made this the perfect lunch break.
We chatted about nothing in particular as I finished the meal. With plenty of time left in the break, I relaxed—until...
"Fufu."
Arisu leaned closer, wrapping her arms around mine and resting against me.
"...What's up?"
"Nothing. I just thought I'd make the most of this time."
As she said this, she pressed even closer.
She was close... dangerously close. At this distance, I could catch a faint, pleasant scent—something floral and sweet that I'd never noticed before. Why did girls always smell so nice?
"Hikigaya-kun, here."
Still clinging to my arm, she rummaged through her bag with her free hand and pulled out a simply decorated box tied with a ribbon.
"Valentine's chocolate. Of course I wasn't going to let today pass without giving you some."
"O-oh. Thanks."
Feeling slightly nervous under Arisu's gentle smile, I accepted the box and opened it.
"Is this... a gateau au chocolat?"
Inside was a chocolate cake so beautifully made that it looked professional. There was no way an average student could make something this perfect—but then again, Arisu's cooking skills were on another level.
"...This is incredible."
The moment it touched my tongue, the rich, velvety chocolate melted smoothly, its flavor spreading perfectly. Without a doubt, this was the best chocolate I'd ever tasted.
"How is it?"
"Unbelievably good. I've never had chocolate this delicious before—this could pass as store-bought. No, even better."
I wasn't exaggerating. It was that good.
"To hear you say that... is a little embarrassing..."
She buried her face against my arm, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but find her adorable.
With her still clinging to me, I savored the chocolate in peace.
This had turned into one incredibly satisfying lunch break.
......
After school, many students left the classroom for club activities or to hang out.
I had plans to go to the library with Hiyori after class today, so I was packing up my things when Sato and Matsushita appeared from around the corner. The moment they spotted me, they rushed over.
"Heyyy! Hikigaya-kun!"
Sato waved her arms exaggeratedly as she approached, with Matsushita trailing behind her, trying to keep up.
"What's up, you two?"
"Come on, Hikigaya-kun, you know what today is~! There's only one reason girls would chase after a guy today!"
"M-Mou, Sato-san, you didn't have to run like that..."
"Because Matsushita-san spent the whole class agonizing over when to give Hikigaya-kun her chocolates—"
"S-Sato-san?!"
Matsushita quickly covered Sato's mouth, but it was too late—I'd already heard everything.
"Anyway, Hikigaya-kun, here's my chocolate! I'm gonna go now~"
Sato carelessly shoved a bag of chocolates into my hands before quickly leaving. That was so abrupt—even though I just got chocolates, it didn't even feel real.
With Sato gone, it was just Matsushita and me, and the awkwardness from her earlier comment lingered in the air.
"Ahaha, sorry about that," Matsushita said with a nervous laugh, trying to break the silence.
"Nah, it's fine."
"I-Is that so? Well, um..."
Her eyes darted around before occasionally flicking back to me, her face growing redder each time. Taking a deep breath, she finally held out a heart-shaped box.
"This is... Valentine's chocolate. Will you... take it?"
I couldn't tell if she was being genuine or doing it on purpose, but the way she looked up at me with those pleading eyes was downright unfair. How was I supposed to refuse when a beauty like Matsushita was acting like this?
"...Of course I'll take it. Thanks, Matsushita."
"Y-Yeah! You're welcome! W-Well, I should go now, so... see you later!"
With that, she waved vigorously before hurrying away. Her face was so red it was obvious even from a glance. The fact that she'd been that nervous for my sake made me feel unexpectedly happy.
After tucking the chocolates into my bag, I headed to the library to meet Hiyori.
Following the now-familiar route, I entered and found Hiyori reading at her usual spot.
"A mystery novel?"
"Eek! O-Oh, Hachiman? You startled me..."
She jumped in her seat, letting out an adorable yelp when I spoke from behind her. She must have been too absorbed in her book to notice me.
"Sorry, didn't realize you were that focused."
"It's fine. And this is actually a romance novel."
"That's unusual. I've never seen you read anything but mysteries before."
Whenever we went to the library together, she was always buried in mystery books. I'd never seen her pick up anything else—had she taken a liking to romance?
"I don't usually read them, but... I wanted to do some research..."
"Research?"
"W-Well, since it's Valentine's Day, I was trying to figure out how to give this to you properly..."
Her face turned bright red as she fidgeted, clearly embarrassed.
I never expected she'd go out of her way to think about how to give me something...
Seeing me at a loss for words, Hiyori pulled a small bag from her backpack.
"I made this for you. Will you accept it...?"
"...Is that a line from a novel?"
"Y-Yes, I borrowed it from something I read, but... it's making my heart race so much..."
Her face was completely flushed as she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for my response. Seeing her like this made me uncharacteristically nervous.
"T-Thanks, I'll take it."
The moment I accepted it, Hiyori leaned forward and hugged me.
"H-Hiyori?"
"T-This was also in the novel..."
Even so, isn't this a little too close?
Her ears burning red, she buried her face in my chest, her arms tightening around me.
"...The novel had more after this."
As she said this, she tilted her head up, locking eyes with me.
"And then..."
Captivated by her hazy gaze, I barely registered her face inching closer to mine—until, a second later, her lips brushed against my cheek.
For a moment, I didn't even process what had happened. But seeing Hiyori's face, now redder than I'd ever seen it, her eyes glazed over with warmth, my entire body froze.
Before I could even react, she pulled away, turning back to me with a shy smile.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Hachiman."
Bathed in the evening sunlight, her blushing face was so mesmerizing that I couldn't look away.
=================================
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