<Author's Comment>
Since it's Valentine's Day, here is a story from a past Valentine's!
It was during a certain lunch break, before the school festival.
When I went to the shop to buy a bottle of tea, two girls from the dance club I knew well were sitting in the lounge area—basically just a space with tables and chairs—in front of the shop.
Thinking they might be discussing their performance for the festival, I tried to pass by, but—
“Ah, Takuto-kun!”
The little devil with pink-beige hair waved at me innocently.
“Takuto.”
Following her lead, my blonde childhood friend also looked my way.
“Oh.”
When I gave a vague greeting in return, Erina-san beckoned me over with a smirking grin. I thought, 'What is it? I have a bad feeling about this...' but I couldn't exactly ignore her after being called, so I trudged over.
“Takuto-kun, are you going to the shop?”
“Yes, I am, but...”
“Yay! Then, buy me some snacks!”
Erina-san had a beaming smile.
“Hey, why are you making Takuto buy them?”
Sakosh, the voice of reason, interjected from the side, but having reached the point where resisting was more effort than it was worth, I said—
“Well, it's right there, so I don't mind picking something up... but I'm not paying for it, okay?”
I held out my hand.
“Chee—and here you treat me at Mac.”
Erina-san pouted as she took a 100-yen coin from her wallet and placed it in my palm. As she did, she made sure to use a calculated touch, her left hand softly wrapping around the back of mine from below. Yeah, this guilt-free skinship isn't bad...
“Tch...”
...I thought I heard a tongue clicking, but it must have been my imagination.
“Ahem... So, what should I get?”
“Then, please buy me some chocolate! Sakosh, you'll eat some too, right?”
To Erina-san, who spoke with a sparkling smile, I interjected.
“No, Sako doesn't like chocolate that much, right?”
“Hoe? Is that so?”
Erina-san tilted her head while looking at Sako.
“Eh, I don't know.”
Sako also had a face that said 'What are you talking about?'
“What do you mean 'I don't know'... You said so before...”
“Wh— When... Ah.”
After thinking for a moment, it seemed to suddenly click for her.
“I might have... said that. You remembered that, Takuto?”
“I mean, why did you forget your own preference...”
When I looked at her with exasperated eyes, she looked away.
“Hmm...? More importantly, why are you grinning, Sakosh?”
“I'm not grinning.”
Doubt it. It was only by a fraction of a millimeter, but she was definitely grinning.
“Were you happy that Takuto-kun remembered something about you?”
“Shut up.”
“Ah— Well then, I'll go buy the chocolate...”
Feeling a bit awkward staying there, I walked toward the shop, recalling that day when Sako had mentioned she didn't like chocolate very much.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was during our third year of middle school.
The entrance exams for private high schools in Tokyo ended on February 10th, the results were announced three days later, and my admission to Musashino International High School was safely decided. This was the day after that.
Those of us who had applied to private schools were riding a rollercoaster of emotions based on our results, and since those applying for public schools still had exams ahead, we couldn't exactly make a fuss about passing or failing. I headed to school with a heavy heart, expecting a tense atmosphere of people feeling each other out, but instead, the classroom was filled with a different kind of restlessness than I had predicted.
I tilted my head, wondering what was going on as I entered the room.
When I took my seat—
“Takuto, morning.”
In the seat next to mine was Sako (15), a cool-type girl with black hair dressed in a sailor uniform, looking sleepy with large dark circles under her eyes.
“Oh, morning... What's up? Your eyes are only half-open...”
“...It's Takuto's fault.”
“Eh, why?”
“Everything.”
Sako-chan was in a bad mood. What the heck, when we saw the results together yesterday, she looked pretty happy for someone like her...
“Homeroom is starting.”
The homeroom teacher walked in right then, and our conversation was cut short.
I wondered what her deal was as I idly glanced at the date on the blackboard. There, written in white chalk, was February 14th.
“Ah...!”
That's right, today is Valentine's Day!
So that's why the atmosphere is like this! ...Wait, you public school applicants, focus on your exams.
...Then, did Sako stay up late making chocolate for me last night?
She's so dutiful every single year, I'm grateful... My face broke into a smile even though I hadn't even received anything yet.
I wondered when I would get it; my heart was racing. Before I knew it, I was completely swept up in the restless air of the classroom.
While I was wondering 'when' and 'how,' the lunch bell rang.
“Aoba—got a sec?”
“Hmm?”
Hinata Mizusawa and Aoba Nishiyama from the same class left the room together.
With that as a trigger, several girls in the class stood up one by one, heading toward the boys they liked to talk in hushed whispers, while those whose targets weren't in the same class left the room carrying small parcels.
Conversely, I could see some boys slumping over their desks because the girl they were interested in stood up but didn't come to them.
Looking at it objectively, there's a strange tension here equal to or greater than yesterday's exam results...
I suddenly got curious and glanced at Sako in the seat to my left.
“Whoa...”
She had her mouth hanging wide open.
“What's wrong...?”
When I spoke to her, her shoulders jumped with a start.
“I-It's nothing.”
She touched her hair as if trying to hide it.
Lunch break slipped away, and in no time, the closing homeroom began.
The homeroom teacher said—
“...Alright then, I'm going to conduct a surprise bag inspection of the boys' luggage.”
The moment those words were spoken, various parts of the classroom erupted in frantic noises. I even heard a mutter of "It's over..."
...I see! So Sako didn't hand it over because she foresaw this! As expected of someone who passed the exams!
“...Just kidding. It would be meaningless if I only did the boys' bags.”
The atmosphere in the classroom instantly relaxed at those words.
I couldn't tell if the teacher was being cool or just trying to score points, but the moment they announced—
“With that, homeroom is dismissed.”
“Later.”
Sako said only that and hurried out of the classroom.
...Huh?
I didn't get anything...
Feeling completely dejected, I trudged home. Seeing various couples looking happy together on the side of the road only added to my melancholy.
This feeling wasn't the kind of 'Normies explode' type of aggression toward others. It was just that I felt incredibly embarrassed for assuming I would get chocolate and getting my hopes up.
“I'm home...”
I opened the front door, but Yuzu, who had club activities, hadn't returned yet. I wonder if she'll give me chocolate when she gets back...
I sighed and flopped onto my back on the bed.
Then, it suddenly hit me that I was no longer an exam student.
Until yesterday, since there was a chance I could fail Musashino International, I had been studying for the public school exams, but now that I didn't need to study anymore, I didn't really know what to do with myself.
I pressed the button on the remote within reach and played the CD that was left in the stereo.
'Hey, is there even one thing that only I can do?'
Hey, is there even one person who will give me chocolate?
As I thought about such stupid things, I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Well, it's not actually that big of a deal...
Right, since the exams are over, maybe I'll try making a song like amane. There's no reason why I can't do the music she stopped making. I will inherit amane's will...! (Though she's probably still alive).
Motivated by the thought, I picked up my guitar. I plugged my headphones directly into the guitar and started searching for the first chord while playing at full blast.
By the time I lost track of how much time had passed, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Hyaah!?”
Since I thought no one was there, I was excessively startled and felt embarrassed by my voice cracking.
When I turned around, a girl with cat-like eyes and black hair was standing there.
“Sako...?”
When I took off my headphones—
“Takuto, what are you doing?”
She asked (probably).
“No, I was just playing guitar... Wait, how did you get in?”
“Yuzu let me in.”
“Ah, Yuzu's back...”
I didn't notice. Sorry for not saying 'welcome back,' my dear sister...
“Um... so, what's up...?”
When I turned back to Sako and asked, she said—
“Here.”
And held out a small parcel in front of me.
“Eh? What...?”
“Chocolate.”
“Chocolate!? Seriously!?”
“Shut up...”
Having chocolate suddenly presented to me when I thought I wouldn't get any, I accidentally shouted, and Sako covered her ears as if I were a nuisance.
“Whoa, I thought I wasn't getting any, thank you so much!”
“No, well, I didn't think you'd be that happy... I give you some every year...”
Sako had a bewildered expression.
“No, no, I thought there wouldn't be any this year! So you really did stay up late making it last night? Thanks!”
I spoke while unwrapping the package.
“Ah, no, last night, I didn't exactly make it... or rather, I made it in a rush just now...”
At her hesitant words, I stopped my hands and looked at Sako.
“Eh? Then why do you have dark circles under your eyes? You didn't sleep, right?”
When I asked that, she covered her mouth with the end of her long sleeve, looked slightly downward, and began to mumble.
“Yesterday was, well... the exam results...”
“Yes?”
“Because of the results, well, since we passed for the same high school, I started thinking about what high school would be like, what kind of things would happen, and then I couldn't sleep at all...”
“What's that, are you a kid before a field trip?”
Hmm?
“...And why is that my fault?”
The profile of Sako saying '...It's Takuto's fault' before homeroom this morning flashed through my mind.
“...Shut up, stupid Takuto.”
She looked away again, looking sullen.
“...Well, whatever. Is there anything you want for the White Day return gift? Chocolate?”
When I asked that, she looked like she was thinking for a moment before saying—
“No, chocolate... I don't like it that much, so... yakisoba from a food stall...”
“Huh, yakisoba? There aren't any festivals in spring.”
“Then... yakisoba bread.”
“...Well, if it's that, I can buy it at a convenience store, so that's fine.”
＊ ＊ ＊
The shop during lunch break is a huge success. Even after I finished reminiscing, I was still in the middle of the line. Ah, at times like this, I think... if I had wings, I could fly to the front of the line.
Come to think of it, we ended up having a falling out after that, and I never got to give her a return gift...
I see, I thought, and although I felt a bit bad leaving the line, I stepped out, grabbed one item, and joined the queue again.
“Takuto-kun, you're slow.”
The tyrant Erina-san complained after making me do her bidding. Well, I had to get back in line...
“Yes, yes, here's the chocolate you asked for.”
“Thanks! As expected of Takuto-kun!”
Being done in by this happy smile from a tyrant is just the fate of a man... Why is that? Even though her acting like a tyrant is clearly terrible. Is this the theory where a delinquent looks like a good guy if he picks up a stray dog...?
Phew.
I took a breath and placed one more thing on the table.
“...Sako, this.”
I put the yakisoba bread in front of Sako.
“Huh, what's this? You're giving it to me?”
“Well, yeah.”
Feeling embarrassed, I answered as bluntly as possible.
“Oh ho—? So you treat Sakosh! That's unfair!”
Erina-san accused me.
“No, it's not a treat... It's more like a return gift.”
“Hmm... but why yakisoba bread...?”
Leaving aside Erina-san, who was tilting her head, Sako stared at it for a while with a look of realization.
And then, after a short while—
“...You're way too late, stupid Takuto.”
She gave a clear, happy smile.