The cool wind of February dance past him and ruffled his hair. Kamiki Ryunosuke did his best wrapping his muffler around him and fixes his hair. But not long after, another wind brushed past, bringing his neat hair back to its unwanted position. Seeing it’s futile to do anything else, he just shrugs and struts out toward the back gate of the school, not caring about the strands of hair shielding his eyes.
Today is not the usual Monday; it is the Monday after Valentine’s Day. Since school was closed on Valentine, most students decided to give chocolates on the Monday after the weekend. Even though Horikoshi Gakuen is very strict on love between students, Valentine is a special exception where students can confess, hold hands, and talk to each others about the taboo subject of love without the scrutinizing eyes of the teachers. With the relaxed of the rules, most students will go all out for this special day.
Since Kamiki is a well-known, well liked actor with a handsome face, it’s only natural that girls will flocks to his side, fighting each others to give him a piece of chocolate, or to catch a glimpse of his smile and thank you. It’s also natural for him to find chocolate boxes of all sizes in his shoe locker, in his desk, etc… Unfortunately, what natural is perhaps not reality. No matter how many times he excitedly checks his shoe locker, or how many times he peeks into his desk, a wrapped box of chocolate did not appear. No matter how many girl’s turns his way as he walk to school and to class, none of them walk up to him, and none of them confess.
Even the thirteen girls in his class, all of them got a chance to fall in love with him through the 9 months plus or minus they’d been together, but all he got from them was just a measly piece of candy or a small bag of cookie and a casual smile as they exclaimed, (proudly, he might’ve add) “It’s giri-choco!”. One even went so far to give him a piece of mint, to which, Kamiki wasn’t sure if she’s trying to imply that he has bad breath or not. But that’s not the worst part. Even Shida Mirai, the girl whom he’d been closest to due to the 3 months they spent filming Tantei Gakuen Q together, passed him a plastic bag of 5 pieces of chocolate, before skipping to Yamada Ryosuke, also his costar, to give him a plastic bag of 10 pieces. It’s obvious to Kamiki where her heart really lies.
Kamiki sighs again at the injustice of Valentine’s Day and adjust his muffler. And here, he was expecting his high school Valentine experience would be better than his junior high. Dejectedly, he walks out of the back school gate. His disappointments clouded his mind, making him unable to see the figure hiding behind a nearby tree.
“Ptts! Kamiki-kun!”
Not hearing anything, Kamiki walked past the tree. Seeing this, the person quickly picks up a small twig and threw it at him to get his attention. The twig flew and landed onto the back of his head, caught between the layers of his mufflers, but it was too light to make an impact. Seeing this, the person giggles and tries to call out to Kamiki the second time, this time louder than the earlier.
“KA-MI-KI KUN!!!”
Finally catching his name, Kamiki turns back with a confuse expression. He looks around as he trying to find the person calling him. His eyes turn toward the tree, and he noticed someone behind the tree trying to wave him over.
“Who are you?” Kamiki asked as he takes a cautious step toward the tree. The figure takes a step forward, revealing to Kamiki a girl with black framed glasses. Her uniform was covered by her gray coat, and her face was covered by a white face mask. It was obvious to Kamiki from her clothing that she wasn’t a student from his school. ‘Perhaps she’s a fan?’ Kamiki thought as a corner of his mouth quickly raised.
“Ah!” The girl points at him accusingly, “You just thought I was probably one of your fans didn’t you?” Kamiki’s face blushed by her words. The girl sighs again before removing her face mask, revealing a friend he hasn’t see for a long time.
“Mayuko-chan?” Kamiki asked. Fukuda Mayuko smiles and nodded. It had been a few years since they worked together for the movie Little DJ. Her hair had grown and she also gotten a bit taller, but her smile is the same as always.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well you know,” Mayuko grin sheepishly, “Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and all.” Kamiki nods at each of her words, still wondering why she walked all this way to his school and waited for him just because it’s Valentine’s Day.
‘Wait a minute,’ as if lightning struck him, Kamiki stares at the girl, ‘Did she walk all this way just to see me? Is she giving me chocolate? Does this means, she… l... li… like me? Could this possibly be… a confession?’
As he’d expected, Mayuko reaches into her school bag and takes out a box, wrapped in beautiful shiny paper with a bow on top. Her face turns a deep shade of red as she brings it toward Kamiki. “That’s why…” Mayuko smiles shyly.
Kamiki stares at the box, his face blushed with bashfulness mixed with incredible happiness. It’s not his first time getting confessed to, as he was a bit popular during his junior high years. But most of the confessions are from people that he doesn’t really know, so it was normal for him to reject them. This time, it was from Mayuko. She, who always says that she hasn’t yet experience love, who would eagerly listen to everyone talks about their own love stories, and who would wistfully sighs while wishing for her own. Is it possible that she too had fallen into the web of love? And the person whose affection she held for is none other than him, Kamiki Ryunosuke? Is it alright for him to accept it? As her first love?
Kamiki lift his gaze toward Mayuko. It was his first time seeing her like this. Compared to the cheerful Mayuko, this shy and timid Mayuko exudes a feminine charm that he can’t help but fall for. Not sure when, she had became a little bit more beautiful in his eyes. Kamiki smiles as he makes up his mind.
“Thank you very much!”
“Please pass it to Ohgo Suzuka-chan for me!”
In both their embarrassment, Kamiki and Mayuko blurted out at the same time. But as the other’s word reach each of their ears; they turn to each other in confusion.
“Huh?” Mayuko was the first to speaks, “What do you mean by ‘thank you very much?’” She held on to the box tightly.
Kamiki just stares at her silently, already realized that he misunderstood her intention.
“Did you think this was for you?” Mayuko laugh as she pointed to the box. The shy and timid Mayuko was now gone, and she was reverted back to the normal Mayuko.
“Then why did you wait for me?” Kamiki asked.
“No no,” Mayuko shakes her head, “I think you’re mistaken. I didn’t want the security guard at the front gate to shoo me away, that’s why I’m waiting at the back gate. You’re just happened to be the person I saw that knows Suzu-chan.”
“So it was purely by chance.” Kamiki sighs; almost cursing at the coincidence as Mayuko innocently nods her head.
“So, can you please?” Mayuko pushes the box onto him and held her hands together in a begging stance. Having no other choice, Kamiki nods and turns back toward the school, where the class representative, Ohgo Suzuka, is still working on some after school duties.
“Wait!” Mayuko grabs onto his arm before Kamiki could walk away. He turns toward her, wondering what other messages she wants him to pass to Ohgo, but she just reaches her hand inside her coat pocket and take out something.
“Here, this is for you!” Mayuko handed him a heart-shape chocolate wrapped in plastic wrap with a red bow on top. He looks up to her as she blushes, “Don’t be mistaken. This is just left over chocolates I made from the batch. I was about to save it, but since you’re helping me, I’ll give it to you. It’s giri-choco! Giri-choco!”
“I see…” Kamiki tried his best to smile, “Thank you for the chocolate.” He turns to leave again but Mayuko pulled him back again. She quickly reaches behind him, and pulled something out from his muffler.
“What are you disappointed for?” Mayuko pouts as she handed him the twig, “It might be a coincidence, but it’s perhaps also fate that I met you instead of someone else. You’re getting my handmade chocolate, you should be happier!” And then, like an older sister taking her younger brother to school on his first day, she pats his head before pushing Kamiki toward the back gate of the school.
Kamiki take a few steps forward before turning back to the waving Mayuko.
“Itterasshai!” Mayuko called to him.
Kamiki awkwardly waves back to her and walk inside his school. As he passes the school gate, Kamiki slowly gazes down toward the items in his hand. Staring thoughtfully at the twig and the chocolate that Mayuko gave him just now; he suddenly noticed a piece of paper sticking behind the chocolate. Turning the chocolate around, his eyes widen as he read the tiny print.
It simply says: To Kamiki-kun
“Coincidence, huh...” a smile slowly spread across his face as he holds the chocolate tightly in his hand.
Kamiki looks toward his school and unconsciously he begins to skip as he heads to where Ohgo Suzuka is.
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Omake:
“I wonder why Kamiki-kun was so happy while delivering fan chocolate to Suzuka-chan.” Shida Mirai whispered as she secretly watches Kamiki happily skipping away from the classroom after finishing his job as a messenger.
“Maybe he likes her. I don’t know.” Yamada Ryosuke shrugs before showing Shida the bag of chocolates he got from her, “That’s not the problem! How come Kamiki got better chocolates than me?”
“What are you talking about?” Shida sighs exasperatedly, not wanting to go back to this subject again, “You got 10 pieces! That’s more than Kamiki-kun.” Yamada has been pestering her about the chocolates she gave him ever since school’s out. When she saw Kamiki running up to Suzuka, Shida was happy that she was able to change the topic, but it seems to be no avail.
“Hmph,” Yamada crossed his arms, “I noticed there’s a chocolate that shaped like strawberry in Kamiki’s stash. That’s not fair!”
“Are you saying there’s something wrong with my heart chocolates?” it was Shida’s turn to pout, “It’s just one piece, what are you so annoyed about?”
“I want that strawberry!” Yamada exclaimed, “You know I like strawberry. Why didn’t you put it in my stash?”
“Fine, I’ll remember it next year.” Shida glares at Yamada, “I’ll give you a bunch of strawberry chocolates, and save the hearts one for Kamiki-kun. Happy?” With that she quickly walks away leaving Yamada quietly thinking about what she just said.
After a minute, Yamada rushed toward her, displeasure plasters across his face.
“Wait!” Yamada calls after her, “I don’t like that either!”