Chapter 195: Not Quite as Imagined
Akishin arrived at school in the morning and found that the atmosphere had shifted. The male students were averting their eyes, occasionally stealing glances at the girls they liked before quickly looking away for fear of being caught; the female students were wearing wide smiles, occasionally whispering secrets to their friends, their faces flushed and excited.
Even the girls who were usually the most laid-back had become significantly more bashful today, their cuteness factor seemingly jumping by five hundred points. The entire school felt as though it were permeated with the scent of chocolate.
Akishin looked at Shizuka, then offered a small smile: "Shizuka, when are you planning to give me some chocolate? I've never actually received any before." In the span of three lifetimes, this was his first time having a lover, and his first time receiving chocolate. Although the battles in the Patch Space had made it difficult for his emotions to fluctuate, at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
"Never received any?" Shizuka's attention latched onto something else entirely. She sharply picked up on that last sentence and asked: "Didn't you have an ex-girlfriend, that Miss Nakamura? She never sent you any?" As a girlfriend, sending chocolate on Valentine's Day was practically an obligation—even if there was no literal compulsion, there wasn't any for an engagement ring either!
Why bring that up? Akishin's expression froze. How was he supposed to know if Nakamura Kyoko had ever sent Valentine's chocolate to the original owner of this body? But as far as his own experience went...
"Not even once? Not a single piece?"
Akishin shook his head firmly, issuing a double denial.
"Really? You're not just saying that to coax me, are you?" Shizuka looked at Akishin with a playful smile. Just as Akishin was about to protest, Shizuka smiled sweetly again: "There's no need to explain. Even if you were lying to me, it's fine. I'm happy to be the first woman to give you chocolate..."
"...I really haven't ever received any."
Akishin explained once more. The implication behind Shizuka's words was that she still didn't quite believe him. Indeed, in a place like Japan, how could someone who once had a girlfriend never have received chocolate?
Shizuka covered her mouth and giggled: "Yes, yes, I know, I believe you." She did believe him, without a doubt; she had just been teasing him a moment ago. Why wouldn't she believe him? Akishin had never lied to her.
The dawn light illuminated Shizuka's face. Amidst the blurred shadows, her features looked incredibly soft. Akishin was dazed for a moment. He reached out his hand and said gently: "Shizuka, just give it to me directly."
"Give you what?"
"The chocolate!"
Akishin felt like Shizuka was just being shy.
Shizuka refused: "There isn't any. It's not made yet. I'll make some for you directly when we get home later."
"?" Akishin said, sounding confused: "That's not right! Yesterday when I was sleeping, I still heard noises coming from the kitchen. This morning when I went in there, I could still smell the aroma of chocolate."
Last night, after he had gone to bed past midnight, he had heard the sound of Shizuka opening the door. A few minutes later, the sound of a metal bowl hitting the floor echoed from the kitchen, followed by Shizuka's startled cry.
Initially, he wanted to go out and check, but then it occurred to him that tomorrow was Valentine's Day. Shizuka was likely making chocolate for him!
With a heart full of expectation, he lay back down and fell asleep not long after. He didn't know when Shizuka finally went to bed. When he woke up the next morning, the kitchen had been cleaned and the trash bag replaced, but the sweet scent of chocolate still lingered.
He had been looking forward to this since the moment they left the house today.
Like a little girl caught in a lie, Shizuka's face instantly turned bright red. She nearly jumped, staring at him with a mix of anger and embarrassment before shouting her denial: "There isn't any! You definitely misheard yesterday. I went to sleep very early. If you want chocolate, just wait. I'll make it for you when we get home..."
After saying that, Shizuka tucked her document bag under her arm and brushed past Akishin, heading into the school building first—Dammit, he still heard it? Even though she had been so careful... was it because of that bowl she accidentally dropped?
Akishin was right; Shizuka had indeed gone downstairs last night to make chocolate. Originally, she thought she would finish the chocolate at night and then give it to Akishin the next morning to give him a big surprise.
She had very seriously planned the timing, calculating the window when Akishin usually slept deeply, then quietly got up, went to the kitchen, and brought out the high-quality chocolate she had bought beforehand.
Even though Shizuka could cook and her skills were decent, this was her first time making chocolate. Although it was just melting it down and pouring it into molds—adding at most a bit of her own creativity—problems still arose, turning the kitchen into a total mess.
Where exactly did the problem lie? She had followed the instructions on the internet perfectly!
The resulting chocolate was pitch black, looked terrible, and tasted awful. She truly didn't have the face to give it to Akishin. Except for one piece she was carrying with her now, the rest had been thrown away.
It was decided: when they got home later, she'd let Akishin watch her make it, then give it to him the moment it was finished. If he didn't come to help, she wouldn't give him any this year. Shizuka thought to herself, clenching her small fists.
The students who happened to be arriving at school turned their heads in surprise. Akishin felt puzzled and confused, yet his face maintained a warm smile. He gave a slight nod to the students and followed into the school building.
Shizuka sat at her desk preparing teaching materials. Akishin came by to greet her briefly, and Shizuka responded as sweetly as usual. Akishin felt as if her angry and embarrassed expression from earlier had been nothing but an illusion.
Valentine's Day wasn't just a celebration for students; it was a major event for society at large. Lights turned red, and advertisements, banners, and decorations for Valentine's Day were everywhere on the streets, as if the entire world were required to dive headfirst into a romantic atmosphere.
Japanese people were very fond of adopting things from others. For instance, regarding festivals, aside from the few traditional ones, the rest came from abroad and were celebrated with great fanfare. Take Valentine's Day, which originated in Italy; then there was Christmas, Halloween; and even more impressively, China's National Day. Every October 1st, major shopping malls in Japan would hold events to celebrate it, while their own National Day wasn't celebrated nearly as much.
After the second period ended, various messages popped up on the school's internal chat network: Shimamura confessed to Sato, Honda gave Honmei chocolate to Kumano, Aozawa and Morisaki successfully held hands, and various other updates...
To be clear, these weren't things Akishin was seeing; rather, it was Shizuka beside him, peering at her phone and muttering the messages aloud with great excitement. As a teacher, she had actually snuck into the students' network...
Akishin: "..."
This was his lover, his soon-to-be wife, the person he would spend the rest of his life with. So, at a time like this, what was he supposed to say?
Akishin glanced at the other teachers. One look and he realized things were dire; basically every one of them was holding a phone. There was no need to ask what they were looking at, it was just that they weren't being as blatant about it as Shizuka.
Shizuka was likely muttering those things specifically for him to hear.
—Teachers had also gone through high school. During festivals like this, they actually felt quite happy too. There was no ulterior motive; perhaps there were even well-wishes involved. Of course, they might also be performing a bit of "law enforcement," checking to see if the prize pupils in their care were being led astray by some "swine."
By noon, Shizuka left Akishin to go gossip and share secrets with the other female teachers.
Akishin went to find Hachiman, but Hachiman declined.
"I'm having my bento with Yui."
Hachiman gave a warm smile; he was clearly very happy. He had received Honmei chocolate from Yui early that morning, even if he'd nearly ended up in the hospital after eating it. This was the first time he'd received chocolate from someone other than Komachi on Valentine's Day, and it was Honmei at that; besides, he had also received plenty of other Giri chocolates.
Akishin: "..."
Why wasn't this Valentine's Day anything like what he had imagined?
...
Under a large tree at the corner of the school building, Akishin set down his bento box. Swallowing the last bite of food, he pulled out a cigarette he hadn't touched in a long time and lit it. He exhaled the smoke slowly. Through the drifting haze, he watched the enthusiastic students on the sports field as if he were in a completely different world. (Laughs)
~(￣▽￣~)~
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