(Scary, scary…)
Feeling a slight sense of fear towards Arisa, Yuzuru hurried into the bathroom.
He felt like a husband who’d just been caught cheating by his wife.
Of course, he hadn’t cheated—this wasn’t even his fault.
Taking the box out of his bag, he carefully unwrapped it and looked inside.
(As expected… handmade chocolate.)
It was a heart-shaped, very typical homemade chocolate.
He checked the inside of the box—
No letter, no message.
“Still no sender, huh…”
After confirming there was nothing to identify the giver, Yuzuru looked at his phone.
There were already two messages—
No, three, as another arrived just as he checked.
Did you open it?
What was inside?
Do you know who it’s from?
…What exactly do you plan to do if you find out who gave it to me?
Surely Arisa wouldn’t do anything to the girl.
…At least, he wanted to believe that.
But judging by how strongly she reacted to the idea of a “mystery love chocolate,” he couldn’t be entirely certain.
…Though, this side of her is kind of cute.
That level of jealousy just meant she liked him that much.
And honestly, he understood the feeling.
If Arisa received a love letter from someone, he wouldn’t be able to ignore it either.
I still don’t know who it’s from.
For now, he sent a message to reassure her.
The reply came instantly.
Could you show me a photo?
In other words, Her Highness Arisa wished for visual confirmation.
Yuzuru had nothing to hide, and there was nothing inappropriate inside—
(Though, what kind of gift would even be a problem to show?)
So he simply took a photo and sent it.
After a short while, a reply came.
It’s handmade.
Then another, almost immediately.
I think that’s dangerous.
You shouldn’t eat something if you don’t know who made it.
There’s no guarantee it’s hygienic.
On the surface, she sounded concerned for his safety—
But it was obvious she was telling him not to eat it out of jealousy and possessiveness.
(So she’s like this too…)
No—
This was probably her true self.
A girl with strong jealousy and possessiveness, usually kept in check.
I understand. Don’t worry.
Yuzuru replied.
If it had been store-bought, he would’ve eaten it—wasting food felt wrong.
If he knew the sender and trusted them, he would’ve eaten homemade too.
And if there had been a letter confessing feelings, he would’ve met the girl and given a proper response.
Even if Arisa told him not to.
Because he believed—
You accept what you’re given, and you respond properly.
That was basic courtesy.
But—
Anonymous, homemade chocolate was different.
As Arisa said, there were hygiene concerns.
And more importantly—
He didn’t know what might be inside.
In fact, his parents had strictly told him—
“Never eat something if you don’t know who made it.”
The Takasegawa family, for better or worse, held significant power.
Which meant they had enemies.
Some might hold grudges.
Others might benefit from their downfall.
And if Yuzuru died, the position of heir would open up.
There might be people who wanted that.
…Of course, it wasn’t like his life was constantly in danger.
And no one would likely attempt something so careless.
Still—
It was better to be cautious.
Anonymous food was risky.
So, though he felt bad for whoever made it—
He couldn’t eat it.
Whether Arisa wanted him to or not.
I’ve been told by my parents not to eat things when I don’t know who made them.
I see. That’s a relief.
Arisa seemed reassured.
Yuzuru let out a breath too.
…And once he relaxed, a bit of irritation crept in.
He hadn’t done anything wrong.
So why did he feel like he’d been scolded?
Her jealousy was cute—
But there were limits.
After all, gifts are best given in person.
Feeling a slight urge to push back, Yuzuru sent that message.
Of course, he meant to nudge her about her Valentine’s chocolate.
But—
“…Huh?”
Five minutes passed.
No reply.
She’d read it—
And ignored him.
(…Did I make her angry?)
Anxiety crept in.
The rest of lunch passed in a haze.
No reply.
No chocolate.
Before he knew it, homeroom had ended.
(…No way I go the whole day without getting anything.)
He’d been certain Arisa would give him something.
Not getting it stung.
And more importantly—
No chocolate meant no natural way to return the favour on White Day.
Which meant reworking his entire plan.
“…Well, it can’t be helped.”
After homeroom, Yuzuru stood and muttered to himself.
No use staying down.
Even if he didn’t get it at school, he might later.
It was too early to give up.
At the very least, he knew she had prepared something.
Worst case—
He could just ask her for it himself.
Thinking that, he picked up his bag and moved to leave—
“Yuzuru-san!!!”
A clear, beautiful voice called out.
Turning around—
There she was.
The girl he loved.
Yukishiro Arisa.
She stood there, clutching something to her chest, head lowered.
“…Arisa?”
When he called out to her, she slowly raised her face.
It was bright red.
“Here… please take this. It’s nothing special, but—please accept it!!”
In one motion, she thrust the small, neatly wrapped package she’d been holding into his hands.
“Th-then… goodbye!!”
Before he could even thank her, she turned and ran.
Her figure quickly grew distant—
And vanished from sight.
“…Well, this is awkward.”
Now under the full attention of the class—
Yuzuru scratched his cheek, his own face burning red.
