“It’s so coooold!”
The unrelenting wind that was howling on a chilly winter’s day in February was not an abnormal phenomenon to be sure, but that didn’t subtract from the frigid temperatures piercing through the bare legs of the girls at Haneoka Girls’ High School. Goosebumps quickly formed on the exposed limbs with no sign of subsiding, while everyone rushed inside the front doors of the school as fast as their chilly legs would allow. Many whined and complained about the biting cold, but... none whined quite like Himari did.
Her sobs sharply pierced through the ears of her friends who made no attempt to console her distress.
“You’re all so mean to me…” She grumbled between her bouts of shivering and high pitched whimpers, all in an attempt to garner sympathy from her friends—but she did so to no avail.
“It’s not that bad Himari.” Ran sighed, marching on without complaint on route to the entrance of her school.
“Shouldn’t you be used to these temperatures by now? You’ve lived here all your life…”
Himari puffed her cheeks out in frustration, unable to believe her friends cared so little about her freezing predicament! She is so cold! Shouldn't everyone be offering to huddle up together in warmth!?
That’s what you all should be doing but you’re mean!
Upon finally reaching the entrance of Haneoka, Ran flung open the doors as her friends trailed not far behind her. Tomoe quickly grabbed hold of one of the swinging doors for her friends behind her—a small gesture in their morning routine that never ceased in all their years together. Tsugumi and Moca skipped through the door like nothing was any different than the day before, and never would be. Tsugumi giggled at the goofy face Moca was making—a face that annoyed Ran just moments ago. Ran herself was busy shuffling through her locker, ignoring Moca’s teasing, and Himari was...
Moping.
She trudged along just a few feet from the entrance, her arms placed carelessly behind her back. Her eyes were downcast as she slowly walked forward, and her hair fluttered in the chilly breeze that she was vehemently complaining about just moments earlier.
Tomoe couldn’t stop herself from grinning as she watched Himari sulk and blunder her way towards the doors. She shook her head, yelling for her to quicken her pace, lest she be late for class.
“Maybe I wanna be late, just like I wanna be cold!”
She stuck her tongue out like a child throwing a tantrum—her eyes misty and her hands balled into tight fists. Despite being such a frequent reaction of a distressed Himari, it always made Tomoe’s heart warm. It’s just so cute.
She couldn’t stifle a giggle, and began walking towards Himari. She allowed the door to shut gently behind her, and undid the zipper of her coat jacket. She stretched her arms forward, mimicking a hugging gesture.
“If you’re really that cold then come warm up in my jacket!”
Himari’s eyes lit up at Tomoe’s words, her pupils now sparkling.
Tomoe…!
…It’s not like this wasn’t a normal occurrence, but it always made Himari leap for joy every time anyway. She’s so predictable that way.
Himari ran as fast as her frigid legs would allow, all but leaping into Tomoe’s snug jacket. She wrapped her arms around her waist and nestled her face into her shoulder for optimal warmth. So cozy…
Tomoe chuckled at the powerful clutch around her waist, contently wrapping her jacket as thoroughly around Himari as she could. Her heart fluttered exponentially from such a swift embrace, drumming an accelerated rhythm in her chest. Her rosy cheeks warmed as she nestled her chin on top of Himari’s head—her wispy hair tickling her nose.
...W-wait, we’re going to be late for class!!
Quickly shifting her head back up, Tomoe released her hold around Himari and swiftly pulled her inside the school doors after her.
“T-Tomoeeee, why…!!” Himari whined, shaken up at such abrupt movements.
“We’re going to be late for class!” Tomoe exclaimed, hurriedly grabbing Himari by the hand to rush to their homeroom.
“Let’s go!”
Immediately feeling the squeeze of Tomoe’s hand that gripped her own in a tight clasp, Himari could feel the aggressive pull of her arm take over her. By the time she snapped out of the sudden trance she found herself in, she was mere inches from her classroom… but Himari couldn’t find it in her to complain.
Her mind was too focused on the soft squeeze of Tomoe’s hand.
Though the day had just started, Himari was finding it so hard to focus that morning—more than usual anyway! Classes up until lunch break were so tedious and so boring that it became even more difficult to concentrate than expected. Maybe the cold was starting to affect her too much…
Her thoughts now stuck on the chill that relentlessly ran down her legs, Himari found herself fondly replaying the morning’s events in her head. The warm comfort of Tomoe’s jacket just moments earlier tickled her chest, a shy smile sneaking its way onto her lips. She remembered the faint smell of her cologne that filled her nostrils during the embrace… Simply remembering the earthy fragrance immediately filled Himari with a gentle warmth. Her body slumped in her seat, which only made her lose even more concentration.
Before she had time to fully realize, morning classes were finally over. Himari was startled out of her daze when her cell phone vibrated in her jacket pocket, indicating she had a new text message.
‘Happy Valentine’s Day, Himari-chan! I have prepared you a box of bouquet of flowers for such an occasion… do you perchance have time set aside this luncheon?’
“Kaoru-senpai…!”
Himari paused, looking down at her school bag that rested under her desk. Poking out of its zipper was a clumsily wrapped box of chocolates. This valentine’s Afterglow had decided to hold a chocolates exchange together—an exchange that was taking place during lunch break. This lunch break! Himari desperately wanted to accept Kaoru’s gift, but…
‘i’m so sorry kaoru-senpai!! (´；ω；`) i have a super important lunch with my friends right now!!! ；(＞△＜)；can we meet just before lunch ends?’
Just as she was sending the message to her dashing senpai, Himari suddenly felt a hand pat the back of her head. She jerked back to catch the sneaky perpetrator, only to meet with Moca’s chipper face.
“M-Moca!?” She exclaimed.
“Why did you scare me like that!?”
Moca grinned, her brows furrowing together. “You seemed so distracted, Hii-chan~”
Himari glanced back down at her phone upon hearing it vibrate once again. but Moca swiftly moved her face in front of her phone to make a point.
“Moca-chan wanted to make sure you didn’t forget about lunch. You wouldn’t wanna miss out on sweets, would you~?”
“I-I didn’t forget!!” Himari stammered, quickly standing up from her seat.
“I just got a text—”
Suddenly, both Moca and Himari heard a commotion out in the hallway. All they could pick up was Tomoe’s boisterous voice echoing in the hallway and piercing into the classroom. Outside of that, there seemed to be numerous unknown voices that she was likely talking to.
There was what sounded like a wave of giggles and squeals erupting outside.
I nearly forgot this happens every Valentine’s… haha...
“Tomo-chin is so popular with all the girls…” Moca groaned.
“I wish she would share her chocolate with Moca-chan.”
Himari failed to repress a miffed frown, despite her best efforts. She bent over to pick up her school bag, and began following Moca outside of the classroom. The two shuffled by Tomoe without notice, making their way up the nearby stairs and to the rooftop.
...Tomoe was still so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of chocolates she was receiving that she didn’t even notice her friends pass right by her.
On the roof, both Ran and Tsugumi sat comfortably, despite the increasing cold and chilly winds. Their backs rested against a brick wall that was located just to the left of the entrance, sheltering them from most of the frigid breeze. They each had their own unique boxes of chocolates sitting beside them while they ate their bento.
Tusgumi though, she couldn’t stop glancing towards the door that led out onto the rooftop.
“Did something happen…? Tomoe-chan is usually a bit late, but—”
She was cut off abruptly by the sound of said door flinging open, slamming against the brick wall. The sound startled both Ran and Tsugumi—the former fumbling her chopsticks, dropping a mouthful of rice on the ground. The sides of her mouth too became sprinkled with a few grains that managed to stick.
Shortly after such a loud clammer, a disgruntled Himari and a chipper Moca gradually walked forwards. Moca quickly picked up her pace to skip ahead and sit down beside Ran, licking the side of her face that had rice stuck to it.
“M-Moca!” Ran panicked, shoving her arms in front of her to dissuade Moca from any further stupid action.
“Don’t do that!” She yelled, her face now flushing.
Moca only smiled slyly, licking her lips before munching on her own food.
Himari flopped down beside Tsugumi, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder while still pouting. Tsugumi simply giggled, patting the top of Himari’s unkempt hair before continuing her lunch.
Her pouting face quickly turned into a delighted smile upon taking notice of all of her friend’s boxes of chocolates, all safely resting by their sides. She quickly brushed off all of the insecure feelings floating around in her head, taking delight in the strong bonds forged between all of them.
Lifting her head up, Himari placed her own box of chocolates beside her and started eating. Next to the box of chocolates, her school bag sat with its zipper left ajar. There was still one more gift inside—in what appeared to be a hand wrapped plastic bag.
Who could it be for, I wonder?
Not long after, Tomoe emerged from the nearby entrance. In her school bag that hung over her shoulder was an overflowing amount of chocolates. Boxes, wrapped candies, plastic bags; even fancy shapes of all sorts. She just kept getting more every year… why her, anyway? Is it because she helped play taiko at numerous festivals…? Well, whatever!
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” She apologized, throwing her bag down beside Moca and immediately collapsing into the solid wall behind her.
Tomoe then sighed, clumsily taking out a box of chocolates from the front pocket of her bag and placing it on the other side of her.
Her friends couldn’t help laughing at her exasperation, and teased her about it viciously.
“You’re such a heartthrob, Tomo-chin! Share some of that chocolate with Moca-chan~” Moca teased, attempting to steal a wrapped chocolate that had dropped out of her friend’s bag.
Tomoe immediately swatted Moca away with her hand, glaring at her while still chewing on the fish cake she eagerly shoved in her mouth just moments earlier. Moca whined, simply agonizing over how hungry she is!
...Meanwhile her mouth was still full of rice.
Everyone laughed in unison, individually enjoying the chaos that reigned amid their usually mundane lunch break. It didn’t take long until they were each finished eating, allowing them to finally begin with the awaited chocolates exchange.
Himari was in charge of organizing such an event of course, and as such she asked her friends to sit in a circle. The circle was… vastly uncircular. Is it even round at this point? Who knows. ...Disregarding such trife information, she instructed everyone to place their boxes of chocolate in the middle of the circle.
“How does this work again…? Can’t Moca-chan just eat it all?” Moca complained.
“Moca-chan…” Tsugumi laughed, the last to place her chocolate in the middle.
“Everyone gets their own, no cheating!”
Moca groaned, meanwhile Ran couldn’t help but to sigh. She shook her head, clarifying with Himari how this exchange was to work.
“We each had someone to give chocolate to, right? How does that work if all of it is in the middle…”
Himari giggled, placing a hand on Ran’s shoulder, who was sitting right next to her. “We drew numbers to decide who gives first! Don’t you remember?”
Ran nodded, as if affirming that she now remembered how they were to go about this.
“Okay!” Himari exclaimed, placing her hands on her knees.
“Who was number one?”
“Oh, that’s me!” Tsugumi brightly answered, raising an arm into the air out of habit.
Himari nodded, gesturing for Tsugumi to grab her box from the pile.
“Give it to your partner then, Tsugu!”
Tsugumi hesitated momentarily, but gradually took a heart shaped box from the top of the pile. It was a deep maroon in colour, with a neatly woven white bow on the right side. She sat back down in her position, holding the box to her chin timidly.
Before she allowed herself to become even more embarrassed, she turned to Ran who sat directly across from her. She held out the box for her, her arms outstretched. She smiled shyly at Ran’s face that had suddenly become so flushed.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Ran-chan!” She proclaimed, her smile radiating such genuine warmth—as it always did.
Ran reached out her arms to take hold of her gift, covering her blushing face immediately after her hands took hold of the box. She mumbled a timid ‘thank you’ while the rest moved on to the next person.
“Okay!” Himari again asserted.
“Who is number two then?”
The exchange was such a hit! Everyone was so happy with their chocolates, and nothing went too awry for once—well unless you count Moca trying to eat everyone’s chocolates after it was all over. But that’s just typical Moca.
Himari was relieved seeing the smiles and giggles of her friends. She was so grateful she was able to pull this off, that she almost completely forgot—
“Oh!” She exclaimed, feeling the buzz of her cellphone. She couldn’t believe she nearly forgot about Kaoru!
“I’m sorry everyone, I promised Kaoru-senpai I’d meet her before lunch is over…”
Tomoe laughed, flashing Himari a cheery grin. “I’m sure Seta-senpai is looking forward to seeing you! Lunch break is almost over so you should probably hurry.”
Himari nodded, quickly messaging her senpai a location to meet at. “Right…! Thank you everyone, this year was a success!”
Moca shot Himari a glare, her lips pursed. “You’re not allowed to share your chocolate from Moca-chan with her!”
Himari laughed, assuring Moca she’d do no such thing.
She quickly picked up her school bag from beside her, the plastic still poking through the zipper. She took notice on her way inside of the school, tucking it away and fastening the zipper.
Quickening her walking speed, Himari met Kaoru’s glance at the bottom of the stairs. The girl had an extravagant bouquet of pink roses clutched in her hands…
Are those really for me!?
“Himari-chan!” Kaoru exclaimed, releasing one of her hands from the bouquet to stretch it towards Himari in a rather dramatic manner—as to be expected from her, really.
“I feared you would not make it…”
Himari fumbled down the stairs as quickly as she could, hopping down from the last step with the aid of Kaoru’s soft hand. Her cheeks flushed at the sight before her, admiring the charming demeanor of her senpai.
“I’m sorry, Kaoru-senpai!” She apologized, tucking some tufts of hair behind her ear. She clutched her school bag that hung over her shoulder, nervously squeezing the straps together.
“Are those… for me…?” She asked timidly, looking in the direction of the roses that Kaoru still held in one of her hands.
Kaoru smiled, folding both of her hands around the cluster of stems. She gently held out the bouquet in front of her, indicating that they were meant for Himari to take hold of. The bouquet was wrapped in a flimsy, rose pink foil with golden adornments lacing around its centre. It was truly befitting of Kaoru to so carefully choose the most apt colour combination, but it surprised Himari despite such knowledge. She did just as was expected of her, delicately gripping the bouquet in her hands.
She took a moment to let the fragrant aroma fill her nostrils, a shy smile adorning her lips in the following moments. It was genuinely such a thoughtful gift, and Himari relished in it.
Her shy smile then turned into an exuberant one, clutching the bouquet even more tightly in her trembling hands. Her heart skipped at the soft kindness now being shown to her.
“Thank you, Kaoru-senpai! I’ll treasure them…”
After such a show of gratitude, Himari carefully moved of her hands to reach into the front pocket of her school bag. There, she pulled out a small, intricate plastic wrapping. She reached out her hand to Kaoru, showing her the small chocolate candies buried in its pouch.
“This is for you!” She declared, a sheepish grin on her face.
“Happy Valentine’s Day!”
Kaoru graciously took the gift, smiling upon receiving such a thoughtful present. She thanked Himari with a show of dramatic gratitude, but found herself stopping upon taking notice of her friend’s now changed demeanor.
It took her a moment to dawn on her, but Himari slowly came to realize that now may be a prime opportunity to ask for some advice…
Before Kaoru could mutter a word, Himari beckoned her to wait. Her lips quivered, but she did not waver.
“Can I… ask you something?”
“Hm?” Kaoru asked, intrigued.
“What could be the matter my little kitten?”
Himari swallowed the knot her throat, trying to calm her accelerated heart rate. “Um…! I know you get so many chocolates on Valentine’s, but… do you remember everyone who gives them to you? Is just one more person going to feel like a burden, even if they’re your close friend?”
“Hm… I believe I understand.” Kaoru replied, holding her chin between her thumb and index finger.
“Himari-chan, I endeavour to never forget a single person’s gracious gift on this day. However… those to whom I hold the dearest are the ones I treasure most. It is never a burden to receive them from anyone, but perhaps even more so from my precious friends.”
She paused, attempting to deliver her next lines carefully. “I can only imagine this is regarding Tomoe-chan. I implore you not to ponder so heavily on this way of thinking. She will treasure your gift even more than others, simply because it is from you. Besides…”
Kaoru trailed off, failing to keep her composure over what she would say next. “Receiving chocolates from those we treasure deepest… will never fail to melt our hearts the most steadfastly.”
“I… exchanged chocolates with Kanon before school started—”
Himari giggled, entertained by just how quickly Kaoru’s disposition changed when talking about Kanon. “I think I understand, Kaoru-senpai. I-I’ll do my best!!”
Her ears now flushed cherry red, Himari fastened her fingers around the stems of her bouquet once more. She was a bit embarrassed Kaoru saw through her questioning so easily, but was also quite chipper knowing her feelings were so evident.
She thanked her senpai, turning in the direction of her classroom so as to make it back before lunch break ended.
I can do this…!
The rest of the school day went by as normal, but for Himari it was a test of her resolve. She tried to calm her nerves and ignore the jittering sensations in her chest, but it proved soooo difficult…
By the time classes were finally over, Himari felt as if her chest was going to implode. Still, she was determined in her cause! After clumsily picking up her school bag, she moved to holler at Tomoe but was met with even more girls giving her chocolates in the classroom. Isn't that a bit much? Shouldn’t that stay outside of class?
In an instant, Himari felt the entirety of the fierce courage she had built up all afternoon waver. Her shoulders drooped, while her tanacious heartbeat completely sank. She told herself that it didn’t matter, that what Kaoru told her would hold true! Tomoe would be so happy to receive her chocolates… right? Of course she will! Th-there’s no way she wouldn’t…
Himari bit her lip, marching towards Tomoe’s desk that she was still sitting at when approached by the girls. She shuffled towards the back of her chair, disregarding the girls completely. She leaned down to softly whisper a few choice words into her ear.
“Meet me on the rooftop when you’re done.”
Before Tomoe could fully react to Himari’s statement, she was already out of the classroom and headed towards the stairs that led to the rooftop. Tomoe could only manage to stare dumbfoundedly at the open door that led into the hallway. She apologized to the girls for averting her attention, thanking them wholeheartedly for their gifts.
“I need to meet someone really important right now, I’m sorry. I’ve enjoyed meeting you all, and thank you for the chocolates!”
She wished them well on their respective trips home, and darted to the rooftop as fast she could—praying Himari hadn’t been waiting for too long.
Meanwhile on the rooftop, Himari leaned her back against a guard railing, clutching her school bag with her shaky, frigid hands. On the ground next to her was the bouquet of roses she had received from Kaoru earlier that day, hoping they would bring back even an inkling of the confidence she had lost.
Am I really doing this…? Is she really going to want my chocolates after just being bombarded with even more? I know those girls all mean no harm, but she’s—
Cutting off her train of thought was a loud slam. The door rocketed off of the brick wall after so carelessly being thrown open. Tomoe immediately locked her vision on Himari, her quick breaths continuing while she walked towards the rail Himari was leaning on. She had sprinted so quickly to get here on time…! Maybe she overdid it a bit too much…
Himari could feel her heart palpitating fiercely at just the sight of Tomoe. Seeing her so out of breath wasn’t the most abnormal occurrence, but it still made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She really wasn’t sure if she could go through with this, but the feeling elevated exponentially with Tomoe’s arrival.
When she was finally face to face with Himari, Tomoe intrinsically dropped her school bag by her feet. She sighed out one final shallow breath, placing a hand on her waist.
Noticing Himari wasn’t making any kind of movement or sound, she attempted to start a conversation.
“You wanted to see me? What’s up?”
Despite her best efforts to calm herself down, Himari did so in vain. She couldn’t stop the spiral of negative thoughts spinning in her head either… the unpleasant combination was making her feel so dizzy.
She bit her lip again, casting her gaze downwards and away from Tomoe’s.
“N-Never mind!” She stuttered.
She squeezed the straps of her bag in a firm grip, attempting to quiet her trembling hands. “It’s not that important! I-I should really get home before mama worries, it’s a bit later than usual…”
Tomoe cocked her head, trying to make sense of Himari’s words. Did she really call her here to just… not say anything? Is something wrong? Are you okay?
“Are you sure…?” She asked, moving closer to her in an attempt to bring her focus back to her, instead of the… ground.
“You seemed so adamant about bringing me here, Himari.”
Himari swallowed yet another tough knot in her throat, trying to ignore the feverish haze clouding her head. “It’s fine, it’s nothing! It’s not worth your time, Tomoe…”
“Himari…” Tomoe whispered.
Her concern growing deeper, she decided to take action. She carefully wrapped her hands around Himari’s upper arms, squeezing them lightly. The sudden movement caused Himari to return her gaze upwards, groggily peering into Tomoe’s fierce eyes. Her eyelids felt so heavy…
“What’s wrong? Did something happen…?” She asked again, her voice a soft murmur.
“Are you okay?”
The question that finally broke Himari’s countenance was that one, provoking her back into her usual sniveling whines and blubbering sobs. She released her grip on her school bag, balling her hands into tight fists and feebly slamming them into Tomoe’s chest. She nestled her face into her shoulders before giving her one last push from her fists, severing her contact with Tomoe.
She clumsily dug through her bag in a fit of frustration, all but shoving the hand wrapped bag of chocolates she had clumsily made at Tomoe. She nearly dropped them doing so, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so any other way. She was so frustrated!! All day girls were throwing their attention at Tomoe, that she barely had any time to see her on such a special day… It was like this every year, and yet—it struck a chord in Himari and caused her great distress.
This year… this year they are girlfriends. And it felt like her attention was everywhere else but on her.
“Stupid Tomoe!!”
Tomoe stumbled to grasp the bag of chocolates that was thrust at her, carefully gripping the wrapping so as to not break the candy inside. Through her fumbled grip, she narrowly managed to reach out an arm—the other cradling her bag of chocolates of course. She carefully but swiftly placed the gift on the ground by her school bag so as to not crush the chocolates. Though she had attempted to run away, Tomoe managed to pull Himari by the sleeve to stop her advance. Her bag dropped to the ground with a thud, allowing her body to be embraced fully in a tight hug.
Relishing in the strong clutch she held around her waist, Tomoe boldly maneuvered her lips to kiss Himari’s cheek in a tender display of affection. Her cheek was so warm despite the chilly weather, that she found it difficult to break contact.
She has to though—she needs to apologize.
She nestled her chin on top of Himari’s head, her wispy hairs tickling her nose once again. The sweet, bubblegum aroma of her hair soothed her senses, allowing her to ever so slightly loosen her grip.
She spoke in a hushed voice, just barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry, Himari. I was so thoughtless to not notice.”
Despite her initial protests, Himari burrowed her tear stained face in Tomoe’s chest. She tightly wrapped her arms around her back, sinking her fingertips into the back of her jacket.
Her mumbled words were hard to make out, but Tomoe managed quite well.
“I know it’s so dumb, but… I really wanted today to be special. It was so hard to see you.”
Tomoe sighed, agitated by her actions—or should it be inactions…?
“Yours is the most wonderful chocolate to receive, Himari...” She confessed, slipping one of her hands upwards to caress the soft, delicate skin of her cheek. She fluttered her eyelashes, feeling the weight of her eyelids growing heavier.
Himari narrowly managed to keep her own eyelids from closing, her mind so intensely focused on the pitter-patter of her pulsating heartbeat. Her anxieties quietly subsided the moment she locked her eyes with Tomoe’s captivating gaze. She could feel her body melting into the earnest clutch Tomoe held her in so affectionately, while her cheeks flushed into a toasty afterglow.
Closing her eyes without hesitation, Tomoe pulled Himari even closer to her with the hand that still firmly held her waist in a clasp. She softly caressed her cheek with her thumb, and tilted her head ever so slightly to tenderly capture Himari’s lips in a hypnotic kiss. Their lips brushed against each other in a loving and affectionate flow, for what seemed to last endlessly.
When their lips did so hesitantly part, the pair managed to flutter their eyes back open in unison. They smiled warmly at each other, chuckling as they parted.
“How about next year we bake our own chocolate together?” Tomoe suggested, a chipper grin surfacing on her face.
Himari smiled sheepishly, flinging her arms around Tomoe’s back to bury her face into the warmth of her chest.
“I’d like that.” She mumbled.
Patting the top of Himari’s head, Tomoe bashfully retreated from the fierce grip Himari’s hands held onto her back. She ruffled the top of her hair once the two were apart, but quickly grabbed hold of her soft, delicate hand; squeezing it tenderly.
With the tips of her ears tingling, Himari reciprocated the gentle squeeze, leaning her body into Tomoe’s shoulder.
“Let’s take the long way home.”