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February 14, Valentines Day
It's now cooking class for Kamiyama High's 2A Class. Their activity is to make chocolates for their beloved ones, this can include: Family members, friends and lovers. They were split into groups of 3 and were told to help each other. Lucky for Nene, she was in a group with 2 of the people she was most close with in 2A.
"Class, please prepare your ingredients, we will start in 3 minutes." The teacher announced, the class were really happy to be doing this, well.. most of them.
"Ugh, are we actually going to do this?" Akito groaned, cleary wanting to do anything but to make chocolates for Valentines Day.
"You're such a hater, Akito. Valentines Day isn't that bad!" An complained, average AkiAn behaviour. "What about you, Kusanagi-san? Do you like Valentines Day?" An changed the tone of her voice from her usual tone to a sweeter one.
"I guess it isn't that bad.. Although, I want to make one chocolate more special than the others." Nene replied.
An raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by Nene's response. "Oh? What do you mean by that? Are you planning to confess to someone?" Her voice sounding intrigued.
At this moment, Nene had just realized on what she had said. "Ah! N-no..!" She tried to defend herself, but her shaky voice says otherwise.
"Just ignore An, she's always wanting to know about everyone's love life." Akito cut in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "An’s like a gossip machine when it comes to relationships." He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by An’s constant curiosity about everyone’s personal life.
An pouted, crossing her arms in mock offense. "I’m not a gossip machine, I just like to know what's going on with my friends!" Her expression softened as she turned her attention back to Nene, eyes gleaming with playful curiosity. "So, Kusanagi-san, who’s the lucky person you're thinking of making that special chocolate for?"
Nene, now feeling a bit more flustered, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I-it’s not like that! I just want to make something... nice." She tried to sound casual, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her nervousness.
"Now start!" The teacher's voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. All the students looking serious making the chocolate like their life depended on it.
Seeing this, An had an idea. "Hey Akito, wanna have a contest? Whoever has the best looking chocolate wins!" An smirked mischievously, how does Haruka even put up with her in middle school?
Akito, obviously not wanting to look like a loser, accepted the deal. Now looking more serious than before.
Meanwhile, Nene still looking confused on what to do, just stood there.
The classroom was buzzing with excitement as the students scrambled to gather their ingredients and tools for their chocolate-making activity. Nene, still feeling a little flustered after her conversation with An, stared blankly at the pile of ingredients in front of her. The pressure to create something special for Tsukasa, Emu, Ichika and most importantly, Rui, was starting to overwhelm her.
“Okay, okay, focus, Nene,” she muttered to herself, trying to calm her nerves. She picked up a small mixing bowl and the ingredients she had laid out. Cocoa powder, milk, sugar, and chocolate chips. The basics.
An was already halfway through melting her chocolate, humming to herself and occasionally glancing over at Akito to make sure he was paying attention to her every move. Akito, on the other hand, was deeply concentrated, his brow furrowed as he carefully stirred his ingredients with precision, after all, this one is for An.
"Focus, Nene, focus," she muttered, trying to clear her mind of distractions. She reached for the dark chocolate chips first, melting them in a bowl. Her hand shook slightly as she stirred the chocolate, but it slowly began to smooth out, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, An, ever the perfectionist, was swirling her chocolate with impressive skill. "Hey, Akito, don’t you think my chocolate looks amazing?" she teased, glancing up from her work.
Akito didn’t even glance her way. "I’m too busy making this perfect," he said with a slight smirk, clearly absorbed in his task. His chocolate was melting with impressive care, and it was evident he was determined to win this contest—for An, of course. He might act like he didn’t care, but the way he was treating the process told a different story.
Wow, whoever Akito is making it for was really special to him, making An a bit jealous. "Who is it for anyways?" She asked, trying to not sound jealous of Akito's special person.
The question made Akito blush, he can't just say that it's for An, it's supposed to be a secret for now! "Someone really important for me.." He replied, trying to hide his blush.
His reply made An even more jealous, who could this special person be? An's jealousy grew as she tried to keep her cool, but the wheels in her mind were turning rapidly. "Oh, so Akito also has a crush now, huh? She teased, attempting to hide her envy.
Damn it, An and her words. "Maybe," He said. "I'll reveal the special person at breaktime." He continued, the same blush is still on his face.
Returning to Nene, she seems to have gotten herself together. Already making 4 of the chocolates for Tsukasa, Emu and Ichika. But, still struggling on how to make Rui's chocolate special. Noticing this, An went over to Nene.
"Kusanagi-san, are you ok?" She asked, worrying about her dear friend.
Nene looked up at An, startled by her sudden appearance beside her. She forced a smile, trying to hide her nervousness. "Oh, I’m fine. Just… trying to figure out how to make Rui’s chocolate special," she admitted, her voice betraying her uncertainty.
An's eyes sparkled with curiosity and concern. "Ohh! So Kamishiro-san is your crush? I thought you weren't planning on confessing to anyone," she teased, her voice playful yet gentle.
Nene’s cheeks reddened instantly, and she fidgeted with the whisk in her hand. "I—It’s not like that! It’s just that Rui’s... well, really important to me, you know? And I want to make sure it’s something meaningful," she stammered, avoiding An’s gaze.
"Hehe, no need to hide it, Kusanagi-san! I know you have a crush on Kamishiro-san, it's really obvious!" She playfully teased, making Nene's face red.
Nene felt her heart race as she thought about Rui, the boy she admired since childhood, and how she wanted to show him how much he meant to her through a simple piece of chocolate. The pressure of the moment weighed heavily on her, especially with An's teasing voice ringing in her ears.
"Come on, Kusanagi-san! You’ve got this!" An cheered, trying to reassure her friend. "It's the thought that counts, right? That’s what makes it special!"
An's words gave Nene an idea, she gave An a smile, "Thank you, Shiraishi-san." She thanked. Taking a deep breath, she returned to her work.
Back to the Akito and An bickering, it looks like Akito is finished! Looking around if anyone is looking at him, he secretly added some text on the chocolate, after that putting the chocolate in the heart-shaped box. "I'm finished, loser." Akito said, trying to piss An off.
"Well the competition is about how good the chocolate looks like, not how fast we finished the chocolate!" She defended herself, while adding some final touches to her chocolate.
"Suit yourself, I guess." Akito snickered. "Also, who would be the judge of this?" He questioned.
An raised an eyebrow, her playful grin still plastered on her face. "I was thinking we could ask Kusanagi-san to judge. She seems the most neutral out of the three of us," she suggested, glancing over at Nene, who was now carefully placing the last chocolate into a small, delicate box.
Nene blinked, startled by being put on the spot. "W-wait, me?" she stammered. "I-I don’t know if I’m the best person for this, I mean... I’m still figuring out my own chocolates." She nervously shifted the chocolates she had just made, "What about the best reaction of whoever you guys are giving the chocolate to would decide who's the winner?" She suggested, knowing that they're both going to give the chocolate to each other.
Both An and Akito's faces were red. "I-I guess we could do that.." An murmured.
The bell for breaktime finally rang, signaling the end of the chocolate-making activity. Students began gathering their creations and comparing their results. Nene looked at her own chocolates—simple, elegant, with just a touch of personal flair—and smiled.
Akito, having finished his chocolate, walked over to An with a small, embarrassed smile. "Alright, you want to know who it's for?"
An perked up, eager for the reveal. "Yes, tell me!"
Akito hesitated for a second, then said, "It's... for you, An. I was going to keep it a secret, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag now."
An’s face flushed red. She hadn’t expected that, but the realization made her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t prepared for. "Akito..." she whispered, suddenly feeling a little shy. "Actually, the chocolate I made is for you too...!" She confessed, handing the chocolate over to Akito.
Akito, taken aback by An’s confession, stood still for a moment, processing what had just happened. Then, with a red face, he took the chocolate from her. "Guess we’re even then," he said, his voice a bit warmer now, the teasing tone replaced by something more sincere. "Thanks, An."
After school, Nene had practice with Rui and the others, this would be the perfect time to give it to them.
"Oh look! Nene-chan is here!! ☆" Emu shouted, bouncing up and down in joy. "Let's start sharing the chocolates now!!" Emu stood up and shared the chocolates she made with her class to her troupe members.
They all thanked Emu and it was now Tsukasa's turn, "I didn't have enough time to make anything but I bought these on my way to Wonderstage!" Tsukasa stated, with a plastic bag full of chocolates in his hands.
After Tsukasa's turn, it was now Rui's. "Instead of chocolates, I bought something a little different for you all." Rui reached into his bag and pulled out a small, elegantly wrapped box. "I thought it would be nice to give something unique to all of you based on your interests and favourites ♪." He then handed the gifts to each of them. A star-shaped lamp for Tsukasa, taiyaki for Emu and a video game for Nene.
They all expressed gratitude to Rui, it's time for Nene's turn. "Um, so I made chocolates during class with Shinonome-kun and Shiraishi-san, hopefully you guys like it.." Nene nervously said, handing the chocolates to Emu and Tsukasa.
When it was Rui's turn to get Nene's chocolate, Nene felt her heart race as she handed the small box of chocolates to Rui, trying to keep her nerves in check. His eyes softened as he accepted the chocolates, and he gave her a warm smile that made her heart skip a beat.
"Thank you, Nene," he said, his voice gentle and sincere.
Nene couldn't help but blush at his words. "I... I hope you like them. I tried to make them special," she stammered, feeling her cheeks burn. She couldn't believe how shy she was being around him, especially after all these years of knowing each other.
Rui opened the small box and examined the chocolates carefully. He smiled again, his gaze meeting hers. "You really put a lot of thought into this," he said. "Thank you, Nene. It means a lot."
Nene's heart fluttered at the way he said her name. She didn't know if it was just the warmth of the moment or the way he always made her feel special, but she couldn't help but feel like her efforts had truly paid off.
Rui started eating the chocolates, "These are really good, Nene! Have you tried them yet?" He asked, planning something mischievous in mind.
"Uh, no not yet—" Before she could continue, Rui had interrupted her with a kiss.