In an unremarkable house tucked away in a corner of the Sinfonia Royal Capital, a mother and daughter were hard at work in the kitchen.
"That won't do, Ru-chan. You have to be more thorough with your stirring."
"Right, I’m trying. How is yours coming along, Mother?"
Lunamaria followed the instructions of her mother, Noah—who was noticeably shorter than her—as they prepared chocolate for the Valentine’s Day holiday only a day away.
Lunamaria was close friends with Sieglinde, an expert cook, but given her own usual behavior, she found it far too mortifying to ask the elf for help with a gift for Kaito. Instead, she had turned to her mother.
As a widow who had raised Lunamaria single-handedly, Noah was a first-rate cook, and her instructions were both clear and patient.
"Mine? Oh, I’ve already finished."
"What? That was so fast... Wait, what even is this?"
"It’s chocolate."
"No, I can see that much, but... it isn't solid. It’s completely liquid."
Startled by the claim that the chocolate for Miyama-san was already complete, Lunamaria turned to look, stunned by the speed.
What she saw was a bowl of liquid chocolate. It looked as though it had only just been melted in a double boiler; it didn't look like a finished product by any stretch of the imagination.
"Ah, I tweaked the ingredients so it stays soft even at lower temperatures."
"Is it... like a Nama Chocolate ganache? Even so, you can't call that finished."
"It is finished. All that’s left is to have Miyama-san paint it directly onto my body..."
"What on earth are you thinking, Mother!?"
"Eh?"
Noah tilted her head in genuine confusion as Lunamaria shrieked at the casual, outrageous statement.
"P-Painting chocolate on your body and h-having him eat it off you... That's lewd!"
"I’ll wash myself thoroughly before I let him eat, so it’s perfectly hygienic."
"That is not the problem! You can't! Absolutely not! Men are animals! If you do something like that, he'll end up devouring you too, Mother!"
"Miyama-san as a predator... He’d have a different sort of charm than usual. I think it would be lovely."
"This woman is hopeless..."
It was like talking to a brick wall. Noah met her daughter's frantic protests with a serene, airheaded smile.
Clutching her head in frustration, Lunamaria tried to steer the conversation back to some semblance of sanity.
"Anyway, that kind of indecency is forbidden! Don't you feel any shame toward Father?"
"I still love that man, even now."
"Then—"
"But I love Miyama-san just as much."
"I... Well, I don't exactly have a reason to defend a father whose face I don't even remember, but shouldn't you at least hesitate a little?"
"Do you think so?"
Lunamaria stared at her mother in exhaustion. Noah didn't seem to find anything strange about claiming to love both her late husband and Kaito with equal fervor.
"If you do that, even someone like Miyama-sama will be tempted to lay a hand on you."
"Oh, that’s fine. I’ve already asked him to lay his hands on me once, and he obliged."
"What are you doing with your life!?"
"The youth of today truly are impressive..."
"I didn't need to know that!"
Lunamaria's face burned a deep crimson as she screamed. She knew her mother was fond of Kaito, but she had never dreamed they had already crossed that kind of line.
"Ru-chan, why are you so angry?"
"Of course I’m angry! How am I supposed to stay calm while my own mother wears the expression of a woman in heat while talking about a man we both know!?"
"But Ru-chan, you act very spoiled with Kaito-san too, don't you?"
"Wha—!?"
Lunamaria’s cry of anguish cut off instantly as she froze. Her face turned even redder as she began to stammer.
"W-Where did that come from? Why would you—"
"You’re usually so stiff, but when the two of you are alone, you’re quite the clingy one, aren't you? Asking him to hold you, or wanting him to pat your head..."
"H-How do you know that!? Were you spying on us!?"
"I wasn't watching. But you’ve been a spoiled child since you were little, so I simply assumed you’d be the same way with the Miyama-san you love so much."
"Aaaahhhhh..."
Everything Noah said was the absolute truth.
Lunamaria usually spent her time teasing Kaito or acting indifferent when others were around, but the moment they were alone in a room, she turned into a different person. She had sat in his lap, begged for head pats, and even insisted on calling him "Kaito-san" in private.
To have her mother see right through her was a killing blow to her dignity. She slumped to the floor, wishing the ground would swallow her whole.
"I know! Ru-chan, why don't you join me? We can both be painted in chocolate—"
"I will absolutely not! Never!"
"Is that so? I think Miyama-san would be quite pleased..."
"Ugh... J-Just be quiet! We’re getting back to work!"
Cutting the conversation short with a flurry of motion, Lunamaria ignored her mother's inquisitive tilt of the head and threw herself back into the chocolate-making process.
That night, rumor has it a certain blue-haired maid visited Kaito's room and timidly asked, "K-Kaito-san... do you dislike the idea of eating chocolate that way?"