The 13th day of the Month of Wood. The hour had grown late, and the calendar was only moments away from turning.
As the time approached, I found myself feeling more than a little restless.
Valentine's existed in this world as well, falling on the 14th day of the Month of Wood—which meant it was tomorrow.
In my original world, I had been a loner for years, so the only person I had ever received chocolate from was my mother. But since arriving here, I had met many women and even gained several lovers. Given the circumstances, it was only natural for a man to feel a sense of expectation.
I wondered how deeply the tradition of Valentine's had truly taken root in this world. Still, my heart couldn't help but hope that someone might give me something. After all, events like this were meant to be enjoyed.
That said, it was still only the 13th. Even if the 14th was the day itself, it wasn't as if chocolate would magically appear the moment the clock struck midnight. There was no point in getting worked up this early, so I tried to tell myself to relax...
"Happy Valentine!"
"Whoa!?"
The moment the clock hands hit midnight, Kuro appeared in my room as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her timing was perfect, down to the very second.
"Ku-Kuro!?"
"Kaito-kun, here! I have Valentine's chocolate for you!"
"Th-Thank you... but why at this hour?"
Technically, it was now the 14th. It was Valentine's Day. Even so, I hadn't expected her to manifest the instant the date changed. I accepted the package she held out, caught somewhere between joy and bewilderment.
Kuro gave me a charming smile, her cheeks flushing slightly as she spoke.
"Ehehe. I wanted to be the very first person to give you chocolate, Kaito-kun. I've actually been waiting outside for several hours!"
"You could have just come in!"
She had been waiting outside for hours? Was that why she hadn't stopped by earlier like she usually did? I wondered if there was really a need to wait for the date to change, but knowing Kuro, she probably had a very specific vision for how this should go.
Still, putting that aside... this was the first time I had ever received Valentine's chocolate from someone other than my mother. To be honest, I was incredibly happy. It felt a bit pathetic to seem so eager, but I decided to open the gift right away.
"...Wait, huh? Valentine's... chocolate?"
"Yep! I made them into heart shapes. They're filled with love!"
"...H-Hey, Kuro."
"Yeah?"
"If my eyes aren't deceiving me... these look like Baby Castellas."
"They are! Chocolate Baby Castellas!"
"..."
Of course they were Baby Castellas. Even on Valentine's Day, she stuck to her favorite. I mean, it was very much like her, but I couldn't help but feel the romantic tension deflate just a little bit.
I felt a slight sense of exasperation at how typical this was for her, but I was still genuinely happy. Just as I was about to eat one, I noticed something else inside the large box. I reached in and pulled it out.
"Kuro? What's this cookie-like thing?"
"Hm? Ehehe, that's a Cookie Stick! It's an essential tool for eating these Chocolate Baby Castellas."
"Essential? What do you mean?"
"Fufufu. You do this... and... hup!"
I had never heard of a Cookie Stick being necessary to eat Baby Castellas. I had eaten plenty of them since coming here, and I had never seen Kuro use anything like that before.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Kuro grinned playfully and picked up one of the Cookie Sticks. She poked it into the top of a Heart-shaped Baby Castella—right into the center of the dip at the top. Then, she took the other end of the stick into her mouth.
Wait, what?
"Mnh..."
"Wa-Wait, Kuro!?"
"Mmm~~~~"
"Y-You want me to eat it like that?"
"Mnh, mnh!"
It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was doing. She had turned the Cookie Stick into a bridge, holding it in her mouth so that she could feed the Baby Castella to me.
She had come at me with an unexpectedly bold and embarrassing method. This was basically a high-level display of public—or rather, private—affection.
The sheer embarrassment of it made me reflexively back away, but Kuro urged me forward with her eyes, the stick still clenched between her teeth. There wasn't anyone else around to see us, but I still found myself checking the corners of the room before finally steeling my resolve. I leaned in and took the Baby Castella into my mouth.
"Mnh... chu."
The soft, fluffy dough was filled with sweet chocolate, and the gentle flavor spread across my tongue. But more than that, I felt Kuro's lips—softer and sweeter than any confection—touch mine. We remained like that, sharing a kiss for several seconds.
When we finally pulled apart, I realized my face was burning hot. We had kissed many times before, but this particular situation made it feel incredibly intense.
"...Kaito-kun, was it good?"
"Y-Yeah... it was delicious."
"I'm glad. There's still plenty left, so keep eating."
"R-Right... Uh, does that mean the next one is...?"
"Of course! We're eating them all the same way!"
A quick glance at the box told me there were about twenty more Baby Castellas inside, with an equal number of Cookie Sticks. That meant we were looking at over twenty more kisses. I wasn't sure my heart could take the strain.
As I was processing this, Kuro suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck, drawing her face close to mine.
"Chu."
"Mnh!?"
She gave me a light, lingering kiss on the lips before pulling back with a bashful smile.
"...Kaito-kun, I love you so much. You don't have to hold back tonight. That's why... I came at this hour."
"...Kuro."
No more words were needed.
My heart was filled with nothing but affection for her. As if drawn by an irresistible gravity, we leaned into each other once more.
On Valentine's Day—the Day of Love—I overlapped my shadow with that of my beloved.
Isis and Alice: "We're too late!?"