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odorekijin2023 Valentine’s Special Short Story
Posted on February 14th, 2023 (source)
――February 14th.
Reunited in the dormitory’s common space, the selected members were all sitting around the dining table.
“Aight, let’s dig in!”
Mirai and Towa were today’s chefs—on the menu: omelet rice. At Mirai’s cheerful exclamation, everybody thanked them for the meal and began to eat.
“Wait, dude, that’s actually banger!” Mirai’s eyes widened, his first bite already down the pipe.
“How… how is it? Did we get it right…?”
“It’s great! And that’s only thanks to your help ‘round the kitchen!”
“I’m… I’m glad then!”
“It’s honestly delicious! What do you think, Arashi-kun?”
“Yeah, hits the spot just right.”
Towa could only offer a shy smile at the compliments that followed Mirai’s own praises.
“No shot! That’s hella good man! Ain’t that right, Miyazono?”
“Well… It’s not half bad, I guess.”
“You get it!”
Even Tomoe, who usually skips on dishes out of his comfort zone, seemed to quite like the omelet.
On the other side of the table and sitting across from one another, Haruhi looked up with great interest at Iori:
“So, how did your lesson go, Iori?”
“Tadokoro-sensei worked me to the bone, but I’d say it was pretty nice.”
”Kairi-kyun’s lesson was legit a whole spartan training. Welp, not like he didn’t fly through the whole thing anyway.”
“Kurahashi, don't talk with your mouth full.”
“Huh? Shut up, Kairi-kyun wasn’t speakin’ to youuu, you twit!” Kairi’s sudden outburst sent flying some of the rice he was still munching on, few nearly landing into Kagura's plate.
”You’re spitting rice all over the place!”
While the members were peacefully chit-chatting away and enjoying their dinner…
”Um, can I have your attention for a second?”
Sora suddenly stood up, right hand raised.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“There’s this thing I’ve been dying to ask you all…”
“...Which is?” Arashi, sitting next to him, tilted his head in confusion.
“Well, um… How… How many chocolates have you received today!?”
Clearly missing critical information, the members glanced at each other, hoping that someone—anyone—actually grasped the situation at hand.
”Waiwaiwait, don’t tell me… You can not have forgotten about Valentine’s Day, right? Right!?”
“Valentine’s Day”—the word immediately cleared the fog in their collective minds.
“Oh, right, we’re the 14th! Haha, that completely slipped my mind!” replied Mirai with a bright chuckle, one that Sora promptly ignored:
”How could you even forget such a huge event in the first place!?”
”Weeell, we were kiiind of swamped with work and our songs, remember?”
“He’s right! And ‘s not like we hear the word “valentine’s” ‘n stuff e’rrday!”
Everyone in the room concurred, except for Sora who seemed to be far more dedicated to the subject than his fellow members were.
”I can’t believe you all, seriously! We’re supposed to look forward to it every year, think about it all day and feel the spirit of love with all our heart! Especially at our age!”
”Hmmm, yeah, no thanks, I’m not too crazy about that.”
“Haruhi-san, live a little! We should enjoy our youth while we still can!”
”That’s what they all say, but since you’re bringing up the topic, how many chocolates did you get?”
“...None.”
“Pff–” Sora dropped his head, dejected—that was all it took Haruhi to burst out laughing.
“Man… Ya hit new lows, not gonna lie…” Arashi looked at Sora, lost between pity and bewilderment. On the verge of tears, Sora whined:
“Why! Why did no one offer me chocolates!? I hoped really hard, you know! And I was really, really looking forward to it too!”
“There, there, Kirishima-kun, don’t cry. I’m sure you’ll get some next year.”
Despite Iori’s mellow tone, the other party wasn’t exactly receptive to his soothing: ”You’re the last person I’d want to hear that from, Iori-san!!”
“Huh?”
”I saw you! I saw all those fans of yours and their chocolates in hand, waiting for you at the Institute this morning!”
Iori lowered his gaze in hope to escape the attention now set on him. ”Ah… Well, uh, I can’t deny that it didn’t happen, can I…”
”I can’t believe you even tried to play dumb and hide it just now…!”
”Sorry, it’s just… I can’t bring that kind of topic to the table just like that…”
”Grrr! I’m sooo jealous! I can’t stand it!”
”Now, now, it’s not like Iori became popular out of the blue. He’s got antecedents, you know?”
”...He does?”
”I’ve been by his side since forever, who else would know him the way I do, hm? So, when we were in high sch—”
”Haruhi, shush.”
Iori tried to silence Haruhi, but it was already far too late: everybody was hanging on Haruhi’s lips, waiting for the rest of his story to unfold.
”Tell us! Tell us, pleeease!” Sora leaned in, exaggerating a pout.
Haruhi’s lips curved in a playful smile, as if some switch had been flipped by Sora’s plea.
”Actually, why don’t we all share our Valentine’s stories? You know, kill two birds with one stone since everybody’s here.”
”Oh, good idea! Let’s hear ‘bout you guys’ past!”
“Ain’t never done that kinda stuff before, I’m down!”
Mirai and Oshiro both excitedly agreed with Haruhi’s suggestion, leaving no room for their peers to protest—none seemed outraged by the idea either, all sharing the same curious interest.
Thus began their impromptu Valentine's Day boys night.
”So, to pick up from where I left off… Iori was a senior at the time. For Valentine’s, he received chocolates from 90% of the girls at school.”
The eight of them looked back at Iori, slack-jawed by the anecdote.
“Yer a beast among men, Takarada-san…!”
“Nghhh… I wish I had Iori-san looks!”
”Okay hotshot, that’s virtually all the girls, but what about the other 10% left, huh?”
“...Takarada Iori… What in the world are you…”
Oshiro and Sora looked at the situation with envy, whereas Kairi and Kagura were downright astounded by the sheer number mentioned.
“Iori was the prince of our school aaafter all.” proudly sneered Haruhi, wrapping an arm around Iori’s shoulders.
“What ‘boutcha, Haruhi-san?”
“Me? I get something like 10 boxes every year I think.”
“You’re just as popular as he is!!”
“It’s nothing compared to Iori, really. Mine are just the same small group of die-hards.”
“Die-hards… I feel ya on that.” answered Arashi with a wry smile.
“And you, Komiyama-kun? Got anything for Valentine's?”
”Nah, the only chocolates I ever got were from a guy younger than me, just for the sake of giving me somethin’, y’know, outta politeness…”
”Politeness? Wasn’t that just out of pity so that you wouldn’t feel left out?”
“Wh-”
”That’s so sad, Arashi-kun…! I feel bad for you!”
“Shut up, I dun’ wanna hear that from ya…! ‘N what about you, huh, dumbass!?” lashed Arashi, ticked off by Sora's ruthless remark.
“Hmmm… Well, my family and I give piano lessons to children, so I’d often receive chocolates from their parents, and…”
“Heh, what was it again? “Birds of a feather flock together” or something?”
“Um, first, I’ll have you know that my situation is not as hopeless as yours!”
“Sure as hell looks like it is!!”
“No, it’s not!!”
“Hey, hey, chill! C’mon, you guys ain’t gonna fight over dumb stuff like that, yeah?” interrupted Mirai, stepping into the minefield that was Arashi and Sora’s staring contest. He tousled their hair to stop their quarrel, but Sora returned him a suspicious look.
”Ugh, even you…”
”Huh? What’s up?”
“You’re just like them, Mirai-san… You’ve got such a positive aura, I’m sure everybody was all over you back then…”
”Nah, not really. I was in a private school back then, so I pretty much had the same peeps ‘round me from elementary to senior high, y’know?”
“I didn’t know that!”
”That’s why we didn’t have that gender-boundary kinda thing goin’ on, we were all just pals! I’d also make my own chocolates ‘n share with ‘em for Valentine’s Day though.”
”I didn’t expect that from you, to be honest…!”
Listening to Mirai’s story, Towa’s eyes lit up: “Making chocolates all by yourself… even eating them… That sounds nice!”
“It is! We should make some together next time.”
“Yes! I want to make lots and lots of them! Let’s do it, together, Mirai-kun!”
“It’s a promise then!” Mirai patted Towa's head, gracing him with a broad smile.
”Wow, I feel like I’m gonna get diabetes just by looking at them.”
“Zaizen-san and Sebumi-san sure are good friends.”
”Friends? Nah, it’s more like… like a dog wagging its tail around its owner, kind of.”
“You’ve got that right! It’s just like owning a puppy!”
“Woof woof!”
Mirai and Towa happily concurred with Tomoe’s scything sarcasm.
”Anyway, ya ever received chocolates fer Valentine’s or somethin’ before, Sebumi-san?”
Oshiro’s question seemed to bring forth images in Towa’s mind: ”...No, not… Not really, I guess. I could only eat chocolates when I could buy some, as a treat…”
“What do you mean?”
”For my birthday, for example… I didn’t have enough money, so I could only buy one, but… but I remember that it was very, very yummy…” he happily recalled.
The story struck a chord in Mirai who, despite his puny stature, squeezed Towa with all his might in his arms.
”Sebumi!! From now on, you’ll get all the chocolate ya ever wanted, you just gotta ask!”
”Huh? Can I? Really?”
”I’ll send so many boxes your way, you’ll even beg me to stop!”
“...! Thank you, Mirai-kun!”
A bitter smile washed over Tomoe’s features at the soap opera unfolding before his eyes.
”Is this a farce? It's terrible humor if it is.”
”Could it be that our wittle Moetan is juuust a itsy-bitsy jeawous of what they’ve got goin’ on~?”
”Hah!? Where did you get that idea!?”
“Miyazono, yer terrible at lyin’, it’s written all over yer face!”
”My face is fine the way it is! They’re taking things way too far in my opinion, that’s all there is to it.”
”Hee-hee, honesty really isn’t in your vocabulary, hm~?”
”Speakin’ of, ya got any Valentine’s story fer us, Miyazono?”
”Now you got my attention! So? Does our Moetan have any experience with that kind of romantic stuff?”
Tomoe grew shifty at the question: ”...Well, as a matter of fact, I do. I do, yes...”
"What, seriously!? Well done dude!"
”I-it’s nothing worth of praise, and it’s not like I’d want commoners’ chocolates or anything of the sort in the first place. Plus, it was incredibly inconvenient, so I threw them in the trash as soon as I got home!”
A grin spread on Oshiro’s lips as Tomoe’s face went crimson.
”I bet you’re the type of guy that’d hop along the way home, giggling ‘n stuff.”
”HAHAHA! I can defo see him do that! Yer a pretty corny guy deep down, huh!”
“Hah!? Sh-shut up…! What does a gorilla like you even know, huh!? I’m sure you never received any chocolate in your entire life!”
”Nah, the folks back in Kumamoto like me a whole bunch so I’d get, like, shit tons of ‘em every year.”
”WHAT!? YOU!? I won’t buy any of that, especially coming from you, ever!”
”I ain’t lyin’ though! I’m tellin’ ya bucko, I’d get confessions every week!”
Tomoe paled, astonished by Oshiro's overwhelming popularity, vigorously shaking his head:
“Lies, all lies! All you do is lie!”
“But I’m not, I swear!!”
”Why is Miyazono-kun in such denial? I feel like I’ve missed something there.”
”I guess Moetan doesn’t wanna feel like he lost against someone like Shiro-chan?”
”Aaah, I see where you’re getting at; so he doesn't like the idea that he can’t look down on him, huh.”
”Yeah-yeah! Kinda like PTA and Kairi-kyun!”
”Hold the phone: who’s looking down on who?” interrupted Kagura.
A cheshire-like grin spread across Kairi’s face:
”Uh, I am, duh?”
“...Who do you think you are, huh? What kind of authority do you think you hold over such a decision?”
”Well spill the beans then: did you ever receive something for Valentine’s, hm? Did you?”
”That, I… I-I did.”
”My ass! No way in hell!”
“Zip it! Mother never fails to offer me chocolates each and every year!”
“That doesn’t count ya moron!”
“Why not!? You asked if I received chocolates, and I do! You cannot deny this factual truth!”
”Hee-hee, even your Valentine’s Day is boooring! Sooo laaame!”
Kagura turned bright red, pointing at Kairi who stuck out his tongue to provoke him.
“Silence! Who’s to say yours isn’t the same, huh!? Tell me, who on this planet would be deranged enough to offer chocolates to a freak like you!?”
“Who cares, Kairi-kyun’s not even interested in Valentine’s aaanywayyy, you twat! That’s normies stuff!”
“Hmph! They probably wouldn't have considered you or spared a glance at you anyway. You are no different from me, after all!”
”Uh, no we’re not and Kairi-kyun has aaalways been loved and admired and everybody’s fave since forever anyway~!”
“Prove it then!”
“Huh? And why would Kairi-kyun even obey you?”
“Stop beating around the bush and spill it!”
Yet another interminable fight broke out between Kairi and Kagura—the other members kept an eye on the situation from afar, too used to their squabbles:
”What do you think his popularity rank actually is?”
“Hmmm… He’s probably too eccentric for some people’s taste, so I wouldn’t exactly say that he’s popular among most circles…”
“Right… Takatsuki-san is the complete opposite of popular, that’s not even up for debate.”
“Pff–hahaha! Damn, Kirishima-kun! You gave him no chance!”
“Am I wrong? It’s as plain as the nose on your face to me though!”
“Kirishima, please, you’re killing him… I felt the burn to my core, poor Takatsuki…”
”Huh!? Did I say something bad or something!?”
”Dude… You’re straight-up brutal…”
Arashi and Iori deeply empathized with Kagura who was unknowingly scythed by Sora’s crude remarks.
“So wait, hang on, pause ‘n rewind: besides Kaji, Takarada and Sakaki, none of us has had a legit, normal Valentine’s Day… ever…?”
When Mirai voiced the reality that dawned on him, any argument or discussion hung in the air, none moving a muscle. Silence reigned for a few seconds, enough for a wave of unspeakable dejection to wash over the seven implied members.
After a moment, Sora broke the silence: “Why not make up for lost time and make today the best Valentine's Day in history? We’ve got nothing to lose anyway!”
Surely—no, no one besides Sora wanted chocolates as much as he did, but that mattered little to him now. He hoped that the passion and ardor of their little group would erase the bitterness that filled their hearts.
”I take that as a yes then! Let's drink our fill tonight!” Sora opened the refrigerator and grabbed a few cans of beer.
“Hol’up, Sora! Easy with the booze…!”
”Y-yes! Please, Kirishima-kun, be careful…!”
Arashi and Towa looked at Sora with worry. The latter lined up can after can on the table, barely heeding their warning:
“I’ll be alright! Come on everyone, grab one and let's have a spree!”
”Uh-oh, when Soramelo’s deadass serious like that, we’re donzo.”
”Well, I ain’t sayin’ no to have a good time with you guys! Aight, then let’s get this Boys-Only Valentine’s Party goin’!”
”Haha, sounds like we won’t make it through the night in one piece.”
”What's wrong with a little fun, hm?”
”As long as you’re fine with it Iori, I’m down.”
“Hmph, a bunch of simpletons, that’s what you are. Do not count me in.”
“Agreed, that’s too much crap for me to fathom.”
“C’mon, dun’ be a party pooper, Miyazono! Yer never gonna make core memories like that!”
“I don’t know about that… and we’re still too young to drink, for your information.”
“And? We can just grab somethin’ without alcohol! Anything goes as long as I can join the party!”
“You really do have a brain the size of a peanut.”
Despite reluctance from some of their fellow members, the party slowly took shape, a step at a time.
——A “Boys-Only Valentine’s Party”; said party raged on until seven in the following morning. With the entire selection out cold, none had seen the last standing soldiers, those who first refused to witness such a wasteland: Kagura and Tomoe.
END.
