February 14th.
The day when the city beca more restless than any other ti of the year, wrapped in an atmosphere of sweetness—
Valentine's Day.
Even within the Advanced Nurturing High School, it was no exception. From early morning, innocent scenes could be seen all over campus as blushing female students called out male students to et them. Excited cheers, shy laughter, and the sweet scent of chocolate seed to warm the cold winter air ever so slightly.
However, there was one place in this school untouched by such romantic excitent.
The student council room after school.
Only the quiet sound of pages turning and keyboards clicking echoed rhythmically through the room.
"Aizen. About the budget proposal for next year's freshman welco event—I made a few adjustnts based on last year's data. Give it a look."
"...I see. You're quick as always, Nagumo."
Accepting the tablet handed to by Miyabi Nagumo, I calmly reviewed its contents.
Detailed budget allocations and reasonable personnel arrangents filled the screen.
The Nagumo reflected there was no longer the arrogant dictator who looked down on everyone around him. After his crushing defeat during the mixed training camp and his recent apology, he had changed beyond recognition.
That night at the training camp, the absolute terror of death brought about by my recitation of Black Coffin, combined with the complete rejection from the man he admired most, Manabu Horikita, had shattered Nagumo's spirit completely and reduced him to little more than a shell.
Yet Asahina-senpai's devoted encouragent had pulled him back from the edge of despair.
Having recovered, Nagumo faced his arrogance and sins head-on. He bowed sincerely and apologized to Manabu-senpai, Akane Tachibana, Honami Ichinose, and , earning their forgiveness.
Now, while still holding firm to his belief in ritocracy, he had abandoned thods that dragged uninvolved people into his sches and was instead striving to fulfill his duties as student council president.
Like Manabu Horikita—the forr student council president whom he had once desperately sought to surpass—Nagumo had finally begun taking genuine steps toward becoming a truly great leader.
"Not bad. However, when observing the movent of the stars, the accuracy of your celestial globe remains slightly lacking. The decoration budget for the second gymnasium can still be reduced. Use the surplus to improve the quality of the pamphlets distributed to incoming students. aningful knowledge will always triumph over shallow decoration."
As I unconsciously delivered my criticism in the form of an arrogant, stylish poem, a vein twitched on Nagumo's forehead.
"...Tch. Your way of saying things is still irritating as hell. But... you're right. I'll revise it accordingly."
In the past, he would have exploded in anger and argued.
Now, he swallowed his irritation and calmly accepted my suggestion.
(Gaaah, I'm sorry!! I just wanted to say, "Let's cut the gym decoration budget and spend more on the pamphlets!")
(Still... the old Nagumo would've definitely thrown so sarcastic remark back at here. Since he stopped provoking , my automatic counterattack poetry doesn't activate anymore. Well... I still end up speaking in arrogant poems by default. Even so, he's really llowed out. No, more than that—he's genuinely beco a bigger person.)
Quietly reflecting on that, I handed back the tablet.
At that mont, Fūka Kiryūin, who had been elegantly sipping tea while processing paperwork, spoke up with amusent.
"Hehe. You've certainly beco humble, Nagumo. It's almost enough to make one feel sorry for all the students who were expelled because of your absurd little gas."
With a fearless smile, Kiryūin tossed out words of sympathy she clearly didn't an.
She was obviously teasing him just to see his reaction.
The atmosphere in the room tightened.
Kiriyama frowned as if wanting to say Don't start unnecessary trouble.
Yet Nagumo's response was unlike before.
He stopped typing and slowly turned toward Kiryūin.
"...Yeah. You're right, Kiryūin."
"Oh?"
"No matter how much I regret it, the past won't disappear. Because of my arrogance and immaturity, I took away the futures of many talented students. Looking back now... I sincerely regret it from the bottom of my heart."
The apology that left his mouth was astonishingly straightforward.
There was genuine remorse in his voice.
And firm resolve.
"But because of that, I won't run away anymore. I'll carry those sins with for the rest of my life. And while doing so, I'll guide this student council—and this school—toward a form everyone can accept. That's the only atonent available to . And it's my duty from now on."
The conviction in Nagumo's declaration left every officer in the room stunned.
The once tyrannical Miyabi Nagumo was now declaring that he would dedicate himself to the school as a proper student council president.
Kiryūin blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter.
"Kuhahaha! This is incredible. I've watched you for years as a classmate, but I never imagined you'd change this dramatically. Just who influenced you, I wonder?"
As she spoke, Kiryūin narrowed her eyes and sent a aningful glance my way.
(It wasn't !!)
I shook my head furiously inside.
(Sure, I might've been the one who completely crushed his spirit during the training camp and threw him into rock bottom. But the people who helped him recover and change were definitely Asahina-senpai, Manabu-senpai, and Tachibana-senpai! I only passed along a ssage telling him not to act so obviously terrified because it was making student council work awkward! I never expected him to transform into so kind of saintly role model!)
Kiryūin's gaze practically scread:
You're the one who changed him, aren't you?
But denying it in a panic would violate my Dark Lord aesthetic.
Suppressing my internal screaming behind a flawless poker face, I simply chuckled softly and turned my gaze toward the window.
"...He rely resud the path he was always ant to walk. Nothing worthy of special ntion."
"Hehe. You're as entertaining as ever, junior."
Kiryūin smiled in satisfaction.
Nagumo let out a small breath and returned to his paperwork.
After finishing the student council's work right on schedule, I headed quickly toward the library.
The quiet library after school carried its distinctive scent of paper and ink.
Near a window sat a lone girl.
Beautiful silver hair.
Mysterious pale eyes.
She was deeply absorbed in a thick hardcover novel, but the mont she noticed my footsteps, she closed the book and looked up.
"Ah... Sōsuke-kun!"
Hiyori Shiina greeted with a gentle smile that blood like a flower.
"I've been waiting. Good work with the student council duties."
(Uwooooooooh! Hiyori is unbelievably cute today too!!)
The heavy atmosphere from the student council room vanished instantly, replaced by the warmth of spring sunshine in my heart.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hiyori. Were you able to stop at a good place in your book?"
"Yes. I had just reached a good stopping point. Hehe, shall we go?"
We naturally stood up together and left the library.
Today was February 14th.
Valentine's Day.
And afterward, we had plans to go on a date at Keyaki Mall.
As we walked down the hallway, I gently placed my left hand over her right.
Hiyori flinched slightly.
Then she happily squeezed my hand in return.
Feeling that small warmth caused the corners of my mouth to stay permanently raised.
Keyaki Mall was more crowded than usual.
Pink and red decorations from the Valentine's event stood out everywhere.
Couples laughed together throughout the mall.
Holding hands, we walked leisurely through the happy atmosphere.
The main event of the day was a movie.
A mystery novel we had previously read together and discussed at length had recently received a live-action adaptation, now showing at the mall theater.
Since Hiyori had said:
"I really want to watch it with you, Sōsuke-kun,"
we had included it in our Valentine's plans.
We bought popcorn and drinks before settling into a pair seat inside the dark theater.
Soon, the lights dimd.
The massive screen lit up.
As expected of a serious mystery, intricate relationships and subtle clues were scattered throughout the film from the very beginning.
Naturally, since I had already finished the original novel and discussed it thoroughly with Hiyori, I already knew the culprit's identity, the alibi trick, and even the core motive behind the cri.
But that didn't make the film boring.
Even knowing the ending, it was fascinating to see how the creators translated the novel's ticulous logic into visual storytelling while attempting to deceive the audience.
The cinematography, visual beauty, and clever direction possessed genuine artistry.
The cara work.
The actors' glances.
Countless details unique to live-action film.
The movie Hiyori had invited to watch was undoubtedly an outstanding masterpiece.
I enjoyed observing its carefully constructed ga board from above.
However—
More than half of my brain's processing power was focused not on the screen but on the girl sitting beside .
Hiyori's profile glowed softly beneath the light of the screen.
She was completely imrsed in the story.
When the detective found himself in danger, she gasped softly.
When mysteries began unraveling, she leaned forward with sparkling eyes.
During peaceful scenes, she relaxed and smiled gently.
(She's precious...!!)
(What kind of heavenly creature is this? She's seriously an archangel. Those eyes focused on the screen... the slightly open mouth... everything is adorable! Of course, the movie's intricate logic is amazing. But! The smile currently sitting beside is the greatest work of art in this entire space!! The movie is incredible, but Hiyori is incredible too! Dates are the best!!)
While internally dying from happiness, I simultaneously enjoyed two ultimate experiences:
A perfect movie.
And Hiyori's overwhelming cuteness.
After the movie ended, we bought ingredients for dinner and returned to my room.
Sitting across from each other, we ate the olet rice we had prepared together.
"The movie was so good! The culprit's motivation was changed slightly from the novel, but the way they handled the foreshadowing visually was wonderful!"
Hiyori's eyes sparkled as she enthusiastically shared her thoughts.
"Especially that locked-room trick in the middle! It was a little hard to picture while reading the novel, but seeing it in the movie made it feel so convincing. What did you think, Sōsuke-kun?"
"Indeed. Watching all the scattered pieces converge into a single truth was magnificent. Especially the visual misdirection involving the mirror reflection at the beginning. It was a carefully calculated technique that exploited the audience's psychological blind spots. Without compromising the novel's ticulous logic, it presented the ideal solution for a film adaptation."
When I responded with a complete analysis of the movie's direction and trick structure, Hiyori gave a small, impressed round of applause.
"As expected of you, Sōsuke-kun! You noticed details like that? Knowing that you enjoyed the movie I invited you to watch so deeply... it makes really, really happy!"
"Naturally. Why would I ever turn my eyes away from a world you chose to show ?"
(Translation: It was your recomndation, Hiyori. Of course I'd enjoy it with everything I've got!)
"Ehehe... I'm really glad I got to watch it together with you too."
Smiling happily, Hiyori took another bite of her olet rice.
After dinner, we made tea and sat together on the sofa.
The room was filled with peaceful silence.
Then Hiyori began fidgeting nervously.
Reaching into a small paper bag she had brought, she carefully took out a beautifully wrapped box decorated with a ribbon.
"Um, Sōsuke-kun..."
Looking up at , her eyes held a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
"Today is Valentine's Day, so... I tried my best to make sothing myself. If you'd like... would you accept it?"
She held out a box.
There was no doubt.
Homade chocolate.
(——!!!)
My heart practically exploded.
(Hiyori's homade chocolate!!! It's hereeeeeee!!!)
(This is too amazing! Is there anything more precious in this world!? No! Absolutely not!!)
Inside, I was screaming with joy and dancing an entire samba festival.
But showing that excitent would destroy my dignity.
Suppressing my emotions through sheer force of will, I gracefully accepted the box.
"Beautiful. This sweet crystal born from your fingertips possesses more value than any jewel crafted by a master artisan. I shall gratefully allow it to quench my thirst."
(Translation: Thank you so much, Hiyori!! I'm unbelievably happy! I'll treasure it and enjoy every bite!!)
As I offered my stylish gratitude, Hiyori smiled radiantly.
"Hehe. Thank you for accepting it, Sōsuke-kun!"
Afterward, I sampled one piece of chocolate right there.
The gentle sweetness that spread across my tongue was more delicious than any chocolate I had ever tasted in my life.
Until curfew approached, we sat close together on the sofa, looking through the movie pamphlet and enjoying a peaceful, sweet evening together.
Later, under the cold night wind, I walked Hiyori back to her dorm room.
"Today was truly wonderful. Thank you very much, Sōsuke-kun."
"Never forget that my light will always accompany the path you walk. Good night, Hiyori."
"Yes. Good night, Sōsuke-kun."
She waved before disappearing into her room.
I watched the door close.
Then I gently felt the box of remaining chocolates in my pocket.
A Valentine's Day filled with sweetness, peace, and undeniable warmth.
And as I gazed up at the stars shining in the winter night sky, I swore that no matter how harsh the coming examinations might be, I would seize victory and protect this irreplaceable everyday life.
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