95 Chapter Six: What Lies In A Gal's Heart?

Over the course of the next two weeks, very little happened. Kanako and Michi both tried hanging out again, but with both of them being so afraid of saying something that would start an argument, their time together didn't last long. As for their time at school, they had at least managed to achieve the level of maintaining small-talk before class, but the few times they had lunch together were less than promising. The results were getting so dismal that both Kanako and Michi were starting to wonder if there was really any hope at all.

"Since when are friendships so hard?" Kanako complained during lunch one day. She was eating on the stairs with Hinami, something that had been happening more and more frequently. "A-Are they?" Hinami asked. "Apparently," Kanako said with a sigh. "Every time Mi-chan and I try to act like we used to, it completely backfires. We just end up fighting. And then, if we try to be more careful about what we say, it's just a lot of awkward silence…" "T-That does sound d-difficult," Hinami agreed. "I just don't get it. We used to be so close. How did our friendship turn into this mess?" Kanako asked, not expecting an answer.

Kanako was learning the hard way that while it was sometimes easy to make friends, it was much harder to keep them. Looking back, she remembered her and Michi getting along fairly quickly and becoming fast friends. After that, it had only been up. Kanako had been sure that their friendship was getting stronger with each passing year, but she had been wrong. Something she hadn't realized was that a large part of her relationship with Michi was built around the idea of Michi protecting Kanako from Haruna and making her feel better after interacting with Haruna. As soon as the girl in question came back into the picture, a huge blow was dealt to their friendship.

Seeing how strongly Michi was against Haruna was enough to show Kanako that. "If I had been able to realize that sooner, I wonder if this would've ever happened?" If she had made more of an effort to make their friendship more about the two of them instead of Haruna, would there be so much distance between her and Michi now?

Naturally, having such a large chunk of their foundation removed meant that something needed to fill that hole. Kanako understood that. Most likely, so did Michi. However, understanding and doing were two separate things. Neither of them knew what to fill that hole with. Even if they did, would it be big enough to prop the foundation back up?

Just how large was that hole? Kanako really had no idea, but it did make her wonder just how much of Michi had genuinely cared about her. Obviously some amount had, or else she wouldn't be making the effort to fix their friendship at all, but Kanako wondered what exactly Michi was doing with those feelings. Was she trying to build them up? Or, was she trying to find something else to match them so she could fill in her own missing pieces? The only way to know was to ask the girl herself, but Kanako had no intention of doing that. Somehow, she knew there was a simple truth about all of this. If both of them found that something to fill in the hole made in their foundation, the repairs to their friendship would just come naturally.

Kanako could take some solace in that line of thought, but it was hardly enough to really make her feel better. The issue of Michi still remained, and on top of that, she still had to think about Haruna too. On that front, even less progress had been made.

Ever since Haruna had told her to stay away, Kanako had been doing mostly that. Part of her reason was simply because she felt that maybe if she listened to Haruna, something would change. Another reason was because she felt like until she could figure out what a "little nudge" was, she would just keep being too aggressive and make things worse.

"How can I show her my feelings without scaring her off?" Kanako thought. It was practically impossible to approach Haruna. Aside from passing greetings in the hallways, Kanako couldn't even get close without Haruna running off. "There has to be something I can do."

Then, just as Kanako was searching, she overheard a couple of passing students. It was a group of three girls, and they all seemed to be worked up about something.

"It's coming up soon right?"

"Yeah, this weekend!"

"Sucks that it's on a Sunday though. I feel like you lose a bit of the romance when you have to give your chocolate on a Monday."

"I don't think the days of the week really matter though…"

"Who cares about that? I'm more worried about actually giving someone my Valentine's chocolate!"

"Valentines…" Kanako repeated out loud. "That's… it!" "H-Huh?" Hinami jumped. "W-What's it?" "I can make chocolates for Haruna for Valentine's Day! Then, I could leave them in her locker or something, so she won't have to run away from me! It's perfect!" Next to her, Hinami was speechless. "I feel like I should point out that giving chocolates to someone you like on Valentine's Day should've been obvious, but I also don't have the nerve," she thought. So instead of voicing her inner thoughts, Hinami offered a "D-Do your best, Kana-chan!"

Once lunch ended, Kanako began making her way back to her classroom, but as she did, she saw Chiyo rushing toward her. "A-Ah, uh…" Kanako froze. Seeing the gal coming toward her at such a speed caused Kanako to panic, but she wasn't able to move before Chiyo made contact. "Kaaanaaaa-chan!" she exclaimed as she glomped onto her. The impact nearly sent both of them to the floor.

"C-Chiyo! That's dangerous!" Kanako scolded her. "Sorry, sorry!" Chiyo said as she let go, but she definitely didn't look sorry. "I guess I'm just like, super excited. Y'know what's comin' up, right Kana-chan?" "Um, V-Valentine's Day?" Kanako guessed. "Mhm!" Chiyo responded with an enthusiastic nod. "And Valentine's Day means chocolates! I was hoping to make some for Mi-chan and a few others this weekend, and I was wonderin' if you'd wanna join me!" Even to Kanako, it was obvious what Chiyo was getting at. Her eyes practically gleamed with the words "Make chocolate for Haru-chi."

"O-Okay, sure," Kanako agreed. Really, she had no reason to turn the gal down. She had already decided to make her own chocolates anyways, so making them with someone else would probably be fun. "I-I'm a little surprised to hear that you were going to make your own," Kanako commented. "Well, I've never like, done it before, but I've heard it's super easy, so it'll probably be fine!" Chiyo answered as the bell rang. "That's the bell! Better get to class. I'll see ya this weekend Kana-chan!" And with that, Chiyo dashed into her own classroom, leaving a very concerned Kanako behind. "I'm… worried," she mumbled to herself.

*****

"Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure how much chocolate I've really made before either," Kanako commented aloud. It was the night of Friday, February 12, two days before Valentine's Day. Laying on the couch, Kanako was scrolling through recipes on her phone, wondering if she should try something fancier than the norm. "I'm sure Haruna would be fine with plain chocolate, but I can't help but want to make it at least a little special."

Last year, the cooking club had all made chocolates together, but that wasn't happening this year due to their president, Naomi Akiyama. She was a third-year, and at this point in the year, hardly ever in attendance. The other club members knew what that meant. Naomi would be graduating soon. Because of that, none of them really had the motivation to make chocolates together.

Of course, this didn't mean none of them weren't making any at all. Kanako had overheard Rina, another club member, telling Itsuki she was going to make chocolates for Saki, the only first-year in the club. Kanako was also pretty sure that either Itsuki or Mayu would make chocolates for the other as well.

However, aside from club activities, Kanako couldn't seem to recall another time she made chocolate. "Oh wait," she remembered. "I made some for Akio-kun when we were little." It was only once, as Kanako was pretty sure they had come out bad. "Actually, I think that was part of my motivation for getting into cooking in the first place," she thought.

Coming back from the past, Kanako continued to look through recipes. "So many of these have such nice decorations, but there's no way I could do something like that," she thought. Naturally, some of the chocolates were simple by design, focusing more on basic shapes. This meant that some of them were heart-shaped too. Every time Kanako found one, she paused for a moment before rapidly shaking her head. "No, no, no! That'd be like confessing through chocolate! I don't want that!" And then, she'd keep searching.

By the time 11:00 p.m. came around, Kanako still hadn't decided on one. "Maybe I'll just keep it really basic after all," she thought dejectedly. A part of her had hoped to make something nice, but she also lacked the confidence in her baking and decorating skills to actually try. "I better get some sleep. I get the feeling tomorrow will be long…" Kanako had to be at Chiyo's by noon, and she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that somehow, their baking session was going to be somewhat disastrous.

*****

When Kanako arrived at Chiyo's house, she was met by the elder Wakabayashi sister at the door. "Hey Kana-chan," Chitose said. With her short black hair and thin, but toned body, she easily gave off a cool vibe. To most who interacted with her, that tended to give them trouble. Specifically, making them nervous. "H-Hello," Kanako said with a bow. "T-Thanks for having me." "No need to be so formal. Come on in," Chitose said with an easy smile.

Going inside, Kanako realized it was the first time she had ever been to Chiyo's house. The inside was mostly beige and brown, and there wasn't a lot of space, but it still felt cozy. "Chi's in the kitchen," Chitose said as she walked. "Hey Chi, Kana-chan's here!" Upon hearing her sister's call, the younger Wakabayashi dashed out into the hallway. "Great! Now we can really get started!" she declared. "Haven't you already been at it for a few hours though?" Chitose pointed out. "Huh?" Kanako let out.

In response, Chiyo gave a sheepish grin. "I thought it might be good to like, make some test batches, just in case, but…" Making a motion to follow her, Kanako walked toward and into the kitchen. Inside was an absolute mess. "Man, Chi, it's like a tornado blew through here," Chitose commented. Covering the counters were various bowls and utensils, along with several batches of chocolates and smudges of flour and chocolate everywhere. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'll clean it up, I promise!" Chiyo reassured her sister. "You'd better. This was your idea y'know," Chitose said as she walked away.

"S-So," Kanako said after processing the scene. "Did the chocolates come out good at least?" "Umm…" Chiyo hummed. Guessing she wouldn't get much more of an answer than that, Kanako moved to try one. Putting one of the chocolates in her mouth, Kanako chewed slowly before swallowing. "Chiyo…" she said. "Yeah?" Chiyo said. "These… are terrible…" Kanako admitted reluctantly. "Yeah…" Chiyo agreed sadly.

The chocolates (or really, whatever it was Chiyo had been going for) were a complete mess. The texture was way too hard on the outside, giving more crunch than chocolate should. In contrast, the inside was too soft, feeling more like a mush than something creamy. Then there was the taste, which Kanako could only describe as wrong. "How did you even make something like this…?" she mumbled. "I have no idea," Chiyo said with her head hung low. "Baking's never really been my strong suit." "I see…" Kanako said. "What were these supposed to be?" "Truffles," Chiyo answered. "The recipe said they're supposed to be real easy, so I thought I could do it."

Checking out the recipe that Chiyo pointed to on the counter, Kanako looked it over. "She's right," Kanako thought. "This does look pretty simple." Although, that observation only served to fuel Kanako's confusion even more. "Well, I suppose there's no sense in dwelling on it. We'll just have to start over," she decided. "I'm not too great of a baker either, but I think this much should be fine." When Chiyo looked up at her, her face displayed an expression like she had been saved. "Kana-chan, you're my angel."

But just as Kanako was about to get started, Chiyo noticed the bag she was holding. "Hey Kana-chan, what'cha got there?" she asked. "Oh this?" Kanako said, lifting the bag. "It's just a couple ingredients I thought we might need. And limes." "...Limes?" Chiyo said with a tilt of her head.

Just before Kanako had been about to go over to Chiyo's house, she had gotten a sudden idea. She had spent a lot of time last night trying to come up with a good chocolate for Haruna, but nothing seemed to work. It wasn't until the morning that Kanako remembered something. On the school trip, Haruna had said something about lime-flavored chocolate. Doing some research, Kanako found very little on such an idea, but taking what little she could find, she decided that she was going to try to give Haruna what she had wanted back then. So, before arriving at Chiyo's house, Kanako had gone to the store and bought quite a few limes.

"A-And so, yeah… limes," Kanako said when she finished explaining. "Lime-flavored chocolate huh…" Chiyo repeated. "Yeah, only Haru-chi would think something like that would be good. I swear, that girl has such weird tastes sometimes." "Like you're one to talk," Kanako thought as she recalled all of the odd things she had seen Chiyo try since she had known her.

After a bit of cleaning up, it was time for Kanako's first attempt and by her count, Chiyo's fourth. "Are you sure you don't need my help?" Kanako asked. "You pointed out what I was doin' wrong, so I think it'll be fine now," Chiyo said, although she didn't sound much like her usually confident self. "Are you sure?" Kanako asked. "Maybe it would be better if I helped you." "Yeah, you might be right," Chiyo said reluctantly.

Setting aside her own ingredients, Kanako moved to help Chiyo. "Alright, you did most of it right before, so just do it again," she instructed. "Right," Chiyo said. "First, finely chop the chocolate…" After that was the cream, which as it had turned out, Chiyo had been using the wrong kind. Combining the right ingredients created the ganache she needed for the truffles. "Now they go in the fridge right?" Chiyo asked for confirmation. "Yeah, but only for 30 minutes or so. If the ganache gets too cold, you won't be able to scoop it out," Kanako explained.

While Chiyo tended to her chocolates, Kanako finally began working on her own. "Let's see…" she muttered to herself. "Chiyo, do you have a blender?" "Huh? Yeah, it's in that cabinet over there," Chiyo said, pointing to the spot. Grabbing the appliance, Kanako got to work. First she peeled the limes, then gathered several other ingredients. Once she had everything ready, she put it all in the blender, running it until the substance inside had a creamy consistency.

Next, she prepared the chocolate, melting it down. Once that was done, she took a sheet pan out and began creating rows of small chocolate circles a little bigger than unbaked cookie dough balls. "What'cha doin' Kana-chan?" Chiyo asked. "Well, I was thinking that I would make something with a lime filling, so I'm pouring out some chocolate like this, and then I'll pour on some of the mixture in the blender. After that I'll put on another layer of chocolate, then put it in the oven for a bit," Kanako explained.

Following her own explanation, Kanako did what she said she would. Once her creations were complete, she put them in the oven. "Now all that's left to do is wait," she said happily. "I guess we're both stuck waitin'," Chiyo sighed. Luckily, the time went by quicker than they thought it would, and soon enough both Chiyo and Kanako were back in action.

For the gal, her job was to scoop out balls of chocolate. This was essentially the finished product, but there was the option of adding more too. "Hey Kana-chan, does Mi-chan like nuts?" she asked. "Um, I think so? I don't think she's ever said she dislikes them," Kanako answered. So Chiyo proceeded to roll the truffles through a small bowl of chopped nuts, until she finished with about a dozen of them. "Alright, now for the taste test…" she said nervously. Picking one up, she popped it into her mouth. "...It's good! I did it!" she cried in joy. "Here Kana-chan, try it out!"

Practically shoving a truffle into Kanako's mouth, the girl chewed and swallowed. "Y-Yeah, that is good," she agreed. "I know, right?!" Chiyo said with excitement. "It's too bad that I couldn't make more though. Had to waste so many supplies…" "I-I think Mi-chan will be happy with this amount," Kanako said, certain that Michi would probably struggle to eat a near-dozen already.

"B-But weren't you going to make chocolates for other people too?" Kanako asked. "Well, I was, but like, this was a ton of work, not to mention all the bad batches, so… I think everybody else will be fine with store-bought. Besides…" Quietly, to the level that not even Kanako caught it, Chiyo added, "These are the only chocolates that matter." "Besides what Chiyo?" Kanako asked, but Chiyo just shook her head and changed the subject. "Hey, why don't we try your chocolates?"

Following that was the taste test of Kanako's creation. "Here goes," she said as she brought one up to her mouth. Tasting it, she made a bit of a sour face. "I can't say I really like this flavor, but I'm sure Haruna will love it," Kanako said. "Lemme try," Chiyo said as she picked one up. After taking a bite, she reached the same conclusion. "Yeah, Haru-chi will probably love this."

The chocolate-making was a success. "Now the question is when to give it to her," Kanako mumbled. "You should do it on Valentine's Day," Chiyo said. "B-But that's a Sunday!" Kanako cried. Her protest had less to do with the specific day and more to do with her original plan. "I was hoping to just leave these in her locker at school…"

"Kana-chan," Chiyo said. "Remember how I told ya to give little nudges? This is a good opportunity. Giving your chocolates to Haru-chi in person would totally be something like that. It's not like ya have to confess or anything. Just show her your sincerity." "My sincerity…" Kanako repeated. "I'm not really sure I get it…" "That's fine," Chiyo said plainly. "I think it's something you can only really understand once ya do it yourself."

That much made sense. "Learn through experience huh?" Kanako thought. "I guess that really is the only way." After all, what was love if not trial and error? "At least I managed to make some good chocolates," Kanako thought happily. Trying to give them to Haruna in person was another challenge entirely, but it was one she was going to undertake. "If she runs away from me again or locks herself in her room, I could always wait until Monday anyways."

With their baking complete, the two girls hung out for a while longer before Kanako went home. "See ya later Kana-chan! Good luck!" Chiyo called. "Hey Chi, don't forget to clean up that mess," Chitose said as Chiyo closed the door. "I know, I know," Chiyo said as she made her way back to the kitchen. Standing a little distance away, Chitose watched her little sister as she hummed happily while cleaning. "...Honestly, all this mess over one crush…" she mumbled, but then she broke into a soft smile. "Good luck, Chi."

*****

Valentine's Day. Kanako was sure that out of all of the times before she had ever given anyone anything on this holiday, her heart had never beat as fast as it was now. "Just knock and ask if she's home. Just knock and ask if she's home. Just home and ask if she's knock… huh?" Over and over, Kanako kept repeating to herself what she needed to do, but her racing heart was messing with her head. "Who knew it was so nerve-wracking just to give chocolates to someone you like?" she thought. She had given Akio chocolates before, but thanks to her self-assured assumption that they'd end up together in the future, it had been pretty easy for her. With so much uncertainty now between her and Haruna, Kanako found her nerves to be quite high.

Standing before the front door of the Endo household, Kanako took in a shaky breath, then let it out. Raising her fist, she knocked on the wood. Only a few seconds passed until the door clicked open. "Oh, Kana-chan," Haruna's mother said. "H-Hello. Sorry to drop by unannounced," Kanako said with a courteous bow. "I, um… I made some chocolates, and I thought I'd share them with Haruna." It wasn't entirely a lie. Kanako did make them, and she wanted Haruna to have them. She just had no intention of sharing.

"I think Haruna's in her room. She might be asleep though. The girl's been quiet for several hours now," Haruna's mother said. "I can go wake her up for you-" "No!" Kanako exclaimed suddenly, causing the woman in front of her to jump slightly. "I-I mean, I'll do it! She's always doing the same for me, so it's only fair!" "My, how thoughtful of you. Well, then I'll leave you to it," Haruna's mother said, moving aside to allow Kanako inside. With another small bow, Kanako moved past her and headed up the stairs.

Reaching the girl's door, Kanako paused once more. Her heart was beating so hard she was sure it would burst. With a couple taps, she called out. "H-Haruna? You awake?" No response. Looking down, Kanako stared at the doorknob. "I wonder…" Slowly, she reached for it. Wrapping her fingers around the cold metal, she tried to turn it. To her surprise, it moved. "It's not locked this time…"

Kanako opened the door, then began to step inside. "I-I'm coming in," she said in a quiet whisper. Sure enough, just as Haruna's mother had said, Haruna was lying on her bed, fast asleep. With one step, then two, Kanako made her way to the middle of the room. "H-Haruna?" she called nervously. Still no response. "I guess she really is asleep," Kanako thought. "Oh well. Maybe that's for the best. This way she can't run off on me."

Of course, Kanako knew she could just shake Haruna awake and give the girl her chocolates, but something about giving them to her while she slept felt like it would work better. "She might try to cover her ears or something if she couldn't escape from me…" Kanako thought sadly. Yes, this was for the best, she decided. So, taking another step forward, Kanako reached the side of the bed. She went down on one knee, and then followed that with her other knee, putting her face at just above level-height with Haruna's body.

"Hey, Haruna," Kanako began in a whisper. "I made you some chocolates. They're lime-flavored, just like you asked for, and they're something I came up with. I hope you like them." Gently, Kanako set the bag of chocolates down on the floor next to the bed. Attached to the bag was a thin red ribbon tied into a bow, and a small note that said, "For Haruna."

Kanako's business was finished. It was time for her to go. And yet… she didn't move. Not because she couldn't, but because she didn't want to. "Haruna…" she called the name of the girl she loved. "I wish you'd hear me. I wish you weren't scared…" Softly, Kanako raised her hand and brought it to Haruna's face, sliding a lock of hair over the girl's ear. "I won't hurt you… I could never hurt you…" Then, raising herself up, Kanako leaned forward. She came in closer and closer, until finally her lips hovered above the top of Haruna's head.

Then she placed those lips upon her.

They stayed there for a second, then another, until finally, Kanako pulled away. "Haruna… one day… I hope you'll hear my answer…" With nothing left to say, Kanako turned around and left.

*****

If it was possible for a heart to burst out of someone's chest, Haruna was sure it would've happened to her. She had been asleep for awhile, but upon hearing her door open, she had woken up. Assuming it was her mother, Haruna had been about to tell her to let her sleep when a very different voice had spoken. "K-K-Kanako?!" she had screamed internally in a panic.

Haruna had been frozen in place, but by the time she had felt like she could move, it would've been incredibly awkward. So instead, she had stayed put. And then, she listened. Every word Kanako said, Haruna took them in. "I could never hurt you," she had said. "...I... know…" Haruna had thought in response. How desperately she wanted to just roll over and tell her that. But she didn't. She couldn't. Hearing the emotion in Kanako's words, Haruna felt something form inside her, and that something told her she shouldn't. "What is this feeling?" she wondered. "What does it mean?"

Feeling lips upon her head, Haruna did her best to work past her surprise. Then, she understood. "Ah… I get it," she thought. "I know what this is. After how I've been acting, and how Kanako is acting now, I know exactly what this is."

"It's regret."

*****

On Monday, Iwanai High was abuzz with activity. The majority of the students had decided that the day after Valentine's Day would be the day to give out chocolates. Girls ran through the school red-faced, and boys waited, hoping to receive something.

"It sure is busy today," Michi commented. This was another effort to maintain conversation between herself and Kanako. Currently, they were sitting in their classroom. "W-Well, it is Valentine's Day… kinda," Kanako said. "I guess so," Michi said. "Honestly, I really don't get all of the hype. It's just another day. Who decided it was special?" "Ahahaha…" Kanako let out weakly in response. Being one of the people who had participated in the holiday, she couldn't really say much.

"Hiya Mi-chan!" a voice suddenly shouted. Looking up, Kanako saw Chiyo at the doorway, though she didn't stay there for long. Quickly, she bounded over to Michi. "What the-? Why're you here?!" Michi asked. "Class is about to start! Go away!" "I just came over to see if ya had any chocolates for me," Chiyo cooed.

"Hah? Why would I give you chocolates?" Michi asked, annoyed. "Aw, you don't have any? That kinda sucks," Chiyo said with a small pout, but then she brightened back up. "Well, whatevs. I guess that just means I'm the giver this year. And you know what that means Mi-chan?" "What?" Michi asked. "You have to repay me on White Day!" Chiyo proclaimed. "Yeah right!" Michi protested. "What do I need to repay YOU for?! You're the one always causing ME problems… Besides, I don't even know what I'd get you… You know what? I'll just save myself the trouble. What do you want?" "That's not very romantic," Chiyo pointed out. "Who said anything about romance?!" Michi shouted, but Chiyo ignored her. "But if you really wanna know…" she said as she began to move forward. "You could get me chocolates," she said, taking one step toward Michi. "You could get me flowers," she said sweetly with another step. "Or," Then Chiyo leaned in close to Michi's ear and whispered. "You. Could. Give. Me. You."

Immediately, Michi lurched away and pushed Chiyo. "W-W-W-What the hell?!" she shrieked. "Ahahaha! Cute as always, Mi-chan!" Chiyo said happily. "Knock it off! I've told you already to stop whispering in my ear!" Michi yelled. "Yes, yes," Chiyo dismissed her with a wave. "But anyways Mi-chan… Could you… wait for me here after school?" "Why?" Michi asked. "There's something… I wanna give you," Chiyo said. "Okay?" Michi said, agreeing with uncertainty. "Hooray! Alright, then I'll see ya later Mi-chan!" Chiyo said before running off. "That was weird. If she wanted to give me friend chocolate or something, she could've just done it now," Michi said. "Right Kana-chan? Kana-chan?"

However, the girl next to Michi wasn't listening. Instead, her eyes were wide. The alarm bells were sounding off again. "Something's… different…" she thought. What had triggered this was Chiyo. Kanako knew that Chiyo had a fondness for Michi. She knew that Chiyo liked to be intimate with her. She knew Chiyo made her chocolates for Valentine's Day, so perhaps this should've been more obvious.

As Chiyo had ran by, it was like the world had gone into slow motion. Watching her closely, Kanako could see a smile on the gal's face… along with a streak of blushing going from cheek to cheek. Seeing that, Kanako began to wonder. She couldn't help but wonder. Putting all of the pieces together, Kanako could only guess at one conclusion. "Is Chiyo…"

"...in love with Mi-chan?"

*****

After school, Michi did as she was told. She skipped club and instead sat in her seat in her classroom. It didn't take long for everyone to have left. Sitting by herself in silence, Michi started to get impatient when the gal who had asked her to stay finally arrived.

"Took you long enough," Michi huffed. "Sorry 'bout that!" Chiyo said playfully, holding something behind her back. "But I'm here now, and I've got a gift for you!" "It better not be something weird… oh, and if you say it's you I'm gonna scream sexual harassment!" "You're so harsh Mi-chan! I'd be a great gift y'know?" Chiyo joked. "That's it, I'm leaving," Michi said, beginning to get up. "Wait!" Chiyo said quickly. "For real. I do have something for you."

Coming closer to Michi until she stood right in front of her, Chiyo finally pulled out what was behind her back. "Ta-da! Chocolates!" Chiyo announced. "Chocolates? From you?" Michi scoffed. "I'm sure there's something weird in them." "Take 'em!" Chiyo said happily, pushing them forward. "No way! I don't want chocolates from you!" Michi yelled. If Chiyo had simply said she was giving Michi chocolate as a friend, she probably would've accepted it. However, the way the gal was presenting it gave Michi a sense of uneasy.

Expecting some sort of witty retort, Michi waited, but it never came. Looking over, she saw Chiyo, but she seemed… smaller than before. Slowly, Chiyo raised both hands, cupping the bag of chocolate truffles. Her head was bowed just enough so Michi couldn't see her eyes, but she had a feeling she knew what they'd look like. Then, in a voice smaller and softer than Michi had thought possible from Chiyo, she heard her.

"Please accept them."

This request was not the kind that one expected to hear from a gyaru. Instead, it was one that would normally come from a quiet, shy girl. "After all," she continued. "I made these especially for you."

Those words cut into Michi, and in response, all she could manage to say was, "Okay…" as she took the bag. Without another word, Chiyo left, taking fast strides. Once she was gone, Michi looked down at the bag in her hand. "Are these truffles?" she wondered aloud. Opening the bag, she took one out and put it in her mouth.

Something flooded her. A storm of emotion swirled inside her. These chocolates held something in them that was immeasurable by ingredient standards. Whatever that something was, it was forcing Michi to take notice of something else entirely. "It's sweet…" she muttered, her voice trembling. "It's just… too sweet…"

*****

"Haaah…" Kanako sighed. Looking around, she saw she still had a ways to go. "I guess I shouldn't complain," she said to the room. "After all, I brought this on myself." In response to her constant skipping as of late, Naomi had recommended and Rina had enforced that Kanako clean the cooking club room every day for two weeks. "I definitely need to make sure I don't skip club anymore…" Luckily, the club had been given the day off due to the Valentine's Day festivities, but a few club members had still gotten some cooking in early in the morning, so there was still a small mess to clean up.

As Kanako cleaned, she heard footsteps rapidly approaching. "Huh? Who would be coming down this way?" she wondered, but her question wasn't left unanswered for long. "Kana-chan!" Chiyo shouted, causing Kanako to jump and nearly spill a bucket of water next to her feet. "C-Chiyo! You scared me!" Kanako cried. "Sorry! But listen! All of my chocolates have been delivered, including Mi-chan's!" Chiyo declared. "Oh..." Kanako said, noticing Michi being mentioned specifically. She was reminded of what she had seen from Chiyo earlier in the day.

"So what'cha doin'? Someone stick ya with the cleaning?" Chiyo asked. "No, this is my punishment for skipping so much," Kanako sighed. "Ah, I guess there's a price to be paid even in the pursuit of love," Chiyo said, trying to sound philosophical. "Hey, want some help?" "N-No, I shouldn't. This is supposed to be a punishment," Kanako said, denying the offer. "C'mon, it'll be fine. It'll go faster with two people anyways," Chiyo said, picking up a couple of bowls and heading toward a sink before Kanako could stop her. "Well, alright…" Kanako said, giving up her protest.

As they worked, the air was filled mostly with the sounds of a mop going in and out of a bucket and a running sink. With cleaning as the only sound, Kanako's mind drifted. Specifically, she kept thinking about Michi and Chiyo. She had thought before that maybe Michi had feelings for Chiyo, but after hearing how against Michi still was about girls dating other girls, Kanako was really doubtful that was the case. But now, Kanako had to wonder about the other side. Did Chiyo have feelings for Michi? With the way she was acting, it certainly seemed that way. "I want to know," Kanako thought. "But will she give me a straight answer?"

"Hey Chiyo?" "Yes, my darling Kana-chan?" Chiyo cooed. "Can I ask you something?" she said. "Sure. What's up?" Chiyo asked. "W-Well, it's just… I was wondering… Are you… Are you in love with Mi-chan?" For just a moment, Chiyo froze, but that moment was long enough for Kanako to notice. However, Chiyo quickly continued doing what she was doing. "What makes you ask that?" she said in a quieter voice. "When I saw you blushing after you talked to Mi-chan in our classroom earlier, I started thinking about it. The way you act and talk with her is really friendly too, but it seems like more than friends. I-" "We're just friends," Chiyo said quickly, cutting Kanako off. "Huh? But it seems like-"

"Seems like I've got a thing for Mi-chan?" Chiyo finished. "It's not like that… and even if it was, it wouldn't matter." "It wouldn't matter?" Kanako repeated. "But if you just talked to Mi-chan, then maybe-" "I can't," Chiyo said strongly. "You won't know unless you try!" Kanako fired back. "I already know! There's no point!" Chiyo said loudly. "Why?!" Kanako shouted. Finally, Chiyo turned off the sink and whipped around to face Kanako. Tears were building up in her eyes, threatening to spill out. "BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WANT ME!" Then more quietly, she continued. "Not like that… not the way… that I want her…"

Kanako stood in shock. "Chiyo…" She hadn't expected the gal to actually admit it. Chiyo may not have explicitly said she was in love with Michi, but there was no denying the meaning behind her words. "...She'd never accept me Kana-chan," Chiyo said, sounding defeated. "Hell, it took her months to even call me her friend, and even now she still acts all prickly toward me. So instead of telling her anything, I'm just going to carry these feelings inside of me. All the way to my grave."

Kanako was speechless. She had never seen Chiyo look so serious before. "And Kana-chan," she continued. "You better not breathe a word of this to Mi-chan, because if you do… I'll never forgive you." Considering the tone she used, Kanako was sure Chiyo meant it. "I won't," she answered. "But one day Chiyo, I think… you won't be able to hold those feelings in anymore. I just hope you get them out before it's too late."

The rest of the cleaning was done without another word spoken, and when it was time to leave, Chiyo went a completely opposite direction than Kanako. "She probably wants to be alone…" she thought. "I understand. I've been in the same situation before, at least a little." It certainly wasn't exactly the same as her own experience, but Kanako knew how Chiyo was feeling. "I guess we both have love issues, huh Chiyo?"

End of Chapter Six.