Angel and Valentine

　Even though it was Valentine's Day, there was no mood for an event at home, so I went home and rested as usual.

　It was too early to make dinner, so Midday was next to me, but there was no sign of excitement or any action around me.

　I didn't expect to receive it, so it didn't matter, but the reason I felt slightly sad was due to the man's pride.

``There was a sweet smell in the school today.''

"It's Valentine's day."

　It seems that he gave it to the girl he was friends with, but he didn't even give it to the boy.

　There was a question about why I thought I could get it even though I didn't have much to do with it, but I guess I expected it.　

"Well, Valentine's Day is an event that only involves some good-looking guys, and it doesn't matter to dull boys like us."

"It's an enlightened wind."

"I'm not bragging, but I've never received a favorite. I just received a Russian chocolate from Chitose."

"Russian obligation chocolate"

"It seems there are some stimulant chocolates mixed in with the regular chocolate."

　I was afraid to eat it because it seemed to be a mixture of super spicy, super sour, super sweet, and super bitter chocolate, each of which seemed to destroy my taste buds.

"Another amazing thing..."

"I'll eat it later, but please let me know if I'm writhing in agony."

"You eat properly."

"Well, you've prepared something for me. I'll eat it. It's not like it's poisonous."

　Although it is a stimulant, it is not harmful to the body, so I will eat it while being grateful that it was made for me.

　Since you took the trouble to spare your time, the recipient should eat it. I am very reluctant because of the stimulants.

"...is that so"

"Well, I haven't received anything else, and for someone like me, Valentine's Day has nothing to do with it."

　Even just receiving one giri chocolate would be enough.

　Mahiru quietly looked at Shuu, who lowered his eyebrows in confusion as he thought about what he would do in return in return.

　After dinner, I ate Chitose's chocolate and fell down on my desk.

　The box I got from Chitose had partitions at equal intervals, and contained about twelve truffles.

　There are four types of deviation. In other words, one-third is the difference.

　Among them, the major exception is one of the super-spicy ones, so I picked it thinking that I could eat it normally otherwise--this was how it was.

"You hit it."

"...I tried to eat it for several days and it turned out like this..."

　Mahiru, who was apparently making drinks in the kitchen, noticed Shuu's state and called out to him with some sympathy.

　I managed to swallow it, but the inside of my mouth was no longer in the painful category. I am well aware that spiciness is not a matter of taste, but that is no longer an issue.

　Fortunately, it's not that I can't eat it, but it's tolerable but still tough.

　The peculiar tingling sensation of wasabi coming out of my nose impressed me that the volatile components were well trapped, but I cursed while holding back my physiological tears that I didn't have to do that much.

　It's wasabi that attacks your nose and eyes, and pepper and habanero powder that burns your tongue. The strong taste...or rather, the pain, I was beaten up by just one grain.

"I'm so sorry. Depending on how you think about it, you'll see hell first and the rest will be heaven."

　Having said that, there is nothing that can be done about the current hardship.

　Shuu, who sincerely wished that this pain would go away soon, heard the sound of a soft sigh, and then heard a hard thumping sound from the side.

"Here, please clean up your mouth."

　When I looked up, there was a mug steaming next to me and emitting a sweet smell.

　Inside is a dark brown liquid.

"cocoa?"

"It's similar. Chocolat Chau...well, to put it simply, it's hot chocolate. It's less sweet, but I think it's enough to cleanse your palate."

"That's helpful..."

　For now, I just want to wash away this pain.

　When you pick up a mug and pour some hot chocolate into your mouth, you'll be greeted with a relaxing, rich flavor.

　It has a sweet chocolate scent, but it's not that sweet. It had a bitter-sweet taste, making it very easy to drink and relaxing.

"good"

"That's good"

　Although he answered me indifferently, I didn't care and slowly tasted the hot chocolate, trying to hide the pain in my mouth.

　It didn't contain a lot of irritants, but it was hardened by mixing it with ganache and coating it strictly with chocolate before sprinkling it with powdered sugar. Ta.

　By the time I finished drinking, my tongue had finally returned to normal, but it still felt sore.

"Huh…that guy really mixed everything up…"

"Was it that hard?"

"Well, it's because it has chili pepper, wasabi, and habanero in it. It was nice to have a palate cleanser, but I wish I had eaten it outside."

"Well, it's a blessing in misfortune."

"Totally"

　Chitose, she said, slightly insulting her, but I guess she was trying to surprise her in her own way, so I can't really blame her.

　Other than that, it probably tasted fine, so it wasn't like there was any malicious intent. Zhou couldn't help but smile bitterly, as he was not only feeding the food to others, but also tasting it himself.

"Still, it's rare. Hot chocolate or something. Usually hot milk, right?"

"... yeah, well"

"Did you make this because it was Valentine's Day?"

　Basically, I drink hot milk and milk tea rather than cocoa in the middle of the day, but since I made such a rare drink, I listened with a little expectation.

"...oh dear"

"Hmm, thank you. Thank you for helping me."

　With a small nod, Zhou let out a sigh of relief.

　It would have been quite embarrassing if I was denied because of my excessive self-consciousness, but it seems that it was a good fit.

　Midday probably feels like it's Valentine's Day, so it's a good deal. I think I was just attending an event, but I was grateful.

　When I told him again, "It was delicious," midday was somewhat uncomfortable and shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

"…Um, that."

"Yeah?"

　Sit next to me, and if I rush it, it will be difficult for me to say it, so I try to be gentle and ask back.

　If you gently urge Mahiru to do so, Mahiru will look up at you while burying her face half into the cushion you're hugging. Her back was slightly curled and her eyes were raised upwards, making her look uneasy, and her cuteness made me want to stroke her head.

　She was acting like a small animal and was strangely cute and smiley, so I waited quietly, but in the middle of the day she just shivered and didn't try to continue.

"...I-I'm going home."

　Instead, he suddenly stood up and grabbed his bag.

　Heh, when I let out my voice, he left the living room with a patter of footsteps.

　The sound of the front door being opened and the door being closed while the surroundings were frozen, followed by the sound of the door being locked, and in the blink of an eye, midday was gone.

　I can't help but say, "Eh...?"

(Did I do something...?)

　As expected, I didn't expect to be able to escape, so I was half confused.

　Worried about what I would do if she was still in a bad mood when we met tomorrow, I got up and went to the door where she had disappeared, when I suddenly noticed a paper bag on the doorknob of my room.

　It's the pale pink paper bag she was carrying when she left, with a message card attached to the outside.

"I am always indebted to you, and I would like to express my gratitude."

　It was written in a slightly rounded yet methodical handwriting that seemed typical of Midday, and when I looked inside, I found a pastel pink box wrapped with a chocolate ribbon.

　I wondered why I was here, but I soon realized that I had gone to that time.

　Apparently, he was embarrassed to hand it over directly. He seemed to be quite hesitant, even saying that he wouldn't give it to the man.

(I should have given it to you normally)

　I sit on the sofa and take out the contents while smiling wryly in the middle of the day.

　The cutely wrapped box gives off a midday feminine look.

　I slowly unwrapped it and opened the lid, feeling slightly uneasy, thinking, ``I guess I should just take it.''

　Inside is a so-called orangette, which is a candied orange slice dipped in chocolate wrapped in individual plastic wrap.

　The contrast between the bright orange color and the deep glossy chocolate color was dazzling, and it looked delicious.

　There is also a white chocolate version of the chocolate used for the coating, and a version with lemon fruit, so you will never get tired of it.

　Along with the orange jet, there is another message attached.

``It seems like she doesn't like sweets very much, so I made something easy for her to eat. I hope it suits your taste.''

　It was written like that, and I remembered about ten days ago.

``What kind of thing do you like? 』

"I don't like sweets, nor do I dislike them… I guess they're not sweet."

　It seems like she remembered the conversation I had with Chitose and adjusted it to my liking.

　I was embarrassed by the fact that she remembered my preferences, and the fact that I received it from her in the first place, and my cheeks were tinged with heat.

　I stared at the normal orangette, which was wrapped one by one so that it would be easy to eat, and picked it up.

　Slowly take a bite of it, which has a beautiful contrast between glossy chocolate and bright orange.

　The sweet and sour taste of the candied orange spreads in your mouth, while the bitter chocolate has just the right amount of bitterness, not too sweet.

　Both sides complemented each other's tastes well and were in perfect harmony.

(...delicious)

　It's probably because it's handmade in the middle of the day that it tastes better than the commercially available one.

　Thinking that, I take another bite.

　Orangette at midday was sweet and sour, bittersweet――for some reason, it was unnaturally sweet.