For a moment, Mami could only stare in silence at the box in front of her. The red heart, though a common sight around this time of year, seemed unreal. She had woken up that morning thinking that it would be another normal day.

"Thank you," she said, taking the box from Nagisa's outstretched hands. It felt heavier than she had expected, probably stuffed with chocolate. Looking down, she inspected the label. "Oh, thank you so, so much!"

Nagisa leaned up, a pure smile on her face. "You like it?"

"Like it?" Mami clutched the box to her chest. "I absolutely love it!" She twirled, her uniform skirt rising into the air. It was such a cliche act, but she couldn't help herself; it just seemed right for the moment. "Nagisa, I can never thank you enough!"

Nagisa's face was bright red. "It's good candy, really."

"I don't doubt that for a second. How did you ever afford it?"

"I saved up for it."

Mami smiled. Surely the girl must have, as the price tag of this must have been ridiculous for a girl her age.

"Thank you again." Mami got down on her knees, leveling herself to Nagisa's face. "You need to get back to school, don't you?"

Nagisa looked away from her, then nodded.

"It was so nice of you to give this to me." She leaned forward, pecking a kiss on the girl's cheek. "Have fun at school today for me, okay?"

"Okay." Nagisa quickly leaned forward, kissing Mami straight on the lips.

This time, Mami was the one to turn red. "Come by for tea later, would you?"

"Yes!" The girl turned and ran. "I'll see you after school!"

"I'll be waiting!" Mami smiled, looking down to her chocolate. She could hardly even bother to think about the school day ahead of her.

The last bell couldn't have rang fast enough.

"Now that is a nice gift." Kyoko grinned, pointing to the bright red box. "Are you going to be eating all of those?"

Mami chuckled. "I suppose so."

"Damn." Kyoko pulled a box of Pocky from her messenger bag, then quickly opened it. She pulled out a stick, then ate half of it in one bite. "Whoever got you that must really love you. Tell me if it's good, okay?"

"Of course." Mami stared down at it. Both the box and chocolates inside were very fancy, far from the typical stuff that could be bought at any corner store. She used to read books and see movies where women were given boxes like these, and she had even hoped that one day she too would get one. Still, it was quite a wonder.

"So are you going to start eating it or what?" Kyoko's eyes returned to the box.

Mami nodded. "I'm going to eat it right after I get home."

"What, you're going to wait?" Kyoko threw her hands in the air. "What is the meaning of that?"

"Well, I want to get some tea started before I eat them." She hugged the box tightly to her chest. "These will be the perfect treat to go with them."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Mami!"

Mami turned around, eyes wide. "Madoka? Sayaka?"

"Wait up for us!" Madoka called, waving her hand.

The two stopped, allowing the two younger girls to catch up with them.

"Mami!" Madoka's eyes widened. "Who got you that?"

She smiled, running a hand over the box's smooth surface. "It's a secret."

"Do you know?" Sayaka asked.

"Certainly," Mami responded, looking back down to it. "I just don't want to tell anyone who gave me it. That's my little secret."