The snow was freely floating down like feathers from the cloudy sky on a calm February morning. The winter breeze was chill but quite soothing as it blew past flushed cheeks of a certain lavender hair girl who was strolling down the quiet neighborhood sidewalks, carrying a bag of various cooking utensils in both hands.
Misaki Tokura never would've thought in a million years that she would be going to a certain someone for advice on how to make Valentine's chocolate. Sure, she could have just buy the boxes of confectionery from the store like she usually did every time this holiday came around, but she felt that would not be the best method to convey her grateful feelings that she had developed for her mates over the past years.
This would be her first year trying to make homemade chocolates for this lovely holiday so she wants it to be perfect as possible, which means edible sweets.
Misaki had tried making chocolates multiple times in the past weeks, but they all have ended up being stacks of black coal. She could have asked her Uncle Shin for guidance since he cooks like a chef from a five-star restaurant, but lately he has taken the role of being the over protective father-in-law this month. Whenever he saw her with a male friend, he would start throwing her a bucket full of questions asking who and what is her relationship with him. It annoyed her to no ends so if she ask him on how to make Valentine's chocolate, things would go a little hectic.
She didn't know anyone else who she could rely on so that leaves only one option: Akari Yotsue, also known as her high school, best female friend. Sure, she has other trustworthy companions, but she felt that Akari would understand her situation the best since she was with her at the beginning of her high school life. In addition to that, she's a female who knows how to bake sweets. Misaki had a feeling that it will be slightly uncomfortable consulting to a male about her dilemma.
With a slightly nervous look on her face, Misaki stood in front of Akari's door steps as she constantly adjusted her scarf. She worried if she could succeed in making chocolates this time. This would be her last chance since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and if she doesn't make it in time soon, her best chance to express her thanks to all her mates as well as her loving feelings to a certain special person will be lost...
Misaki suddenly shook her head, trying to disperse all those worrisome thoughts. Falling on the pessimistic side of things won't help her situation. It's best to take action rather than dwell hopelessly on her thoughts.
Recollecting her confidence, Misaki raised her finger towards the doorbell until the front door was abruptly swung open, revealing a teenage girl with forest green hair, clad in an apron. Her hands were behind her back as she stood tall, smiling rather gleefully today.
"Akari!" Misaki shouted in surprise. She had not expected her friend to suddenly know her arrival.
"Hey Misaki, long time no see! I haven't seen you since graduation. How have you been lately?" Akari asked excitingly as she hopped closer to Misaki.
In response, Misaki stepped back. She's a little flustered out by her friend's hype attitude. "Um, I am doing fine thank you."
Akari instantly took a huge step back, shaking her head in a displeasing manner. "Misaki, you can't fool me. If you're fine, then why are you asking me how to make chocolate on the day before Valentines? Not to mention that you seem like the type that barely put in any effort for this lovely event."
"Well-"
"The reason is simple. You're love sick!" Akari exclaimed, dramatically directing her finger at the bewildered lavender hair girl.
Misaki could only turn her head away in return, hiding her faint blush. She's not going to deny that one. Akari has hit the jackpot.
"Yes! Misaki is finally starting to act like a normal girl in her youth!" Akari squealed happily as she jumped up and down like a little child.
"Hey!" Misaki snapped, holding up a fist.
"So who is the lucky guy who has caught your eye, hm? Wait before you answer, let's go inside. It's getting chilly out here." Akari shivered, rubbing both of her arms to in an attempt to gain warmth.
Misaki let out a sigh and complied. "Sure, let's go."
When they settled in the living room, Akari brought a tray of hot chocolate from the kitchen and sat on the couch with Misaki. She then wasted no time in bombarding one question after another at Misaki's face.
"So who's the guy? Is it someone I know? Is he from our high school? Is he handsome?" Akari asked continuously, bringing her face closer to Misaki while the latter inched back. Her eyes were practically sparkling with curiosity.
"You are asking way too many questions. Calm down Akari." Misaki replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice as she pushed back the peppy girl for some space.
Akari pouted, folding her arms in an unsatisfying manner. "Fine." She stayed in that same pose for a minute until her lips slowly curved into a smirk. "It's that cute boy Aichi right?"
Misaki sighed. "No, it is not. Besides, he is already with someone."
Akari snapped her fingers in disappointment. "Darn it! I thought you have a thing for him back in our high school days."
"Well, you are sadly mistaken. I have told you a million times in the past, that he is just a friend."
"Che. If he is not your crush, then I'm out of ideas," Akari said, throwing her arms in the air as she slouched against the couch.
"Of course you do not know him. He is not even from Miyagi Academy," Misaki said, taking a sip of hot chocolate from her mug.
Akari closed her eyes as she rubbed her chin in a pondering way. "Not from our high school, huh..."
After a few seconds of silence, Akari suddenly snapped her fingers. "I got it! He is from your college."
Misaki almost choked on her drink. Akari is too good at guessing Misaki thought as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
"Yes! I am right, but..." Akari laughed in an awkward tone, "I don't know who he is."
"It is a good thing that you do not know or you would start bugging me none stop," Misaki said.
"Awww! You're no fun Misaki." Akari whined.
"So when should we start making chocolates?" Misaki asked, ignoring her friend's previous comment.
"We could start now, but before we do," Akari smiled in a teasing manner, "let me ask you a question. On a scale from one to ten, how do you rate your cooking skills?"
"...Shut up."
Misaki doesn't know how she had done it, but she did it. It had taken her approximately seven tiring hours to make a whole batch of chocolates, but it was worth it. When she had given her chocolates to her group of mates, their eyes glittered in shock but happiness as well. Seeing that they loved her gifts, made her heart pound with joy. She had never knew that homemade chocolates could produce these kinds of various kinds of happy expressions. Maybe she should make them every year from now on.
Now that leaves just one more person to give her homemade chocolates to and that person is standing in her view right now.
His name is Miwa Taishi and he is the one that Misaki loves. When she had first seen him, she thought that he was a loud mouth, blond idiot who always follow his best friend around like a puppy. However, after getting to talk and hang out with him, her opinion of him changed dramatically. Now she thought of him as a good friend who always looks out for others.
She reminisced the time when her team participated in the Vanguard National Tournament. There was a day where she wanted to squeeze in a little bit of practice before her big match that was coming up; however, she had to manage the store. This put her in a bind, but then Miwa suddenly volunteered and said that he would mind the store for her while she practices. His kindness touched Misaki's heart and that was the first time her image of him started to change.
Also, when she was feeling down about her constant losing streak in the Asia Circuit, Miwa cheered her up by playing a match against her as well as giving advice about not to over analyze the problem. That improved her mood more than she had realized and it also gave her mind a well-needed break.
He has always done so much for her over the past few years that she couldn't help but feel grateful. Soon that gratefulness turned into love without her realizing it and that had caused her many problems when she's around him: She can't speak to him without stuttering at the very beginning of a sentence; her face flushed every time he was near her vicinity; and the most frustrating problem is that her heart somehow cannot seem to settle down. This unfamiliar sensation had sprung multiple scenarios in her head which she displeased in discomfort. In the end, she decided to confront about her feelings and end this once and for all. She specifically picked Valentine's Day because it is the day where most people convey his or her love to someone else. Also, she had already asked Miwa to meet with her in the courtyard at their university after his classes are over so she could not back down now. This was the climax of her love story.
Clutching her box of chocolates filled with all of her loving feelings against her chest, she steadily walked with unwavering confidence towards the blond teen who was waiting patiently for her. She was about to call out to him when suddenly a group of university girls rushed past her, squealing "KYAAA! IT'S MIWA!"
Misaki was knocked down to the ground from the impact. As she picked herself up, she glanced at the direction where Miwa is. The empty space that had once surrounded him was now occupied by his fan-girls who were trying to give each of her chocolates to him. She had totally forgotten that Miwa is the idol prince her university. Maybe picking Valentine's Day to confess her feelings wasn't such a good idea if the result is a mob of fan-girls obstructing her confession.
"Maybe I should just leave and wait for the girls to disperse, " Misaki thought disappointly. When she's almost about to leave, a voice that she held familiarity with, called out to her.
"Nee-chan!"
Misaki swiftly turned around and saw Miwa was running towards her with a big grin on his face.
"Hey," Miwa panted, "what's up?"
"M-miwa..." Misaki stuttered. Her mind was not prepared with the sudden arrival. "What should I do? Do I give him the chocolates now or should I start off with a proper greeting?"
As her thoughts were in tangles, Misaki looked up from Miwa and witnessed murderous glares directing at her. The girls that idolized Miwa were still gripping their chocolates in their fingertips, unhanded. The pressure that was exerted from them made Misaki feel even more nervous. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest while her body became so warm that her coat was no longer needed against the cold.
"Man, those girls just can't keep their hands off me, ya know?" Miwa laughed.
"Y-yes, I can see that." Misaki stuttered, her voice losing composure once again.
"So why did you call me out here?" Miwa asked.
"Um," Misaki could fee her face starting to heat up. She probably looked like a ripe tomato by now. "This is so humiliating. What should I do in this situation?" Her mind was split into two warring sides: to give or not to give the chocolates and so far it was leaning towards the latter under this intense pressure.
"Hm?" Miwa tilted his head in a quizzical way, wondering what's with the long pause. "Nee-chan, are you alright? You looked a little dazed."
"I am fine," she blurted out suddenly without thinking, "and the reason I had called you out here is of no importance." Misaki turned her back to Miwa, "N-now if you may excuse me, I-I have to go. Sorry for disturbing you."
After she said that, she ran as fast as her legs could take her, leaving a very confused Miwa behind.
"Nee-chan?"
"Misaki Tokura, you are the most moronic and idiotic human being that has ever existed," Misaki said exasperatedly aloud in the empty Card Capital room, leaning against a chair. There was no one here besides the Assita-Cat and her since everyone is too busy with their own Valentine. The lonely box of chocolate was sitting on the counter, taunting Misaki about her previous failure. It was about an hour since that happened and she felt that she had made a big fool out of herself. The task sounds so simple too: give the chocolate and confess her undying love for him. Why can't she do something as easy as this?
"Now he will never know how I feel..." Misaki muttered softly, laying her head on the counter.
"Who won't know about your feelings?"
Hearing a familiar voice as well as the door chiming, Misaki's head instantly shot up. Appearing in front of her was none other than Miwa.
"Miwa..." Misaki whispered. She could not believe that the one she had failed to confess to was standing in her view right now. The chance that was lost before was slowly regaining.
"Yo, Nee-chan. I figured that you'll be here." Miwa said as he bend towards the counter, facing Misaki with warm eyes and a smile.
"But why are you here?" Misaki asked, her voice sounding bewildered.
"Back then when you said that the reason you had called me out is of no importance, I was not really convinced that it was just nothing. In fact, you sounded very urgent when you've contacted me to meet you out in the courtyard," Miwa chuckled, "So what is the thing that you've wanted to tell me that you couldn't before?"
Misaki's face flushed. Her breath held tight. This it it she thought. This will be her final and only chance that she could do this. She does not even care if he rejects her confession; at least she will receive a solid answer rather than empty words. There will be no room for failure now.
Misaki gently picked up the chocolates from the counter with one hand and handed it towards Miwa.
The blond stared blankly at the the neatly wrapped box and then back at Misaki and back towards the box again, wondering if he's really hallucinating things. "What's this for?"
"It is my Valentine's gift to you, some homemade chocolates." Misaki replied softly with a blush on her face, avoiding Miwa's gaze.
Miwa stayed silent for a few seconds, his eyes widen slightly until his mouth break into a huge grin. "Thanks Nee-chan! I will happily accept your obligation chocolates and wow, it's even homemade," He hold it up high in awe, "You're really stepping up your culinary skills."
"Sh-shut up. My cooking is not that inedible," Misaki retorted in a fluster way, "and besides, these are not obligation chocolates. T-these are my true feelings towards you..." She added quietly.
"Can you repeat that again Nee-chan? I didn't get the last part."
"I said that I love you, idiot!" Misaki shouted, standing up from her chair.
Right after she had said that phrase, Miwa's mouth was hung slightly open followed by widen eyes. The box of chocolates that was in his hand, dropped to the floor.
Realizing what she had sputtered out, Misaki instantly felt a wave of embarrassment flushed through her body. She quickly sat back down and stared at anything besides the one who she had just confessed.
Miwa, regaining his sense of reality, clumsily picked up the dropped chocolates, muttering a quick apology for getting dirt on it. Then he stood back up, looking at Misaki in the eye sheepishly for confirmation. "You love me?!" He asked, his tone full of shocked.
"Yes, I do. It is pretty surprising that I would fall for an idiotic moron like you." Misaki said bluntly.
Miwa sunk down to the floor in disbelief. "That's a harsh way to describe me Nee-chan." He moped childishly.
"But, after getting to know you and converse with you, my opinion of you had completely changed. Now I think of you as a great friend who looks out for others. " Misaki said with a bit of pink blush tinting her cheeks as she smiled sweetly.
Miwa's pride was immediately recovered when his ears picked up the kind words he wanted to hear. He then stood up with an embarrassed expression on his face. "Oh, stop it. It's kinda embarrassing to hear that you know. I'm not that great." Miwa said modestly, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.
Misaki shook her head. "No, you are great. Your kind and benevolent nature is the quality that's shines the most. You helped others when they are in need and cheered them up when they're in despair and," she paused for a second, "that is why I came to love you."
Silence enveloped the atmosphere as those words escaped from Misaki's lips. Miwa spoke nothing in return and his shocked eyes reappeared on his face once again. Misaki, feeling a little unbearable with the quiet tension, spoke up, "If you do not not see me in that kind of way, that is fine as well. I do not mind the rejection." She then smiled. "I rather have a proper answer than empty words so do not hold back all right?"
As soon as those words flew out of her lips, Misaki felt a sudden warmth encircling her shoulders. Her body froze while her heart pounded in ecstasy.
"You're pretty funny Nee-chan," Miwa laughed, "Why would I ever consider rejecting a confession coming from the girl I love?"
"W-what are you saying?"
Miwa laughed again, amused by her obliviousness as pulled away from the embrace. "You're so cute when you're fluster Nee-chan. The truth is that I've love you for three years now. I was going to confess to you sometime in the future, but who would've thought that it will be the opposite."
"So you mean..."
Miwa grinned. "Yes, I love you Nee-chan." He then steadily leaned closer to Misaki until their faces met and gave her a soft peck on the cheek.
Misaki's face heat up furiously. She could not decide whether or not she should kick Miwa on the shin for doing something so embarrassing or cry a fountain of happiness for having her feelings reciprocated. In the end she did both, resulting in a flabbergasted and slightly injured Miwa
"N-nee-chan, are you alright? Have I done something wrong to upset you? Is that why you kicked me so harshly?" Miwa asked, ignoring the pain in his legs as he hurried to Misaki's side, worriedly fretting over her.
"No, is just that I'm really happy that you feel the same way as I do. Thank you." Misaki said, giving a joyous smile through her tears. She then embraced Miwa tightly, not wanting this blissful moment to end.
Miwa blinked, but then smiled in return, embracing her back. "Actually Nee-chan, I should be thanking you instead. Having a three year, unrequited love finally being reciprocated, feels like a dream come true for me. Not to mention that it came true on Valentine's Day of all days. Who knew that you're such a romanticist."
Misaki lightly punched Miwa on the arm for the rude remark. "You are ruining our moment; and I had picked Valentine's Day for my confession because," Misaki paused, blushing faintly, "that's how other people express their love for someone else right?"
Miwa chuckled at her answer as he ruffled Misaki's hair. "You're very cute Nee-chan. There are other ways to confess but I think yours is the best and cutest one of them all. I'm happy that I came to love you."
Misaki leaned her head against Miwa's shoulders, feeling the warmth that she adored for the past year. "Me too Miwa, me too. And, may I request one favor from you?"
"Of course."
"Can you call me by my first name instead of Nee-chan?"
"...Ahahaha, sure thing Misaki-chan."
Author's Note/Comments:
This was going to be uploaded on Valentine's Day, but I don't like waiting. At least it got uploaded on the month of Valentine's Day XD
MiwaxMisaki is like the cutest couple in Cardfight! Vanguard. I ship them so hard / Too bad that there aren't much fanfics about them :/
Oh well, at least the anime gave some love for these two. For that, I am content ^-^
MIWAMISA FTW!