To the Unplanner: Lauriam is going to be super supportive in this fic; even if he doesn't know everything about Anora, he's getting the hints on how Strelitzia feels about her. And at some point I do have plans of having Strelitzia giving Anora notes at their dorms, and it's the point where Anora is like 'hey, that handwriting looks familiar...' but it won't happen for awhile.

Hey guys! I don't usually ask people outright to start reviewing (with an exception to the description, so you can at least try to give the fic a read), but I have a super important question! For the school dance, who do you think will be crowned king and queen?

Personally, I do not want Anora to be the prom queen. I'm also unsure of making Ephemer the prom king. Strelitzia could be a good candidate, but no one really knows her. I think I just want someone more 'obscure' in the fic so far, and not our main kids. I'll have a poll up on my profile just in case you still don't feel like typing your answer. It'll be a blind poll until May, as I want to start writing that part of the the formal at that time.

Thank you for reading!

The purpose of White Day is to give back what was given to you. The thing was, Anora didn't know how you could repay someone for gifting you a hand stitched plush doll. A card felt stupid, and she barely knew how to sew a button on, let alone create another plushie for a stranger. A stranger, mind you, who only now decided to make some form of contact with her.

Well, at least she knew some things about her perfect stranger. Too bad finding anything that was a creamy white proved impossible. There happened to be patches of daisies scattered about campus, so Anora did pick some of them a day or so in advance. She also managed to find a white marker at the school store (which was now under new management since the debate club fiasco) so she could decorate the last gift bag left from Valentines. Also at the school store, Anora had found a couple white notebooks with a gold embossing on them. She looked for anything to put in the bag so there would be more than just the candy she hadn't eaten yet.

Anora glanced over at her clock and nearly cursed at the time. So far, she could say that the bag could be presented, if she felt like it. The leftover candy filled about a third of the bag, then there were the daisies she had found, and she even happened to find chibi-like stuffed mice who served as spiritual stand-ins for Miss Bianca and Bernard. However, Anora had to meet with Ephemer soon- she had managed to convince her stranger-friend to meet her at the concrete slab, but at this point she might have to take Ephemer with her. Would he be mad at the detour? Glancing at the time again, Anora would just have to hope he could understand.

Meanwhile, Ephemer was rather patiently waiting for Anora at the school gates. He was sitting on the grass, legs folded, and staring up at the sky in amusement. There was a cloud that looked a lot like an elephant- it was slowly starting to morph into a giraffe instead. When Ephemer looked back down, he saw Anora running up to him; she was waving at him with one hand, and the other was firmly holding a goodie bag.

"Aw, you didn't have to get me a gift!" the boy teased as he stood up.

When Anora caught up to him, she shook her head, laughing just slightly at him. Ephemer raised a bemused eyebrow at her.

"It's not for me, then?" he then surmised.

Another shake of her head made Ephemer feel a bit envious.

"Who is it for?"

He didn't get a direct answer, instead Anora gestured for him to follow her. Giving a small shrug, he did so without question- it's not like he wasn't familiar with every inch of the campus anyway. A part of him just didn't expect for her to lead them to a place behind the cafeteria; the space was rather unkempt with shrubs boarding the school wall and a few trees that had been planted eons ago. There was even a decent sized concrete slab that provided cover for some kind of underground electrical system. Why on earth was she bringing a gift bag all the way out here?

Strelitzia's heart stopped when she saw someone with Anora. It then proceeded to go into overtime when she realized that she recognized the boy with her. It was the same boy she had run into before Valentines Day- the one who said his friend didn't bake as often as she did. For a moment, Strelitzia feared that Anora had been the friend he had talked about, but then she shook it away in remembering that his friend had been named Skuld. What was he doing with Anora? She didn't mention bringing someone with her?

"Are you ever going to tell me who that's for, and why you're just leaving it out here?"

"A friend." Anora hummed, looking back up at the boy with a smile. "Like you."

Something about the boy seemed to jolt in a small realization- either from the answer itself or from hearing Anora talk. Strelitzia then watched in envy as he put on a million-watt smile.

"I hope they know I'm a tough act to follow!" he even teased without skipping a beat. Anora offered a small laughter as she finished arranging the gift bag. When she stood up, she gave the boy a nod and together they left for the day.

Strelitzia didn't wait to see what Anora had left behind. What she saw made her clench her chest in shock. Anora had left Strelitzia a White Day gift, in thanks for making her Chirithy. The girl sat down on the slab as she went through the bag's contents. Her gasps with each shift of the bag's contents got louder and more surprised as she went on. Anora had put so much thought into the gift bag that Strelitzia found her heart fluttering in adoration.

Was this love?

. . .

Ephemer quickly decided that he enjoyed seeing Anora smile. It was a bit hard to explain, but she was able to smile with her whole face. There was so much joy in her expressions that you almost couldn't help but smile back at her. It didn't even take much to make her smile either. Just seeing the tents set up for the seasonal fair was enough to make Anora's face light up in wonder.

It was Anora who led them around the fair- Ephemer dutifully followed and enjoyed her child-like wonder. They tried a few games and even won some prizes. Ephemer gave them all to Anora; today was all about repaying her for her Valentines gift, after all. As the day wore on, the more Ephemer started to become curious about this girl. When he got them some food, and they sat down in the grass, he finally decided to ask her some things.

"So what's your story?" Ephemer asked. "Everyone's got one."

Anora, who had been happily nibbling on an oversized lollipop, stopped moving. She refused to look at him. But, unfortunately for her, Ephemer was stubborn.

"A bit shy, huh?" he bemused. "Don't worry, I'll go first!"

This earned him a little side glance of curiosity. He beamed at the off-handed approval, but then something hit him.

"Oh geez," he then realized, "This is going to be a bit harder than I thought… Where do I start? Oh, um… Oh! I know! Okay, so get this, Ava's not actually my mom- in fact, she's only ten years older than I am!"

Anora raised her eyebrow at him, deliberately giving her lollipop a lick to show her skepticism.

"It's kinda funny, actually," Ephemer grinned, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "For as long as I can remember, the headmasters -Ava, Ira, Invi, Gula, and Aced- they were the closest thing I had to a family. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, Ava is my mom. Invi's the aunt that'll slip you some vodka if you ask for it, Gula's a weird mix between a big brother and an uncle, Aced's just one big teddy bear once you get to know him, and Ira's the one that stops everyone from having too much fun. We're a weird family, and we're not perfect either, but it feels just right. You know?"

Suddenly Ephemer jolted in a realization. "Oh wow! I didn't know I could over share like that! I'm so sorry!"

To his relief, Anora gave a small chuckle. But then her smile faded into a frown.

"Usually, things come easily to me." she quietly admitted. "I hate it. I want to struggle. But when I do, when I can't do something on the first try… I give up. Sometimes, I avoid doing new things. It's dumb..."

"I don't think it's dumb." came the thoughtful reply from Ephemer. "I think it just means that you know your limits."

Anora didn't look at him. He made it sound so easy- for her, it felt like beating her head up against a wall. It was an awful feeling. Sensing her discomfort, Ephemer tilted his head.

"What does come easily for you?" he wondered. "Based on your tests scores in the entrance exam, you're a pretty well rounded learner."

The dark look Anora gave him made the boy sheepishly chuckle.

"I'm not the best example of a teacher's pet." he admitted. "Every time there's rumor of an interesting student, I go search 'em up in the student records. And, you're free to hate me for this, you were one of the most interesting students this school's seen in awhile. Like, years, awhile."

This did not help Anora's outlook on him. Ephemer shrunk a little in his spot, knowing that he had stepped well beyond his boundaries- and for once, he was actually admitting to it too. Just when Ephemer believed he was going to get the silent treatment for the rest of the day, Anora calmly said;

"I like skating."

"I bet you're good at it."

Anora held her lollipop a bit tighter as she gave him a small nod. She never thought she was that good, but she did enjoy it. A small smile finally came across her lips as she decided that, once she and Ephemer knew each other better, maybe she'd show him.