Ch 3: Hearts Day, Everyone?
Around the world, hearts day is regarded as among the anticipated festivities. In Japan, girls usually give letters or homemade items such as pastries and accessories to boys that they like. Oftentimes, girls (mostly in highschool) use this as an opportunity to confess their feelings. Youko Usami hadn't given a thought about this. In previous years, Hearts day had always been nonexistent in the Special Missions Calendar, probably because of all the training spent to defeat Vaglass.
In Youko's school, Hearts day was taken seriously. Classes were forfeited in exchange for setting up of booths, playing of couple games, and the like. Youko was never accustomed with such festivity (she thought how strange it was for a while), but she preferred it rather than doing school work. She watched alone from a bench while her classmates were frolicking at the school grounds.
She decided to call Ryuuji through her morphin brace.
"Ryuu-san, how do you celebrate Hearts day in school?" asked Youko
"Ah, the wonder of youth!" Ryuu-san exclaimed, "guys pretty much don't do anything, they just wait for gifts and confessions. But they have to reciprocate during White Day. That's next month."
"I'm not required to follow, ne Ryuu-san?"
"Well, hearts day is not only for couples. Before our encounter with Vaglass, Usada taught you to make sweets for Commander Kuroki and me right?"
Youko remembered how two years ago she made homemade chocolate bars for Commander Kuroki and Ryuuji. She had an enetron given to Usada since the buddyroid was not allowed to consume human food.
Being decisive that she'll just do the same routine years ago, she said, "Sou-desu. We don't have classes right now, I can go back to the base already and make something for all of you".
"I'll look forward to it then." Ryuuji said, "But while you're at it, prepare something for Hiromu as well."
Ryuuji dismissed the call as if his break time had already ended.
Hiromu? Youko's thoughts about Hiromu began. She recalled that she hadn't given him anything for Hearts day during their fight with Vaglass.
Confusion
Just as when Youko was preparing her things in order to leave early, a group of excited girls surrounded her. She was amused to see them donned with paper hearts all over their uniform.
"Youko-chan, are you leaving already?"
"isn't there someone you like?"
Series of questions were thrown at her as if they found her abnormal for not finding someone she liked in school.
Before she could answer, she was distracted on the spot to see Hiromu, Nick and Rika-san distributing books to highschool girls from a booth. Apparently, Rika-san had drawn something about Valentine's day and she's offering a good price for her books.
Youko hoped that Hiromu wouldn't see her. Yesterday, she pestered him to help her in her assignments in exchange of a limited edition gobuster card that she got from a cereal box.
As luck had it, Hiromu did see her. He waved at her from afar. Youko puffed her cheeks and muttered, "uzo! He'll pester me this time". She turned her back from him and pretended to be looking for something inside her bag.
"Hiromu-san is waving at you, Youko-chan" a classmate said, giddily
Another classmate added, "Tell us, Youko-chan, you like him don't you? That's why you don't have a gift prepared for a boy in our school"
Youko was not listening to their teasing. She was thinking where she placed the limited edition gobuster card at home. Her classmates' teasing grew louder when Hiromu was walking towards them. No, no, no don't come closer! Youko said to herself while gripping her bag.
Hiromu stopped when he was a meter behind her. He bowed to Youko's classmates as an apology for his intrusion and waited for Youko to face him. Youko's classmates stepped back but were still eavesdropping.
"I thought you'll give me something today" Hiromu said. Youko's classmates thought he was asking for his hearts day gift from Youko and suspected that she really liked him. What they didn't know was he was asking for the limited edition gobusters card.
Youko turned around to face him. Her cheeks were all pink from embarrassment. With a hint of frustration in her voice, she said, "I'll give it to you later, siscon. It's in my room. And for your information, it's in a mint condition"
Youko's classmates thought she bought a gadget of the latest model as gift to Hiromu. What they didn't know was [that] Youko was implying that the card was still sealed.
Youko and Hiromu were looking at each other with unyielding stares.
Then a classmate intruded and asked Hiromu, "are you an important part in Youko-chan's life?"
Hiromu put his hands in his sides, "mochiron (of course). We went through many things together" He was implying of their ordeal together as gobusters. Youko's classmates giggled even more.
Youko made a face, "you won't be like that now without my help. You may be leading our relationship, but I'm still the sempai". She was suggesting here about her importance as a comrade. But her classmates thought she was emphasizing herself as his girlfriend.
Hiromu pointed his index finger at himself and said, "adult" and then pointed at her, "child. That's why you always ask me to do your homework"
"I'm not a child!" Youko retorted, crossing her arms.
She and Hiromu wondered why her classmates were giggling too much about their conversation.
A Mistake
Youko was making chocolate bars at the kitchen for Commander Kuroki, Ryuuji and Hiromu. Usada appeared to help her pack her gifts.
"Youko-chan, we're missing one wrapper for your chocolate bar to Hiromu" Usada said
"I have an extra inside my locker" Youko replied. Usada volunteered to get it and wrap the chocolate himself.
In a few minutes, Youko was able to give her gifts to Commander Kuroki and Ryuuji. Both promised to reciprocate her gifts during the White Day next month.
She was treading happily at the hallway until she saw Nakamura-san, who looked very worried while gazing at Morishita-san from one floor below.
"Nakamura-san, daijobou?"
Nakamura-san stammered from her standing position in surprise. Youko looked from Nakamura-san to the direction of Morishita-san and suddenly gained an insight. She asked if Nakamura-san liked Morishita-san. Nakamura-san nodded in reply, but added that she hasn't confessed yet.
Youko had been friends with Nakamura-san ever since the latter acted as her older sister. She thought of reciprocating what Nakamura-san did for her by helping her confess to Morishita-san. Seeing that Morishita-san was alone, an idea popped in her mind.
She excused herself for a while and returned with a paper, a marker and a bow and arrow toy.
"I'll be your cupid, Nakamura-san" Youko said happily as she wrote words on the paper using her marker.
The paper read:
I like you.
More than a comrade. :)
Nakamura-san appeared more uneasy, but Youko proceeded by inserting the arrow on the paper. She grabbed her toy bow and aimed it at Morishita-san.
It was hearts day after all, nothing could go wrong, Youko thought.
Out of the blue, a male figure appeared behind Morishita-san. His superhuman speed coincided with Youko's release of the arrow.
It was Hiromu. The arrow hit him on the back.
He calculated where the arrow came from and traced it to Youko. Puzzled upon Youko's gesture, he proceeded by reading the message on the paper. He read silently:
I like you.
More than a comrade. :)
His eyes widened in shock. He looked at Youko who was frozen on the spot as well.
He read the message again and looked back at Youko. He did it thrice.
On the top of that, Usada appeared beside him with a chocolate bar. It was the only chocolate bar wrapped in hearts. Earlier, Commander Kuroki and Ryuuji's chocolate bars were wrapped in stripes. There was a huge difference in the design-as if Hiromu was really special. But the real reason was Youko ran out of striped wrappers and Usada could only find the hearts wrapper from Youko's locker. Usada offered the chocolate bar to Hiromu and said, "Youko-chan made it for you".
Hiromu and Youko stared at each other with their mouths wide open and their eyes as round as Usada's.
"UZO!" both of them yelled.