Disclaimer: Kōchō is owned by TiTrainiumAnime. Svantje is owned by Yujonokage
It was a terrifying day for the people of Mikado City. There were things all around them that showed exactly why it was terrifying. Everywhere they looked it was a horrifying sight that brought about bad memories and even worse futures.
It was a day that a single woman ruled with a pen, camera and an iron fist. There were few who would not end up as victims on this day, but not a single Border agent would be a part of these few people.
The ones who had people they love and cherished were even more susceptible to this evil form that crossed the city like a storm.
"It's finally here..."
Valentine's Day.
This was the day the evil organization known as the Ship Squad ran rampant throughout the city. Their queen even went out of her way to torment every person who caught her eye on this day.
The day that was suppose to be for people to show their affection had always turned into a day of hiding for a lot of people. They all knew that those evil people did not discriminate when it came to getting what they wanted. Anyone could become a victim.
That was exactly why Narasaka Toru was keeping as close as possible to the stores while making sure his head was lowered.
"As long as Misaki herself doesn't see me, I should be fine. I can get away from the others, that woman on the other hand..."
Narasaka had never been on good terms with the queen who rules the this day, but even he had to be wary of her right now. Each time he saw a girl he recognized he would try to hide without being obvious about it.
She probably has every girl in Mikado City on her side today. I'm not taking any chances.
"Narasaka-senpai!"
He was quick to turn around and to for his Trigger. A quick escape would be needed to get away from the crazy girls that followed Suzume.
He lowered his guard a little when he saw who it was.
"Oh, it's you."
Narasaka looked down to see Hiura Akane smiling up with him with her hands behind her back.
He knew that she was one of the girls who followed Suzume, as well as one of the few who were less energetic about it. She was energetic girl in general, but she wouldn't go as far as the others to get material. If anything, she's the one who created the situations at times.
Even while she was smiling at him he kept his Trigger at the ready. Taking chances here could lead to something terrible later on.
"I was looking for you! I wanted to give you these!"
What she pulled from behind her back was a box of chocolates. It was a brand that Narasaka enjoyed so he took it with a small sigh.
He looked at her arm to see a bag of other chocolates.
Probably friendship chocolates for her team and some others.
He also noticed a cup of chocolate ice cream.
Tsukiko.
He nodded his head to her while giving a small smile.
"Thank you. Also, sorry about jumping like that."
"It's fine! I knows you boys are all scared of Suzume-nee!"
"Huh? What!? Please don't call her that! I don't know what she did to get you to call her that, but it scares me a bit to know that you're calling her that! Please don't turn into a rebel! You're a good child!"
Hiura let out a laugh as she saw her mentor start to sweat a bit at the idea of her turning into someone as bad as Suzume. It was a reasonable worry, but she thought that he may have been overreacting just a bit.
Narasaka calmed down a bit at the laugh.
That's when he noticed something going on.
"Doesn't that woman usually get you girls to go out and get some... 'material' for her?"
"Hm? Oh! Well, you see..."
Kōchō Kashi found the reaction very entertaining.
She had gone out of her way to make some special chocolate in the shape of a dog. It was rather large so there was no need to make multiple.
But who knew he would end up like this. I'll have to remember this for next time~
Obligation chocolates were a given. Most people made them for friends or classmates. But then there were those special people who received them for other reasons. This was one of those times.
Kōchō had made this special chocolate for the Attacker of Kotowari Squad.
"Ah! (Thank you!) Uh... Crap! I mean... Thank you very much! Wow! Even the ears are well made! (That's amazing!) Crap! Sorry! I mean... Yeah! This is great! Oh! And thank you for not saying I can't have chocolate because I'm a dog! Thank you very much!"
She couldn't help but to laugh a bit at the way he had become a bit of a mess. It was a known fact that he liked chocolate so she made sure that it was good and well made.
He had added in some English with his excitement but she understood the simple things he was saying. It added more to how cute he looked with his cheeks being red and his eyes full of excitement.
"It's no problem. I figured that you should get something nice for all of your hard work in Border. As well as helping me out when I need it. Especially when I'm stumped on making new lyrics."
The way he tilted his head made him look more like a dog.
"What do you mean? You never ask me for help on making new lyrics."
She gave another laugh.
"Is that so~? Well, regardless. As another gift, can I ask you to join me in a duet at some time?"
The redness that increased on his face made her smile even more.
"A-are you sure! Everyone says that I have a terrible singing voice. They say I sound like a dog howling! Especially Ai!"
"Misaki has told me that you actually sing rather well. She told us that you have a special Rhythm that reminds her of a puppy. Besides, a dog howling can still become melodious when put together with the right sound."
The Attacker shook his head rapidly, sending some strands of hair flying. Once he was done shaking, he looked back up at her with a smile.
"(I-if you're fine with it-! Crap! Damn, damn! Cram!)"
Taking a moment, he took a deep breath to calm down.
"If you're fine with it... Yes! I really want to do a duet with you!"
Noticing the way he exclaimed that, he quickly shrunk back as Kōchō started laughing again.
He lightly patted his shoulder to ease him.
"Alright then. Thank you for your cooperation. I look forward to singing with you!"
If there was one thing troubling him it would be the lack of orders he was receiving from his friend. It was Valentine's Day and he had yet to get any messages telling him to force someone to kiss their crush or get someone to a certain spot.
He was worried about what was going on and wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Even so...
"Here you go!"
In front of him was another one of his friends. She, like the other one, was a Sniper for Border.
Her happy demeanor did put him at ease a bit, but he continued to worry about what could be going on with the queen of the day.
"Thanks, Nikko-chan! Uwah~ This looks so good~"
Satori looked down at the chocolates he just received. It was an assortment of different kinds. Those always seemed like the best option so the person getting them would have multiple options to pick from instead of a single one.
He was glad to get these, along with some others he got, but he was still worried. The smile he had on was a genuine one, but one that wasn't as bright as usual.
Svantje noticed that right away.
"What's wrong? Did you not get chocolate from the person you wanted~"
"Heh. I forgot that I can't really hide anything from you." He lowered his smile a bit. "It's not that. I'm just worried since Suzu-chan hasn't messaged me yet. She usually tells me to do a lot of things on Valentine's day, but I haven't gotten a single message yet. It feels...weird."
Svantje almost felt like slapping her face as the idiot spoke like a lovesick fool.
He had told her before that he liked the Queen of Shipping, even though she couldn't see it. That was why he gladly went along with all of her crazy ideas when it came to getting new material.
We should probably do something concerning this issue... I'm pretty sure the three of them will never make a move if they don't have a push.
Svantje continued smiling at her friend, even when she wanted to shake him a bit and tell him to just go tell the Queen how he feels.
"So, you were probably going to go look for her, right?"
"Yeah. I messaged her, and even called. She didn't answer, so I'm really worried. Do you know where should be?"
"Actually... You can try her house. Maybe she's in Pinch Mode again and just hasn't noticed what day it is. You know how she gets when she gets orders right before finishing a manuscript."
"Yeah... That could be it. But she's the type to make sure she's busy getting material on Valentine's Day. There's no way she wouldn't-"
"Just go to her house! Jeez! Now you're just making excuses! If you don't go, I'm taking my chocolates back."
"Okay, okay! So pushy."
Svantje let out a small sigh.
When it comes to you two, we have to be pushy.
He had been waiting for a while to see if he would get any chocolates from his girlfriend. The other three in the room had also been in the room the whole time, waiting as well.
Wakamura Rokurō patiently sat while his teammates looked at him. His captain was on her phone, The True Hero was just relaxing and their Operator was just keeping herself busy.
"You know... You guys don't have to be here too..."
He could feel his eye twitching a bit. He knew exactly why the other three were there.
"We want to see if she really does bring you anything. Maybe she'll dump you here. Either way, I'm here to record it for later. You're probably going to make a fool of yourself regardless of what she does."
He sent a sharp glare toward his captain before letting out a sigh.
He lifted his head to start speaking when they all heard a knock at the door.
Wakamura perked up and went for the door.
"It could be Hogo. He usually knocks too."
Another glare toward Katori.
When he opened the door he came face-to-face with a burning star.
There, standing in front of him, was a girl with a crescent moon hairpin and a completely red face. The girl was far too cute if him to handle, so he started blushing.
"H-hello, everyone! I hope you are...all having a wonderful day!"
"It just got better. Come in. Hey, Megane, get out of the way!"
The burning star tilted her head in confusion while the other two in the room shook their heads.
Doing as she was told, the star walked in and gave a bow to the other three. After doing so, she pulled up a bag that she had hanging from her arm. Her red face seemed to calm down a bit.
"So, I have brought some chocolate for you all. I'm sorry if they aren't to your liking. I made them without really knowing what you all like."
Miura took the box that was handed to him and looked down at it.
"You made all of these? They look so neatly wrapped that it looks like they're store bought."
The girl spoke up while handing Somei another box.
"Yes. I had made a good amount of chocolates. I just got her from seeing the Engineers. They had...been teasing me a bit. I would have been here sooner otherwise. Sorry."
"It's no problem. We were just relaxing. But thank you for this. I'm sure you'll make a great wife-"
The True Hero was quickly shut up by a glare from a pair of glasses (and the wearer) and from the red creeping back up it the girl's face. He said nothing more and took a bite from the chocolate he had received.
Wakamura said nothing and simply stood there, no box in hand.
The girl, after having given Katori her box, walked up to the pair of glasses with her head facing the ground. Her ears could be seen covered in red. She slowly brought her arms up while holding a heart-shaped box.
"S-sorry about the d-decoration... I... It was..."
"Thank you."
"Um... I wasn't...sure what to make... So I... It's... Please continue to take care of me!
And thank you very much for staying with me!"
Wakamura opened the box.
What he saw was unknown to the other three, but they could guess from how his face almost instantly went red that it was something special.
Katori recorded the whole thing.
"This is nice."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. They were standing in front of a house that had beautiful flowers growing in the front yard. If they weren't busy sizing each other up they would admire the variety of the flowers and how well they looked together.
Satori and Narasaka said nothing as they tired to figure out what to do right now.
"I thought you didn't care about her? Actually, shouldn't you be hiding right now?"
"She asked me for help, so the least I can do is see what's going on. She hasn't tried anything yet so I was wondering what was going on."
"Couldn't you just wait until tomorrow to ask her what's going on?"
"On Valentine's Day and White Day, Mikado City becomes her Golden Theater of the Deranged. Since she's not actually doing anything it is way more ominous."
"It's more like the whole city is her Light Stage. She performs for everyone to see, just in a different way than most want. She wants to hear the thunderous applause. She can get out of hand at times, but she does it in good fun."
The two narrowed their eyes a bit at each other. It wasn't that they hated each other, but now there was a bit of a rivaly between them. Although they themselves weren't sure what the rivalry was for. It had just appeared randomly.
Every time they started acting it they would be corrected by others around. With no one around...
The two of them took a step towards the house. Neither one gave an inch and continued on towards the entrance. Both had the same determination to reach the door before the other. It was stupid contest that one would usually see coming from a certain Shooter and another idiot, but these two went along with it.
.
They were so busy with their small rivalry that neither noticed a woman tending to her garden in the very front yard they were trying to get to. She gave a small laugh as she saw the two of them.
She smiled as she stood up and walked over to the two of them.
"My, my. What are you two fine men doing here? Shouldn't you be getting multiple sweets from girls?"
The two boys quickly turned to the woman in embarrassment.
The woman was a beauty with the feeling of a genuine mother. She also felt like the type of person who had something hidden behind the smile. Even so, the two of them walked up to her before giving a bow.
"Hello, Misaki-san."
"Hello, Asano-san... You look...colorful."
Asano Eri gave a small groan as she put some hair behind her ears. Instead of the nice black hair she was born with, he hair had a mix of black, red and white. It was an odd mice that did not look too well on her.
The Shooter and captain of Kotowari Squad tried not to look at the odd mix in colors. It was a bit hard since it was spatter all over her hair, and a bit on her ears.
"How did that happen? If I may ask..."
"You're fine. And it happened because my lovely teammates decided to have a contest to see who can outmatch each other. Kuni and I walked in and..."
"And you became the victim of that contest."
She gave a nod.
"Yeah. Now I'm stuck with these colors for a while. Apparently Shana won because she dyed my hair like this while I took a nap."
"I see... Sorry about that."
She shook her head with a small sigh.
"There's no need for you to be sorry. It's on those two."
The male Shooter only nodded his head and said nothing else. He tried to think of a way to help her out while they sat there.
After a while Eri had sat up a bit while going for her bag.
The boy gave her a questioning look as she rummaged through her bag.
"I forgot. Maya asked me if I could give this to you. I guess for Valentine's Day."
She pulled out a nice box that was wrapped in red and white with a yellow bow tied neatly around it. A piece of paper was attached to it. She placed the box on the table before pushing it forward.
He took the box and plucked the piece of paper off.
What is this?
Looking down at the paper he read what it said.
"Hey there! So, here's the thing. I don't know if Eri gave you any store bought chocolates, but she did for the rest of us. Well, look, we messed with her hair because we knew she would end up going to you to complain. Don't know why, but she will. Or did... Or has... Whatever! The point is, I gave her this box to give to you because it's very special. Inside are some chocolates she tried to make but didn't work out. I figured that I would mess with her a bit if she saw what was inside of the box. I tried one. Not too bad. Although I'll give you a warning. They look really weird.
- Tsukiko Amaya
P.S. These did come from her, so make sure to give her a complement or something."
He read the note over before turning back up to her.
It was an interesting letter that he did not expect to get from this. With the letter telling him what was in the box he felt a small feeling inside. It was hard to tell what it was but he had to admit that he felt a bit special.
"Hm? What is it?"
He fixed his scarf a bit while looking away from her.
That was when he thought of what he could do to help her.
He got up while taking off his scarf.
"Asano-san, please just trust what I'm about to do."
"Sure..."
Eri sat there as the other Shooter walked up behind her. She could feel her hair being gently pulled back and up. The softness of cloth touched her head and the back of her neck. After a few moments she saw him move forward, a scarf no longer around his neck.
Without saying a word the boy pulled out his phone and held it out in front of her.
"Is that fine...?"
She looked at the screen and saw his scarf wrapped neatly around her hair. It was aim a style that made it seem more exotic. More importantly, it covered up her multi-colored hair while also giving her a new look.
She looked back up at him to see him holding his shirt as if it was his scarf.
The male Sooter quickly brought down his arm once he noticed what he was doing.
"You can...use my scarf. You can use it until you get the dye out... Or however long you need..."
He turned away with a blush.
"Sorry about suddenly doing that... I figured you would be weirded out if I asked to do that... Although... You might be weirded out by it anyways..."
It took a few seconds for Eri to register what he was saying.
"Oh! Yeah... It's fine. Thank you for letting me use your scarf. Don't worry, I'll wash it before giving it back to you."
"Yeah. By the way... Your captain said that what's in the box are some chocolates you made..."
Eri was quick to open it and see her failed attempts inside. She was unsure about what to do since her was looking at her, and seeing the chocolates in side as well.
"They don't look too bad. Nowhere near the trash I would fail at making."
"Then..."
She held up the box with her own blush.
"Happy Valentine's Day...?"
Satori smiled as both he and Narasaka were handed a few flowers.
Narasaka gave his thanks as both he and Satori were handed a few flowers.
"So the two of you are here to see my daughter? On my, how kind of you. Now if only she can decide on which one she wants. That way you two don't have to be left hanging like that. Maybe I should get involved. But them again, she can take care of things herself."
Satori was the one to speak up about the confusion between the two of them.
Both of them felt flattered but neither one understood what she had meant.
"Excuse me, Misaki-san. What do you mean by 'decide on which one she wants'? What are her options?"
"Could you mean for school? Or is it something more simple?"
Misaki Seihana looked at the two of them with a bit of surprise. It looked as if the two agents really knew nothing of what she was talking about.
Then again, this was one of the reasons she loved seeing her daughter with these two. To her, they were so naive and innocent that no matter what happened between the three of them things would find a way to work out. Such things were why she felt like they really were just simple high schoolers instead of Border agents.
She gave a small smile while looking at them.
They gave small blushes from seeing such a beautiful woman smiling at them.
"It's nothing, boys. It's something really simple and almost unnoticeable. I'm sure that you won't understand someone like me if I explained it. Just know that I'm rooting for both of you. No matter what, please don't give up on her. I'm asking as her mother."
The two boys looked at each for a few seconds in confusion. It felt like they were missing something rather important, but could not figure it out.
Even so, they both gave nods.
"You don't need to worry, Misaki-san! Suzu-chan is a great friend! I won't ever give up on her!"
"She's starting to learn, so I don't see a reason to give up. If she goes out of line then I will also stop her."
Seihana giggled as her words were taken seriously, yet at the same time flew over their heads.
"Thank you."
Smile still in place, she lowered herself so that she could give the two of them kisses on the cheeks. She moved away to see their faces the color of her roses.
"Well, why don't you two head on upstairs to see how she's doing? I'm sure she'll be happy you two came by."
The two nodded and thanked her before heading towards the door. She could hear them whisper a few things to each other but said nothing else.
She lowered herself again, this time to tend to her garden once more.
Suzumebachi-chan, you have two fine young men in front of you. Please make sure that neither one ends up sad.
The two of them were enjoying some time together. It was a rare time when the boy was feeling well enough to be out and about. Times like these were when the girl didn't have to worry too much about him.
They were both sitting atop the Border base. The wind that hit them from the front was nice and comforting, as if it would blow away everything bad that had ever happened to them. While they knew that was an impossibility they liked to think that the wind truly was there to comfort them.
"What would normal people say about this kind of thing?"
"I wouldn't know. Neither of us are really normal. Even the ones we know aren't exactly normal. I mean, when you see two little girls give chocolate to a confused Trion Soldier and one of your underclassman get more chocolates than you, you tend to think that your life really isn't normal at all."
"Pyrínas was really examining those chocolates. And I'm sure even Shobu was shocked when he got chocolates from not only Kaze and Ame but Sasamori and Tomoe as well. I know they were being kind since they figured he didn't get much, but that was still a bit entertaining."
"Not just them. After we left, I heard Mitsu and Michelle say they needed to get some chocolates for Shobu as well. That kid is going to have such a toothache later on."
The boy and girl on the roof laughed at the thought of the most shy person they knew holding his cheek in pain. It may not have been a nice thought, but they both knew that this person would end up sharing his chocolates with the ones who had given him said chocolates.
Those were not the only times they had seen chocolate being given around them. They had witnessed their "children" getting chocolates as well. Luckily, they did not see the burning star give her chocolates or hell would be brought upon certain people.
"Man, I'm really glad that I'm still alive for this. Seeing people happy like that gives me some second-hand happiness. And a bit of parental happiness at seeing those two getting some chocolates."
"I know what you mean. I'm glad they're better than before. It feels like they might not need us anymore. Seeing them grow up is very nice."
The two let out content sighs as they were hit by the wind once more.
After a few seconds, the girl pulled something from her bag and handed it to the boy. It was a square box with gray wrapping. Her face was a bit red and it was easy to tell that she was holding herself back from going crazy again.
"Happy... Valentine's Day."
The boy took it and opened it up to see a snowflake inside of a crescent. It was made of chocolate, of course.
"Heh. I'm sure this'll taste better than anything anyone is getting today."
That was when hell broke loose on top of the Border base.
The room was dark and overwhelming.
That was the first thing Satori and Narasaka noticed as they opened the door. They flicked the light on to see the room lit up.
They were surprised by how normal it was. The room was a nice light blue color with a few posters here and there. A large mirror could be seen next to the desk that had papers scattered about. Off to the side was a bookshelf that had multiple books ranging from actual manga, to doujinshi, to novels. Under all the books was an ever larger collection of CDs.
They turned their attention to the soft sounds of someone breathing. It was coming from the bed that had bright sheets.
"What are you two doing here...?"
The person within the sheets spoke as they covered their head from the light. Their voice was small and horse, a complete opposite to what it was usually like.
Satori walked over and sat down on the bed.
"We came to see what was wrong with you. This is the day where you rule, but we didn't see you at all."
He out his hand to her forehead and felt the heat.
The girl in the covers gave a weak smile before coughing.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I guess I should have messaged you. I just really couldn't get up. I really want to get up but I have no energy at all."
That was not something the two of them ever expected to hear from her. They figured that she would get up regardless of her own health.
This time Narasaka was the one to speak up.
"Well, I'm glad you were smart enough to not just go around in your Trion Body. Getting rest is a better idea then messing around the city."
They heard her groan.
"Ken... Why did you honestly let him in here...? He is...the last person I want in here..."
"He sort of followed me. I tried to make sure he didn't come in here."
She gave another groan while getting a nearby pillow. With very little strength, she threw the pillow at Narasaka, who simple caught it with a sigh.
He rolled his eyes and put the pillow back.
"Whatever..."
She started coughing a bit more, earning two concerned looks.
"I'm a bit glad you two...are here. There is honestly something for you two... I made them a week ago. You don't have to worry...about getting sick too. They're in my closet..."
Narasaka was the one to go over to her closet and open it up. Inside was a refrigerator. Inside of the refrigerator was a large box that had multiple smaller boxes inside. On the top of the box were two boxes that had their names on them. He walked back over and handed Satori his.
"I put notes on them. Read them. I'm going back to sleep."
Doing as they were told, Satori and Narasaka read the small pieces of paper on the boxes.
.
"Here's a nice box of chocolates for you! It's a thanks for always helping me out and honestly dealing with me. I know I can be difficult, but you still stay with me! I keep telling other girls how great you are but they just say they're fine. They honestly don't know what they're missing out on. Well, here's a special chocolate from your very own queen. I honestly grant you permission to continue being my servant. Kidding~ But seriously, thank you, Ken-kun.
- Misaki Suzumebachi"
.
"You have honestly no clue how much it hurts to write this. But I do feel like I have to write this. I know we don't like each other, but even I can say thanks for helping me out when I need it. You helped me as a Sniper and are continuing to do so. I could have asked someone else, but I asked you. You honestly knew that I could go to someone else, but you still took me in. So... Thank you, Narasaka. This is a special chocolate from me that you will probably never get again.
- Misaki Suzumebachi"
.
The two of them looked at the papers, each with their own smiles. They looked at the sleeping girl with these smiles.
They then turned their attention to the box in the closet. They were all filled with chocolates that she could not deliver since she was stuck in bed.
The two of them spoke at the same time. They both moved towards the box.
"I really don't want to have anything to do with her today, but..."
"I haven't gotten any order for today, so..."
They grabbed the box before leaving the room with smiles and chocolates.
The least we can do is help to show her love for everyone.