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It is November right now.
Specifically the last third of November.
He has an…acquaintance whose birthday is in November.
He was surprised to find that he finds joy in carving pumpkins.
It is quite like baking.
He wants to look into pumpkin recipes.
Momiji Kouyou grows pumpkins year-round.
Her pumpkins are free this month, starting on Halloween.
Her pumpkin juice is not bad.
As an Alpha herself, he would be unnerved by the prospect of competition—if it wasn't that she is an out and proud lesbian herself.
She too waits for her beloved to ask her out on a date.
And the Alpha with hair the color of wheat sighs next to him as she watches her crush from a distance, asking him for outfit ideas.
See, he wants to be creative in the carvings. He wants to do as many things as possible.
And if somebody asked him to carving a picture that they had failed, he took that as a challenge.
Momiji has "too many" pumpkins.
So, he has experience drawing dresses and trees and faces and nature.
So, it only took a few more seconds to finish the final triangle of this piece.
"What is it now?"
"I-I w-wish that s-she would notice me!"
"You have a skill. Why do you not show it off?"
"B-b-but what I-if she d-d-doesn-nt like it?"
He knows what happens.
"Then try again."
"Mmmmmm…ok."
He passed an untouched pumpkin and pair of gloves over to her. He does not recall her carving anything today. "Here. Do you know what she likes?"
She thought about it as she put on the gloves.
He returned to his pumpkin.
He already sliced off the top. Next is the second knife to cut open a hole.
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"Ding!" She held a finger up. "She likes blueberries!" she sparkled.
"Not even close." But Momiji has a peach allergy. There is a clinic one block away, but it helps to be careful.
"EH?!" She froze up.
The buff baker's barter was for him to take all the berries.
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She decided to put in anything and everything into the squashes.
Momiji filled the silence with questions she kept to herself today, because she knows that he would keep her secrets.
As she carved out the pumpkin guts, he nicked the seeds.
(Memories of an open fire, raiding farmers of their kabocha, snacking endless amounts of seeds with his grandfather away from the excitement of the elder Alphas. The sole Omega was the most excited, out of the four Kishatus, to experience autumn).
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The ginger had eventually settled on vegetable stuffing, the outside painted in leaves.
Then she chanted, "Kirakira Kirarun~May you always be delicious!"
He had finished painting his last pumpkin anyway.
Sunset nears, so it's almost closing time.
She left to get a gift bag. Something pretty, knowing her.
She left to "Are you ready?"
She pumped a fist while cradling her gift.
He held his pumpkin the same way.
He decided to leave it empty, but the now-green squash needs only to be decoration.
"Then hurry up."
Just as they were about to part ways, she called out, "Wait!"
He stopped. Turned around, pumpkin box "What now? I have places to be!"
She inhaled and exhaled. "I know that you..probably don't consider me a friend, Kishatu-san, but..I know one thing.
Whomever you gift your culinary to, I am sure that your feelings will be delicious!"
The pumpkin witch is not an Omega, but she still smells like the autumn scene with bugs home underneath.
Someone believes—
"And..thank you for your help today. I hope that I could repay the favor someday!"
He is…touched.
"…Hm."
He spun on his sole and left the market.
Time to complete his mission!