Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was late in the afternoon when Crow asked the other guys of his new class to stay in the classroom for a bit to hold an important meeting. Unfortunately, the others did not know that it was that kind of meeting. A meeting where they will talk about their romantic interest and if they are planning to give flowers to anyone tomorrow. It was obvious that most of the boys did not want to be part of said meeting.

“Sooooo, which one of you will be giving flowers to the pretty ladies of our class~?”

“Why would you even ask that?!” Machias practically screamed his question.

“For once, I agree with him. We do not have any obligation to tell you whether we will be giving flowers to anyone or not.” Jusis’s expression was screaming, “Why did I even stay here?”.

“Oh, c’mon, you two! I know you guys have your interest; it’s plain as day to me.” Crow cupped his chin with a smug smirk on his visage. “Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day, aaaaand it’s also a free day! I’m guessin’ Elliot will go see his sister back in Heimdallr?”

“Y-y-yeah! How did you know, Crow?” Elliot asked, a bit surprised at his deduction.

“That’s because if you hang out with someone like Angelica,” He dramatically placed a hand in his chest, but his expression turned sour as he begrudgingly said. “You can see signs if they have any romantic interest and what-not. Oh, you’ll also be giving all the girls from your club flowers, right?”

Elliot was stunned by his deduction once more. “Y-yeah. I can’t believe you figured it out. I’m still thinking about whether I should give something to the girls in our class. though. They all are really pretty.”

“I can agree with you on that.” The glasses-wearing teen concurred. “I’m still not telling you if I’m giving any flowers to anyone.” He shot the slacker a glare.

“I asked to have this meeting because I rather you guys confess who you’re giving flowers to; than me telling you who I think you’ll be giving them to tomorrow. Don’t you think that’s more embarrassing, getting exposed like that without even telling me?” Crow said with a singsong voice, causing Machias to get all flustered.

“Okay, fine!” Machias shot up from his seat before leaning back on it. “I’ll be giving someone flowers... But I won’t be telling you who it is!”

“That’s fine; I already know anyway.” He remarked, which caused Machias to groan.

The second-year would look to Jusis next; he already had a clue to who he will give flowers to, or in his case, chocolates. His smirking face made the noble shot a glare at him, though he was clearly unaffected. They stared at each other for a good minute until Jusis sighed as he got up from his seat.

“This is ridiculous; if you don’t mind, I’ll take my leave.” Without waiting for anyone’s response, he left the classroom.

“You’re not going to stop him, Crow?” Elliot asked.

“Nah, I already have a clue on who he’ll be giving stuff to tomorrow. If my hunch is right, I prefer not to expose that special girl right here.” He casually said. “Anyways, what about you, Gaius?”

Gaius was standing near them instead of seating. He had been listening to the conversation but chose not to speak unless he was asked or called. Though that was mostly because he was deep in thought.

“What was that, Crow?”

“I asked if you have someone in mind to give flowers to?”

“Ah, yes. I will be giving some to Linde and Clara. And just like Elliot, I’m still deciding what to give the girls of our class besides flowers.” Gaius answered. He wasn’t trying to keep who he was giving flowers to a secret, so it really did not matter if he told them about it.

Crow smiled and nodded. Like the first three, he already had a clue on who the young Nord will be giving flowers to. But unlike the others, he couldn’t tell if he had any romantic interest with the members of the art club. And Crow wasn’t even sure if he had any romantic interest with the girls of their class. Still, he was satisfied with his friend’s honest answer.

With four down, the white-haired teen’s eyes fell on his pondering best friend. He was the toughest one to figure out, mostly because of the number of girls he has charmed, even if he doesn’t realize it himself. The fact that he is so dense did not help Crow’s detective work.

The young Schwarzer sat on his desk; he was rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache. But in actuality, he was thinking about something. And that something is related to what they were discussing right now.

His fuchsia orbs were fixated on his desk while he continued to rub his temple. His thoughts were in shambles; a certain scenario keeps replaying on his head that gave him an unpleasant expression. Rean was so deep in thought; he failed to notice the voice of the slacker calling out to him.

“Rean! Rean!”

The hand that was rubbing his forehead fell to his desk as he came back to his senses. Remembering why he was here in the first place.

“Sorry. You were saying, Crow?”

“I asked if you have someone in mind to give flowers to. But considering it’s you, you probably plan to give every girl in the academy flowers.” Crow teased with a knowing grin.

“I’m not a flirt machine like you, Crow.” Rean retorted with half-opened eyes.

“How rude! I’ll only be giving one person flowers this year!” Rean rolled his eyes but chuckled at his friend. “But is something wrong? You looked like you were spacing out, or you were really deep in thought; I was practically screaming, and you still didn’t respond.”

“Yeah, Rean. Are you okay?” The redhead asked, his tone full of concern.

“You’re usually so focused and alert. I could only guess that something was bothering you to make you not notice Crow’s voice.” Machias got up from his seat and placed his hand on Rean’s forehead, checking if he has a fever. “Your temperature is normal, so you’re not sick.”

“Is it because you have something on your mind?” Gaius asked as he came closer to check Rean’s condition. “Or do you perhaps have a headache? You have been rubbing your forehead earlier.”

The questions they threw were questions he could easily answer. He answered each honestly, telling them that he has been thinking about something ever since they had this meeting, but he didn’t tell them about the specifics. And if Rean was being honest, the many questions that were asked was giving him an actual headache.

“I’m gonna guess that the thing that’s bothering you is somehow related to Valentine’s Day?” Crow said with a serious expression, but his tone was anything but that.

With an actual headache forming, Rean did not have the energy to evade the question. “Yeah, I don’t really know what to give yet.”

“You’re not going to give flowers?” Elliot quirked a brow.

“Sorry, I worded that wrong. I want to give a different kind of flower, but I can’t think of what.”

“Well, if the person you’re planning to give flowers to is a special one, wouldn’t it make sense to give them a grand rose?” For once, Crow actually had a good point.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this...” Machias shook his head. “But Crow’s right, a grand rose is a perfect flower to give to the person you hold interest in, and it will be a good opportunity for your feelings to be known, even if they might not reciprocate them at all.”

Rean took that as a low blow. He felt as if he was punched in the gut so hard he could vomit. The boy did not particularly have his hopes up, but the thought of that person thinking that he has feelings for them and not feeling the same way was devastating.

Seeing his friend’s face getting pale, Gaius chimed in. “There are other types of flowers that can convey the same meaning. If you want to express your feelings a bit more subtly, using different kinds and turning them into a bouquet might help.”

The black-haired teen’s expression lightened up as he looked at the Nord with surprised eyes. “That’s a really good idea. Thank you, Gaius.”

“You’re welcome, Rean.”

“Well, I think you’re bound to do that anyways. I heard plenty of guys were planning to buy grand roses tomorrow. Unless they have a lot of them in stock, you will probably settle for different kinds of flowers.” The musician informed his friends.

Upon hearing this information for the first time, the glasses-wearing teen shot up from his seat. “Really!? I’m sorry, but I’ll have to take my leave right now. I can’t afford to not get one.” Just like Jusis, Machias left the classroom without waiting for a reply.

“W-wait, Machias! I’m coming too.” Elliot followed but looked back at the others. “Sorry, guys. I need to buy some before they’re sold out.”

“No problemo, man.” The slacker waved with a smile.

“Agreed. We will see you back at the dorms then.”

“Yeah, Elliot. It’s no problem; we can continue this at dinner if you want.” Rean smiled as he looked at the two that were still planning on staying. The two nodded and returned his gaze to the redhead. “You better get going.”

Elliot, thankful for the others’ understanding, left the room with a smile.

“I’m sorry to say that I have to leave too.”

“You’re gonna buy grand roses too, Gaius?” Crow asked gleefully.

Gaius allowed a light chuckle slip past him as he shook his head. “Not quite; I have club activities, actually. I need to go buy a book at Keynes’ for reference.”

“Oh. Don’t let us keep you here any longer then, right, Rean?” Rean nodded his answer.

“I appreciate it.” The tallest of the three left the room, leaving only Crow and Rean behind.

There was a brief silence between them; either they couldn’t think of anything to say; or that they reached the end of their meeting and they’re just staying behind. Rean was back to rubbing his temple as he stared at his desk, his eyes starting to dull. He was deep in thought again.

Crow continued to stare at him with his crimson eyes. Piercing, yet they carry a slight kindness in them, whatever that was troubling Rean, Crow wanted to help him no matter what. And considering it was (probably) about love, he was quite knowledgeable about that topic... even if most of his attempts to steal a woman’s heart was always foiled by the she-devil.

Since Rean was lost in his thoughts, his voice might not reach him, So, he decided to flick his forehead.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“You’re gonna ignore me anyways so I decided to flick you to get your attention~.”

“You didn’t have to do that! You could have just patted me on the shoulder.” That was actually something that would snap him out of his thoughts. Though Crow couldn’t take any chances. “Did you need something that needed to flick my forehead?”

“I got a question for ya.” He took out a few pictures from his pocket before revealing them to Rean.

The one to the far left was a blonde-haired girl with pigtails, the one next to her was a noble-looking girl with long blue hair, the one next to her was a silver-haired maiden holding a flower— wait... the pictures were just the girls from their class!

“Why do you have the pictures of the girls?!”

“I bought them from Rex. Pretty cool, right? It was quite a steal, too~.”

“The girls will kill him and you if they find out about these pictures...” Rean sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t believe that Rex still takes pictures without the consent of the girls. Or maybe he’s just jumping to conclusions, but he will have to ask him later, though.

“So what do these pictures have to do with your question?”

“Which of these pics would you like to have?”

“None of them,” Rean answered without hesitation.

“C’mon, Rean. That’s not fair; you gotta have at least an eye for one of our girls.” Crow waved the pictures around as if he was taunting his friend. “How about you pick one at random? And if you don’t like it, you can return it and pick again. I won’t look at the picture you chose, and after you choose, I’ll give the other pics to you, so I won’t know who you picked.”

“I don’t understand why you’re going through all this trouble.”

“I just wanna help you with your love life~,” The slacker said with a tone full of mirth.

Sighing again, Rean conceded. Crow then laid the pictures on the desk, back facing the front. Rean hovered his finger above each of them before stopping and landing on the far right. He gulped as he picked the picture. His eyes widened, pink tint slowly forming around his cheeks.

The older teen noticed this and smiled. “You’re going to choose that one? Or are ya gonna switch?”

“I’ll... stick to this.”

“M’kay.” He simply said as he pushed the rest of the picture towards the black-haired teen. Standing up from his seat, he yawned and stretched. “It’s all yours, Rean. I’m gonna stop by Towa to see if she needs some help.”

“Oh, okay.”

He walked over to the door before turning his head again. “Oh, there’s a book about flowers in the library. Might help you impress that little fairy of yours~.” Crow winked before dashing out of the room.

“How did he...” Rean’s tried to ask, but his cheeks flared up, realizing why he said that. “Dammit, so he knew after all!”

Taking a look at the picture he was holding, he couldn’t help but crack a smile at the silver-haired girl, holding a flower pot with some dirt on her pale face. Rean wasn’t sure if he should keep the photo. Heck, he was not even sure if he wanted to give it back to Rex.

He lined up the pictures when he noticed something odd. There was a slightly rough texture on certain parts of the back of the photos; each one had a rough texture in different areas in the back. The sun was setting when an orange-ray shot through the window, Rean covered his eyes from the light. As if a light bulb was lightened, Rean positioned the photo in the sunlight; a glint sparkled in the back of the picture; it was coming from the area of the rough texture.

“So that’s how we figured it out. All these are marked...” He sighed as he organized the pictures from the desk.

Oh, there’s a book about flowers in the library. Might help you impress that little fairy of yours~.

“It can’t hurt to take a look.”

Putting the photos on the pocket of his blazer, he left the classroom and headed towards the library.

“Are we sure we’re doing this right?” Alisa hesitantly asked, mixing some sort of... goop in a bowl. “It doesn’t feel like chocolate...”

“I’m afraid that I have no prior experience with making chocolate before.” At Alisa’s right was Laura, mixing the same goop that the blonde has. “It does, however, smell sweet.”

Unlike Alisa, who has been having a hard time mixing her concoction as if she was mixing clay. Laura was able to mix the goop without a problem, even if it does not look like the brown treat. The rest of the girls were on the opposite side of the two, making their chocolate. Since Emma was by their side, they were performing better than the Reinford and Arseid.

“Yes, just like that Fie. Oh, Millium! You’re mixing too hard!”

The cerulean-haired girl was playfully whisking her bowl... a little too hard. The whipped cream was being spilled everywhere, even making it towards their faces.  If Sharon were not around, they would have serious trouble cleaning up.

“Oh, man. I wanted to make it really fluffy! Guess I went overboard.” Millium sighed in disappointment. Grabbing another bowl to make another batch to make her sweets. “But I can’t give up! I wanna make something that’ll make all the guys want seconds!”

Just like a phoenix, she was back to her usual self. This caused the others to sweatdrop but laughed nonetheless. They could always count on Millium to lighten the mood, even with their repeated attempts, they couldn’t find themselves to give up.

Why did they even start making chocolates? Surprisingly, a certain ex-jaeger was responsible for it all. She was the one who asked if Emma could teach her how to make the cocoa-flavored treat, but she didn’t expect the others to join in. Not that she minds it, the more the merrier, as they say. She hopes that they won’t find out the reason why she asked the class president to help her, especially since the reason is related to a certain black-haired swordsman.

Either way, Fie was planning to give it her all in making the best chocolates she can. She wasn’t particularly good at cooking but just like what Emma said when they started. If you put your feelings into it, it will surely taste great! That definitely helped boost Fie’s confidence as she followed her friend’s instructions to the letter.

“Is this right, Emma?” Fie asked as she showed her bowl.

Emma used her pinky to take a small scoop of Fie’s chocolate and tasted it. It was bitter, but there was a distinct sweetness that lingered in her mouth. Emma smiled as she patted the girl. “It tastes great, Fie! I’m sure the boy you’ll give it to will enjoy it very much.”

“Really?” Fie was still unconvinced, and it’s not like she doesn’t believe Emma. It’s because she never expected her creation to actually taste good. Or even edible, for that matter.

“Ooh, ooh! I wanna try.” Millium scooped a large portion from Fie’s bowl and ate it all in one bite. Not even noticing the mess on her face. “Wow! It’s really delicious, Fie! It’s a bit bitter for my liking, but there’s an awesome aftertaste once you keep on eating!”

“Oh?”

Laura and Alisa walked closer; curiosity got the better of them. After asking permission to have a taste, they immediately complimented the petite girl after tasting it. Saying that it was a million times better than what they were making, this made Fie’s lips curled upward. Maybe she can actually do it...

“I wish I were that good; maybe I could impress Rean...” Alisa mumbled with a low voice that was meant for herself. But the others were able to pick up on that.

“Will you be giving chocolates to Rean as well, Alisa?” Laura asked with a quirk on her brow. She was also planning to give the swordsman chocolates tomorrow.

“No! I-I mean, well, yeah. I thought it would be nice to give him something. He’s been acting as the leader of our class after all! I wanted to give him something to show my appreciation, okay!?” Flustered up, Alisa returned to the opposite side of the cooking area, mixing her bowl furiously.

Almost all of the girls sweatdropped at their friend’s small blowup.

Emma tried to improve the mood by changing the subject. “You don’t have to feel embarrassed about that, Alisa. I think we can all agree that Rean deserves all of us to show our appreciation. But not just that, I think all of the boys deserve something; they have been working hard for the past month, even Crow!”

“Yeah, yeah! He hasn’t made a dirty joke since the start of the month! I’m really surprised too; usually, he would tell us at least once a day, but he’s been holding back.” Millium agreed, even if her remark was a little out of topic. “I wanna give everyone chocolates, and save some for myself!”

“That is so like you, Millium.” The glasses-wearing girl giggled as she was finishing her dish. “Will any of you be giving chocolates to anyone special?”

Emma’s question was met with silence. Laura and Alisa’s faces were drowned in red, trying their best to hold it back, but it only made them redder. Fie kept quiet as she continued to make her chocolate, a totally blank expression was on her face as if she lost interest in the topic or didn’t want to be part of it.

Getting worried, Emma tried to say something but was cut off by Millium.

“I was planning to give Jusis a lil’ something.”

All eyes were now on the combat shell user.

“I think that’s wonderful, Millium! I’m sure he will love it.” Emma chirped with a smile. “Is he your special someone?” Emma asked innocently.

“I guess you could say that! Out of everyone in the class, he’s the one who always plays with me. I wanna give him some chocolates that I made to show him how much I’m thankful for.”

“Aw, that’s really sweet.” Alisa cooed.

“Agreed.” The red slowly disappearing on Laura’s face. Her mixture slowly becoming chocolate-like after Emma helped with softening it with a bit of milk. Since Millium was the first to answer, Laura was feeling that she should answer too and that she did. “Besides Rean, I don’t particularly have a special someone to give chocolates to.”

Alisa spilled chocolate from her bowl, and Fie’s mixing her second batch a bit faster upon hearing that.

Thank Aidios that Emma noticed the two’s sudden change and provided a rescue. “So the chocolate for Rean is a thank you gift?”

Laura nodded. “Indeed. It’s a token of my appreciation for being the leader of our class and being my sparring partner with the way of the sword.”

“Do you have anyone else in mind?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid. But I’ll be making enough if someone does pop up.”

Emma nodded as a sigh of relief slipped out of Alisa, and Fie’s whisking returned to a normal pace. The bespectacled girl chuckled nervously; if the signs were any more obvious, it would be harder to handle this situation. But even Emma wasn’t sure if her guess was right, her guess towards Fie anyway; it was hard to read her after all.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Laura called her name.

“So, how about you, Emma? Do you have anyone in mind?”

She could feel her cheeks burning up just from the thought. It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t answer, especially since she was the one who initiated it, so she answered without giving too much away. “W-well, I’ll be giving chocolates to all of the boys in our class, but, yes, I do have plans to give someone a special chocolate that I’ll be making.”

“Oh. I did not expect you to have someone in mind. I wish you good luck then.” The swordswoman said with a grin. “What about you, Alisa? Surely you have someone in mind.”

“N-no! Um… uh...” With the blonde backed into a corner, she answered as vaguely as possible. “It’s someone from our class! Your turn, Fie! Do you have a special someone in mind?!”

Hoping that none of them figured out who that special someone is. She immediately passed the same question to Fie.

But Fie didn’t answer; instead, she was whisking some sort of cream for her chocolate blankly. It wasn’t until Emma spoke up that she looked back at the others.

“No.”

“...huh?” The others breathed, unsure how to respond to their friend’s answer.

“What do you mean no?” Laura asked as she set her bowl aside and came closer to the petite girl.

“I don’t have anyone special in mind to give these chocolates to.” She eyes the finished batched off chocolates she’s made with a slight frown. “Probably just going to eat them, myself, I guess...”

“B-but, Fie! I thought you wanted me to teach you because you were planning to give them to someone?” Emma remembers clearly the reason why Fie asked for her help. She couldn’t help but feel worried about what could have caused her sudden change in her decision.

Fie just shrugged her shoulders and continued her work.

“Let’s just focu—“ As Alisa tried to change the subject, she accidentally knocked a bowl of chocolate, causing it to spill on the floor. “Oh no! All that chocolate... wasted. I’m so sorry, everyone...”

“No need to apologize, Alisa. It was an accident.” Laura walked over and began cleaning up...

“Leave it to me, Lady Laura!”

The girls turned around to see the super maid herself save the day, Sharon. With a mop already in hand, she elegantly and swiftly cleaned the floor chocolate. She turned around and bowed. “No need to worry about causing a mess. Please leave it to me to clean it all up!”

Surprised and grateful, the noble thanked the maid. “Oh, I must ask though, Sharon. Are you perhaps well-versed in making chocolate sweets?”

“Ah yes! I also know how to make pastries and other types of sweets. Would you like some help with making some, Lady Laura?”

“That would be greatly appreciated!”

“We could really use the help,” Surprisingly, Alisa was glad Sharon offered her assistance; usually she would get annoyed but considering she caused a mess earlier, she was thankful for her offer. “Maybe cookies?”

“That’s a good idea! Having different kinds of sweets is a good way to show our effort!” Emma agreed, already setting the ingredients for sweets on the table. She looked at the silver-haired girl and hesitantly asked. “Is that alright with you, Fie...?”

The aforementioned locked her eyes on her bowl before taking a glance at her already finished products. “Kay.”

Emma immediately perked up as she clasped her hands. “Hehe, let’s get started then.”

“Ooh! I know I can make something really tasty with Sharon’s help!”

“Teehee, I’m happy to help, Lady Millium~.”

Sharon initially would only advise on how to make certain sweets, but that advice proved to be more than enough to increase their performance and efficiency. Laura and Alisa managed to make a smooth and thick batter this time, with no lumps or cement-like consistency. Emma and Sharon were able to minimize the mess that a certain cerulean girl could make, and even better, the said girl was able to make more sweets than before with minimal mistakes.

While the others were busy making more sweets, Fie, whose mind was drifting, thoughts she would never express out loud came to her mind. ‘Rean doesn’t need mine...’ The thought was enough to force a frown on her visage, she doesn’t want to think that, yet she couldn’t help but feel like no matter what she does, her feelings won’t be able to reach the black-haired boy. It was truly a heartbreaking thought, one that even for someone as stoic as her was something not even she could handle.

After all, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl, maybe just a tad bit sharp than normal, but a fifteen-year-old girl nonetheless. Love was foreign for her, maybe because she was raised on the battlefield, or maybe life at a jaeger core hardened her heart. She didn’t know how to handle the strange feeling on her chest.

Class VII was her family; they gave her the warmth and love only a family could provide. The feeling that was lost to her after Zephyr disbanded. It took a while before she's able to open up to the others, but a certain swordsman proved to be the only exception...

The silver-haired girl was taking a cozy nap near the garden at the benches. She was thinking about their field study in Bareahard. Thinking to herself how Rean was able to efficiently lead their group back in the sewers, despite the initial conflict between a certain commoner and noble.

“Fie.”

Her thoughts were interrupted as a voice called her name, opening an eye to see who was the enabler.

“Hey, Rean.”

“Don’t, ‘Hey, Rean.’ me,” He groaned. “What are you doing taking a nap here? It’s almost dusk.”

“Just wanted to take a nap here.” She sat up and scooched to the side to let Rean sit. “Is that a problem?”

Taking that as a sign to sit down, he did just that. “Well, no. But you really shouldn’t take a nap alone all the time.”

Fie tilted her head in confusion. “Why not? You’ve already seen me in action. I can handle myself.”

“Fie,” He said with a firm voice. “You’re a girl. I know Thors is safe, but I still don’t like the thought of you sleeping alone out here.”

“You worry too much, Rean. Do you like meddling in other people’s business?”

“Maybe.” He chuckled before placing a hand on the girl’s head. “But you’re one of my friends. I can’t help but worry if something might happen to you, even though I know you can protect yourself. And don’t worry, I didn’t forget you are stronger than me.”

Fie stared at the boy with widen eyes, saying that she was surprised was an understatement. Even after seeing what she was capable of, even if she was holding back, he was still worried about her safety. It was at that moment where she felt a certain warmth coming from her chest, she would be lying if she said she did not like it. Though she did not have any plans to discard her cool persona or express her feelings... at least not yet.

“And what do you suggest I do then?”

“Huh?”

“What can I do to make you stop worrying. It’s annoying.”

“Oh,” Removing his hand from Fie’s head, he cupped his chin. “You can ask one of the girls to watch over you. I’m sure they’ll be happy to do it.”

‘Not Laura...’ Fie bitterly thought.

“Why don’t you just watch over me yourself?”

“W-well, people might find it strange if they see a guy watching over a girl while she’s sleeping.” Rean tried to explain. Keyword ‘tried’.

“Why would that be strange?” She questioned, genuinely confused why that would be strange.

“If you are fine with it, I guess I can watch over you.”

“Yup.”

A notable silence followed, yet the warm feeling on her chest remained. She didn’t know Rean would go to the trouble of checking to see if she was safe. She found it out, but she didn’t seem to mind it. Closing her eyes, an idea popped as she asked the teen a question.

“Would you do this to Alisa or the other girls then?”

She expected his response to being something like, ‘Yeah, they’re my friends after all. I can’t help but worry blah blah blah.’. Her surprise upon hearing his answer made her eyes go wide.

“No.”

“What...?”

“Haha. I guess I should probably explain why I said that.” She nodded in response. “Well, considering what happened with me and Alisa, I doubt she would need someone to watch over her if she ever takes a nap out here. Laura could probably sense if someone’s approaching her. And Emma’s not really the type to take a nap, especially outside. Though if they ask me to watch over them while they take a quick nap, I would help out.”

“I could do the same thing as Laura though.” She gave him a half-lidded look. “Why am I the only exception?”

Rean winced; he could feel a sweatdrop forming around his forehead. He feared that his answer might be thought of as creepy or that it would make Fie even more distant than she already was. “Do you really want to know...?” She nodded. “Okay...”

He took a deep breath before he opened his mouth. “I promise I wasn’t worried just because you were a girl. You’re like a little sister to me, and as someone who has one, I wanted to make sure you were safe. You’ve been taking naps all over the place; I thought that you couldn’t sleep at night. I was worried, but I asked Emma, and she said that you were getting a full night’s sleep! I know I’m a pain, and I can’t help but stick my nose into other people’s business, but I don’t think I would this to anyone else,” Fie opened her mouth, wanting to retort but immediately closed it as she realized he wasn’t done. “But if it is you, I can’t help myself.”

Once again, Fie stared at the boy with widen eyes. How can he say something romantic as if it’s natural to him? Romantic? She meant cheesy. How can he say something that cheesy, really cheesy as if it is the most natural thing in the world? But what she wanted to know most was... why he said that to her of all people?

She didn’t even realize that Rean rested his hand in her head again, no, he was patting her!

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Fie could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. Does he do this all the time to the others? Or maybe it was just her...

But as Fie was about to speak, the boy unintentionally interrupted her. “And most importantly, you’re one of my friends. I can’t help but worry about you guys.”

Her heartbeat slowly returned to normal, her usual blank face resurfaced as she sighed. “Figures.”

“Eh? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you shouldn’t go around saying cheesy stuff like that. You might give other girls the wrong idea. Wait, you might have already done that...”

“I-I have not! Wait! What do you mean the wrong idea?!” He retrieved his patting hand as he lost his composure.

“You’re sharp; you can figure that out yourself.” She said, standing up from the bench. “Since I doubt you won’t stop bothering me about my sleeping habits, It’s fine if I ask someone to watch over me, right?”

“Yeah...”

“So you won’t have a problem if I ask you to do that, right?”

“W-w-well, as long as you’re fine with it.” A simple nod was her answer.

It was Rean’s turn to get up from his seat, moving closer to Fie. With a smile, he placed his hand on top of her head, stroking her silver, catching her off guard. “I know that I’m being a bother, but thanks for understanding.”

Fie did not do anything in protest from the treatment. She could feel a slight heat on her cheeks, and the feeling of her heart beat at a rapid speed. Rean continued to stroke her head, not even noticing the pink tint on the girl’s face. Is this guy that dense? The feeling of his warm hand brushing her hair, she did not want to say it... but she liked it.

After some time, she was finally able to speak up about it.

“Do you like stroking girls’ hair too?”

Only now registering in his mind what he was doing, a nervous chuckle slipped past him as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Ahahaha... sorry. I used to do it to my sister whenever she’s feeling down or happy. I’ll try not to do it again.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t say I hated it.”

“Oh... okay then.” The black-haired teen scratched his cheek, surprised by her answer. Seeing that part of the sky was dyed with the color of night, he grabbed Fie’s hand. “Let’s go back to the dorms, Fie! We can still make it before it gets too dark.” Rean didn’t bother waiting for her reply as he sprinted to the gates of the school.

Running as if his life depended on it, he failed to consider if he was dragging Fie. Good thing she wasn’t being dragged, far from it. She was able to keep up with him with ease. His hand gripped hers tighter as they exited out of the school and were now heading towards their dorm.

‘Despite knowing my past as a jaeger, he didn’t treat me any differently from the others. Instead of being treated like a killer, he’s treating me like a friend, a little sister even...  maybe, maybe I can...’ Her lips curled upward at the thought. She felt the warmth coming from her chest growing warmer. She doesn’t understand why, but she feels like she could figure it out... if she’s with Rean.

“Fie?”

She turned her head to the right to see Emma, calling her name. “Yeah?”

“Is something wrong? Your hands stopped moving for a while now.”

“Are you perhaps tired?” Laura asked.

“She has been making more than the rest of us...” Alisa mumbled to herself. She guessed that her friend might have pushed herself a bit. Not that they can blame her for that, Fie was the one who requested to be taught how to make sweets, which already was odd for her.

“I think you made enough, Fie. I’m sure the boy you’re planning to give these sweets will love them,” Her gaze fell to the chocolates that the silver-haired girl already finished making; the only thing left to do is wrap them in a neat little bag. “You should take a break; for now, we can wrap our sweets together after we’re finished making ours.”

“Definitely! You can take a nap, and we can wake you up once we’re finished!” Millium agreed, slamming the desk energetically.

Fie wasn’t tired. But because she was reminiscing her memory of Rean, she spaced out and worried the others. Maybe a nap would help her sort out her thoughts. Whether she would still give her gift to him or not. “Okay.”

She set her bowl to the table and exited out of the kitchen; she stopped before looking back to the others. “Wake me up when you guys are done.” A yawn slipped past her, making her go to the couch and curling up to sleep.

As soon as the girls finished making their sweets, they woke up the former jaeger and began wrapping their gifts for the boys. They finished wrapping them up before any of the guys from their class returned to the dorm. Well, except for Jusis, who returned early but immediately headed towards his room upstairs, not noticing the activity in the kitchen.

Laid down on the table were the various treats they made. Inside of a spotted bag were mini chocolate cupcakes, colorful boxes filled with cocoa bits, and baked cookies inside a plastic baggy. Of course, the girls made personal decorative wrapping for the ones they are planning to give.

Millium had a bunny design for her wrapping. Fie had a flower pattern design for hers, likely influenced by her time in the gardening club. While Emma, Laura, and Alisa decided to take a simpler approach to the packaging of their chocolate by using simple colors like purple, blue, and gold.

With the help of Sharon, they were able to hide the sweets in the fridge without the boys noticing them if they decide to open the refrigerator.

And like that, the evening passed away in an instant.

Since it was also a free day for the students, they were up early and prepared plans with one another. They quickly showed that it was Valentine’s Day with the way they mingled with one another. Young couples were holding each other’s hands, the girl’s giving chocolates to the guys, and the guys giving flowers to the girls.

Class VII was not an exception to this. The girls have taken out their gifts and hid them in their bags or pockets, and the boys have prepared their bouquet. Unexpectedly, Jusis had a bouquet of chrysanthemums in hand and a small box. The faces that the others had when they saw him holding it were gaping mouths and widened eyes. Except for Crow, who had a knowing grin, he was surprised to see the bouquet, but he knew who the small box was for. Jusis simply scoffed at their stares.

All of them left early and scattered. Elliot left first to give his sister the bouquet he bought; he said he will return as soon as he gave the gift to Fiona. He had other girls to give flowers to, after all. Machias, Gaius, and Jusis soon followed, heading towards the academy first to finish some club business.

The girls already left the dorm far earlier than the boys, leaving Rean and Crow as the only students inside the building.

“You ready to give ‘you-know-who’ your flowers?” Crow asked with a grin.

“Ready as I’ll ever be...” Rean said, his tone had no trace of energy.

“What’s wrong? You got the flowers already. I don’t see why you look so glum.”

“Wait here.” Rean climbed up the stairs and headed towards his room to pick the bouquet. He quickly returned and showed it to his senior. “I checked the library and found the book you mentioned; there were a bunch of flowers that in there that could help me tell... subtly. But the flower shop didn’t have any of the ones I want...”

“Interesting.” The older teen placed his arms behind the back of his head, a smile plastered on his face. “Guess the guys went ham and sold them out.”

“Yeah- wait a minute, what’s with that smile on your face?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Reanie~”

“D-did you set the flower shop to give me these...?” He hesitantly asked.

“Who knows.” The potential culprit shrugged as his smile shifted to a full-blown shit-eating grin. “Gotta go though, I’m meeting someone today.” Before Rean could stop him, he exited out of the building as soon as finished that sentence.

He sighed and resigned his fate. His gut told him that it was Crow that pulled the strings that caused him to purchase the limited flowers they had when he came over. He also guessed that it was him that placed a bunch of extra notes in the book he read yesterday. Notes saying. 'To show your passionate love!', 'Baby, will you marry me?', and the most ridiculous one, 'You. Me. Back at my place.' He couldn’t understand how no one noticed the crazy notes Crow stuck between the pages, or how the librarian failed to notice the weird bulk at all!

Another sigh escaped his lips. Crow got him good. Real good.

He looked at the flowers he had in hand before shaking his head. Whether she’ll accept them or not, he won’t find out unless he gives it to her. “Let’s go.” Finally, he exited out.

-The Art Club-

“Clara, I would like to give these sweet peas to show my gratitude towards you,” Gaius said, offering the flowers to his senior.

“I’m busy. Leave it on a desk for now.” She said without taking her eyes off her work. Busy with sculpting as usual.

Not taking her tone as offensive, he did what he was told, placing the flowers in a vacant desk.

“Thanks for the flowers,” Clara said uncharacteristically, which made Gaius do a double-take, yet her attention remained on her sculpture.

Gaius smiled at her. “You’re welcome.”

His eyes would fall onto the pinkette, nervously painting on her canvas. The girl caught his gaze, and red hues surfaced around her cheeks; she returned her focus to her painting. Paying her odd behavior no mind, Gaius walked up to her with another bouquet in hand.

“This is for you, Linde.” The older twin was taken aback by the teen’s gift. It was not because he had flowers for her, but because of the type of flowers, he had gotten for her.

“G-Gaius?! That’s a grand rose!” She exclaimed, pointing at the bouquet as if it was a dangerous weapon. “Did Vivi trick you into getting these for me? She did that with Rean without either of us knowing just to prank me...”

“Well, I’m glad to say that Vivi did not trick me.”

“Wait, do you know what a grand rose means...” She asked, nervous if he bought them without knowing.

“I do, actually. My friends from my class had quite a discussion yesterday about flowers. I would have gotten you a more suitable flower, but unfortunately, they said that the rest was either sold out or someone already reserved them.” His mind played the memory of yesterday, clearly remembering that only grand roses were available for purchase at that time.

He did find it odd but decided to purchase the flowers anyway. Just like Rean, Gaius, and maybe the others’ purchases may have been tampered with; by the slacker himself. Well... maybe it was only directed towards Rean.

“O-oh...” She took the flowers from his grasp, inspecting them to make sure it was really a grand rose. Confirming that they were indeed true, her blush deepened. “...thank you, Gaius.”

“You are quite welcome.”

“Oh! I have something for you too.” Setting the brush she was holding aside, she got up from her seat and grabbed a small bag from her desk. “I tried making some chocolates for you. I hope the taste is okay...” She timidly gave the bag of sweets to him.

The young Nord smiled, appreciating the kind gesture. “I will gladly take it then. Thank you for the sweets.”

“And thank you for the flowers.” Returning his smile with her own.

-The Student Union Building-

Machias had just finished dealing with whatever business he had with the Chess Club, mainly sorting out textbooks of strategies they made to beat nobles. He promised to wait in the cafeteria with Elliot after he was done with his own business in Heimdallr and with the Wind Orchestra.

And just like the other boys from his class, he also had a bouquet prepared.

The teen was fiddling with his glasses when a familiar voice called out to him.

“Machias?”

“Oh hey, Emma. What brings you here?” He asked as he wore his glasses.

“Laura said she wanted to meet with me, so we decided to choose here as our meeting place.” She answered with a giggle. “What about you? Are you here alone?”

“I’m waiting for Elliot. I say I’m waiting, but we don’t actually have anything planned yet.”

“I see.” The glasses-wearing girl nodded before something caught her eye. “Are you planning to give those flowers to someone...?”

The green-haired teen hid the flowers on his back. Now only realizing, he laid it out in the open. “...you could say that...”

“Um... I have something for you, Machias.”

He tilted his head before his optics widened when Emma took out a small box from her pocket. It was a box with a purple spotted design with a white bow on top. He gulped as a thought crossed his mind. Wondering if that was Valentine's Day chocolate.

“I-Is that for me...?”

She nodded. “Yes. I made some for all of the boys of our class,” The poor boy’s expression turned dejected when he heard that. “But I wanted to give you these first...” His head shot up, thinking he heard her wrong.

He didn’t hear her wrong.

She was blushing, and her glasses were fogging up. She slowly put the box at the table. “I made it myself. I hope you like it.”

“T-thanks.” The boy was blushing at the thought that Emma wanted to give her sweets to him first. His blush deepened but not as much as Emma when he opened the package. “This is...”

“I tried making mini-chocolate cupcakes. I’m not sure if the taste is to your liking though...”

Machias grabbed a piece and took a bite. The cupcake had a chocolate frosting on top with vanilla cream on the inside. The cream was refreshing, not being too sweet or overpowering the flavors of the cocoa. He almost bites his hand when he realized that he already consumed it all.

“It was delicious, Emma! Thank you!”

Her face lightened up; she internally thanked Sharon for helping her come up with the idea. “Hehe, you’re welcome.”

Courage swelled up inside the bespectacled boy; maybe it’s because of Emma’s sweets or the thought of Emma wanting to give it to him first, even if it was a bit embarrassing. He stood up from his seat and showed the bouquet of roses to his crush.

“Happy Valentine's, Emma. Would you accept this bouquet of mine?”

“M-Machias...”

-Outside the Student Union Building-

“Phew, I did not expect Mint to like the flowers so much.” Elliot mused as he panted outside of the Student Union Building.

After giving his sister the bouquet, he stayed for a bit to have a small snack while telling her all about what had transpired since the last time they saw each other. They talked about the upcoming school festival and how Elliot was hoping that he’ll be able to perform something for his club.

As he tried to catch his breath, he felt a tap to his shoulder from behind. He turned around to see his blue-haired friend.

“Hey, Laura.”

“Hello, Elliot. Are you planning to enter as well?”

“Yeah. I promised to hang out with Machias after I was done giving flowers to my sister and club.”

“Oh. I hope everything went well.”

He smiled, but that quickly faded when he remembered something. “I forgot! W-wait here, Laura!” He ran off, leaving a slightly confused Laura.

The redhead came back as fast as he could go, a single blue flower in hand. Laura’s gaze fell at it, tilting her head at what could it be for. Catching his breath again, he straightened his back. “When I saw this flower yesterday, it reminded me of you, so I had to buy it. Here.”

He handed the blue rose to the swordswoman, a blush crept its way on her face as she picked it up. “Thank you, Elliot.”

“No problem.” He brushed it off with a smile.

“I also have something for you.” She fished out from her pocket a small bag. “I know I am not the most skilled in the kitchen, but I wanted to recreate these sweets that originated from Legram.” She stated.

They were chocolate-covered pretzel sticks, at least that was what Elliot assumed as he examined the bag.

“Thanks, Laura! I’ll give them a try right now.” He opened the bag as worried Laura tried to stop him.

“Wa-wait, Elliot!” The orange-haired teen already took a bite when he realized she tried to stop him.

“O-Oh! I’m sorry, did you not want me to eat it here...?”

“It is not that... how is the taste...?”

“Ah.” He took another piece and began munching it down. “It tastes good. I like the taste of the chocolate on the pretzel.”

She sighed, relief came over her. “I’m happy to hear that.”

“Have the others received something too?”

“I have given Rean his earlier, a thank-you gift for leading our class.” Elliot nodded at that, knowing that his friend took on the responsibility as the leader. Even if he did not realize it himself. “I would have also like to give the others some too, but the other batches did not turn out so great.”

“Well, thank you for making me these, Laura. I’ll save them for later.” He put the bag in his ARCUS pocket,

She smiled as she held the given flower on her hand tight, wanting not to lose such a precious gift. The two entered the building, seeing Machias and Emma, both blushing with Emma holding her bouquet. They ran up to them, already thinking of questions to ask them.

-Towa’s Office-

Towa returned to her office with Angelica after finishing a short request they received from one of the townsfolk in Trista.

The petite president walked towards her desk when she notices something odd placed on top of it. There was a piece of cloth on top of something; she tilted her head and removed the piece of fabric for her eyes to widen. A single rose with a letter attached to it laid on the girl’s desk.

Before she could even take it, Angelica swiftly snatched the paper.

“Angie!”

“Who dares try to give my adorable Towa a rose in such a way?! And a letter at that!” She ignores Towa’s call, which was rare considering she would never ignore her friend. Ever. She rips open the letter and reads its contents out loud.

“I would like to ask Thors Military Academy’s president to help with the homework of Crow Armbru...” The Rogner stopped mid-sentence and threw the piece of paper in the air before running out of the room. Presumably going to kill Crow.

The brown-haired girl caught the letter before inspecting it thoroughly. Her eye noticed something on the back, which Angelica failed to see. Flipping the paper, she saw another set of writing.

 Yo Towa! Didn’t expect this, huh? I knew Gelica would take the letter from you once she saw it. Heh, guess I fooled her with that crap I made up, guess she’s trying to find me now. Since I know I probably couldn’t give you the rose in person, not with Angelica close by. I decided to this instead. I wanted to ask if you want to have dinner with me later at Kirsche's later, if it’s yes, then I’ll see you later! If that’s a maybe, then I’ll see you later! But if it’s a no... I’ll see you there later since I’ll be putting my dinner in your tab!

Happy Valentines~

Crow Armbrust

“Oh, Crow...” She chuckled as she hid the letter in her desk drawer. She picked up the rose as pink hues dusted her cheeks and a smile accompanying it.

She was both surprised and happy from his little 'prank'. She had a feeling that there was something odd about that letter when Crow’s name was mentioned. Homework and Crow don’t really mix, so the idea of him asking for help was suspicious. But Towa being Towa, she would still help him with his homework if he did mean it.

Opening her desk drawer again, she hid the rose before closing it up and locking it. The idea of Angelica stumbling upon it, whether it was an accident or if she tried to search the place, at least she won’t be able to open the drawer easily.

The hardworking girl decided to do a little paperwork before meeting with Crow.

-Main Building: Second Floor Hallway-

The always energetic Millium has been giving out the chocolates she has made for the last hour. She made so much that the faculty members received some, even the grouchy Instructor Heinrich. At the rate she was going, she should be able to give out all her chocolates by the end of the day.

Some were receiving in receiving her creation because of the rumors about her cooking. Their doubts were ceased when Nicholas, the captain of the Cooking Club, tried one of her sweets. The others first thought that he was being nice when he taste-tested Millium’s sweets, but when he smiled and encouraged the others to try some. They knew it had to be good.

Of course, Millium boasted about how good they were, making the commoner students apologized. But she felt good when they complimented her cooking.

She was running through the halls again, getting scolded by Instructor Neithardt for not following the school rules. She speed-walked instead when a voice stopped her.

“Millium.”

She turned head and smiled, seeing the young Albarea in the hall.

“Hey, Jusis!” She greeted. “Did you get any chocolates from the female students?”

“I’m afraid so,” Jusis admitted, tone almost exhausted. Normally, he would refuse such gestures, but considering the items he is about to give, he wasn’t one to reject their sweets. However, the amount he received did not allow him to keep it in his person. “There were too much, so I returned them to my room for now.”

“Ooh~! Popular as ever I see.”

“By the way, are you finished giving the entire student body your chocolates?” It may have come out a bit mocking, but that wasn’t his intention. Luckily for him, Millium didn’t see it as rude.

“Almost done! Just need to give a few more!” She replied excitedly. “Oh! I have yours too, Jus—“

She was cut off as Jusis placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from the paper bag of sweets that she was carrying.

“I have to give you something first.”

The blonde noble took out and presented a bouquet of chrysanthemums and a small box with a blue ribbon wrapped around it.

“Wow! Those flowers are pretty.” She eyed the yellow blossoms, taking a quick whiff to smell an earthy and herby scent. Her focus shifted towards the small box on his right hand. “Is that for me?”

“Both of these are for you.” He gave both items to her. Millium had to put down her paper bag to properly hold them.

“Aw, Jusis~” She cooed. “You could have just said you wanted to be my Valentine~”

Jusis made a ‘hmph’ sound as he crossed his arms. “I merely wanted to give you something to calm yourself. After practically babysitting you for almost two months, I thought you deserve a reward for being less insufferable than I originally thought you’d be.” He smirked.

Completely ignoring what he said, she tackled him down and smiled. “Aw, just say you love me already!” A matching smirk was on her visage.

“Gah... get off of me...” She complied with his request and removed herself from his person. “I think I deserve a reward from enduring all of the trouble you have caused me. Preferably you keep yourself out of—“

It was Millium’s turn to interrupt him.

“You’re in luck then!” She rummaged through her paper bag and fished out a bunny-designed plastic bag. “Here!” She practically shoved the bag in his hand.

“These are...”

“Biscuits!” She finished for him. “I know you’re not into sweets. That’s why I made that for you!” She puffed her chest, proud of her creation. “Try it.”

He opened the bag; a subtle sweet scent danced on his nostrils as he took one. The noble had a feeling this would be overly sweet, considering it was Millium who made them. But when he took a bite...

His blue eyes widened. “They aren’t... that sweet.”

“Right?”

Jusis finished the rest of the biscuit before putting the bag on his blazer pocket. “I must say, Millium, that was impressive. I never thought you would be able to make a sweet to my taste before.”

“Heeeeey! What does that mean?” She questioned with a bit of annoyance on her face. “I’m a great cook!”

“I am just stating a fact.”

“Meanie.”

He chuckled before smiling. “I jest. It was wonderful, thank you for making these.”

“Hehe, no problemo!”

-Outside the Courtyard-

“She’s not around here too...”

Rean was looking around the courtyard for the silver-haired girl. He has been searching for her since he left the dorm, it’s almost 4:00 pm, and he still has not found her. Panicking a little, he was about to leave the area when a hand grabbed his arm.

“I finally found.”

The Schwarzer turned around and was met with crimson eyes. “Alisa?”

“Seriously, I’ve been looking for you all day!” She exclaimed as she lets go of his arm. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, sorry, I’ve been looking for someone.” He answered her without giving away that he was looking for Fie. “Did you need something?”

Alisa did a 180 from being angry to being completely flustered as she tried to get her words out. “I... I wanted to give you something!”

He raised a brow but didn’t speak to see if she was done talking. She took out a gold-colored box and presented it to the boy. “H-here!”

“Oh...” She placed the box on his hand, her cheeks completely dyed in red. Noticing this, Rean placed a hand on her forehead. “Are you alright? Your face is completely red.” Being as dense as ever, he thought she was suffering from a fever.

The touch to her forehead caused heat to radiate from her, making it seem that she has a fever. Growing even more flustered, she “gently” pushed Rean, causing him to fall on his bottom. “I’m fine! I’ll see you back at the dorms!”

She ran off to who knows where.

As Rean tried to recover from the ground, he checked to make sure the bouquet had didn’t get crushed from the fall. He sighed with relief that no damage was done to the bouquet. He got up from the ground and checked to see if Alisa was still around, only for him to see nothing.

“She ran off before I could thank her...” He looked down and stored the box; alongside the one, he received from Laura early.

The swordswoman said that it was a thank-you gift for leading Class VII. He almost refused her gift when she said that he was leading them even when he did not say anything about leading anyone. Still, he was grateful for the sweets, even if he did think he doesn’t deserve them. ‘I should pay them back later.’

Unbeknownst to Rean, the girl he was looking for was behind a building, and she saw everything. Feeling her presence. he turned around.

“Fie?”

But just as he turned, she was gone.

-----

Fie plopped her butt on the bench as her eyes locked at the sky. Her gaze fell on the flower-designed box she had; she opened it to reveal a variety of sweets, from chocolate cookies to mini cupcakes. Normally she would only be capable of creating rations that she used to make back when she was with Zephyr. They were great for sustenance on the battlefield, but they weren't exactly eaten for pleasure.

Without the help of Sharon and Emma, she would probably have given field rations for Valentine’s. Not that it would have made a difference, even she could tell that Rean would’ve hated that. She couldn’t help but frown as she stared at the box full of sweets.

Remembering how Rean touched Alisa’s forehead, her eyes saddened.

“There’s no point in giving these anymore. Rean probably has more chocolates than he needs; he probably wouldn’t want too many...”

She stood up and walked towards the railings of the roof. Her eyes wandered around, seeing couples holding hands, sitting together, and even feeding each other chocolates. The petite girl felt a strange feeling on her chest. Perhaps it was jealousy? Perhaps it was a feeling of wanting to try those romantic things with someone?

An image of Rean appeared on her mind, imagining that he was holding her hand. The image vanished as she shook her head a bit and returned to her seat. She never really considered herself as someone who would have any interest in romance, but she couldn’t help the strange feeling that was welling up in her chest.

She looked back at the box of sweets and sighed. “Might as well eat them...” Fie wasn’t fond of wasting food, and she didn’t want to throw away all her hard work. She knew that it tastes good; after all her taste testing, it had to be. But she could not remove the frown on her countenance. Disappointed in herself that she couldn’t give Rean his gift, she knew she was just making excuses for herself.

Underneath her cool persona was still a young girl who had a crush on a boy. A boy who changed her, a boy that helped her open up to others, and a boy that didn’t treat her differently despite having the knowledge that she has taken a life.

She took a piece and led it closer to her mouth, preparing herself to take a bite...

The door to the roof slammed open as a black-haired boy stumbled, entering the rooftop.

His fuchsia orbs fell towards her chartreuse ones. They stared for a good minute, letting their eyes wanted at each other. As he regained his bearing, he spoke.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She mimicked him as he walked towards her.

He looked at the box on her lap, taking note of the number of sweets inside it. “That’s a lot of sweets.”

It only registered in her mind that Rean’s gift was completely exposed. She needed to think of an excuse without giving away that it was for him.  “Decided to make some for Valentine’s.”

“Oh...”

“Oh?” Fie tilted her head, confusion apparent on her face. ‘Why did he sound disappointed...’

“I mean, that’s great, Fie!” He smiled, but his tone was a bit strained. “I’m sure whoever you give it to will be happy to receive it.”

“Yeah...” She agreed half-heartedly; it was her turn for her gaze to fall on the bouquet he held. She was surprised to see it still in his possession. “Did Alisa reject your flowers?”

“What?” He looked towards the flowers he had when he realized what she meant by that. “Oh, these aren’t for Alisa. I figured I’ll give her something later since she ran off before I could thank her for the sweets.”

“Wait, so they aren’t for Alisa?”

“No? What made you think that?” He asked as he took a seat beside her.

“I... just assumed, sorry.”

“Wait, wait! You don’t need to apologize for that.” Rean reassured her.

Fie simply nodded before she looked at his optics. “Did you need something?”

A visible sweatdrop formed on Rean’s forehead. He has been looking for her all this time, yet he is starting to freeze. ‘You’ve been looking for her all-day; you can’t chicken out after you finally found her!’ He mentally chastised himself. “Yeah. These are for you, actually.”

He gently gave the colorful bouquet to the girl, only for her eyes to widen. She couldn’t believe what was happening, not in her wildest dreams, that she imagined Rean giving her a bouquet of colorful flowers! It was... completely unbelievable. She eyed each other of the flower; as a member of the gardening club, she acquired a good amount of knowledge about what each flower symbolizes.

There were carnations, hydrangeas, tulips, and... She had to inspect the last one closely; she did not want her eyes deceiving her at a time like this. But what she saw was the real deal; the last flower was a grand rose. It was too good to be true. To a normal person, these blossoms might look like a bunch of colorful flowers, but to someone who knows what they mean, a warm feeling welled up inside her.

Love.

These flowers meant love.

They had other meanings too, but what they had in common; was love.

“Rean, this is...”

“Yeah...” He chuckled. He already figured that she would know what was gifted to her; she was a member of the gardening club, after all. “I’ve been meaning to give you this since this morning, but I couldn’t find you.”

As happy as she is to receive such a gift from Rean, doubt still lingered on her mind. “Are you sure these are for me?”

“Of course, Fie.”

“You do know what these flowers mean, right?”

He nodded. The doubts that were on her mind vanished in an instant.

“Actually,” Her chest tightened, nervous about what he will say next. “I wanted to give you flowers that could let you know about “you-know-what” a little more... subtly.”

She gasped in surprise, but she can’t say she isn’t happy with what she was hearing. Fie’s cheeks were dusted in red as her chest tightened, not from being nervous; but from realizing what is happening. Gathering her courage, she spoke.

“Rean... these are actually for you.” She gave the box of sweets to the boy. “I made them for you...”

It was Rean’s turn to be surprised. He made glances between Fie and the sweets, still in disbelief. But the thought that these sweets were made especially for him; made Rean smile.

“Thank you, Fie.” That smile of his, the smile that never failed to make her heart skip a beat. Her lips curled upwards to match his. “These look really good. I bet they taste great.”

“Well,” She shifted her weight from side to side. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

His hand reached to grab a chocolate cookie. Excited, he ate it in one bite.

Immediately, he tasted the natural sweetness of the cocoa; and the subtle bitterness the cookie possessed. The powdered sugar sprinkled on top of it was light and not too sweet that it would ruin the chocolate’s flavor. His expression brightened, getting ready to take another piece from the box.

Fie watched the boy with wide eyes as he took another piece and another, and another. She gulped; his mouth looked like it was about to open to speak, nervous about his thoughts on her creations. But her worries were unnecessary as his hand landed on her silver hair and patted it.

“You did great, Fie. These are delicious.”

“...really?” She wasn’t asking, she knew they tasted great, but hearing Rean say that it was delicious... it was just too good to be true.

To her surprise, he grabbed another cookie and fed it to her. As expected, they were sweet with a bit of bitterness to complete the flavors. Since she was fond of sweets as much as any other girl, she was worried it wouldn’t match Rean’s taste.

“It’s good.”

“See? You did a good job making these. Thank you, Fie.” Rean thanked Fie, not noting the blush on her face.

“You’re welcome, Rean...” The petite girl looked away. Hearing Rean compliment her so much made her feel embarrassed, but she felt good at the same time.

She gazed at the blossoms and picked them up; taking a quick whiff, a variety of floral scents danced on her nose. Like a fairy in a forest, making the flowers bloom and dancing along with the petals in the wind. ‘If he knows what these flowers mean, does that mean...’

Her thoughts were interrupted by the crunching sound of cookies being eaten. She returned her attention to Rean, still eating her sweets. “You really like them that much?”

“Hmm?” He turned with a mouthful of sweets in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed the sweets before talking. “Of course, you made these for me; how can I not like it? Besides, I kind of gotten a little hungry while I was trying to find you.”

“...sorry.” It was the only thing she could say. She was being difficult, and as much as she hated to admit it, she was avoiding Rean since this morning, afraid to see how many girls would flock over him.

His hand made its way to the top of her head once more, stroking her mane.

“Hey, you don’t have to say sorry. I found you, didn’t I?” Reassuring her, she didn’t do anything wrong.

She nodded.

“All that matters is that I found you and that I could give you your bouquet.” He chuckled with a tint of pink on his cheeks. “Do you like it...?”

Fie shook her head and smiled.

“I love it.”

Being caught off guard by that, he chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. He distracted himself by eating the sweets and focused solely on them. It was after he bites into a cookie, Fie called out to him.

He turned towards her to see her up close as if she’s about to kiss him. She bites into the other end of the cookie and pulled it back to take it for herself.

She ate the cookie, removing the leftover crumbs on her face. “Sorry, it looked tasty.” With pink hues, she grinned.

The way she took his cookie from him was so cute; it made him want to give her the rest. A gentle breeze ran through the rooftop as the sun began to set, their hair dancing in the wind. For Rean, it messed his hair like he just woke up from his slumber, but for Fie, she looked like a dazzling fairy of wind, her silver locks fluttering against the breeze.

Without thinking, he blurted.

“I really like you.”

Fie’s reaction was for her blush to deepen and for her eyes to widen. She doesn’t know how to respond; no, she does.

She closed the distance between them as she planted a soft kiss on Rean’s cheek, making him red as a tomato.

“I really like you too.” She smiled her widest, causing Rean’s heart to melt at the sight.

Both of them felt the same way as each other; Rean and Fie’s feelings were the same. They were afraid of how things would turn out, but they gathered the courage to confront their feelings for each other. The boy grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. He slowly leaned closer, with Fie doing the same. The distance between their lips was almost non-existent.

...

The door of the rooftop slammed open, forcing the two to pull back. A slight annoyance nagged the both of them as they turned to see the interrupter, or in this case, the interrupters.

“So you two were here all along!” Machias pointed almost accusingly. “We were looking everywhere for you two!”

“Indeed. You could have at least told one of us where you two would be; you gave us quite the trouble trying to find the both of you.” Jusis sighed as Millium clung to his arm. “Millium, could you let go of my arm now?”

“No way! Y-you told me your stupid story while we were looking for them in the old schoolhouse!” She retorted, she still remembers how Jusis, a person who rarely laughs, laughing at her trembling form as they searched for the pair near the old schoolhouse.

“We’ll tell you about it later,” Gaius said as he saw the two tilt their heads in confusion.

“By the way, what were the two of you doing up here?” Elliot asked.

“It is suspicious...” Alisa gave the young swordsman a slight glare.

Before Rean could explain, Fie did it for him.

“We were just eating the chocolates I made. That’s all,” She glanced back at Rean with a knowing smile. “Right, Rean?”

“Y-yeah. I got a little hungry, so I took a break up here, I saw Fie about to take a little snack, and I asked if I could join her.” He chuckled and noted to thank Fie later for the save. “Anyway, you guys need something?”

“Yes, Instructor Sara needed all of us to discuss her... troubles.” Laura gave a vague answer.

“Men troubles?” Fie immediately knew what she meant.

“Ahaha. Yes, that’s correct. She said she needed all of us to um... watch and comfort her until she’s drunk.” Emma tried to explain.

The two sweatdropped at the ridiculous of Sara’s reasoning, but they agreed to join them; it was much better than the others questioning why they were on the rooftop. They were also fortunate that the bouquet was not visible to the rest of their class, thanks to the two standing in front of it.

Rean looked over the group to notice a certain slacker missing.

“Is Crow not with you guys?”

“He said he was with President Towa; he’ll join us later after finishing his business with her.” The redhead elucidated.

“Now that I think about it, I think I saw Crow buy a rose yesterday. I guess that was for President Herschel.” The glasses-wearing boy pointed out. “Huh, I’m surprised that he actually meant what he said yesterday. I assumed that he would go around flirting and giving flowers to any girl he sees.”

“Now, now. We know Crow can be... like that. But I think he can be genuine about his feelings if he wants to.” Even if Crow would flirt with her as well, Emma knows he means well despite his nature.

“Anyways, we’ll go on ahead. I’m sure Instructor Sara’s already drowning herself in booze.” Alisa remarked as she turned her and headed to the door. “You better not do anything funny with Fie just because we’re leaving, Rean.”

“You make it sound like I’ll do something perverted.” Rean hung his head and sagged his shoulders.

Alisa hmphed and exited out of the rooftop, causing the others to sweatdrop.

“Hahaha. We’ll see you back at the dorms then.” Elliot waved as exited out.

The others bid their farewell as each of them left the rooftop. The two were once again alone. Rean walked over and scanned the area, trying to sense if they were really gone. After that exchange, he wanted to make sure they were truly alone.

Sighing a breath of relief, he turned towards Fie. “Looks like we got interrupted.”

“Yeah.” She chuckled. “Wanna continue where we left off?”

The blush he had before came rushing back. “Well, we could, but...”

A bright smile accompanied her visage as she gripped Rean’s hand. “Don’t worry; we can continue some other time. We have to deal with Sara first, after all.”

“Ah... right!” Rean gently tightened his grip, intertwining their fingers. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Fie.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Rean.”