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Valentine’s Day. The perfect opportunity to show the person you loved with all your heart how much you cared about them. A day to pull out all the stops and do as much as you could, so if you didn’t already have that special someone, you could shoot your shot. The most romantic day of the year!
A day Kazuichi usually dreaded, because he would get rejected every time.
But this time would be different. He was at a different school, with nicer friends, and the most beautiful woman to ever grace this planet waiting for him. Well, she was waiting in general, but it could be for him if he caught her eye!
He’d gone all-out this year. He handmade chocolate, the box he put it in (shaped like a mechanical heart, of course), and even drew a lovely card on some cardstock. It was all ready for Sonia! She would have to love him after this, right? Or at least give something in return for White Day. She seemed like the type to give something back for every gift she got, even to people she didn’t know well. So surely he’d be on the list too! And that meant she’d be thinking about him…
The moment Kazuichi set foot in his classroom, he was met with the sight of a tower of gifts. Chocolates stacked so high the ones on the bottom were getting crushed, with various hearts and flowers and stuffed animals poking out. Bows and ribbons littered the mountain, all in reds and pinks and even black. And at the desk they were piled on was the recipient: Sonia, reading through one of the cards.
Kazuichi looked down at his gift. Would it even stand out? The day had only just begun. At this rate, he would just be another present in the pile. He could see the equal effort in some of the gifts. A few boxes were decorated with stickers of cute animals, and one even had the Novoselic flag embroidered in. He definitely didn’t stand a chance.
No, if he wanted to be bold and catch her eye, he had to do something no one else would. And as he looked around the room, he noticed one thing in particular. Nagito had no gifts. Well, his and Kazuichi’s desks were both barren, but that… was expected. He wasn’t popular. He’d maybe get a chocolate or two from those that brought enough for everyone. But Nagito was always left out. Wouldn’t it impress Sonia if he purposefully tried to include their loner classmate? Even if he thought the other boy was a bit weird, he was nice enough. It would be a quick thing, but enough to get attention, and then he’d definitely get Sonia’s affection!
Pointedly, Kazuichi turned and walked over to Nagito, a shaky hand holding out the gifts he’d made. Nagito could probably tell they were meant for Sonia, but Kazuichi hadn’t written her name into the card—he didn’t think he’d need to, since they were supposed to be hand-delivered straight to her—so it wouldn’t be awkward regarding that, at least.
Nagito was staring out the window, his eyes glittering in the sunlight as they flicked from Ultimate to Ultimate while they filed into the school. It wasn’t until Kazuichi cleared his throat that he looked over.
His hair tickled his shoulder as he tipped his head, offering his usual soft grin. “Good morning, Kazuichi.” He glanced at the box in the mechanic’s hands, then back at his face. “What might this be?”
Kazuichi sucked in a breath. He already knew where this was going to go, and it was going to be annoying. Still, he’d committed now. “It’s… a valentine. Because it’s Valentine’s Day.” He waved the box a little. “Here. Take it.”
Kazuichi could see Nagito’s expression lighting up as his delicate hand reached out to take it, briefly brushing against Kazuichi’s fingers. His other hand cupped his cheek in pure awe. “A gift? For… For me? How considerate… A symbol of hope such as you giving something to a nobody like me, I’m honored. It’s truly handcrafted to perfection, as to be expected from the Ultimate Mechanic… Ah, scum of the earth such as me does not deserve such a well-made gift!”
And there it was. The rambles he expected to have to sit through. Every conversation ended up like this. He didn’t even get what being a symbol of hope was supposed to mean at this point. He was just a guy. An Ultimate, sure, but still just a guy. But Nagito looked at him—and the others, he assumed—like he’d hung the stars.
“Yeah, yeah, no problem.” He waved a hand, as if he could wave away the weird hope stuff. “Made it all by hand. It took me all night, y’know. So appreciate it.”
Nagito nodded, setting the box and card gently down on his desk so he could open it with the utmost care. He lifted the lid painfully slowly, as if trying to draw out the moment. He gasped softly when he saw the carefully crafted chocolates, and Kazuichi couldn’t ignore the wave of pride that washed over him upon hearing that. Even if Nagito wasn’t the intended recipient, he was still a recipient, and Kazuichi loved getting approval. Seeing the joy that Nagito was struggling to hide was a pretty good sign that his hours of effort and all his allowance money he spent on ingredients didn’t go to waste.
Nagito picked up a chocolate and, still slow, as if moving too fast would shatter the moment, popped it into his mouth. He chewed, and chewed, and chewed, until Kazuichi couldn’t take it anymore. The mechanic crossed his arms, holding his sleeves tightly, and through gritted teeth asked, “So?”
“It’s delectable, as one would expect from a talented Ultimate like you. Your kindness knows no bounds. I’m truly honored!” Nagito put a hand to his heart, absolutely glowing with delight. Was something like this really so special to him? That was kinda sad.
And yet, a smile grew on Kazuichi’s face. He didn’t expect to grin so much at praise from Nagito, but it made him feel really good. Even if he didn’t get noticed by Sonia, maybe this was enough of a reward. Maybe Nagito wasn’t going to be as annoying as he expected.
“Well, it’s yours, so… enjoy.” Either Nagito didn’t notice or didn’t care how stiff Kazuichi was, returning everything with a warm smile. Wringing his hands, Kazuichi turned and went to his desk.
Kazuichi pulled his beanie over his face and grumbled into his hands. Why did he like that Nagito was so happy to get a valentine from him? It felt special giving him a valentine. He could’ve offered it to Fuyuhiko or Peko or even Hiyoko if he wanted to give it to someone that he wouldn’t usually and that wouldn’t get a lot, but he chose Nagito. Why?
Could it be that he was easy to get praise out of? But then again, Akane and Nekomaru were also the type to give lots of praise. Maybe it was that he was easy to make smile in a cute way? The same could apply to Ibuki, though. It’s possible it was just proximity? But Gundham was in a better line of sight than Nagito for Sonia to see, and he wasn’t even an option in Kazuichi’s mind.
Maybe he just had to admit it. He wanted to make Nagito happy. His classmate was always alone and kinda sad, and he wanted to see him smile a real smile and not that one he put on when he was spewing his hope junk.
Whatever the case, he did hope Nagito enjoyed the chocolate. If Sonia couldn’t, at least it wouldn’t go to waste. Of course, Kazuichi could’ve eaten it himself if he didn’t give it away, but that was… pathetic. And he wasn’t that pathetic. He hoped.