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[Name]'s eyes were fixed on the row of sleek boxes arranged neatly on the shelf. Tomorrow was November 11th. On her personal calendar, tomorrow was "Pocky Day"—the perfect opportunity to give something to her friends. One by one, [Name]'s fingers pulled the boxes into her basket.
[Name] picked up the soft green Matcha box. Her mind immediately drifted to the desk at the very back, where Sol usually sat quietly while drawing. The green of the biscuit matched perfectly with the highlights in Sol's messy black hair.
As she walked toward the checkout counter, [Name] couldn't suppress a small smile. Her mind began to wander, constructing scenarios about how her friends would react tomorrow.
For Crowe, classic Milk Chocolate was an absolute must because it matched the color of his long, braided brown hair. [Name] could imagine Crowe's reaction upon seeing the chocolate box. He would smile gently while saying thank you.
Then [Name] would hold out a green biscuit stick toward Sol. Sol wouldn't take it directly from her hand. He would just fall silent, tilting his head slightly, while his sharp red eyes stared at the biscuit, then shifted to lock onto [Name]'s eyes.
[Name] snapped out of her daydream when the cashier announced her total. She paid quickly, carrying the plastic bag containing seven different flavor variations as if it held precious treasure.
The plastic bag in her grip felt solid, rustling softly each time her steps carried her past the supermarket's automatic doors. A wide smile adorned her face, the kind of smile that was hard to hide, so much so that a few passersby glanced at her curiously. Inside the bag, seven boxes of Pocky jostled against each other, promising a tomorrow that would not be boring.
[Name] gazed at the night sky for a moment, imagining how the colorful boxes would break the silent atmosphere in the art class tomorrow. With a sense of overflowing satisfaction, she tightened her grip on the shopping bag. She couldn't wait for the sun to rise. [Name] was too absorbed in her own world, hugging the plastic bag filled with seven Pocky boxes while humming cheerfully.
She didn't know that, a few meters behind her, two pairs of eyes were watching her every move. Behind a concrete wall, Sol stood frozen. His body was perfectly hidden by the darkness of the night, but his glowing red eyes seemed fixed on the plastic bag [Name] was carrying. Hyugo leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Look at that, Sol," Hyugo nudged Sol's arm with his elbow. "She bought a lot. Do you think one of them is for us? Or maybe she has a date tomorrow?"
Sol's jaw tightened at the word 'date'. His fingers, hidden inside his jacket pocket, clenched into a tight fist. If [Name] really gave him a biscuit stick tomorrow, he wouldn't let the game end with just one bite. He would take everything—the biscuit, the moment, and [Name]'s full attention.
That morning, [Name] stepped into the art class with a cheerful feeling. "Good morning, everyone! Since today is November 11th, I brought something for you all!" [Name] announced happily.
With a wide smile, she began walking around, distributing the sweet gifts to her friends one by one.
Milk Chocolate for Crowe. [Name] gave him this box first. Crowe received it with his sweet smile, his blue eyes looking at [Name] in a way that made her heart flutter. "Milk chocolate? You know my taste, huh?"
[Name] walked to the back desk. Sol was silent, staring out the window until the green box was placed in front of him. Without a sound, Sol pulled the box closer, his fingers briefly touching the back of [Name]'s hand.
Not stopping there, [Name] approached Hyugo and held out the Cookies n' Cream, which was greeted with a smile, then moved on to give the grape flavor to Geo, Almond Crush to Brittney, who immediately complimented her taste. To Deryl, she gave the dark chocolate flavor, while Jessie got the banana flavor.
Jessie looked hesitant when she received her box, but suddenly Deryl was already biting the tip of his own Pocky stick, staring at Jessie with a mischievous look.
"Come on, Jess! Don't be shy!" Deryl teased in a deliberately dramatic voice.
Before Jessie could respond, Brittney, who was standing nearby, immediately gave Jessie a strong push on the back. "Just go ahead and play! No excuses!" Brittney exclaimed, laughing with satisfaction as she watched Jessie's face turn red from surprise.
[Name] laughed freely at the sweet chaos unfolding before her eyes. It felt wonderful to see her friends enjoying her gift so much. However, [Name]'s laughter slowly faded into an anxious heartbeat as she felt a presence beside her. Crowe.
That man stood there, holding the Milk Chocolate box [Name] had given him earlier. Crowe didn't immediately join the commotion caused by Deryl and Jessie. Instead, he looked at [Name] with a sweet smile.
Without breaking eye contact, Crowe slowly tore open the plastic wrapper, took one chocolate stick, and bit one end. He leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer. "Thank you for the chocolate," he said. "But it would taste sweeter if eaten together. So ... do you want to play with me right now?"
[Name] froze in place. Her face immediately grew hot, a red blush spreading all the way to her ears. Crowe was still there, with the Pocky stick in his mouth, staring at her with a look that seemed to say he wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer.
Just as [Name] began to lean her face forward, a dark shadow suddenly flashed by with a very fast movement. In the blink of an eye, Sol was standing between them. He snatched the end of the biscuit that was supposed to be [Name]'s portion. In a single, precise motion, Sol finished the entire remaining chocolate stick until his lips almost touched Crowe's.
Sol chewed the chocolate biscuit slowly, his face blank and expressionless, as if he had just done the most natural thing in the world. He swallowed the remaining chocolate, then turned to look at [Name], who was still frozen with a face as red as a tomato.
Sol wrapped his arm around [Name]'s shoulder, pulling her into his personal space until their shoulders touched closely. He ignored Crowe's protests. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and took out the green Matcha box [Name] had given him earlier, opened it with one hand, took a green stick, and then held it out right in front of [Name]'s lips: he was waiting for [Name] to accept the other end of the biscuit for the real Pocky Game.
[Name] stood frozen, her face burning, trapped between two Pocky sticks held out by two different men. To her left, Crowe still had his milk chocolate stick between his lips, waiting patiently with that sweet, knowing smile. To her right, Sol stared at her with those intense red eyes, the green matcha stick unwavering in front of her mouth. Both of them expected her to choose.
What was she supposed to do? If she chose Crowe, Sol would never forgive her. If she chose Sol, Crowe would be hurt. She didn't want to break anyone's heart. But she also couldn't stand there forever.
Then, an idea struck her. [Name] reached out with both hands. Her left hand took the milk chocolate stick from Crowe's mouth. Her right hand took the matcha stick from Sol's. Before either of them could react, she bit into both Pocky sticks at the same time—one end of the chocolate, one end of the matcha—and crunched down.
[Name] chewed quickly, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. The sweet milk chocolate and the earthy matcha flavor mixed chaotically in her mouth.
She swallowed, then looked up at both men with wide, innocent eyes. "There. Now nobody wins and nobody loses."
THE END