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[Here, take this. I heard humans exchange chocolates and gifts today, right?]
"Huh?"
Valentine’s Day. Alice had mentioned that on days like this, people exchange gifts or chocolates. Mondstadt did have a similar custom. While it was usually exchanged between lovers or friends, the situation Barca found herself in today was a bit different.
A regular meeting was held as usual. Barca, who had joined the [meeting]—complete with a floating tea set and spinning refreshments—had no idea the witch would suddenly hand him a small, square box. This was a highly unusual situation, so Barca barely managed to compose himself before speaking.
"Uh... but why is this..."
[Valentine’s Day. It’s today, isn’t it? So… this is a gift from me.]
“That’s right~ That’s why Nicole went out of her way. You can’t refuse, can you?”
So that’s what it was. Varka, who had been flustered, quickly regained her composure and smiled.
"Haha! I didn't expect you to go out of your way for me! I'll gladly accept the gift. Thanks to you, this has turned into a special day!"
It's common for friends to exchange gifts. He'd even seen comrades in the Knights' Order doing the same. The only thing that bothered him...
was his own heart.
The meeting in Nod-Krai, the trivial chatter during a tea break disguised as a summit, the evening banquet filled with laughter and playful banter... Though a single conversation or a single smile was as thin as a sheet of paper, as they gradually piled up, they were coming together into something substantial enough to be called a book.
Nicole must have given it to her because they had a relationship of trust with the Hexenzirkel. Knowing that making a fuss might break that trust, Varka composed himself and accepted the gift as a partner.
[Oh, and you have to eat every last bit of it.]
“Eat it all... huh?”
[Yeah. It’s chocolate made with special ingredients. If you don’t eat it quickly, it might all disappear.]
Nicole gave a slight smile and tapped Varka lightly on the shoulder. Varka smiled back and held the gift close to her chest.
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On a morning as the sun began to rise, the sound of a pen scratching on paper could be heard at the Knights’ headquarters. Though Varka had returned to his office to process paperwork as soon as the meeting ended, the pile of documents stacked to the ceiling showed no sign of shrinking. As he took a break to clear his head, Varka remembered the chocolates Nicole had given him to boost his energy, so he took out the box and opened it.
Inside the square box, he saw bite-sized round chocolates. Judging by the different decorations on each one, it was clear that Nicole had put a lot of thought into them.
Varka popped a chocolate decorated with a dandelion into his mouth. As he bit into it, the familiar scent of dandelion wine and the bitter flavor of cocoa spread throughout his mouth. True to her reputation as the one who led humanity, it seemed she knew exactly what flavors Varka liked.
As the chocolate melted away in his mouth, he turned his gaze back to the documents with a hint of regret. The alcohol-infused chocolate made him feel as if his body were floating, but Barca dismissed it as a figment of his imagination—until he saw the look of surprise on Jean's face when he walked in.
"Grand Master...? What are you doing right now?"
"Huh? I'm handling business as usual, of course... Yikes!"
As he stood at his desk as usual, he glanced down and realized he was floating so high he was almost touching the office ceiling. What's going on? Did the alcohol in the chocolate get to him? Or...
It must be magic.
"Uh... well, it’s nothing. Because..."
He tried to speak calmly, but before he could finish, his body sank back down to the floor, returning to its original position. Jean, standing in front of the desk, watched the scene unfold with a look of disbelief.
“As expected, a gift from the Hexenzirkel is quite unique, haha! How about it, care to have one?”
“No, thank you. Isn’t this a gift for the Grand Master? Oh, by the way, regarding the documents from the Supply Unit...”
“Oh. Hand them over. And pass this one on to Kaeya, and pass this one to Anselm.”
“Understood.”
After skillfully sorting through the documents and handing them to his aide, he returned to his important paperwork. A good while after the aide had left the room, Varka set down his pen and stretched.
"Ugh... This is no easy task, after all..."
Looking out the window, he saw that the sun was already high in the sky. At that very moment, a faint sound rang out from the ship, signaling that it was time for a scheduled break. Without hesitation, he stood up and, just before stepping out of the office, grabbed a box of chocolates. Even if it were something valuable or emergency funds, he would usually just leave it on his desk, but for some reason, he didn’t want to do that with these chocolates.
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After enjoying a satisfying meal at Good Hunter, Varka strolled through Mondstadt with a spring in his step. Normally, this would be the time he’d stop by a tavern for a drink, but today he headed to the flower shop at the entrance to Mondstadt.
“Welcome. This is Floral Whisper… GrandMaster?!”
“Hey, Flora! You haven’t sold out of flowers already, have you?”
“Hehe, I still have flowers. Are you… looking for a gift?”
“Yeah. Well, I recently received a gift and want to return the favor. Do you have any flowers or items you’d recommend?”
“Hmm… It depends on who the recipient is… Close friends often exchange bookmarks with dandelion seeds or picture frames decorated with flowers.”
"Hmm... That sounds nice, but do you have anything you’d recommend for a mature adult?"
"A mature adult... Ah! How about a bouquet? Not just any bouquet, but a colorful and gorgeous one!"
"Oh, that sounds great! I'll stop by on my way home from work later."
"Ah, but there's a problem."
"What’s wrong?"
"Well, I was planning to include some Cecilia flowers in the bouquet, but I don’t have enough..."
"That’s a problem, isn’t it?... Wait a minute, I’ll just go pick some myself. I’ll bring them before sunset—can you wait that long?"
"Yes! As long as you’re not too late!"
"Hahaha! Sure! I promise I’ll be back before sunset!"
Varka laughed heartily and handed over a few Mora. He would have loved to head straight to the cliff and pick the Cecilia flowers himself, but he knew Jean would scold him if he delayed any longer. With a sense of regret, he popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth and headed toward headquarters.
By the time he reached the headquarters, the second piece of chocolate was slowly melting in his mouth, filling the air with the sweet scent of Valberry wine. The moment he opened the door as usual, the knights guarding the entrance let out a scream.
"Eek! Look, did you see that?!"
"Why is the door opening on its own?"
"C-could it be... a ghost?"
"What ghost in broad daylight! Don't go saying scary things for no reason!"
Hearing the knights' screams and the commotion, Jean rushed out.
"What’s going on here?"
"Ah, Acting Grand Master! T-the door just opened on its own!"
"I saw it too! This is...!"
While the knights rambled on about ghosts, Varka stood at the entrance, bewildered. He was the only one who had opened the door just now—so how could it be a ghost?
“Hey, why are you calling it a ghost just because a door opened? It could just be the wind!”
Varka spoke to reassure the knights, but not only the knights, but Jean as well looked around in confusion.
“Just now, the Grand Master's voice…!”
“It’s definitely a ghost imitating the Grand Master's voice!”
“Phew… Calm down. It could just be a voice carried by the wind.”
Jean was trying to calm the knights down, but she, too, felt something was off. After all, she was certain that what she had heard was indeed her superior’s voice. Even if the wind had carried the sound, it had been far too clear.
‘What’s going on? Am I invisible?’
Just in case, Varka walked around in front of Jean and hopped about among the knights, but when there was no reaction, he realized he had become invisible. Why did this spell seem to last a little longer than usual?
But the spell broke immediately, and he suddenly reappeared before the knights as the Grand Master. He told the knights it was just a temporary glitch with his wind element Vision and sat down at his desk in the office.
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Varka slowly took out the box of chocolates and opened it. There were only three left. Just the two she’d eaten earlier had caused his body to blow up and turn transparent—what kind of magic could possibly be cast on the remaining ones? Her worries ran deep, but his curiosity was just as strong.
“Surely I won’t turn into a dragon,” Varka muttered as she popped a mint-topped chocolate into her mouth. Just as she expected, the coolness of the mint was followed by the sweet and tangy taste of liquor syrup. What kind of magic could this be…? Varka looked down at her body, which had become unnaturally light, and realized the truth.
Varka had turned into a child about Klee’s age.
Thinking the spell would wear off soon, he continued his paperwork, but even after quite some time, he hadn’t returned to normal.
“Oh no… At this rate, I won’t be able to go pick flowers. This is a big problem.”
Just as Varka was wracking his brain, Kaeya came into the office.
“Grand Master. These documents... Hmm?”
“Oh, Kaeya. Just leave them here.”
Kaeya looked at the blond-haired child in front of his with a look of wonder. After all, the child—who looked like a carbon copy of the Grand Master—was sitting at a desk doing paperwork.
“Huh, I wonder how our friend ended up at the Knights’ Headquarters?”
“Friend? Haha, Kaeya. I’m under a spell that’s made my body younger, but my memories haven’t been affected.”
“I know. But children aren’t allowed to be hired in Mondstadt. So you’ll have to step outside for a moment.”
“What? No, how am I supposed to explain this to Jean?”
“You’ll just have to tell him that the Grand Master went out to ‘taste the Wind of Freedom.’”
“Wait, wait a minute!”
Kaeya chuckled as he led the shrunken Varka out the door.
"Come back when you’re an adult again."
With that brief remark, Kaeya ushered Varka outside and closed the headquarters door. As soon as he stepped out, he ran into the Spark Knight who had been heading toward the headquarters.
"Huh? Who are you?"
"Oh, isn’t that the Spark Knight? You’re just in time. I was going to tell Jean—"
“You know me? Wow! Now even my new friend knows me!”
“No, wait. Klee. It’s me, Uncle Varka! Don’t you recognize me?”
“Huh? Uncle Varka is supposed to be really, really tall. But you’re about the same height as me!”
"Well, it seems I’ve been turned into a kid your age by a spell. Ugh, when is this going to wear off..."
"Hmm... I’m not sure. I was going to go play with Uncle Varka, but since I can’t see him right now, I guess he’s busy. I’m bored..."
"Or, Klee, do you want to go play with me?"
"Really? You’ll take me out to play?"
"Sure! I was actually planning to go to the Starfell Valley anyway. How about it?"
"Yeah! Great! Let’s go~! Da da da~"
Klee dashed off ahead with excited steps. Varka took a deep breath and ran after her.
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As the sun began to set, two children were running around a grassy field on the cliff where stars were plucked from the sky. Starfell Valley. Klee simply looked thrilled, while the younger Varka was thoroughly enjoying his unexpected return to youth. After running for a while, Klee stopped and asked Varka.
“By the way, why did you want to come here? Is there something here we can go ‘boom boom’ with too?”
“Oh, no, not that… I just need some flowers.”
“Wow! Are you giving them as a gift? To who?”
“Uh, well… to someone special.”
“Then I’ll help you! My mom taught me how to pick pretty flowers!”
“Oh, great! Can I ask you to help me?”
“Sure! Let’s go! There should be lo~ads of them right up ahead!”
With the wind blowing across the cliff, the two children ran down the slope. Varka smiled broadly, just as he had in the past when he used to run and play to his heart’s content. Suddenly, Klee stopped and pointed ahead. Where Klee was pointing, Cecilia flowers were blooming in abundance.
“Look! They say Cecilia flowers are even prettier when they’ve been blown by the wind!”
“Haha! Thanks! Now I can make a wonderful gift!”
Varka walked over to the flowers and picked a few, holding them in her hand.
“Hmm. This should be enough. Where do you want to go now?”
“I—”
Before Klee could finish speaking, Varka spotted an arrow flying toward them from behind and quickly, pulled Klee out of the way. Fortunately, Klee wasn’t hurt, but they faced an even bigger problem.
"Ya!"
The Hilichurl tribe, which had never appeared on the cliff before, suddenly showed up and attacked Klee and Varka. What could be the reason? Could it be because they picked the flowers? Under normal circumstances, the Hilichurl tribe would have been wiped out by Varka’s bare-handed strikes. But now... unfortunately, he was no different from the other children of Mondstadt. He couldn’t even use his swords, and he had no strength.
“This is bad… Klee! Go get Jean!”
“I can fight too! As long as I have my Jumpy Dumpty bombs…!”
“If we use a bomb here, the flowers might get burned. Don’t worry, I may look like this, but I’m a knight.”
“But...”
“It’s fine, so take this with you too. Just bring back Master Jean!”
Varka handed the flower he had just picked to Klee, and Klee hurried off toward the Knights’ headquarters. Once he was sure Klee was out of sight, Varka deliberately made a loud noise to attract the Hilichurl tribe’s attention.
“Hey!! Stop just shooting arrows and come over here for a fight!”
As the Hilichurl tribe charged at him, Varka dodged them with practiced ease. No matter how much his strength waned, his ability to evade and flee remained intact, so he had nothing to worry about. He kept dodging arrows left and right and deflected slingshots by hitting them with nearby thick branches, continuing to evade the attack.
He had to hold out like this until Klee summoned the troops. But in a moment of carelessness, he tripped over a rock and fell, allowing the Hilichurl tribe to close in on him. Wasn’t there something that magical chocolate could do for him at a time like this? Whether it made his body float or turned him invisible.
With a desperate heart, Varka reached into his pocket, and a box of chocolates appeared. Strange. He was sure he hadn’t packed it, but perhaps this was the witch’s gift. Without giving it much thought, he popped a plain, unadorned chocolate into his mouth.
A sweet, wine-like aroma filled the air, and Barca had grown enormous. Springwater Village looked like a speck, and Mondstadt, visible in the distance, appeared as small as a toy castle. But he had no time to dwell on such thoughts. Varka looked down at the Hilichurl that had been tormenting him just moments ago. Seeing Varka suddenly grow so large, the Hilichurl tribe began to flee at top speed.
Watching the Hilichurl tribe disappear into the distance, Varka let out a sigh of relief. And immediately, his body returned to normal—not the young Varka, but the him was now. Having just been released from the spell, he felt dizzy and collapsed where he stood.
Soon, Klee and Jean came running up in a hurry.
"Master Jin! There was a bad guy here who was bullying me and friend! Huh, where did friend go..."
"So monsters have appeared this far... I’ll have to send an extermination squad here. You did a great job, Klee."
“I didn’t use a bomb this time! Oh! It’s Uncle Varka!”
“What?”
‘Ugh…’
“Um, Jean… Let me explain. What happened was…”
“Phew, I know. I heard you were turned into a child by magic? Kaeya told me.”
“Sigh… It’s a relief I'm back. If anything, I almost became Grand Master who got kicked out after turning into a kid overnight."
Klee, who had been confused by the adults’ conversation, remembered the flower in her hand.
"Oh right, this flower... My new friend asked me to handle it... but my friend is gone..."
"Don’t worry about that. I’ll deliver it for you!"
"Really? you're the best!"
After handing over the flower, Klee jumped up and down with excitement. Just as Jean was getting ready to take Klee back, and Varka stood up to leave...
"Promise me you'll be back before the sun sets!"
Oh no, He left something with Flora!
"I've got an urgent matter to attend to, so I'll head out first. Jean, you can drop Klee off and go home. I'll take care of the rest of the work."
"Huh? But..."
Before Jean could even reply, Varka had already dashed off with the flowers, disappearing in a flash.
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"Phew... phew..."
Varka, who had sprinted all the way to the main gate of Mondstadt in one go, was gasping for breath. After confirming that Flora was there, he approached her.
"Grand Master! I knew you’d come!"
"Phew... I brought the Cecilia flowers. Will this be enough?"
"Yes! I’ll make a bouquet for you right away!"
Thanks to Flora’s delicate skill and quick hands, a gorgeous bouquet was completed in the blink of an eye.
"It’s ready! What do you think?"
"Haha! It’s perfect! Thanks to you, I’ll be able to give it as a gift!"
"Don’t mention it! I hope you succeed!"
"Haha! Yeah...!"
He wasn’t sure what exactly he meant by “succeed,” but he carefully held the bouquet and headed toward the spot where Nicole was likely to be.
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As twilight painted the sky, Nicole sat alone on the floating island off the Falcon Coast, sipping tea and reading a book.
Nicole gave Varka a box of chocolates. “I heard this is a custom among humans,” she said, feigning ignorance, while gently tucking her layered feelings inside the box like sheets of paper. When he received the gift, Varka hesitated for just a moment, but soon smiled and accepted it.
Nicole smiled on the outside, but inside she was anxious that Varka might not understand. Just in case, she cast a spell of truth on one of the chocolates. She wanted Varka to understand her feelings, even if it meant going to such lengths, and she wanted to know how he felt about her.
Nicole and the witches made a sort of bet. Alice said Varka would come looking for her soon, and Barbeloth said he would come eventually, even if it was late. Nicole, however, assumed the worst-case scenario and said he wouldn’t come at all.
That’s why Nicole was about to close her book as the sun set. That is, until a sudden gust of wind blew in.
Varka arrived at Floating Island looking more serious than usual. And not just that—he was hiding something behind his back. Nicole stood up and walked toward him.
"Ah, good evening, Nicole."
[Welcome, Varka. What brings you here at this hour?]
Nicole tried her best to remain calm as she greeted him. She was doing her utmost to maintain a solemn demeanor, knowing she couldn’t let her true feelings show.
"Ah, well... I just wanted to say... I really appreciated the gift. Thank you for your kindness."
[Heh heh. I’m glad you like it. By the way, what’s that you’re hiding behind your back?]
“This is…”
It was just a fleeting glimpse, but Nicole noticed that the tips of Varka’s ears were flushed. There was no doubt about it.
“Ahem, this is… my way of returning the favor for your gift. If it’s not too much trouble, would you accept it?”
Varka pulled out the bouquet he’d been hiding behind his back and handed it to Nicole. Nicole was taken aback by the unexpected gift. At least the worst-case scenario had been avoided. But what comes next?
[Oh my, a bouquet. It smells wonderful. You have quite a refined taste.]
Nicole took the bouquet, held it close, and breathed in its scent. The fragrance of the gentle breeze mingled with the scent of grass, and the harmonious aroma of the flowers brushed against her cheeks.
“He thought of this just for me…”
Seeing Nicole receive the bouquet and inhale its scent, Varka felt relieved. And he made up his mind. He would convey his feelings in person.
“Haha, it’s nothing compared to your thoughtfulness, Nicole. I noticed there were different kinds of liquor in each one.”
[By any chance, how was it?]
“The chocolate? Or the magic?”
[Both.]
“At first, I floated in the air, then suddenly turned invisible—I almost caused a ghost scare—and I even tried rejuvenation and became a giant, something I’d only ever imagined as a child.”
Nicole held her breath, wondering if he might have found this offensive.
"But thanks to that, I had a fascinating experience. When else would I get to experience something like this? It’s all thanks to your gift, Nicole."
Varka gave a gentle smile, unlike his usual laugh. Nicole could only stare blankly at him as he smiled.
"Oh, right. You said if we don't eat them quickly, they'll fly away, didn't you? Then this one too..."
Varka opened the box. Nicole looked inside and was surprised to see that there was only one chocolate left.
[Wait, you didn’t eat them all?]
“Haha. How could I possibly devour a gift in one bite? I have to savor them one by one. But before that... I have something to say.”
Varka gently set the box down on the table and took a step closer to Nicole. His smile held the same determination as before.
As the sun had already set and the moon was rising in the sky, and a sweet breeze carrying dandelion seeds brushed against Floating Island,
“I love you, Nicole.”
His heart spilled from his lips. The moment the pages of his heart piled up to form the book of love, Nicole read that book for the first time. Though Nicole had lived for thousands of years and read every book in existence, this book was something she had never anticipated.
Nicole was overjoyed. Since when had she and Varka shared the same feelings? She didn’t know, but right now, it didn’t matter.
It was the moment when Nicole’s pages were bound one by one to form a new book.
[I love you too, Varka.]
Nicole’s reply was brief, but it seemed to linger like a gentle breeze. In that moment when the sun and moon existed simultaneously, the two became closer than ever before.
Varka’s eyes widened, but he immediately opened his arms and gently embraced Nicole. Nicole was a little surprised, but as she nestled into his broad embrace, she began to feel his warmth.
“Ha… haha… I don’t know how long it took me to say those words.”
[When did you make up your mind?]
“I made up my mind just now. As for my feelings... they’ve been there for quite some time.”
[...I see.]
With a brief reply, Nicole smiled and hugged Varka. The two lovers felt each other’s warmth before slowly pulling apart.
“By the way, this chocolate... is there some kind of magic in it?”
Varka asked, looking at the remaining chocolates in the box.
[Ah, well... that’s the magic of truth. I really wanted to know what you were thinking...]
Nicole twirled a strand of hair at the side of her head with her finger, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Haha! Then let’s do this.”
Varka picked up a piece of chocolate and fed it to Nicole.
“I don’t know if the magic will work on you, but... Is there anything you’d like to do with me right now?”
Nicole had been holding the chocolate without letting it melt, but upon hearing Varka’s question, she smiled and stepped right up to him. She gently lifted her foot and kissed him.
“…!”
Varka was startled by the unexpected response, but he quickly leaned in to make sure Nicole wasn’t uncomfortable. The chocolate hadn’t melted, but he could taste its sweetness.
As their lips parted, Nicole smiled and said,
[The chocolate hasn’t melted yet. How about it? Want to test it? See if the magic works?]
Instead of answering, Varka kissed Nicole once more. The scent of black tea and the sweetness of the chocolate washed over him, casting a spell on him all over again.
But even without magic, he would whisper his love to her.