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Chapter Text

The stand with chocolate bars was so rich in variety that (Y/n) was spoilt for choice. She was getting anxious to stand there staring at the packages, undecided about which ones to take, believing that at any moment Sam would appear behind her back urging her to make a choice because the shop was about to close and Grim, who was constantly complaining about how bored he was, how hungry he was and telling her to make a move, it certainly wasn't helping.

«Hey, little demon! » Sam finally came closer, greeting her enthusiastically, «can I help you? » he asked. He had just finished serving the last customer and now only her was left in the store. When she realized this, the level of anxiety went up.

«Er... Yes, please. I have to make chocolates and I don't know what kind of chocolate to take».

«Why not your favorite? » he tried to advise her, but (Y/n) turned to look at him waving her hands.

«No, they’re not for me», then lowered the tone of her voice, «I have to give them to someone».

Sam didn't know exactly why and he was pretty sure there was no upcoming birthday among the girl's friends and acquaintances. None of his friends from the other side had told him anything about it, so he surmised, coupled with the attitudes she was taking, that this someone was a special person.

«If you don't know what his favorite chocolate is, go to the classic, the milk chocolate». He took a tablet from the stand and handed it to her. (Y/n) grabbed it in her hands, stared at the blue wrapper for some time, then nodded with conviction.

«All right, I'll take them all», she began to grab the chocolates there, «even those in the warehouse, if you have any»;

«All of them? » asked Sam, surprised, watching her carry the pile of bars to the counter.

«Yes, and also a pot with molds in the shape of hearts».

(Y/n), having overcome the anxiety of the choice, had been taken by a surge of enthusiasm and couldn’t wait to get to work and prepare the sweets.

«Fugnà, we can finally leave! I want my cans of tuna as soon as we get back to the dormitory», Grim trotted irritated until he reached the girl's side, anxious to leave the store.

After paying and packing all the purchases, (Y/n) thanked Sam and left the Mystery Shop. The return journey was quiet, the silence was interrupted only by the occasional moans of the monster or by the rant that occasionally began and ended without allowing the girl to intervene. It wasn’t long before they would arrive at Ramshackle, when a few drops of rain began to fall from the sky. (Y/n) stretched out a hand in front of herself, looked at Grim and with a gaze they said to each other that it was better to run if they didn’t want to get soaked. The girl hugged the envelope with the purchases and together they hurried to reach the shelter.

They made it just in time, because after the sky poured all the water of the clouds, forcing Grim to move an empty bucket under one of the dorm leaks, while (Y/n) was already in the kitchen, intent on melting the chocolate.

«While you had a talk to Sam, I heard that you took all this chocolate for someone else. Who is he? » asked the monster, lazily approaching the counter, then climbing over and standing next to the stove, watching the slow stirring.

«Someone, I won't tell you who», she replied enigmatically, without taking her eyes off the saucepan.

«At least tell me why you're doing it! » Grim was getting irritated by all that precaution in revealing the reasons for the purchase. Already having bought food that wasn’t for him made him sad, if he added all that mystery he would soon freak out.

(Y/n) smiled at the request, feeling a little embarrassed to admit it. «In my world, the fourteenth of February is Valentine's Day»;

«What is Valentine's Day? A cake made with chocolate? » interrupted the monster, impatient and eyes lit up with joy.

«No, it's a special day, the day of love», at those words Grim lost interest in listening to her, but (Y/n) continued, «on this occasion the girls give homemade chocolates to the boys they like and if they reciprocate... », she bit her lip in embarrassment, «a month later they give white chocolate to the girls. That feast is called White Day";

«So you like someone», Grim announced bluntly, looking at her bored.

(Y/n) took on a pinkish color, but immediately shook her head. «Don't say certain things, Grim! I... I'm just making chocolates, as a nice gesture, I’m not saying...», the words died in her throat, while her head remained bent over the saucepan.

«Gne, do what you want, I'm going to eat some tuna», he warned her before jumping off the shelf to look for one of his beloved cans.

The next day would be Valentine's Day and (Y/n) was going to celebrate it by infusing some love.

Chapter Text

It was terribly cold on the morning of the fourteenth of February. It had been raining all night and, although it had stopped, the air was still freezing. Usually, she wouldn’t even have felt it, but waiting for several minutes near the statue of the King of Beasts, with only a scarf trying to warm her up a little from above the uniform, had made her very likely that the cold would atrophy. And Grim wasn't faring any better either. The fur was covered in frost and he was getting impatient. Ace and Deuce were late and hadn't even warned them, so the monster started threatening them from a distance.

At one point, on the horizon, they saw one of the two boys approaching, Deuce, running in their direction, but being careful not to slip on the ice.

«It was about time! » exclaimed the raccoon, «where's that other one, Ace? » He stood with his arms folded, like an indignant teacher who wanted to teach his latecomers students a lesson.

«Good morning Prefect, Grim», greeted Deuce as he stood in front of the two, receiving a nod response from the girl, «Ace was late. I told him to hurry, but then I left him alone».

It wasn't the first time one of the Heartslabyul boys had delayed, so no one was surprised at the news. Grim sighed annoyed, before announcing «I'm going to get him. Let's see if he doesn't hurry up after I burn his ass with my amazing blue flames» and left quickly for the dormitory inspired by the Queen of Hearts.

«Grim, don’-», (Y/n) tried to stop him, but saw him turn the corner like a rocket, «and it's gone».

Now Deuce and (Y/n) were left alone and, as usual, an awkward silence had fallen between the two. It was the perfect time to give him chocolates, she would avoid Ace's sarcastic comments and the discomfort of having to do it in front of others.

«Deuce, I have something here for you», she said, opening her bag and picking up the packet that was on top of the books.

«Really? » he was slow to understand the situation, he couldn't guess what it could be until he found himself staring at chocolate hearts.

«Yes, these», she pushed them against his chest, «these are for you. I made them with my own hands».

Although he had them in front of his eyes, the situation seemed too surreal to fully understand it. «Really? » he repeated.

(Y/n) chuckled at his lost gaze. «Yes, really»;

«Why? » he managed to look up to meet his eyes with the girl's ones.

«Because in my world today is a special day where girls give chocolates to boys who... appreciate, I think. So I made them for you», she concluded quickly, feeling peered into her soul and unable to stand up to those puppy eyes.

«T-thank you…», he still couldn’t metabolize every single piece of information. It was too much stuff for his little head told him early in the morning, on an empty stomach.

«You’re welcome», she murmured in response.

«Heeeeyy! We're here! » they heard Ace's voice screaming in the distance, waving his arms to better notice his presence.

«We're back», Grim added.

Upon hearing their voices, Deuce recovered from the state of confusion and, with an instinctive gesture, slipped the little baggie into the inside pocket of his jacket, just in time.

«What were you doing? » asked Ace, noticing the expressions.

«Nothing! » replied the other boy, his cheeks colored red, hinting that something had definitely happened between the two.

«Let's go eat, before everything ends», she changed the subject, her voice muffled by the scarf in which she had taken refuge so Ace couldn’t see her crimson face.

«Yeah, let's go. I'm hungry», the monster shouted enthusiastically, passing the group.

The topic ended there, but every now and then, on the way, a strange noise could be heard coming from Deuce's jacket, like crumpling cellophane.

Chapter Text

The hallway to the cafeteria was crowded, but not as much as (Y/n) thought it would be. Thanks to the delay they had made because of Ace, many of the students had already taken their seats inside, some had even begun to have breakfast.

Among the various people who remained in the corridor, several were grouped in small agglomerations immersed in lively chats, except for one person, who stood in the corner, standing by the wall, with the most worried expression she had ever seen him do. Even if she didn't have chocolates to give him, (Y/n) would stop to make sure nothing serious happened.

«Guys, go ahead. I have to do something first», warned her friends who had stopped for a moment to listen to her, then they left her behind.

She approached Sebek, pointing out her presence with a good morning, receiving in return a distracted look, for a moment even irritated, and then returned to stare beyond her, towards the corridor.

«Are you all right? » she asked, really worried about the boy.

«All is not right. The Young Master and Lilia-sama are late! » he shouted as usual, before lowering his tone and bringing a hand to his head, «they had told me to go ahead to take the places for breakfast, but I didn’t feel to enter without them and choosing on behalf of the Young Master the place on which he should sit. I had to stay there with him! I wonder if he's okay».

«I'm sure he's fine», she replied, trying to reassure him.

«How can you say that?! » he shouted at her, his stern and judgmental expression.

«Tsuno- I mean, Draconia-senpai is one of the strongest wizards ever existed and Lilia-senpai is more than skilled with the magic too, no one would dare to hurt them. Perhaps... », she tried to find a plausible explanation for their delay, «maybe they haven't arrived yet because Silver-senpai hasn't woken up! » she exclaimed enthusiastically about her gimmick and apparently from the reaction she was receiving, Sebek felt reassured by the statement.

«You may be right, human», he pouted her with a slightly offended pout, indignant at himself for not having thought of it earlier. «You can go», he tried to dismiss her, but (Y/n) stayed there.

«No, I have to give you something», she replied, lowering her tone until the words became a murmur.

«You can't even speak properly? Raise your voice», Sebek clothed himself in superiority, in his severe, lofty tone.

«I have to give you something! » (Y/n) repeated, shouting a little too loud for her liking.

«Hurry up then. I don't have time to lose». With his eyes he continued to analyze the surroundings, above the girl, looking for a pair of familiar horns, towards which he would have to run immediately if he spotted them.

«Here, these are for you», she took his hand, while he still wasn't looking at her, and shoved the transparent bag into it.

At first, Sebek was confused and set his eyes on the gift. «What is it? »

«Chocolates. I made them. For the Lovers’ Day that is celebrated in my world».

The boy was stunned, unsure of what to say or how to behave. Lovers' Day? Did she give him a gift for Lovers’ Day?

His lips tightened, moving nervously, as if he wanted to say something, but he refrained from doing so. His crimson-colored cheeks spoke for him.

«H... Human! » he shouted so loudly that the whole corridor turned to look at him, «how dare you give me such a thing? Do you want to contaminate me with your traditions? »

It was impossible to take him seriously with that expression that wanted to be severe, but betrayed by the red cheeks. (Y/n) held back a laugh, knowing he was just trying to hide.

«No, but I wanted to give you a little thought. Accept it».

She didn't wait for his to answer, she went straight inside the cafeteria to eat. Meanwhile, Sebek was looking at the bag as if it were a bomb ready to explode at any moment, but not even thinking for a moment to throw it away.

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As soon as (Y/n) entered in the cafeteria she was flooded with loud shouting from Night Raven College’s students. It was amazing how, despite being early in the morning, most of them were so lively and active that they wanted to scream from one side of the place to the other one and, combined with the confusing and constant comings and goings, it was making impossible for the girl to locate her friends. They had left her behind and now she couldn't find them again. The only known colored hair she spotted was the Epel’s lilac hair a few meters from her, in the queue to take breakfast. She approached him and got a few scowls from the boys they thought she wanted to overcome them.

«Good morning, Epel! » she shouted over the confusion, making herself noticed.

The person called turned his head, confused, believing at first that he had heard wrong, only to find (Y/n) not far from him, leaping slightly back in surprise.

«Ah, (Y/n)! It's you», he told her, not wanting to admit that he was scared. The girl replied, but Epel couldn’t hear her. «What? I don't understand», he shouted over the voices. He saw that she repeated, he heard something, she even tried to get closer to the boy, but once again he didn’t understand what she was saying. He squinted, trying to lip-read, but the result didn’t change. He shook his head disconsolately. Then (Y/n) snorted wearily and came close to his ear.

«Come with me, then eat». She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of queue.

«Woah! Where are you taking me? » Epel watched sadly the lost place in line as he followed her, having had no other alternative.

He let himself be carried away, eager to know the exact reason why he had risked losing the best breakfast. He thought who knows where she wanted to take him, remaining disoriented when he entered in the kitchens. The ghosts went back and forth, but, apart from the noise of dishes, they didn’t make much confusion, it was quieter than in the other room and the door muffled the voices well, allowing the two of them to be able to hear each other.

«Sorry for the place in the line, but I absolutely had to give you a little thing»;

«What is it? » asked Epel, seeing her looking for the object in question in her bag and trying to peek.

(Y/n) took out carefully wrapped chocolates and handed them to him. «These», she stretched out her hand towards him, and Epel took them in amazement. He turned them over in his hands, confused as to the reason for that gift. For a moment he thought, because of the pink ribbon and the heart-shape, that she wanted to make fun of him, but it seemed too unlikely, knowing the person who was giving them to him. He looked at her and silently asked for explanations.

«In my place today is Valentine's Day and we celebrate by giving sweets that recall the theme of love», she replied, suddenly more interested in the ghosts that ran back and forth carrying plates full of croissants and other delicacies. Someone also threw curious gaze at them, trying not to be noticed by those directly concerned.

Epel kept silent, undecided what to tell her. He only felt, from time to time, his heart losing beats. He recovered when (Y/n) looked at him again, wondering why he wasn't answering her.

«Thank you... I think». He was supposed to look like a sissy, but it was all so unexpected that he just didn't know how to react. He nodded to give strength to his words.

«Well», she smiled at him, «then I'll go. Sorry again for making you lose your place in the queue, but... Here, now I have to go and do it too», she chuckled a little, trying to lighten the situation of embarrassment that had been created, recoiling, in the meantime, towards the door. «See you». With a sprint, she fled through it, leaving him alone.

Love-themed sweets... Epel felt so happy that she had chosen him as the person with whom to celebrate such an event, it meant that he was more than a friend to her.

Chapter Text

The day seemed to have started well for (Y/n), as she had managed to hoard the last cream-filled croissant and now, as she left the cafeteria, she felt full and happy. She had opted for a smaller breakfast than her friends had chosen, so she had finished before them. She usually sat at the table chatting, waiting to move together to the first lesson, but she couldn't do that day. She was eager to give the chocolates she had made the night before and couldn't stay in her chair waiting. She got up, said she would bring them forward to the class and left them.

She was trotting happily, just outside the confusing place, when she noticed Floyd several steps away from her, across the hallway she was in, past a swarm of people. She felt she had to take advantage of it immediately, before risking losing him and not being able to meet him again, so she began to elbow in an attempt to make her way.

«Floyd-senp-! », she tried to call him, but was pushed by a boy, «Flo-! ». She also found it impossible to complete his name, since no one noticed her, with her small stature, or at least if they did, they decided to ignore her. «Floyd-senpai! », she finally managed to call him, but not to see if he had heard her, her vision having been covered by a high and massive brute.

She sighed resigned to the idea that she would not be able to reach him, stopping fighting to get to him. She hoped that at least after class she would find him somewhere, but not being sure, all the good mood abandoned her.

«Hey, Shrimp-chan», she heard above her. She lifted her head and came face to face with the boy she was looking for. «Were you calling me? », he smiled subtly, leaning forward, looming with his stature.

«Floyd-senpai! Yes, I was looking for you, I wanted to give you a gift», she quickly opened the bag, immediately finding the transparent packet, «here, these are for you», she handed it to him, holding it with two fingers. «I hope you like them».

Floyd looked at the chocolate hearts first, then at the girl. For a moment (Y/n) thought he didn't like the gift and felt a weight forming on the mouth of her stomach, a mixture of embarrassment and fear, hoping she didn’t look like a ninny in front of him. Then suddenly her feet came off the ground.

«Aaaah, Shrimp-chan! »  Floyd had lifted the girl and, as a kind of thank you, he was squeezing her in his arms, pressing her against his chest, cheek against his, laughing like a child who had just been given a new toy.

(Y/n) was no longer breathing. She would have laughed with him, she would also have felt embarrassed by the position too close, but the lack of air was not making her reason, she only made strangled sounds in an attempt to warn him, although it seemed that he didn’t notice it at all.

«Help! », she managed to murmur when she thought she was about to faint from asphyxiation, but luckily Floyd heard her prayers and let her go, bringing her back to the ground.

She had an initial moment of daze in which she thought her legs wouldn’t hold, but then she realized that Floyd was watching her, refraining from squeezing her again, and quickly recovered, psychologically preparing for a second attack that thankfully never came.

«Were you going to class? », she asked, bending over to pick up the bag that, in the heat of the embrace, she had dropped. Luckily nothing seemed to have broken.

«I didn't want to, I'm bored in history lessons, but you put me in a good mood, so now I'm going», he replied, not stopping smiling.

(Y/n) answered by pulling up the sides of her lips, passing the chocolates that Floyd immediately took. «Then it's better to go, I also have lessons shortly. Maybe I'll see you later? »;

«Yeah, Shrimp-chan», he stepped forward, in an attempt to hold her in his arms again, but (Y/n), out of survival instinct, backed away, causing him to incredibly desist from the action.

«Then see you later. Bye! »  she said to him quickly, already starting to go, hoping not to be late.

When he was alone again, Floyd looked at the little bag, smiled like a child and opened it, immediately ate one, and walked happily to his class.

Chapter Text

«Ehi! Cater-senpai!»

A voice from afar called him and the boy lifted his head from the phone screen to see who was. He should have recognized her right away, but he was too immersed in reading the comments under his last post that he hadn't noticed her.

As soon as he turned in the direction from which she was coming, towards the head of the hallway, he saw (Y/n) waving a hand in the air to be noticed and attract his attention. She was smiling at him widely and couldn’t help but smile in turn in a genuine way, infected by her, who was coming towards him. She was alone, a rare occurrence, and thought he could take advantage of it to take some pictures together. He might not have published them, but he would have loved to have new photos of her smiling face in the gallery, to see again in all those moments when he was down or when he felt terribly alone.

«(Y/n)-chan! », he returned the enthusiastic greeting, «good morning! »

«Good morning, senpai», she stopped in front of him, «I was looking for you, I have to give you a gift», she rummaged through her bag, moving some books.

«A gift for me? How beautiful! » he exclaimed enthusiastically, looking forward to what it was.

«Here, for you», (Y/n) stretched out her arms in front of him, handing him a little bag of crackers while keeping her eyes down. Cater was stunned and confused by the unusual gift, but before he could say anything, the girl continued «in my world today is Valentine's Day and, on the occasion, chocolates or cookies are made for the boys. I had made them for you, only I remembered that you don't like sweets, so I thought I'd replace them with homemade crackers. I spiced them each with a different taste, I hope you like them». She lowered her head even more, embarrassed by the situation. She thought that replacing sweet with salty was a great idea, but as soon as she said it out loud it seemed like a great stupidity.

«(Y/n)-chan... », at first he was stunned, then he smiled at her, «it's the cutest thought I've ever had. You make me feel so lucky».

«Oh... well», she returned the smile, relieved not to have made a bad impression with him, «now I have to g-»;

«Let's take a picture together to commemorate this event! », he put his arm on her shoulder, bringing her close to him. (Y/n) slammed her head lightly against the boy's chest, but smiled at him, happy to oblige. «Say cheese! »

The result was so tender and cute. Cater proudly showed the pouch and squeezed (Y/n) in such a way that in the shot they looked like a happy sweet couple, celebrating together. The girl didn’t tell him what she had thought when she saw it, but, judging by the expression, he had noticed the same thing. He had lost so much looking at it that he had almost forgotten that the person in question was right there, in the flesh.

«Well... I should go» she announced, bringing him back to his senses.

«(Y/n)-chan, thank you». It was unusual to see him lacking his usual enthusiasm and for a moment the girl thought there was some problem. She had to change her mind when he smiled again as always.

«Don’t mention it. I have lessons now, see you later! », she greeted him, leaving him alone.

He watched her move away until she disappeared from view. He brought his eyes to the bag. That photo he would never have published it, he didn’t want followers to see his beloved (Y/n), but perhaps a photo of the crackers he could do it, to inform everyone that he had received a fantastic gift from an even more fantastic girl.

Chapter Text

The start of lessons was increasingly imminent, but (Y/n) wasn’t worried about it. She had almost reached her class and the bell assumed there were still a few minutes left. She couldn't be sure she'd be the first to enter, but she was sure she'd get ahead of her friends if she sped things up a bit. The classroom was beyond the next corner, which she saw getting closer and closer, when she stopped for a moment to check exactly how much time was left at the start, taking the phone out of her pocket. Without any warning she heard, right at ear level, a greeting.

«Bonjour, Mademoiselle Trickster». In fright, she jumped, narrowly avoiding dropping her phone and tripping over her own feet. She was about to lose her balance, falling backwards, but the hands of the person who had surprised her sat firmly on her arms, causing her to bump just with her back against the chest that she already knew who belonged to.

«Rook-senpai! You scared me! », she said, pulling away from his grip, getting back on her feet properly, and turning to him with one hand at heart level, «why do you get behind people without warning? »

«Pardon moi, I had seen you here all alone and I thought I would greet you», his typical enigmatic smile was painted on his features, while he talked to her. (Y/n) wasn’t sure that next time he would be announced, but at least for the moment it wasn’t important. She had intended to look for the hunter after class, but apparently he had been the one to find her first, she could take advantage of it to give him chocolates despite having little time.

«Do you have a few minutes, senpai? », she asked, rummaging through her bag, «I have to give you... this!» She enthusiastically pulled out the infamous chocolates, proudly showing them to him.

Rook was amazed, observing the object, demonstrating it on the face with an exaggerated expressiveness. «Are they for me? ». At the nodding of the girl, he stretched out his hands, took them and analyzed them still incredulous, then relaxed his features. «I was looking for you because I heard Monsieur Fuzzball talking about a festivity called Valentine's Day. I just wanted to know more from you about this beautiful culture, I didn't think I would become part of it».

It took her a few seconds to realize that the Monsieur Fuzzaball Rook was talking about was none other than Grim and hoped he hadn’t said anything excessive that could turn that simple gift an embarrassing moment. Grim probably hadn't, but Rook himself transformed it into an uncomfortable situation.

«Let me taste one», he said in a low tone. He didn’t take his eyes off her the whole time he pulled off the ribbon, with unprecedented slowness, and took one of the little hearts, bringing it to his lips and stuck it between his teeth. (Y/n) felt her throat dry, not knowing whether to concentrate on the teeth that clenched the chocolate, without yet detaching the bite, on his eyes, which stared at her tight in two slots, or on the cheeks, colored in a tender dusting of pink. Only when he broke off the corner did she come in herself.

«The lessons are about to begin, senpai. I have to go». She immediately beat a retreat, running towards the class, not wanting to feel that embarrassment for much longer.

Left alone, Rook smiled to himself, finally eating the rest of the treat. According to what Grim had said, Valentine's Day was the day of lovers and the girls gave sweets to the boys they loved. He hoped that what she felt was romantic love, as he felt for her.

How stupid and naïve he felt. Le Chasseur d'Amour who himself remained a victim of someone else's love arrow.

Chapter Text

She couldn't do it. She felt torn apart by deep embarrassment. It had been hours since she had first seen Ace that morning and she still hadn't been able to tell him about chocolates. She already knew how he would react and the idea of seeing that grin on his slap face made her stop wanting to give them to him. Maybe it wasn't really a good idea, how could she have thought it was?

The last lesson was almost over, as soon as the bell rang, she would only have to beat a retreat, giving up the possibility of exposing herself so much. But... something told her not to do it, to take it lightly, almost as if she were playing a joke on him. It could have been the best option if she really didn't want to give up, which she really didn't want to do. She had him sitting next to her, on the other side she had the door, if something went wrong, she could have escaped quickly. She gave herself courage, an imaginary pat on the shoulder and looked at the clock, waiting with trepidation for the last three minutes to pass.

As soon as the bell rang, announcing the end of the school day, most of the students got up to run to the cafeteria, hoping to be able to get the best lunch. So was Ace, but (Y/n) grabbed him by the sleeve. At first, he was confused, looking at his friend who, although she was the one who blocked him, wasn’t reciprocating him.

«Can you... stay here a little longer? I have to tell you something».

Deuce and Grim noticed the strange exchange and the boy asked the monster if there was any problem, but the latter looked bored at the scene and replied «nothing important. Come on, let's go and take the place in the cafeteria, before everything ends». The guys walked away, suddenly more interested in a good lunch, rather than in their friend.

«(Y/n), let's hurry up or the others will get the best dishes! ». Ace was also more interested in food than in her and her mood. What an idiot! And she was even embarrassed for a brain-dead like him!

She let go his sleeve, dropping her dead weight hand on the bench she was still sitting on, the expression of one who could no longer stand him and disappointed in herself that she thought he could, for once, be nice and kind.

She took the sachet with the chocolates from her bag and slammed them in front of him.

«Here. I made them for you, but apparently you're more interested in eating than knowing about me», she stood up, throwing her bag over her shoulder and walking with great strides towards the door, head held high, but terribly offended by his reaction.

Ace, on the other hand, was surprised and perplexed. Everything he would have imagined except what had happened and he was constantly moving his gaze from her to the chocolates slammed on the desk. «Wait! » he chased her as he recovered from the shock, taking the sachet with him. He grabbed her forearm, thus preventing her from ignoring him and then, when he received her attention, he asked her «why did you do this? »

(Y/n) narrowed her eyes accusatorily. «In my world today is Valentine's Day and, on the occasion, you give chocolates to the person you love. But right now, if I could, I would take them back».

«Hey! Why? » he was offended by the last statement.

«Because I just want to put my hands around your neck and suffocate you». She pulled out of his grip and left, leaving him alone.

Ace watched her leave, slowly realizing the words she had said to him, especially "you give chocolates to the person you love". She meant as a friend, right? She couldn't mean something else, could she?

His face overheated. When she called him, she seemed embarrassed and now that he thought about it better, she was also red on the cheeks. It was like a friend, it had to be like that, wasn't it? Why else would she tell him later that she wanted to kill him?

He looked at the chocolates, then the stuff behind him still resting on the desk. Yes, she loved him as a friend, he convinced himself that it was so. Yet he felt his heart running in his chest and had an absurd desire to pull off the pink ribbon and taste one of those chocolate hearts. But for now, he couldn’t, he would do it after lunch.

Chapter Text

(Y/n) was walking down the hallway, heading towards the cafeteria, with great strides. Lunchtime was that moment of day when the rules seemed to no longer exist. The boys ran to the place as if it wasn’t forbidden to do so, screaming and jostling without decency and all for a Menchi Katsu sandwich or some other delicacy. She saw people passing her on the sides, rushing and ignoring her presence, so she was stunned when she found a huge group of boys walking with all the calm in the world, often stopping and talking at a suitable volume, all facing the center of the agglomeration.

Intrigued, she stood on her toes to try to understand what was happening or who was so important and wasn’t surprised at all when she saw a blonde and lilac hair with a heart-shaped clasp stuck between the braids. Maybe it wasn't the best time to give him chocolates, if she wanted to have a good lunch, but she wasn't sure if she would have a chance to meet him again later, so she jumped in.

«Vil-senpai! », she called him, trying to drown out the voices of the others. It was unsuccessful, as Vil didn’t turn around and continued to walk undeterred, unlike some of the boys. Those who were immediately in front of her turned for a few moments to look at her, glancing at her. Why should Vil always be surrounded by admirers?, she wondered, not knowing how to move to try to reach him. She tried to call him a second time, but the outcome didn’t change. She was about to try again when she felt a hand resting on her shoulder. He was a boy of many who buzzed around the model.

«You'd better go», he spat acidly;

«Excuse me? » (Y/n) asked confused, not understanding at first what he meant, having been sudden and unexpected.

«Vil-sama has no time to waste and even if he had it, he certainly wouldn't waste it listening to someone like you», he explained annoyed, aiming to drive her away quickly.

«Actually, I have something to give him», she looked for the sachet in her bag to prove the words, but the boy laughed in her face, blocking her actions.

«Do you really think he would want anything from you? », he said contemptuously, soon being flanked by another boy who nodded, giving him support.

(Y/n)’s mood and self-esteem, after those words, was under the ground. Maybe they were right. Did she really believe that Vil could ever want a gift from a potato like her? It was better to leave, and quickly, before the situation got worse.

«What's going on here? ». A familiar voice came to her ears and she raised her head until she met the purple eyes of the boy she wanted to stop.

«Schoenheit-senpai, nothing important», one replied, trying to take him away from the girl, but he wasn’t persuaded and remained there, waiting for her to speak.

«Vil-senpai, I have to give you a gift», she stretched out the hands on which she had the bag of chocolates, «in my world today is Valentine's Day and I wanted to celebrate it with you in this way», she explained quickly, embarrassed that she might look like a weirdo.

Vil watched her, silently for a moment, then reached out a hand and grabbed the gift with two fingers, showing her a slight smile.

«Thank you». Then he turned on his heels and walked away.

(Y/n) was speechless, her face completely red. It had gone badly, it seemed to have gone very badly and she wanted to bury herself out of embarrassment and shame. So why did the boys seem so shocked and jealous? They acted as if Vil had just hugged and kissed her. Was there something she was missing? Confused, she left.

Meanwhile, one of the guys approached Vil's side, who was now walking briskly to the cafeteria.

«Senpai, why did you accept it? », he tried to understand something about the model's attitudes.

«Why wouldn't I do that? Fans are always satisfied», he said as an excuse to mask his real motives. He would never admit, not publicly, that this gesture pleased him. He would never have said that the attentions of a sweet potato like (Y/n) liked him so much, that she made his heart run like that. He would remain to himself.

Chapter Text

It was lunchtime, half the day had passed, and (Y/n) still had chocolates in her bag. She hoped she would meet the person she was looking for in the cafeteria, perhaps in line to get lunch for himself and Leona. In the morning, during breakfast, she remembered not seeing him at all and hoped that this time he was there, that she wouldn’t have to look for him all over campus. Her friends, most likely, had already taken their seats and started eating and she was still outside. The thought reminded her that she had to hurry up if she wanted to get something decent and not have to settle for the last leftover sandwich. She said to herself that it would be better to prepare the money before throwing herself into the fierce struggle that took place every day in front of the counter, so she opened her bag to retrieve a couple of madols.

«Ah! »

She was about to close it again, when she barely had time to hear an exclamation and a moment later she found herself on the ground, crushed by several kilos. Anyone who fell on her was quick to get up, allowing the girl to retrieve the money that had scattered on the floor and see who was. The person who stood in front of her was none other than the one she thought she would find in the cafeteria, with an expression between worried and embarrassed.

«I hadn't seen you, I was in a hurry», he explained quickly, taking a look over his shoulder.

(Y/n) dusted off her skirt as she stood up and retrieved her bag from the floor. «Did something happen, senpai? » she asked worriedly, noticing his attitude.

«I think he's gone from here! », shouted a male voice around the corner of the corridor, so loud that it could even be heard by the two, and raising Ruggie's tail, alarmed.

«If they come here, say you didn't see me. Cover me! », he warned her, passing her and opening the door of the classroom behind (Y/n). «Do you understand? » he asked, remaining at the door.

«Got it», she nodded in response and Ruggie disappeared into the classroom, locking himself in.

A few moments later two big and tall guys came running. They shouted insults at the hyena and looked around frantically, in his research, trying to figure out where he was. Suddenly they noticed the girl.

«Hey, you! » they approached her, threatening, «have you seen a hyena, Bucchi, pass by around here? »

(Y/n) had promised him that she would cover him, saying that she hadn’t seen him, but had a better idea.

«Yes, he went that way», she pointed with her finger to the corridor in front of her, which led away from the most crowded places and especially from her and the wanted man.

«Let's go! » shouted one, immediately entering the corridor.

«Thank you», muttered the other, before adding a "we'll get him. And we pull his ears!". A beautiful and good threat that made her wonder why they were so mad with the man-beast.

«They're gone», she warned him, but Ruggie was already outside the classroom, behind her. He was laughing heartily, bringing his hands behind the back of his head.

«Those two are just stupid», he insulted them.

«What did you do? », she was curious but at the same time frightened by the potential response.

Ruggie shrugged. «I just hid their magic pens. They haven't yet noticed that they're actually under their desks, shishishi». He covered his mouth with a punch, laughing again. He only interrupted when (Y/n) asked him why he had done it. «I wanted to slow down the strongest in my class so I wouldn't have to fight them at the cafeteria.

«So you did it for lunch», she sighed, defeated. Everyone in that school seemed to be waiting for nothing more than fights over the best food. She felt she was the only one, or almost, not to be like that.

She was about to say goodbye to the boy, for a moment forgetting about her mission, when she noticed the bag of chocolates on the ground, a few meters from her. It must have slipped out of her bag when she fell. She retrieved it and turned to the hyena, which was already about to greet her. Seeing the object, he became curious.

«What is it? », he asked, tilting his head a little.

«Chocolates. I made them for Valentine's Day», she handed them to him.

«Valentine's Day? », he took the sachet, then looked at her confused.

«It's a special day in my world where you show your affection for someone else through sweets», she explained, causing a veil of embarrassment to fall on Ruggie, represented by a sprinkling of color on the cheeks.

«Ah... Thank you», he replied, unsure of what to say to her in front of an implicit declaration that she loved him. «I have to go, to get lunch», he cut short, hoping to get out of the situation that was becoming unbearable for him, for too much discomfort, «see you», he smiled at her, unaware that that simple gesture had just warmed her heart, and ran away, towards his initial target: the cafeteria.

Chapter Text

Finally it was lunchtime and finally (Y/n) was able to reach the cafeteria. She knew very well that she was late, but seeing most of the students already at the tables, eating, and others in a fight in front of the counter demoralized her. With her eyes, she began to looking through the crowd for Ace, Deuce and Grim, sure that they were sitting together somewhere, but the excessive amount of people made impossible to spot them. The only face she recognized among the many was that of Jack, who was at a table, alone, pouring on the tray with the food he had chosen. It was a perfect situation: she was supposed to give him chocolates, so what better time than when no one else was around?

She approached him and slammed her bag on the floor, near the table.

«Hey, Jack! Is this place taken? », she pointed to the chair next to herself.

The wolf-boy raised his head, lost. He was so focused on the meal that he had to look at her for a moment longer before framing who was. When he metabolized the question, he nodded.

«No, it’s not», he replied and poured back onto the plate.

The girl sat down in front of him, without taking her eyes off him. At lunch she would think about it later, when the situation at the counter settled back down, for now she had to do something else.

«So, are you alone? », she tried to ask, to confirm that no one would intrude. She saw Jack's ears snap towards her, picking up the sound, but thought he didn't understand until he answered.

«Yes», he was dry, nodding his head. She wanted to ask him why, but she was in a bit of a hurry, at the time: the counter was clearing and soon she would have to move to retrieve her food, so she decided to go straight to the point.

She leaned forward, enough to be sure she didn't have to scream too much.

«I have to give you something», she tried to drown out the wild shouting that filled the place.

Jack, interrupted for the second time by his meal, raised his head again, his forehead frowning. «What? » His tone was the usual and for (Y/n) it was natural to squint at what he had said. She decided to get closer to him, leaning even more before answering him, resting her palms on the table and the weight of her body on them.

«They're chocolates», she stopped, waiting for confirmation he had heard. She waited longer than she should before receiving a slight nod, then continued, «I made them for you. I hope you like them».

Without realizing it, (Y/n), with each word, was getting closer and closer to the boy's face, leaning dangerously forward. Once again, she found herself waiting for his answer, not realizing that Jack, meanwhile, had become stiff and red in the face. Having (Y/n) at such a close distance distracted him from her words and from the hunger he had until a few seconds before. If possible, he frowned more and stared at her without saying anything. Slowly his eyes slipped over her rosy lips and he saw them moving and saying something.

«So? Did you understand? I made them for you», she repeated. She took one of his hands, resting near the tray, and crushed the sachet inside it.

«T-thank you... », he managed to stutter, before bringing his free palm to the back of his neck and rubbing it, feeling a pleasant discomfort.

«Well», she exclaimed enthusiastically, «now I have to get lunch. Wait for me here».

«Okay... », he murmured, but managed to make himself understood.

Satisfied that she had delivered the sweets, (Y/n) pulled back to her seat, jumped off her chair and walked away, leaving behind a still confused and embarrassed Jack.

Chapter Text

(Y/n) had found herself quite satisfied with the lunch she had managed to take. She had moved late to the counter, so she was afraid that she wouldn’t find anything good. To her surprise, she was able to fill the tray.

She was walking between the tables, slaloming between them, with the aim of returning to hers, where they were waiting for her, trying to prevent some clumsy boy that not having seen her, from dropping her food.

Suddenly a little boy threw himself into the corridor she was passing by, without looking over his shoulder, cackling with his friends. (Y/n), to avoid him, tried to move to the right as a reflection.

«Ack! », she exclaimed the moment she stumbled on her own feet. She could already see herself on the floor, lying down, with her lunch scattered on the tiles and, as the girl had imagined it, Kalim had done it too, who was sitting at the nearest table. He had noticed her a few seconds before and hadn’t even had time to think that he wanted to greet her who was about to witness her fall.

Instinctively, he threw himself towards her, with the intention of avoiding defeat, but he put his foot on a piece of chewed sandwich thrown on the ground and fell forward, not smashing his face on the floor for no one knows what luck.

«Kalim-senpai! », (Y/n) called him alarmed. She had managed to avoid the worst, regaining her balance, but she had found herself watching Scarabia’s dorm leader tumble.

Kalim turned around, sat on the floor and gave her a big smile to reassure her.

«I'm fine», he laughed.

(Y/n) breathed a sigh of relief at the news, fearing for a moment that she would have to accompany him urgently to the infirmary. She went to the nearest table and placed the tray on it, then came back to him.

«Here, take my hand», she leaned, holding out one to hers, wanting to help him get up.

After a first moment of confusion, Kalim grabbed it without hesitation and let himself be pulled upwards.

«Thank you», he laughed in embarrassment, having found himself on the other side of where he had thought at first.

When they were both standing, (Y/n) remembered the chocolates.  «Ah, right! Kalim-senpai, wait for me here, I have to give you something».

«Okay! », he sang happily, looking at her while she was walking away.

When (Y/n) returned, she found him still there, standing in the middle of the corridor. He had taken literally the words "wait for me here" and this made the girl smile tenderly.  It was really adorable the blind trust that the boy placed in people and having placed it, at that moment, in her made her feel honored and happy.

«For you! », she handed them to him, «for Valentine’s Day».

Kalim's expression at the vision of the gift made her lose several heartbeats: slowly and more and more, his eyes lit up, his mouth opened wide into a smile and everything about him seemed to radiate light of its own.

In an instinctive gesture, the dorm leader pulled her in a tight and enthusiastic embrace, not even allowing her to move the sachet away and then crushing it between the two chests, with a series of cracks that presaged the non-integrity of the chocolates. But it was impossible to worry about this when the boy laughed in ears, also infecting (Y/n) and leading them to look like two drunks in the middle of the cafeteria. They were getting the confused glances of everyone who heard them, but none of those involved noticed.

«Thank you! », he said as he pulled away. (Y/n) doesn’t believe that a stupid and simple gift could make him so happy and thought that perhaps, if he adored them so much, she should have given similar gifts more often for the human ray of sunshine that was Kalim. «Jamil went to get me a cake at the counter, but now, if I have these, I don't need anything else», he lifted the sachet, looking at it happily like a child.

«I hope you like them», concluded the Prefect. «Now I have to go, I haven't eaten yet». She was about to leave him, but Kalim blocked her.

«(Y/n)! Hold on! Tomorrow in Scarabia there will be a big party, do you want to come? Jamil is preparing a lot of delicious food and there will be a parade with elephants and camels». With his eyes he begged her to accept his invitation and it was impossible to say no.

«I'll ask Grim, but I'll be there», she confirmed.

At the answer, Kalim cheered happily, giving her one last quick hug, before letting her go, with her tray in her hands.

What he had received could well be simple chocolates, for an event he had never even heard of before, but having had them right from (Y/n) made him happier than ever and he continued to lift them up, looking at them enthusiastically, as if they were the most precious relic of his immense treasure.

Chapter Text

A bell rang in the middle of (Y/n)’s thoughts, distracting her from the images of her mind. She lifted her head for a moment and then lowered it disconsolately to the last remaining bite of her entire lunch. That sound was meant to indicate the end of the lunch break and the beginning of afternoon activities. She quickly looked around, noticing that in fact the cafeteria had mostly emptied or how many were leaving the place in a hurry so as not to be late for club activities or whatever they had to do the rest of the day.

«Do you want me to stay and keep you company? », asked Jack, her only companion at the lunch table. He had finished much earlier, but he had stayed seated so as not to leave her alone. Now he had to meet with the Athletics Club, it would have been unfair to keep him there.

«No, go ahead», she assured him.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to say goodbye to her and leave, receiving a tight smile from the girl as an answer.

Left alone, (Y/n) looked at that morsel again, accusatory, as if it were its fault that she had been abandoned. Who knows where Grim was...

«Hey there! » Lilia, without any warning, popped out of her view, upside down as usual, suspended on the table at which she was sitting.

(Y/n) jumped and let out a scream that immediately made half of those present turn in her direction, having been caught off guard by the fairy. He laughed at the reaction, tending to reassure her.

«It's just Lilia, Lilia Vanrouge», he turned, standing up straight and smiling, even though he was still hanging on the table.

«Yes, I know, but Lilia-chan, please, don't scare me like that every time you approach me», she brought a hand to her forehead, hoping that at least one, just one, of the next times would present himself in a decent way and not upside down as usual.

«Kuhuhu, all right, I'll try». Finally he came down, touching the floor with his feet, and took a seat next to her, turning his torso to look at her.

«What are you still doing here? Don't you have the club activities? » she asked, picking up the remaining bite again, not having much desire to eat it.

«No, we're not meeting today», he explained, «and then I saw you here alone and thought I'd come and keep you company. Don't you eat it? » he drastically changed the subject, pointing to food.

«No, I’m full. If you want it, you can take it», she moved the tray towards him, urging him not to do ceremonies, something that Lilia had never actually done. In fact, he thanked with a smile and served himself. This gesture reminded (Y/n) of the sachet she was supposed to give him, but she didn’t rush to get it. For some absurd reason, with Lilia, she felt reassured, as if she should never be afraid to say or do something wrong, that he would appreciate her anyway, and gave her a sense of absolute calm. When she saw him swallow the mouthful, thus cleaning the tray, she retrieved what she owed.

«Lilia-chan? » she called him, waiting for his attention. When she called him by the suffix -chan, everyone who heard it was stunned. Lilia was much older than her -actually he was much older than everyone-, it seemed a kind of disrespect to use that title. She had to explain every time that the reason she did it was that it was Lilia who asked her to use it, as a symbol of friendship between the two.

«Yes, dear? » he replied.

«I did these for you», she slid the sachet on the table, making it arrive next to his hands, «I made them for a special day in my world in which sweets are given to the boys you love».

Lilia looked at the baggie, then at her, then at the bag again. «So you love me? » his expression was illegible, not making it clear that it was going inside his head.

«Yes, of course», she nodded, bringing a slight smile.

Then Lilia began to whine theatrically. «Thank you! That makes me so happy that I'm crying».

(Y/n) didn't know how to answer, she did it only by expanding the smile that already adorned her. She really loved him and making him happy had a rebound effect on her. Since he had the chocolates, all the time they were talking at the table, Lilia never pulled down the wide smile that had been painted on his features and this made her feel so good.

Chapter Text

When she left the cafeteria, (Y/n) felt like an eternity had passed. She had lost track of time from the moment she started talking to Lilia and now she didn't even know what time it was. She was looking for a particular person, the one to whom she had to give the sweets, but the activities of the clubs had already begun and she didn’t know if the Basketball one had also met. To be safe, she wanted to go check in the gym and only then, start an aimless patrol around the campus. She was certain that at the end of the day her legs would hurt no matter how much she walked. She was so immersed in her thoughts that, in the corridor she was walking, she passed a person, without deigning to look at him, noticing only, out of the corner of her eyes, a dark red and black spot. She froze several steps ahead, when she metabolized what she may have seen, nailing it to the floor. Then she turned to look in the direction and saw the very one she was looking for: Jamil. Apparently, however, he hadn't noticed her or maybe he had, but he didn't want to stop her. In any case, (Y/n) approached, standing in front of him.

«Hi, Jamil-senpai», she caught his attention, making him raise his head from a stack of papers he was reading.

«Hi», he greeted her disinterestedly, returning to read.

«What are you doing? » she asked, intrigued by his total concentration. She tried to get closer, but noticed a half-step backwards by the boy, done automatically, and so she gave up to the goal.

«I'm reading list of food that I have to buy from Sam for the party Kalim has called for tomorrow. What a mange, of course I'm always the one who has to take care of the organization», he murmured the last sentence to himself.

(Y/n) had already heard of the aforementioned party and had even been invited to it, but now that she knew that it was completely burdened by the vice-dorm leader, she felt sorry to have accepted, as if her presence were an extra burden.

«Can I help you? » she proposed, in an attempt to be helpful to him and to feel less guilty herself.

«No», he replied dryly, throwing an indecipherable look at her for a miserable moment.

(Y/n) didn’t want to give up: she wanted to help him in some way and she would do it, whatever the cost. The only problem was that she didn't know how. She thought about it, prodding her cheek with her index finger, then came up with the gift that she was looking for him.

«Maybe these will cheer you up», she showed him a transparent sachet containing chocolate hearts. With those she managed to get Jamil's attention for more than a second.

«What are they? » he asked, wanting an explanation.

«Valentine's Day chocolates. I made them by hand for you», she hoped that by tracing on the last words he could understand how much she cared about him and his health and that she sincerely wanted to help him. But Jamil's expression still didn’t leak anything, he could only be a little skeptical.

«Thank you», he took them, in his usual tone, without showing a thread of variability in his voice or gestures.

(Y/n) was disappointed. She was afraid that he didn’t like them and that the “thank you” was just a courtesy formula in which he didn’t believe either. She decided that it was really good if she left him alone, perhaps he was so stressed about the organization of the party that he didn’t have time to account for her whims.

«All right... », she murmured unconvinced, «then I'll leave you alone».

At her words, he went back to looking at her, this time longer. «Will you be at the party tomorrow? », he folded his arms to his chest, waiting for the answer.

(Y/n) lit up, happy that he didn't just want to kick her away. «Yes, of course! », she exclaimed.

«Then I'll see you tomorrow». Jamil gave her a crooked half-smile, an expression that escaped him against his will, but it was enough to cheer the girl. She nodded and say bye to him, continuing to go in the direction she was already moving in the direction she was already moving in the beginning.

Left with himself again, Jamil returned to read the endless list of food to buy. Distractedly, he looked at the hand in which he held the sachet and he automatically smiled, pulled off the ribbon and tasted one. They were good and he thought he should tell her the next day, and then reconsider his idea: who knows what she would have thought if he had told her, it would have been better to avoid. Meanwhile, those little hearts allowed him to face work with less stress than usual.

Chapter Text

The fry air of mid-February hit (Y/n)’s cheeks like a slap as soon as she left the main structure to head towards Ramshackle, with the intent of leaving the books that were weighing a little too much on the shoulder. She was stuck on the front door of the imposing castle as soon as she felt a glacial gust of wind cross her, observing the snow laid on the streets she was supposed to walk. From the bag she took off the heavy scarf she had worn in the morning and wrapped it around her neck several times, before starting with her hands in her pockets.

At every step she had to be very careful not to slip on the ice and this forced her to focus her eyes on the grayish tiles. It was so cold that she had to stop to bring her hands close to her mouth and try to warm them with breath, creating clouds of condensation.

«(Y/n) (Y/s)-san! », she heard herself calling in the middle of her attempt to continue to have sensitivity in her fingers and didn’t have to look at him to understand whose voice it was. There was only one student, a special one, who called anyone by name and surname.

«Ortho! How nice to see you! », she greeted him, peeping out with a smile from her scarf. The little boy flew towards her, stopping just in front. «How come you are here alone? »

«The big brother is playing in the room and told me that if I wanted, I could take a walk», at first he seemed enthusiastic and then made the eyebrows take a turn of sadness, «but not having a club to participate in, I'm wandering in search of something new to learn or someone to talk to»;

«And you found me», (Y/n) concluded, continuing to smile at him, even though she had now dived back into the warm garment.

«That's right», he replied happily.

Ortho was really precious, he was so good and kind to everyone, not to mention all the love he had for his brother and those who were his friends, like her. (Y/n) had wanted to give him a gift for a long time, but she had never found the ideal opportunity, so she had seized the opportunity for Valentine's Day.

«Hey, Ortho, close your eyes», she said out of the blue, receiving an immediate puzzled look.

«Okay», he agreed, obeying the request.

As soon as he did, (Y/n) carefully opened the side zipper of her bag, trying to be as quiet as possible, to prevent him from understanding what she was doing through the sounds.

«You can open your eyes», she told him, feverish to see the reaction. In Ortho's view  appeared the girl's hands, placed towards him, and on them a small white packet, with a red ribbon. «It's for you: open it! »

The robot-boy took it, tried to understand something by scanning it, but the only information he kept receiving was that it was a gift. He pulled the ribbon and opened the wrapper by peeling off the tape, careful not to tear the paper. When he finished, he froze surprised: inside there was a bracelet made of blue wooden beads, with a pink heart in the center, also made of wood.

(Y/n) waited for his reaction, while Ortho analyzed the object over and over again, wanting to make sure his calculations were correct and that the algorithm hadn't jammed. But the answer he got was always the same: that was a bracelet for him. He raised his head to look at the girl with wide eyes. He wasn’t prepared for such a situation, it wasn’t his birthday.

«According to my databases, today there is no recurrence in progress. I cannot understand why».

«In my world there is a special day, it's called Valentine's Day. It's a festivity where you show your affection for someone else with gifts, so I decided to get one for you. I made it by my hand, I hope you like it», even though her nose was red from the cold, she decided to get her whole face out of the scarf to show him a loving smile.

Ortho was increasingly impressed. He looked at the bracelet one last time, then decided to put it on. «I will add this festivity to my databases. Thank you, (Y/n) (Y/s)-san. I'm so happy! » he chuckled, looking at his cold wrist adorned with blue beads, «how can I thank you? », he asked, feeling he owed her something in return.

«A hug will be fine», she spread her arms, ready to welcome him, «and don't worry, I won't burn», she reassured him, already knowing that his first thought would be that.

Ortho cautiously threw himself into the girl's arms, being careful that the flame on his chest didn’t come into contact with clothes and hair. Despite the cold metal body, the warmth of the blue fire seemed to warm her soul and she wanted to hold him close to her a little longer before he left.

«Where are you going now? » he asked her, looking at her.

«At my dorm, I have to leave my books. Are you coming with me? », she proposed, already taking half a step in the direction she was to take.

«Gladly! » he said, excited to spend more time with his friend who was almost like a sister to him.

Chapter Text

The classes were over, the club activities had begun and (Y/n) had the whole afternoon free to give chocolates to someone who didn't even know where he was. At least, however, she no longer had the weight of the books that burdened on her shoulder, she could wander lighter around the campus. She had met Ortho on the way back to Ramshackle dorm and accompanied her, only to leave her once she arrived at her destination. Now, freed from the excesses in the bag, she was ready for her search.

She could make it to find him, she also had a place in mind to check first. She was so determined in her initiative that the cold wasn't even that cold anymore. The brisk step, that it almost seems like a race, was charging her with adrenaline, thrilling her at the idea of giving sweets to her beloved senpai. She felt she could do it, that she wouldn’t be embarrassed, but when she found herself in front of the Botanical Garden, she suddenly nailed it. The imposing domed structure brought out all her doubts in one fell swoop. She could see some boys from the windows and, even though Trey wasn't among them, she knew he was in there somewhere. She took one step forward, and then took another step back, all the conviction she had until a few seconds before disappeared into thin air. It would have been too embarrassing to deliver the chocolates in front of all those people. What if he refused them? What would she do then? As if her doubts weren’t enough, at the chorus of too many people also joined the Professor Crewel’s voice, who apparently was overseeing the activities of the club, he himself. She was increasingly convinced to turn around, but a peek at the bag changed her mind. She had left the zipper open and from the slot she saw the sachet peeping out with its milk hearts.

«Alright! I see! », she said to herself. She plucked up courage and entered.

In the garden, all the eyes of those present were turned towards her, including that of Trey, who was meeting for the first time on that day, but she tried to focus on the professor.

«Good afternoon, Professor Crewel. I hate to disturb you, but I would like to ask if Clover-senpai can go out for a moment: I have to talk to him», she was as kind and polite as possible, to make sure that the man rewarded her with the fulfillment of the request and, to her relief, this happened.

«Clover, can you go out? », he asked.

Trey nodded, putting away the watering can in his hand and walking away with the girl that leading his way. Once outside, and making sure they were hidden from prying eyes, (Y/n) turned to confront him.

«What a pleasure to see you», he greeted her, taking off his mask and taking his glasses from his coat pocket, «what did you want to talk to me about? », he seemed curious, a feeling accentuated by the quick insertion of lenses on his nose.

«Actually... », she slurred indecisively, having no idea how to start the speech without sounding a weirdo or a total idiot - spending too much time with the trio that shared a single brain cell was having disastrous effects on her - and tried to put together something that might seem plausible.  «It's a beautiful day, isn't it? », she concluded, regretting her words immediately afterwards.

«It's actually quite cold», the boy replied, raising his head to look at the heavy white clouds that covered the whole sky.

«Er, yes, you're right». She was just making a bad impression, but at least Trey seemed not to have noticed her overkill: it was better to cut it short. «Well, I have to give you…», she put a hand in her bag, grabbing the sachet, «this! I have to give you this! », she stretched out her hands forward, her head down and her cheeks red like a tomato. «These are... made by me». It was embarrassing, it was damn embarrassing, and she thought that, at any moment, she could die because of how strong the desire to bury herself was.

She was waiting for an answer, but it was slow to arrive, rather she felt that the sachet was being stolen. She raised her head.

Trey was used to handing out sweets, his own made, but never before had he received any. It was a novelty for which he didn’t feel prepared, but, above all, he wasn’t for the vision that appeared before him. That red face, uncomfortable when she giving him chocolates, was making him feel weak and warm at heart and cheek level.

«Thank you», he replied, with a slight delay of action. He tried to smile at her, but a lopsided and trembling crease of his lips came out. He felt he had to add something else, but not a single syllable came out except a new thank you.

The discomfort had reached palpable and unbearable heights that led (Y/n) to take a step back.

«So... I should go». Her whole system asked her to retreat, maybe go back to the dormitory and never get out again.

Trey nodded. «Okay. Thanks again».

It was the signal. (Y/n) ran away, outside the gate surrounding the garden, in the direction of the building opposite, with the intention of hiding inside.

Trey watched her until she disappeared from his sight, then rolled his eyes back on the treats. Hearts... Did they mean something? Or was it just a reference to his dormitory of origin, inspired by the Queen of Hearts? He hoped really hard that it wasn’t so and that that gift had a value as deep as it was for him.

Chapter Text

The lessons had been over for a few hours, yet (Y/n) had found herself near the alchemy classroom, for no apparent reason. Inside she was sure there would be no one, but it should have been opened because she had seen that Professor Crewel was a few steps from there, in the Botanical Garden, with the boys of the Science Club. She had thought that it would be a great idea to enter it to rest a little, maybe even sit down, the important thing was not touch anything, otherwise she would have to deal with the wrath of the professor and his stern expression that would have been able to calm even the most rebellious puppy.

The Prefect was at the back of the building, so she began a tour around it so that she could find herself in front of the door. Meanwhile, she gave a quick glance into the classroom, confirming that it would be just her. Once at the entrance, she just had to push the heavy door to find herself inside, warm enough to take off her scarf.

She sighed, relieved, rubbing her hands, and turned, ready to take her place on the wooden planks, away from the concoctions. She didn’t expect at all to see there, lying in a corner, with his eyes closed, an arrogant and lazy lion.

«Leona-senpai? », she asked in surprise. She got no answer, neither a nod nor a movement of his tail or ears, and this made her think he was sleeping.

He was lying under the windows, immediately understanding why she hadn't seen him when she looked inside, and he had his arms behind his head, making a pillow out of himself. (Y/n) approached him slowly, taking care not to make the slightest noise, and sliding her scarf and bag on the floor, so that they wouldn’t get in her way. Once at his side, she watched him from above. His face was relaxed, calm, seemed harmless to see him like this, and brown locks ended up on his closed eyelids, making her want to move them.

She bent down to kneel beside him and reached out a hand to clear his face. In a lightning snap, Leona grabbed her wrist, blocking her actions. The girl made a sound of surprise and tried to get away, being held back with a deadly force that wasn’t hurting her.

«Don't you know that you should never wake up a sleeping lion? », Leona warned her, lazily opening his eyes halfway, just enough to frame her in sight.

«S-sorry, senpai, I just wanted to remove...», she stammered, leaving the sentence halfway. She couldn't explain her intentions to the boy without looking weird and stupid.

Leona clicked his tongue, grinning on his face. «What a naïve herbivore. You're such a mouse», he lifted his torso from the ground, looming over her in an instant, «and you know what lions do to little mouses like you? ». (Y/n) leaned backwards, having found Savanaclaw’s dorm leader face some inches from hers, but not improving the situation. She didn't know if asking him to continue was the best solution for her, so she opted to close the situation as quickly as possible.

«S-sorry», she tried in vain to keep her voice steady, holding his gaze, her eyes stuck in his emerald ones.

The submissive reaction he obtained made him desist from going further, apparently even annoyed. «Tch! », he hissed, before letting go of her wrist and lying on the floor again.

After a first moment of confusion, in which she looked around not knowing what to do, (Y/n) returned to turn to him.

«Leona-senpai, what are you doing here? You usually go to sleep in the Botanical Garden».

The first reaction she had was a nervous movement in one ear. «The bastard is there, I don't want him to watch me as I try to sleep».

It took her a few moments to come to the conclusion that the person Leona was talking about was none other than Rook, realizing his nervousness about it.

An awkward silence fell, in which he continued to have his eyes closed and she remained seated on her heels, kneeling next to him.

«Are you going to leave or not? », he asked annoyed, interrupting the quiet that had been created. He was right, maybe it was better to leave him alone to rest, but first...

«I have to give you something, senpai»;

«Mh? », he opened one eye, suddenly interested, watching her as she got up and went to retrieve the object in question from the bag placed not far from there. He saw her come back with wrapped chocolates, which she held out to him, holding them out to her hands.

«These. I hope you like them», she smiled to him innocently and genuinely happy to give them to him. He looked at the gift and at her with a neutral, illegible expression. Only then he answered her.

«Put them somewhere». He closed his eyes again.

(Y/n) was expected it, she could only expect a similar reaction, she would have been surprised otherwise, so she murmured a quick okay and left them there, on the floor, next to him. She got up from the ground, dusted off her skirt and decided it was time to go.

«Have a good rest, Leona-senpai», she told him after putting the scarf around her neck and the bag on her shoulder, ready to go out. She received a tired grunt in response and then left the room.

After the door was closed, Leona opened one eye again, pointing it at the transparent sachet. He smiled to himself and murmured, «That herbivore...».

Chapter Text

A ray of sunshine peeked through the impenetrable white clouds of that cold day in mid-February, making the walk of (Y/n) more pleasant than it was a few minutes before. She hoped it would warm up more, even though the day was turning into the evening and the hours that technically should have been warmer had passed. She smiled hopefully, as she walked in the direction of the narrow bridge that linked the area where her dormitory was located to the one with the Hall of Mirrors and Sam's shop. The ice on the ground had partly melted making it easier to proceed without risking slipping at every step.

She was almost close to the wooden passage when she absentmindedly turned her head towards a coniferous stain a few meters from her, curious to see if the tips were also covered with frost as Grim's fur was that morning, but looking down at the trunk she noticed a mixture of green, black and silver slumped against the wood of the most exposed tree of the group. (Y/n) was worried, fearing that the boy sitting there had felt ill and rushed to his aid. It was only after getting close enough to the subject that she noticed it was Silver and that he had only fallen asleep in the shade of the fir tree. She sighed heartened and approached him. Once next to him she looked at him, then made a quick search of the surroundings and again set her eyes on him. Rays filtered through the clouds and branches, coming to illuminate the pale and relaxed skin of the boy in patches, making him beautiful, more than usual. The light refracted looking like it was playing with his eyelashes closed and the vision left (Y/n) with her mouth open and her cheeks red, enchanted. She had to give him the chocolates and now that she had found it might have been the right time to give them to him, except that he was sleeping soundly. She made the decision to wait there until he opened his eyes, she just had to find a comfortable place to put herself so as not to get tired. All around the ground was damp or icy, so it remained as the only possibility to huddle next to Silver, where nature seemed to have reserved an ideal place for his nap. She sat down, stretching her skirt under her, with a slight discomfort that took possession of her, noticing that she was forced to get even closer to the boy, with one thigh attached to his leg and the arm above his. She felt embarrassed, but she was certain she would only have to wait a few minutes. She snuggled up better, even resting her head on one shoulder. Just a little bit and then he would wake up. She felt her eyes heavy and an unbearable tiredness that took control of her body, so she closed her eyelids, to relieve her. Only... some... Minutes...  And before she knew it, darkness fell on her and fell asleep.

A sense of calm and tranquility came to consciousness out of the blue, satisfying the sleep-intoxicated senses. Slowly everything around her began to regain stability and shape, every sense except sight - having the eyes still closed - was activated. A shy chirping touched her ears, the smell of musk, pine and male cologne tickled her sense of smell and on her skin she felt the warmth of a garment and a light weight on her shoulder. It was so pleasant that the realization was slow to arrive and when it did she opened her eyes wide, bewildered. She lifted them up to meet the lilac senpai’s ones, who was looking at her with his usual serious expression.

«Oh, you’re awake», he told her, with no changes on his face. At least (Y/n) didn't notice them. In fact, the pale cheeks now had a sprinkling of red on them. Silver had suddenly woken up with a faint sigh, and when he noticed the girl asleep on his chest, snuggled up against it, his cheeks were set on fire. He hadn’t wanted to wake her up, as she hadn’t wanted to do it with him, so he waited patiently, trying to keep her as warm as possible, hugging her and taking off the jacket of the uniform to put it on her shoulders.

It had been endless and sweet minutes, but she had woken up not long after.

«Si-Silver-senpai! », she shouted alarmedly, leaping to her feet, dropping, without realizing it, the jacket of the boy from Diasomnia and flying away a bird resting on his shoulder. Feeling the thud of the fabric on the ground, she saw the garment, realizing what he had done, picked it up and handed it to him, red in the face. «T-thanks for the jacket», she murmured.

Silver looked at her for a few seconds, then retrieved what was his property, accompanying the gesture with a nod. He also got up from the ground and put it back on himself.

«I saw you sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up, but I had to and I have to give you a gift», she explained, hoping he would understand.

«A gift for me? » he asked, surprised, and (Y/n) nodded enthusiastically, regaining her courage.

«Yes, of course! That's it! », she handed him a sachet of heart-shaped chocolates, «I made them by my hands».

Silver stared at the object and took it in disbelief. He looked at it, perched on his palms, and slowly a soft, small smile appeared on his features. «Thank you».

(Y/n)’s heart did a somersault in her chest admiring him with that expression and returned the smile happily, «don’t mention it», then she remembered hearing during the morning, in a corridor, that the Riding Horse Club had its activities for that afternoon. «Senpai, but weren't you supposed to meet with your club mates today? »

Hearing the last words, Silver sighed disconsolately. «Yes, I should have had them, but I fell asleep here. I'm late now and I better skip them».

She already imagined what would happen if he showed up at that time: both Sebek and Riddle would never stop scolding him and yelling in his ears, skipping would have been the best option.

«I see. Then I have to go. See you», she accompanied the words with a wave of her hand, walking away from him, happy to have given him chocolates, but also having services to do and knowing that she had been there too long.

Chapter Text

She didn't have so long staring at a mirror-portal as she did at that moment. She was enchanted to watch the waves that were created on the surface longer than necessary, undecided whether to cross the threshold or leave. Finally, she took a deep breath and plunged.

As always, Octavinelle's beauty took her breath away, but this now she had no time to admire around herself and set off briskly towards the Mostro Lounge. She knew it would be difficult to talk to him, it was very likely that he was immersed in his work and that if she asked him for a few minutes he would refuse, unless she used another strategy.

She had taken a seat on one of the sofas, asked one of the waiters to put her on the list so she could meet him in the VIP Room and now she had nothing left but to wait. She sighed, nervous about how it might go, fiddling with the straw of the drink she had been forced to buy, without touching it yet.

When the anxiety was starting to be unbearable, the same guy she had talked to earlier approached her and told her that it was her turn, asking her to follow him. Now she had to keep her nerve, because she was pretty sure that after Azul heard the real reasons why she was there he would try to liquidate her.

«Good afternoon and welcome to the VIP Room. How can I help you? », he greeted her as soon as she took her seat, with his usual friendly and professional smile.

(Y/n) was slow to answer him, taking the time to think about how to start. She had been sitting so much thinking about it, but every beginning seemed pitiful.

Azul's smile faded. «I don't have all day, I also have other deals to conclude, so if you want to hurr-»;

«I'm not here to do a contract with you», she interrupted him, finally talking.

The boy seemed irritated and at the same time surprised by that answer, hiding a curious vein that however had to suppress in favor of business.

«If you're not here to make a contract then I ask you to go», he turned to a pile of gold paper, leafing through them lazily, reading all the clauses that came before his eyes.

«I have to give you something», she retrieved the sachet and placed it on the table, sliding it in the direction of the other, «these to be exact. They are Valentine's Day chocolates, I made them», she quickly explained, fearing that if she took her time, he would call someone to accompany her outside.

Azul took his eyes off the contracts, with an inquiring approach. He looked at the sachet longer than expected, then looked up, turning all his attention to her, putting away the golden sheets.

«I can't accept them», he was dry, crossing his fingers on the desk.

«What? Why not? », (Y/n) widened her eyes, incredulous.

«I don't accept unilateral gifts».

That was a big trouble and (Y/n) felt stupid not to have foreseen it, it was obvious just knowing how his Unique Magic worked. Suddenly an idea came to her.

«Accept them anyway. Then in a month, during White Day, you will reciprocate by giving me white chocolate, as it’s customary in my world», she proposed. Actually, the only guys who returned the sweets during the second festivity were only those who reciprocated the feelings, but this Azul couldn’t know it and if it was needed to make sure that he took them, then she would also accept them. It was so embarrassing to think about the idea that, after exactly one month, he would come to her with white chocolates, knowing the true meaning behind the gesture, but she had to repress the blush that was beginning to manifest itself to hear what he had to say to her.

«If so, that's fine, I accept them. Now if you want to have a seat outside», he was cold and apparently indifferent to the gift and this led (Y/n) to sit her lips and sigh, expecting such an answer.

«All right», she nodded in surrender and got up, «good evening, senpai», she said bye to him as she walked to the door.

When it closed, Azul leaned on his chair, stretching his nerves a little. He glanced quickly at the bag still on his desk, feeling a strange sensation. He broke away from the backrest, resting his elbows on the table and placing his intertwined hands in front of his mouth. He stared at the object, serious, frowning. Then, finally, he took it and put it in the first drawer, not wanting anyone else to see his gift.

«Let the next one in», he announced, hoping to forget that meeting as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

It had been a tough day and it wasn't over yet, so when (Y/n) took her seat on one of the sofas of the Mostro Lounge, she hit the leather upholstery at a dead drop, stretching her legs and bringing her head backwards, on the backrest. The bag slipped from her shoulder, throwing itself beside her. She sighed, trying to gather some energy and fixed her eyes on the ceiling.

Suddenly she saw a shadow approaching her and lifted her head curiously. There she saw, in front of her table, a smiling and composed Jade, waiting to receive her attention before speaking. When she realized who he was, (Y/n) snapped in a suitable position, withdrawing her legs and standing upright. Only then Jade speaks.

«Good evening and welcome to the Mostro Lounge. Can I possibly be of service? » he asked politely and accommodatingly, like his usual attitude.

The girl's posture collapsed a little at the question, not at all surprised by it. She was in a restaurant, it was obvious that he would ask her that.

«I don't know, I just need something to regain my energy. I feel very tired», she raised her head in the direction of the boy, «can you recommend me a good drink? »

Jade watched her, thinking in the meantime about what he could prepare for her to fulfill the request, then nodded.

«I have what it can do for you. Please wait here», he retired from her with a slight bow, turning on himself and heading in the direction of the counter.

(Y/n) followed with her eyes all the movements he was making, resting an elbow on the table and a cheek on her hand. Since the morning she wanted to give Jade chocolates and now that she had met him, it seemed the right time to do it, yet she felt a feeling that told her again and again that the timing wasn’t perfect, that she had to wait. She could have already given them to him, as soon as he approached the table, but the boy's manner, friendly, but also calculating and detached, didn’t allow her to understand when she could throw herself and do it.

She saw him, from afar, shaking and adding ingredients to what she supposed to be her drink. He had taken off the coat and scarf of the uniform, to prevent them from getting dirty, remaining only with shirt, pants, bow tie and hat on his head. She had to admit that Octavinelle's uniforms wrapped the body really well, especially the trousers. Jade turned his back to retrieve an ingredient from a shelf at the top, confirming to the girl how tight the underside was. (Y/n) stared at it for a long time, before realizing what she was doing and looking away abruptly to another part. With eyes wide open and a growing blush, (Y/n) slapped herself on the cheeks to recover.

«Your drink is served, Miss», Jade had returned to her table with what he was preparing. He took it from the silver tray and handed it to her. «Please have a pleasant stay at the Mostro Lounge», he made another slight bow, ready to leave.

(Y/n) had yet to recover from her state of shock and was looking at him as if she had been caught red-handed with some crime. When she saw him take his first steps away from her, she was able to come to her senses.

«H-hey, wait! » she called him, blocking him.

Awful. Among how many things she could tell him to stop him, she chose the most awful method. «I mean», she tried to put herself together, «before you go, I have to give you something». Jade turned to her again, anew assuming his composed pose with one of his hands on top of the other. «So, if you can sit down for a moment», she made some space on the sofa.

Jade looked at the place, then went back to look at her. «I would be in service». The answer seemed a total refusal and therefore saddened the girl. «I can't stay long», he added, sitting next to her at the spot that had been reserved for him.

A smile slowly grew on (Y/n)'s face and nodded happily at his words.

«It's nothing, actually», as she spoke, she turned to her bag, retrieving the sweets she owed him, «they're just Valentine's Day chocolates», she handed them to him, holding them on both palms of her hands.

«Valentine's Day? », he asked, bringing a hand clenched in a light fist, with an inquisitive face, close to his lips.

«Yes, it's a festivity in my world where girls make sweets for the boys they care about», she explained, not understanding in what situation she had gotten herself into.

«Oh yeah? », a thin smile formed on Jade's lips showing his serrated teeth, a mirror of bad thoughts.

«Yes», she replied, unconsciously, «so accept them», she handed them closer to him.

Jade grabbed the sachet, taking it between two fingers. «Thank you», he continued to smile, this time returning to a more cordial one. «Now it's time for me to go back to work», he got up from the sofa, «I wish you a pleasant stay at the Mostro Lounge». Having said that, he left the table.

(Y/n) didn't even have time to answer him that he was already too far away, so she decided to go back to her drink, although she no longer needed to drink it, she no longer felt tired.

Chapter Text

The sky had cleared when (Y/n) returned outside. Now the clouds had gathered in tender white balls in the endless mantle that was beginning to take shades of a soft orange. That cheered her up. The air had become fresh, it was no longer cold, and for this reason the journey to the riding stable was pleasant and carefree. She was certain that the person she was looking for should be there, as she had heard during the morning that the Riding Club had gathered for its activities. She just hoped he wouldn't get mad at her for interrupting the drill.

From a distance she saw the riding stable and, in front of it, a group of boys, some with their own horses. With her eyes she scanned every single face, looking for the head of Heartslabyul, but there wasn’t even a shadow of his red head. She approached, flanking one of them, made one last attempt in the hope of seeing him, then turned to a boy, a new face for her.

«Hey, hello, excuse me? », she began shyly, getting his attention.

«Hello, tell me»;

«I wanted to know: don't you know where Riddle Roseheart-senpai is? », she asked, then feeling she had to add the reason, «I have to give him a delivery».

«Ah, yeah», the boy looked for the field in front of him and when he spotted the person they were looking for, he exclaimed «here he is! He's coming right now. You can go to meet him if you want».

(Y/n) turned her head in the direction indicated to her and saw him: he was on the back of his steed, standing upright and looking serious, but proud. He was approaching calmly, riding with elegance and experience. The orange light of the Sun that was setting behind him, colliding with him, highlighted his figure and his bearing. (Y/n) remained petrified where she was, with her mouth half open and her gaze enchanted.

«So? Aren't you going? », said the boy she had asked for information, awakening her from her daydream.

«Huh? Yeah, yeah, I go. Thank you», she dismissed him quickly, without even deigning to look at him, too attracted to Riddle on horseback.

He seemed to her just like a prince, one of those found in fairy tales, and as she approached, looking at him who had stopped and was stroking and praising the animal, she realized that her mouth had opened a little again, unable to stop the feeling of wonder she felt.

«Good evening, Riddle-senpai», she greeted him once she arrived at his side.

The boy looked at her and, as soon as he recognized her, a slight smile came to his lips. «Hi, (Y/n). Do I owe your visit to anything? »

(Y/n) didn’t want to delude herself, but it seemed quite obvious to her that her presence was pleasing the boy, reassuring her and allowing her to put aside her insecurities.

«Actually, yes», she opened the bag, taking the transparent sachet, «I came here to give you these. They are chocolates made by me», she explained, accompanying the words with a soft smile.

The curvature of Riddle's lips disappeared, making the girl believe that he wasn’t liking them, but then it returned, a little bigger than the first. «Thank you», he said, reaching out to her, to make sure that she would pass the gift to him.

From the position she was in, looking at the boy extending a hand to her from above, it seemed to her that he was calling her to get on the horse with him, in a sort of declaration of trust, but she had to put aside her dreams and place the baggie on that palm.

When he withdrew the hand, (Y/n) took a couple of steps back, embarrassed to have thought that he could really invite her to climb up his beloved horse, that he cared so much about, pointing her eyes to the grass. After she saw him put the gift in his pocket, she opened her mouth to said bye to him, but Riddle anticipated her.

«Would you like to go for a ride? », he offered.

(Y/n) thought she had misunderstood, pointed incredulous to the animal and asked «on the... horse? »;

«Yes, on Volpar».

The expression he had was serious, showing no trace that perhaps he was making fun of her, something he would never do anyway, but she was so shocked by such a proposal, thinking she could only dream of it, that she was willing to believe in a joke made by the leader of the Heartslabyul dormitory rather than the words that came to her ears.

She nodded incredulously, only finding after the courage to express herself even in words. Unfortunately, the hand extended to her, for the second time, didn’t arrive, having Riddle ordered that a stool be brought to help her climb, but at least she had found herself surrounded by his arms and her back against his chest for the whole time of the riding.

Chapter Text

She had to hurry if she wanted to give him the chocolates before the end of the club activities, the only moment when she knew for sure where to find him. She could have waited until the evening, when Tsunotaro would show up at her dorm, but she didn't know the exact time and didn't want to give them to him after midnight, so she pledged to find him earlier. She had wandered quite a bit through the corridors, looking for the classroom where his club was and finally seemed to have spotted it.

«Gargoyle Research Society», she read aloud the nameplate next to the door. She inhaled deeply and knocked. «Tsunotaro? Are you in here? », she tried to warn him, straining her ear inward. She doubted that no one was there, unable to hear any noise, but suddenly she saw the front door open. A wall of black and green cloth appeared to her, leaving her lost for a moment.

«Hi, Tsunotaro», she greeted him as soon as she met the boy's green eyes, «am I disturbing you? Can I enter? I should give you something, a gift», she smiled at him waiting.

What Malleus had just heard was the most unusual phrase ever addressed to him, after the invitation that the same girl had given him to see the VDC. He nodded happily, stepping aside to make her get indoor.

Just as she remembered from the last time, the classroom looked quite eerie enough, with all those menacing stone monsters coming out of every wall and staring at her as if they were waiting for a misstep to devour her, but over time she had come to know them, both their names and characteristics, thanks to Malleus who, during their nocturnal meetings, loved to tell about his passion, so it took little to make her fear slip away.

«Tell me everything, Child of Man», Malleus stopped in the middle of the room, waiting for the girl to tell him the reason for her visit, to give him what she had mentioned at the entrance.

«Ah, well, yes... er, yes», (Y/n) muttered a bit with words, suddenly struck by embarrassment and rummaging in the bag in search of the cellophane sachet, but also trying to buy time. When she managed to retrieve the chocolates, she turned them over in her hands, watching them as she explained. «I prepared these for a festivity in my world where girls give handmade chocolates to boys. And it falls today, so... for you! » she handed them to him.

Malleus took the bag with wide eyes. «Are these for me? »

«Yes, I made them for you», she repeated, lowering her voice, «I hope you like them».

She wasn't looking at him, so she was confused when she heard a beginning of laughter coming from him that soon turned into a real one. He was so cute when he laughed, she was glad that she was able to provoke him one.

«The more I know you, the more I realize how bold you are to be a little human», he smiled, genuinely happy with the gift he had just received.

An embarrassed smile was painted on the girl's face. «Then will you tell me what you think about the taste? »

«Of course», he nodded, «see you tonight outside Ramshackle's dormitory»;

«Yes, of course». She felt a very strong embarrassment that made her behave like a sort of robot, unsure of what to say, how to behave and how to move. «Now I have to go. We... See you tonight, yes. I go, I leave you to your activities».

(Y/n) escaped through the door as quickly as she could, feeling that her heart might burst if she remained in that room, not because of the frightening statues, but because of the boy who, with that smile, had managed to brighten her day.

Left alone, Malleus looked at the treats. Heart-shaped chocolates... No one before had ever dared to approach him and give him something so cute and sweet. Actually, no one before had ever come so close to him and stop, and this change made him happy and strange at the same time, made him feel a warmth at chest level, a pleasant one.

He put the baggie on a nearby desk, having to finish the chores related to the club before he could taste them, but often found himself looking at it and smiling, almost as if those sweets were her.

Chapter Text

Ignihyde was so dark and gloomy, shivering up (Y/n) as she crossed it guided by Ortho. The robot flew in front of her, showing her the way, and she looked around, observing the tall black skeletons at the entrance and all the monitors that illuminated her steps in the corridors. The lights had already been dimmed, although it was not so late, and she hadn’t met any living soul, making her feel even more in the wrong place.

«We've arrived», Ortho announced, stopping at a door and turning to look at her.

«Thank you».

She had met him in a schoolyard while looking for his brother, then asked him if he could take her to him to talk to him. At first, he was a little hesitant, then when she explained the reason he accepted.

«Do you want me to stay here? He might be more likely to open up to you», he proposed, already knowing that convincing Idia to have social interaction in real life could be very difficult.

«No, thanks anyway, but I have to be alone», she waved with one hand to let him know he didn't have to worry, so Ortho nodded and dismissed from her.

«You’re welcome, (Y/n) (Y/s)-san».

After she saw him turn the corner, disappearing from view, she turned to the door and knocked on it three times. She waited for an answer, walking a bit away. She waited again. And again. No voice from inside and no hint that he was about to open it. Then she tried again and more than one more time. At the end she became discouraged and believed that perhaps Ortho's help would be more useful than expected. She was already taking a few steps, wanting to go look for him, but then she thought again and made one last attempt.

«Idia-senpai, I’m (Y/n), can you open me for a moment? I have to give you something», she shouted, hoping he would hear her, somehow. The empty corridors echoed her voice, leading her to turn to them in frightened. She was completely alone and her mind sent back scaring images coming out from the darkness at the bottom. The sound of a key turning in the patch brought her back to the door, which opened a crack. From it she could only see some flaming locks of the boy and the fingers of one hand resting on the edge.

«What is it that you must give me? », the voice sounded like a whisper, barely audible despite the silence of the place.

«I don't want to give it to you here, can I come in? », she asked, wanting to at least look him in the face.

«No», he tried to close the door, but (Y/n) put her hands next to his, thus preventing him from doing so.

«Wait! Okay, okay, I'll give it to you here», she saw him open a little, showing the tips of the blue flames, «but can I at least see your face? It would be a gift».

She heard a terrified sound from behind the wood and saw his hand shaking. She was already about to tell him that it didn't matter, that she could also pass the gift to him from the crack, but then he opened up more, revealing his face.

(Y/n) was speechless: from the first glance she could see the pink on the pale skin and some strands of hair that had changed shade, in a mixture of pink and red. She decided to ignore the appearance, to avoid embarrassing him anymore, and took the sachet.

«I made them for you, senpai», she tried to pass them to him, but Idia didn't grab them.

«W-w-w... », he tried to answer, but then opened his eyes wide and slammed the door in her face. (Y/n) was hurt, so much so that she couldn't move from the place. She lowered her eyes, not knowing what to do, just wanting to hole up in her room and never get out again, then she heard the handle embraced again and Idia emerged from the open crack, holding the tablet in his hands. This time she could see not only his face, but his entire body, frantically typing something on the appliance.

«Why did you make them for me? », he said through the device.

She was very heartened to know that he hadn’t just kicked her out and she sighed relievedly. «I made them to celebrate an event in my world. It's called Valentine's Day. Do you want to celebrate it with me? »;

«How? Just giving me the treats, right? », he asked, again using the intermediary of the tablet.

«Yes, but maybe even doing something together», she proposed, «how about playing some video games? A PvP? A Battle Game? ». Her intention was to spend more time with him, face to face and not through a screen.

«And do you know how to play? », he asked, this time using his voice, intrigued by the proposal.

«Of course I know! Are you underestimating me, Shroud-senpai? Or maybe are you afraid of getting beaten by a girl? », she challenged him, knowing full well that he would never allow such an affront to slip.

«No! I don't let anyone beat me», (Y/n) had managed to ignite in him the competitive vein, he would have felt disgusting if he had refused such a challenge. A wide, eerie smile appeared on his face, «I'll tear you up».

«We'll see. So you let me in? », she stepped forward, but Idia closed the door a little.

«O-one moment», he closed it again in her face, then rushed to hide everything he didn’t want the girl to see, closed the game that was on his computer screens and even tried to put some order, although he didn’t succeed very well, then returned to her. «C-come... ».

(Y/n) didn't waste much time looking around. She threw the chocolates on the bed, walked to the computer and asked «what controller can I use? »

Idia stood beside her and passed her one, while he took another for himself, they sat on the chairs and the Ignihyde’s dorm leader started a sever.

«I chose the game, it's a PvP», he murmured, eyeing the screen.

«All right, I'll tear you anyway», she replied, grinning in his direction.

The boy also turned to look at her, his cheeks red and a small smile. (Y/n) was a girl-gamer, this made her a better person than he already thought, he was so happy. «We'll see», he announced, pressing Start.

Meanwhile, the chocolates had been forgotten on the bed.

Chapter Text

(Y/n) felt incredibly happy, over the moon, and she showed it by humming a song with tight lips. The way to the dormitory didn't seem so long after such a day and the sunset that colored the sky pink, orange and red did nothing but visually represent her mood. Grim walked beside her, looking at her between perplexed and annoyed. Why was his minon so stupid? He, the Great Grim, the future greatest wizard of all time, deserved someone smarter as his subordinate.

«Have you finished singing? You gave the chocolates, you're done celebrating this stupid festivity», he still felt offended. She had given chocolates to someone else and nothing to him.

«Actually, I'm not done yet», (Y/n) pulled another sachet full of chocolate hearts out of her bag, «I still have these», showed them to Grim who was already about to complain, but the girl added, «these are for you».

For a moment it seemed to him that he had heard wrong, but seeing the smile she was giving him he had no more doubts. «Nya-ah! I knew you couldn't forget the Great Grim, it was obvious you had chocolates for me, you know? C’mon, give it to me! I want to eat them now! »

The monster climbed on her shoulder, immediately stretching his paws forward, craving the treats. (Y/n) smiled at the reaction. It was typical of Grim, but she loved him as he was. She opened the sachet and gave him one of them, which the monster immediately scratched happily.

Everything was so perfect. The whole day had been perfect. She only hoped to receive some white chocolate the following month.

Chapter Text

Leona clicked his tongue, grinning on his face. «What a naïve herbivore. You're such a mouse», he lifted his torso from the ground, looming over her in an instant, «and you know what lions do to little mouses like you? ». (Y/n) leaned backwards, having found Savanaclaw’s dorm leader face some inches from hers, but not improving the situation.

«Do they eat them?», she replied, sounding more like a question; the breath trembling, but eyes fixed on his.

Leona was satisfied with what he had heard. He smiled proudly and got even closer to the girl's face. «That's right», he sighed on her lips, immediately closing the gap between them. A sweet and wild kiss at the same time, was the only way to describe it. The response had been immediate and having her wrist still clawed by the beast-man, who now held her more gently, but always firmly, made her feel free and at his mercy. Her head began to spin when she felt the lion deepen, but the desire for it not to stop was stronger than ever.