Sunny Valentine
There are two bags full of chocolate in front of Ryo.
It is an assortment of different shapes and sizes and colors. There are the classic valentine heart shaped ones in red wrappers. Then the more traditional chocolate bars. Then an assortment of small ones in nicely decorated plastic bags. Then there are the small ones, obviously taken from a pack of bite-sized chocolates that are, for some reason, so ridiculously expensive on only one day of the year.
Then there are the letters, confessions inked on paper, dramatic declarations of love. They are wrapped in the nicest-looking envelopes with all sorts of on-theme designs, some with flowers to accompany them and some sprayed with sweet-smelling perfume.
Ryo watches as Nijika sorts through the bags.
There is mirth dancing in her eyes as she takes her time reading each letter and carefully stacking them on top of each other at her side. Then she samples each chocolate, and Ryo studies her expressions more than she listens to her comments after each one. She watches the way Nijika’s features twist as she tastes a particularly bitter one and the way her smile brightens when she finds one that suits her taste. And Ryo is both thankful and smug— thankful because, without the chocolates, this would not be a thing; smug because she is the only one witnessing this display of various cute expressions.
As it should be.
Then Nijika gets to Ryo’s bag and the barely perceptible smug smile on her face falters. Just a little.
“You got so much and you don’t even like chocolates.” Nijika says as she starts sorting through the contents of the bag, and Ryo straightens, resting her chin on her hand as she watches Nijika pull out everything. Compared to the colorful assortment of chocolates Nijika’s bag had, Ryo’s is all dark colors and off-theme decorations. As if they had all collectively concluded that the more eccentric it looked, the more it would attract her attention.
They are not wrong, but that would require Ryo to actually give a damn about the chocolates first.
“Jealous?”
Nijika pauses and makes a face at her before continuing. “No, I’m kinda sad that people went out of their way to buy or make these and you’re not even going to eat any of them.”
“That’s why I have you.”
“And that’s how I’ll end up sick.”
“Then I’ll take care of you.” Ryo shrugs, all too ready and willing. “Win-win.”
Nijika looks at her incredulously. “In what universe does me getting sick count as a win?”
“You get nursed back to health by the quintessential nurse.” Ryo leans back and holds her head high, a hand on her chest as she poses, exaggerated and dramatic. “Isn’t that the greatest W?” Nijika looks unimpressed, but Ryo has years to master reading her to not see the clear amusement in her eyes at her antics. She tampers down a smile.
“Seriously,” She sighs. “Where do you get that confidence? And I’d still rather not get sick at all thank you very—”
Nijika pauses. Stares.
Ryo tries not to stiffen.
She watches as Nijika’s surprise turns into confusion as she examines the chocolate bar in her hands. In a sea of cool colors and eccentric designs, the chocolate stands out with its simplicity, bright yellow wrapping tied with a red polka-dot ribbon.
“This is…”
“Well, that’s one way to stand out.” Ryo casually comments as she slowly slumps back into her chair. Her gaze shifts to the table as she reaches for a discarded ribbon and starts playing with it, looping it around her fingers then tugging then unraveling, then doing it all over again.
She does not look back up.
But she hears the ribbon being loosened, spotting one end in her peripheral. Then the crinkling of paper. Then a quiet gasp.
Then silence.
Ryo waits for a grand total of five seconds before she is looking up and reaching across the table to pluck the chocolate out of—
Nijika is looking at her with the brightest smile in existence and Ryo’s hand reaches for a random one from Nijika’s stack instead.
“This is not bad.” She says coolly as she pops the chocolate in her mouth and fights to keep an even expression. Because it is bad, all too sickeningly sweet and weird textures. But Nijika is still wearing that damn smile, and so Ryo pops another, and another, as if the sickening sweetness would save her from turning into a gooey mess in her chair.
Let this be a reminder to stop leeching off Bocchi for a while. She is clearly rubbing off her.
“I think someone misplaced their chocolate.” Nijika finally speaks, staring straight at her. Ryo shifts her gaze down and the big bold letters of a popular but expensive chocolate brand stares back at her.
The same chocolate brand that Nijika offhandedly mentioned wanting to try last week. When it was only her and Ryo and PA-san and Manager-san. And the latter two were way too busy doing their own stuff to actually be listening.
In hindsight, Ryo should have tried harder if she did not want to be found out.
“Huh, what a shame.” She says, in the fakest sad tone she could muster, completely giving up trying to hide anything.
“Mhm, such a shame.” Nijika says in an equally fake tone as she opens it and takes a bite, and Ryo did not think her smile could get even brighter. But it does, and Ryo thinks that another month of eating weeds is worth it, if she gets this in return.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah!” Nijika nods excitedly, taking one bite after the other, and Ryo thinks, yep.
Definitely worth it.
“Good.”