Yuusha Party No Kawaii Ko Ga Ita No De, Kokuhaku Shite Mita (LN) Volume 3 Ss1 Part2

Side Story ① : I received a chocolate (part 2/2)

“Hold it. Isn’t that reaction rude to someone who has just greeted you?” [Mikana]

“You have no right to make that a.s.sertion when you’re calling someone ‘commoner’. I think that’s even more rude.” [Youki]

“It’s not like I can help it. I don’t know your name.” [Mikana]

Come to think of it, I hadn’t introduced myself to Mikana at all. Even though I had told Yuuga my name, I hadn’t done the same with her. Well, it didn’t really matter, since I had no intention of becoming more closely acquainted with her, anyway. I didn’t feel that it was necessary for us to call each other by our names. She even referred to Raven, who had been acquainted with her far longer than me, as “swordsman.” So, it was of no concern even if she called me ‘commoner’.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have been bothered by something so trivial. I’m fine being a ‘commoner’. More importantly, what’s with this long queue?” [Youki]

“No, you should be concerned about it. Well, if you don’t mind it, then it’s fine with me. This is a queue of girls who are waiting to give their chocolates to Yuuga.” [Mikana]

“Ah, I see. I suddenly lost interest in this. Do your best to protect your childhood friend so he won’t be s.n.a.t.c.hed away by other girls, then. See ya.” [Youki]

I waved my hands as I turned around, deciding to leave the place. Looking at that scene made me wonder why Yuuga was so popular and why there was such a long queue just for him. However, rather than wasting my time finding out the reason, it was a better idea to wander around the neighbourhood. Just the sweet atmosphere here was more than enough to make me feel sick to my stomach, so lingering around here any longer would just further contribute to my stress.

“Wait a minute, aren’t you’re leaving too soon?” [Mikana]

“That’s because I’m not interested in this at all. Staying here will just be a waste of time and it doesn’t seem like this queue is moving at all.” [Youki]

It was pointless to remain here since it didn’t seem like anything would happen, and if it did, it would be troublesome. In other words, staying was a waste of time.

“This queue happened because Yuuga, the ‘leading man’, has yet to make his appearance, right? It would probably become more chaotic if he appears. More importantly, are you fine not joining the queue? You won’t hand your chocolate to Yuuga?” [Youki]

Considering all the times she kept saying how much she liked him, it would be impossible for her not to do anything at an event like this. Although, it would certainly be hard for her to get the opportunity to hand it to Yuuga if she were to join this queue. She would also need a considerable amount of courage to line up with all these zealous female fans.

“…I made one before I came here. But, I’m not that good at cooking so…” [Mikana]

Mikana took out a clumsily wrapped box of chocolates. Even though she made it herself, she wasn’t that confident in the taste. I wondered if I should give her some words of encouragement and tell her that it really is the thought that counts.

While I was silent as I pondered the words I would choose to motivate her, a suspicious looking person approached me. He wore a hood over his head.

“Hey, it’s been a while.” [Suspicious person]

“Sorry, but I don’t know anyone who dresses as shadily as you do. Besides, I’m busy right now, so please go hara.s.s someone else.” [Youki]

At the moment, I was trying to figure out the right words to console the crestfallen magician, so I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with the sketchily-dressed stranger.

“It’s me. You don’t recognize me?” [Suspicious person]

“Didn’t I tell you that I’m busy? Go swindle someone else.” [Youki]

“No, that’s what I was… Eh, Mikana? You’re here, too? Is this the place we’re supposed to meet?” [Suspicious person]

This hooded guy seemed to be one of Mikana’s acquaintances. Not recognizing him was a blunder on my part. Usually I would have, but since I was too absorbed in my thoughts, his voice didn’t register this time.

“Eh… Yuuga?” [Mikana]

Mikana’s face lit up instantly. She was certainly a fickle one.

“The location of the event should be farther on the other side, right? So, I thought the place we’re supposed to meet is on the other side, too.” [Yuuga]

“You’re still not there even after our promised time, so I went looking for you. Good grief…” [Mikana]

“My bad, my bad. For some reason, there are a lot of people today. It would be bad if they discovered me, so I went back to get a robe to conceal my face. Thank you for searching for me.”

Had he initially planned to meet with her without first concealing his face? I wished he had realized the extent of his own popularity. At least he had the awareness to go back to pick up his robe.

“It’s fine. I don’t really mind it. Leaving that aside, let’s hurry up and go there now. It’s because of you that we’re late.” [Mikana]

“I understand… Oh, is that chocolate in your hand?” [Yuuga]

Yuuga noticed the item in Mikana’s hand. He was unexpectedly sharp today even though he was usually dense.

“Eh? T-That’s right. I was thinking of giving it to you…” [Mikana]

“Really?! Thank you!” [Yuuga]

Yuuga ripped off the wrapping paper and began stuffing himself with the chocolates right on the spot. It did strike me that his eating behaviour was rude. Though strangely, what captured my attention most was the way he was wolfing down all those chocolates as if they were the tastiest things on earth, even though Mikana was convinced she had failed in getting the taste right. It looked as though he was contentedly polis.h.i.+ng off all the chocolates in the box.

“Y-Yuuga, that… They don’t taste nice, right? I’m not that good at cooking, so…” [Mikana]

“What are you talking about? They’re delicious. Also, since I usually receive chocolates from you every year, it wouldn’t feel complete today unless I taste your chocolate.” [Yuuga]

I couldn’t tell what kind of expression he had on his face at that moment, but he was probably flas.h.i.+ng his signature smile that had captured the hearts of numerous women. Those words of his just now must’ve swept Mikana off her feet.

Although, it was despicable of him to say such things to another girl when the one he had claimed to like was Cecilia. No, it was probably not just Mikana. It was possible that he had made the same remark that could easily be misunderstood to other girls, too. That might be what had resulted in that long queue today.

Those thoughts went through my mind as I continued watching the course of events. The moment Yuuga started speaking to Mikana earlier, I slipped away from them and then proceeded to eavesdrop on their conversation by strengthening my sense of hearing.
The reason why I distant myself from them was simply because Yuuga was a ‘flag maker’. Even though he had concealed his face with a hood, he was still talking right in front of his long queue of fans. That was why…

“Eh? That’s Yuuga-sama, isn’t it?”

“Mikana-sama is standing next to him, too.”

“Eh, really?!”

The fans who noticed Yuuga’s presence were thrown into a state of frenzy. I had not forgotten about the commotion that had happened the last time we were at the accessory shop. I refused to go through such an experience again, so I was earnestly relieved that I had slipped away from them in advance when I saw Mikana and Yuuga being mobbed by their fans.

“…I guess I’ll go back.” [Youki]

I turned around, leaving the scene of chaos behind me and made my way back to the inn. While I was searching around to see if there was another unfortunate soul like me, I stumbled upon someone I knew again.

“Eh, Sheik? It’s rare to see you taking a walk around town.” [Youki]

“Ah, Captain! Long time no see!” [Sheik]

Sheik appeared happy-go-lucky as usual. For some reason, he lifted his hand up as if asking for a high five, so I responded. Crying “Yea,” we high-fived each other with a resounding slap. My mood had somehow improved in that instant. I was thankful that Sheik was a mood-maker. It was a huge difference from Yuuga, the ‘flag maker’.

“What’s up? You seem to be in good mood. Did something good happen?” [Youki]

“I got a chocolate from Celia-san!” [Sheik]

My mood hit rock bottom instantly. I hadn’t expected Sheik to receive a chocolate from someone as well. I couldn’t even bring myself to laugh anymore at this point.

“Hahaha… I see. Good for you. Be sure to appreciate it and don’t waste the chocolate, okay? It’s getting dark now, so it’s better for you to head back or Celia-san will be worried.” [Youki]

“Okay. I’ll be going back soon, then. See ya, Captain.” [Sheik]

“Take care on your way back, alright?” [Youki]

I became even more depressed as I watched Sheik disappearing into the crowd. As I made my way back, I fervently wished that I wouldn’t encounter anyone else today, as I didn’t want to experience more of these emotions.

At long last, when I finally arrived at the inn, it suddenly dawned on me that my room was no longer a private refuge. The instant I opened the door, I was greeted by an overbearing, lovey-dovey spectacle of Tiel-chan hand-feeding chocolate to Gai. It was the so-called, “Aahn~” kind of scene.

“I’m bac– I think I’ll go out again.” [Youki]

“Wait, brat! You got it all wrong–” [Gai]

I closed the door to my room and left the inn hastily. Among the ones I had encountered today, I earnestly felt that the one who should really go explode was that d.a.m.n statue. Tiel-chan seemed happy earlier as she was feeding him though.

I wonder if there’s a place for me.

“What should I do…” [Youki]

It was already night time, and it didn’t seem possible for me to return to the inn for dinner, so my only other choice was to dine outside by myself. At that moment, my state of mind became strange, probably because of the situation that I had ended up in, so I had an urge to mess around in town. I supposed I could put on my chuuni outfit and pay a visit to all the different eateries around the place.

“Are you up to no good again, Youki-san?”

Just when I decided to spend my night binge eating, I heard a voice behind me. It nearly gave me a heart attack, figuratively and literally. My chest pounded as I turned around and saw Cecilia there. I could recognize the owner of this voice the moment I heard it, so I wasn’t particularly surprised this time. However, what concerned me most was the huge bag she was holding in her hand.

“N-No well, I wasn’t up to anything at all?” [Youki]

“Just as I thought. You did have some kind of scheme in mind, didn’t you? You’re really easy to read.” [Cecilia]

It seemed that she had found me out, probably because she caught me stuttering unintentionally. It was also possible that I appeared visibly shaken at the moment. Receiving a lecture from her would only make me feel even more depressed, so I decided to change the subject.

“Ahaha… Anyway, what are you doing outside at a time like this? Your usual carriage doesn’t seem to be around.” [Youki]

“You’re changing the subject, aren’t you? …Well, it’s fine then. I was walking around to get my errands done today.” [Cecilia]

“Seriously? Was it alright? I mean, even if you’re wearing a disguise, you’re still a n.o.ble and celebrity here, right?” [Youki]

I grew worried since I had just witnessed what happened to Yuuga and Mikana earlier. However, I knew that, unlike the two of them, Cecilia was someone who was extremely cautious. In the first place, I was surprised that Celia-san actually allowed Cecilia to walk around by herself.

“It was fine. Everyone in town was all keyed up today, and I was also wearing a robe so I wouldn’t get noticed.” [Cecilia]

“But are Celia-san and Sophia-san fine with it?” [Youki]

“I received permission from them. Mother even said that she’ll be leaving her daughter in your care.” [Cecilia]

“Eh?” [Youki]

Even though Cecilia explained it to me with a smile on her face, I didn’t really understand what was going on. For the time being, I understood that Celia-san had entrusted Cecilia to me, but I didn’t know what to do now.

While I was contemplating my next step, a familiar sounding low growl reverberated from my belly, rendering us silent. Come to think of it, I hadn’t had lunch, let alone dinner.

“It seems that you haven’t had your dinner yet. Actually, I haven’t eaten yet as well. Would you like to have dinner with me?” [Cecilia]

It was unexpected for Cecilia to invite me to dinner. Normally, a guy would be the one to initiate the invitation first, but she beat me to it. No, that wasn’t the issue here. What surprised me was the fact that Cecilia had invited me. There was no way I would pa.s.s up a chance like this.

“Yes, of course! I’ve been wandering all over the town the whole day today, so I’m starving now.” [Youki]

“I see. So that’s why. There’s place that I’d like to recommend. Would it be fine to have our meal there? It’s not too far from here.” [Cecilia]

Upon my consent, we began making our way to the place Cecilia recommended. I usually travelled with her by carriage, so it had been a long time since we had last walked together like this. Possibly because it was also night time, my heart was pounding pretty fast. Since it was impossible for someone like me, whose mind was still immature, to hold her hand, I tried cracking jokes to gloss over the awkward atmosphere. If Duke were to know of this, he might say that I was a coward. Even so, Cecilia was really like an angel to me. She actually laughed as she listened intently to my stupid stories.

While maintaining such an ambience between us as we walked, we eventually reached our destination. As I was desperately racking my brain to come up with various conversation topics, I had not realized that we had entered a street where rows of luxurious shops were lined up. It wasn’t a place where I would normally ever set foot in at all.

“Umm… I have a feeling that I seriously stick out like a sore thumb here. Will it be alright?” [Youki]

The people entering the stores here were from the top of society, mostly gentlemen and ladies who were dressed in the most expensive-looking clothing. In contrast, my clothing was casual, broadcasting for all to see that I was a common peasant. If I had known that I would be coming to a place like this, I would have given some thought to how I was dressed beforehand.

“It’ll be fine. The place that we will be going to now is the one that Mother usually frequents. The employees there won’t mind it as well.” [Cecilia]

“Celia-san’s regular place?! Somehow, I’m antic.i.p.ating it even more now. But still…” [Youki]

Even if the employees weren’t concerned about it, there was a possibility that the other customers would mind. Myself aside, I didn’t want them to be speaking ill of Cecilia as well.

“You don’t have to worry so much about it. Come on, let’s go!” [Cecilia]

Cecilia grasped my arm and pulled me inside the shop. Was Cecilia usually so forceful? While the thought crossed my mind, I didn’t mull over it long as I didn’t mind her a.s.sertiveness. There was no need to say anything unnecessary and risk ruining the atmosphere between us.

The interior of the shop was lavishly decorated with never before seen furnis.h.i.+ngs, and it was just as huge as I had expected. The place somehow resembled Cecilia’s mansion, but I had never been to such a shop before. It seemed that while I was still dumbfounded by the sight of the shop’s interior, Cecilia took the time to speak to the employee. I wasn’t sure what they had talked about, but it probably concerned the availability of seating in the shop.

We were then guided by the employee to a table and sat down facing each other. Even though I was handed a menu, I decided to leave the ordering to Cecilia. I wasn’t sure what tasted best among the numerous selections in the menu, so I decided to trust her judgment. It was embarra.s.sing that I was depending on her, but I had no choice but to swallow my pride and ask for her help. I drew a sigh of relief after seeing Cecilia placing the order, as if she was already accustomed to it. If it were up to me, I would have gone about it much more awkwardly.

“It feels like I’ve just entered a totally different world somehow; it makes me really restless.” [Youki]

“Is it your first time coming to a shop like this?” [Cecilia]

“In the first place, I’ll not come to this area at all. If I eat out, I’ll generally go to the restaurants in town instead, as I usually try not to splurge too much.” [Youki]

In a sense, I was saving money for the future, to be specific, to save up enough money to support a family in the future.

“That’s amazing… You’re unexpectedly level-headed, aren’t you?” [Cecilia]

“Hold on. What kind of person do I usually look like to you?” [Youki]

“That’s… a secret.” [Cecilia]

Certainly, I did realize that I was reckless, but I still get things done when needed, too. …It might be because of the strong impression I had left when I ran amok as the Magic Knight of Black Lightning. I supposed it was something that only Cecilia knew.

We had a short idle chat before the dishes were served. However, it surprised me that I had never before seen the majority of them. Even the ones that I had seen were made of higher-quality ingredients than what I was used to, so I felt hesitant to eat them unknowingly.

“Then, shall we start?” [Cecilia]

“Yeah, let’s dig in.” [Youki]

However, my switch was triggered by my hunger after Cecilia’s words. At that point, I had completely disregarded that I had plates of high-cla.s.s cuisine in front of me, and I devoured the food without paying any attention to my dining etiquette. A smile etched across Cecilia’s face as she quietly watched me devour my meal, while, in contrast, she ate her food slowly and politely.

After our meal, I had initially offered to pay the bill. For some reason, Cecilia refused to budge, so I demurred. In exchange, I invited her out for another meal with me so I could return the favour. Even though I had asked her out on date on the spur of the moment, to my surprise, she still consented to it. I was so ecstatic that all my earlier depression seemed like a distant memory.

“Shall we go back?” [Cecilia]

“Yeah… wait, don’t tell me that you’re planning to walk back?” [Youki]

“Yes, that’s right.” [Cecilia]

It would take quite some time to return to Aquarain’s mansion by foot, and it was also late at night already. It would be dangerous for a girl to walk back by herself, so I decided to accompany her home. Walking alone with her in the darkness of the night, while only being illuminated by the light from the moon, created an ethereal-like illusion. As I wasn’t feeling that tense compared to earlier, I was able to keep the conversation going easily.

This pleasant experience pa.s.sed in a blink of an eye and we soon reached the mansion. I was relieved that nothing had happened on the way back. At the same time, my feelings were conflicted. It was disappointing to realize that we would be parting just like this.

“Youki-san, it’ll be fine here. Thank you for escorting me home.” [Cecilia]

“No, I am only doing what is natural. Celia-san would be angry if I were to let you walk back by yourself at night.” [Youki]

“How can you call yourself a man if you would do such a heartless thing as allowing the girl you like to return alone? That wouldn’t do, would it?”

That sounded like something she would say. It seemed that Cecilia had also visualized a similar lecture in her mind, too, so we both ended up laughing.

“Ah, I almost forgot about it. Youki-san, please accept this.” [Cecilia]

Cecilia took a box out from the large bag that had piqued my curiosity since a while ago.

“This, could it be…” [Youki]

“Today’s Valentine’s Day, so I thought of expressing my thanks for all you’ve done. Would you accept this?” [Cecilia]

I almost shouted out loud with joy. I had originally planned to curse all the popular guys in front of the mirror once I returned to the inn today, but I changed my mind. That was because I was also one of them now. It would seem that my spring time (1) had finally come. Just receiving these candies from the girl I liked almost made me jump to conclusions like this.

“I love sweet things, so of course I’ll accept it. Thank you.” [Youki]

There were many things going through my mind at that moment, but I didn’t reveal my emotions. Even though I was on cloud nine, I acted nonchalant as I received the box. I wondered what was in it; it seemed too heavy to contain only chocolates. Being that the contents were given to me by Cecilia, it didn’t really matter what they were. I strongly desired to return to the inn as soon as possible to open the box. It was a shame to be parting with Cecilia, but since we had already reached the mansion, there was no reason to detain her any longer. However, just when I thought of bidding her farewell and take my leave, Cecilia suddenly dropped a bomb.

“I’m glad that you’re pleased. This is the last one. I’ve finished distributing them to everyone now.” [Cecilia]

“Eh? Everyone?” [Youki]

I seemed to have misheard her somehow. Cecilia appeared relieved for some reason. It might have been just my imagination, but I decided to confirm it with her, just in case. It appeared that she had been distributing the chocolates to all her acquaintances as a token of grat.i.tude since this morning, and the dinner earlier was suggested by Celia-san. I guessed Celia-san was concerned of me in her own way. Well, Cecilia seemed to be having fun, too, so Celia-san had undoubtedly provided a great a.s.sistance.

“Thank you for keeping me company today. Let’s go out for a meal together again. I shall take my leave now.” [Cecilia]

“Ah, yeah… Let’s go out again. Then I’ll be going back now, too.” [Youki]

After leaving Cecilia, I went straight back to the inn, making no detours along the way, but by the time I got there it was already so late that Tiel-chan had left, and Gai, probably due to exhaustion, had fallen asleep. It was then I decided to modify his wings out of spite. The theme that I had chosen was airplane wings, but it seemed to be a major mismatch to have such mechanical looking wings on a demon. Though this was considered the most hilarious looking one of all my previous work, it didn’t move me to laughter. Rather I heaved a sigh and sat on my bed as I looked at the box Cecilia had given me.

“Since she has given one to everyone, this should be ‘obligation chocolate’(2).” [Youki]

I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment. I shouldn’t have such high expectations since there were people who hadn’t received even a single chocolate. Nonetheless, the hope that welled up inside me was unbearable.

“Since she took the trouble to give it to me, I should eat them.” [Youki]

I opened the box, only to find a bag of cookies and a chocolate cake. The cake was homemade I supposed, since an icing ‘Thank you’ was written across the top.

“Thank you, Cecilia…” [Youki]

That night, I finished the whole cake as I cried. It felt like a waste to finish the cookies as well, so I went to sleep without eating them.
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The day after the Valentine’s Day…

“Oi, brat! Wake up! My wings look strange. That must be your doing, isn’t it?!” [Gai]

While I was rubbing my eyes sleepily, Gai barked his question as he moved his wings. The sight of his airplane wings moving up and down was revolting.

“Ah, morning. Those wings are a present from me to Gai, the ‘lo-riajuu‘ (3). You can fly off to your beloved Tiel-chan with that pair of wings right away.” [Youki]

The wings should power up his flying speed by several folds.

“Stop s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with me! Who the heck is ‘lo-riajuu‘?! Change my wings back this instant! Also, Tiel and I are not in that kind of relation–” [Gai]

“Yeah, alright, alright. Too much information.” [Youki]

I left the room, disregarding Gai, who was yapping noisily behind me. There was no doubt about it, Gai was definitely a ‘lo-riajuu‘.

…Although, what is ‘lo-riajuu‘? It would seem that my brain was quite imaginative.

I then walked out, thinking of having breakfast, but for some reason, I stumbled upon Duke in the lobby.

“Yo, Captain.” [Duke]

“It’s still early in the morning. Is there something you need from me?” [Youki]

“No, it’s not really a big issue. I have knight duties today, so I’m here just for a quick chat.” [Duke]

If he had duties to handle today, he didn’t need to force himself to come here. Was it really going to be just a quick chat?

“Is it about the incident between Raven and Happiness yesterday?” [Youki]

I was really curious about it, so I would appreciate it if he could tell me what happened after that. Even if it wasn’t related to that, I’d still like to hear about it.

“Oh, that? They were still in that state even after you went back, but… he suddenly received an order to suppress a riot in town, so he headed there right away.” [Duke]

“I think I have an idea about the riot you were talking about.” [Youki]

I wished they would stop causing trouble for Raven. It was hard enough to build up the right mood between Raven and Happiness, but they had to go and ruin it. Considering the size of the riot yesterday, it wouldn’t have been easy for Raven to suppress it.

“I was also sent out to help him, but it was really tough. After the commotion ended, the Hero and Magician bowed their heads repeatedly to Raven. To be precise, the Magician forced the Hero to bow his head.” [Duke]

“It’s tough on Mikana, too… So, what happened to Happiness’s chocolate in the end?” [Youki]

“Rest a.s.sured. Happiness went to the riot site, too. After everything ended, she handed the chocolate to him nonchalantly, as though she was giving him a reward for a job well done.” [Duke]

There were probably several knights who felt a spear of envy when they saw that scene. Regardless, it was great that their Valentine’s Day ended on a good note.

“I see. Duke should be relieved, too. If things took a turn for the worst, you would have to step in and do something about it.” [Youki]

“Seriously. This will be the last time I’ll be their mediator.” [Duke]

Or so he said, but Duke must have forgotten about White Day. Since Valentine’s Day exists in this world, there must be White Day, too.

“It must be really tough on you… Do your best. I’ll support you in any way I can.” [Youki]

“No, please spare me the trouble. …Ah, I almost forgot about the main subject. Captain must be feeling glad, right? You got your Valentine, didn’t you?” [Duke]

Duke’s question had led me into the very subject I wanted to avoid. Judging from what he said, he must have received one from her, too.

“Well, yeah. I did.” [Youki]

“Just as I thought! Raven, Happiness and I also received one from Cecilia. That’s why I thought Captain might’ve received it as well, so I came here to ask you about it.” [Duke]

It was an unneeded concern. He was probably worried about me after seeing my state yesterday, but I’d like him to leave me alone this time.

“I see. So you’re here to ask if I have received them…” [Youki]

“But those cookies are really tasty. Raven and Happiness said they’re delicious, too.” [Duke]

Since I hadn’t eaten the cookies yet, I didn’t understand what he was saying. I only finished eating the cake yesterday. Well, seeing as the cookies were made by Cecilia, they should be tasty.

“Hmm, is that so? I’ll look forward to eating some. The cake tasted good so I’m expecting the cookies to be the same.” [Youki]

“…What cake? Did you receive another one from someone else?” [Duke]

“…Eh? I mean the cake. The chocolate cake.” [Youki]

“No, that’s what I was telling you. I don’t know you’re talking about.” [Duke]

At first, I thought Duke was feigning ignorance, but it seemed that he really didn’t know anything about it. Could it be that I was the only one who received that?

“…ALRIIIGHTT–!!” [Youki]

“Uwa!? What’s wrong?” [Duke]

I was so ecstatic that I pumped my fist in the air, surprising Duke. I would definitely not explain it to him. However, seeing as I was in good mood, I decided to treat him to a meal.

“Alright. Let’s go out for a meal later. It’ll be my treat. Invite Happiness and Sheik along as well.” [Youki]

“Eh? Are you for real? It’s rare for Captain to be saying such a thing. There is no reason for them to decline it, so I’ll let them know. We’ll meet up at night then.” [Duke]

“Ou, see you.” [Youki]

I bade Duke farewell happily, in a totally different mood than before. Needless to say, after the four of us a.s.sembled for a meal together that night for the first time in a long time, my wallet became much lighter.

(1) Spring time = Season of love
(2) Obligation chocolate = Giri choco (義理チョコ). A chocolate that was given by women to men on Valentine’s day in j.a.pan. It is usually given by women to their male co-workers, casual acquaintances, and others to whom they have no romantic attachment.
(3) lo-riajuu = Loli + Riajuu. The origin of this word is unknown, but it is found used on Nico Nico Douga (A j.a.panese video website) for the anime ‘Ro-Kyu-Bu!’ (An anime about the protagonist with a group of lolis)