"Senpai, that was outrageous."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Senpai, seriously, that was completely unacceptable!"
"Yeah, yeah. How many times are you going to say it?"
"Until Senpai truly realizes your mistake! My legs are still trembling right now!"
The beautiful ash-blonde girl huffed as she slapped his shoulder in annoyance. She wore an expression of shock, as if just returning from hell. "It's so strange. I've never been this scared on a roller coaster before. But today, with Senpai, the fear felt... unnaturally deep somehow..."
"Isn't that because I deliberately scared you with my words?"
Yuu glanced at her and extended his hand.
Iroha naturally took it with both hands, letting her cold fingers warm up again—right down to her heart. Then she proudly continued:
"I'm not that easily frightened. I only screamed to look cuter~ Senpai, you fell for it too!"
"You're amazing," Yuu said, shrugging. He changed the subject. "Want to go on the teacup ride next?"
"Not yet. Let's go to the haunted house first!" Iroha tightly hugged his arm, pressing her soft body against him, and pointed her finger high toward the haunted house.
Yuu lowered his head, meeting her round, cute eyes.
"...You really do love things that make you scream."
"It's not that I like it—it's that guys love girls who face challenges and scream out of fear."
Leaning on his arm, she looked ahead and whispered, "To make Senpai like me more, this is just the basic strategy."
Yuu paused for a moment. "I think your tactics are already pretty advanced."
"Hm? What do you mean? Are you saying you already like me that much? Sorry, even though I'm happy, if you're going to confess, please do it properly—or else I'll pretend I didn't hear anything..."
Yuu sighed resignedly. "Alright, alright. One daily mission is enough."
"This is all Senpai's fault!" Iroha said with a smile, her cheeks slightly flushed.
They waited in line briefly and soon entered the hospital-themed haunted house.
The path was dark, lit only by a flashlight illuminating one corner of the messy room. Yuu walked slowly, with Iroha clinging to his side.
"Senpai, if a ghost jumps out and chases us..."
"Kick it through the wall."
"That's obviously not allowed?! Your thinking is way too brutal!"
"Then should I carry you and run?"
"Hmm, that sounds tempting... But the staff will definitely see. I'd feel embarrassed—better not."
Yuu rolled his eyes. "This isn't okay, that isn't okay. Do you want me to scare you with the ghosts?"
"Senpai is usually smart—why can't you think about this?"
As if giving up on him, Iroha let out a long sigh. Her fingers waved in front of her, sketching out a scene in her imagination.
"When we're in danger, the most romantic and cool thing would be—'I'll hold them off here, you run first! I'll catch up soon!' Senpai must become the hero for your kouhai!"
"Then what? Leave you alone in the dark?" Yuu scoffed and rejected the idea. "I don't want to be that kind of hero. I'd rather be selfish. I'll carry you and run as far as possible. Even if we die being chased by ghosts, at least we won't be alone on our way to the afterlife."
"..."
In the darkness, she seemed to tilt her head up and stare at him blankly. Her steps unconsciously slowed.
Then, suddenly, a small giggle escaped.
"Hehe... Senpai really can't act cool. That answer gets a zero from any normal girl."
"Really?" Yuu chuckled too. He strolled casually with her through the eerie haunted house. "So in your eyes, what score did I get?"
"Ninety-nine! Minus one point because Senpai is too cunning." After answering honestly, Iroha dissatisfiedly scratched her palm.
"You could've answered casually, but you said it so seriously. If it weren't me, someone else would've thought, 'What's wrong with this guy? Can't he talk normally?'"
"What can I do? I'm always serious when speaking. It's one of my few flaws." Yuu sighed mock-resignedly. "Looks like from now on, I can only say things like this to you, Iroha."
"Right, right. For Senpai's own good." Iroha nodded seriously. Then she couldn't hold back her laughter, burying her face in his shoulder and giggling.
*CRASH!*
Suddenly, a metal locker they had just passed slammed shut with a loud noise.
Iroha's shoulders immediately trembled. She stopped laughing instantly. Her face turned deathly pale. She held her breath and pressed tightly against Yuu, her voice slightly shaking.
"S-Senpai… inside that locker…"
"There might be someone inside. It's normal in a haunted house." Yuu remained indifferent, simply enjoying the sight of her cute, slightly frightened face under the dim flashlight glow.
Iroha rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction. She gripped his sleeve and whined, "Of course I know that, but I'm still scared... Let's go quickly. I feel like it's going to jump out and chase us."
"Alright then..." Just as he turned to leave, Yuu directed his flashlight toward the locker slowly creaking open—and a flash of silver light caught his eye.
He froze momentarily. Then his pupils narrowed. In less than half a second, his sharp gaze pierced the darkness, spotting a figure with long hair crawling out of the locker, head bowed.
No terrifying haunted house, no horrifying horror film could have made Yuu shiver and flinch like he did at that very moment.
Without hesitation, Yuu bit the flashlight between his teeth to illuminate the path ahead. Then he lifted the soft girl beside him, carrying her like a princess.
"Eh?!"
She only managed one scream. Iroha was like riding an express train. The dark, eerie scenery of the haunted house flashed past them. The narrow, shadowy corridors couldn't slow him down.
In the blink of an eye, they burst through the exit curtain. The bright, lively amusement park outside drove away the haunted house's chill. Confused stares from passersby gathered around them.
"Senpai, what happened? Why did you suddenly—" Iroha, now set on the ground, looked up, clutching her clothes to her chest, confused.
"I just saw something extremely frightening." Yuu frowned, licking his dry lips. "This haunted house is impressive... It made me unable to hold back and just run straight out."
"Senpai was scared?" Iroha repeated, disbelieving. She touched his cheek, her big, beautiful eyes wide. "Seriously. You're even sweating cold sweat... What did you see?"
Yuu exhaled deeply from his lungs. Only now did he feel blood flowing through his body again.
"...Maybe... something of the same kind as unspeakable things."
"Does that sound that scary?!" After complaining, Iroha pulled out a handkerchief. Standing on tiptoe, she carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"But... this is the first time I've ever seen Senpai scared... Kinda fresh~"
"Really? I actually have plenty of things I'm afraid of." Yuu met her gaze and gave a slightly helpless, wry smile.
"For example, parting with Iroha, or being hated by Iroha."
"..."
Her lips slightly parted. The hand wiping his sweat unconsciously froze. Iroha's eyes widened in shock.
After staring at him blankly for several seconds, the corners of her lips slowly curled upward. Her ash-blonde hair swayed as she snorted and turned her face away.
"Ahh~ Ahhh—Having such a clingy Senpai is really troublesome~"
Even as she called it troublesome, her tone brimmed with joy and happiness, as if she'd just discovered a new treasure.
She put away her handkerchief, turning her blushing face. A faint dimple appeared on her soft cheek.
"Then, to prevent my cool Senpai from showing a fearful expression again... This time, let me hold your hand tightly, okay?"
Iroha smiled gently. She extended her small hand and softly clasped his fingers.
There was no force—but it felt like it could never be released for a lifetime.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Inside the haunted house, the silver-haired female ghost watched the warm scene unfolding outside.
The prop in her hand lay broken. Her face was cold as ice. She let out a chilling, quiet laugh.
"How dare you betray me, getting so affectionate with your cute junior... Looks like I'll have to teach my beloved Yuu a lesson."
She dropped her arm. From beneath her sleeve emerged a pitch-black object shaped like a small knife. She gripped it tightly—tighter than their intertwined hands.
"This trash-like Valentine's Day... Let me color it with a beautiful shade of red~"
A hoarse, distorted laugh kept spilling from the beautiful silver-haired girl's mouth.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Senpai, buy two ice creams!"
"It's winter. If you want to feed each other, crepes would be better?"
"Hmm... True. Then I want chocolate flavor, and Senpai get banana!"
"Okay. I'll wait in line—you stay here."
When Yuu returned with two crepes, Iroha immediately ordered him to close his eyes.
"Here, say aah~"
"Aah—hm? This doesn't taste like crepe..." Yuu chewed, then opened his eyes in confusion.
Iroha hid both hands behind her back, as if concealing something. Her gaze suspicious, she turned her face away.
"D-don't worry about what it is. Just say—was it good or not?"
Yuu stared at her oddly. "No. Anyone with functioning taste buds would know this is chocolate... But it's good."
"Good... Hm, of course it is!" Iroha sighed in relief. She nodded, then pulled out two crepes hidden behind her back, along with an opened box of chocolates.
"This is the first chocolate I've ever made for someone. Senpai, eat it with gratitude!"
"Thank you," Yuu accepted it, along with the banana-flavored crepe.
Iroha tilted her head, showing a mischievous, cute smile. "By the way, on White Day, you must repay me tenfold. If not, I'll never give you chocolate again for the rest of your life!"
"You're so cruel." Yuu popped another piece into his mouth, chewed, then nodded in evaluation. "If you mean ten times tastier chocolate, no problem."
"...Senpai, are you underestimating me?" Iroha paused briefly. She smiled, but cold words came from her mouth. "Or do you receive piles of chocolates every Valentine's Day, so you're dismissing my poor first effort?"
"The only chocolate I've ever eaten from a girl—whether handmade or store-bought—is yours." Yuu shrugged and said casually. "All the others I gave to my little sister. So I don't even know if theirs tasted good. Anyway, nothing beats mine."
"Huh..." Iroha stared at his profile, as if wanting to stab his thick face. After a while, she gave up and slumped her shoulders. "Fine, Senpai is just like that... You didn't need to add that last part, but you're deliberately annoying."
"Did I make you hate me?" Yuu asked, smiling.
Like a duck paddling underwater, Iroha repeatedly slapped his shoulder and grumbled, "Yes, yes, hate! I hate you so much!"
Suddenly, she opened her mouth and bit into the crepe in her hand, then pursed her clear, glossy lips while thinking.
"...Hmm, delicious! Senpai, try mine too."
A girl's anger comes and goes quickly.
Yuu looked at her lips and leaned in to bite her chocolate-flavored crepe.
After exchanging and finishing their snacks, Iroha said she wanted to use the restroom. Yuu bought two drinks and sat on a bench outside to wait.
He inserted the straw into the cup lid. Before he could take a sip, a girl with long black hair walked calmly and firmly through the crowd, stopping right in front of him.
"Tenkuji-kun, you look very happy."
"...I'd be even happier if you hadn't come to disturb me."
Yuu set down his drink. His eyes were as cold as hers. They locked gazes.
"I'm no longer a rent-a-boyfriend. Why are you still interfering with the normal relationship I'm trying to live?"
Her clear eyes blinked. Yukino let out a soft sigh and slowly closed them.
"You should know the reason..."
Her voice, usually crystal-clear and melodious, now sounded sad and fragile.
She stood there, back straight and unyielding. Yet she also looked like she could shatter into pieces with just a gentle breeze.
Yuu shook his head. His tone didn't change—still as icy calm.
"That's your issue. Now I have someone I like, and I have feelings of my own that won't disappear or be forgotten."
"If you want to come and investigate the situation, go ahead. But don't appear in front of me and Iroha."
Hearing those emotionless words, Yukino bit her lip until it turned pale, her nails digging hard into her palm.
But she took a deep breath and quickly discarded her fragility. Her eyes became as clear as ice after snow melted, and she stared straight at him as usual.
"I hope you won't regret it."
"I've never regretted liking anyone."
"...Does that include me too?"
Yuu smiled. "Yukinoshita, you can hear it, right? Whether I'm lying."
"I'm not a lie detector... If it weren't you, I wouldn't be able to hear it either."
Yukino smiled too. She pulled out a simply wrapped chocolate from her pocket and said openly, "This is for you. I hesitated whether to make it, but at that moment... I wanted to give you my handmade Valentine's chocolate. I practiced hard for it. It'd be a shame not to give it."
"Thank you," Yuu accepted it. "But I won't eat it."
"Do whatever you want—throw it in the trash or give it to Sora. I don't care." Yukino shrugged. Her posture somehow resembled his—relaxed and free. "Well then, I'll take my leave. Have a nice date."
"Take care on your way."
"By the way... Tenkuji-kun, I still like you."
"Sorry. I'll forever like Iroha."
"I know." Yukino turned her back to him. She lifted her chin slightly, took a deep breath, and said, "Oh, and you'd better not drink that beverage."
Yuu froze. He looked at the two drinks placed on the bench. "...Who did it?"
"Why should I tell you?" Her voice sounded playful and satisfied. Yukino even stretched. "After all, we're the same kind—we wouldn't betray each other, would we?"
"Tch, whatever." Yuu rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Anyway, thanks for the warning."
"You're welcome, former boyfriend."
With that, Yukino stepped into the crowd. Her slender, composed figure quickly disappeared.
Not long after, Iroha returned from the restroom and waved at him.
"Sorry~ Did you wait long?"
"Not really." Yuu made space. Iroha sat beside him until their shoulders touched. She glanced sideways, confused.
"Where are our drinks?"
"Some bugs got in, so I threw them away. We'll buy new ones later." Yuu looked at her innocent, cute expression, as if she knew nothing. The corner of his lips couldn't help but lift. He said softly:
"Earlier, Yukinoshita came and spoke with me."
"..."
Iroha blinked. The expression on her face slowly faded.
She slowly lowered her head. Her lips and teeth gently bit each other. Her face was shaded by her falling hair.
"Why did Senpai bring it up yourself... When I was planning to pretend I didn't see anything."
Yuu smiled and patted the back of her clenched hand on her knee. "There's no harm in telling, right? I'm someone who likes to clear up misunderstandings as quickly as possible."
"That's all?" Iroha asked quietly.
Yuu shook his head. "Most importantly, I don't want my most important kouhai to feel sad, pretend nothing happened, then lie awake at home overthinking it."
"..."
Iroha suddenly looked up. Her large round eyes blinked rapidly, as if daydreaming. She stared straight at him.
"Why?" she asked, confused.
After a long silence, Yuu suddenly said something:
"...Love."