x
Valentine’s Day was just around the corner, and the mall was steeped in a sugary pink atmosphere. Storefronts were decorated with hearts and ribbons, and even the air seemed laced with the scent of chocolate. Couple-exclusive deals swept through the building like a tide, and crowds packed the chocolate counters, laughter and music blending into a festive background hum.
Suzuran was out shopping with a few of her classmates. Yuzuka’s boyfriend—Daichi Onodera, always smiling and a beat behind everyone else—was carrying their shopping bags while studying the wrapping paper designs with a goofy yet gentle expression.
Koichi Kimijima, in a rare departure from his usual uniform, had changed into casual clothes. But just like always, he remained quiet, composed, and walked a few steps behind her, saying nothing—only pausing to gaze at her when she lagged behind the group.
They arrived at a luxury chocolate counter, where the girls gathered around the tasting section, chatting excitedly. Yuzuka suddenly leaned in with a mysterious smile and whispered:
“Hey, Suzuran… are you giving Koichi honmei chocolate this year?”
Suzuran froze. She immediately shook her head, speaking a little too quickly.
“Of course not! No way… If my dad ever found out I gave him that kind of chocolate, he’d explode.”
“But… I always make giri chocolate every year. Everyone gets one. They’re all the same.”
Yuzuka tilted her head, lips curling into a slight grin, like a little fox catching a scent. Her voice floated lightly:
“And the one for Kimijima… won’t it be just a bit different?”
“Hmm… maybe I’ll wrap it with a gray-brown ribbon, with a touch of gold trim… It suits him better.”
“Oh~ like the color of his hair and eyes, right?”
Yuzuka nodded innocently, then added as if she’d just remembered, “And? That’s all? Just different wrapping?”
Suzuran bit her lip.
“…Maybe I’ll spray a bit of my perfume on it. And… put in a small note.”
It would just say something like ‘Thanks for all your hard work.’ Nothing special.”
Her tone was casual, even flat, but her feelings couldn’t quite stay hidden. It was like she feared being heard, yet yearned to be understood.
At that moment, a blush crept quietly across her cheeks, like a small flower blooming without anyone noticing.
They continued walking until they reached the grand atrium at the mall’s center—the most breathtaking space in the entire complex.
Three stories high, the vertical space was crowned by a crystal honeycomb glass dome, where natural and artificial light intertwined, casting a dreamlike glow. A long escalator stretched directly up to the third floor, flanked by tropical greenery and flowing water walls. Mist drifted gently from above, falling softly on the plants like a rainforest hidden inside a glass dome.
And today, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, the space had been transformed into something even more magical. Along both sides of the escalator stood pink and lavender light-up trees and decorations, their soft glimmers forming a glowing Tunnel of Love.
“Hey, let’s check that out!” Yuzuka’s eyes sparkled as she tugged Suzuran toward a small event booth at the base of the escalator.
A rose-colored sign trimmed in gold stood quietly nearby:
【Valentine’s Secret Whisper – Limited Event】
Write a message to someone on a special Valentine’s card—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qIWTLhGtu
But you cannot give it to them directly.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgVwhQsV9z
While riding this Love Escalator with them,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlsMcEVtJ7
You must sneak the card into their pocket, their bag… or their hand.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtX8u8XxEs
Let them discover your feelings in a quiet, unexpected moment.
“Wow, this is so cute!!” Yuzuka beamed, immediately pulling Suzuran over to grab cards and pens.
Before long, the other classmates joined in, and the area filled with whispers and giggles as everyone carefully drafted that one special sentence just for him.
Daichi Onodera stared at his card for a while, then scribbled: “This event’s kinda nerve-wracking. You feel the same?”
Yuzuka peeked over and laughed until her eyes curved like crescents. “That sounds like something from a dating app opener!”
A few minutes later, everyone had finished. Yuzuka tucked away her card and took Daichi’s hand. Before stepping onto the escalator, she looked back at Suzuran and winked:
“We’re heading up first—take your time with Koichi ♡”
Then she and Daichi stepped into the glowing Love Escalator, walking into that dreamy path to the third floor.
One by one, the others paired up and followed.
Only Suzuran remained.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxFeuJnmCv
She stood still, staring at the blank card in her hand. The pen hovered midair, her heart pounding violently.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq0Ota3uYc
She remained frozen, her gaze dropping to the still-empty card.
Her fingers trembled—not from hesitation, but because she cared too much.
She glanced up, toward Koichi.
He stood as straight and still as ever, arms resting calmly at his sides, as if waiting quietly for her instructions.
“…Koichi,” she bit her lip, finally finding her voice, and asked softly:
“Can we… do this together?”
Her voice was almost a whisper, feather-light at the edges, as if scared he might say no.
Koichi looked at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Of course, my lady. No problem.”
His tone was gentle, yet completely steady.
Without pause, he reached out for a pen and card from the event table—his movements smooth, graceful, unhesitating.
His expression stayed perfectly neutral, like he was simply carrying out an official procedure.
He looked just like a loyal butler fulfilling an order.
—
Only this time, Suzuran’s heart… hurt a little.
She suddenly wanted to ask:
If she weren’t “his lady”—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVmzTNQzdy
Would he still speak to her like that?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHx9oJc5lH
Would he still write what he truly wanted to say?
They both finished their cards and walked to the base of the glowing escalator.
Suzuran held her card tightly, her palm still damp, her heartbeat out of sync.
She rehearsed again and again how to “casually” slip her card into Koichi’s coat pocket.
And she needed some excuse to stand on the same step as him—
Since he usually walked a few paces behind her—
But he was already beside her, as if he knew she’d hesitate.
A moment later, he gently leaned down and extended his right hand—palm up, fingers curved ever so slightly. A gesture both respectful and effortlessly natural.
“My lady, please hold on.”
His tone was calm and steady, so gentle it seemed weightless.
—
But in that instant, she nearly collapsed.
They didn’t intertwine fingers. She only placed her fingertips lightly in his palm.
He closed his hand gently—not tightly, but with a steadiness that felt unshakable.
Like a silent vow.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObQdtzZizv
Like the way he always protected her:9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcyPyRe3h4
Never letting her fall.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrozg5ncZx
Never letting himself lose control.
That brief touch surged through her like a bolt of electricity.
She could feel her body heat rising—up from her hand, to her wrist, to her arm, to her shoulders and behind her ears.
Even her breathing began to burn.
Her hand remained in his.
That gesture—was too natural.
Too natural to feel like a first.
—
And it lasted too long.
Her mind went blank, her ears echoing with nothing but her heartbeat.
——So different from that time during “anatomy practice,” when their fingers had intertwined.
Back then, she’d tricked him into holding her hand.
But this time, he was the one who reached out.
No orders.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz0xiajewU
No duties.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgPlU4n8xA
Just… him.
That one small action gently nudged open a door that had long been locked—
And she fell, completely unguarded.
—
She stared at his hand in a daze. Though it was only a light hold, it felt like he was softly enclosing something precious, refusing to let it slip away.
She even forgot when she was supposed to sneak the card into his pocket.
All she remembered was how slow the escalator was.
So slow, it felt like it was giving her heart all the time it needed to catch up.
Their hands touched, and the escalator moved.
From the first floor to the third, they didn’t say a word.
Strangely enough—it felt like everything had already been said.
No glances exchanged. No whispers.
—
And yet, the air between them was thick—almost tangible, like mist blooming between two people.
Suzuran had intended to glance at Koichi’s expression, to judge whether he was just treating this as a scripted task. She had even braced herself—if his expression was calm and indifferent, she’d tell herself it was all in her head.
But she didn’t look. She didn’t dare.
Because she knew, most likely—
What she’d see was that overly composed gentleness.
So calm, it bordered on cruel.
So rational, it would quietly break her heart.
Her gaze never left his hand.
The hand he had offered—its grip steady, not forceful, but impossible to ignore.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgIlmbOQUl
Its warmth seeped into her bones, drop by drop.
She forgot what surrounded them on the escalator.
She didn’t even see the mall’s most famous waterfall.
She only remembered standing there, holding his hand—
As if walking through a dream too extravagant to be real.
Inside her, one thought kept looping:
—What do I do… I’m so happy today.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN5MrlnGAn
—I’m done for.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIldgkzeALa
—Utterly done for.
She didn’t know whether this was mutual love,
Or just his habitual kindness brushing up against the softest, weakest part of her heart.
This ride up the escalator was so short—
But it made her feel like she had stepped into a dream.
One she never wanted to wake up from.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaa93lLNlTW
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq2AnGDU8D
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKPaNYEGV4
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QwgVpxPWI
What is Honmei and Giri Chocolate?
In Japan, Valentine’s Day traditions are a little different from the Western version. On February 14, it’s usually women who give chocolate to men, and the meaning behind the chocolate depends on the type:
本命チョコ (Honmei choco) – “True feelings” chocolate9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiaplq7Pz9
This is given to someone you genuinely love or have romantic feelings for—typically a crush, boyfriend, or husband. It’s often handmade or thoughtfully chosen, with extra care in the wrapping. It carries real emotional weight.義理チョコ (Giri choco) – “Obligation” chocolate9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScJ6I6x6zL
This is given out of courtesy or social custom—to male coworkers, classmates, bosses, or friends. It’s not romantic; it’s more about social harmony and appreciation. The chocolate is usually store-bought and more generic.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaiFedM2Yg
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhsy3MZ1N1In Suzuran’s Case…9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9h8Qq6H8J
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16YmGLLIZ6
When Suzuran says she gives “giri chocolate” to everyone, she’s trying to downplay her feelings.But when she picks a special ribbon, adds her perfume, and slips in a note for Kimijima, it’s clearly honmei in disguise.
Even if she won’t say it out loud—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lHaL9FnDo
her heart is already wrapped inside that box.
