PHASE 38 - RIKKUN LOVES MY POOPIE CHOCOLATE!

The loud smash of the bat echoed.

I closed my eyes. I can’t see all my hard-worked chocolate go into crumbles. Tears are about to fall out of my eyelids, but then I felt a warm and gentle pat on my head.

“Here. You can have it back.” That was Miss Awane’s voice!

When I looked up, my Valentine’s pouch was right in front of my face. I immediately took it back and hugged it on my chest, never letting go of it again.

“At least you’re honest with your feelings.” Miss Awane smiled. “But I’m sorry, this is not the time to confess your love for him.”

“B-But why!?”

“Tiara you idiot. A simple confession of love won’t do. You saw how much effort Alaric did when he professed his love to you? That’s way too grand.”

Suddenly, my fellow Idol Club members flocked around me and projected a smile as they talk in sync. “We will help you make the grandest confession serenade ever! The Idol Club shall work in full force for the best ‘I love you’ scene written in the history of mankind!”

“E-Everyone…” I cried silently. “T-Thank you…”

“Now then…” Miss Awane said. “Run to the man you truly love. He must be waiting in the cherry blossom tree.”

“R-Right!” I smiled jollily as I rushed away.

<>

When Miss Awane said that ‘He is waiting in the cherry blossom tree’, I expected that Rikkun is just standing there casually. But no. He’s apparently tied, blindfolded, and gagged in the trunk of the cherry blossom tree itself.

“R-Rikkun!?” I immediately removed the ropes, the blindfold and the gag on him. “A-Are you okay?”

“Luckily, I’m okay.” Rikkun swung his shoulders round and round. “Darn those girls, where did they get their chloroform anyway? They drugged me and the next thing I realized, I’m already here!”

“Ahahaha… They must’ve mugged our kidnappers last time we had a concert...” I scratched my head. I inhaled lots of oxygen as I mustered my courage once again. “A-Anyway, Rikkun!”

“Yes?”

“Please accept this chocolate!” I bowed as I reached out my hard-worked and hard-earned gift for him.

“T-This is…” Rikkun’s blush makes him a thousand times cuter. His gentle fingers slowly opened the pouch and revealed dozens of chocolate cookies that have emoji faces in it.

He first took the poop emoji cookie and put it on his mouth. Suddenly, an aura of happiness enveloped his very existence!

“This is great! This is the best chocolate cookie I ever ate!” Rikkun cheered up with the brightest smile on earth!

“R-Riiiight!!!” I screamed. “It’s amazing right!? It took me lots of days to perfect the recipe! I poured lots of love with that one!!!”

“L-Lots of l-love?” Rikkun gulped. His face went full red alert. “D-Does this mean…”

Shimata! My tongue slipped!

“No! Ahahaha! That’s just a metaphor! Ahahaha!” I scratched my head.

“Eeeeeeehhhhhh….” Rikkun made this exhausted face.

I should have confessed my love by now, but the Idol Club promised me that we shall make the grandest confession serenade ever. I can’t let anyone down. No need to rush, Tiara. No need to rush. You’ll get that dic- I mean, that love sooner in the most fabulous way.

“A-Anyway… Thank you for accepting my chocolate. Y-You actually ate it.”

“I ate it because it’s the only chocolate I had left. It’s not like I love you or anything.” Rikkun said as he turned his face away with a blush like a full-fledged tsundere. He’s even scratching his head. “I already auctioned the other chocolates. Now I got lots of money to buy that lewd figure!”

<>

It’s already nightfall when we arrived to visit Heushac in the hospital. Unlike last time, he’s now peacefully settled on his bed, thanks to Key who accompany him the whole time. They played video games all day long.

“How are you guys?” Rikkun said as he waved his hand to the two, but nobody gave him an eye. They are still focused on gaming.

“The nurse said that Heushac will be able to check out tomorrow.” Key said in a monotone as her handheld console makes a beep beep sound.

“Oh, good for you.” Rikkun reached out a red box and some pouches on his bag and threw it all to Heushac’s stomach.

“Ouch! What the heck, Ric!?” Heushac complained. “What is this!?”

“Chocolates. Some girls actually told me to give those crap to you. That big box is also tucked inside your locker.” Rikkun said as he put his opened bag on the table beside Heushac.

“You should have auctioned it and gave me the proceeds.” Heushac said as he continues to play on his game.

These two really are best friends. Something is telling me that they always sell chocolates that were given to them.

All of a sudden, Key puffed her cheeks and then proceeded to open the boxes, chomping the chocolates.

“I never knew that Key likes chocolates so much!” I said happily.

“No…” Rikkun forced a smile as he whispered to me. “I think she’s just jealous. She doesn’t want Heushac to even have a taste to any of those chocolates.”

“Hey, don’t eat them all!” Heushac said as he put his game console away and grabbed a red pouch laid on the table next to him. “I’m going to taste this.”

“W-Wait!” Rikkun’s eyes widened when he noticed that Heushac grabbed the wrong chocolate pouch.

“Mmmm~” Heushac said as he chomped down a smiley cookie. “This one is great!”

Swooosh! Rikkun snatched the pouch from Heushac and secured it by hugging it on his heart. Heushac apparently ate a cookie I made for Rikkun.

“This one is mine! MINE! Wait, did you just ate the smiley cookie!? That’s the cutest of them all! I didn’t have any slightest plan on eating that one. I wanted to preserve it on a glass cube! And you just ate it! I can’t believe you...” Rikkun pouted.

“Ahaha… Don’t worry Rikkun, I’ll bake you another one if you wanted to.” I said with a forced laugh.

Suddenly, Key’s gaze became serious. I followed her eyesight and realized that she’s fixated on a piece of the red envelope on the floor just beside the door.

“Is that a love letter for Heushac?” Key asked in an AI voice, but the death threat is still there.

“I didn’t receive a letter for Heushac, and I returned all those love letters sent to me with a REJECTED stamp.” Rikkun said as he walked and picked up the envelope. “This letter must’ve been sent here.”

When Rikkun turned the envelope, a chill went down to our spine.

It was a letter from Helena.