Chapter 337: At Least Don't Have a Child with Honami / Chocolate? You Don't Even Have Packaging
Valentine's Day, much like Christmas, is one of the "romantic" holidays.
However, in Japan, there is a significant difference: while Christmas involves a mutual exchange of gifts between lovers, Valentine's Day is exclusively for girls to give gifts. The boys must wait a month until White Day on March 14th to return the favor.
In the morning, Shimizu Akira woke up early as usual. After breakfast, he headed to class. As soon as he sat down, several female classmates he rarely spoke to surrounded him.
"Shimizu-kun, this is the chocolate I prepared. Please accept it if you'd like!"
"Shimizu-kun, this is for you..."
"Thank you. I'll make sure to return the favor later," he replied politely, accepting the gifts.
Within minutes, more girls approached him. By the time the first period was about to start, Shimizu's desk was nearly covered in various chocolates. A quick count revealed twelve gifts from his classmates alone. Most were mass-produced, store-bought items—standard Giri (Obligation) chocolate.
"Shimizu! You received so many!"
"Man, you're too popular!"
Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken leaned over, looking at the haul with envy.
"It's alright, but as you can see, they're all Giri chocolates," Shimizu replied.
"You two should have received a fair share as well, right?"
"Well... I guess," Ike muttered. Their desks weren't as crowded as Shimizu's, but they each had three or four boxes. In Japan, as long as you aren't actively disliked, receiving a few "social" chocolates is normal.
"Hirata's situation is similar to yours!" Sudo pointed toward Hirata Yosuke. Hirata's desk was piled high, and he had even arrived holding a small stack of them.
One box, in particular, was wrapped with exquisite care—undoubtedly a Honmei (True Love) chocolate.
"Speaking of which, I've never seen Hirata alone with a girl," Sudo mused.
"True. And he never talks about romance," Ike gossiped. "He's always so calm even after getting Honmei gifts. You think... he might not actually like girls?"
"Don't spread rumors," Shimizu interrupted. "Hirata just prioritizes the class and protecting everyone. He probably just doesn't have time to date."
Shimizu didn't want a repeat of the recent BBS rumors.
"By the way, Ike," Shimizu turned to a more pressing matter. "Shinohara Satsuki... did she give you anything?"
"Uh... not yet." Ike's expression instantly deflated.
"Forget it, don't talk about it. It hurts. I'm going to eat some Giri chocolate to numb the pain."
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Because there were too many chocolates, Shimizu stowed them in his desk to avoid unnecessary attention. In truth, he had already received three Honmei chocolates before even leaving his dorm: one each from Kushida Kikyo, Sakura Airi, and Hasabe Haruka.
When the doorbell rang three times this morning, he had feared a "bloodbath", but the three of them had simply hugged him, handed over their gifts, reminded him to return the favor on White Day, and left. It seemed Kushida had the other two well-integrated into the "harem" dynamic.
"Akira-kun, your chocolate."
A light cough came from his side. His seatmate, Horikita Suzune, pushed a beautifully wrapped package across the desk from under the table.
"Thanks, Suzune."
"It's handmade. It's much better than the cheap stuff those women buy at the supermarket. If you're hungry, you can eat it now," she said, quickly looking away.
Shimizu suppressed a smile. Handmade? That was as "Honmei" as it gets.
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During lunch, while Shimizu was preparing for tomorrow's mock exam, a lively voice called from the doorway.
"Shimizu-kun, come out for a second. Sensei has something to talk to you about~"
It was Hoshinomiya Chie, the Class 1-B advisor. Since she also served as the school nurse, students often associated her with health issues. Shimizu followed her, but instead of the faculty office, she led him to a quiet spot in the Special Building.
"Shimizu-kun, I've heard everything!" Hoshinomiya twirled a lock of hair.
"My precious Honami was spirited away by you? You're quite something, making such a big move behind the scenes. Well? Anything you want to say to me?"
"Uh... thank you for the matchmaking?" Shimizu answered tentatively.
After all, she had created many opportunities for them to be together.
"Hehe, no need to thank me. Honami was the one who was proactive. I hear you've been dating for two months?"
"Yes."
Hoshinomiya's expression turned serious.
"Then you must have noticed that Honami tends to put herself beneath others in a relationship?"
"Yes, it's true. Why is that?"
Hoshinomiya slowly explained Honami's background: the single-parent home, the financial struggles, and her mother raising two children alone. Then, after ensuring they were alone, she dropped the bombshell.
"Honami once stole something because of her family's poverty. Her kindness isn't just natural; it's a form of self-compensation—an act of atonement. As her boyfriend, now that you know... what do you think?"
Shimizu went quiet for a few seconds.
"So that's it... no wonder her kindness sometimes feels like it's being pushed too hard. It's her way of seeking inner balance."
"Aren't you... disappointed?" Hoshinomiya watched his face closely.
"There's nothing to be disappointed about," Shimizu waved it off.
"I'm not perfect either. Besides, I know someone who has stolen before and is... well, technically still a fugitive. Maybe I'll introduce them; sometimes understanding between 'the same kind' is more helpful than words."
He didn't judge. He didn't ask for details. He simply accepted it and thought about how to help her. Hoshinomiya was genuinely impressed. This boy actually didn't care about Honami's "disgraceful" past.
"Aha, Shimizu-kun! Telling you the truth really is the fastest way!" She laughed.
"Relax, she only did it once and was forgiven by the victim. I'll leave the details for her to tell you."
She then turned back into her mischievous self.
"But really, you're good to her, but what's with this 'harem' operation? You bad boy! So, is our Honami the Main Wife or a Concubine?!"
"..." Shimizu remained silent.
"Playing the wooden man again?" Hoshinomiya rolled her eyes.
"At least don't get little Honami pregnant! You can at least manage that, right?"
"I can. It won't happen," Shimizu finally snapped.
"Besides, we haven't even done 'it' yet. You should know; you're the one who taught her everything step-by-step."
"I don't know anything! She doesn't listen to me! I told her to just hold hands the first time, but you were kissing and touching... is that proper?!"
"Then what do you want?"
"My point is simple: make sure you wear a condom during the 'danger zone' days. Can you do that?!"
"Yes, it's common sense," Shimizu felt the veins in his temple throbbing.
"Common sense? You kids get hot-headed! If she gets a child, she's the type who wouldn't get an abortion; she'd drop out just to raise it."
"It won't happen. That's a hard line." Shimizu tried to end the conversation.
"About the next special exam, I already told Honami that fair competition is fine. If B-Class wants help, we can talk, but only if there's an equal exchange of interests."
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As Shimizu walked away, he thought about the statistics. Ichinose Honami, Sudo Ken, Keisei, Ayanokouji... all from single-parent homes. Even Sakayanagi Arisu had lost her mother.
'Five or six cases... that can't be a coincidence.'
Was the school intentionally selecting children with inner flaws? Was the "Advanced Nurturing" model actually an experiment to see if these students could be made "normal"? He shook his head; it was a mystery for another time.
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Nagumo Miyabi was in a foul mood. He had lost to Horikita Manabu and Shimizu Akira, and he had been forced to pay 70 million personal points in compensation during the Forest School exam.
Furthermore, his Vice President, Kiriyama, was acting up, proposing to bring Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo into the Student Council. Nagumo wanted to kick him out, but the rules he himself had set for stability now protected Kiriyama.
"Nagumo-senpai... here is my chocolate."
"Happy Valentine's Day, Nagumo-kun."
Several girls approached his desk. Nagumo looked at them—average faces, average figures. His interest was zero.
"Next time, I'm busy today."
He scanned the room and saw his childhood friend, Asahina Nazuna, happily handing out chocolate to the other boys in the class. Nagumo felt a surge of possessiveness. He wasn't even the first to get one.
Asahina eventually walked toward him. "Hey, this is for you!" She tossed a standard, store-bought Giri chocolate to the guy sitting next to Nagumo.
Then she turned to Nagumo with a smile.
"Oh, Miyabi, you have one too!"
Nagumo raised an eyebrow.
"I thought... you'd give it to me privately." His eyes landed on a beautifully wrapped pink and white box in her hand.
"That one... clearly isn't Giri chocolate. Did you finally wise up and get me a Honmei gift?"
Asahina shook her head immediately.
"No, no! This isn't for you!" She clutched the special box to her chest.
"This is for Shimizu-kouhai. This is yours—"
She casually tossed a plain, unwrapped piece of chocolate at Nagumo.
Nagumo caught the bare, uninspiring piece of chocolate. He felt like throwing it on the ground and stomping on it.
'She didn't even give me the packaging?!'
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