{Chocolate from Satou-san}

A package arrived from Satou-san. It was on Valentine’s Day.

I was startled and checked the shipping label to find that the contents were listed as “confectionery.”

It’s probably chocolate. I’m happy to receive it, but I wonder why she went through the trouble of sending it via courier. We live in the same city, so she could have just called me, and I would have gone to pick it up immediately. She didn’t mention sending anything, so what’s going on?

And why did she send it frozen?

It was a weekday, and I was the only one at home. Even so, I decided to examine the package in my room with great care.

It was fortunate that today was a home-study day. If it had been a school day and the package had arrived while I was at school, my parents might have found it and teased me endlessly. Receiving confectionery from a girl on this particular date would likely be taken as having a specific meaning.

Yet, I was internally conflicted.

It might sound spoiled, but I would have preferred a hand-delivery.

If it were me, I would have made an excuse to meet the person and give it to them in person. But maybe it’s different for Satou-san.

Perhaps, to Satou-san, I’m not someone she feels the need to meet in person to give chocolate. Using a courier seems so formal. Moreover, it costs money. Thinking that she went through all this effort rather than meeting me directly makes things complicated.

What does Satou-san think of me?

When we met at Christmas, I felt her feelings were conveyed strongly. I thought there was no other girl who would be so worried about me and pay such close attention to me. I was also happy and reassured by this, and I’ve been working hard on my exam studies to be able to give her good news, while keeping an eye on my sleep as she advised.

Yet, the chocolate arrived via courier.

Did I say something that might have hurt or angered her since then? It seems unlikely—actually, I don’t think she’s ever been angry before—but maybe I did something wrong. This is troubling; I honestly have no idea. Could it be that the positive impression I got at Christmas was just my misunderstanding? It’s tough to accept.

I want to believe that giving me the confectionery came from goodwill.

Confused, I opened the courier package.

Inside was a cake wrapped in transparent cellophane.

Three cakes, each in a paper cup. They appeared to be rock-hard frozen.

There was also a card enclosed, written in Satou-san’s small handwriting:

“Thank you so much for everything last year. I look forward to your continued support.”

The message was like a New Year’s card. Feeling a bit shocked by this, I started examining the cakes.

They were black sponge cakes. They’re probably chocolate cakes. They were unadorned, shaped like cupcakes. Were they homemade by Satou-san?

With more anxiety than expectation, I unwrapped the cellophane. The cakes were indeed frozen. They were so hard that it didn’t seem possible to tear them with my fingers, suggesting that they weren’t meant to be eaten in their frozen state. What should I do?

In any case, I was deeply shocked and sat in my room, staring blankly at the cakes.

I had no idea why Satou-san prepared these cakes, froze them, and sent them via courier.

So, what does it mean to send something without saying a word? I hope she doesn’t dislike me, but I can’t think of any reason why she would. It might be that I’m numb to my own verbal missteps with Satou-san, given how frequently they occur. I should have been kinder.

Regret really does come too late.

But no matter how much I think about it, if I don’t have a clue, nothing will get resolved. I need to find out her intentions and how to eat this cake. If I can’t focus on my exam studies as it is, maybe I should try calling her.

The call log and redial both have Satou-san’s name at the top.

After taking three deep breaths, I decided to call her.

“…Hello?”

There was a brief connection sound, and I quickly spoke up. My voice wavered with nerves.

“Ah, Yamaguchi-kun! Did it arrive?”

Satou-san’s voice was bright and sounded just like usual.

Well, I can’t be sure over the phone. I shouldn’t let my guard down.

“Are you talking about the chocolate?”

She responded immediately.

“Yes. I made it myself. It’s fondant chocolate.”

Handmade by Satou-san. That should definitely be something to be happy about. But the circumstances surrounding it have set off alarms in my mind. It’s too early to be happy. I need to confirm the truth of the matter first.

“Thank you for that.”

I thanked her briefly and continued.

“But why send it via courier? It costs money, doesn’t it?”

“Because we can’t meet at school anymore.”

“True, but if you had called, I would have gone to your house.”

“I thought it might be rude to call you over. Especially since there’s a cold going around.”

“A little cold wouldn’t be a problem. You didn’t have to go out of your way.”

I said, but I also thought Satou-san would definitely be considerate. Her lack of thoughtfulness often results in my confusion. I’m always being tossed around.

“And also, the fondant chocolate got a bit damaged. I thought it might be embarrassing to give it to you face-to-face… Is that weird?”

She laughed a little on the other end of the line.

Her laugh was cute and pleasant to the ear.

“It’s not weird at all.”

“Really? Well, the taste is good, so don’t worry. I’ve tasted it myself.”

“Okay, I’ll try it later.”

“Sure.”

Satou-san wasn’t angry, and she was her usual self.

No, actually, she seemed cuter and a bit more mature than usual. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

I was overcome with the urge to run out and see her face immediately. But, since she’d gone out of her way to be considerate, I couldn’t do that.

In other words, I was once again tossed around by her thoughtfulness and kindness. It almost made it hard to focus on my studies. It’s quite a dilemma.

“But…”

I wanted to say this, so I did.

“If you were going to send something, it would have been better if you had told me when you were sending it. I was surprised when it arrived out of the blue.”

“Eh? I didn’t tell you?”

Satou-san sounded surprised.

Naturally, I didn’t remember her saying anything.

“I don’t recall hearing it. When did you tell me?”

“Well, now that I think about it, maybe I didn’t say anything…”

So that’s what happened. Satou-san really is a problem.

“I’m sorry, Yamaguchi-kun! I must have thought I’d mentioned it.”

“Yeah, I guess so. It’s fine, I got it.”

“But you were surprised, weren’t you? I should have checked.”

“I was indeed surprised, but don’t worry about it.”

After all, it wouldn’t change anything, and it’s faster for me to get used to it. Considering the future, it’s an essential skill.

“Anyway, thank you.”

I was really happy to receive the chocolate. So, I expressed my gratitude once more.

“I wasn’t expecting to get anything. I’m really happy.”

“Well, you’ve helped me a lot, Yamaguchi-kun. I wouldn’t not give you anything.”

—Because you’ve helped me, huh.

That way of putting it is a bit complicated. But it’s fine.

“By the way, how should I eat this?”

“Oh, you can eat it as it is. It’s better if you warm it up a little though.”

“It’s frozen, so is just warming it up enough?”

“Huh? It’s frozen?”

The fondant chocolate was still rock hard. It seemed impossible to break it by hand or even tear it with fingers. How should I eat it?

“It’s frozen. It came by frozen courier.”

“Frozen!?”

Satou-san’s voice went high.

After that surprising shout, trembling words followed.

“Oh no, I made a mistake…! I meant to send it refrigerated…”

Later, when I asked her, she said that the frozen fondant chocolate should be kept in the refrigerator for a while, and then microwaved once it’s somewhat thawed to be eaten without any problem. When I was relieved, she seemed relieved as well.

Looking at the shipping label marked “frozen” and her small handwriting spelling my name, I thought: The chocolate that has frozen solid and is slowly, slowly thawing seems like our relationship. It takes time, but eventually, it will thaw properly. I’m sure I’ll be able to taste that sweetness.

Even though I’ve been tossed around so much, it will surely be soon.

White Day is after the graduation ceremony.

I plan to make sure I see her face and hand her the return gift properly so I don’t make the same mistake she did.