"Something on your mind, Mitsukuni?" Gakushu asked as he skimmed through some mathematic study books, probably borrowed from his father's library. The teen brought a glass of water to his lips, silently sipping on it as his violet eyes flicked to glance at the strawberry blond seated in front of him.

Mitsukuni hummed in acknowledgment. With his chopsticks, he played with a piece of carrot before picking it up and bringing it to his mouth. Sweets sat on his lap, as usual, mutely overseeing his actions.

Silence settled at their table, leaving only the chatter of students and clinking of tableware to sound in the background. Gakushu frowned, he didn't think Mitsukuni would ignore him, nor did he expect the blond not to hear him, the only option would be his childhood friend was daydreaming.

He set his glass aside, marking the page of his mathematic study book with a bookmark before looking up to stare at the despondent— slightly dazed Mitsukuni. He observed him for some time, taking in the way he sluggishly held his chopsticks and slowly ate his lunch before noticing the slight gloom that emanated from his body. 

He frowned.

Ren, who sat on his left, looked up from his phone, perhaps because he noticed the shift in his best friend's demeanor. He swept his eyes over the table, and with ease, took note of Mitskuni's absentminded attitude. There wasn't much in this world that could disrupt Gakushu, and Mitsukuni was part of the things capable of upsetting him.

As usual, an amiable smile covered his lips. It didn't lack genuineness as he sincerely cared for both Gakushu and Mitsukuni. He cleared his throat, picked up the chocolate milk can from his tray, and gently placed it atop Mitsukuni's to catch his attention.

He didn't know if it was the movement that caught Mitsukuni's eyes, or his voice that provoked his attention, but the teen looked up to stare at him.

Mitsukuni's gaze alternated between the flavored milk can and his friend for a few seconds before he picked the drink up with a grin plastered on his face. "Whoah, thank you, Ren-chan!" he beamed, his voice never lacking in enthusiasm.

Ren hummed with a smile, keenly noticing the way Gakushu's shoulders relaxed beside him. "It's nothing," he said with a low chuckle as he brought his crossed arms to rest atop the table. "You seem preoccupied, Kannazuki, is something troubling you?" he asked, both worry and curiosity tinting his voice.

Mitsukuni pursed his lips at the question. He gave a low hum before picking another piece of food with his chopsticks.

Gakushu masked the frown on his face. "You can tell us, yeah?" he rhetorically asked, slight annoyance lacing his tone. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt some loss at the fact that Mitsukuni wouldn't confide in him. After all, both were childhood friends, and while they didn't know everything about the other, they had almost no secrets between them.

Mitsukuni set his chopsticks aside before bringing Reiko closer to his chest. He let his fingers play with her foulard as he looked up to look at his two closest classmates.

"Uhm, well, it's nothing really," he muttered, his cheeks dusted in light pink as his voice grew smaller with each syllable.

Lightning fell.

Is it love? Is Valentine's Day on his mind? Those were Ren's thoughts.

Another gang? Did Mitsukuni beat another band and now rules over them? Or so went Gakushu's mind.

Fortunately, or not, it was neither of those two options.

Either way, completely obvious to his friends' thoughts, Mitsukuni went on. "I received some acceptance letters this weekend," he finally confessed. As if a weight got lifted from his shoulder, he breathed a sigh of relief, sat straighter, and a broad grin painted his lips.

There was a pause.

"Wait, did you not get accepted in Kunugigaoka Senior High?" Gakushu fired without missing a beat.

"Is someone bullying you?" Ren followed with accuracy.

Gakushu gave his friend slash Secretary a skeptical look. Who in their right mind would dare to harass Mitsukuni, the Judo Club President, as well as the Student Council President's childhood friend? Did they have a death wish?

Mitsukuni shook his head. "Nuhu," he denied with ease as he picked his remaining vegetables and ate them with gusto. "I got accepted, Uncle told me that even if I were to fail, with my results throughout the years, it wouldn't be a problem," he first corrected as he looked at his childhood friend.

Gakushu heaved a sigh.

"Also, don't worry, Ren-chan, no one's bullying me!" he grinned as he turned to look at the taller of the two.

Ren smiled in relief. "Oh, that's good," he whispered. Maybe because of Mitsukuni's attitude and stature, despite knowing how powerful his Martial Arts were, Ren couldn't help but believe in this possibility. From Gakushu's point of view, it was because Ren never saw Mitsukuni fight someone out of judo competition.

Mitsukuni bashfully scratched his cheek. "I applied to another school in Kyoto—"

"The one the twins attend?" Gakushu was quick to catch on as he had met the said twins not long ago. Ren, on the other hand, showed some mild doubt at their mention.

Hearing his childhood friend mention his precious former underclassmen, Mitsukuni couldn't help the bright grin that overtook his features. "Yep, Hikari and Kaori's shool!" he confirmed with a nod. "Their High School is known for its sports clubs, and their curriculum is especially business-oriented," he explained. "It's also a good opportunity to create some connections," he added with some thoughts.

Gakushu nodded in understanding. Although he didn't live in Kyoto and wasn't all that familiar with the high school, he had heard of it already and knew its reputation.

"Oh, does it mean you'll leave us, Kannazuki-chan?" Ren teased with a smile, though the reluctant light in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. The raven didn't feel angry or disappointed at the idea of Mitsukuni attending another high school, only a bit sad. After all, Mitsukuni was his friend, and despite their different builds and looks, they had more similarities than meet the eyes.

Mitsukuni gently shook his head as he grabbed the milk can Ren gave him. He took the attached straw and plucked it in his can before taking a probing sip of the chocolate flavored beverage.

"I don't know," he admitted. "There's going to be an Open Day in a week or so, for future students and their parents," he slurped on the milk drink. "My mother and father should be back for it, otherwise grandmother and grandfather will come," he told them with a shrug.

Gakushu hummed. He wasn't the most enthusiastic at the idea of Mitsukuni attending another high school, but he wouldn't stop his childhood friend from going if he thought it was the best. "You'll tell us how it went," he stated, leaving no place for hesitation.

"Hehe, of course!"

The week flew by, the scent of sweets drifting throughout the corridors as Valentine's Day grew closer. On Friday, a new kind of battlefield erupted, a war of love... and chocolate.

::

"Now people, let's compare the amount of our harvests!" Tamaki loudly proclaimed from behind the lens of his foster father's phone. He brought in front of him a pile of chocolate and wrapped gifts, a satisfied smile on his face. "Admire my charm and charisma!" he cried before manically laughing.

Mitsukuni laughed as he clapped his hands.

Takashi drew a slight smile on his lips, his eyes glinting with mirth as he carefully narrowed them at the camera.

Kyoya merely flitted his gaze to look at Tamaki's "grandeur" before going back to the essay tube in his hands. Truthfully, he didn't know why he committed to participating in this Valentine's special video chat.

"Whoah, Tamaki, that's a lot of chocolates!" Mitsukuni praised from his seat atop his bed. He sat criss-cross, Sweets snuggled in his arms, and a bright smile on his face. He wasn't out of his uniform yet, and still sported his uniform shirt and pants.

Tamaki gave a proud snort— if that was a thing. He hit his puffed out chest, face shining with pride and haughtiness.

Mitsukuni smiled at his attitude before pulling the bag next to his bed up. He displayed a couple of paper bags and carefully emptied them atop of his light yellow bedding. "Shu-chan gave them to me this morning," he explained as he began to line the boxes of chocolates and pile up the letters next to them. "He said it would make my life easier."

On his side, Takashi gave a light nod of approval. "That was a good idea, Mitsukuni," he seconded, a ghost of a smile hovering his lips as he stared at the blond across the screen.

On the other hand, Kyoya snorted. "Yeah, I presume you didn't have a bag with you, Tamaki?" he jeered, lips twisted in a smirk as he looked sideways to glance at the camera, his dirty-blue eyes narrowed in amusement.

"Urgh, Sensei lent me some plastic bags," he begrudgingly refuted, lips puckered out in a childish pout.

"Fortunately you found yourself a new nanny," Kyoya asserted with a casual nod of his head before readjusting the rim of his glasses with his wrist.

This made Tamaki smile. "I still care for you the most, Kyoya!" he countered with a broad smile.

Takashi refrained a laugh.

Kyoya almost tripped on himself, a wry smile painting his lips. "Oh," he vocalized as he regained his bearing. "I'm flattered."

Tamaki gave a childish laugh, showing off his pearly whites. "You're my best friend after all!" he reminded. "Right, how much did you get, Kyoya?" he curiously asked as he leaned closer to the screen, lightly tilting his head to the side.

Kyoya hummed. "I didn't get any," he answered. "If you hadn't noticed from the previous calls, I haven't been out of my laboratory for a month or so," he reminded as he gestured to the spotless walls that surrounded him.

"Aww, not even obligatory chocolate?" Tamaki bemoaned, mild disbelief tinting his voice.

Kyoya shook his head. "Not even obligatory chocolate," he echoed.

"That's so sad," the younger of the four drawled as he fell back on his bed, phone held high above his head.

There was a pause, a beat of silence.

"I've got to tell the twins."

The call disconnected on Tamaki's side.

Kyoya heaved a sigh.

Takashi smiled.

Mitsukuni chuckled.

Not even a minute later, Kyoya felt his phone buzzing. He set his material aside, picked the phone up from his desk, and raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Is Hikaru calling?" Mitsukuni asked with a grin.

Kyoya nodded. "Sadly, he is."

He hung up.

A second hadn't passed before his phone buzzed again.

"Kaoru?" Takashi suggested.

Kyoya hummed in agreement.

::

The man took his sunglasses off as he put on his prescription glasses. His gloved fingers combed through his black locks, leaving his eyes to sweep the café in front of him as he took a seat in the corner of the terrace.

He went through the menu, ordering himself an expresso as well as a glass of water before leaning back in his seat.

He was clad in black, from top to bottom, and the only color on his person was his pair of eyes.

He took a look at his wristwatch, checking the time, and his gaze silently went over the other people on the terrace. He was a bit early, his date had more than thirty minutes left to be on time, and he was in no hurry to meet up with them.

Truthfully, until the other party contacted him, he had no plans on ever meeting up.

A mass of black appeared in front of him. He lifted his head, noticing his target clad in human skin, sitting in front of him.

"Oh," he vocalized with a smile. "I wasn't expecting you, do you have an appointment?" he queried his usual broad grin plastered on his unreadable face as he set his coffee cup down.

Koro remained silent. Actually, the only reason he came was that the hitman asked him, he wouldn't have come otherwise.

Kyoya merely chuckled at his unresponsive client. He pulled his suitcase from underneath the table and opened it with a click. From it, he pulled a syringe with a retractable tip and handed it to his target.

"Here," he ushered, still as unreadable as ever as the ticking bomb stared at his gift. "A cure for you," he explained with a smile. "Although I heard from Takashi that your students do not plan on saving you, I think the decision should be yours to make," he told him before taking a sip of his drink.

Koro stared. He didn't feel like taking the cure. It wasn't out of doubt, after all, he knew how people like Kyoya worked, it wouldn't be surprising if he developed it to kill time, but he didn't feel the need to have a cure to his predicament when his students were resolved to kill him.

Kyoya flicked his gaze to look at the target. His smile receded slightly, and he narrowed his eyes behind his spectacles. "A good hitman always has a plan B," he reminded, eyes glinting with a knowing light.

In a flash, Koro was gone, and so was the cure.

Kyoya finished his expresso. He glanced at his watch before ordering a second one. Yanagisawa would be there soon. His dirty-blue eyes flickered to his suitcase.

The poison was originally strong, why would the man need an even more potent version of it?

The underground surgeon shrugged the question off as he took a sip of his expresso. What did Yanagisawa's scheme have to do with him? The answer was obvious, he probably needed it for the government's upcoming assassination attempt.

The thought made a grin creep up Kyoya's face.

His new toy would be put into action, he wondered how the target would like his gift.

A Birdcage to hold him captive.

Hey, it's been a small while 👀