"Happy Valentine's! These are friendship chocolates. I worked really hard to make them, so please eat them. —D"
When I woke up, there was a cutely wrapped box sitting by my pillow.
Someone managed to place something by my pillow without me noticing — even though I'd made sure to secure my safety within my base before going to sleep?
Well, as someone who takes pride in their home, that stung my pride a little, but when I saw the sender's name on the card that came with the box, I understood.
If it's Annya, then there's no helping it.
But still, chocolates?
That evil god is actually doing something nice for once, huh?
You know, I love sweet stuff.
And it's not like we have chocolate around here, so I'm super happy about this.
Let's dig in right away!
*Pop!* "G-G-G-GYAaaah!!"
*Slurp!* ...What was that just now?
Was it a trick of my eyes, or did some mysterious brown gooey creature just let out a blood-curdling scream the moment I opened the box?
Chocolates?
Are chocolates really the kind of thing that warrants a SAN check just by looking at them?
Let me open the box again and confirm.
Yeah.
It might've just been a momentary glitch with my eyes.
*Pop!* "G-G-G-GYAaaah!!"
*Slurp!* What am I supposed to do with this?
You want me to eat it?
"Then why did you bring it to me?"
"G-G-G-GYAaaah!!"
"Eat it."
"...I refuse."
"G-G-G-GYAaaah!!"
I headed over to Kuro.
What a god creates, a god should have thrown right back — that's the proper response.
So that's what I tried to do, pushing it toward Kuro, but the bastard refused to take it.
Look, isn't it clamoring for attention like this, looking all eager to be accepted?
And now that I look more closely, isn't it actually kind of adorable?
So come on — take it!
On Valentine's Day, you're getting chocolates from a girl!
Every guy out there would be looking at you with envy — that's the kind of treatment you're getting!
Not accepting this? That's practically an insult to Valentine's Day itself!
Me trying to shove it on him, and Kuro stubbornly refusing to take it.
That back-and-forth went on for about twenty minutes before Kuro, as if giving up, finally reached his hand toward the creature.
Oh?
He's finally resigned himself to accepting it!
Nice, nice.
Take good care of it forever.
His right hand grabbed the creature with a firm grip — and his left hand grabbed my jaw just as firmly.
Hm?
Then that hand forced my mouth open and unceremoniously stuffed the creature right inside.
"G-G-G-GYAaaah..."
The creature's scream faded away into the depths of my mouth.
I ended up eating it after all!
What the hell, man!?
And it actually tasted like normal chocolate, the bastard!
"D, you've really done it now."
"G-G-G-GYAaaahh!? Aaaah..."
"What is this, exactly?"
"Can't you tell by looking?"
"If I could tell, I wouldn't be asking."
The Japanese-style beauty in a maid outfit questioned D as he stabbed a spoon into the mysterious screaming object, carved off a piece, and brought it to his mouth.
"It's chocolate."
"Chocolate doesn't emit inhuman screams."
"That's just a preconceived notion. Want some? It's delicious."
"Even if it were delicious, I have no desire to eat something so bizarre."
"But it's tasty."
"More importantly — you abandoned your work to make this? I trust you'll give me an explanation I can accept."
"Because it's Valentine's Day, I felt I had to. I have no regrets and no remorse."
What became of D after that — no one knows.