MaIruma-kun "Kalenoki" - Gifting
"Kalenoki" - Kalego x Momonoki fanart
Kalego was convinced gifting was an artform.
An artform he was terrible at.
Momonoki was far better than him, that was an objective fact. Kalego was an avid collector of cacti, yet somehow the demoness found a species he didn't have in his collection yet, and it came with the admittedly most adorable little flower on its top.
On the other side, all Kalego could come up with was a pen. An ornate one, to be sure, but there was not much else to it. The colors on the feather somehow reminded him of her and he bought it over that single impression alone. He was starting to hate just how devoid of creativity he truly was outside of music, combat or in his tactics to keep ahead of the Misfit Class and their chaotic existence.
But, surprisingly, regardless of how lame or ashamed Kalego felt about his gifts, Momo was always overjoyed over them, she thanked him a thousand times, she carried them around like they were the crown jewels of the Demon King and she even used them or displayed them in a prominent way.
Perhaps what made all this truly precious was that Kalego knew Momo was not pretending. She was genuine in everything she did - her fumblings, her failings, her strengths, her triumphs, her emotions. It had been obvious to Kalego even back when she was his protégé at the start of her career here at Babyls. Professional, talented and knowledgeable as she was, at the end of the day Momonoki was an open book through and through, with no attempts to suppress, misdirect or cover up anything.
The Guard Dog in him told him this was just another form of naivety, a most dangerous and disadvantageous trait to have. Yet in the growing storm around some of his students, his family, Babyls and the Netherworld at large, Kalego couldn't help but be drawn to... and undeniably fall in love with the shining beacon that was Momo's genuineness.
