#somekato

There was a claim that nothing moves gossip faster than an academic institution, especially one populated by teenagers.

As proof, Katori Youko was witnessed sidling into the classroom of 3-A 10 minutes before homeroom - an unheard of action for a freshman, and especially unheard of for Katori who spent her time in school like she was above it all, engaging in a fervent whispered conversation with Kon Yuka - voted best cook in both her year level and 18-year-old Border members, and then leaving with a stubbornly determined look on her face.

By lunchtime, the news had trickled down to the first years and Shiki found herself surrounded by her female classmates the moment Katori waltzed out the door of Class 1-E.

Shiki stayed silent despite the expectant gazes, waiting for them to make the first move. Except the initiative was stolen by the ruckus across the room instead.

A much larger crowd was gathered around Koarai’s desk, and making enough noise that Shiki could hear every word.

“She was asking about making chocolates!!” One particularly desperate sounding boy shook Koarai by one shoulder.

“Honmei chocolates!!” Another desperate sounding boy shook Koarai by his other shoulder.

A third boy was waving a small desk calendar in Koarai’s face, as if he wasn’t aware that Valentine’s Day was a week away.

“So?” Koarai asked, obviously confused.

“You’re both Border, aren’t you?” One of the desperate sounding boys said accusingly, as if it meant something. “Who is it??”

“Is it someone in Arashiyama squad?”

“A sempai in the school?”

“Karasuma?!”

“Does our idol already have someone!?”

Shiki could have lived her life without knowing that someone viewed Katori as their idol.

One of the girls in front of Shiki smiled ruefully. “I think you know what our question is.”

Shiki sighed. “Does it matter?”

It was a different girl who answered. “Aren’t you curious? Katori-san always looks like she doesn’t care about anyone, and yet here she is, making chocolates for Valentine’s Day.”

Maybe being in Border together did mean something, because Shiki already knew Katori did care - deep, deep, down inside - and that was enough for her in a way that was clearly not enough for the rest of their classmates.

Shiki shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. “Does it matter?” she asked again, but no one was willing to budge. With no other choice left to her, Shiki threw her sempai under the bus. “Why would I know anything? If anyone knows, wouldn’t it be her teammates?”

“Are you expecting us to bother the sempai with this?” One of the girls tried to look scandalised, but Shiki knew she bothered the sempai all the time, with matters much smaller than this even.

Shiki - and Koarai - were finally set free from their classmates with Katori’s re-entrance into the classroom, a sandwich dangling in one hand. Unfortunately, a glance at all the message notifications on her phone told Shiki she was far from being free of the matter itself. She wished people would stop expecting her to know everything about Katori just because they were classmates.

As further proof of the claim, the whole story had already spread to Rokueikan by the very next day, and not all of it caused by Border members gossiping amongst themselves even.

But, when it came down to it, Katori was a girl from another school, it wasn’t enough to keep the attention of a prep school focused on the upcoming exams, except among Border members.

Kodera looked over at Somei’s desk, where most of the prep school operators had gathered - including Usami, chatting cheerfully amongst themselves. Kodera turned his eyes away from Usami, forcing down the blush that burned his cheeks, and focused on Somei. She had the same blank look on her face as the one she wore when the crowd around her had been normal classmates - the few who knew enough about Border to know about Katori and cared enough to approach Somei about it. The whole situation didn’t seem to be affecting her nearly as much as it affected the people at the other high school - at least from the complaints Kodera had been aware of: from Koarai in the chat group they shared, from Wakamura that he heard from Narasaka who heard from Arafune who heard from Inukai, even Miura had been less than his usual accepting self according to the testimonials of multiple Attackers. Kodera had a lot of pride in his data collecting skills.

But there were always gaps, people who refused to participate - people like Somei. Kodera was convinced that Somei knew who Katori was planning on giving chocolates to. If anyone did, it was her. But Somei would never tell. Even if it didn’t matter, Somei kept quiet and let people make their own assumptions.

One thing Kodera was certain of was that the chocolates weren’t for Karasuma. When he had gathered up the courage to ask her about it at lunch - since Karasuma had been the most likely possibility, Somei had smiled - a small quirk of her lips - and said, “do you think so?” The look in her eyes told Kodera she didn’t think it was Karasuma, and if Somei didn’t think it was Karasuma then it wasn’t Karasuma. It was that simple.

This, unfortunately, left the question of who. He wasn’t getting any more hints from Somei, he knew that, which meant he would have to gather his intel from somewhere else. Kodera ran through his sources, who hadn’t yet commented on the occasion? Who might know something - even if they themselves didn’t know what they knew? Who was in a position to find out?

Unconsciously, Kodera started planning out the logistics like one of the strategy problems Tsukimi would set him up with. It was no longer about Katori - it never really was - instead, there was a puzzle for Kodera to solve, even if he didn’t care what the answer was.

By the time Valentine’s Day arrived, the rumour mill was in overdrive and Class 1-E’s anticipation was through the roof as everyone hoped to see the fruits of Katori’s training with Kon. And because the teachers at Mikado First Municipal High School valued a good bout of festivities just like anyone else, the Home Economics teacher turned all of her lessons on Valentine’s Day into chocolate-making tutorials. For everyone.

But Class 1-E was destined to be heavily disappointed as their Home Ec. class began with Katori sitting around and playing with some of the unused equipment while the rest of the group did the actual work, glaring at her resignedly.

Koarai might have disassociated himself from Katori and whatever she was planning for Valentine’s Day to keep the gossipers at bay, but he had fought her often enough in the rank wars to know her personality through and through. He could have told them that she wouldn’t be making honmei chocolate on the day in front of everyone else. If Katori did make chocolates, it would have been by herself, so that no one could see her mess up or expend effort on something that actually mattered to her. If Katori did make chocolates, it would already be wrapped - perfectly - and hidden in her bag for her to give when she chose before she even got to school today.

Finally fed up, the teacher walked up to Katori with a stern expression. Katori, however, merely flipped her hair lazily, clearly not taking the teacher seriously. Her voice rose sharply, clearly audible even from where Koarai was. “Well, what if I’m not giving Valentine’s Day chocolate? Are you going to force everyone to participate even if they don’t have anyone to give to? All those poor girls having to either reveal that they have no one to give chocolates to or fake making chocolate and then having to eat it themselves! It’s public humiliation!” Katori did not sound like she was feeling sorry for anyone at all.

“You always have to make a smart comeback, don’t you,” the teacher replied wearily, not at all cowed by Katori’s words. “All we are doing is making chocolate, whether you are giving them to anyone as honmei chocolate on Valentine’s Day is up to you. I don’t see anything wrong with giving it as obligation chocolate, friend chocolate, or eating it yourself, do you?” Not giving Katori a chance to reply, the teacher continued in the same tone of voice, “Now I want to see your hands moving if you don’t want to be penalised.”

Katori didn’t seem in the mood to continue the fight, grabbing baking paper and spreading it out roughly with a sharp pout on her face. It was apparently enough for the teacher though, turning away with a nod of satisfaction.

Koarai turned his attention back to the chocolate his group was supposed to be making as everyone else also stopped paying attention to Katori now that they were sure she wasn’t going to do anything interesting.

Around him, Koarai could hear the disappointment of his classmates that, whatever she had been up to with Kon, it didn’t seem to be actually making Valentine’s Day chocolates. Koarai ignored them. He had been receiving obligation chocolates from Hitomi for the last ten years, and this time he was going to give her something in return. And to do that he had to make sure these chocolates were edible. There was no time to wonder about what Katori was or wasn’t doing.

Meanwhile, in contrast, matters have quieted down to almost nothing on the prep school side. Somei had been privy to the same complaints as the rest of Border from those who attended the other high school on the ridiculous heights the grapevine was reaching on the simple matter of Valentine’s Day chocolates. But Katori was enjoying all the attention, and that was good enough for her.

Feeling eyes on her from the front of the classroom, Somei turned that way, keeping her face blank. Kodera looked back at her undaunted. He was the only one in prep school who was still paying attention, though it was obvious by this point that he didn’t really care about who Katori was giving chocolates to - Kodera would probably be more interested in knowing who Usami was giving chocolates to, if she hadn’t already announced to everyone days ago that she’s giving obligation chocolates to every official Border member at the school. It was the puzzle for him, the thrill of solving the mystery.

Not that it was much of a mystery. Katori had been unusually silent on the matter even to Somei, when usually Somei would have been the first to know - and maybe even roped into helping Katori make the chocolates. But this time, not only did Katori not come to her, she hadn’t even told Somei about them. It had been a bit of a rude awakening to learn along with everyone else at prep school that Katori was planning on making chocolates after the fact. But that was also how Somei realised who Katori must be making them for.

Somei did not believe in false modesty, she knew she was intelligent in her ability to see patterns and make connections, it was obvious that if Katori was changing her habits just to hide this from Somei, then the chocolates were probably for-

“Somei-san,” the girl who sat next to Somei said, pointing to the window beside her, “I think you have a visitor.”

Somei peered out the window. Class was already over for the day, dotting the school grounds with students leaving, but as a prep school the number of students who remained to catch up on work, to prepare for the next day, or to participate in club activities far outnumbered those who left. Even Somei’s own classroom was still half full of students even excluding her and Kodera. This was why Katori’s lone figure at the front gates stood out even at a glance. Some early cherry trees were blooming already, a stunning backdrop that lent a story-like quality to the scene, as if Katori was the protagonist of a movie. Katori was very suited to be the protagonist of a movie.

The sky was starting to darken as Katori led Somei to a small park near the Forbidden Zone. It was a sad little park, with just a single rusted slide, two rocking horses that no longer moved, and an abandoned air that betrayed its neglect. That and the location meant it was empty at all times, and the sunset gave the surroundings a romantic flair that Katori had made a lot of effort to ensure. Effort that was going to go to nothing if she messed this up. Katori gulped.

Somei, who always knew Katori better than she knew herself, turned expectantly when Katori stopped in her tracks, her usual blank look on her face.

Sick of her own anxiety and uncomfortable with the unfamiliarity of it, Katori plunged a hand unceremoniously into her bag and said, “Here. For you.”

Somei received the well-wrapped package solemnly, not a hint of surprise on her face. “Thank you.”

Katori kicked lightly at a small rock between them. “You’re welcome, I guess,” she mumbled, feeling weirdly disheartened. She had known Somei wouldn’t react, she knew her that well, but it still felt discouraging.

Katori could feel Somei’s gaze on her, but something inside her didn’t want to look up. Katori's cheeks were shamefully hot. She wasn’t sure she liked the feeling.

There was a light crinkling of wrapping paper and the quiet crunch of chocolate being bitten into. “It tastes very good.”

It was as if a weight that Katori didn’t know had been stuck in her chest had suddenly fell away. She looked up. “Of course! I made it!” Everyday after school at Suzunari branch, she didn’t say, until it was perfect.

Somei smiled. “Of course,” she repeated, and placed another chocolate in her mouth.

Katori smiled too, feeling like she was floating off the ground, like everything was right in the world again. She didn’t know why she was so worried. As if there was ever any possibility of it going wrong. She made those chocolates herself after all. Katori looked Somei straight in the eyes. “You’re supposed to return three times as much on White Day, you know.”

Somei blinked slowly, and nodded. “I see,” she said seriously. “Understood.”

The setting sun was lined up perfectly behind her, casting a hazy glow over Somei’s features and dazzling Katori’s eyes. It made her look ethereal, as if she was out of Katori’s reach. But Somei always had lived in a different world, one that contemplated difficult matters and planned for a future Katori didn’t understand. It didn’t matter. They didn’t need to live in the same world, not as long as Somei was willing to meet her halfway.