【マイバレンタイン】有栖川夏葉
オススメパンオショコラ
In her apartment, Natsuha is looking over options for gifts. She occasionally consults her beloved Cattleya who barks and whines throughout her search as the time passes by.
Later on, Natsuha hops into Producer’s car and is immediately puzzled. There’s a strange smell floating around the car, a good one yet not what she was expecting. She catches herself sniffing around like Cattleya would and Producer explains that he stopped by a bakery on the way to pick her up. The particular store he went to happened to be running a limited time special with a new type of bread. P mentions he got recommended to the place by Chiyoko, and, to no one’s surprise, there’s chocolate filling in the bread. P hands over the unusually-shaped pain au chocolat he got for Natsuha and they start commenting on it while trying it out.
P then begins to question the limited nature of the bread. It’s certainly got a strange shape, but…why now? Natsuha reminds him that it’s February and that Valentine’s is just around the corner. P claims he hadn’t forgotten about it, but his shocked expressions aren’t selling it very well and Natty chastises him for his carelessness, reminding him that he’s not exempt from the Valentine’s Day events.
LEFT CHOICE: I’ll have to be more considerate.
P laments his forgetfulness and the two talk about Valentine’s gifting. They comment about giving things to colleagues rather than lovers, but even then the two haven’t got a clue as to what they would give. Natsuha’s not even entirely sure what it is she would want.
TOP CHOICE: I’m not?
Natsuha berates him further for thinking he wasn’t going to be involved in anything this holiday. She tells him to be prepared to get gifts, otherwise people’s hard work in preparation (namely her own) would go to waste.
RIGHT CHOICE: I hope I get something…
P tries to play off his sadness as a joke, but Natty is sure that he’d have his hands full of chocolates once the day comes. When he’s humble about not getting anything, Natsuha assures him that he’ll at least get one gift as the research for it is already underway.
トクシュウバレンタイン
At the 283 Office, Natsuha is sifting through a bunch of magazines. They’re all February editions, so everything’s got Valentine’s Day specials running. She picks up a manga magazine and starts flipping through it, amused that even something like this isn’t safe from Valentine’s features, but is caught in the act as P enters the room. Natty isn’t much of a manga reader, so he’s surprised to see her with a magazine like this, but she explains that Rinze or Chiyoko must have left it here. The two begin chatting about how all of the magazines have specials going on, but Natsuha’s eyes catch something of interest.
Unlike the other features, one magazine has an article about “How to Gift Valentine’s Chocolates”. It’s seemingly aimed at a younger audience since it explains how to present your gifts at school. Natsuha is, of course, an adult so she says it likely won’t be of any use to them.
LEFT CHOICE: It’s heartwarming in a way.
The two mention how cute it is that the magazine mentions things like being careful of teachers that could confiscate your gifts. They agree that rules are regulations are a must, but they also wish that teachers would overlook such things just for special days like this.
TOP CHOICE: Perhaps you can use it at university too?
Natsuha concurs that maybe it could have some use there, but admits that there’s no one at her university she’s interested in. Despite this, she still does plan on giving gifts out to her friends, both at school and at 283, so she’ll need to get ready to hand them out.
RIGHT CHOICE: It wouldn’t be necessary for an adult.
Upon hearing this, Natsuha asks P to demonstrate how he would present chocolates. After some stuttering, P gives a very business-like demonstration. It’s not particularly romantic, but it’s still very adult-like.
カワリダネコロッケ
While out and about, a butchery staff member calls out to P and Natsuha. The local shop has a new menu item and the lady tending the store asks if they’d be interested. The two quickly piece together that the “new menu item” must be the chocolate croquettes they’ve listed on a distant sign. It’s a questionable combination, but the store lady assures them that it was made with Valentine’s in mind and that the local kids all come by to buy some on their way home. Respecting the entrepreneurship, P decides to buy two of them and they head off to try them out elsewhere.
Much to their surprise, the chocolate-filled croquettes are actually quite delicious. They’re astounded by how it feels like a totally unique treat despite being a croquette.
LEFT CHOICE: Everything’s a competition, huh?
P notes that he’s usually wary about trying new things and that he likely wouldn’t have bothered had the lady not called out to them. The two discuss how it must be a real challenge putting up new menu items to compete with other stores. They find the butchery crew inspiring and Natsuha declares that they can’t fall behind. Extra training is now in order to work off those heavy treats.
TOP CHOICE: Let’s go buy some again.
P reiterates that they’re a limited-time deal, so it’ll be better to get them now before they’re gone. Natsuha agrees that she’d like to eat them again, but brings up that perhaps the shop will have another new item on sale for the following month’s White Day, in which case they’ll definitely have to swing by again.
RIGHT CHOICE: I bet it’s supremely delicious while you’re out shopping.
Much like what they’re doing right now, P says that eating outside just has a special feeling to it. Natsuha agrees, but also mentions that eating it alongside someone else must add a lot to the flavor as well.
サシイレマシュマロ
Natsuha enters the office and finds a strange paper bag. Producer explains that Kaho brought it in earlier and that it’s full of treats for everyone, encouraging Natty to open it up. When she takes a look inside, Natsuha finds a variety of sweets including chocolate-filled marshmallows. They all look tasty and there’s even things that Natsuha’s never tried before, so P suggests they enjoy some of the snacks together since it’s about time for him to take a break.
During their tasting session, P notes that a certain candy has an almost nostalgic taste to it for some reason. It may not have been this exact kind of candy, but P is sure that he’s had something similar before, mentioning how it’s got a slightly comforting flavor. When Natsuha adds that maybe the fact that Kaho brought them in has added to the enjoyment, P agrees and says that being a present makes it feel a lot more valuable than it potentially is.
LEFT CHOICE: I’ll have to return the favor.
Natsuha chimes in and says she’d like to return the favor as well since she partook in some of the snacks. After mentioning returning something that gives a similar warm feelings, they decide to go shopping later.
TOP CHOICE: I’ll have to express my thanks.
Once again, they both want to express their gratitude, but P says he needs to thank Natsuha too. She stayed with him during his snack break, so he’s feeling appreciative. Natsuha says it’s nothing to worry about and that he can call her over anytime.
RIGHT CHOICE: It was really tasty, wasn’t it?
Just a couple of grown adults sittin’ around munchin’ on candies. How silly.
トクベツチョコレート
Back in her apartment, Natsuha is going over her thoughts about giving a gift to Producer once again. She’s beginning to think that maybe something less expensive would be fine so long as it has heart behind it, but in that case it must be her delivery that’ll make it truly special. Cattleya barks away as time passes once more.
Outside the 283 Office, P is greeted by Natsuha waiting for him in her fancy car. He begins to question why she’s here at this hour and she asks if he’s forgotten what day it is again. Luckily, he’s fully aware of it this time, so Natsuha has no reservations about telling him that she’s come to give him his Valentine’s Day chocolates.
P tries to apologize for making her wait, but Natsuha assures him that she wanted to do this and even enjoyed the wait. Natsuha says that unfortunately nothing like this was described in the magazine features about “How to Give Valentine’s Chocolates”, so she did some thinking on her own and raced down by car since this was likely the best time to catch him. She then hands over his gift and expresses her gratitude for everything he’s done so far, hoping that they continue to have a wonderful future together.
