Valentine's Day

Uniforms were still commonplace as it would have been unheard of for any in the student populous to be dressed in anything else. That said, there was an abundance of red in hair decorations, bracelets, trinkets, and there were more treats that were brought to school for the express purpose of being delivered to another.

A cute tradition, and one that overwhelmed even her feelings as she clutched the small parcel that was balanced on her bento. It was a humble and tiny box that held a chocolate piece, decorated with the lightest soft-pink covering. She just had to find a way to get it to senpai.

Something of this monumental importance couldn't be merely slid into his locker!

She swallowed and looked around the courtyard, suddenly anxious. What if she was seen? Info-chan probably already knew, but she also wouldn't tell a soul, so it wouldn't matter, but that didn't mean that others wouldn't see her and get in her way. Senpai might have been a personality that preferred to be alone, but he was watched. Yes, he was prince of the school! That just made it harder to isolate him from those who wouldn't possibly be able to love Senpai as Senpai deserved!

No one could ever love senpai like she did. There was no doubt!

She steeled herself and rushed into the school, determined not to make eye contact, lest she lose her nerve on the way. Into the hallway, past the stairs, and straight to her seat. She stopped suddenly, dropped her bag into place, and then sat. It was still morning, and there was time yet before anyone could, or would, deliver their gifts.

"Valentine's day!" One of the school girls sighed. She moved to her seat, in plain sight of Ayano while the rest of the class continued to file in. Koharu Hinata, Ayano remembered. She enjoyed cooking, when she last heard. "So many new recipes I want to try!"

Confirmed.

"I swear, Koharu-chan, all you think about is food!" Mina Rai, member of the martial arts club, rolled her eyes. "Well, do your best."

Koharu smiled and turned in her chair so she could continue talking to the girls who came with her. "So, do you have anyone you're giving chocolates to?"

Mina shook her head. "Nah. There's no one here I feel strongly enough about."

"How can you feel that way?!"

The surprised declaration turned everyone's attention to bright hair that bounced atop a dramatic face painted to match some degree of perfection. The roses bound into her hair seemed to gleam with the intensity of her eyes as she turned, braced herself on her desk, and held up a small box. Even the see-through lid seemed to magnify whatever intense beam of hope shone from this dramatic princess.

Ayano winced at the brightness. So much light. Was it necessary?

"Valentine's day is the perfect opportunity to inspire love and to declare your devotion in the form of a gift!" She lowered the box only slightly as she set her free hand on her hip and arched it slightly as she cast a glance about the room. She was heard, and she knew it, but she also knew that it was in good form to make eye contact with your audience to drive your point home.

"An American singer once declared 'Everybody loves somebody sometimes!' Of course, as an actress and a master of inciting feelings in others, I also know that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The most romantic way to start is with chocolates."

Ayano felt nauseous.

Mina's shoulders were flat and she seemed to hold a mildly perturbed frown. Koharu seemed a little more forgiving. "Who are you planning to give chocolate to, Kizana-chan?"

The flamboyant maiden giggled. "I'm going to wait for just the right moment, and when I find it, I'm going to give this custom rose chocolate to Yamada Taro. He cannot possibly refuse!"

It was at that moment that Ayano couldn't hear anything further. The image flashed in her head of the gaudy girl sauntering into senpai's sight and offering the box and the chocolates, feigning humility as she did so. Senpai was too polite to refuse anyone. Senpai would fall for the trick and the dramatic lies. An actress could hide her evil just long enough to steal senapi away. Ayano could not easily pull herself away from the vision.

This evil should not be allowed! Kizana would hurt senpai. She would lie to him, drag him through the worst pain: Break his heart. She couldn't possibly love senpai if she was so caught up in herself.

The door closed and the teacher entered the room, calling everyone to order as politely and matter-of-factly as she always did. Words were mutters and whispers.

"When do you plan to do it?"

"The most romantic time, of course." The red smile widened. "Three forty five."

Whatever the lesson was about, Ayano couldn't hear it and she couldn't focus on it. Her mind was too busy, too full of action and plans that were suddenly piecing themselves together. She felt frozen in space, as though the world had paused, and it continued without her. Senpai was in danger of being stolen away from her.

She had to stop Kizana from reaching senpai at quarter to four. There was the nurse's office. There were tools in the gardening shed. There were any number of pencils. There were fitness tools, weapons in the martial arts club, knives in the kitchen used by the cooking club….

Class broke and she was in a daze. She managed to snap a picture of Kizana, who was much too happy to pose before sauntering off to her next presumed obligation. The image was immediately sent to info-chan.

Valentine's Day.

He took a slow breath and exhaled. A bothersome holiday the Americans brought with them. Now it had to do with giving chocolates, picking favorites, and making sure that you weren't too offended if you were ignored. Some students had a harder time with this than others. It was never his trouble or bother, as womenfolk had a tendency to avoid him.

Besides all of this, he wouldn't have accepted their gifts, for he cared for none of them, save the beauty who was driven by her desires and in whose soul he found a part of himself. She, and she alone, could sanctify a gift and only from her would it be worthy to accept.

The bell rang and he moved from his chair to stretch his legs.

"How many do you think you'll get this year?" One of the students asked, who he never cared to learn the name of.

The other student shrugged. "At least one, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had three. I am the handsomest man in the room."

Boastful bastard, Ayato thought to himself, grateful to be clear of them when he stepped into the hallway. It was decently full of people, most just out to enjoy the fresh air before they would all retreat to the classroom again. He excused himself to the bathroom, caring little about the pining sighs of the girls who happened to see whoever they loved from another classroom pass them by. He counted himself grateful they were not looking his way.

In rounding down another hallway, he caught sight of the person he never would never miss.

His angel was gliding through the hallway, again wearing the expression that sent an exquisite shock down his spine. Elated to see her determined focus, he watched and stared as she stepped into a spare room. Her phone had been in her hand, but at the moment, she wasn't carrying a weapon.

He felt himself tremble, excited now, and he forced himself to breathe so that he could center his thoughts. She was on the move. A predator with a goal and all the cunning of a person. There was no hunt like the hunt of a man. He slid down the hallway, his ears newly focused on each step that echoed in the halls, his eyes trained on the trail he saw, his mind repeating to his eyes the steps she took. What was her plan? What was she going to do? Who was going to be her target?

A knife… would be too painful, too obvious. Kizana spins too much. She would spin right into the blade, scream a horribly dramatic and shrill note, and she would immediately attract attention. That wouldn't work. Kizana needed to be hushed and silent. Yes… something much more subtle was needed to keep Kizana out of the way.

Kizana. Info-chan said that Kizana was a member of the drama club. Though she had been two weeks late in the year, she was here now, and Info-chan said that the girl was determined to become the most popular girl in school and to become a famous actress. High ambitions for a painted peahen.

This room had a lot of large and empty cases, mostly for instruments. The ones that were used to hold the instruments themselves were by the band room, but these extra ones were here for when the band and musicians traveled. The drum set, for instance, couldn't just be strapped to the roof of the bus.

She opened it and exited the room again. There was absolutely nothing wrong with walking about the school. She was ignorant of being watched, though she did see Ayato leaning against the wall as she passed. Loner, Info-chan had called him. He would not be in the way while she rushed to protect senpai.

As though nothing was wrong. He smiled when he saw her disappear from around the next corner. He moved to the door she exited and pushed it casually open. The storage closet. Intrigued, he closed the door and wandered the hall. He would check this room later, to see who she had intended to hide.

Class came and went, though for most of it, Ayano felt the daze of her mind swallow her interest in the lesson. Whatever it was, she could attain notes about the lecture from any of the students. Perhaps Mina-chan, who had a square head on her shoulders and who wasn't swept up in the romantic madness.

In any case, when it was time for lunch, they were excused to eat in the classroom or eat where they wished. Ayano couldn't waste a moment of it. Kizana made it a point to be seen wherever she was, or rather, whenever she wished. So, the first trial was to separate her from the others, to isolate her.

Perhaps…. Something like…

Anything to smudge her makeup would convince her to retreat to the bathroom. That could be secret and safe. But, because it was the lunch hour, there would be more people gathered there.

There were other rooms that were not used as often. Perhaps it would be safer to lure Kizana to any of those. How to do that without being picked out as the one last seen with her?

Well, she was remarkably vain. This was also something info-chan noted, and it was reinforced by all of her interactions in class. Playing to that ego would be fairly easy. A person who doesn't act need only honestly say that she is needed somewhere specific. Without suspicion of lying, she would simply follow through.

In her thoughts and continuing to process this plan, Ayano moved into the nurse's office. The kind woman was on the phone and looking out of the window to the front courtyard below. As cautiously as she could manage, Ayano crept into the office and glanced across the countertop. A few vials and a syringe.

She took these and excused herself after carefully hiding these things in the sleeves of the longer uniform she chose to protect her against the weather of the day. None the wiser, the nurse did not look around as Ayano stepped out. It was a trick, however, to find an abandoned alcove in the hallway. She slid into a broom closet and checked the vials with the light of her phone. She knew these names from health class. Fortunately, one of the vials would allow for a person to simply be knocked out. Too much of anything, of course, was lethal.

Let's see… about how much did Kizana weigh… Couldn't be much different than her own weight, Ayano concluded. She maneuvered the syringe into the vial and drew out a few units. It didn't look like very much, this crude measurement of tranquilizers. The syringe was drawn back. The lid slid back into place over the needle to protect it. The syringe was hidden in her sleeve again. The vials were similarly hidden in her sleeve.

Now she had everything ready. And according to her phone, she only had fifteen minutes left for the class would gather again. She swallowed and escaped the closet when she heard nothing around her.

Down to where the groups were. Down to the main courtyard, where all were loud and already students were exchanging their precious chocolates. It was painfully easy to spot the crooning peahen.

"Kizana-chan?" Ayano felt her voice speak and she excused her thoughts to focus on the task at hand. Her voice was surprisingly cool, even hopeful. She did want the girl to pay attention. Ayano didn't quite have the reputation that Kizana had, and for now, that was enough to appease Kizana's pride even as she turned and affirmed that she was being spoken to.

"Yes?" The dramatic one seemed mildly annoyed, but she didn't break character quite yet. Politeness still ruled.

Ayano folded her hands together. "I need to ask you something. I have a chocolate to give to an upper-classman, but I need your advice for how to do it."

The stroked ego coaxed a smile on the painted face. Kizana confidently lifted her head. "Oh you do? Who is it?"

Ayano shook her head. "Maybe I could tell you somewhere in private?"

Ayano felt her face warm up a bit too quickly. She pressed her hands to her face and shook her head. Even thinking about being heard was more than embarrassing. She wasn't ready for Senpai to hear about her feelings now!

Kizana seemed to give a wave. "Very well! I will teach you confidence, you poor creature! You're very lucky that I'm in your class."

Yes, Ayano felt her nerves begin to calm. Kizana agreed to follow her. Soon, very soon, she wouldn't have to worry about this harpy stealing senpai away.

"Maybe the music room?" Ayano's voice suggested as she turned. Kizana fell into step with her, and she waved off the applauds she earned from the drama team for her condescension that came off as deigning the apparent need of this blushing hopeful. Along the way, Kizana went on and on, beginning to talk about various tactics that had been of use for anytime she needed to display love on the stage. It was about making the audience feel something! It was about pouring your heart out and being brave enough to just go out and say what you need to say.

She needed to be brave, of course, and the best way to get results is to be brave. To just do it! Do your best, and though you may fail, you might be remembered fondly forever. Juliet might have died, but she and Romeo were brave enough to first declare their love! Valentine's day was the perfect day to start!

Ayano felt the syringe under her sleeve and pressed against her arm. They moved down the hallway. They approached the music closet.

"Ah… pardon, Kizana-hime… Maybe in here? I think there are people in the music room."

Carried away with her own voice, Kizana assumed the music playing came from instruments the band currently used. She smiled and accepted this slight detour and moved into the closet that Ayano held open. She turned on the light after the door was closed.

"Now, watch me." She turned and set her heel and stance. Her hip was angled upward slightly, and she seemed as though most of her was turned away. "Pretending that this cello is the man."

Her back was then to Ayano. It was too perfect.

She slid her sleeve back while Kizana cleared her throat. Ayano stepped closer and studied the visible neck above the collar of the uniform. Syringe cap off. Puncture. Kizana squeaked and suddenly turned around, tossing the now empty syringe across the room. Kizana's eyes were wide, all thoughts of acting gone as she wheeled around and stumbled away from Ayano. The actress was not standing for very long, though, as she swooned and collapsed.

A slight smile pulled on the corner of Ayano's face as she knelt down to Kizana and began to move her into one of the larger luggage boxes. The syringe was retrieved, capped, and tossed into the box with the vials. The hinge was graciously silent. The latch clicked shut.

"Thank you, Kizana-hime." Ayano was able to push the container to the back corner. Checking out the box would be easy. Kizana was an actress, and it wouldn't be surprising if she went home early. An actress took every opportunity where she could. She could simply have given her chocolate sooner than she declared to keep the element of surprise. It was easy to fabricate this plan for her.

Ayano felt her lungs quake and tremble as her heart rate only just began to calm down. She allowed herself to laugh at the rush and the thrill. She had been so tense! And now she found success! Senpai was safe for another day!

What would she do with the body of the actress? … Hm… she would have to figure that out at home.