Maria liked chocolates, right? That's what Tsubasa hoped as she approached the older girl with a box of candy. The blonde offered them to her, smiling softly. She hadn't given anything to anyone older than her before for Valentines Day, so Tsubasa found herself wondering if this was okay. There was nothing that could be taken the wrong way, right? "These are for you, Hikawa-san! Happy Valentines Day!"
“Oh! You shouldn’t have!” It was a familiar phrase spoken by one Maria Hikawa on this given day, as a good number of her classmates bombarded her around campus earlier. Some were bolder than others, placing a decorative box or two on her desk before the Professor arrived, or right after class was concluded for the day, but nevertheless, she always managed to bring home a bountiful amount of chocolates to enjoy over the course of the next few months. This year was no different, noted by the bag currently slung over her shoulder, but she accepted each handmade or store brought present with open arms. Valentine’s Day, especially when she was much younger in grade school, was meant to be the opportunity for girls to present the boy they liked with chocolate to express their feelings, but ever since middle school…
Being greeted by underclassmen or peers in the same year as her, has been a common occurrence for Maria. Sometimes they’d leave as quickly as they came, hoping to see her next time around, and then there were those who attached a confession to the mix. Not so much of those lately, of course, but the chocolate was continuous. “Ah, thank you for this Tsubasa-chan!”
“Hold on a sec, okay? I got something for you, too!”
Removing the shoulder bag from it’s resting place, Maria unzippered the first pocket and pulled out a large chocolate bar. It was themed for the holiday, with a strawberry filling in the center. She had made a point to get these ahead of time to give not only to Iona and her friends, but anyone else who had presented her with chocolate. “Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you like it!”