Template:Arc Box
Release date: 2 2009 Tradition demands that the kitchens of demons must have a cauldron.
One larger than the average household bath, …since it’s meant for stewing human meat, naturally.
Is a deadly dish in the making…? Or an ill-tasting torture…?
A bowl floated upon the hot water that filled the cauldron, a variety of minced, tasty-looking chocolates within…
A spotlight illuminated the scene, and Ronove entered the stage, wearing a chef’s hat.
“Now then, misses and madams in front of the television, how is this? Once the chocolate is heated and melted throughout, pour it into the bowl of cold water we’ve prepared beforehand. Then stir, stir, stir. If you don’t take care, the edges will solidify. Let us stir so as not to let those men’s molten hearts cool down.”
…The host of this year’s Valentine’s Day chocolate special seemed to be truly enjoying himself.
“Since the tempering is complete, let us continue by squeezing the chocolate into bite-size circles. Look, isn’t that just perfect? It is like a chocolate cookie, if I do say so myself.”
With a practiced movement, an elegant overaction, Ronove punctuated his words with the creation of a succession of chocolate medals.
“Next, ladies, please show me your originality by decorating it to your own taste. I shall merely suggest nuts as a basis. Almond, pistachio, cashew nut… walnuts and tea leaves are wonderful as well. The demons’ special recipe calls for it to be decorated with the seed of a devil’s trumpet and the blossom of an angel’s trumpet. When he eats it, perhaps you’ll mysteriously find out the name of the girl he likes? A valentine is the celebration of a maiden’s dreams…! I, Ronove, sincerely wish that you shall remember this wonderful and precious day for a lifetime. Pukkukkukku!”
The seed of devil’s trumpet and blossom of angel’s trumpet are poisonous to humans. Don’t eat them!
“Of course, of course. Because humans will be eating the chocolate this time, let us not use any poisonous plants. Once you cool this in the refrigerator, it is complete. Now, a round of applause for our lovely ladies. Pukkukku!”
The kitchen fairies clapped and cheered in admiration of Ronove. He returned their praise with a graceful bow, and with that, the Valentine’s Day chocolate special came to its conclusion.
Ronove placed the chocolate in a beautiful decoration box, suitable for presentation to his mistress, Beatrice.
“It would be best if Milady were to handcraft her own Valentine’s chocolate, but there are also times when this shoddy chocolate of mine can grab hold of a gentleman’s heart.”
Apart from Beato’s share, there was still plenty of chocolate left.
Ronove brought his hands together, and the sound of his clapping echoed throughout the kitchen.
“You may come out now. Thank you kindly for keeping yourselves invisible while I was cooking. As a token of my appreciation, why don’t I share this with all of you?”
“Kyahahaha! Oh, Ronove-sama, you’re too kind~!”
Beelzebub was the first to appear, with a *dobon* from behind the cauldron.
Once one of them appears, it’s no use for the other sisters to stay hidden.
From within the refrigerator and within the pots, here and there and other such places, hands and feet began to emerge, and the seven sisters appeared in sequence.
“W, we apologize, Ronove-sama… Our act of spying on you was…”
“Think nothing of it. After all, the seven of you are maidens. It is only proper that your hearts should beat swiftly on Valentine’s Day! Of course it would be a matter of interest to all of you.”
“Ronove-sama~, can I eat it? I wanna eat, I wanna eat!”
“Geez, can’t you act like an adult a little, Beelz?! Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!”
Satan scolded the excited Beelzebub. The Seven Sisters of Purgatory were lively as usual today.
“Not so hasty, everyone. I said that I would share this chocolate with you, but I did not say a word about allowing you to eat it.”
“E, eeeeeeeeeeeeeh…!! B, but… Chocolate we can’t eat, that’s too much, it’s torture!”
“…When the need arises to punish Beelzebub, let us use this method from now on. …Do not be disappointed, everyone. This is Valentine’s chocolate, is it not? It is chocolate for that wonderful day when a woman gives chocolate to a man.”
“I, I get it. …So, we should hand this chocolate over to a man?”
“You are mistaken, Lucifer. It is not ‘handing over’. It is giving a present to the man who is foremost in each of your hearts. Is it not the long-awaited Valentine’s Day? This world is but a twisted place in which you exist to kill or be killed! Is this not a precious behind-the-scenes interlude? Please, allow yourselves to enjoy the bittersweet feelings of a young maiden’s heart. This is the gift that I wish to share with you.”
The seven sisters were surprised by this unexpected development.
So instead of gouging the opposite sex with their stakes, it’s better to give them chocolate…
“Kya~~, awesoooome! Thank you so much, Ronove-sama~! I wonder who I’ll give my chocolate to~”
Since the affairs of love and lust are Asmodeus’ number one interest, her cheeks flushed red, and she continued to shout “kya, kya”.
“My, my. It seems Asmo is the most enthusiastic. Let us congratulate her. Now, all of you, one by one, If there’s nobody of the opposite sex who interests you, the same sex is fine. Anyway, definitely give it to somebody. If you don’t…”
“If we don’t…?”
Lucifer asked fearfully. But Ronove did not answer, merely smiled with a grin. On occasions like this, Ronove can be quite terrifying.
If you complain too much, you might get scolded. When he smiles, you had better play along.
In this way, the seven sisters’ valentines came to be given as a matter of obligation…
“…Well, you heard what he said. I trust each member of the Stakes shall carry out their duty splendidly. Now, let us be off!”
“”"”"”Yes, Onee-sama!”"”"”"
When Lucifer ordered the deployment, the seven sisters popped out all at once and dashed out of the kitchen as if flying, the clatter of pots and pans sounding behind them.
Now then, to whom did the Seven Sisters of Purgatory give their chocolate to respectively…?
It is quite an ordinary thing for them to gouge with a stake; this dangerous task is their exclusive specialty. But giving chocolate is something they have no experience with.
Even if they are ordered to give it to somebody, it isn’t such a simple matter.
However, it seems Asmo- of the head filled with romantic thoughts- has already made her decision long ago.
“Eh, wha, you, have you decided who to give it to?! Tell us, tell us!”
“Uffufufufu~～♪ Of course I have! The prince on the white horse who appeared in EP4! Amakusa Juuza-sama for sure!”
“…Ah, Amakusa. Haa… I get it, so that’s who you had in mind…”
“You must be kidding me, Onee-samas! Of course I checked out all the new male characters~ Isn’t Juuza-sama wonderful♪ He’s stoic and a little wild, but not coarse, and he’s got a great bod too… Aah, he’s definitely my type~!!”
As soon as she said that, Asmo transmogrified into a stake and flew off.
Giving chocolate in that kind of mood seemed worrisome, so the other sisters followed her.
“Amakusa-sama! This is Valentine’s chocolate! Please accept it!”
…A standard strategy… no, it was a totally frontal attack.
“T, that courage… Isn’t she the least bit flustered by this giving chocolate thing?!”
“I heard that men fall to the first taker… I suppose the hiding behind a tree strategy isn’t popular nowadays…”
“Shouldn’t she be a little more self-conscious?! Ah, jeez, she was totally upfront about it! She’s such a kid!”
The elder sisters quietly muttered about her from the shadows.
Amakusa was not embarrassed, and received the chocolate with a smile.
…The impression his gesture gave that he’s quite used to this sort of thing is disgusting to a man’s heart, but it’s suave rather then suspicious from a woman’s perspective.
“<Thank you, cute> young lady. Is it handmade?”
“Yup, that’s right. I made it just for Amakusa-sama~!”
“T, that girl, she lied so shamelessly…!”
“It’s impossible for Amakusa to tell whether she really made it by hand! It’s a Devil’s Proof!”
“But that Asmo, it’s like she’s done this before… She must’ve practiced until it’s second nature to her.”
“What the hell are we doing?! Have you been outdone by our youngest sister?! Aren’t you ashamed?!”
As expected of Asmodeus of Lust. She had perfect cleared the gal-game through a shortcut.
Happily sitting side by side with him and unwrapping the packaging, she treated Amakusa to Ronove’s specially made chocolate.
“Here, Amakusa-sama! A~~n♪”
“A—n”
In but an instant, she had constructed a world of intimate, mutual love. Truly frightening, Asmodeus of Lust!
“S, she’s really something… This is the first time Asmo’s made me shiver like that…”
“Mmm~, that really looks tasty. Whyyy do I have to give it away? I wanna eat it myself!”
As usual, Beelzebub of Gluttony grumbled about having to give the chocolate away.
However, Amakusa’s next words caused her ears to perk like a cat’s.
“A mighty fine taste, young lady. But I won’t lose to you when I return the favor on White Day.”
“Wawawa, really, Amakusa-sama!! Kya-, I can’t wait, kya-!!”
Asmo leapt to her feet with delight at the promise, And in the shadows, Beelzebub also leapt to her feet with delight for a slightly different reason.
“I… I get it, if I give chocolate as a present, on White Day I’ll get three times as much back! It’s like rags to riches! If I’m patient now, I’ll get a lot more back on White Day! Beelz, you’re no fool, you can definitely endure this for a month!”
Beelz considers between Valentine’s Day and White Day, calculating whether she can endure the sacrifice of chocolate for the profit it will bring later.
The moment she figured that out, she took action. In short, from whom does she want a return gift on White Day? The partner to give her chocolate to was very easy to imagine.
In other words, it was the partner who would make the most delicious return gift on White Day.
“Ha… haa. F, for me…”
“Oh, yes, Gohda-sama. I thought of you, and made the best chocolate. Please eat it!”
She gave it to Gohda, as expected… “What a self-interested girl”, grumbled the other sisters.
Unlike Amakusa, Gohda did not seem to have much experience with receiving Valentine’s chocolates.
He seemed to be rather bewildered.
“Ah, hahaha… At this age, I never imagined I’d get such delicious-looking chocolate from such a young girl… It’s quite awkward, nahahahaha…”
“C’mon, eat it, eat it! Then on White Day, please give me three times as much back! Nannanna♪”
Gohda ate the chocolate in a single gulp, his face completely red.
…However, his cheeks returned to normal in an instant. …Was it not delicious…?
“…U, um. Did it go down the wrong way…?”
“Young lady… Did I hear you say that you made this chocolate by hand…?”
“E… eh, that’s right. I made it!”
As Beelz shamelessly lied, Gohda stood up straight. …There was nothing uncertain about his expression.
“…You have my thanks, young lady. It’s been a long time since such a taste has awoken this Gohda from mediocrity. …This skill, …This is a challenge, young lady! Funuoooooooo! Such splendid chocolate from such a young girl! One month remains until White Day! I must depart for Belgium for training immediately! This Godha shall not be defeated by such a taaaaaaste!!”
Beelz was rather taken aback by the outburst, but in any case, the next White Day would no doubt be a boisterous occasion…
“I get it. Well, the basic idea, anyway. Since there’s no avoiding it, I’ll be giving my chocolate away as well.”
“Eh, wha, Mammon…! Who are you giving it to…?!”
Without answering, Mammon became a stake and flew away with a clatter.
“Uryuu! It’s chocolate!”
“It’s not just for you, split it with Ange-sama… huh, where’s Ange-sama?”
“Uryu, she said she wanted to give chocolate to Battler and Amakusa, so she went shopping in Ginza.”
“Ah, so Ange-sama would rather use her money then make it herself. Well, she should be coming back before long.”
“I’m sure Ange won’t expect to get her own share of chocolate! Let’s surprise her!
“That’s s nice idea. Afterwards, why don’t we invite Lady MARIA too? There’s no rule against girls eating chocolate on Valentine’s.”
“Uryuu! I want to eat it, Mammon’s chocolate, I want to eat it, uryuu!”
“Kusu. Why not have your piece now?”
“I’ll have it now!”
“Ufufu, as for what I’d like to eat… aah, Sakutaro, I can’t stand it anymooore, I’m gonna gnaw on you~♪”
“Ukya?! Gya! Stop it, Mammon~~, ugya~, uryu~!”
“*mofumofu*! *mofumofu*~! Haa, hey, can I nibble those ears…?”
“Don’t, don’t, uryuu~~!”
“That Mammon, she’s pretty clever…!”
“A heartwarming story might come out of this… but she’s just nonchalantly hogging him, Sakutaro belongs to all of us!”
“Who’s next? It feels like we’re going from youngest to oldest.”
“…In that case, I will go next.”
“Belphe, you have an idea?”
“There’s no man who is foremost in my heart, so to speak, but I do have a connection to a human.”
“Ah, I get it.”
The next to fly away was Belphegor. As for the human connected with her, it was Rudolf without a doubt.
She fought him one-on-one in EP3. Such an old-fashioned duel must be a rather unforgettable memory to her.
“I don’t know whether it’s proper to give chocolate to a married man. But please accept this as acknowledgement of a worthy opponent.”
“My, I didn’t expect to get chocolate from a young lady. By the way, were you all right after that?”
“U, um, well, that sort of thing’s usual for me.”
“You’re too honest for a she-devil. …I’ve seen many women like you who take up troubles they don’t need to. It looks like a hardship, so that’s the reason I worried.”
“…T, there is nothing to be concerned about. I am exemplary furniture, so I did my duty.”
Normally, no one worries about Belphe, so when Rudolf was open-minded enough to be concerned about her, she was bewildered.
“Not so honest anymore, are you? That side of you is pretty cute.”
“Wh, what are you saying I wasn’t honest about… H, hey, you’re getting too close… You stink of tobacco…!”
“Turn your ear this way. I’ll whisper it to you…”
“T, this way? V, very well…”
Belphe tilts her head unsuspectingly, since she was asked.
…Rudolf’s mouth came close, and…
“Uwa, uwauwauwa… st, stop that… hahi~~!”
“Luci-nee, this isn’t something we should be watching! That bastard, he’s got a wife and he’s still putting the moves on her! ….Huh? Where’s Levia-nee?”
At that time, Leviathan had also gone to see her former enemy.
Indeed, if Belphe gave her chocolate to Rudolf, there’s nothing strange about her giving hers to Kyrie.
“I didn’t expect I’d be the one getting chocolate”, Kyrie thought with a wry smile.
“I’d rather not get chocolate from a girl… But, thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I, who rule envy, was defeated by your envy. For the time being, I acknowledge your superiority.”
“I don’t really want to be acknowledged for such a thing. My, how wonderful. Did you make this yourself? It’s delicious.”
“It certainly is. Rudolf also said it was delicious when Belphe gave it to him just now.”
“…Eh, what? What did you say?”
The semblance of a smile appeared on Kyrie’s face as she asked again, the temperature rapidly dropping to absolute zero.
Levia was eager to fill her in on the details.
The two of them sat down next to each other, the chocolate was handed over, and their shoulders drew near…
“Hey, is that alright, him fooling around like that?”
“Eh? Kusukusu, that’s not it. This is quite ordinary for Rudolf-san, it’s not fooling around. 24×365x2349875663495733…”
“Kya-, just as expected from my mentor in jealousy! More, more, more! Show me more of that charming envy of yours, kya~”
With a smile icy enough to send liquid nitrogen drifting through the air, Kyrie walked away. Shouting ‘kya, kya’s of encouragement, Levia followed after her.
It was an occasion of giving chocolate most suited for Leviathan of Envy…
After that, the only two remaining were Lucifer and Satan – the two of the Seven Sisters famous for being obstinate.
It was Satan’s turn next.
Although she hadn’t decided who to give her chocolate to, Belphe and the others had given her an idea.
She decided to hand her chocolate to the one she had fought, as well.
“……That’s not necessary.”
Giving the chocolate a single, suspicious glance, Kanon replied that.
Since the other sisters’ chocolate had been accepted casually and praised, and only hers was rejected, Satan was most upset by this.
“W, why didn’t you just accept it meekly! It’s not like I’m giving you anything weird, it’s normal chocolate, so just take it!!”
“There is no reason for me to accept such a thing from you.”
“It’s, it’s… Valentine’s Day, idiot. Isn’t that good enough?! Just accept it! Do you like playing with girls’ hearts?! You milksop!”
“Wh, what is this…! Did you come here just to make a fool of me?!”
Pathetic name-calling is especially deplorable to Kanon. He had finally reached his boiling point.
“Get lost! I refuse to accept anything from you!”
“Kya- …wh, what are you so angry about?! I’m giving you chocolate and you tell me to get lost…! Just take it!! I don’t like doing this either, you know!”
Satan could no longer conceal her bewilderment that all her younger sisters had succeeded, yet she could not. Gritting her teeth and wishing for nothing more then to run away, she shoved the chocolate at Kanon.
…Kanon was also bewildered by how the chocolate was being forced upon him.
Suddenly, Jessica’s cheerful voice spoke up from somewhere…
“Kanon-ku~n, are you here~? U, um, if, if you aren’t busy! ….tteowa! Y, you, you’re one of those seven!”
Jessica dropped the elegantly wrapped box she had brought to give to Kanon, and thrust her hands into her pockets. They came out in attack mode, a brass knuckle twinkling upon each hand.
“Wh, why am I the only one with no luck…! All my younger sisters didn’t have any trouble…!!”
“Don’t you dare touch Kanon-kun! Go away, you witch’s furniture! By yourself, you don’t stand a chance against me and Kanon-kun!”
“Y, you…! Don’t get so cocky because you powered up in EP4 all of a sudden…!”
“…Get lost. If it’s just you, I wouldn’t hesitate even by myself.”
“Wh, why did this happen…! Didn’t I just come to give you chocolate?! Isn’t it Valentine’s Day?! Why won’t you even look at me?! Why am I the only one with no luck?! Everyone else had an easy time of it, why not me?! Why, why, I don’t get it! Uuuuuuuu…!!”
“The one whom I don’t get is you! Your chocolate’s probably poisoned or something. As if Kanon-kun would ever eat something like that!”
“Gu… ugugugugu! I’m begging you to accept this, if I don’t hand this over to somebody it’s curtains for me, so mock me as much as you want! But I’ll remember this, you shameless fools, and I will definitely kill you next time!!”
Satan hurled the box at Kanon, her red-hot face twisted with vexation, and burst into a swarm of golden butterflies.
“……Wh, …what’s with her.”
“Don’t come again-! Garurururu-!”
Jessica growled at the space where Satan had disappeared, while Kanon continued to be perplexed.
The box Satan had hurled lay at Kanon’s feet.
…As he wondered whether he should pick it up, Jessica grabbed it immediately.
“You definitely can’t eat that demon’s chocolate! I decided the moment I came. I’m getting rid of this personally!”
“…I can do it myself…”
“No! I’ll handle it! I won’t let this box violate Kanon-kun, garurururu…!”
With her conviction written on her face, Jessica snatched away the box.
Kanon didn’t understand why Jessica was so determined to take that demon’s chocolate.
“…Anyway. What did she come here for?”
“She’s a demon, she definitely came to work some magic on you…! Ah, be, besides that, Kanon-kun, th, this is for you…!”
Why had Satan’s chocolate provoked such a commotion…??
Without having made head nor tail of the situation, Kanon had been dragged into the chocolate commotion by Jessica…
“Uuuuu, hikku, hikku….!”
“Eh, Satan-oneesama, how shame~ful!”
“She couldn’t even give a lousy piece of chocolate, how piti~ful!”
The sisters teased Satan mercilessly. …It’s their unwritten law to mock whichever sister fails in their task.
As they showed off, Lucifer suddenly became anxious.
Although Lucifer likes to throw her weight around as the eldest sister, in reality she’s the least competent of them.
Since Satan hadn’t succeeded, she suddenly became frightened that she might not as well.
…What do I do, what do I do! Ronove’ll get mad at me if I don’t give my chocolate to somebody! And my sisters will never let me hear the end of it!
“I, I wonder what I should do… There’s no man who would take it without a fuss…”
George, perhaps? He’s a nice guy, he ought to accept it casually.
…Ah, but Shannon would surely get in the way. That girl can be really stubborn!
“…Should I get rid of it and pretend I’ve given it to someone?”
Yeah, that’s probably best…
While they’re busy tormenting Satan, I’ll secretly dispose of this…
“We know what you’re thinking, Luci-nee!!”
“Hi-!!”
Satan-tormenting time had already come to an end.
And Satan had guessed that Lucifer would try to run off on her own in the midst of the chaos.
“She always bosses us around, then disappears when it’s time to do her part! Come on, you all! Don’t let Luci-nee escape!”
“”"Yes, Onee-sama!”"”
On Satan’s orders, the younger sisters surrounded Lucifer, who collapsed to her knees in fright.
“Sooo, Lucifer-onee-sama. Who are you going to give your chocolate to, I wonder? Surely the eldest of us has an appropriately graceful and wonderful Valentine, oozing with love, to show us…?”
This is bad, I’m trapped… Wh, what do I do… I don’t have anyone to give it to… what do I do, what do I do…
Lucifer turned pale. It was plain as day on her face that she wanted nothing more than to run away.
“Who, who?” the younger sisters jeered at her. Trembling, their eldest sister looked down in despair…
“Oh, if it isn’t those ass nee-sans. Getting along with each other the same as ever, ain’t ya?”
“Wh, ……Ushiromiya Battler…!”
“Yup, that’s me~, and you Seven Sisters of Purgatory are all good friends. Isn’t that right, everyone!”
“”"Yes, we’re all good frien~ds!”"”
Hurriedly, Lucifer wiped away the tears that had appeared in her eyes.
“…What’s that box? Ah, I get it, it’s a valentine! Hehe, you lot are normal after all. For cold-blooded killers, you’re pretty cute.”
Battler noticed the box of chocolate which Lucifer was holding, and grinned.
…This is a golden opportunity. Battler’s in a good mood, so he might unexpectedly accept…
“U, …….Ushiromiya, ……Battler!”
“Ah? What’s up, ass nee-chan.”
“N, not ass nee-chan, my name is Lucifer…!”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Well, Lucifer-chama, how can I help ya?”
“…He, ….he-here,”
With a red face, her arms trembling, Lucifer thrust the box of chocolate at Battler.
Battler, insensitive as he often was, quickly grasped the situation.
“……Eh? ….This is, …for me?”
“…P, ….please accept it!”
With the utmost seriousness, Lucifer pushed the chocolate at him.
She was frantic not to be teased by her younger sisters, should she fail.
The younger sisters watched with malicious smirks. But, in silence, they seemed to support the courage of their sister.
Battler winked, with the smile that was his family heirloom.
“…….Eh,”
“Thanks. Just for today, I’ll make peace with you. You have my gratitude.”
“Oooooooh”, the younger sisters’ voices rose in a cheer. Only Satan clicked her tongue with a ‘chi’.
As for Lucifer, Battler was no less then her messiah, and she even witnessed the sparkling halo above his head.
“This is great! Did you make it?”
“W, well, I…”
“Yeah, damn tasty! Thanks, Lucifer. You’ve got a knack for this. When you stop being a cold-blooded killer, ever thought about becoming a housewife?”
“…mu, mu…. That’s an inexcusable insult to furniture such as us.”
“Kidding, kidding! Well, thanks for the food! I’ll return the favor on White Day, <see you again>!
Realizing that any more compliments were likely to spoil the mood, Battler took his leave with those pretentious words.
“Fu, …fufufufufu…! Did you see that! Just ask your elder sister Lucifer and Valentine’s chocolate is a cinch! I’ll be treated to human hospitality on White Day, it sounds fun.”
“…Guess it’s not so easy to take Luci-nee down a notch…”
“She really lucked out, Battler appearing conveniently like that-!”
“Luck is also a skill! Ah- wonderful, wonderful, truly wonderful. The Seven Sisters of Purgatory have completed their task! Ronove-sama will certainly praise us.”
“Everyone except that clumsy Satan-nee, right?”
“Ah, I have a plan for that, too! We’ll just tell him she did it in spirit!!”
“Yeah, Satan’s technique is pretty advanced. She’s the queen of tsundere. Except without the dere.”
“”"Kyakkya, kyakkya!”"”
“Splendid, we Seven Sisters of Purgatory! Come, come, let us report our success to Ronove-sama!”
“”"”"”Yes, oneesama!!”"”"”"
Thanks to Ronove’s chocolate, the seven sisters were able to pass one day pleasantly…
The seven sisters reported the details to Ronove in the kitchen.
“How wonderful. You must have had an entertaining day. The all of you may retire; congratulations on your success.”
“Thank you very much-, excuse us-!”
“”"”"”Excuse u~s, Ronove-sama!”"”"”"
In truth, even before receiving the report, Ronove had known everything.
For him, rather then the sweetness of the chocolate, the variety that the chocolate had given to their day was far sweeter.
“Pukkukku. Such a bittersweet day comes only once a year… such a story might be pleasant once in a while. Sharing that chocolate was truly a worthwhile endeavor… Eh? Have I forgotten somebody? Ah, but of course. The starring role is none other then our mistress, Beatrice. Please, put her on camera. Pukkukku!”
Ronove snapped his finger, and the stage turned dark.
With a present box in hand, Beato searched around restlessly for Battler.
“Ah, there he is! Battler, I found yoooou! Happy Valentine’s!”
“Huh, so even you celebrate Valentine’s, Beato…”
Battler’s good mood had been completely exhausted by the time Beato found him.
The present box in her hand was decorated very luxuriously.
“That chocolate ain’t for me, is it…”
“Kukkukkuku, know the honor and the glory of being presented Valentine’s chocolate by me! Accept it upon your knees!”
“As if it’s a matter of celebration receiving a valentine from you- You’re a witch. It’s probably got some strange poison in it.”
“How rude. You may think that, but I am a witch who can read the atmosphere. I am not one to rely on heresy such as poisons!”
“…That’s not particularly reassuring… Well, I’ll accept your feelings. Not sure whether I’ll eat it.”
“Eat up, eat up. I made it from the bottom of my heart!”
…Beato also shamelessly lied about the chocolate Ronove had made.
“I see. If it’s handmade, I guess there’s nothing strange about it… Well, then, allow me to bear witness to the cooking ability of the Golden Witch.”
Handmade by Beato…
Although he doubted that, as a man he couldn’t cause a woman hardship by refusing her chocolate. Battler decided to let Beato save face.
“Kukkukkuku! Now, open the box, and behold!”
“Well. …..Huh? This is….”
“How’s that! Delicious-looking chocolate! Handmade by me!”
Battler stared. It was exactly the same as the chocolate he’d received from Lucifer just a few minutes ago.
Hadn’t that chocolate been handmade by Lucifer?
“Oi, just a minute, Beato. Did you really make this?”
“Yup, I did! I made it with my heart full of my feelings for you!”
“Repeat it in red. ‘This chocolate was handmade by Beatrice.’
“Fuge?! Wh, …whwh, what?!”
“Heh, just as I thought. I knew you wouldn’t be able to say such a thing carelessly. You got this from Lucifer, didn’t you?”
“Lu, Lucifer? Why Lucifer…???”
“That chocolate of Lucifer’s was certainly delicious. She may be a cold-blooded killer, but the chocolate she makes is delicious. If she became a little more graceful, she’d make a great wife. I was touched by her feelings, and intend to return them on White Day. But what the hell are you?! A person who lies about making chocolate themselves! I don’t need chocolate from a liar like you!”
“N, nooooooooooooooo, that’s not it, Battlerrrrrrr…”
But Battler had swiftly taken his leave.
Sobbing noisily behind him, Beato had no idea how her lie had been exposed.
But she did know one thing – Lucifer had been connected to it in some way.
“Lu, Lulu, Luciferrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, furniture of mine… You ruined everything!! Because of you, I was caught in a lie about having made Ronove’s chocolate myself! Chastisement, punishment, torture!”
This is the way the Valentine’s Day of the lying witch ended…
And on White Day, when Lucifer received her return gift from Battler, she unexpectedly thought to herself that valentines aren’t that bad…
So it ends, pukkukkukku.