Archive of Our Own ^beta

Valentine’s Day was fast approaching now, and Kokoro couldn’t wait! It was always so lovely, every year. People gave each chocolates and presents and… did other lovey-dovey stuff too. Kokoro didn’t have anyone like that, but her friends were more than enough. She wanted to give them the best Valentine’s chocolates imaginable. And Kokoro had a very big imagination.

There was one place Kokoro was stuck on. Michelle.

Kokoro loved Michelle, and she knew Michelle loved her too. But… Kokoro didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with her, compared to the rest of her friends. No one did, except for maybe Misaki. Those two were such good friends, after all. Kokoro wasn’t that close to Michelle, though, not like Misaki. She felt a bit lost, trying to find the perfect chocolate for her pink friend.

The only clue she had confused her all the more. Last year, Michelle had complimented the chocolates Kokoro had made—forcing the Suit People out of the kitchen when they started getting in the way too much. Michelle had called them very “adult-like”, which Kokoro held no small amount of pride over. But she really wasn’t sure what made chocolate more or less mature… it couldn’t be as simple as age, could it? Those chocolates had been made within days of Valentine’s Day itself, last year.

“Hey… Suit People?” Kokoro called out, half a dozen heads turning in her direction at once, to where she was lying down on the floor, absentmindedly doodling on a sheet of paper, “What makes chocolate ‘adult-like’? Is there some sort of special chocolates adults eat?”

The Suit People were smart, and they were all adults. One of them had to know what Michelle had liked about her chocolates last year.

“K-Kokoro-sama?” one of the suits asked from among the small circle they formed around her, “What brought this on? N-Nobody has tried offering you any sort of strange candy, right?”

Kokoro rolled her eyes at that. The Suit People were always worried about her getting candy or gifts or things from people she wasn’t friends with yet. It didn’t even make sense to Kokoro, why would anyone give something like that to her if they weren’t friends? But the Suit People agreed with Kokoro that those people should be saving those presents for their own friends. They were quite insistent, in fact.

“I’m trying to figure out what to give Michelle for Valentine’s Day,” Kokoro explained, “I promised I would make her some ‘adult-like’ chocolate… but what is that, exactly?”

The Suit People were exchanging one of their looks with one another. The sunglasses made it hard to tell, but Kokoro had been around them long enough to pick up on the specific head movements. Figuring out what they were thinking… that was something else entirely.

“Ah, Kokoro-sama,” another suit spoke up, chosen through some wordless method, “there’s no need to m-make them again this year, right? The Tsurumaki family has ties to some of the finest chocolate makers in the world. Surely Michelle would appreciate some nice Belgian chocolate, or perhaps Swiss?”

Kokoro frowned. Lots of people gave store bought chocolate on Valentine’s Day. There was nothing wrong with that… but was that what Michelle had really been asking for. She didn’t know much about Belgium or Switzerland, or if anything about their chocolate was particularly mature. The Suit People hadn’t ever answered her main question. Maybe they didn’t know. Whenever Kokoro didn’t know something, she’d also say something else completely different and hoped no one would notice.

“I’ll think about it…” Kokoro told them, though it still didn’t really sit right with her.

Maybe the Suit People weren’t the right people to ask. They were older than Kokoro, but for the most part not that much older. Maybe they had never had adult chocolate either. But she didn’t know many other adults to turn to. All of her friends were roughly her same age—except Michelle, of course, who had once confided in Kokoro that she had lived on a magical bear planet for over five hundred years before she one day decided to visit Earth. That explained her more developed tastes, even being a bear.

Kokoro let the issue drop, but it kept bugging her all throughout the day. What did Michelle want? Kokoro knew Michelle would be happy with anything that Kokoro gave her—that a smile could be worth as much as any present. But that was why Kokoro wanted to get it right. Someone as nice as Michelle deserved the extra effort.

Luckily, Kokoro had a secret weapon, when all else failed.

“Okay, Google-san, what is adult chocolate?”

Google-san knew everything about everything. And they were so easy to talk to, too. Kokoro never felt stupid when she asked Google-san a question, and the answers never failed to surprise her in the most wonderful ways. She hoped everyone could learn how nice it was to be friends with Google-san.

Kokoro’s phone lit up with pictures. They were so much easier to understand than words. And apparently, ‘adult chocolate’ was… chocolate milk? Hot chocolate? Where did all these bottles come from?

Kokoro took a closer look, only figuring it out once she scrolled past a beer can. Alcohol! That was what Google-san was telling her. Adults drank alcohol, so alcohol with chocolate would certainly count. But Kokoro didn’t remember putting alcohol in her chocolates last year… had she?

Michelle was old enough to drink, no doubt, but Kokoro didn’t recall her ever doing so. Michelle was a very responsible bear, there must have been something else she was talking about.

Scrolling down further, something else caught her eye. Actual chocolates, but in funny shapes! There was a man, and a woman, and… a penis? Kokoro doubled back, and found the chocolate shaped like a man also had his penis out, though it was hard to tell at first glance. The lady also wasn’t wearing any clothes, Kokoro could even see her boobies and everything. She hadn’t realized chocolate could have such detailed shapes.

Was that what Michelle was trying to say by ‘adult-like’. It was true, in some sense. These chocolates were very much like adults, sharing the same exact shape. Kokoro was fairly certain none of her chocolates had been shaped like that last year… but they hadn’t exactly come out as perfectly square bars either. Even if Michelle hadn’t meant this specifically, it still looked like a lot of fun to Kokoro.

Kokoro had never been that interested in penises, but taking off her clothes was always so freeing. All the more so, because the Suit People said she would bother other people if she did it when they were around. After spending an entire day with clothes on, it was so nice to get rid of them. That was why Kokoro was naked right now, of course.

“Okay, Google-san, show me naked chocolate!”

Kokoro watched the images of chocolate and alcohol melt away into new pictures. There were a lot of naked women now… but almost none of them were made out of chocolate. They were just normal people, except they were naked and covered in melted chocolate. Or maybe chocolate syrup? It was hard to tell. Kokoro tapped on one of the pictures to get a closer look.

It was a fairly odd picture, in Kokoro’s opinion. The camera completely missed this girl’s face, and part of her legs as well. How would she even recognize herself, if she saw this in her photo album? Maybe it was just a very memorable experience, covering herself in chocolate like that.

Though, she didn’t really seem all that covered. Unlike some of the other pictures Google-san had shown her—sometimes literally bathing in chocolate—on this one the chocolate was only a light drizzle. Like the lady had started to run out and had needed to use it sparingly until the Suit People got more for her. The lines of chocolate were so thin they couldn’t even cover her nipples, though. That just felt like poor planning, in Kokoro’s opinion. It was plain to see that she hadn’t brought nearly enough chocolate.

Kokoro left the image up for a few more seconds. There was chocolate running all down her stomach, across her legs, and even down in between them. Her skin was so pretty, too. It was practically shining, with how smooth it looked. All the easier to lick the chocolate off, Kokoro supposed.

That gave Kokoro pause, when she thought it over. This girl had gotten chocolate all over her, but she wouldn’t be able to reach half the places the chocolate had ended up. Kokoro had spent an entire weekend trying to lick her own belly button, so she would know. Using her fingers could work, Kokoro admitted, but that didn’t sound like as much fun.

No, this was clearly best as a two person job. One to eat, one to be eaten. Like that other picture with those two women and all the chocolate syrup. That way, they wouldn’t miss any of the hard to reach places. Kokoro didn’t know what it would feel like to get chocolate stuck up there, as the woman covered in chocolate apparently had, but she looked very grateful that her friend was there to lick it out.

Was Michelle interested in that sort of thing? Kokoro hadn’t ever heard her mention it… but she’d never heard anyone mention something like this before. Besides, bears loved eating people, there was no way Michelle wouldn’t want to try. And Kokoro definitely wanted to find out what a chocolate bath felt like. She was surprised she hadn’t thought of it before. Yes, it sounded very messy, but if Michelle was there to clean her all up, Kokoro couldn’t wait to try.

Unfortunately, it was getting a bit late tonight, and Valentine’s Day wasn’t until tomorrow anyway. She’d have to ask the Suit People about it in the morning. No need to bother them about it now, when Kokoro should be getting to sleep. They would figure things out, just like always.

There was no harm in looking a bit longer, though… The better Kokoro understood what she wanted to do, the less work it’d be for them to bring her ideas to life. Eventually, she put her phone down, back on its charger, and turned off her light.

Kokoro drifted off into sleep, dreaming of chocolate and bears and naked women.

“Ah! Misaki, wait up!”

Misaki stopped just shy of the school gate, repressing a small wince as she heard Kokoro’s voice. There was no reason to suspect anything unusual was about to happen… but with Kokoro it was impossible to know for sure. Especially today of all days.

Nervously, she turned back to find Kokoro racing towards her, a small white box of what Misaki really hoped were just chocolates in hand.

“I caught you, great!” Kokoro said, as she came to a stop, showing no signs of exertion after her impromptu sprint, “Did you forget what day it was?”

Misaki rolled her eyes. Girls had been passing bags and boxes of chocolates about all day today, despite being an all-girls’ school. If Misaki had somehow forgotten it was Valentine’s Day at any point today, she would have quickly been reminded.

“I got you these chocolates,” Kokoro said, holding out the box with both hands, “I know you said I didn’t need to, but when I woke up this morning the Suit People had already bought them for Michelle, and I would hate for them to go to waste…”

Kokoro was jumping ahead of herself, as always, forcing Misaki to ask questions she really wasn’t sure she wanted answers to.

“‘Go to waste’?” Misaki repeated nervously, “But Michelle would love to get a nice, normal box of chocolates like that…”

Closer now, Misaki still couldn’t see anything wrong with them, beyond being suspiciously boring for a present from Kokoro. If the Suits had picked it out on their own, maybe that was all there was to it. But Misaki knew that wasn’t going to be the end of things.

“I already have a surprise planned for Michelle, silly!” Kokoro said, wiggling the box of chocolates up and down, urging Misaki to accept, “She’s going to have more than enough chocolate already, don’t worry. That’s why I thought you could eat these instead!”

So considerate, Kokoro. Misaki cautiously took hold of the box. It wasn’t the real danger. That was this ‘surprise’ Kokoro was only now mentioning. Misaki certainly hadn’t heard anything about it up until now. Which was concerning, because Michelle wasn’t supposed to be doing anything later today, much less something which Kokoro could derail with whatever she was planning. The Suits would figure something out for that, of course, but if they hadn’t approached Misaki already, this must have been a sudden impulse entirely of Kokoro’s own making. The Suits wouldn’t have had any time to try to rein her in, which meant it was now up to Misaki to deal with the fallout.

“Oh? A surprise for Michelle… that’s—that sounds w-wonderful, Kokoro,” Misaki lied, “But I haven’t seen her around today, where are you planning on meeting her?”

There might not have even been a plan, depending on if the Suits had heard about any of this yet.

“Ah! Thanks for reminding me, Misaki,” Kokoro said, shoving the box of chocolates fullying into Misaki’s hands as she reached back into her bag, “Could you get this to Michelle? I’d ask the Suit People, but I figured you would run into her first. You always seem to know exactly where she is!”

Misaki watched as Kokoro placed a suspicious envelope on top of the box of chocolates. It would be a completely unreasonable ask, so late into the day, if Misaki wasn’t actually Michelle. Kokoro hadn’t thought it through at all, simply assuming Misaki would find her before whenever this ‘surprise’ was supposed to take place.

Scratch that, actually. It was still unreasonable, even though Misaki didn’t need to go through the effort of finding Michelle. A little warning would be nice!

Misaki didn’t say any of that out loud, of course. It would only make Kokoro feel bad, without having much chance of the lesson sinking in for later on.

“I-I’ll be sure to give it to her, Kokoro,” Misaki promised, balancing the box in her hands carefully so that the letter wouldn’t slide off, “And thanks for the chocolates, by the way…”

“Great! I just know Michelle will love it.”

Kokoro smiled at her, and Misaki braced herself for whatever madness was in store for her tonight. But despite it all, she suspected Kokoro might be right. Michelle would certainly appreciate it, at least by the end of things.

Kokoro hadn’t given Misaki much warning, but that was hardly new at this point. As expected, the envelope contained an invitation for Michelle to join Kokoro tonight, at the Tsurumaki residence, for a “delicious surprise”. Needless to say, it was going to be difficult eating whatever chocolate thought was fitting for a bear like Michelle, while in full costume.

Of course Misaki had to come in full costume. Kokoro had a present for Michelle, so Michelle had to be the one to come. Simple as that. At least the suits had been generous enough to give Misaki a ride over from her place. Traveling anywhere as Michelle was always a pain.

Misaki was led through the outer gates and up to the front of the mansion. She waited for one of the suits to open the door. Occasionally they would ask her to knock, when Kokoro could be within earshot, but never as Michelle. The suits didn’t move to open the door, though.

“Er, Misaki-sama,” one of the suits said, completely straight-faced even as she spoke to a giant pink bear costume, “Good of you to join us. Kokoro-sama has been… expecting you.”

Misaki hadn’t had much choice to do anything else. By the time she got home, the suits had already caught up with whatever Kokoro was planning. At least enough to know Michelle would be needed tonight. If they knew anything more, they certainly weren’t going to tell Misaki.

Misaki waited to listen for anything more, before at last breaking the silence herself.

“—Aren’t you going to…” Misaki looked at the door to the mansion, “Kokoro is in there, right? Shouldn’t we get moving?”

One of the suits nodded a half-step quicker than the rest, She was also the first to move to the door and finally open it.

Misaki looked into the mansion from through the door. Once she was inside, there could only be Michelle. The suits still knew she was under there, of course, but once in Kokoro’s domain, the costume was absolute. Any slip ups would be unacceptable.

Misaki stepped through the door. Michelle entered the mansion.

“2nd floor, Michelle-sama. Up the left-hand staircase.”

The instructions were kurt, in such contrast to how Michelle would speak to others. Usually the suits were a bit more talkative than this, but something was wrong it seemed. Misaki knew it must be Kokoro’s fault.

“Thank you,” Misaki nodded inside the costume, taking the lead. The instructions were just a courtesy, of course. The suits weren’t going to let Misaki stray too far from their sight. They never did when she was going to be around Kokoro. Misaki had gotten used to it, in much the same way that she had gotten used to wearing a giant pink bear outfit. It never felt normal, but the weirdness could fade into the background, if Misaki tried hard enough.

Misaki didn’t need to be told where they were headed. Kokoro had asked, in her note to Michelle, to meet in her own bedroom. There were plenty of rooms in the Tsurumaki mansion, but this room in particular Misaki couldn’t so easily forget. The suits trailed behind, not looking to be in the mood for small talk. Misaki stopped a few doors shy of Kokoro’s room.

“Okay, seriously,” Misaki started, once the suits had formed a lazy circle around her, “What am I in for? It sounds… bad.”

Several of the suits caught themselves starting to nod in agreement. They were usually better about that sort of thing.

“Just… remain calm, M-Michelle-sama,” one of the suits instructed, belatedly adding a strange, “—and respectful.”

Misaki wasn’t sure what to make of that. Kokoro never demanded respect from anyone, and Misaki was hardly one to be rude, especially when dressed as Michelle…

It was clear to Misaki that this was all the suits were willing to tell her, unfortunately. She looked nervously towards the door. What was the worst that could happen?

Knowing Kokoro as she did, the question wasn’t inspiring very reassuring thoughts. Had she decided bears would like chocolate-covered salmon? Or had told a group of elementary school children that Michelle would show up to give them all chocolate?

To say that nothing could be worse than standing out here, not knowing, would be nothing less than a blatant underestimation of what Kokoro was capable of.

There was no helping it, Misaki would have to open the door.

“Ah! Michelle, you’re just in time!”

Misaki slammed the door shut again.

The suits stood around her, stone faced. None of them were looking in the direction of the door, Misaki now noticed. Misaki wasn’t sure what exactly she had seen in there… but it definitely wasn’t something the suits should see. Misaki didn’t think she should either, but Kokoro was still in there. Waiting. Someone had to do it.

Much more cautiously, Misaki reached for the door once more. She pulled it open, meeting no resistance beyond her sheer hesitancy.

Kokoro was still naked, inside. Except for all the chocolate. She waved at Misaki, when she saw the door open again. Or waved at Michelle, perhaps.

“Surprise! Your Valentine’s Day chocolate is me, Michelle!”

Kokoro sat up a bit taller, chocolate dripping off of her. The middle of the floor of her room was completely covered in a pool of melted chocolate. Misaki hoped the suits had taken out the rug that usually sat there. It seemed very expensive, and very hard to get chocolate stains out of. Not that the hardwood floor of Kokoro’s room was likely to fare much better.

Misaki realized she was standing there, with the door wide open. None of the suits were looking… but it still didn’t seem right. Her options dwindling, Misaki sighed and took a single step into Kokoro’s room, slamming the door behind her as quickly as she could.

“Kokoro! Uh… How lovely,” Misaki said, not sure how to react to this herself, let alone while acting as Michelle, “You—you really gave it your best, didn’t you?”

Kokoro nodded enthusiastically. Somehow, her hair hadn’t gotten entirely stained with chocolate by now. It looked like it was moving naturally enough, but Misaki suspected that some clever styling from the suits was at play. Too much was waiting to go wrong, for it to be nothing more than coincidence.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do at first,” Kokoro admitted, “But it all turned out so wonderfully! Just as promised, too!”

Misaki didn’t remember any sort of promise, so alarm bells immediately started going off in her head. Misaki couldn’t think of anything she might have said to Kokoro which could be mistaken as… this, and certainly not while dressed as Michelle. But Kokoro didn’t just make things up like that. If she said she remembered, it definitely happened. Which worried Misaki even more.

“P-Promise?” Misaki said, trying to remember to keep speaking as Michelle, “Keeping promises is important, of course… but are you sure this is really what you promised, Kokoro?”

“Yup!” Kokoro chirped, dipping her finger into the chocolate beneath her thighs as scooping it into her mouth, “You said you liked ‘adult-like chocolate’, right Michelle? So I found out all sorts of things about how adults ate chocolate, and this sounded like the most fun!”

It was amazing how efficiently Kokoro was able to pinpoint and summarize a total disaster. Why Kokoro had fixated on that one phrase was anyone’s guess. But the damage was done, and Misaki didn’t think there was much to be done about it now.

“A-Adult-like, you say?” Misaki asked, though the picture in front of her had already become depressingly clear, “Are you sure… h-how am I supposed to eat all this chocolate?”

“You’re supposed to eat me, silly~” Kokoro laughed, gesturing to the chocolate covering her body, “What’s there to understand? If you’re worried about biting me, you can start by just licking it off. But I know you’ll be gentle! Even with your teeth. I trust you, Michelle.”

Kokoro’s voice was so sincere—and so strangely alluring. Misaki hadn’t thought a lot about licking chocolate off Kokoro’s naked body before… but it was a hard thought to get rid of now that it had found its way into her head. And biting her—that possibly held some appeal as well. Misaki was certain about one thing, though.

There was no way she was doing anything like that while dressed up in a bear costume.

Misaki glanced back towards the door. The suits were waiting outside. They wouldn’t stop her from leaving, of course. Probably. Almost certainly that would be acceptable, in fact. And if not… Misaki would be no worse off for having tried to escape.

She gave Kokoro’s naked, chocolaty form one final look—just in case she wasn’t coming back—and bolted for the door.

“S-Sorry, Kokoro,” Misaki shouted an excuse behind her, “I need to use the little bear’s room!”

Misaki hardly cared if Kokoro believed it or not, but she knew she would. Kokoro said it herself, she trusted Michelle. With all her adorable heart. Misaki wasn’t sure if this counted as betraying that trust, but it certainly didn’t feel good to abandon Kokoro like that. Any normal person would be mortified to be left alone, sitting in a puddle of chocolate. Misaki suspected Kokoro would be just fine, though. Besides, any normal person wouldn’t have made Misaki show up in a bear costume to begin with.

“H-Hurry back, then!” Kokoro called after her.

The door slammed behind Misaki, leaving Kokoro alone in her bedroom once more.

None of the suits looked too surprised at Misaki’s abrupt return. In fact, Misaki suspected they might have been more surprised she had gone in to begin with, after seeing what she had seen. Their expressions were inscrutable though, behind those sunglasses, so Misaki was doing little more than guessing.

“How could you let her do this?”

Misaki didn’t quite shout out her accusation, but only because they were so close to where Kokoro might be able to hear something. She had taken off the head of her costume, to show she meant business, which meant things would go even worse if she decided to check outside. That was the least of Misaki’s worries right now, though.

“I deeply apologize, Misaki-sama,” one of the suits bowed to her, “But Kokoro-sama insisted that it had to be a surprise. Our hands were tied.”

Misaki knew the woman knew how ridiculous her own words sounded. It was a dance that Misaki could never quite get used to. Kokoro’s word was law. Misaki was all too familiar with that, just in the band alone. But the suits took it further than she would ever be able to stand. Refusing was completely out of the question, even pushing back done only carefully, folding quickly to any resistance. It was the sort of behavior that enabled the madness ever-circling Kokoro.

The sort of behavior that led to Misaki walking in on Kokoro with nothing but chocolate covering her naked body.

“Well, what about me?” Misaki asked, “I’m the one Kokoro expects to go in there and… well, my hands aren’t tied here.”

Misaki let none of her earlier doubts show. If the suits sensed weakness, they would lean on it. That was simply how they operated. But if she made it sound like her mind was already made up, they would hopefully give up on any ideas of intimidation. It was a careful balancing act, stopping short of territory that Kokoro definitely wouldn’t approve of.

“Your concerns are understandable, Misaki-sama,” another suit spoke up, nodding to her, “However, we implore you to consider Kokoro-sama’s feelings on the matter. She would be crushed, if you didn’t return.”

Misaki winced, unconsciously clutching tighter to the giant bear head in her arms. The suits didn’t need to resort to any dirty tricks, the deck was already stacked against her. While the suits might be Kokoro’s employees, Misaki was her friend. She hadn’t been able to handle staying in that room another moment… but could she stand now to abandon Kokoro entirely?

It wasn’t up for debate in the slightest. That was the simple truth of it. Kokoro had clearly been so excited for this surprise. Whether it was for Misaki or Michelle, she couldn’t just walk away. And the suits must know that too.

“But… but…” Misaki reached for any excuse she could find, “You aren’t honestly saying I should go back in there, are you? And don’t try to pretend you don’t know what that would mean! Besides… how would that even work, trying to e-eat chocolate like that, in this bulky costume?”

It was more of an honest question than Misaki was willing to admit. Kokoro made impossible demands on a regular basis. The suits therefore, were well practiced in giving Kokoro what she wanted, if perhaps not quite the same thing as what she asked for.

“Have you considered… not doing that, Misaki-sama?” another woman cut in, all the suits seeming nervous about advising Misaki on anything of this, “That is… maybe Michelle doesn’t need to come back?”

“…You mean, just go in, er, without the costume?” Misaki asked.

It wasn’t the worst idea. At least, when considered among all the far worse ideas Misaki refused to even consider. She definitely couldn’t stay in character as Michelle, when doing something like that. But that was exactly the woman’s point… why did Misaki need to stay in character?

Sure, it would take a bit of explaining, why Misaki had shown up instead of Michelle. But Kokoro had never once questioned any excuse like that previously. And Misaki had a sneaking suspicion that Kokoro would be just as happy with Misaki… eating the chocolate. Misaki imagined it would be far too distracting to hold onto any worries about who the surprise was originally intended for.

Misaki stopped imagining it, when she realized the suits were staring at her. She hadn’t spaced out or anything, right? Somehow, she wasn’t sure the suits would give anything away, if she had.

“I-I, we believe that may be best, Misaki-sama.”

All the suits nodded in agreement. They couldn’t exactly tell Misaki outright to go in there and lick all the chocolate off their employer’s naked body… but they clearly sought to say anything short of that, and leave the rest to implication. Misaki couldn’t exactly hide that she understood, either. There wasn’t much about the situation to misunderstand.

Misaki let out a well-worn sigh. One that Kokoro had drawn out on many past occasions, and no doubt would for many more yet. It was unavoidable, simple as that.

“Do you have somewhere I can change out of my costume?”

It was a rhetorical question, of course.

The chocolate syrup was getting even stickier, as Kokoro sat there. She hoped Michelle would come back soon. She didn’t know how long chocolate syrup could be left out for, and if it dried up or something before Michelle got back, then the Suit People would have to pour a whole new batch. That sounded like such a waste of good chocolate syrup.

Still, even just waiting here was kind of fun. Way better than sitting in class. The chocolate syrup was so cool against her skin, Kokoro couldn’t get enough of it. She rubbed it into her chest more, as she waited for Michelle to get back. That felt especially good, her hands slipping and sliding like she was in the bath, except all the water was chocolate instead.

Kokoro held up a palm and gave it a lick. Much tastier than soapy water. She reached back down to push up one of her breasts, sticking her tongue out to try to steal another small taste, straight from the source. But Kokoro couldn’t quite reach her nipple, before a sound distracted her.

Her head shot up, the door creaking open once more.

“Michelle, you’re back!” Kokoro said, clapping her hands with excitement, “Now we—huh? Misaki? When did you get here?”

Maybe she and Michelle had read the letter together, and Misaki was curious about the surprise. Kokoro definitely would’ve been, if she hadn’t already known about it. Surprises were always fun, whether it was being surprised or doing the surprising.

“Ah… hey, Kokoro…”

Kokoro waved, since it seemed polite, but Misaki was acting kind of weird. And also not very surprised. Had Michelle already told her, just in these last few minutes? Kokoro didn’t think Michelle would be the type to ruin a surprise like that. Even if the surprise had been for Michelle, and not for Misaki.

“I poured chocolate all over myself, for Michelle’s surprise!” Kokoro explained, just in case Misaki hadn’t picked up on all the finer details, “Well, I guess the Suit People helped some to get things ready, but it was mostly me. Do you think Michelle will like it?”

Misaki knew Michelle best, so she had to have some idea what the bear was thinking. She had run out of the room in such a hurry, Kokoro wasn’t sure she even had time to appreciate the surprise. It was bad timing, but there was no helping it, of course.

“Michelle… about that, Kokoro,” Misaki started, her voice lacking confidence, “I-I, uh, ran into her in the halls, and she said she couldn’t come back.”

“—What? Is she okay?” Kokoro asked, “There’s nothing wrong, right?”

“No!” Misaki shouted, wanting to reassure Kokoro that their friend was perfectly fine, “Er, I mean, Michelle asked me to tell you… bears shouldn’t be eating chocolate. It isn’t healthy for them, you know.”

Kokoro’s eyes widened. She was torn between contemplating the horrors of never getting to eat chocolate, and the disappointment that she had failed her friend. Michelle couldn’t have chocolate? That was… was that right?

“But Misaki,” Kokoro asked, “I made Michelle chocolate last year and she didn’t have a problem with them. Hagumi gave her some too!”

Maybe Michelle had only accepted the chocolates to be polite. Kokoro hadn’t actually seen Michelle eating them. Back then, Kokoro figured she was just being shy, as usual, but what if it was something more…?

“W-What? Oh, right, that…” Misaki said, pausing a moment before she continued, “You see, Kokoro, bears can have a little chocolate, as a treat, but when Michelle saw all the chocolate here, she knew it would be too much.”

“—and so she asked you to come instead!” Kokoro finished for her, “It sure was lucky you were nearby, Misaki. At least this way, someone can enjoy all this chocolate.”

Kokoro rubbed her hands along her sides for emphasis. She had chocolate covering her in all sorts of places, so Kokoro could gesture to just about anywhere she pleased. Misaki was staring at her. All the chocolate must look so delicious… Kokoro was a bit surprised she was managing to hold herself back. Kokoro definitely would have jumped on her immediately, if Misaki had been naked and covered in chocolate.

Something to think about for White Day, maybe.

“Yeah… lucky,” Misaki agreed. She didn’t sound very happy, for some reason. Probably because she wasn’t eating any chocolate right now. Maybe Kokoro hadn’t been clear enough?

“What are you waiting for then?” Kokoro asked, “Take off your clothes already!”

“My clothes? Kokoro! What are you—”

Kokoro gave an exaggerated sigh. Misaki could be so clueless about such basic things. It’s like she hadn’t thought this through at all, before now.

“You can’t expect to eat all this chocolate with your clothes on, can you?” Kokoro asked, trying not to speak down to her friend too much, “They’d get chocolate stains everywhere, and that would also mean less chocolate to eat!”

It had taken Kokoro a while to realize that herself, to be fair. The lady in the video who had been covered in chocolate needed to be naked, of course, but there hadn’t been an immediately obvious reason for the other lady to do so as well. But then once Kokoro saw what a messy process it all was, how much both of them were touching one another, getting chocolate everywhere, it made a lot more sense. Any clothing would’ve simply been ruined outright, it was best to just wear nothing at all!

Misaki seemed to be taking her time thinking it over. Kokoro couldn’t really blame her. It was a lot of fun imagining Misaki taking off her clothes… but she’d prefer to see the real thing.

“Kokoro, I—” Misaki began, still making no moves to start removing her clothing, “You understand this is serious, right?”

Oh no. Kokoro figured out what was happening now. Misaki was overthinking things again. Why else would she say something so ridiculous?

“Serious, Misaki?” Kokoro said, tilting her head to one side, “It’s not serious, it’s fun! What’s got you so worried about all of this?”

“It’s just—Kokoro, listen,” Misaki said, not joining in with Kokoro’s lighter tone, “What you’re asking here… it’s not the sort of thing that friends do with each other.”

Kokoro frowned, but kept listening. She wasn’t sure why it would be better with someone who wasn’t her friend—was Misaki trying to say it should be used to make new friends? …That didn’t sound right either.

“I know these worries might sound silly to you, Kokoro, but it’s important, okay?” Misaki insisted, “You can’t just go showing your body off like this to anyone. And touching… l-licking—those are things you should only do with someone you love!”

“Ah, but I do love you, Misaki!” Kokoro explained.

As expected, Misaki was just making things more complicated than they needed to be. The first part sounded a lot like the lectures the Suit People gave her when she tried to leave the mansion when it was too hot out to be wearing clothes, but the second part… Kokoro couldn’t understand why Misaki always tried to deny that people cared for her. Kokoro loved everyone in Hello Happy World, and Misaki was maybe her most special friend of all.

Misaki hit herself in the face. She was sort of clumsy like that.

“I… Kokoro… just…” Misaki said, unable to put together a coherent sentence, “…I don’t know if I can do this.”

Kokoro had put up with more than enough of Misaki’s usual wishy-washy attitude. The Suits had put together all this nice chocolate syrup—Misaki just needed to relax and learn to have a little fun!

“Is it too embarrassing, Misaki?” Kokoro asked, vaguely aware that others might not want to be seen naked, covered in chocolate, or both, “I promise not to make fun of you. Not even if you look weird naked!”

That should be enough. Misaki had to know Kokoro would never lie to a friend.

“L-Look, Kokoro, you see…” Misaki said, still not taking off her clothes, “No—I can’t believe it. You have to know what sex is, right Kokoro? Everyone has to take those classes in school at least!”

Misaki was talking too quickly for Kokoro to follow all at once. What did school have to do with all of this? Why would it matter what Kokoro knew or not for Misaki to start taking off her—

“—Oh! It’s a sex thing?” Kokoro blurted out the moment she made the connection, then pausing to think on it a bit longer, “Huh. That actually makes a lot of sense, Misaki. All the kissing and nakedness and the other stuff…”

Did Michelle know that? Had she thought Kokoro was trying to have sex with her? Michelle had run off pretty quickly, but Misaki said that was because of the chocolate, not because Kokoro was naked underneath it. Maybe she had been too worried about dying of chocolate to realize any of that. It sounded scary, for something as delicious as chocolate to be so dangerous. Michelle was braver than Kokoro had realized.

“Chocolate… chocolate…” Kokoro mumbled under her breath, trying to remember what she had just been talking about, “Ah, right! Sex! So those ladies in the video were having sex?”

In retrospect, that one lady had spent most of the time licking some rather suspicious places. Kokoro hadn’t noticed, because it seemed so fun to get licked like that, no matter where it was. Was that enough to count as sex? Kokoro was pretty sure another girl’s tongue couldn’t get her pregnant, but she had never paid that much attention in health class. It was so boring and hard to remember everything, and Kokoro didn’t think they ever talked about chocolate at all. Surely it’d at least have to be a guy’s tongue though, right?

“V-Video? What video are you—no, nevermind that!” Misaki said, pulling Kokoro out of her thoughts, “Yes, Kokoro… when you take off all your clothes, and ask another girl to lick chocolate off your body… that’s a ‘sex thing’.”

Kokoro’s smile faltered slightly. She had just wanted to do something nice for Michelle, but it seemed nothing was going right. Bears couldn’t have chocolate, and Misaki couldn’t… Misaki couldn’t…

“Didn’t it sound like fun though, Misaki?” Kokoro asked, looking up at her with hope in her eyes, “Is it really no good? I… I don’t mind it if you don’t…”

Michelle would die if she had too much chocolate. But Misaki wouldn’t die if she had too much sex with Kokoro. That much Kokoro was almost sure of. So that meant there at least was a chance, right?

Misaki let out an exasperated sigh.

“You don’t mind, Kokoro?” she asked, “You don’t mind if we have sex? If I… lick you? That’s all the enthusiasm you can muster?”

Kokoro didn’t understand it, but Misaki seemed angry now. Or… disappointed? Whichever it was, Kokoro had said something wrong. She didn’t get it exactly, but if Misaki wanted more enthusiasm, Kokoro was very good at that.

“I-I would really like it, Misaki! I promise,” Kokoro insisted, refusing to accept that her Valentine’s surprise would end up like this, “And I know you would too! Everyone loves chocolate, right? And you love me—so what’s the problem?”

Kokoro sat up as she pleaded with Misaki. If only Misaki had taken off her clothes already, then Kokoro could’ve just grabbed her and pulled her in. There was no way she’d be able to resist then… But why was she resisting now? Was Kokoro not good enough?

“Love…” Misaki said slowly, daring to look Kokoro’s way at last, “I—Kokoro, there’s a difference between loving your friends, and loving someone like… er, loving someone like you would on Valentine’s Day. You get that, right?”

Kokoro nodded along easily. It was practically the first thing anyone learned about sex—you had to do it with someone you super loved for real! Otherwise it wouldn’t work? Something like that.

Misaki didn’t seem very pleased by her reaction, letting out a sigh.

“You’re really sure, Kokoro?” Misaki asked, “If you love me, in a special way that isn’t the same as your love for anyone else… I, I…”

This sounded really important to Misaki, enough to get Kokoro to really stop and think about it. When Misaki had asked her earlier, it seemed so obvious to Kokoro. Why wouldn’t she want to do all these fun things with Misaki?

Still… Kokoro took her time, staring up at Misaki. Were these feelings really so strong, so unique? Was Misaki the one that Kokoro wanted the most in the entire world?

Kokoro felt her heart sink a fraction of an inch.

“…There might be,” Kokoro began, afraid to voice her doubts, but refusing to hide them, “Misaki, I think there’s another girl I have these same fuzzy feelings for… I love you, I know I do! But, is that allowed? Do I have to marry both of you then?”

Kokoro hadn’t ever heard of such a thing, but surely the Suit People could arrange two weddings. Or would it be one big wedding? Or three weddings? Would Misaki also have to marry—

“—You… Kokoro…” Misaki muttered, the sound of her own name pulling Kokoro from her thoughts, “I really can’t believe you sometimes, you know? I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.”

It was hard to tell what Misaki was thinking a lot of the time, but Kokoro wanted to know now more than ever before. Kokoro didn’t know what to make of Misaki’s strange tone, only that she felt the urge to say something, to reaffirm how much she loved Misaki.

“I-I’m sorry if it’s a little strange, Misaki,” Kokoro said, growing more and more nervous, the longer Misaki went without properly responding to her feelings, “But that’s just how I feel! How am I supposed to pick between two amazing girls like you and Michelle?”

No matter how many times Kokoro thought it over again, she got stuck in that same place. Kokoro loved Misaki. She was so cute and funny and always seemed to know what Kokoro was trying to say even when she didn’t quite say it right. But Kokoro also loved Michelle. She was the prettiest bear who was so dedicated to making everyone smile, so of course Kokoro’s heart was captured instantly. Just looking at Michelle was enough to make Kokoro smile… and sometimes feel other things too.

“Michelle?”

The disbelief in Misaki’s voice was clear even to Kokoro. She didn’t know what to make of it though. Misaki and Michelle were such close friends. Did that make it better? Worse? Kokoro just wanted them both to be happy. Wouldn’t they want each other to be happy too?

“I, um, is that okay, Misaki?” Kokoro said, “I know Michelle is your friend, and you care a lot for her… But I promise I really love you both!”

Misaki stood there a moment, in still silence. Kokoro felt herself growing nervous, but she couldn’t lie about how she felt. Not to Misaki.

“…You know what, Kokoro? Don’t worry about it,” Misaki said, shaking her head with a sigh, “I’m sure, uh… I’m sure Michelle would be very happy to hear that, um, you think of her that way. Nothing makes people smile like love, right?”

Kokoro felt the tightness in her heart melt away. Misaki was so stubborn about smiling sometimes, but she looked so pretty when she finally gave in.

“Yeah!” Kokoro nodded along, “Love is what Valentine’s Day is all about, anyway! Well… that, and eating yummy chocolate.”

Kokoro pushed up on her hands, sticking her chocolate covered chest out towards Misaki suggestively. Nobody could resist chocolate for long, but if Misaki didn’t hurry, it was going to get all dried out. But her mouth would probably be warm enough to melt it all again, so Kokoro figured it would still work out in the end.

It sounded nice. Misaki eating chocolate right off of her body. Kokoro hadn’t thought about that part, before Misaki told her it was like sex, but it must feel really, really good.

“Y-Yeah,” Misaki said nervously, taking a single step forward.

Right into a messy puddle of chocolate syrup. Misaki let out a funny shriek, pulling her foot back as Kokoro giggled at the sound. She tried to shake it off, but the chocolate was way too sticky for that.

“You’ve got to take your clothes off first, silly!” Kokoro laughed at her, “Didn’t I tell you?”

Misaki’s face grew rather red, not making eye contact as she muttered out some sort of misplaced apology. Kokoro waited patiently, watching Misaki peel back layers of clothing, carefully keeping them away from the spread-out reach of the chocolate syrup.

Kokoro wasn’t sure she had ever seen Misaki naked before. She felt like she’d remember it if she had. Misaki’s body looked very nice, even still in her underwear. Kokoro just wanted to leap up and cuddle her, but she knew Misaki would complain about getting chocolate everywhere. There would be plenty of time for cuddling after Misaki had eaten her fill of chocolate, anyway. They could even cuddle together every single day.

That thought made Kokoro’s heart beat a little faster. Misaki loved her. Misaki was taking her clothes off right in front of her. It was only natural that Kokoro would get a bit excited.

“…And you’re sure about this, Kokoro?” Misaki asked, holding her hands up to her bra with hesitation in her voice, “You really want me to…”

Kokoro grumbled to herself, deciding that Misaki was close enough to naked after all. Jumping up to her feet, she took Misaki by the shoulders, and into a kiss.

“Kokoro! Wh—?”

Kokoro’s lips pressed against Misaki’s, as she pulled Misaki’s slim form against her own. Kokoro was a little sticky with chocolate, but she didn’t get too much on her face, so the kiss was a normal enough kiss. If any kiss with Misaki could be called “normal”. Even without the chocolate, she tasted so sweet and enticing. Kokoro couldn’t help but stick her tongue in to get a better taste, quickly silencing any last moans of surprise Misaki could manage.

The chocolate squished wonderfully between them, but it definitely felt nicest where Kokoro and Misaki met skin-on-skin, sliding about without resistance. She had made a bit of a mess of Misaki’s bra, but the Suit People were really good about getting out stains, so it would probably be fine. Or Kokoro could just suck out all the chocolate out of the fabric with her mouth! That also sounded fun, especially if Misaki was still wearing it.

Still, Kokoro couldn’t get too greedy. This was Misaki’s present, after all. Or at least, it was now, after the mix up with Michelle. Kokoro would have to think of an even better present for the bear now, to make it up to her. Maybe confess how she really felt, at last—but that could come later. Right now, Misaki was what mattered most, and this chocolate should be for her. Not that Kokoro couldn’t steal a little bit, of course.

A trail of saliva stretched between their lips, breaking away as Kokoro pulled back, giving Misaki a chance to breathe.

“Kissing is pretty nice, isn’t it Misaki?” Kokoro asked, getting a pure and simple smile in return, “But I think chocolate can be even nicer! Don’t you want to try it?”

Misaki’s glaze lowered immediately, finding Kokoro’s chocolate-covered chest. Kokoro leaned back a little more, to give her a better view.

“I… uh,” Misaki started, slowly lifting up a hand, but seeming uncertain if she was even allowed to move, let alone touch her. But that was silly. Misaki was allowed to do whatever she wanted to Kokoro’s body. That was the whole point!

“Go ahead, Misaki,” Kokoro coaxed her, taking Misaki by the wrist, guiding the hand toward her breast, “I can tell you want to~”

Kokoro released her grip just shy of her destination, but Misaki kept on going the rest of the way. Her finger poked into the chocolate coating her skin, pressing into the tender flesh beneath. It tickled more than Kokoro was expecting, and she had to hold onto Misaki’s shoulders even harder to stay upright, as she giggled.

With a simple swipe of her finger, Misaki scooped up a sample of chocolate, raising it up to her lips experimentally. Kokoro watched as she opened her mouth, wrapping her lips around her finger, closing her eyes as she tasted the chocolate for the first time. Misaki let out a low sort of moan, clearly in love with how delicious the chocolate was. It took all of Kokoro’s willpower not to steal a bite herself, but she didn’t want to distract Misaki at this important moment.

“Amazing…” Misaki gasped, pulling her finger clean, “I was sort of expecting the sort of chocolate you’d get out of a bottle… but this is way, way more intense. I, uh, I don’t think I want to know how much it cost, honestly.”

Kokoro shook her head in defeat. Misaki was always worrying about things, instead of just enjoying them. All that mattered was that the chocolate tasted good. All that mattered was that Kokoro wanted to taste it too…

Misaki gave a small squeak of shock, and Kokoro pressed in for another kiss. It didn’t actually taste much more chocolatey than before, but Kokoro didn’t mind. Kissing Misaki hardly needed chocolate to make it worth doing. Kissing Misaki was definitely its own reward.

“Ah~, I’m glad you like it, Misaki,” Kokoro said, “But there’s plenty more where that came from, you know. You don’t have to hold back! You can even use your mouth directly this time!”

Usually it was considered poor manners to eat food directly with your mouth, without chopsticks or other utensils or even hands. But Kokoro didn’t mind, and none of Kokoro’s lessons had ever covered eating off another person’s body before, so there was no way to know for sure anyway.

“Right…”

Misaki definitely sounded interested. Who wouldn’t be? Kokoro couldn’t think of anything more fun than licking chocolate off of someone else, other than maybe being the one getting licked. But Misaki tended to need a bit of extra encouragement, even for the things she wanted to do already.

“Come on, Misaki, I promise it’ll be super yummy! Just try it!”

Kokoro’s hands wrapped around the back of Misaki’s neck, gently coaxing her to lean downward, to lower her face to meet Kokoro’s chest. It was slow going at first, but Misaki allowed Kokoro to guide her down, coming to a rest just before Kokoro’s nipple, all puffed up and excited for Misaki.

Misaki’s breath was hot against her, the thin layer of chocolate only absorbing so much of the heat, unable to fully protect her skin beneath. Kokoro quivered in anticipation, feeling a sudden need to have Misaki’s mouth on her. It was a good thing Misaki explained this was all just sex, because otherwise Kokoro would probably feel really confused about all the things she was feeling right now.

“Ah! Misaki~”

Kokoro had expected a cautious lick, something gentle, something Kokoro might not even notice if she wasn’t staring straight down at Misaki. She hadn’t thought Misaki would let go completely and clamped down on her nipple right off the bat! It wasn’t exactly a bite… but teeth were definitely involved. Tongue, too.

Wrapping her arms around Misaki’s head tighter, Kokoro leaned into Misaki’s mouth, trying to get her voice under control as Misaki flicked her nipple back and forth with her tongue. Even after all the chocolate must’ve long been sucked clean, Misaki kept licking, and nipping, and driving Kokoro’s body absolutely wild with her mouth. It felt almost unfair that something that should’ve been a present for Misaki was making Kokoro feel so amazing, but if Misaki was enjoying it too, maybe it was fine?

Kokoro hoped this was alright. She loved it too much to stop. And it seemed Misaki did too, making lewd sounds as she pulled back, lapping up streaks of chocolate from across Kokoro’s breast, before returning to center once more, redoubling her attack. Kokoro’s knees began to weaken, and she allowed Misaki’s weight to press down against her. The two girls collapsed into the puddle of chocolate below, Kokoro pushed down flat on her back once more. Misaki’s lips didn’t leave her nipple though, still teasing, still working her tongue so wonderfully.

The chocolate got into Kokoro’s hair, as she thrashed and writhed beneath Misaki, but that was nothing but a minor inconvenience. Misaki was having fun. Kokoro was having fun. What more could she ask for?

“Misaki…” Kokoro moaned out, unused to trying to speak under such duress, “The other side… please…”

So, maybe Kokoro was a little greedy. But Misaki indulged her, and Kokoro’s other nipple was neglected no longer. Kokoro let out a wild squeal of pleasure as all the same feelings washed over her anew. But now, Misaki’s fingers raked across her stomach, carving through the layer of chocolate above her sensitive skin.

As amazing as Misaki’s tongue felt, the teasing hand drew Kokoro’s attention lower. Down to where Misaki touched her, then further still. Deep inside her, Kokoro could feel a heat growing. It had always been there, since the start of things, but now Kokoro fully appreciated what it was. Her love for Misaki, her every desire… her need for still yet more than this.

“M-Misaki, I—”

Kokoro’s world exploded into chocolate. Lifting up her hand from Kokoro’s stomach, Misaki unceremoniously stuffed three fingers into Kokoro’s mouth. She had tasted the chocolate earlier—to make sure it was delicious enough for a present like this—but now Kokoro could lick it right off of Misaki’s fingers. The sensation now was as much about her own arousal as the taste of the chocolate itself, though they complemented each other quite well. Licking Misaki’s fingers felt very lewd, and Kokoro just couldn’t stop herself.

“It’s pretty good, isn’t it Kokoro?” Misaki asked, climbing up further on top of Kokoro, “It’s a little addicting even. I want to taste you all over…”

Misaki leaned down, licking Kokoro long across the neck. There wasn’t even any chocolate there, but both girls moaned out all the same. Misaki pulled her fingers free of Kokoro’s lips with a small pop, meeting her eyes once more.

“…but there’s somewhere I want to taste more than anywhere,” Misaki whispered, sticking out her pinky for Kokoro to lick, still tipped with chocolate, “Can you guess, Kokoro? Do you want it just as badly?”

Kokoro’s body knew the answer well before Kokoro figured out what Misaki was asking. The steady, aching sensation between her legs. The raw heat inside her, almost threatening to boil away the chocolate covering her groin. The desire Kokoro couldn’t quite put into words, until Misaki asked the question.

…Kokoro thought back to the ladies in the video. There was one other place they really liked to lick. Liked to be licked. It sounded really good to Kokoro too.

“Y-Yeah…” Kokoro nodded along, still trying to figure out what she needed to say, how she needed to beg Misaki, “Your tongue, Misaki—I really need you to lick up all the chocolate down there… And if that isn’t enough, just keep putting on more chocolate!”

Misaki stole a kiss from Kokoro’s lips. Quick. Chocolatey. Full of promise.

“Well, if you’re offering, Kokoro,” Misaki said with a smile, “I guess some more chocolate does sound pretty nice right now~”