'Bless my soul,' Arina told herself that day. 'Perhaps Asano-kun is right about me setting my heart too much on things. Oh, my heavenly Father, you little know how utterly wretched I am. Valentine's isn't much of a nice, dear, sweet thing you want to plant a small kiss on its forehead, loving it for the sake it brings you and for the sake of people. It's quite the opposite actually -- Valentine's is the time when you are taken into custody and people are dying.'

The whole school ascended into chaos, with roughly half its pupils rushed for treatment in the hospital. When the investigators arrived they confirmed the chocolates (more specifically, the ones tagging along with the anonymous love letters) indeed were comprised of toxic chemicals such as arsenic, barium, and thallium, among other extremely poisonous substances, and conveniently with the receipt as a piece of evidence, they had temporarily arrested Arina Avenira as a suspect for the interrogation. They sat her in a small, soundproof room with a camera installed on the wall which Arina paid noticed and waved at it.

"I'm not very certain if you are somebody I know, but you look like you could be, which is nice -- then you will have to prove that you are not a camel."

"You're forbidden to speak before we ask you to," the police stated, casting a serious glare.

"Oh," whispered Arina timidly, slightly hanging her head low upon recognizing he was definitely not a KGB spy in disguise when he didn't get that.

"Alright, so according to the witnessers' claim, you arranged a meeting two weeks ago, announcing that you want to make Valentine chocolates and stuff them into, ahem, specifically ugly guys' bags and lockers, isn't that right?" the police looked up from the note with a disgusted look written on his face.

'Discrimination toward ugly people leads to murder attempts nowadays? Jeez," he thought to himself.

"Surely right!" admitted Arina unhesitantly, meeting the police's shocked gaze quite proudly.

"Moving on, what did you need the rat poison for?"

"No, I didn't even know it exists until minutes ago," answered Arina with her eyes wide-opened. Her facial expression was only intended to emphasize her cluelessness, but the police took it as a sign of possible deceit.

"We wouldn't suspect if you just confess your use of it, you know? It could be that you only need it to exterminate the rats."

"That's a bit wicked. I would just rather let the rats live a happy life -- I wouldn't do much harm to anything. I'm just a girl with a very kind heart," confessed Arina truthfully.

"When you shop, do you usually take the receipt home with you?"

This surprisingly occupied Arina's thoughts for a while before she spoke up, "I normally would, because the guilt of not taking them is simply unbearable. Just look at those eager eyes when they hand you the receipt, you would never want to turn them down, aren't you? Or perhaps it was my imagination all along. You see, I have a very good imagination."

"Which one do you prefer -- card or cash?"

"Card," answered Arina certainly.

"Hmm," said the police, beginning to see the puzzles to the whole picture, as he scanned the note one more time.

"Can you show me all your cards please?"

The suspected girl didn't reply, in the meantime smiling and blinking at the ceiling.

"Please?"

"Huh? Where are we again?" she came back to earth, startling, wandering her gaze around. "Oh, there you are, what is it?"

The police popped a vein, 'Don't think you can get away with this.'

"May you show me all your cards please."

"I can't. I don't have them right now."

"It's okay, you can show me later," he said, and Arina smothered a sigh.

"Can I please leave now, Mr. Policeman? Life is very short compared to all the adventures ahead."

"Not until the interrogation is over," demanded the police, as the little girl stared at him in misery.

"But I haven't even had breakfast yet," said poor Arina, hunger quelled her patience. Preparing for Valentine's Day was a hardship if you have too many acquaintances who talked to you on a daily basis that you might even forget to eat and sleep.

"No one cares," said the police, as he proceeded to the next questions, asking which chains of supermarkets she often shopped in, and even the people she had interacted with in the past two weeks, which gave Arina a severe headache trying to recall them.

"Would you go grab lunch with me, Mr. Policeman? Do you like sunflower seeds? Which one do you prefer — sunflower seeds or flaxseeds? How about dipping them in ketchup?" she said in a vague state of mind, gradually turning crazy upon the shock and hassle the police put her through.

"No thanks. Next question—"

"O-o-oh," poor thing cut through the police's sentence with her quivering voice. With clasped hands, she begged, "Please, Mr. Policeman, I haven't done anything so wrong as to go through this for hours. I still have got to visit those who are going through danger now, I don't know what happened but maybe I'm partially responsible for this. And whatever you want to ask me more I will pass them, because I will take all the responsibilities for this, but please can you just let me give my remaining chocolates to class E of Ecstasy dear Mr. Policeman? And-and I still have to go home and finish my very special chocolate recipe for a very special person, or else I wouldn't get it done today and o-o-oh Valentine's would be over."

But the police didn't comply with her plea right away, as they kept her for another ten minutes before finally releasing her.

"Please show us your cards now," they requested after Arina retrieved her belongings, which she wasn't hesitant to show them. After the procedures were over she can finally breathe in fresh air again as she hastily fled outside of the police station to find Asano standing there waiting for her with his arms folded.

Upon seeing the polices walking out, he spoke up, "What a waste of time for all of you — inefficient work done. She isn't the culprit and it's as clear as daylight."

However, these 'professional adults' only disregarded his words and told him to stay out of this, which Asano didn't pay a mind to, as he reclaimed Arina in his arms and answered her wonders.

"In response to the incident, school is closing for the rest of the day, except for those outcasts. Are you hungry? Come, I will take you to a buffet."

Arina's face lit up in an instant. Probably Asano Gakushuu was her most favorite person in the world by now. He was so sweet and thoughtful nowadays that maybe the Honmei Choco she was about to gift him wasn't going to be out of obligation anymore but more like her true feelings. She WAS beginning to feel things.

"Oh, and that's why I'm getting ever fatter than before being with you, Asano-kun! But I ought to check on everyone first — whether they are doing fine or not. And I'm so dearly hope that they do."

When she arrived at the hospital, which was packed with Kunugaoka students, Arina failed to contain her dramatic self as she dissolved into sinful tears and flung her body over them.

"It's partially my fault — I shouldn't have come up with this idea, EVER! I will forever name this incident, 'At times there comes an unfortunate Valentine', or 'A gloomy grey Valentine's Day searching for prey'. I've been tricked, backstabbed, and possibly bamboozled! I shouldn't have believed life is only a color of pink! As much as I love it to be, it couldn't be, oh but WHY can't it be now!?"

She cried stormily, soaking the quilt of a random patient she first laid her eyes on. Asano sweatdropped and facepalmed.

"Arina, that guy is not even from our school."

All these times, Asano and Arina were too focused checking on the poison victims that they overlooked two certain figures that trailed after them everywhere — Morikawa Mika and Tanaka Sekai — the two master manipulations. To reduce the risk of being perceived as suspects, they have manipulated some girls in their class, in particular, Asano's desperate fangirls that loathed Arina with a burning hatred for stealing their Asano's attention to join in their evil plan. And so far so good, they have done a great job in having Arina arrested and getting away with suspect, however, after witnessing her being released and getting intimate with Asano again, these two malicious b*tches just had to grit their teeth in resentment and instantly plotted another move.

"You're released already? What have you done, Arina?" from the distance Seo approached along with Teppei and Koyama. Arina sprang up to her feet in the joy of seeing her friends.

"How glad I am that you didn't eat those wicked chocolates," sighed Arina in utter relief. "And I have no idea. But based on my own speculation I think I've been targeted by some girls. Wouldn't it be mean for me to suspect Morikawa-san and Tanaka-san most? Though I still can't fathom it because, see, I'm too pure-hearted and nice and sweet that it's almost impossible for anyone to backstab me, don't you think?"

"What naive thinking," Asano raised his voice with the intent to give her some life advice. "No matter what you do or who you are, always expect a certain level of betrayal from the people around you and prepare for it, or else, Arina, that's why spies succeed for a reason. I want to tell you this because you still have got a great deal to learn if you don't want to fail in life."

Asano was right, and Arina resignedly admitted it, while Seo laughed and teased her for her naivety. But that only made Arina smile more. Teppei was recording the entire experience of the poison victims and how they came to be and Koyama was failing to keep the 'nishishishi' to himself even though it sounded like he was gloating over the dire situation.

"Tch, we have to find another way to ruin her Valentine's Day," said Morikawa bitterly whilst Asano took Arina out for a buffet, both she and Tanaka sneaking up behind them pro ninjas.

But after visiting the poor students Arina wasn't feeling like it anymore and from there she bid farewell to Asano and headed back home to finish her 'special chocolate for a special person' before time runs out. And with their ambitions, the two b*tches weren't having any problem with waiting for their target for over an hour before Arina headed out again with a bagful of chocolates which she refilled. Morikawa and Tanaka went, 'Ah ha' with excitement and continued to tail her.

'Wait, why is she going back to school?' they questioned upon following and saw Arina hopping on a train in the direction of their school and shrugged to themselves.

Alas! God seemed to favor Tanaka and Morikawa too much! Or whether He just disliked Arina who would know? After discovering her identity and managing to successfully run their rat poison plan, the two b*tches THIS TIME captured Arina Avenira diverting her direction to the nearby mountain one kilometer away from the main building. That only meant one thing—

'NO WAY!' they had to cover their mouths in disbelief at their recent luck piling up in succession. No way things would go on this smoothly, isn't it?? AND as if it couldn't get any better, they also spotted Asano over there waiting for his father at the schoolyard so he could update the news regarding the complaints of the parents and the journalists, which eventually would go on the media reports.

Left that aside for now, Morikawa and Tanaka hurried after Arina, trekking on the uphill road, stopping every time she stopped and waved hello to the Red Cedar Sugi friends and the sound of nature, of the home for diverse animal friends in sheer joy along with radiant brightness, dancing under the orange sunset, picking wildflowers on the sides and put them askew over her ear. The two b*tches almost got notified of their presence when they stumbled over a snake and passed by a large hive, crying and shrieking under their breath.

Eventually they escaped that hell of a wildlife road and reached the class 3-E of 'Ecstasy' in Arina's definition, gasping for air. But they immediately had their energy rebooted when Arina interacting with the scums of the bottom of society hit their views. She even gifted them chocolates and talked to them as though they have known each other for a while, what the?!

"Record it — record it, Sekai!!" even when whispering in the lowest tone she could possibly deliver, Morikawa still sounded as though she was yelling. Tanaka frantically pulled out her phone and caught Arina's biggest crime scene on camera.

Without taking any second break they whisked down the hill like bikes with no brakes and winded up in front of Asano, as he blinked and furrowed his eyebrows in wonderment.

"ARINA!!" Asano widened his eyes upon them exclaiming her name. "SHE COMMITTED MULTIPLE CRIMES AT ONCE!! SHE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE E-SCUMS SINCE FOREVER!! SHE'S GOT DIRTY!! YOU SHOULD GO CHECK ON HER!!"

They yelled the same thing over and over again, which ruptured Asano's eardrum.

"IT'S HER FAULT — IT'S ALL HER FAULT!!!"

Asano would have stayed and confronted these two about the rat poison scandal if it wasn't for him being notified that Arina was getting involved WITH THE E-SCUMS!! As he only had time to flash a cold glare at them, which sent shivers down Morikawa and Tanaka's spines, before dashing to the mountain and uphill to clarify their report.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA," this time the two b*tches were too overwhelmed with satisfaction that they gloated over the dreadful reputation of Arina by slamming their bodies at the wall for support and laughing like psychopaths, hugging their bellies. "HAPPY VALENTINE, ARINA AVENIRA!!"

In the meantime, Arina was playing her character, 'Princess Adeliya' and making everyone in class E of Ecstasy a flower wreath after she donated each of them a piece of gold (in the imagination), which they all put in their mouth and chewed and swallowed.

"One for you right here, Ms. Ilunga," giggled Princess Adeliya, gently placing the flower wreath on the mixed girl's head. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Princess Adeliyaa!!" exclaimed Blade (Taro) the Scarlet Knight from afar, making his way toward the majesty, shoving all the other subjects out.

"What is it, my Knight?" the Princess gave him a closed-eyes smile, radiating sparkles around her. Blade gasped and unleashed his concern as the protector of the kingdom.

"Your Majesty!! I sensed danger is coming!!!"

"Oh, whatever it is this time, my Knight, you always have my trust," laughed the Princess in a carefree manner. Oh, little did she know...

"No, your Majesty!! This time I caught a glimpse of it while patrolling — it was a creature over twenty feet tall with spiky wings and tusks of a walrus that reached down its toes!! And—and a gigantic elephant trunk that could whip you into infinity and blow you apart in an instant and shred you into pieces!! PLEASE DISMISS ALL THE SUBJECTS RIGHT NOW!!"

"Oh, my Knight, sometimes I wonder how you are able to see through those eye patches," the Princess kept on laughing, but she soon had to put it to a stop and drained all the liveliness and blood out of her face.

Turned out the creature was Asano Gakushuu all along. He marched forward with a murderous look painted on his face, and a very gloomy aura wrapped around him which further darkened with each step he took.

"Ah yes, it's doomsday, my Knight," said Arina emotionlessly, as though had given up on her fate. In Kunugigaoka School this was possibly the biggest crime someone could commit. And even worse it was the chairman's son that was facing her. Disgust was so visible on his face that the E-class students had the impression that he was looking down at low-life creatures instead of literal human beings. No, not even living breathing creatures, he was looking down at dogs' shits.

"I'm way beyond disappointed in you, Arina," was the first thing he managed to say upon his arrival. "Haven't I lectured you about the social hierarchy? Society consists of the superiors, followers, and lastly, at the very bottom — scums. Your shiny figure will be dirtied the more you hang out with one of these E-scums. Do you want to be stripped of your reputation, Arina?"

With the student body president's damage-inflicted words, the E-class students only hung their heads low out of insecurity. Blade (Taro) also, as he glanced over to observe Arina's reaction.

Oh dear she was glowering at Asano with a piercing stare through his soul. Anger was too hot in her heart that it squashed all the early stages of love and appreciation toward him momentarily. With resentful eyes and passion-red cheeks, she flew up from sitting with a pebble in her hand and aimed it at her ex-bosom friend using the full force of her arm, which he was able to dodge anyway, but with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Well said — you've ALWAYS been a mean, hateful boy!!" she exclaimed indignantly, which had Asano instantly regret his choice of words.

"Social hierarchy this — social hierarchy that, well yes, Asano Gakushuu! You're so supreme! I'm just wondering if you're born so low status will I obey the rule of the hierarchy and trample over you now? No, of course I wouldn't, my heart can barely find that acceptable — it would be awfully wicked if I do, but then there's another guy who wouldn't let me love you despite your poor circumstances, so I end up breaking up with him right away! It SHOULD be that I can't hang out with those lacking a heart for everyone and everything. I don't mind if they're cold toward the whole world but me — I do not want that — what I want is someone who can be warm to the whole world including me — that's what IS important! That speaks volume about who they truly are deep down at the very heart. Look at this, my dear Asano-kun," her anger slowly converted into a wave of disappointment instead.

"I spent more than twenty-four hours making you this giant Honmei Choco box for this very special day. I am a busy woman so I went through many sleepless nights, but I had fun, Asano-kun, my joy is to the moon and back when I kept having your elated reaction upon receiving it in my imagination, and I reckon everything is all very well worth it. But I don't think so anymore, I think the scums deserve it better than you."

With that said Asano watched Arina take a big present box out from the tote bag and handed it to the eye patches guy in remorse. His heart constricted at the sight, without thinking his feet moved on their own and before knowing he already faced his girl in the eyes.

"I'm just worried about your reputation," he declared. "And scums varied — not all of them can be like me if I'm a low born, who's always striving for the better despite my circumstance, and as long as they are scums they are a greater risk to hang out with. I wouldn't want you to be influenced by these kinds of people."

He was so full of himself and arrogant that he was never willing to take anyone's criticism for consideration (except his father's) and refused to submit at all costs. He would NEVER apologize for anything. But certainly his stubbornness had cost him his very own wholesome relationship with a bosom friend — his dear crush. By this point Arina had entirely gotten over her new infatuation with Asano and raised her hand, in the bewilderment of everybody, she slapped him across the face.

"I hate you," she said with a tremble in her voice. "No one can rival your one true love — and that's YOU! You only have ever cared and said sweet words to me because you expected me to return them — you see it as a TROPHY! You have always wanted to win the best. But Asano Gakushuu, I shall tell you now — no one can ever love you, all your Honmei Chocos are out of the same selfish love, they are all after your attention rather than imagining your well being which would delight their hearts as much as it did for me. I am now DONE with you. I don't care if you have hurt my feelings, but I do so very care if you hurt MY class E of 'Ecstasy' friends' feelings! A real strong person would never be afraid of the public's opinion. And I. am. not. your. type. of. coward whose main motivation is fear — the forever fear of becoming a scum, that's why people like you won't ever learn."

Arina had promptly made a vow to herself. She would NEVER look at him again! She would never speak to him!!

Upon listening Asano recognized nothing besides the thought of his perfect image being ruined in front of the scums. He was THAT oblivious when it comes to emotional issues and introspection. He had never looked inside to examine what was going on with his own emotion. He only knew that he liked Arina romantically. But whether it was merely infatuation or true love he can't tell them apart. The answer was both, thus Arina was half right in her statement. Only half. But why half? one may ask. It would have been pure true love if he wasn't so obsessed with himself and how society perceived him. Surely claiming a high-status girl's heart with the envious gazes of males all across the nation was as important to him as her happiness. Noticed how he only fell for her after he discovered her high level of social status and breaking a world record? That basically depicted his lust for power.

Now he stood speechless when Arina marched past him with her white blonde head held high and the E-scums gaping at what they just witnessed.

"How long have you been involved with them?" was Asano's cold-hearted question when he tried to intercept her. But Arina swept by disdainfully, without look or sign of hearing.

That night Asano got home, instead of prioritizing studying, he merely sat down at his desk with the remembrance of Arina's words flashing back into his mind. He contemplated for roughly an hour without realizing, trying to wade himself into his own emotion for the first time.

"Gakushuu-boy," Asano Sayaka called in the distance, halting her steps in the afterglow of the sunset. "Are you coming or not? Daddy is waiting."

"No," said the child stubbornly, stomping his foot. He would rather die than submit to anyone's order. Mrs. Sayaka sighed and came to pick her son up.

"Look, Gakushuu-boy, if you don't come home, the sky is not going to be happy," she giggled, getting down to his level and pulling him into her embrace, as she pointed at the sky. The child followed his gaze after her finger.

"See? It lost the light in its smile."

Little Gakushuu can hardly understand his mother, but somehow, hearing her expressing the vulnerability of an entity, and through his very own mother's worn-out smile, his gaze softened, and with a light 'um', he nodded, agreeing to get in the car.

"That's my son~" the proud mother showered her son with kisses, while little Gakushuu found this much intimacy to be unbearable. Nevertheless, he was glad his mother can be this happy and once again light can be seen in the smile that he cherished so much.

But light can't linger too long without reaching its end. Asano Gakuhou stepped out of the car after ending a call with a business partner, marching toward his wife and son.

"Sayaka, what are you think you're doing?" an icy remark. The corners of the father's lips arched upward. Both friendly and threatening.

"I'm—I'm sorry," quivers washed through her body, as she instantly broke the hug away from her son and sprang to her feet.

"How many times should I warn you we are raising a strong here?" Gakuhou's violet glare glinted dangerously. "Such display of intimacy is reserved for the weak. Tell me, what were you doing when you should have gotten in the car a while ago?"

Mrs. Sayaka watched as her husband glared down at their son. "I just don't want to get in the car," the child answered straightforwardly.

"Oh?" his father's expression was darker as seconds passed. "You do realize a weak like you shall forever obey the strong at the top of the hierarchy, do you?"

"Please, Gakuhou, he's just a child!" pleaded Mrs. Sayaka.

The child didn't respond, instead he boldly faced his father with no fear whatsoever.

"I will educate you on a lesson of what it is like being a weak who disobey."

Seconds later the poor child was seen chasing after a black limousine under the sad sky — a sky that had lost the light in its smile where all remained was darkness.

Absentmindedly letting out a smirk while recalling the memory, Asano mussed his hair and thought to himself, 'Come to think of it, I did get hurt back then.'

Anyone who didn't have his tendency to overlook emotions wouldn't have survived in this household.

'But I still do love you from the bottom of my heart, Arina. The light in your smile is everything I want to see.'

Light will eventually reach its end and darkness will take over. But what comes after darkness? Light. Light will once again shine on its lovely world.

A/n: a common misconception is Gakuhou married his wife and gave birth to Gakushuu before the suicidal kid event, but it was actually AFTER that that he get married and have a son. Trust me I remember doing deep research about this OwO