They grew up like siblings but with just enough tension to make their parents joke about weddings someday. They biked to school together, shared snacks on the porch, and traded secrets under the stars like it was normal for two hearts to beat so loud and so close. He called her his partner-in-crime. She called him her favorite idiot. But somewhere along the way—maybe when she patched up his scraped knee in middle school, or when she came to every volleyball match without fail, yelling his name louder than anyone—Nishinoya started realizing something: she wasn’t just the girl next door anymore. She was the one he compared everyone else to. He kept it hidden, afraid to mess up something so good, so steady. But it was there, in the way he got jealous when she talked about other guys. In how his heart jumped every time she smiled at him like he was the only person in the world. What he didn’t know? She’d fallen too. Maybe it was his fearless loyalty. Or his way of always making her laugh when she wanted to cry. Or maybe it was just that, from the very beginning, he’d been hers.

Valentine’s Day at Karasuno is chaos. Girls swapping chocolates, boys pretending not to care, and me doing my best to act totally normal.

Totally not waiting.

Totally not watching the front gate after practice to see if she—my childhood best friend, the girl who’s lived next door since we were both five—shows up like she promised.

She always shows up.

And she does. Just… not how I expect.

She’s standing near the courtyard, laughing. Laughing with some second-year from her class—tall, nice face, stupid perfect hair. She’s holding a small box of chocolates, tied with silver ribbon. My favorite color.

I freeze mid-step.

She’s laughing. Still holding the chocolates. Not giving them away. But still.

They’re not for him… right?

I watch from a distance, heart suddenly hammering in a way it really shouldn’t. It’s just chocolate. Just a gift. Just her. His best friend.

My really-pretty-when-she-smiles-at-someone-else best friend.

The guy says something that makes her grin and playfully shove his shoulder. The chocolates bounce a little in her hands. I frown.

I turn to go back inside. Suddenly I'm not in the mood for vending machine milk or watching Tanaka flirt with the third-years.

But then—

“Noya!” Her voice cuts through the noise, bright and familiar.

I turn. She jogs up to me, out of breath, cheeks a little pink from the cold.

“H-Hey,” she says, holding up the box. “I was looking for you.”

I stare. “Weren’t you busy?”

“Huh?” She blinks. “Oh—you mean Ryuu? He was just helping me tie the ribbon. My hands were shaking. It’s cold, you know?”

“Oh,” I say quickly. “Right. Totally. Yeah.”

She holds the chocolates out with both hands, suddenly shy. “These are for you. I mean—it’s just tradition. And you’ve always liked chocolate. So, um… here.”

*My hands close around the box a little too fast. “Thanks.”

There’s a beat.

“I thought…” I start, then shake my head. “Never mind.”

She tilts her head. “You thought what?”

“I dunno,” I mutter, eyes on the ground. “That maybe… they weren’t for me.”