Giving the pudding.

Ring ding ding ding ding di ding di ding.

A high pitched jingle tickled my sleep but it sounded sort of nice.

Di ding ding ding ding di ding di ding.

It got slightly louder but I was way too direct from the day's activities to bother getting up. Taking Clintarou on a walk, playing around in the jungle gym, and then making pudding. It was all very taxing on a young body.

Ring ding ding ding ding di ding di ding.

Needless to say… it was sorta getting loud no-

WHAT DOES THE F-

"FOR LOVES SAKE ALEXA STOP! IT'S AN ALARM NOT AN EVACUATION WARNING!" I shot up.

"Sorry." Alexis, the smart speaker apologized. "Stopping the pudding setting alarm."

The noise ceased and all that persisted was the sound of me panting.

I've had nightmares less frightening than that alarm.

"No one heard me righ- ah they're not here." I looked around. Mom and Dad had gone out on a date after we made the pudding.

The room was quiet. Unnaturally so.

'Oh well, it isn't like I'm alone. The castle is filled with plenty of people.'

But being alone in the room did feel wrong. Whatever!

I headed over to our fridge and picked out the two ramekins with the pudding. There were still two more left inside that Dad made right after we finished the first batch. They would probably eat it after returning.

"Let's just get this over with." I muttered to myself while picking up two spoons.

Apologising and gifting wasn't my strong suit. But this was an adventure I was already set on accomplishing.

'I will repay the debt I owe to Yuu-chan!' I pumped myself up.

Using my buttocks to push the bedroom door, I headed out into the corridor. Well, it wasn't as much a corridor as a gallery that overlooked the main hall.

There was a slightly older lady standing right next to the staircase.

"Hime-nee!!" I called as I rode the railings down to her and she caught me before I fell off. Of course, I trusted that she'd do that. But I had to say, the speed with which she put her phone down and took me in her arms was impressive.

"Mou~ stop trying to act cool in front of me." What's she on about? I just didn't want to climb down the staircase.

"Ehehehe…" I chuckled, trying to end the discussion there. On a normal day I would've spent time with her but today I had a commitment. "Do you know where Yuu-chan is?"

"Hmm? Do you need her for something important? She might be busy right now."

"I made some pudding for her." I replied. Whatever she was busy doing could wait.

She looked at the ramekins and in my hand, a smile grew upon her face.

"Ara~ So that's what it is." Hime-nee put me down on the ground and pointed to the lawn. "Your princess is out on the lawn doing sword practice."

Is that all Yuuno did? Practice? All-day long?

Even my schedule is more princess-like than her's.

It's like her mind was filled with muscles.

"I'll go to her then. Thanks!" I gave her a little nod and jogged away.

"Have fun with her~" She waved me off before heading to a meeting with her friends in the other hall. Everyone had something or the other to do today.

The door to the palace got pulled open by the guards and the cool early evening breeze let through. As I left the building the warmth of the sunlight got chilled by the wind. My skin felt the best it ever did.

On the other side of the satisfaction spectrum, my actual need to come outside had not been fulfilled. Yuu-chan wasn't on the lawn.

Knowing her, she wouldn't spend such a good day indoors. Nor would she head outside the palace having absolute faith in her strength. So she had to be in the garden. Since she wasn't on the lawn that only left one other place she frequents.

I ran down the stairs into the lawn and then towards our rendezvous location.

That being the top of the transparent corridor. And there she was-

"What are you doing up there?" I called.

"Nothing, I just got a little bored and thought the view would be good."

"Sorry I asked! Honestly, I couldn't care less about why you're up there. Anyways, help me up."

"Ugh… what do you want now?" She frowned.

She cast a wind spell that lifted me up on the corridor. I sat down beside her.

"You remember that day when you got pissed that I ate your pudding."

"You bet I do. I will never forget. And one day when you get something delicious I'll sneak into your kitchen an-"

"About that. I got you some. Peanut butter flavoured pudding."

I shoved the ramekin into her hand. How come not one of the two sisters noticed the two large ramekins in my hand until I pointed them out? It was bizarre. I think I would notice if anyone walked up to me with a ramekin.

"Eh?" Her reaction was delayed enough to let me do that little monologue. "You made me a pudding?"

"Yeah… I was feeling a little guilty. Soooo..."

"And of all the days today is the day you decided to give it to me?"

"Anything wrong with today?"

"Do you not know what it is today?" She looked at me, perplexed.

"A Saturday?"

"You dense idiot… it's valentines day."

"What's valentines day?"

"It's the day you celebrate love."

"??"

"The day that you give your loved one's sweets."

"??"

"The day when your parents copulated."

"OHHH! I SEE! The shagging day!" It was that day today?!

"DON'T CALL IT SHAGGING DAY! YOU RUIN THE WHOLE LORE!"

Let's just ignore her deafening stuck up remarks. I will call it shagging day since it was shagging day.

For context. I used to and still do sleep in the same room as my parents, right?

The shagging days were incidents from the days when I was still younger than three years.

My parents would leave a nanny in the room on a specific day in February, come back late at night and bump nasties assuming that I had slept.

Of course, I didn't feel disgusted, because they were a healthy married couple and refrained from doing the deed very often. In fact, they only did it that one day in the entire year.

Moreover, it was my fault for understanding what they were doing, as a normal 3-year-old wouldn't be able to do so. So I really didn't mind at all.

So as a gentleman, whenever they started to shag, I would cry and get them out of the mood from continuing any further. I couldn't believe how good of a child I was.

Evidently, they looked forward to shagging that one day a year so last year, they just stayed out all day and night, leaving me with Hime-nee. We watched terrible romance movies like 'the envelope' and she cried throughout complaining about how single she was.

Anyhow today was Shagging day.

"So it's that day!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah… and you only give sweet stuff to people you like on Valentine's day." She said while putting her chin on her knees and taking off the plastic covering from the pudding. "Although, I'm pretty sure, what you did was just a coincidence. And you can't just take this back now that you have given this to me."

"You are right about that." I handed her the spoon and opened my pudding too.

"But still- the fact that you made this meant that you were thinking about me." She slowly turned her face towards me with a smile. A natural smile from Yuu-chan. SCARY! "Ma-kun, do you have feelings for me or something?"

"N-no way! I just felt guilty and wanted to let it out. There was no other meaning behind it. Stop making that face already!"

"Haha! If that's what you insist." She was about to dig in.

"Wait!"

"Huh? What now?" She stopped with saliva almost dripping off her mouth.

"Take this one." I tried to exchange our ramekins but she pulled her's closer to her chest.

"Why? Did you spit in the one you gave me before? Did your conscience finally give in, you filthy demon lord?"

"Shut up! This one is the one Dad made... it's better than the one I made."

"That's it?"

"Eh?"

"I'm fine with either, I'll just have this one." She took a spoonful and put it in her mouth. A relaxed and blissful smile spread across her cheeks. She couldn't hide the fact that it tasted good.

I immediately checked my pudding to see if I accidentally did actually give her the pudding Dad made. But nope, it was mine.

I was sort of relieved to see her approval. I couldn't say that I worked hard, but it was my first time working for some specific person without a selfish reason.

"If you like it that much, I can just make some more for you some other time." I smirked.

"Really?" She flinched. "What's the catch? You wouldn't do that without any hidden intention no matter how good the mood is!"

"I didn't expect you to catch on, but colour me surprised." I put the pudding down before I could take a bite. "You need to give me your notes from last year." I needed to become literate.

Even though the words were the same the scripture changed drastically over the three thousand years. And now I was clueless as to what words read as. The subtitle thing wasn't working either. I needed to start from scratch.

And so I asked her for the notes.

"Is that all you want?"

"Yep."

"It's alright with me. I'll give you the notes tomorrow then."

"Great!"

I took a spoon of pudding and put it in my mouth.

At first it felt like jelly before it melted into a custard. The taste of the browned sugar, the peanut butter, and the texture of bouncy milk. It felt great. It was much better than the manufactured one I stole from her.

In bliss, my tongue got a little loose. I bent over my knees and looked at the doll-like girl next to me.

"Happy Valentine." I would have to admit, I did get drunk on the mood a little.

"What's wrong with you stop acting like that."

"Acting like what? I'm just happy."

"Yeah, that. You're only you when you are moody."

"Wow, that's just plain rude."

"It's true though."

.

.

.

It was a fine evening.