The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

They're all sour, but isn't this a game of choosing one or the other? How could this be?

Higuchi Enka thought of something and checked the box, and found that it was indeed a double-layer structure, and the words "reversed" were printed on the base under the two sour snacks.

After opening the interlayer of the box, the two saw a note -

Positive: Why so serious?

It sounds like a question to people who play games, but it could also be referring to the act of observing the box after discovering that they have been cheated.

The other side: Two sides of the same coin. Have you learned it today?

Then, underneath the note, two different chocolate treats were hidden.

"...boring trick."

"Hmm...but it's sweet, this chocolate."

Sure enough, he is still the same, without any change——

Chapter 41: Another Battle with Chocolate

On Thursday afternoon, the four childhood friends gathered at Asakura Toru's house again.

“I’m hungry...”

As soon as she got home, Toru Asakura threw her schoolbag down and collapsed on the bed. She must have been completely burned out. Unfortunately, she was usually so lazy that no one noticed anything was wrong.

"Well, at times like these, I need to eat some sweet, delicious chocolate!...Huh? Hina (I) only put two boxes here yesterday, how come there are four now?"

"...Who knows, maybe it was born from chocolate and chocolate."

The "culprit" Higuchi Enka used gibberish to great effect!

"Ahaha~ They're twins!"

"Hina-Hina-chan, I don't think so."

Of course Fukumaru Koito knew. After all, who in their right mind would think chocolate could give birth? Then wouldn't the factory be called a breeding farm? But she was also a little curious. After all, she was the first one back last night. If two of the boxes were recognizable as the ones Hirata had entrusted to her, then what were the other two...?

"Oh, by the way... Higuchi, could you help me get the box on the table?"

"Of course I can...but what are you going to do?"

Higuchi Enka knew what was inside. Toru, who had been sprawled on the bed, stood up, took the box, and placed it on the table. This action naturally attracted the attention of the other three people in the room.

“Hmm…Dangdang~~!”

"Wow...it's a flower!"

"Ahaha~ Red flowers, and they smell sweet, really nice~"

"...It's not a flower, it's chocolate."

Enka's explanation surprised the unsuspecting Fukumaru Koito and Ichikawa Hina. It looked like a flower from a distance and it also looked like a flower from a close distance, but when they got closer they could see that it was only lifelike and not real life. At the same time, the familiar sweet smell told them that this was chocolate.

"Bingo~ (correct answer)... Well, let's eat this today."

"Hey! B-But is it really okay to share such beautiful chocolate with us?"

"Okay, okay... I received five this year, a bumper harvest, more than enough to spare~" Asakura Toru made a scissors gesture, but then remembered something and added, "And if I don't eat this quickly, it will probably go bad."

"That's bad! It's so beautiful, what a shame!"

"Ahaha~ Then Hina (I) want to eat it too, it looks delicious~"

"......Then, I'll just eat a little. Be careful not to eat too much, there's dinner later." The nanny Higuchi Enka muttered every day.

But it is obvious that one can hear but not necessarily listen.

"Oh!...OC~"

"Hmm...Ahaha~ The sweet chocolate has a fruity aroma, yummy~"

"Hey, then I too... Mmmmm...!... This is amazing!"

Asakura Toru and Ichikawa Hina started by sharing the chocolate leaf with each other. Fukumaru Koito also picked a piece of chocolate leaf, marveled at the delicate patterns carved on it, and ate it too, revealing a happy expression.

You guys, really...

Higuchi Enka sighed softly and took one piece and put it in her mouth.

...So sweet, too much sugar, right? Yesterday's was also overly sweet. And who knew that seemingly ordinary heart-shaped chocolates contained... Tsk, cunning man, in the end, doesn't it matter which one you choose?

So in order to control him, I—

"...Enka-chan, what's wrong? Is it not tasty?" Seeing Enka's expression change for a moment, although Koito didn't understand her deep thoughts, he saw her frowning, so he asked with concern.

"No, nothing...it tastes just normal, like regular chocolate."

"Hey~..then can I, Hinana, eat Enka-senpai's share?"

“…Ageimasen (No).” Higuchi Enka put the petals in her hand into her mouth and savored them carefully, with no intention of handing them over.

"Eh~~..stingy!"

"You should finish eating these first."

Hinana wasn't upset by Enka's cold attitude, after all, that's how everyone is usually.

And judging by that person's personality, he probably has some new tricks up his sleeve this time. After all, while the chocolate flowers are beautiful and delicious, they're only visible at a glance. If it were him, he'd definitely...

Tsk, what a disgusting feeling——

In no time, the chocolate flower was completely devoured, even the stems and leaves were eaten. Although the box looked large, it was actually to protect the flower inside. The chocolate flower looked large, but that was because of the thin, curved chocolate chips, so it actually didn't weigh much.

"Ahaha~ Hina (I) haven't eaten enough, so open the remaining three~" Ichikawa Hina swayed her body slightly left and right, and it was obvious that she was enjoying the meal.

"Wait, you haven't finished eating yet—"

Enka reached into the box and fumbled around the corners, but found nothing like a mechanism. There were only grooves that were convenient for people to grab onto. But after a moment of confusion, she discovered the truth.

I see, you're such a cunning fox indeed...

Thinking of the small fox pendant she got yesterday, she sighed again. It seemed that even luck was not on her side. There was no way to compromise, right?

"This 'base,' 'flower pot,' looks like it's edible," Detective Higuchi Enka explained after touching it with her hand. "It looks like some kind of pastry, with a layer of dark bitter chocolate on top... And it's so smooth, it really shows some care and consideration."

It seems that those who like to play with mezzanine and those who like to play with ordinary appearance but hidden mysteries are not the same person——

After cutting it open with the fruit knife I got downstairs, the aroma of the fruit inside came out. It was a feeling similar to the sweet smell of chocolate just now, but completely different.

"Ahaha~ So that fruity scent that Hina (I) could smell from the beginning was actually coming from the fruit pie below. It smells delicious~"

"N-Never thought the 'soil' that flowers grow in was actually part of the dessert... As expected of Enka-chan!"

"Higuchi, nice~...I just want to eat something different right now."

After eating chocolate, you might feel sick, or you might feel like you're still hungry. So no matter what kind of arrangement you left behind, it will come in handy. You're just like me...

As expected, that person is very cunning.

Chapter 42 Gems

"Ah, I'm full~ I'm full~"

Asakura Toru, who had been complaining about hunger before, collapsed back onto his bed, but this time it wasn't hunger that was the problem, but rather a feeling of being overly full. He'd first eaten the chocolate flower and the fruit pie base, then the small cake (which Taira had entrusted to Hina by Koito) with milk, and now he couldn't eat anything more.

"Tou-chan ate too much...and lying down right after eating isn't good for your health!"

Fukumaru Koito, who is usually very shy in public, appears a bit "rude" when dealing with other childhood friends. Specifically, she, a common-sense person, will lecture Asakura Toru, who often goes off the rails, and Ichikawa Hina, who is super willful and self-centered, just like now.

"After all, you've eaten so much, will it be okay to eat later?"

"Ah - Tooth White (not good)... forgot."

"......well--"

What else could Asakura Toru say in the face of such a person? Higuchi Enka could only respond with a sigh.

"That's right! Using your brain will consume sugar, so let's do our homework together!" suggested the good boy Fukumaru Koito.

"Hey~~ But I'm so full right now, I don't feel like moving at all~"

"...Well, let's chat."

Asakura Toru, who had been lying prone just now, had already climbed up and, like the other three, crawled into the kotatsu. February was still very cold, and for various reasons, the East Country didn't have heating like some parts of the Yan Country, and the electricity bill was incredibly expensive.

"......So, what do we want to talk about?" After a few minutes of silence, Enka couldn't help but ask.

"...Eh, ah—fell asleep."

"...Hey—Koito, is that building block you put with the animal crackers in Asakura's room? We're free anyway, so why don't we make that? It'll burn off some energy."

"Well...I put it on the table yesterday." Toru Asakura replied.

Considering that it is more friendly to young girls, Pingxin did not make it into a complicated design like Jiaoda, but made it into a dispersed structure similar to Le0 building blocks. You only need to make small parts according to the steps in the instruction manual and then assemble them together.

As for why they gave the robot building block model when they were already giving it to girls... the little animals' final destination was the Thunderbolt Arceus, so does that even need a reason?!

"Oops, I spelled it wrong... This one is so hard to take apart."

"..Ah! Tou-chan, don't use brute force, your nails will scratch it...Use this, and if you have a tool, it can be easily removed."

"Ah, really... the tools are incredible."

His eyes sparkled like a child who had discovered a new toy.

"...Speaking of which, who gave us the gifts Koito gave us last night? I remember everyone received one, right? What were they?"

"Ah...that—"

No, I can't, because I need to find an opportunity with Hiroshi to give everyone a surprise. But I can't lie to anyone either, that's not right... What should I do!?

"Ahaha~..As for Hina (me), it's the little cake I ate with milk just now. It was delicious~"

"Hmm... In my case, gemstones."

After asking around, Higuchi Enka still couldn't find any clues. Why were other people's things good, but to her it was just a prank? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh again. Life is not easy, the beautiful girl sighed——

"What about Enka-chan? What did you receive?"

"...clowns and pranks."

"Eh?"

Looking at the surprised Koito, Enka and Toru talked about what happened during the day, although she was basically the only one who spoke properly.

"Eh~~ So, both desserts are sour?"

"Hmm...but, it's sweet, the two chocolates below"

"Ah, ahahaha... Sorry, Enka-chan, Toru-chan, I don't know what's inside either." Fukumaru Koito felt a little ashamed. After all, it was a gift sent through her. Speaking of which, Nobu-chan and Enka-chan had a bad relationship from the beginning. They were always arguing, those two.

And then something like that happened...

Seeing Koito's expression, Enka pursed her lips. She hadn't initially thought it was a prank, as the kid probably didn't even have the "prank" in mind. So she said, "Speaking of which, Tooru...did you just say it was a gem?"

"Well... not really. Anyway, it's something really powerful. Very powerful."

"..."

The Riddler gets out of Gotham!

"Hah… Anyway, let's take it out and have a look at that gem that isn't a gem."

"OK~"

Asakura Toru said this and lay down on the bed again. Under everyone's puzzled gaze, he reached under the pillow and took out a clear, transparent gem with gold flowing inside.

“…Wow~~!”

"Ahaha~ That's amazing. Hina, can I touch it?"

"Um...sure."

"Thank you, Toru-senpai~" Ichikawa Hina carefully took the gem from Asakura Toru's hand, "This feels cool and hard... Wow~! Something inside is really flowing, golden or something."

Ichikawa Hina held it up and pointed it at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. All four people present could see its shimmering light, its transparent texture, and the glittering golden liquid within.

"So what exactly is this... Koito, do you know?"