Yuuka, still holding you, made her way over to the table, released her grip, and tenderly picked up the box.

“Sensei…” The usual commanding tone in her voice was absent. Slowly, the girl you owed a great deal too turned to face you. As expected, rosy cheeks greeted you. Her eyes refused to meet yours, focussed firmly on the box. Getting a better look at it, it truly wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. No fancy decorations, not eye-catching patterns. None of that. Just a regular, ordinary cube-shaped box.

You were fine with that.

“Sensei,” She said your title again. Eyes still refusing to meet, she presented the box to you. “Please… accept this.” Her face as red as a tomato, Yuuka bowed her head.

Well, if one of your precious students did such a thing, there was only one thing you could do.

"Thank you, Yuuka." A smiling lighting your face, you happily took the box and opened the lid. You half expected to see heart-shaped pieces or something, but instead you found multiple 3D shapes. Cubes, squares, etc... each were bit-sized, with some white, dark and light brown. A real mixture. Picking out a milk chocolate sphere out of the close to two dozen pieces, you plopped it into your mouth.

It was perfect. Just the right amount of everything blended together to make an exquisite chocolate.

"Delicious." You eventually said aloud to the still waiting girl.

The smile she had on her face when she brought her head back up was probably the brightest you'd ever seen.

You still felt conflicted, but that smile... it made it worth it.

***

"By the way, any reason you didn't just bring them to the office?" You ask, popping a white chocolate cube into your mouth.

"And let you use them as an excuse to put off doing your work? Not a chance! You're eating them right here, or putting them in a fridge!"

"Hehe, fair enough."

"...Happy Valentines, Sensei~"