Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter SS6

Valentine's Day in a Parallel World

In a certain small town, the atmosphere was currently very lively. Hajime, Yue, and Shea had stopped for a short rest, and were curious about the sweet, somewhat excited mood that filled the town.
“Hey, is there a festival or something today?’
“Hm? You don't know? Today's Fris day. Come on, you've got to know what it is. You even have two lovely ladies following you around.’
The person Hajime had asked was a bald, macho, flower salesman. It appeared today was a celebration most people knew about. When he pressed for details, Hajime learned that Fris day was a day for people to confess to their crushes. The reason it was called Fris day was because of the abundance of white fris flowers everywhere. It was said that if someone confessed with a fris flower and the other person accepted, the couple would be together forever. As Hajime looked around, he noticed there were a lot of people selling white flowers, and plenty of young guys and girls were gathering around them.
“I see. While it's not exactly the same, it's basically like Valentine's...’ “Hm? Valentine's?’
“What's that?’
Yue and Shea spoke up. Reminiscing about his home world, Hajime explained Valentine's Day to the two of them.
Valentine's Day, a time where warriors go forth to do battle. The hot guy sorcerers usually dominate that day. For Hajime, it had been a day he'd spent running away last year. Had he been caught, he knew what hell awaited him in school.
“Hm... So Hajime, there was a girl who confessed to you that day. What was her name and what did she look like? Go on, tell me.’
“Eeeeeh you have another lover, Hajime-san? How many dozens of women came before me, I wonder?’
“Can you two at least watch your mouth in public?’ Hajime backed away as the seductive vampire princess and the crying worthless rabbit bore down on him. Phrases like, “How many dozens of women came before me,’ would definitely get misunderstood.
“Oh my, what a wonderful battlefield of love.’
“It looks like that guy over there's a real playboy.’
“He just toys with girls' feelings and throws them away when he's done with them! What a heartless brute!’
“Don't meet his gaze! You'll get pregnant!’
The onlookers all started voicing their opinions. His mouth twitching, Hajime hurriedly tried to flee to somewhere more private. He picked Yue and Shea up, then carried them to the closest inn.

That evening, the three of them had split up to get their shopping done. Once they'd gotten everything they came for, they rendezvoused at the inn to get dinner. Hajime was sitting at a table by the window, his chin resting in his hands. Yue sat next to him. Shea had insisted on cooking dinner for him today, and was currently borrowing the inn's kitchen.
“Sorry for the wait~ Here's Shea's ultimate special~’
“Ultimate special? What on earth did you make... Wait, this is.’
“That's right, it's a meat and potato stew. Well, I don't know what potatoes are supposed to taste like, so it's just my imitation of it.’
Hajime had told Shea all about the food he used to eat in Japan. Considering how many of the fruits and vegetables in this world resembled fruits and vegetables from his own, he'd thought it might be possible to recreate the same dishes. After a lot of trial and error, Shea had managed to replicate the stew decently enough with her stellar cooking skills. Hajime tentatively lifted a spoonful to his mouth.
“Wow!’ Hajime exclaimed. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was about as close as it could get.
“But why'd you decide to make this again today?’
“Ehehe... Because today's Fris Day. You said people give gifts for that Valentine's Day or whatever, right? I thought the best present I could give you was food from your hometown, Hajime-san.’
“I see. Well, thanks. This is really good.’
Shea's rabbit ears flopped around happily. Then, Yue gently tugged on Hajime's sleeve, so he turned to face her, and she pointed out the window. He looked outside quizzically, spotting speckles of white falling from the night sky.
“Is that... snow?’
“Mhm... Snow doesn't fall on the northern continent, but you said it snowed in your hometown around Valentine's Day, so I made it snow with magic.’
Both Yue and Shea had worked hard to give Hajime a Valentine's/Fris Day present. They both knew how badly Hajime wanted to go back, and this was the closest thing to home they could have given him. Hajime smiled gently at the two girls. Such a tender smile was rare for him.
“These are the best presents I could ever ask for. Thank you.’
“Mhm...’
“You're welcome!’
While people outside frolicked in the snow that was neither cold nor wet, the three adventurers spent Fris Day with each other.