Valentine's Day was fast approaching and Yuri is wondering if she should do a certain thing or not. Nako was watching her zone out, stopping herself from giggling at how cute Yuri looked.

'Do I make chocolate for that duck or not?'

'Yes, of course! She's a friend! Why won't you make one for her?'

'But… What if she takes it the wrong way?'

'Nah, just make one, Yuri! Friends are friends even though you like the person!'

"If only that was easy…" Yuri answered herself out loud, unaware that Nako was looking at her smugly from behind.

Nako hummed upon hearing the girl's monologue. "What do you mean by that, Yuri-chan~?" Teased Nako. Despite Yuri not approaching her for help, she could feel it. Feel that Yuri is somehow having doubts about several things now.

Yuri jumped upon hearing Nako. "Nako!" She charged, hitting the senior with her hands, now balled to assault the teasing demon that is Nako.

"Ouch! Ouch! Stop!"

"So what were you thinking about?" Several minutes after calming Yuri down, Nako asked once again with a smug grin on her face.

Yuri swallowed, it was getting harder to hide her feelings each day but the Accounting Major student could still hang on. After all, she was quite good at pretending. Or was she? She only managed to pull one off and that was pretending to like Yena on the start of their fake relationship. When feelings weren't involved, it was still easy to pretend but now? She wasn't really so sure she could go out and pretend it doesn't hurt whenever she remembers that everything is only a contract.

Moving on, she just gave Nako a small wave from her right hand, dismissing it.

"Oh, it's nothing. Haha…" Yuri muttered nervously, praying to gods that Nako gets off the trail.

'run: Hello Yuri-- No, Nako. Stop. Coding. In. Your. Head.'

'Wait… She's in the kitchen this early? It's only February--'

'Wait? February? Then Valentine's day is near? Oh… Is she going to make chocolates for the duck? But wait… You only make chocolates for--'

'Mhmm… I see. Interesting.'

She hummed once more, moving to the fridge this time. "Nothing, huh?"

"Perhaps, you're planning to send someone a Valentine's Day chocolate?" What Yuri feared just escaped Nako's lips as the senior opened the refrigerator. The Accounting Major is dead. For real.

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

Nako decided to give her a break instead. 'It would be fun to later on.' Nako closed the fridge this time. "Never mind, I'll let you live today."

Yuri wasn't sure if Nako was being kind or not but she'll take it. "I… I don't really know what you're talking about but thank you."

Nako sighed. "You should give everyone chocolates, by the way," Nako nudged, Yuri couldn't see it but Nako was getting excited as to how the play would turn out.

"C-chocolates? Why should I?"

"Aww, come on. I want to taste one!"

'N-nako is right… A-after all, my friends could get a Valentine Tomo-choco as a thank you gift from me!' thought the sophomore, unknowingly falling for the senior's trap.

"Fine. I'll make some."

'Bait successful.'

***

Hyewon was eating her breakfast alone in the cafeteria when someone sat in front of her, placing the tray gently on the table.

"I see you eat breakfast here as well," greeted Minju.

"As if we dorm peeps have a choice," Hyewon scoffed. "The food here is expensive but the quality is so-so," she added, looking at the disappointing imitation of pancakes on her plate. "Look at these pancakes. They look like those brown recyclable tissues they give out on Starbucks but circular."

Minju laughed "You're right. But as you said, we have no choice, Kang Hyewon-ssi."

"Oh please, call me 'Hyewon.' We're probably almost the same age anyway," Hyewon interjected, looking back at the unacceptable imitation of pancakes with her.

"All right, Hyewon." Minju beamed at the foodie who just smiled back at her.

Minju heard her phone ring and when she looked at the notification, a frown immediately took over.

"What's the matter, Minju?" Hyewon asked, her head tilted a bit.

Minju smiled awkwardly, trying to reassure her but failing in her attempt. "It's nothing."

"Oh come on. Spill it. I don't like seeing my friends sad." Hyewon pouted, making Minju giggle. "I promise, I won't judge."

Minju stopped for a minute, wondering if she could confide with the foodie. 'Should I? She seems trustworthy-- No. I promised Chaewon-ah that I'll keep this a secret. But maybe… I could tell her. Probably without dropping any hints.' Minju then looked at Hyewon. "So… I have this friend."

"Oh, okay. And then?" Hyewon listened intently.

"She had been in love with her friend for a year and this friend of hers was single," Minju continued.

"Single. Oh. Then it's fine--"

"But then, suddenly, the friend courted this really popular girl and they became a thing."

Hyewon remembered her situation with Yuri but she knew it was far from that. The foodie never knew who courted who but assumed it was Yuri since she looked so star struck whenever she's with her significant other.

"My friend was so sad so when her now taken friend comforted her, she was so depressed she confessed to her and even forced herself to the friend, thinking that maybe the taken friend would soon catch feelings for her and leave the girlfriend for her."

Hearing this made Hyewon raise an eyebrow, weirded out with everything. "And then?"

"The taken friend said no at first but my friend pursued her."

Hyewon had a bad feeling about what was coming.

"But after a few days, the taken friend went to her and told her that maybe she'd give her a shot and they started dating. Of course, my friend was happy to hear it but it hurt her whenever she saw the taken friend with the official girlfriend."

Hyewon felt sad for Minju's friend. "That… That taken friend is a b*tch. But sure, continue."

"My friend thought that she only had one person to worry about for the taken friend's attention but…"

"But…?"

"Apparently, the taken friend had been friends with this other girl and that other girl looked really pretty as well. They had been close to each other lately too."

Hyewon sighed upon hearing that. "So what's the problem here? Other than everything in particular?"

Minju frowned at Hyewon. "Well… What should my friend do?"

Hyewon tried thinking of a good solution. "Well… I know it's bad but… Your friend should either choose whether she wants to forever become a secret partner or secretly liquidate the partnership."

'Partner… Partnership…?’ Minju was weirded out. Nevertheless, she listened, as Hyewon's words contained wisdom.

"Your friend here invested herself in their partnership but she's not a priority. What does your friend get in return, by the way?"

"Well, they could date in secret. And sometimes… They do couple-y things as well."

"Couple-y things? Like…?"

"That…"

Hyewon sighed. She opened . "This is Solutio Indebiti. No one should be unjustly enriched at the expense of another. Furthermore, the thing they have isn't a partnership. There is no mutual contribution."

Minju was dumbfounded after hearing all those concepts from the foodie's lips. "Ugh… What?"

Hyewon woke up from her Accounting trance, realizing that the girl in front of her didn't understand a thing. "… I mean… It's unfair and both should do something in the relationship. It's bad enough that the taken friend treats the girl like some undeclared dividend. The bastard should make amends." She then noticed something. "By the way… Do I know this friend of yours?"

Minju vigorously shook her head, trying to dismiss Hyewon's question.

"Are you sure?" Hyewon wasn't letting this go just yet.

"Yeah." Minju smiled at her. The Computer Science major then remembered the raven-haired girl's terms earlier. "Oh yeah… Your Accounting terms somehow could relate to love problems."

Hyewon smiled. "I agree. This is why Accounting is beautiful."

Minju remembered her relationship with Chaewon once more. "So… What do you call a partnership where the partner doesn't know that they have this other partner?"

Hyewon frowned, looking at her plate, trying to think of an answer. "All partners should be aware of the admission of a new partner though… So it's not really a partnership. And if the girlfriend does know, it's obviously leading to liquidation because no girlfriend would want a side-chick."

Minju gulped. "What do you call the taken friend then?"

Hyewon thought about it for a while, trying to remember the concepts and terms she studied. After a few seconds, the foodie smiled at Minju. "A partner by estoppel. You guys look and feel like you two are dating but in reality… You two aren't in a relationship."

Minju felt her heart blowing up into a thousand pieces but she just smiled, hiding the fact that the words made her heart sink more. She somehow had a feeling that they were never going to be official. But she hoped. She hoped sincerely that someday… She could openly tell everyone how much she loved Chaewon.

Minju would like to keep hanging out with Hyewon but then noticed the time. The Computer Science Major needed to study her lessons. She looked at the Accounting Major student once more. "Thank you for the amusing concepts. I need to study so I have to go," said Minju with a smile on her lips. She stood up, preparing to leave.

"No problem. You should tell me some of yours next time."

"I'll try."

"And oh, we should eat out more. Preferably not here." Hearing this made Minju giggle. "I'll introduce you to good food. You look really thin so you should eat more," she added, having taken note of the Computer Science Major's figure.

Minju chuckled. "Yeah, we really should." She grabbed her bag from the chair and carried the tray. "I'd be waiting for your invitation," muttered Minju before leaving.

After leaving the cafeteria, Minju found a toilet to lock herself in. Minju pressed her back against the door, slowly letting the gravity do its course on making her sit on the floor, as well as letting her tears fall from her eyes that had been keeping from wetting itself.

She tried, to conceal her feelings, but couldn't. She gave up and let her feelings take over her. She wasn't a priority, only a secret lover that Chaewon could meet behind closed doors. She was at fault for everything. Everything.

***

It was a few minutes before lunch and Chaewon had noticed, Hitomi has been avoiding her. She walked around the hallways, trying to think why her childhood friend would do so.

'Did I do something wrong? I can't remember anything I did that could make her want to avoid me…'

The Computer Science Major continued walking until she reached the entrance to the library. She was going to enter but the door opened, with the girl she's been thinking of, the girl was going out, carrying some books. A smile quickly manifested on the redhead's lips. She was going to offer help to carry the books Hitomi had on hand but…

A Japanese girl assisted Hitomi on opening the door. "Oh hi, Kim-senpai." It was that girl who confessed to Hitomi the other day at the fire exit.

Chaewon felt disgusted, she was jealous, of course, the redhead knew that the girl was making moves on her Hitomi. "Oh. Hey." Exchanging greetings with a rival in such an annoyed manner has never entered Chaewon's mind until now. She looked at her childhood friend who didn't look to happy to see her. "Studying with a friend now?"

Hitomi nodded, not looking at Chaewon. Because of course, looking at the redhead would make her unable to say no if ever she was invited by the Computer Science Major into anything.

Miu looked at the girl she had been courting. 'So it's really her, huh…?' The girl then went in between Hitomi and Chaewon. "Senpai, we have to go now. Good day." She looked at the timid girl, signaling her to continue walking.

Hitomi did so, not even looking at the redhead.

Chaewon looked at her childhood friend's back solemnly. She wanted answers. But most importantly, she wanted her.

The redhead continued walking but didn't know where to go. She found herself in front of the fire exit the place where she saw her childhood friend walking away from her with such disdain in her eyes. She opened the door… Only to see her, Kim Minju. The redhead went inside, letting the door close with a loud thud.

***

A grumpy duck observed a certain girl who was still in class, the girl's auburn hair being her distinct quality. The duck watched a certain foodie beside her, intertwining their hands. Somehow, the act had raised several dubious feelings inside her and the brunette never knew why she was feeling them.

'Why is that girl acting so close to Yuri?' Yena couldn't wait for the class to finish. She wanted her hand to accompany Yuri's instead. 'I'm… I'm the girlfriend. I should be the one to do that.' But why? She tried making sense of her thoughts just now. 'W-why am I acting like this? O-oh! Eunbi might doubt our relationship if she's with other people.' Yes. That was it. Or was it?

Several minutes of waiting later the students of the classroom quickly deserted the room.

Yena went near the door, waiting for her girlfriend. Upon seeing the girl, the duck quickly held her hand, shocking Yuri.

"Y-yena-yah…" Yuri tried to breathe because what Yena just did made her heart want to jump out of her ribcage.

"Let's go to the Caf, Jjoyul." Yena discreetly smiled at Yuri. She tried masking her feelings with a smile, holding the girl's hand somehow eased the fire inside her and why was that?

Hyewon followed the two, seeing their intertwined hands swaying. '… I… Should just give up… I can't hang on to these feelings anymore…' She stopped walking, letting the distance between her and the girl she loved widen. She wanted Yuri to notice their distance but the girl was too busy with her girlfriend. She wanted to hang on but knew it was futile. The girl she loved… Is somebody else's.

Meanwhile, in front of the checkout counter of the library, two students managed to meet. One was short, the other was several inches taller than she was.

The taller girl seemed to not really care about the shorter girl's presence and was on her way out when she heard the shorter girl talk.

"You do know that what you did would make everything worse, right?"