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| CANMAKE TOKYO Petit Palette Eyes 03 |
There are two reasons for White Day: one is the one you already know.
The other is the true reason for giving a return gift.
Personally, I hate the gloominess of people who even bring up the idea of “obligatory” gifts, so I’m firmly in the camp that never uses the term “obligatory chocolate.”
As soon as I start sensing that the season is approaching, I practically turn my head away whenever I hear the phrase “obligatory chocolate.”
So, when I think about what would be a hassle to receive, I figure saying something like, “Please share this with your family,” or “Since it’s Valentine’s Day, if you’d like,” would get the point across just fine.
And the return gift is for White Day.
It’s supposed to be an exchange of cheerfulness and freshness with no ulterior motives, so how on earth does that become harassment?
It’s just an exchange of gratitude, “Likes,” or “Very Likes.”
That’s the difficulty of it.
I don’t want anyone other than my partner worrying about my makeup, and if I have to return the favor outside of work, spending 1,000 yen on something like the CANMAKE TOKYO Petit Palette Eyes 03 would be a bit fun.
My lovely favorite things—romantic, beautiful, and tied with a ribbon—yet the wonderful sentiment I gave to someone I didn’t really care about in February has turned into cosmetics, and the strange conclusion that “it did get through to you after all” is tucked inside a small paper bag from the drugstore.
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I understood why he’d handed it to me so quickly once I noticed the way he was silently watching me without hiding his gaze, and felt the weight in my hand—how it sank slightly at first, then, as I got used to it, the brass’s heaviness faded away.
It means, “I trust you.”
When I said, “Thank you,” he looked unusually quiet and happy.
I heard later that among people who love music, bikers, fans of American culture, and guitarists—
among those young people, from seniors to juniors, from juniors to seniors, from friend to friend, and just before a crush turns into love—since a ring is too heavy, if the other person smokes, they give a Zippo.
There’s no promise in it.
It’s a sign that they trust each other as human beings.
It’s proof that their minds and hearts are accepted—that even though their bodies may look different, they stand on the same ground.
Sometime in the future, when I casually mentioned this to someone who’s stylish and well-versed in tough-guy culture, they were a little surprised, too.
Even though I gave a different gift, back then I was the one who was surprised, and now it’s that person who’s a little surprised.















