Responsibilities are something we all must face from the moment we first take them on. Yet not all responsibilities carry the same weight—some are more profound than others. For instance, there are those bound by the duties of their profession: tasks and obligations demanded by their superiors. Others, however, must tend to commitments of the heart, attending to the need for affection from another person. It might be a family member, a friend… or even a romantic partner. The real problem arises when both worlds collide. Which one deserves priority? Which choice brings greater rewards—or harsher consequences? The protagonist of today’s tale had no time to ponder such questions… because he forgot to do so from the very beginning.

Harry was a remarkably busy hedgehog. As the CEO of STING, a company devoted to advanced technological development, he often found himself absorbed in his work, reviewing projects to approve or discard as needed. He had even allocated part of his fortune to fund a hospital for those with limited means. And as if that weren’t enough, after long hours in the office or in important meetings, he considered it vital to spend time with his friends, strengthening the bonds that sustained him. Free time was scarce. Yet that did not mean exhaustion or weariness—Harry felt devotion to his work and to everything it contributed to others. Besides, he was no ordinary individual. To the public eye, he might have seemed merely a wealthy philanthropist, but in truth he led a second life. As the superhero Hammer, he wielded his super speed to fight crime and its allies. With such abilities, keeping pace with all his obligations was never truly a challenge—at least most of the time. Or so it was, until he fell in love.

Winning a woman’s heart is never simple. First impressions are always crucial, and when Harry discovered his soulmate, saying he was stunned would be an understatement. Their meeting had been anything but ordinary: Generator was a daring, seductive bounty hunter, but only someone like Hammer could melt the defenses of the feline thief. And when no one expected it, a passionate romance bloomed between them. Harry conquered Yuki’s heart, giving her the one thing she could never steal or buy: genuine love. By the time of this story, they had been together for several months, and against all odds their relationship flourished despite living opposite lives behind their masks. Yet nothing is perfect. Mistakes, oversights, and negligence in matters we take for granted are inevitable—“thorns” in the flower of love that we eventually brush against because we failed to notice them. Not even the fastest CEO—since the title of “fastest hedgehog” was already patented—could skip that hurdle.

Midnight arrived. Harry had completed his usual routine: after his workday, he went out to fight crime as always. Having resolved more than twenty incidents in barely three hours, the night settled in and it was time to replenish his strength. Six or seven hours of rest would suffice to renew his energy, since he was not forced to rise too early. At exactly twelve o’clock, the hedgehog returned home to change. His apartment did not follow the social conventions most wealthy men adopt to impress strangers. It was neither too large nor too small, though it did boast a lavish pantry and refrigerator, stocked with a select yet eclectic variety of foods to satisfy his need for abundant calories and compensate for the immense stamina demanded by the Speed Force. Without wasting time, Harry chose something light to enjoy as a snack before bed.

Yet he had overlooked a crucial detail, one that would trigger the events of that night. In his bedroom, the executive found a letter he had not seen when he left that morning. And it was no coincidence: someone had left it with the express purpose that the hedgehog would find and open it at that precise moment.

— “What’s this? I don’t remember leaving a letter here. Who could have put it here? Although… this handwriting looks familiar...”

That was what Harry thought as he prepared to examine its contents. But if the young man believed he would soon fall into Morpheus’ arms, what happened next hastened the process. The instant he broke the seal to discover what it held, a pinkish vapor began to rise and brush against his nostrils. As soon as he inhaled the first particles of that gas, his senses began to fail him. A growing sensation of dizziness, fatigue, and drowsiness slowly and steadily wrapped him in a deep sleep.

How could a simple envelope produce such an effect? Whoever designed it surely did not rely on chance. The paper was not ordinary: it was impregnated with nanopolymers and a special coating capable of reacting to oxygen. By breaking the seal, the surface released a gaseous compound carefully prepared to induce immediate drowsiness. It was such a precise contrivance that it seemed impossible for so much vapor to be concealed in such a fragile object—and yet, there it was, unfolding with the softness of a poisonous perfume.

Regardless of the care with which the trap had been prepared, its effectiveness was undeniable. Harry’s heartbeat slowed, his dopamine surged, and his eyelids grew heavier with each passing second. In other words, Harry began to feel drowsy, wrapped in a placid lethargy, as if his mind were receiving the sweetest stimuli and his brain surrendering to insinuations of pleasure. He felt as though he could float away from how light he was becoming, though reality was quite different...

— “Mmmmnnnn~ Gooood niiiight, moooommmmmyyy~”

It was the last thing he said before collapsing onto the floor, sleeping peacefully and snoring after landing face down. And he was not alone: someone had come to take him. Still, the one responsible for Harry’s unconsciousness would not carry him far, and his nap did not last long. After what was likely his first lucid dream—brought on by being heavily drugged—the hedgehog awoke in a room he frequented every night: the hidden chamber where he kept his super suit and operated his secret lair for heroic missions. Hammer did not recall ever bringing anyone to that location. How could the intruder have entered in the first place, and even dared to bring the owner by force as if he were a guest instead of the host? The groggy mobian wondered the same as he regained clarity and looked around.

— “Well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up. As sleepy as ever—and not the only thing that fell asleep this time...”

Harry recognized the voice instantly: only one person addressed him with such confidence and playfulness...

— “Yuki?! What are you doing here? How did you get in, and how did I end up here—”

Yuki interrupted her boyfriend, pressing a finger to his lips as she prepared to give her explanations. That brief pause gave Harry just enough time to analyze his situation more clearly. First, when he tried to stand, he realized he was unable to move. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw he was bound in what seemed to be a rug that wrapped almost his entire body, leaving only his head and feet exposed... His feet? Yes, his feet. It might have seemed gratuitous to emphasize that, but upon noticing he had been stripped of his shoes, Harry’s surprise (and even slight excitement from seeing his girlfriend) turned into a fear bordering on dread. He was in serious trouble, though he did not yet know why. Naturally, he asked about the reason Yuki had brought him there in the first place.

— “Oh g-gosh, are you angry? Did I do something wrong?”

— “For someone so quick-thinking, you can be very slow sometimes, dear. Have you forgotten what day it is?”

— “Today’s date? What does that have to do with anything? It’s just Feb—”

His realization finally struck. Indeed, work was something he could not neglect. After all, he had to guard against fierce competition. The bloodsucking shareholders of his rival company, STUN, would seize any chance to profit from another’s misfortune and steal the market STING normally commanded. And then there was crime itself, which never sleeps and is always lurking to prey on the innocent—something Harry would never ignore. Yuki usually had no problem with that; she was aware her boyfriend’s schedule was full. And Harry would gladly drop whatever he was doing to spend time with her. But today that rationality had gone on sabbatical, and the boy understood why when the cat finished the sentence he had begun...

— “Because today is VALENTINE’S DAY, YOU IDIOT! How could you forget something like that?! I sent you messages, I went looking for you at home but you weren’t there. I had prepared so much—a romantic outing, I bought you a gift, I broke my back cooking a dinner you didn’t even show up for! Even FREAKING Albert took his girlfriend to the park and serenaded her. Even that DORK remembered! And you didn’t. So yes, dear, you’re in serious trouble, and this time you won’t escape~”

He was utterly lost. His excuses and apologies might have worked before. But to have worse memory than Albert? To be fair, Harry’s friend was no fool, yet the expectations placed on the two contrasted sharply. If Albert had managed to remember the date, plan ahead, and surprise his girlfriend, Harry should have been no less. But in the end, things unfolded as they did. The defenseless hedgehog had only one thing left to say.

— “W-well… H-happy Valentine’s Day… my love?”

— “You wish…”

Yuki then sat down and placed her boyfriend’s feet upon her lap. Resisting the distraction of watching Harry scrunch his toes in anticipation of what awaited him was a challenge, but one she could handle. And so she began to glide her fingers across the soles of the poor hedgehog’s feet, fully aware of his greatest weakness: his overwhelming sensitivity to tickling! Her boyfriend had always had extremely sensitive feet—an irony for someone so fast, but undeniably convenient for someone like Yuki. Harry couldn’t hold back his laughter for even a few seconds...

— “NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! I’M SOHOHOHOHOHOHORRY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAVE MERCY, PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!!!!”

— “Do you want me to stop? You’re so boring, my love. No one can hear your pleas, so no one will save you from the tickle attack!”

— “BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! SOHOHOHOHOHOHORRY! IT WON— AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

— “Won’t what? You can’t even finish your sentences, sweetheart. If I were you, I’d accept my fate. Now just laugh and let me have fun with your feet, coochie coochie coo!”

It wasn’t the first time Harry had endured one of Yuki’s tickle attacks. During many of her bounty-hunting jobs, interrogations for information had become almost routine—whether to secure better-paying contracts or to steal well guarded treasures from stubborn sentries. Even Hammer himself had been a victim. He was fast and could catch her many times, but she had her tricks too. And when she managed to subdue him, hearing his unstoppable laughter while she scratched relentlessly at the soles and toes of his sensitive feet was one of the greatest pleasures this daring girl could enjoy. With her accumulated experience, she also knew exactly which spots to target to provoke the loudest bursts of laughter from the CEO, who could do nothing but writhe helplessly, begging for mercy.

— “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YUHUHUHUHUHUKI!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!! IT’S TOOOO MUUUUUCH!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

— “Hey, it’s not my fault your little toes are so delicate. Besides, you look super adorable like this. I can’t resist watching you wiggle your toes in such desperation. I’m so mischievous~ :3”

— “EHEHEHEHEHEHE I BEG YOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOU!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I CAN’T TAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAKE IT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! NO MOOOOORE TICKLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEES!!!”

No matter how much he begged, Harry had no escape. Yuki was relentless and gave no rest to his ticklish feet. She had prepared in advance to impose this punishment for his romantic negligence, and the bindings that restrained him also prevented him from using his powers. He couldn’t vibrate his molecules to phase through and break free. He couldn’t generate electricity to push her away. Ironically, the only thing he did have left was the exorbitant stamina he normally used for running. What had once been a benefit was now his downfall, since that attribute meant he wouldn’t tire quickly from laughing. Hours could pass without him fainting, yet he would keep laughing at the mercy of his tormentor, who mercilessly unleashed a storm of tickles that, for anyone else, would have meant wet trousers or rivers of tears from so much laughter.

It was ironic. Usually people say a man should be able to make a woman laugh—an indication that he might win her heart with a good joke and the charisma of his personality. But tonight the roles had been reversed, because Harry was the one laughing and crying like a little girl at the mere touch of fingers scratching his feet with such mercilessness that the Romans themselves would have seemed like amateurs. The ordeal lasted for at least two hours. Finally, Yuki took pity on the poor hedgehog; She pulled it off so well that that his throat was nearly dry, and Harry couldn’t even cry anymore because his tear glands had exhausted their capacity that night.

Of course, once the punishment had ended (and the poor hedgehog had managed to recover what little breath he had left), the moment to speak “face to face” had finally arrived. The cat was satisfied, and the whining and laughter of her partner had softened her initial anger. They had hit rock bottom, and now the only way was up.

— “Ahhhhh, ahhhh… Yuki... I’m truly sorry.”

— “I know. But I think I feel better now. You’re really adorable. Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not the kind of woman who holds a grudge for long.”

— “Heh... but nevertheless it's not right for me to skip Valentines Day. I really feel bad especially for you preparing all those things, making it just right and perfect for the two of us. And you know I hate food wastage...”

The girl didn’t want Harry to feel too guilty; he had already paid for his mistake. But a relationship always requires effort from both sides, and he knew what he had to do now that he could finally speak clearly. There is no better remedy for a wounded heart than heartfelt words. When our spirits have tasted the bitter flavor of disappointment, like ginger that sharpens every taste, reconciliation becomes even sweeter, and words of love flow like overflowing honey that overwhelms the senses. Like burning embers upon metal, sincere apologies can dissolve even the strongest barriers. All Harry had to do was apply that principle—and that is exactly what he did next.

— "I don't always slow down and think about things clearly or savor a moment for just a short time. And I because of that, I missed the special day with the girl I love. If I am really fast, then I wish I am fast enough to take care of things and focus on what matters to me the most. If not that, then I would run so fast that I could go back in time and spend Valentines Day with you. But I can't. So, the only thing I do when I made a mistake, is move on and live with it. While begging to please... make it up for you, Yuki"

— “Oh, Harry... Damn it, now I can’t stay mad at you. That was so sweet. Of course I will, I love you too! Whatever you have in mind, I’m listening.”

— “It may be too late but... Yuki Fukushima, will you still be my Valentine for tomorrow?”

— “I could never refuse an invitation from someone so romantic and devoted to his love!”

There is a principle that says “love covers a multitude of sins.” And these two souls became living proof that such advice is vital for any relationship. There is no such thing as a perfect couple. No matter how strongly their hearts beat for one another, problems will always arise. But such difficulty is a necessary trial, for only when the intensity of love’s flame is tested can it burn brighter, no matter how fiercely the winds of routine and disagreement may blow. Responsibilities and commitments born of daily life and work are inevitable. Yet, like mighty oaks that defy the fiercest storms and steadfast as rocks that resist the waves, so is the bond of those who would give up everything to be together. Valentine’s Day was over, yes. But Yuki and Harry had the other 364 days of the year to show each other how much they loved—and nothing would ever change that fact... Of course, Harry would NEVER forget another Valentine’s Day again!

THE END