Valentione's Day will soon be here! This holiday commemorates a San d'Orian love story, and is marked by inhabitants of Vana'diel trading presents with their beloved. Heart-shaped chocolates are traditionally traded on Valentione's Day, and this year adventurers can make use of the custom to raise their cooking skill. Sending a carefully wrapped heart-shaped chocolate to a loved one is becoming a mainstay of the holiday, and even non-adventurers are now attesting to their reliance on chocolates for Valentione's Day. But you wouldn't expect the festival-loving moogles to simply sit still and watch everyone fidgeting about nervously wondering where to send their chocolates, would you? According to information acquired by the editorial department, the moogles are already hard at work on the event's preparations, and are even passing out fliers in San d'Oria, Bastok, and Windurst! "Good news for all non-adventurers! Soon you will meet your destined partner with the help of a chocolate-bearing messenger of love! …Or at least, so we hope, kupo." The flyer is charming indeed, but the part about non-adventurers is rather curious. Adventurers have always been the focus of moogle mischief, so this year looks to be an interesting change. Looking a bit more carefully at the suspicious flyer, I noticed an annotation in nearly microscopic letters. ===================================================================== -Beauty is only skin deep, but you better let us know your type if you want us to make you happy, kupo! -Health food fans need not apply. You'll be really happy if you have a sweet tooth, though! -If you're an adventurer and you happen to get hold of this flyer somehow, forget its contents immediately! We have another job for you, kupohoho. ===================================================================== So it seems the adventurers will not be left out completely. Let's hear some reactions from the non-adventurers! "The moogles are just milking this event for all it's worth. Personally, I don't believe it. As if we non-adventurers would actually get something from them! It's a sad world when they go through such effort to pull such an act. ...Still, if I could actually meet someone special this way, I think it might be worth it..." "Whoa, if I do this, even I might be able to meet a cute Mithran girl! Yowzers! I mean, here in Bastok, all we have are boring Hume girls. I gotta admit that the moogles are a little fishy, but I think it's worth a try. Oh Windurst, here I come!" Most of the people seemed positive about the event. They seemed tired of standing around all day, doing the exact same things in the exact same town. The masses are yearning to meet new and exciting people! I found out even more interesting tidbits as I continued the interviews. "Um, I'd really like to have, you know, a chance to meet...my prince... I c-came to ask the m-moogles to help, but, uh...I...found this! I-I'm sorry..." The young lady scurried away after handing a small parcel to one of the moogles. This moogle wore a headband, in contrast to the moogle who had given out the flyers. After watching her leave, the two moogles took a green potion from the parcel. The girl had hidden it for fear that she had seen something she shouldn't have. The moogles' happy cries were loud enough to reach her ears as she returned home. "Th-this is the legendary... This must be…the aroma of romance! Which means that this is perfect for our messengers of love, kupo!" The girl had been too timid to stick around and talk to the moogles, but as she left, she surely caught a glimpse of the moogles spinning around in a merry dance. The moogles' preparations seem to be steadily underway, but what exactly are they planning? I asked the moogles this very question before calling it a day. "I'm not at liberty to disclose that information, kupo. Hey, aren't you single? If you are, you should participate! I'm sure you'll make some delic—er, intriguing encounters, kupo!" The conversation ended there. So we are left with two burning questions: Will the non-adventurers meet that "special someone"? What task are the moogles devising for the adventurers? Come Valentione's Day, we are sure to find out! Illustration by Mitsuhiro Arita