Chapter Five

Returning the Favor

The sun lazily peeked through the clouds on the morning of the next day. It was an overdue change from all of the rain during the past few days. Yuuki arrived at school early and was enjoying said weather from the comfort of his seat. Idling under the sun gave him the boost of serotonin he needed, and it was just enough for him to forget all about the piles of unfinished homework he had accumulated and, most importantly, the existence of a certain annoying someone.

“Hello? Earth to Yuuki! Come in. Are you alive over there?” Keitarou asked as poked his grubby fingers into Yuuki’s cheeks.

Sitting next to the window is great. Truly the best, Yuuki thought to himself, absorbed in his own little world of bliss. He finally snapped out of it when he heard the sound of the seat next to him scraping across the floor.

“Mornin’! What’cha looking out the window for?” Yui asked, grinning at Yuuki, who politely returned her greeting as she sat down. “I put your umbrella in its own bag at the umbrella stand. Since the weather’s nice today, it felt kinda embarrassing to carry it around.”

“Ah, right. Sorry I didn’t think about that.”

“It’s okay. Don’t sweat it, I guess...” she said, sounding somewhat dispirited as her voice tapered off.

Yuuki simply hadn’t considered the vast array of problems he had created by lending his umbrella to Yui until it was too late.

Ah, well, whatever, he thought as he perked back up again.

Yui, meanwhile, had settled down for the time being. She was rustling around in her bag, clearly searching for something. She eventually pulled out a plastic box and handed it to Yuuki.

“And what’s this?” he asked upon realizing that it was lighter than he had initially expected.

“Consider it a little thank you for yesterday,” she said ambiguously and smiled back at him.

He was intrigued, so he cautiously lifted the lid. Waiting inside were bundles upon bundles of round-shaped, brown-colored goodies.

“Are these cookies?”

“Handmade ones at that! You like ‘em?” she asked with a joyful tilt of her head.

Their texting session had been interrupted last night, but this was completely unexpected. It was certainly no lunch box, but it just so happened that it’d also been years since Yuuki had gotten the chance to taste some homemade cookies.

“I do. Thanks a lot,” he said. The image of Mina happily enjoying these put a smile on his face.

“Ah, well, y-you’re welcome.”

“Can I give some to my sister?”

Yui was taken aback for a moment, but soon recovered, and her usual soft expression returned.

“You really care a lot about your sister, huh?”

“Do I really? I think this much is normal.”

“Hmm, well, it’s pretty heartwarming either way.”

“You have any siblings yourself?”

Yui was stunned. So either Yuuki was secretly half-Gorgon, or he’d hit a nerve with that question. Once again, Yui had to pull herself out of her stupor, albeit slowly this time.

“I have an older sister. I didn’t think you’d call me by my first name though.”

“Oh, my bad. Just thought it’d be a drag to act all formal now.”

“That’s your reason?”

“Yeah, we’re not strangers anymore. Unless you’re not cool with it, obviously.”

“N-Not at all! It’s all okay with me. I was just thinking about how not big a deal it is just now, actually!”

Yeah, clearly, Yuuki thought to himself, though he decided not to toss any sarcastic fuel onto the flames. “At least you’re not turning red today.”

“Ha! I have a special blessing that makes it so any skill you use on me will only work once! I’m the new and improved Yui Mark II.”

“You some overpowered anime caricature now?”

“What? No! And my face doesn’t turn red. Ever!” she protested while facing away from him. It was true that she wasn’t blushing this time around, but her ears did look somewhat red, surely much to Yui’s dismay.

◆ ◇

“Whoa! What’s that?! You made me cookies? Thanks a bunch, Yukkie!”

Yuuki and his cookies returned home for the day only to be greeted by Mina, who was lounging around on the sofa wearing only a T-shirt and some panties. She sprung off the sofa once he handed her the cookies, and she started doing a happy jig with the container still in her hand. It looked suspiciously similar to some bizarre tribal dance they had seen in a documentary not too long ago.

“I’m glad you like them, but I didn’t bake them, though.”

“Then who did?”

“My seatmate.”

“You serious? They’re amazing!” she exclaimed, excitedly munching on one. “These are so good! Look! They even have some chocolate stuffed in them! Chocolate!” she continued with enthusiasm, and crumbs flew from her mouth as she shoved the half-eaten cookie at Yuuki’s face.

“I get it, I get it. Just turn down the volume a bit, would you?”

“You should have some more too. Here you go!”

It appeared that Mina had just assumed ownership of the cookies. At least she was generous enough to share some with Yuuki.

“It does have a kick to it,” he said after he tried one himself.

“Right? Right?!”

“Mild and easy on the stomach.”

“An elegant and refined taste.”

“Truly a once-in-a-decade experience.”

“Hmm, yes. An exquisitely abundant flavor.”

They both continued their horrible impressions of food pundits while they finished up the rest of the cookies. Mina scarfed everything down to the very last crumbles. As she patted her belly in satisfaction, she looked like she’d suddenly been struck by an idea.

“That was great!” she exclaimed loudly. “I want to make some too!”

“How about we just don’t? I don’t feel like cleaning up your mess.”

“Don’t be like that. I just want to return the favor. So then your seatmate has to return the favor as well, and then... Muahaha.”

“I knew that was your plan all along.”

“And thus an endless loop of returning favors will be set into motion.”

“I don’t think you fully understand what you’re saying. Besides, this was already her returning the favor. It was to make up for me having to get drenched in the rain the other day.”

“Whaaa...” she frowned in disappointment.

Mina darted out the living room, then quickly returned with a bunch of pens and a pink memo book in hand. She started scribbling on it before tearing the page out once she was finished and handing it to Yuuki.

“Hello, it’s Mina here. Those cookies were really, REALLY tasty. Simply godly. Magnifique. WOOHOO.”

The note was written in colorful outlined characters, and the last word was orders of magnitude larger than the rest. Mina had even doodled a small cake along with some doughnuts in the corner of the page. Yuuki could only assume that this was her plan to sneakily give Yui hints for what delicious things to make for them next time.

“That last part wasn’t really necessary, but okay.”

“Be sure to deliver my message by dawn. Inform your seatmate that the tribute was most satisfactory.”

“Uh, what era were you born in?”

“I am forever in your debt.”

The next day came along, and when Yuuki and Yui met during their first class together, Yuuki showed her Mina’s memo. Judging by the huge smile on her face, Yui seemed to appreciate the gesture. She eventually took the note and carefully filed it away inside one of her clear folders.

“Did you have some too, Yuuki?”

“I did, and they were delicious. I gotta say, you can really hold your own when it comes to cooking.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ve been forced to—I mean, I’ve been at it since I was a kid,” she said, puffing her chest with pride.

“Good for you, honestly.”

Seeing just how impressed Yuuki was, Yui seemed to think of yet another bright idea.

“Oh? Do you have a soft spot for homemakers, perhaps?”

“Always been jealous of people who could cook properly since I’m really bad at it and everything. And I respect them.”

“O-Oh, so you do.”

“Yeah,” he nodded slightly.

Yui didn’t seem to notice, as she looked to be deep in thought all of a sudden, her eyes facing downwards with her hand covering her mouth.

“What’s wrong?” asked Yuuki.

“Hm? Oh no, it’s nothing! J-Just a yawn!”

She must not have slept well, Yuuki thought to himself.

However, Yui’s hand would remain in place for a while longer..

◆ ◇

The third period rolled by, but their teacher was still nowhere to be seen. Just as the class was beginning to get into a rowdy discussion on the 15 minute law, the teacher from the next door classroom poked their head in to explain the situation. Apparently, their third period teacher had an emergency to tend to or something, so they were now expected to quietly sit in class and study by themselves during what was now effectively a free period. Some students dug out their phones, some began reading manga, others moved seats and began chatting with their friends, and everyone in general was just having a good time.

Although as per usual, Yuuki was laying down at his desk, off in his own little world. He was struggling to stay awake, and the relaxing music playing through his fancy noise-cancelling headphones that he’d bought with the money he’d saved certainly wasn’t helping him stay upright. He was just about to cross over the boundary into dreamland when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“What are you listening to over there?”

Yuuki sluggishly turned his head to the side and, as he’d expected, he was met with the curious gaze of Yui. She was leaning in pretty close, and he briefly wondered why her seat was closer to him than usual before shrugging it off.

“Some Mozart,” he answered.

“Whoa, you’re a fan of classical music? D’you play any instruments? Or do you have a family full of musical prodigies or something?”

“Not really. My family listens to him a lot, so I thought I’d give it a try myself. You know, to see what’s so amazing about it.”

“I’m starting to see a pattern. Do you have something against popular things?”

Yuuki could just have been the type that liked to see everything for themselves. He could also simply have too much time on his hands. Both possibilities were equally valid.

“And? What do you think about his music now?”

“Dunno. It’s great for falling asleep, though.”

“Seriously?”

Yuuki closed his eyes once again to try to return to his nap, but he was interrupted once again.

“Ta-da!” shouted Yui. “Come on, check this out!” she insisted.

Yuuki considered trying to ignore her, but she didn’t look like she was going to budge anytime soon. He reluctantly gave up on his plan to catch some sleep and sat upright. Yui ruffled through the pages of what looked to be a notebook, though it was too quick for him to be able to make out what was written.

“And this is?”

“Oh, it's only the collection of the funniest quotes from a bunch of different improv shows! Thought I’d make you laugh with a few I’ve got written down here.”

“Huh?” he involuntarily exhaled in disbelief. Yui, however, didn’t seem to notice. She continued to rifle through her notebook until she found a joke she liked.

“How ‘bout this one: a surprisingly strong gust of wind blew away the principal’s wig. What do you think was hidden under that wig?” she read it aloud, then took a peak at Yuuki’s face. He didn’t look like he was going to actually guess, so she went ahead with the punchline, “A receding hairline!” she said excitedly, once again looking at Yuuki’s face and waiting for him to crack a smile.

I suppose it’s from an improv show where you ask the question and deliver the punchline yourself, Yuuki thought before continuing, “Was that supposed to be funny?”

“That one was just to test the waters, obviously! A little jab to try and get the crowd on board. It’s pretty important to warm them up with something common so they can relate.”

“Good plan. Bad execution, however.”

“Only then you can tell a story that sounds somewhat believable, iterate on it midway through, and add some spice to set up a completely made-up situation for the sake of laughs. But I knew it would fall flat if I started with that technique right outta the gate.”

The informative, yet unsolicited lecture on comedy theory by Yui made Yuuki wonder if there truly was any basis to it. Clearly, though, that was a question for another time.

“Okay, okay next one... Pffffttttttt!”

“You already failed by laughing at the joke.”

“Just read it, please. You be the host and read the question, pffff...”

Yuuki sighed before reading, “A surprisingly strong gust of wind blew away the principal’s wig. What do you think was hidden under that wig?”

“S-Seasoned seaweed. Bwahaha! I’m dying over here!” she wheezed, struggling to hold in her laughter. Yuuki, on the other hand, was as unamused as ever.

“I literally do not get what’s so funny about this.”

“Use that noggin! He put some seaweed on there as a backup plan to prevent his shiny dome blinding everyone around him, and it’s seasoned, no less! You can cook up some rice to go with it in an emergency! Hilarious!”

“Ha...”

“Are you not entertained?”

Yuuki did finally understand, now that she’d gone to the trouble of explaining the whole thing to him. The thing is it wasn’t nearly enough to tickle his funny bone.

Maybe Yui’s sense of humor is too forgiving, he thought to himself. It was the only conclusion he could come to after he saw how hard she laughed at a joke such as this.

“Well then, it’s your turn next. You come up with something funny.”

“Do I have to?”

“A surprisingly strong gust of wind blew away the principal’s wig. What do you think was hidden under that wig?” she read the question once again, eyes glimmering with misplaced expectations.

God, really? Yuuki said to himself—he was stumped for a while and gave the punchline some serious thought. Luckily for him, he was able to come up with something, eventually.

“The murder weapon.”

“Hey! Why did it have to take such a dark turn!” she heaved a sigh and slumped her shoulders, her expectations betrayed.

After I tried so hard to think of something, this is how I get treated? Yuuki silently objected.

“I’m not a fan of dark humor,” Yui said.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter what you are and aren’t a fan of in this case, right?”

“Whatever, onto the next one!”

“Just tell the joke. No need to set it up every time,” he told her. He did have a point. Reading the question each time took the joy out of it, not to mention how time-consuming it was. It didn’t appear that Yui agreed with him, but her grin had returned when she began leafing through her notebook once more.

“A sproingy spring.”

“You think it’ll be less springy in the afternoon because of the heat?”

“A trap card.”

“You could say the gust’d activated it.”

“The lamb sauce.”

“It’s raw!”

“A resignation letter.”

“Good, a quick way to save face and quit now that everyone knows about the wig.”

“The meaning of life.”

“Scraping the bottom of the barrel, are we?”

“A murder weapon.”

“Hey, you can’t just steal my joke like that.”

“Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition.”

“I’m over this. Let’s stop,” he said. He knew that she’d reached the end of whatever episode she’d plagiarized now that she was using his own joke. Yui didn’t seem particularly bothered though and looked quite happy with herself.

“So we got a weapon responsible for the doomed disappearance of a ship on one hand, and a wig on the other. I guess we got our answer.”

“That isn’t how comedy is supposed to work, and what do you even mean by that?”

“Wasn’t that funny?”

“Hmm,” Yuuki folded his arms and thought about it, inadvertently striking feelings of anxiety into cheerful Yui’s heart.

“You know, I just wanted you to laugh. That’s all,” she confessed dejectedly.

“I know you mean well, but what do you get out of that?”

“It’s not that I personally get anything, but you’re just so cute when you smile,” she said with a wink. Her smile was as perfect as a model’s, especially with how her mouth quirked up at the corners, mesmerizing anyone who looked at it.

“I could say the same exact thing about you.”

“Wha—?” Yui froze, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor. She then clapped her hands to her cheeks and pressed them against her face as hard as she could.

“What are you doing, exactly?”

“Oh, this? Just an impression of the kid from the Home With My Lonesome movie! Oh! And that one famous painting too. Haha!”

“You... Huh?”

“Your attack won’t work on me! It will not!”

“Again with the anime talk?”

Yui held that peculiar pose for some time while she forcefully exhaled all of the air in her lungs. She then put her hands down and made an almost-hilarious solemn face as she looked at Yuuki.

“I’d say wittle Yui looks cute without even needing to smile,” she said with an incongruently sharp look.

“I see. You’re pretty kind.”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“You went through all that trouble just to entertain me,” he said. That was the trigger needed for that grave expression of hers to crumble to pieces, leaving her looking downwards and her face gradually turning red.

“N-No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that, well, I thought it’d be nice to make you smile.”

“Uh-huh. Your jokes weren’t the least bit funny, by the way.”

“You tryna start something?!” Yui yelled. She then shot up out of her seat, grabbed onto his desk, and got ready to shake it around. Her tantrum was cut short, however, as the class representative snapped at her, telling her to quiet down since neighboring classes still had lectures in session.