Chapter 18

That day, the third period was self-study because the teacher had suddenly taken a day off. When the teacher from the neighboring class announced this and left, the classroom, which had been quiet at first, gradually began to fill with whispers. Students started reading comics, fiddling with their phones, and eventually moving around freely, turning the room into a somewhat quiet break time.

In the midst of this, Yuki remained in his corner seat, with earphones from his music player in his ears, slumped over his desk. It was a device he had bought with his New Year's money and saved pocket money, complete with noise-canceling technology. As Yuki was about to drift off to sleep while listening to music, he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder.

"What are you listening to?"

Raising his head lazily, he found, as expected, Yui from the next seat, slightly tilting her head to look at him. She was sitting sideways on her chair, leaning over. The fact that her seat was already a bit closer to Yuki's was a point of concern for him. Yuki answered honestly without much thought.

"Mozart."

"Huh, classical? Do you play an instrument or something? Is your family into music?"

"No, not at all. I just wondered what was so great about it because it was at home."

"…That’s a common pattern. Do you have a grudge against some great person or something?"

Maybe he was the type who couldn’t feel satisfied unless he verified things himself. He couldn’t deny that he was just killing time, though.

"So, did you figure out what was so great about it?"

"Not at all. It just makes me sleepy, so it’s perfect."

"That’s not a good thing, is it?"

As Yuki was about to lower his head and close his eyes again, saying, "Well, goodnight,"

"Ta-da!"

He heard something but ignored it.

"Hey, look, look over here."

Since it was noisy, he reluctantly sat up and turned his head. Yui was flipping through what looked like a memo book, showing it to him. There were various writings, but he couldn’t make out what they were. Yuki squinted and asked,

"What’s that?"

"A big laugh book. I’m trying to make you laugh with this."

A deflated "Huh?" escaped his lips, but Yui, undeterred, flipped through the memo and started reading aloud.

"The principal's wig was blown away by a strong wind. What was hidden underneath?"

She glanced at Yuki’s face, then quickly returned her gaze to the memo.

"Rice seasoning."

She glanced at him again. It seemed she was reading both the question and the answer herself, a self-contained big laugh.

"…And you expect me to laugh at that?"

"Of course, it’s just a test, a jab. The order is important in these things. First, you start with something relatable to get some empathy."

"No, that was sudden."

"Then there’s the 4-5% chance of a hit or miss. You bring in a setup in the middle, and then the unrealistic, hit or miss stuff. But if you say it right away, it falls flat."

She started lecturing with a confident air, as if based on some theory, though it was hard to tell if it was true.

"Okay, next, bu, buh..."

"You’re already laughing at yourself."

"Read it, read it, the question."

"…The principal's wig was blown away by a strong wind. What was hidden underneath?"

"Ah, rice seasoning… bu, buh."

Yui covered her mouth and let out a "buh" sound. Yuki, on the other hand, remained expressionless.

"I don’t get it."

"You should get it. It’s like insurance when you take it off. And it’s seasoned, so it’s good with white rice in a pinch."

"I see."

"Stop being impressed and laugh."

When explained, it made sense, but it wasn’t that funny.

"Okay, Yuki, try it."

"Uh…"

Yui read the question with an expectant look.

"The principal's wig was blown away by a strong wind. What was hidden underneath?"

Feeling exasperated, Yuki tried to think of something and said,

"A blood-stained weapon."

"What’s that? Why so dark? Ha…"

She sighed as if pitying him. He had answered her ridiculous request, yet this was his treatment.

"I don’t like black jokes."

"But isn’t it about what you like? This is about it."

"Next, next."

"It’s too much trouble, just read the answers quickly."

Being read each question took too much time for something not very funny. Yui looked a bit dissatisfied but smiled to herself as she read,

"Spring."

"Normal."

"Baseball ball."

"Hidden ball."

"Curry, heat it in the microwave."

"Where did you write that?"

"Resignation letter."

"Resign immediately if the wig is exposed."

"Rice seasoning."

"That’s the one you said first."

"Love."

"That’s a cop-out answer."

"Blood-stained weapon."

"That’s what I said."

"Vanity."

"Okay, that’s enough."

It was clear that once she started using other people’s jokes, nothing good would come out. Yui, however, closed the memo with a satisfied look.

"A blood-stained weapon of vanity… turning into a wig. The answer is found."

"Big laughs aren’t about that. What was that lecture earlier?"

"Was it funny?"

"Um…"

He naturally made a difficult face. Yui also looked a bit troubled.

"Can you at least try to laugh?"

"Why should I? What do I get out of it?"

"It’s not about getting something. Yuki, you look cute when you laugh."

She smiled at him. Her smile was so natural, with the corners of her eyes and mouth perfectly curved.

"If you say so, Yui looks cute when she laughs too."

"Eh?"

Yui’s mouth twitched for a moment. Then, she suddenly pressed her hands against her cheeks.

"What are you doing?"

"This? Home Alone. The Scream by Munch."

"Huh?"

"It’s not working? It’s not working."

"What’s not working?"

Yui, still in the strange pose, slowly exhaled and finally released her hands, returning to an exaggeratedly serious face.

"Besides, you’re cute even when you’re not laughing. Yui is cute even when she’s just being herself."

"Ah, is that so? But Yui is kind."

"Y-Yes?"

"You thought of ways to entertain me, didn’t you?"

As he said this, her serious face started to crumble. She lowered her head, slightly blushing,

"Um, well, I thought it would be better if you were laughing…"

"I see. Well, it wasn’t funny at all."

"Fine, you asked for it!"

Yui stood up with a thud and started shaking Yuki’s desk. But she was quickly scolded by the class representative, who was two seats ahead, "Takuzuki, be quiet! Other classes are having lessons!"

In the afterword, I mentioned the points and got a lot of ratings, which surprised and slightly unnerved me.

...Just kidding, thank you to everyone who rated it.

I’m happy, but also a bit conflicted.

I used ratings as a gauge to see if the story was interesting and if I was on the right track.

But then, I could just not mention it, right? It’s a bit wasteful if people who forget about ratings or don’t know about them miss out.

In other words, I’m just asking for points. Sorry, I was trying to be cool.

While it’s true that I should just focus on writing instead of worrying about points, it’s also a fact that ratings boost motivation, which can lead to faster writing and better quality.

So, to strike a balance,

If you found it funny, please rate it from the points below!

If you didn’t, feel free to close the page!

I’m trying to add some personality to it. But, of course, people will close the page without being told.