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“Uuuuuuggghhh...”
“Mikorin, we can’t help you if you just lay on the floor moaning...” Sakura said quietly, taking a sip of her tea.
“Yeah, you could at least moan at the table,” Nozaki agreed.
“That’s not what I meant,” Sakura said. “The important part is that he needs to talk, not where he happens to talk from.”
“But if he talks from the floor it’ll be all muffled just like the moans.”
“Maybe,” Hori cut in, “we should focus on getting him to talk instead of criticizing his choice of moaning positions.”
“Mikorin, please get up before this conversation gets anymore awkward-sounding,” Sakura begged.
“Here, I got it...” Hori stood up from his spot at the table and circled around it to reach Mikoshiba, who was lying face down under the window. “Here we go—” Hori hooked his hands under Mikoshiba’s arms and pulled him into a sitting position in front of the table.
“As expected of the former drama club president,” Nozaki remarked with a sparkle in his eye.
“I don’t really know what that has to do with it, but okay,” Hori said, circling back to his own seat. “So, Mamik—koshiba... What’s the problem?”
“Whi...” Mikoshiba mumbled.
“What?”
“White Day...” He repeated, slightly louder.
“Oh!” Sakura exclaimed. “You want to get something for Mayu, right!?” Mikoshiba only nodded sheepishly, eyes fixed on the table.
“Did he get you something for Valentine’s...?” Hori questioned.
“Oh, that’s right, you weren’t here, Hori-senpai! Mayu wanted to get a gift for Mikoshiba for his birthday so we helped him pick one!” Sakura paused. “But come to think of it, it was a birthday present, so do you really have to get him something for White Day?”
“I want to...” Mikoshiba said, face still red and still avoiding eye contact.
“That’s so sweet!” Mikoshiba buried his face in his hands.
“Do you know what you want to get him?” Nozaki asked, taking a sip of his tea.
“No... that’s the problem,” Mikoshiba said, voice slightly muffled behind his hands.
“Well... we could always invite Mayu to the mall with us and see if he points anything out. He’ll probably agree if you ask,” Sakura suggested. Mikoshiba’s hands slowly slid away from his face.
“O-okay. I’ll ask him to come with us tomorrow then...”
“Alright! Hori-senpai, do you want to come along?” Sakura asked.
“Hm... Yeah, it might be a good idea. I need to get some chocolates for Kashima.”
“Then I guess it’s settled,” Nozaki said with a nod.
Mikoshiba’s (suspiciously flustered) invitation was accepted by Mayu without a hitch, so they all met up after school the next day and headed to the mall.
Mikoshiba immediately realized the problem when he stepped inside: he had no idea where to start. He knew that Mayu liked judo, but he didn’t think the sports store would be a great place to buy a gift. Beyond that... the boy only liked sleeping. Mikoshiba briefly toyed with the idea of buying him a pillow before he shook his head and decided on a different approach.
“Is there somewhere you wanna go, Mayu?” The only response he got was a one-shoulder shrug.
“We could go to the art store,” Nozaki deadpanned.
“W-well, I guess it’s a start. We can look around while we try to figure out where to go next,” Mikoshiba said. He thought he saw a strange look pass over Nozaki, Sakura, and most surprisingly Mayu, which Hori also seemed to notice, but it was gone before either of them could question it. “Let’s go then!” Sakura said cheerfully, leading the way to the art store.
When they got there, Mikoshiba steered himself towards the pens. He started looking through the new fountain pens, and was quickly joined by Nozaki and Sakura. None of the new pens really seemed like much of an improvement to him—exactly how much fancier could you make a fountain pen, anyway?—but the other two seemed pretty enthralled.
Looking for something else to distract him, he glanced down the aisle at Hori, who was examining the inks. In fact, he was pretty closely scrutinizing a bottle of ink with a teal-striped label.
“Is there something special about that bottle...?” Mikoshiba asked, stepping closer. From this distance, he finally noticed that Hori’s face looked distinctly perturbed, and he startled slightly as Mikoshiba approached.
“Ah, it’s nothing... I just remembered when Nozaki got sick. Or I guess, every time he gets sick,” Hori said, his eyes darkening.
“Did something happen...?” Mikoshiba asked, now confused.
“I’m just wondering how I’ve managed to make the same mistake so many times. And it’s always this brand... maybe I shouldn’t buy it anymore...” Mikoshiba again wondered how a bottle of ink managed to stir such memories, and also how not buying it would fix the problem, but eventually decided he’d leave the man to his obviously involved thoughts.
“Brother—dry-erase markers?” Mikoshiba turned when he heard Mayu’s voice at the other end of the aisle.
“Dry-erase?” Nozaki questioned. “Well, probably, but they’re not exactly for art...” Sakura elbowed Nozaki’s side as best as she could from her height.
“They should be a couple of aisles down that way!” She helpfully supplied, pointing. Mayu nodded and headed that direction, and Sakura turned to give Nozaki some kind of look that Mikoshiba couldn’t see, but which seemed to make Nozaki realize something, because he quickly ran off after Mayu.
Mikoshiba shook off thoughts about his weird behavior and tried to find something else to distract himself with. He still had no idea what store to go to after this or what to get Mayu...
Nozaki returned after not too long, Mayu trailing lazily behind. Nozaki quickly turned his attention to the drawers of screentone sheets, beginning his ritual of pulling them out at lightning speed, and it was at this point that Mikoshiba finally got the idea to text MayuMayu—she probably had a better idea of what to do than he did. Or at least he hoped so.
Me: Mayu-chan~ I have a question!
Mikoshiba still cringed a little every time he remembered the girly tone he had developed when talking to MayuMayu, but figured it couldn’t be helped. He got himself into this in the first place, the least he could do is properly play the part.
He heard a quiet beep from next to him, and he turned to see Mayu lazily pulling a phone out of his pocket. Mikoshiba thought to himself briefly that the phone looked out of place in Mayu’s grip, but the thought was quickly overshadowed by the realization that he’d never seen Mayu’s cell phone before, if that was in fact his phone.
Mayu seemed to become slightly more alert as he flipped the phone open to read a text message Mikoshiba couldn’t see, then he tapped out an answer with shocking speed before flipping the phone shut and placing it back into his pocket.
Mikoshiba continued to stare at him in bewilderment for a moment more before his attention was snatched away by his own phone beeping in his hand.
MayuMayu <3: what about?
It was an expectedly short reply, and Mikoshiba wasted no time in typing a response.
Me: It’s a little embarrassing, but a... a friend got me a really nice gift for valentine’s! I want to return the favor but... I don’t know what he’d like...
He was interrupted from sending the message by Mayu tapping his shoulder. He jumped a little more than was necessary, and turned to give his attention to the boy.
“Bathroom,” Mayu said simply.
“A-ah... do you want me to go with you?” Mayu shook his head. “Alright... we’ll be here when you get back, then.” Mayu nodded and turned to head out of the store.
Watching him go, Mikoshiba finally pressed “send,” then decided to take this opportunity to question his friends.
“Has Mayu always had a cell phone?” Mikoshiba asked casually, stepping closer to Sakura and Hori, who were now clustered around the end cap near the drawers of screentones Nozaki was still ravaging. In contrast to the simple question, Sakura started fidgeting as though her answer was incredibly important, glancing at Nozaki’s stone mask of a face as though hoping she’d find some answer there. Hori, at least, seemed to know he couldn’t answer the question himself and joined Mikoshiba in looking at the floundering Sakura in confusion.
“W-well, that’s—” she started. “Y-yes, he’s had a phone for awhile...” she finally settled. Nozaki, apparently finally satisfied with his horde of screentone sheets, nodded his agreement.
“Weird... I should ask for his number when he gets back,” Mikoshiba said, mostly to himself. Sakura again started fidgeting, as though unsure how she should react to the statement, though Mikoshiba though it didn’t really require a reaction anyway, but he didn’t have much time to consider it before his phone beeped again.
MayuMayu <3: for valentine’s?
It was at this point that Mikoshiba remembered his persona is a girl, and usually girls give gifts on Valentine’s. Well, at least he can easily explain it without lying...
Me: ah, well... valentine’s is actually my birthday...
MayuMayu <3: Really?
Me: yeah... I guess it was both a birthday and a valentine’s gift? but I want to get him a gift too...
MayuMayu <3: What is he like?
Me: well, honestly, he’s really lazy... but it’s kind of endearing! he’s really good at judo and he works really hard at it... but i think the only hobby he has besides that is sleeping...
Me: i dont think a gift related to sports or sleeping is going to be good
Me: so he’s a little difficult to get a gift for... >.<
MayuMayu <3: I’m sure he’ll like anything you get him.
Mikoshiba looked at the message critically. Was it just him, or did MayuMayu’s messages suddenly get more formal? Well, it was probably nothing. He shook off the thought and typed out another message.
Me: you think so? still, i don’t even know where to start...
Me: we’re at the mall right now to look for gifts, but we got sidetracked at the art store because no one knew where to go...
MayuMayu <3: ...is he with you?
Me: well he’s not here right now, but he came along
Me: one of my friends thought he might point out something he likes, but i don’t know if it will work,,
After a minute of not receiving anything, Mikoshiba looked up from his screen to find Nozaki and Sakura staring at him with gazes he would almost describe as predatory, if he thought either of them capable of such a menacing expression. Well, when Nozaki was recording information for plot devices, maybe...
No, Mikoshiba shook his head. It’s better not to think too deeply about it. He certainly hadn’t done anything shoujo-manga-worthy in his life, especially recently, he thought. Well, maybe... no, he thought, shaking his head again to dispel the thought. His phone beeped again.
MayuMayu <3: I think it will work.
Me: do you think so? still, i’m a bit worried...
MayuMayu <3: Even if it’s unconventional, if it’s something you like, I’m sure he will like it too.
Me: thanks, MayuMayu! i’m going to go now, my friends are giving me weird looks
MayuMayu <3: Don’t worry, you can do it. (｀・ω・´)”
Mikoshiba finally put his phone back in his pocket, sighing to himself. He felt better with MayuMayu’s encouragement, but he still wasn’t any closer to figuring out what to get for Mayu.
“Mikoto-san.” Mikoshiba almost jumped out of his skin at the quiet voice, but managed to more or less keep his composure.
“Mayu, you’re back...” he said, trying not to sound too surprised.
“Yes.” He glanced over Mikoshiba’s shoulder at the other three, who Mikoshiba could tell were definitely staring at them. “Should we go?” Mikoshiba perked up at that.
“Is there somewhere you want to go?” Mayu nodded. “That’s great!” Maybe now he’d finally make some progress.
It took some corralling and waiting for the poor shopkeeper to ring up all of Nozaki’s items, but Mikoshiba eventually managed to get everyone out the door, and Mayu lazily directed them to the store he wanted to visit.
Mikoshiba was more than a little confused when they ended up outside of an anime goods store. It wasn’t the same one he usually visited, since it had fewer figures, but it was hard to mistake given that the walls were covered in phone straps and plushies and other merchandise.
“Here?” He questioned, looking up at Mayu. “Are you sure?” Mayu nodded again, stepping inside, and Mikoshiba suspiciously followed after. He watched as the others fanned out inside the store, Nozaki moving to look at the some of the popular chibi straps—probably studying for future Let’s Love merchandise—Sakura trailing behind him, taking what appeared to be more than a passing interest in the merchandise for a certain idol anime—Mikoshiba was definitely going to question her on that later—and Hori, left to his own devices, ended up next to Sakura, examining a figure of a certain prince idol that looked suspiciously like Kashima. That also deserved some questioning, Mikoshiba decided, but satisfied that the three of them had found a way to occupy themselves, he turned back to Mayu. Or, where Mayu should have been.
After a brief moment of panic—very brief, Mikoshiba congratulated himself—he located Mayu on the other end of the store and wound his way through the short stands and other customers towards him.
The boy was staring at something on the shelf with a look in his eye that seemed suspiciously like the same one he had during judo; that is, genuine interest.
Mikoshiba nearly choked from laughter when he realized what exactly Mayu was staring at.
“I feel a connection with this egg,” Mayu said in his usual flat tone, gazing reverently at the wall of Gudetama merchandise.
“You would,” Mikoshiba laughed quietly. “There is something charming about it, though,” he agreed. His eyes flicked around the wall stacked with everything from charms to headphones to shirts, finally landing on an object that made him pause; a small, flat pillow with a round Gudetama yolk.
Well, MayuMayu did say “even if it’s unconventional,” right? And the first idea I had was a pillow, even though I didn’t think it was a good idea... But can I really call a lazy egg a proper gift? He stood there contemplating for a minute. A pillow that size was perfect to nap on, right? Mayu always just set his head on the table when he wanted to watch Mikoshiba draw, so wouldn’t it be better if he had a small pillow to rest his head on? It was kind of a weird gift, sure, but they were kind of weird people in a kind of weird relationship, so why not?
Finally reaching his decision, Mikoshiba turned towards Mayu.
“I’m gonna go talk to Sakura for a second, I’ll be right back.” Mayu nodded his understanding, and Mikoshiba quickly wheeled around to go talk to Sakura, distinctly feeling Mayu’s questioning gaze following his back across the store.
Mikoshiba definitely intended to ask Sakura what she meant by now you both owe me, but decided it was a conversation better left for another time, maybe when he had figured out some way to repay her for her help in distracting Mayu so he could buy his gift.
He had decided to get this for Mayu, but now that he was about to give it to him, he was starting to have doubts again. Wasn’t it weird? It was definitely weird.
He glanced up from here he was staring at the thin rope on the gift bag he in his hands. Mayu was staring at him, waiting, and he realized it was really too late for second thoughts at this point.
“I-it’s not much, but I hope you like it!” He practically shoved the bag into Mayu’s lap. “H-Happy White Day...” Mayu gave him an odd look before beginning to rustle through the tissue paper in the bag to reach its contents. Mikoshiba held his breath when Mayu finally pulled the weird little pillow out, and didn’t dare to look up at Mayu’s face until the silence had stretched on for several moments.
“I love it,” Mayu finally said when Mikoshiba met his eyes. Mikoshiba let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
“I thought you might like a pillow for the table, so you have something to rest your head on. It’s a little weird, but since it’s Gudetama...”
“Unconventional is the best,” Mayu said, smiling gently. “Thank you.”
Strange, that’s the same word MayuMayu used...
Mayu watched him for a moment, seemingly trying to understand something, though Mikoshiba didn’t know what. After a moment, however, he evidently became tired, immediately laying down to try out the pillow.
“Hey, Mayu, now’s not the time to take a nap! Mayu—!”