Ai's POV
The ramen smells divine. Like actual angels might slurp this on clouds.
Yuri places the bowls on the table like he's performing surgery. Careful, precise, and slightly terrifying. Mine's clearly the non-spicy version—he even labeled it with a sticky note that says "Mild baby version."
Wow. Rude.
But okay, fair.
We eat in silence at first. Not the awkward silence. The "we're both too hungry to pretend we're not enjoying this" kind of silence.
He takes a sip of soup and casually says, "Not bad."
I blink. Did he just compliment food that he made?
"Yours is better than the instant ones," I admit, my mouth full of noodles. "my taste buds are clapping but I guess it's still too hot and spicy."
He raises an eyebrow. "These are instant noodles... I just boiled them."
I stopped eating."Ohh..."
"Okay so, tell when you eat ramen made by you only."
"Only on special occasions. Like when I don't accidentally eat glue thinking it's yogurt. But actually, I never made ramen."
He doesn't laugh. But he almost does. His mouth twitches again. Haha...
We finish up. I help him stack the bowls neatly in the sink—of course, he washes them immediately because cleanliness is his love language apparently.
After he sanitizes half the universe, we sit back down. He opens a fresh notebook, flips past some pages, and shows me a list.
By 3:55, I shut my tablet and yawn dramatically. "Done. My brain has melted."
He nods. "I'll walk you out."
"No need. I'll haunt the elevator solo like a responsible ghost."
"Take this." He hands me a small USB stick. "Backup of the files."
"Who even uses USBs anymore?"
"People who don't trust clouds."
Fair enough.
As I reach the elevator, he says, "Nice slides."
I blink at him. "Did you just compliment me?"
"No."
"You totally did."
The elevator doors close with me grinning like a maniac.
When elevator opened, I bumped into Kiko.
"Hey!" I screamed.
"Hey what?"
"You scared me."
He laughed. "Okay now tell me, did he misbehaved with you or anything else."
"What do you mean by anything else?"
"Nothing."
"BAKA."
"Now tell me how's your experience with yuri. You don't talk much, he doesn't talk much so how's your brain now?"
"Brain is dislocated."
"Really!"
"Not mine yours!"
"Ai..."
"What Ai..."
"Tommorow is your check up. Remember?"
"I don't want to go. Tommorow is my appointment with someone."
" With Whom?"
"Yuri Irie."
"You need to cancel that."
"But why???? Our work isn't done yet..."
"But still, you can't delay. You know that may affect your health."
"Noo...."
---
Back home, I open the door with a dramatic sigh.
"Emi!" I yell.
She's on the sofa, scrolling through her phone like a bored boss. "How'd it go? Did you spill juice?"
"Not this time. But I nearly passed out from over-neatness. That boy's house is like a medical lab."
"Sounds like my kind of place."
"You and Yuri should open a hospital together. I'll draw the logo."
She grins. "Did you decide which diseases to do?"
I nod. "Yuri made a something like spreadsheet."
"Okay. Did you add Polio?"
"Yes. And Swine Flu and Rabies. Also something about Dengue. But I'm drawing viruses in bowties, so it'll balance out."
"Hmm," she says, standing up and heading toward the kitchen. "By the way… you should look presentable for Tuesday."
"Why? It's just a workshop."
She turns back with a smirk. "Because I'm heading it."
I pause.
"You're what now?"
"I'll be there. Phoenix General is sending me and four others to conduct it."
I drop my bag. "You'll see me present? With Yuri? In front of the whole school?"
"Yup."
"Okay. I'm moving to another country."
"No need... I'll be happy to see you there."
We both paused...
"Emi."
"Hmm.."
"Is it mandatory to go to check up tommorow? I don't like that."
"You need to do that Ai. I promise, You'll we happy with a real smile after some time." She said while mixing curry in the pot.
"I love your Curry."
"Really!"
Next morning at school.
As I walk in, half-dead from emotional exhaustion, Haru slides beside me like a suspicious pigeon.
"Hey!"
"Why are you smiling like that?" I squint.
"Movie night. This Friday. I got an extra ticket. Wanna come?"
"Is it horror?"
"No. It's that dumb superhero thing. The one where the villain is actually a hamster. Shapeshifter you know."
"Oh. Definitely."
He hands me the ticket dramatically like we're in a rom-com. "7 PM. Don't bail."
I don't even get to enjoy that moment. Because the second I step inside the house that evening…
"Absolutely not," Emi says before I even open my mouth.
"Whaaat?"
"No movies. Not during presentation week. Focus."
"But Emi..." I mummered
"No Emi..." she replied.
"But it's just one night! And it's the hamster villain movie. It's educational. Teaches about rodent-based villainy."
She raises an eyebrow. "Educational?"
"Totally. Also, Haru already gave me the ticket. If I say no now, the hamster wins."
She sighs. "Be back by 9."
I squeal. "I knew your heart was made of kindness!"
"No. It's made of black coffee and sarcasm. Now go finish the flashcards."
---
That night, as I lie in bed, my phone buzzes.
It's Yuri.
Iceberg: Updated the slides. Check mail.
Me: Roger that, Commander Bacteria.
Iceberg: …
I smile.
This week's gonna be chaotic. But hey, at least I'm not the only one trying to survive it.