Which one should I buy?
Daiki sat in his dimly lit room, the glow of his monitor illuminating his face as he scrolled through an online shop. A newly released figurine had caught his eye.
But just as he was about to check out, something else appeared on the screen.
Another figurine.. of a character from a different series that he equally loved.
Daiki narrowed his eyes, leaning closer as he compared the two side by side.
Mutually exclusive.
A buyer's limit prevented him from purchasing both.
"Why is there a buyer's limit? This makes no sense," Daiki muttered, frowning.
He drummed his fingers against his desk, contemplating a solution.
Ah, how about I ask someone to buy it with their own account?
But then, reality struck.
He had no one to ask.
The room felt eerily silent as that realization sank in, and Daiki found himself staring blankly at the screen. A quiet, bitter chuckle slipped past his lips, the corners of his mouth curling up in self-mockery.
"...Right. Of course," he murmured.
Pushing away any lingering thoughts, he simply chose the figurine he had originally intended to buy and finalized his purchase.
---
It was Tuesday, the day he was not looking forward to.
The cafeteria buzzed with chatter, the clinking of utensils against trays and the occasional bursts of laughter filling the air. Daiki sat alone at his usual spot near the window, quietly eating his lunch while absentmindedly watching the world outside.
The peaceful solitude, however, was soon interrupted.
"Akezawa-san?"
A hesitant voice called out from behind him.
Daiki knew that voice. He sighed internally, already getting a bad feeling.
For a moment, he considered ignoring it, hoping the person would just go away.
But Yuki Sato was persistent, for some reason.
The boy shuffled around the table, standing awkwardly beside Daiki. His expression was stiff, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his blazer.
"...Akezawa-san?" Yuki repeated, his tone practically begging for forgiveness.
Daiki exhaled through his nose before finally acknowledging him, turning his gaze upward.
"What?"
Yuki flinched. His shoulders tensed as if preparing for impact.
Then, with visible regret written all over his face, he spoke the dreaded words:
"The usb where I saved our project got corrupted."
The air around them shifted.
Daiki's chopsticks clattered against his tray as his hands froze mid-motion. His expression twisted in disbelief.
"WHAT?!"
This was probably the worst-case scenario that Daiki had in his mind when he thought of today's activities.
The cafeteria went dead silent.
Every single conversation ceased. Every eye turned toward Daiki. Even the students at the far end of the room, who had no idea what had just happened, were now staring at the scene unfolding before them.
Yuki, startled beyond belief, looked like he had been struck by lightning.
Daiki immediately felt the weight of a hundred sharp gazes piercing through him.
He let out a forced cough, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "...Sorry," he muttered, barely loud enough for Yuki to hear.
It took Yuki a few seconds to snap out of his daze. "N-No, it's okay! I was just sort of, shocked." He chuckled weakly, his voice still trembling slightly.
Daiki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Im sorry for that, but we still have the problem of not having a presentation."
"Well..." Yuki shifted uncomfortably. "I still have the slides saved, but it's at my house, and I didn't prepare a backup on my phone."
Daiki's stomach churned. You've gotta be kidding me.
"We might have to present it from scratch," Yuki admitted with a sheepish smile.
Daiki felt lightheaded.
His face paled, and for a moment, it looked as if he was about to vomit.
But then—
"...Actually," Yuki spoke up, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. "If you still have the research somewhere, I can try to remake the presentation now on my phone. It won't be as polished as the one I originally made, but it'll be something."
Daiki's mental state immediately perked up. "I have it on my phone."
The instant those words left his mouth, Yuki's eyes sparkled with gratitude. The way he looked at Daiki made the latter feel... overwhelmed.
"Uh, h-how about I send it to you?" Daiki stuttered, shifting slightly in his seat.
Yuki, still beaming, hesitated. "...I don't know if I can finish it in time, though. We only have thirty minutes left."
"Then just take my phone," Daiki said, pulling it out of his pocket and unlocking it.
"Seriously? Thanks, Akezawa-san!" Yuki beamed, quickly sitting down beside him to start working. "And… um, sorry again."
"It's fine," Daiki muttered. "Just take your time."
---
Twenty minutes had passed.
Daiki stood up, stretching his stiff limbs. "I'm gonna go to the restroom."
Yuki, eyes glued to the phone screen, gave a quick nod in acknowledgment.
As Daiki walked away, he let his mind wander.
What kind of luck do I have? A corrupted USB, of all things?
After handling his business, he washed his hands and stopped by the cashier on the way back. He grabbed a warm cheese bread, figuring Yuki might not have eaten properly while working on the slides.
When Daiki returned to the table and sat down, Yuki, deeply focused on the phone, didn't even notice him.
Daiki put the cheese bread near Yuki.
"WOAH!"
Yuki practically jumped out of his seat. His body jerked so violently that Daiki had to suppress a laugh.
"Are you really that scared?"
"What's wrong with being scared? You could've said something! I almost had a heart attack!"
Daiki smirked slightly. "Is that so?"
He stared at Yuki.
Yuki turned to look at him—but he couldn't look straight at Daiki. Yuki stared at him for a second and his eyes widened.
Huh? What's up with that reaction?
Yuki proceeded to focus on his phone, although his eyes still looked like it had seen something shocking.
Daiki shrugged it off and just decided to try to fall asleep.
---
"Alright! I'm done!"
Yuki let out an exhausted but triumphant sigh, holding up the phone for Daiki to see.
"Here, take a look."
Daiki leaned over, scanning through the slides.
"...Not bad," he admitted. "I'd mistake this for something someone made over the weekend."
Yuki grinned, looking proud of himself.
He continued talking animatedly about how much of a pain it was to redo everything so quickly, but Daiki only half-listened, nodding occasionally.
Eventually, Yuki forgot he had Daiki's phone and handed it back to him.
"For somethng made in less than half an hour," Daiki said. "You did a decent job."
Yuki smiled at that. "Well, I had a good partner."
Daiki raised an eyebrow. "...You're just saying that because you lost the USB."
Yuki laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe, hehe."
As the bell rang, they cleaned up the table they had sat on and headed back to class.