Friday, October 6th, 2028 | 12:33
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RIIIIING!
In the bustling cafeteria, Linus sat alone, eating his lunch in solitude. With a vacant expression he mindlessly spooned piles of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
His plate was organized, akin to a freshly tidied children's room. Everything was in its place—ingredients neatly separated; carrots lined up next to a bed of peas, surrounded by a moat of brown sauce contained by the already half-eaten mound of mashed potatoes.
A mundane day, albeit dull, just a regular day.
Suddenly, something bumped into Linus from the side, causing his tray to teeter, disrupting all the order in one fell swoop. Sauce breached the dam, flooding the valley of vegetables, ending in a massacre.
Startled yet irritated by the sudden chaos, Linus turned to see the source.
What he saw explained everything.
A radiant, wide smile greeted him, attempting to wash away Linus' annoyance, but he remained steadfast.
"Hello... Akira," he emphasized his name in a particularly deliberate manner, intending to convey his feelings for him in this very moment.
Giving him an intense gaze, Akira grew closer to his face, examinating him. "What's got you all worked up, Linus-minus? Did something bad happen?"
Linus gestured with a slight squint toward his plate. "Oh, nothing, just a bomb went off."
Akira followed his gaze and then erupted into a melodramatic act. "Oh, great Linus, forgive my sins; ruining your wonderful order—this culinary masterpiece—with my simple-mindedness." He then let out an exaggerated sigh, meant to express his suffering.
"It's not that bad... But, I do demand compensation, of course."
"Naturally, my lord." Akira bowed playfully serious. "What do you desire?"
Linus's gaze wandered over Akira's tray, which bore the same meal, until his eyes settled on the steaming cheese-filled meatballs.
Terrified, Akira met his gaze.
"No! Not my meatballs!"
"Yes."
"No! Anything but that!" Protectively, he wrapped his arms around the plate, like a mother shielding her baby from a predator.
Linus' gaze turned equally menacing, trying to imitate the death stare of Beyza.
Akira giggled. "What's with that stupid expression?" he asked, snorting as he held up a finger in realization, "Oh! I've got it! You could use these carrots much better than I can—for your eyes, of course."
"Nice try. But you could use them even better than I can. Look at you, with your pale skin. The vitamins would do you good."
"Says you! You're just as pale, if not more than me."
"No, that's just the strong contrast to my orange hair—"
As Linus was speaking, Akira had already transferred all the carrots from his own plate to his. Landing in the sauce, they resulted in big brown splashes jumping all over Linus' face.
His glasses were now adorned with many dark dripping dots.
Akira burst into laughter as Linus froze in place. "Pfff! See, that taint already suits you much better! Hahaha!"
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Slowly, motion returned to Linus's face as his expression darkened. "Okay... you asked for it..."
Then, with rapid speed, he snapped his fork and stabbed it into one of Akira's meatballs, the one on the plate, of course, and shoved it into his mouth.
"YOU TRAITOR!" Shocked, Akira jumped to his feet and lunged at Linus, trying to make him puke it out.
And so the two began grappling, resulting in even more chaos on their trays.
*
After both finished eating, their clothes were completely soiled.
Nevertheless, they looked happy.
"You're stronger than you look, I must say," admitted Akira, again in his playfully formal demeanor.
Proudly, Linus puffed out his chest. "When it comes to food, I've got my standards."
"Um, yeah... I will definitely think twice the next time I'm going to ruin your… food order?"
Suddenly, from far away, there was a shrill noise approaching them.
The boys looked at each other questioningly before realizing what it was.
A glowing, happy presence lit up the bland cafeteria—Maya hopped cheerfully through the crowd, humming a cheerful tune.
Immediately, the entire room's attention shifted to her, as if a giant spotlight shined at her.
"Oh no..." Linus whispered worriedly.
"What do you mean 'oh no'? Confused Akira raised an eyebrow. Then looked back at Maya. "She's coming to us, I think."
"Yeah, that's exactly the problem."
"Huh? Aren't you supposed to be happy about that?"
Linus let out an exasperated sigh. "She's only here because of you anyway," said Linus.
Suddenly, Maya stopped not far away from the two, seeming to search for someone. Then she spun around in a circle until slowing down again and looking right at Linus. Her expression brightened as she saw him.
Feeling uneasy, Linus glanced to his right and left before realizing that Maya was actually looking at him.
Feeling a sharp nudge in his side, he looked at Akira, who gave him a knowing gaze and raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk. "See, she's here for the Minus~"
"I-I don't know..."
Akira nudged him in the side once more.
"Oh, come on! Go and get her, tiger!"
Hesitantly, Linus stood up from his seat, taking a glance at himself, realizing he could never show up this dirty in front of her. His clothes were covered in greasy brown sauce, which could easily be mistaken for something else.
But there was no turning back now that Maya began to run straight at him.
Linus felt as if not he were the tiger, but she was. He was more like a grilled chicken waiting to be eaten, as Maya kept accelerating.
Why the hell was she so fast?!
And she seemed to have no intention of slowing down the slightest.
Panic-stricken, Linus closed his eyes and braced himself for what might be the most intense hug he would ever experience. And perhaps the last one.
With full force, Maya jumped off the ground, catapulting herself toward Linus, filling the air with a loud...
BANG!
After Linus had already reckoned with his life, he still stood there, huddled in a protective position, arms shielding his face.
But nothing happened.
Slowly, he opened his eyes again, blinking several times, as Maya was nowhere to be found.
Looking around, he was only greeted by the equally bewildered looks of other students.
Then he heard rustling and metallic clinking behind him.
Akira, now standing next to him, scratched his head in confusion. "Uum…"
Linus followed the sound and froze as he saw that the dish cart was completely demolished, a sea of shards scattered across the floor. But that wasn't the end of destruction. Behind it stood the trash bins—or rather, what was left of them.
And amidst the chaos lay the enchanting Maya, among garbage bags and debris.
Some shards were tangled in her hair, reflecting the light and giving her a shiny new look.
Linus stared at her in disbelief as she suddenly jumped up swining her arms around in anger.
"Aki!!! >.< Maya said in disappointment. "You can't reject my love like that! >:("
However, he just shrugged. "I'm not going to let myself be smashed by a cannonball."
"A-are you okay, Maya?!" asked Linus as he rushed over to her.
Even though she now looked as battered as the two boys after their food fight, he couldn't detect any external injuries on her.
"Yes, I'm fine! UwU" she smiled proudly.
"…Well, except that Aki rejected me... ;_;"
Apparently offended, she brushed her green-pink skirt, trying to rid it of the coarse dirt remnants.
Linus hesitantly glanced at her. "Oooh, you seem to really like him, huh…?"
"YES!😊"
Knowing, Akira placed his hand on Linus' shoulder.
Maya's gaze shifted to Akira and suddenly brightened. "We still need to work on that if you want to be my boyfriend. (￣ε￣)"
Linus lowered his chin. "B-b-boyfriend?!" Then glaring at Akira, a mix of despair and accusation in his eyes.
Akira raised his hands defensively, a nervous smile playing on his lips. "I don't know what she's talking about. Maybe she hit her head…?" Looking at Maya, he slightly nodded his head, trying to convince her to agree.
"What? ;_; How can you say that, Aki? You haven't forgotten, have you...?"
Suddenly, Linus grabbed Akira by the collar and shook him violently. "I hope you have a good explanation for this, 'Aki'!!!"
"I really don't know what she's talking about, I swear!"
"Well, I'm talking about our date, of course. :o" With these words, Maya stunned the two boys as their eyes met, speaking in perfect synchronization.
"DATE?!"