Giving gifts to boost affection

By the time the three of them left the classroom building, the sky was mostly dark.

The streetlights along the mountain path had just come on. Cool white light fell in sparse patches among the trees, leaving the stone paving alternately bright and dark.

The early April night wind swept down from the ridge, carrying the damp scent of leaves and soil. As it brushed their collars, it still held a chill that winter had not quite taken away.

They were on their way back to the dorms. Suguru Geto walked on the outer edge, a book in one hand and his other hand tucked into his uniform pocket.

His steps were steady, his forelock swaying gently in the wind.

Satoru Gojo walked beside him, his sunglasses back on his nose and both hands behind his head, sauntering along with a loose, swaying gait.

Shoko brought up the rear, a lollipop in her mouth-who knew how many she had already had today.

She walked at an unhurried pace, her eyes unfocused, clearly relying on a faint hint of sweetness and sheer momentum to get through this final stretch.

As they rounded the last bend before the dorm building, all three spotted him at once.

Yan Si stood on the steps outside the entrance. The warm yellow light spilling from the lobby behind him traced his outline in gold.

He wore a brand-new red outdoor jacket, its color vivid.

Not dark red, not orange-red, but the red of blood freshly flowing from a vein.

Against the dull gray paving and dark green hedges, that splash of red looked like the only thing in the scene with its saturation turned up. It caught the eye from far away.

Striking and conspicuous.

His face was even more striking.

The jacket's stand collar framed his jawline. Long black hair spilled around its edges, a few strands lifting gently in the night wind.

His purple eyes reflected scattered flecks of light beneath the streetlamp, and the vermilion mole between his brows sat right in the middle of the skin exposed above his collar.

His long black hair hung loose, gleaming with a soft, silky sheen under the light.

He was waiting here specifically to catch them.

Yan Si carried several bags.

Three in his left hand, two in his right. Paper and plastic bags of various sizes tangled between his fingers, their handles leaving faint red marks.

He was looking down and counting them, touching each one in turn. His lips moved silently, his lowered lashes hiding his eyes.

At the sound of footsteps, he looked up.

Then he glanced down at the bags in his hands, going by memory.

This one likes sweet things, this one doesn't eat much sugar, and this one...

He simply raised his arm and flicked his wrist several times, flinging the bags at them all at once.

He did not put much force into it.

But with cursed energy wrapped around his arm, the force of his throw was more than an order of magnitude beyond an ordinary toss.

The paper bags sliced through the air with a rushing sound, flying straight at their faces.

Shoko Ieiri had been walking those last few steps with her head down, sucking on her lollipop. When she looked up and saw Yan Si's extraordinarily beautiful face, she was still caught in a daze.

She sensed an unidentified object approaching at high speed.

Before she could dodge, the paper bag smacked her squarely in the forehead.

Smack-

The sound was crisp, the force controlled to make someone yelp without leaving redness or swelling.

She covered her forehead as the bag dropped into her arms, her lollipop nearly flying out of her mouth.

She looked down at the elegantly packaged paper bag in her arms, then back up at the red-clad culprit on the steps.

Meanwhile, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto had each caught theirs too.

Or rather, they had caught the flying paper bags with their bodies.

Gojo took a hit to the chest and laughed, instinctively bringing his hands together to hug the bag.

Geto reacted quickly, raising an arm to block. The paper bag bounced off his forearm, and he caught it with his other hand.

His movements were clean and efficient, but the look he gave Yan Si held a trace of knowing resignation: There you go again.

Standing on the steps, Yan Si watched all three get hit and smiled in satisfaction.

He lifted the two bags he still held.

With his jacket zipped up to his chin, his laughter sounded slightly muffled, but the lilt of his Kansai dialect still rose high at the ends of his words. "Ah... souvenirs, I guess? Not sure if they count..."

Gojo rubbed the spot on his chest where the bag had hit and looked down at its logo.

It belonged to that limited-edition dessert shop in Shibuya he had been thinking about for days.

The shop only sold desserts for two hours a day. Queuing there was more exhausting than exorcising a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.

He looked up at Yan Si, his sunglasses slipping to the tip of his nose. A spark flashed in his sky-blue eyes. "Just how many places did you go this afternoon?"

Geto also recognized the brand on his bag.

That shop was not on a shopping street. It was tucked away in a remote alley in Koto City.

It was an old-fashioned wagashi shop he had casually mentioned hearing good things about on his last trip to Odaiba.

He had only glanced at its display window a little longer as they passed. Yan Si had been walking ahead and had not even turned around.

Holding the paper bag by its handles, he lightly rubbed the cord between his fingertips. Rather than opening it immediately, he looked at Yan Si first.

Yan Si had no ill intentions in pelting them with bags. He just thought it was fun and wanted to see their reactions.

Now he stood on the steps, the red of his jacket shifting in the night wind. His gaze swept across their expressions, the corners of his mouth climbing higher and higher.

He even turned his face away while Shoko was still holding her forehead, his shoulders giving a slight shake.

He wanted to laugh.

Giving gifts to raise NPC affection felt so strange, and so fun.

He personally did not understand why exchanging gifts increased affection between people. Nor did he understand why characters in games grew more fond of someone over a gift or a few words.

Humans were such baffling creatures.

All that talk of "a little charity breeds gratitude, too much breeds resentment," "it's the thought that counts," and "help in an hour of need"...

So strange.

Gojo was the first to open his paper bag.

Inside, wrapped in thin paper printed with the shop's name, was a dessert assortment: daifuku coated in strawberry icing, peach kanten with translucent surfaces, matcha pudding sprinkled with gold leaf, and neatly arranged macarons in several flavors.

Everything had been packed well, without the slightest damage.

Every item was one of the shop's specialties, and they happened to be exactly the varieties he liked.

His eyes lit up. He tapped the edge of the dessert box as if confirming it was not an illusion. "You must've queued for at least an hour for this, right?"

"It wasn't too bad~" Yan Si flexed his wrist, his red cuff shifting with the movement. "I had nothing to do anyway."

He had paid for everyone there and jumped straight to the front of the queue. It had barely taken any time.

But telling people he had spent time and effort on their gifts would raise their affection faster.

He did not understand why.

But he followed the rule.

Geto opened his paper bag too.

Inside was a box of desserts that were not overly sweet.

Warabi mochi dusted with roasted soybean flour, accompanied by a small jar of Okinawan black sugar syrup.

A few kudzu cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves.

And a bag of irregularly shaped sesame cookies, obviously handmade.

They were all the kinds he liked, with light flavors, neither cloying nor rich. His gaze lingered on the warabi mochi box for two seconds.

He had only once remarked outside an unremarkable little shop in Odaiba, "Their warabi mochi looks good," before continuing on without stopping to buy any.

Shoko opened her bag. The first things she saw were several boxes of sweets wrapped in Japanese-style handmade paper.

Silver grass-leaf patterns decorated the pale blue-green background, and the boxes were neatly stacked.

They looked expensive.

She took out the dessert boxes and set them aside. Her fingers touched a rigid box underneath.

She pulled it out.

It was an exquisite gift box, its surface embossed with subtle patterns, smooth and delicate to the touch.

It was about as long as her forearm and not heavy, but one look at the packaging made it clear that whatever was inside cost a considerable amount.

Gojo and Geto both looked over.

Neither of them had that box, so they were curious.

"What's this?" Gojo leaned his head closer, still hugging his dessert box, his white hair brushing Shoko's shoulder.

Geto turned his head as well, his gaze lingering briefly on the finely made box.

Shoko looked up at Yan Si.

The red-jacketed figure on the steps was transferring his two remaining bags from his left hand to his right.

The movement drew his cuff up a little, exposing part of his wrist.

Noticing her gaze, he tilted his head with a smile. His long black hair slid off his shoulder, and the streetlight shone in his purple eyes, making them almost too bright. "Open it yourself~ Hope you like it, Shoko~ Just boosting your affection so you'll love me a little more~"

With that, he raised his free hand and made a peace sign with his index and middle fingers ✌, his fingertips landing right in the lamp's halo.

The red jacket and that casual gesture combined to make him look like a botched magazine cover.

The clothes had been carefully chosen, and he was beautiful, but his expression control was completely absent.

What the hell are you talking about?! Shoko thought.

Shoko lowered her eyes and opened the gift box.

As she lifted the lid, her fingers brushed the fabric inside. It felt soft and fine.

She unfolded the wrapping paper and lifted out its contents.

It was a dress.

White was its main color, but not a stark, bleached white. It was a warm porcelain white with a thin matte sheen beneath the streetlamp.

Smoky blue-green fabric was pieced along the edges, its color transition restrained. The shift from white to blue-green resembled ink spreading across rice paper, the balance between light and dark just right.

The skirt hung down, the fabric falling naturally into soft, even folds.

It did not show much skin.

The neckline dipped two finger-widths below the collarbone, the sleeves reached the elbows, and the hem fell below the knees.

It was not the kind of dress that demanded a banquet hall, but one she could wear to see the blossoms, go shopping, or spend any ordinary afternoon.

Beautiful and practical.

Its beauty was quiet, never showy, yet every detail spoke of its careful craftsmanship.

At fifteen, Shoko did rather like pretty dresses.

It was normal for a girl to want beautiful things.

She rarely mentioned it. From her uniform to her everyday clothes, she always chose whatever was easiest, cycling through the same few pieces in her wardrobe.

But she had a keen eye for color.

The smoky blue-green in this dress was used with extraordinary restraint. A little more would have made it look drab; a little less would have made it too sugary.

She stared at the dress in her hands, the lollipop resting motionless at the corner of her mouth.

Acting on some instinct, she turned over the tag.

A string of numbers.

The length and arrangement of those numbers made Shoko wonder whether a few extra zeros had been printed by mistake.

She looked again carefully, confirming that she had neither counted an extra zero nor missed a decimal point.

She looked up at Yan Si and took the lollipop out of her mouth, her voice rising half a pitch above its usual register.

There was a hint of surprise in it. "It's this expensive?"

"Is it expensive?" Yan Si was still flexing his fingers on the steps. He had carried too many bags, and the red marks left by their handles had not completely faded.

Her question made him pause. He tilted his head and thought for a moment, seemingly trying to recall something.

Then he shrugged indifferently, the stand collar of his jacket rubbing along his jaw. "I didn't look at the price."

He was telling the truth. He never looked at prices when shopping. He looked at colors.

Smoky blue-green paired with porcelain white would definitely suit Shoko.

Whether the style was suitable for class. Whether the fabric would flutter prettily enough in the April breeze.

Then he had swiped his card.

He had paid no attention to the number that appeared at the register. He had crumpled the receipt into the bag, where it was probably still trapped beneath the dessert boxes.

"You..." Shoko opened her mouth. She wanted to say, "You're crazy," or, "This is too expensive. Take it back." She wanted to tell him he probably had no idea how much an ordinary human spent on food in a month.

But those words rolled around on her tongue, and in the end, she merely lowered her head, carefully folded the dress, and put it back in its gift box.

Because she realized that Yan Si did not care about the price.

Then she placed the gift box in the bag, tightening her fingers around its handles.

"Thank you."

Yan Si nodded, his eyes curving with his smile.

Oh yeah.

Successfully boosted Shoko's affection.

Looks like it worked on Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo too.

This gift-giving affection mechanic is awesome.

Oh yeah~