If Yui could choose three words to sum up her day, it would be, "Less is more." Standing outside the infirmary for the past hour was hard to do when nearly all of her classmates were inside groaning in pain and upchucking last night's banquet sized dinner. Unfortunately, the gods realized too late that their human bodies were not nearly as absorbent as their divine forms. When Thoth slammed open the door, Yui could see how hard he was trying to not gag.
"Uh, Thoth-sama -"
"Don't," Thoth said. Without another word he left. His dark blue jacket billowed out behind him like a cape. Yui deflated and rested her back against the wall. Dionysus, Takeru, Loki, and Balder were inside the infirmary, taking brief spouts of rest until they had to lean over and barf into trashcans or run to the bathroom.
Yui felt especially bad for Balder. The sweet god of light was overwhelmed by dinner's vast array of beef, pork, steak, and other meaty courses. He ate until the belt buckle holding his pants up popped off of him and Loki had to lend his friend their belt. Yui imagined the trickster sitting at Balder's bedside, putting on a tough front in face of his own pain while taking care of his friend.
It was then that the remaining students came by. Hades lingered behind Tsukito and Thor. He looked miserable. Most likely he believed that it was his misfortune which caused everyone else to be sick. Yui was happy to see the others. During the banquet Hades stayed in a corner and ate morsels of food while Tsukito examined the contents of last night's dinner instead of eating with everyone and Thor skipped out on dinner and went to bed early. They were concerned for their fellow gods, though secretly glad that they were not in the room with them either.
"Any news on Balder and Loki?" Thor asked.
"No. I tried asking Thoth-sama, but he walked away."
"It is all my fault," Hades said, and the atmosphere around the students seemed to grow heavy with melodrama.
"You are not to blame, Hades. Our fellow classmates consumed too much human food in one sitting and now their bodies are purging themselves of the unnecessary contents in their digestive system," Tsukito explained. So blunt, Yui thought. Hades shook his head and sighed.
"Um, we are not allowed to go into the infirmary right now," said Yui, "but maybe we can do something to cheer them up? What do you think?"
"In what way do you recommend us to lift up the spirit of the others?" Tsukito asked. Usamoro hopped by and rested next to the moon god's leg.
The door to the infirmary opened. Thor grinned lopsidedly at the sight of Balder coming out of the room. Save for shaky knees and a tired smile, he looked better than ever.
"Balder! You're all better," Yui exclaimed.
"I bounce back quickly. I wasn't really sick, only very full. I can't say the same for the others. It will be a few more hours until they get better. Loki kicked me out when I got well, and he told me to buy him his favorite candy at the store before returning to class." Balder turned his attention to Yui and asked, "Did you wait for me all this time?"
"I was worried about everyone. I was just thinking of ways to cheer the others up when they recovered," Yui explained. She must have said something wrong, because Balder's sweet smile lessened for a moment. Before she could ask him what upset him, Balder plowed on.
"I know! Humans tend to one another when they are sick. I read of this special recipe that can cure any illness."
"Any illness?" Yui repeated.
"It must have ingredients rare and difficult to find if it can cure any and all ills," Hades said solemnly.
"Whatever it takes to help Loki," Thor said. Tsukito nodded.
"What . . . uh, is this recipe that can cure anything, Balder?" Yui asked, both curious and afraid of what the god would say.
Balder grinned and answered, "Chicken noodle soup."
"You have got to be kidding me," Yui whispered under her breath. The gods had headed to the kitchen to prepare for the meal. Yui was tasked with going to the library to retrieve a cook book. Three months had passed since they were all abducted from their realms and forced to learn about humanity and love. Although the boys were more than willing to help one another, they refused to go the library except when necessary, and never when Thoth was in a bad mood. Well, Yui thought to herself, when Thoth-Sama was in a really bad mood. He was always in a compromised position with the whole world.
Yui wondered why as she walked past shelves of mythology, world religions, and history. Thoth was one of the most brilliant minds she had ever met, but he could be so touchy. Thoth reminded Yui of Takeru the first few weeks of school, always snapping whenever someone besides Tsukito tried to approach him. It took many tries and the help of the other gods to break through to Takeru. Yui frowned to herself. Where was the cooking section?
"Hmm, no," Yui said aloud. Touchy was not the right word for Thoth. It was something else. Hubris? If Thoth heard her he would raise a brow and at least commend her for using a synonym to pride before kicking her out of the library. Maybe it was a sense of superiority. Thoth was the Egyptian god of knowledge. He had a right to feel superior to everyone else, though Yui wished he would not rub in everyone's faces so much. She skipped past the romance novels and searched in vain for a cookbook.
After spending too much time, getting lost at one point, and spending another half hour finding her way back, Yui surrendered. She had no choice but to go to Thoth and ask him for help. Last night's antics already put Thoth under a dark cloud. Last time Yui saw him was when he was walking away from the infirmary. Yui was sure that looking after the sick gods was one of the reasons Thoth called for independent studying for the rest of the day.
Yui hated talking to Thoth. Three things could happen; one, he would continue reading his book and ignore her; two, he would tell Yui it wasn't his problem; or three, he would perform his famous wall slam and tell her to fix the problem because the lives of everyone in the miniature garden depended on it. Whenever Yui mentioned seeing Thoth, her classmates would snicker and ask if he pulled another "Falcon Punch". Just thinking of those moments made Yui want to turn around and forget asking her teacher for help.
Her friends were waiting for her to do this. Yui remembered the conversation they had before:
"Why do I have to go? Can't someone else do it?"
"Thoth hates all of us," Tsukito reminded her.
"We haven't been very kind to his library," Balder added.
"Oh, oh, remember the time Uncle Hades accidentally sneezed on ancient scrolls and they shriveled up and turned to ash? It was bad, really bad," Apollon said.
"It was allergy season," Hades protested. "My misery went into overload."
"What kind of allergies makes you sneeze fire?" Thor said. Hades blushed and refused to comment.
"What about the time when Balder tripped on his feet and destroyed an entire collection of new books?" Tsukito suggested. Balder chuckled as the group winced at the memory.
"Wait." Balder held a finger up. "Which one? I did that twice."
"Balder, is that why you are forbidden to go anywhere near the library?" Yui asked. Balder grinned and shrugged, guilty as charged. Yui sighed and shook her head. Balder was such a kind and benevolent god. He was a great friend to Yui. However, his clumsiness could accidentally trigger the coming of Ragnarok. If it wasn't for his invulnerability, Balder would already have killed himself for tripping on a banana peel, or the wet floor, or his own feet.
"Alright, so clearly Hades and Balder cannot come inside. What about you and Thor, Apollon? You haven't upset Thoth-sama," Yui said.
Apollon broke into an unsure laugh while Thor blinked and let out a heavy sigh.
"I may have accidentally leaned against one of the shelves and caused a domino effect," Apollon answered with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Fairy-san. I'm sorry."
"Let me guess: Loki was involved, and you tried to stop him," Yui said to Thor. Thor bowed his head in agreement. Before Yui could ask, Tsukito answered.
"I have committed no wrong in the library of the god of knowledge. However, I feel we are more liable in attaining success if you were sent to the library. Think of yourself as a sign of goodwill."
"Oh, like a white flag!" Apollon exclaimed. "Tsukito, that is a great idea! It's a really great idea!"
"White flags are not something to boast about," Yui said. She was about to say more when Tsukito again interrupted her.
"I am in Thoth-sama's good favor, but you will be more successful than I. He is less likely to say no to you, Kusanagi."
"Why?"
"Because you are his favorite pupil."
The group had enough of debate and sent her off like a sacrifice offered to the blood thirsty Aztec gods. Yui knew she was wasting time in the library and making her classmates worry, but she couldn't just go up to Thoth and –
Slam!
"Kusanagi, you have been staring at my desk for the past five minutes as if you are about to be offered to the Aztec gods. What do you want?"
Thoth had slammed shut the book he was reading. He dropped it on his desk, poised his fingers together in the shape of a pyramid, and glared at Yui. How did he know what Yui was thinking about?
"I'm sorry, Thoth-sama. I didn't mean to bother you. I was looking for a cookbook that contained the ingredients to chicken noodle soup -"
"Everyone knows how to make chicken noodle soup."
"The other gods say they need one. They never made chicken noodle soup before, and they would feel less anxious if they had instructions -"
"Why can't you tell them how to make it?" Thoth said. Hearing her teacher point out the obvious made Yui's cheeks go a deep scarlet. Why didn't she think of that sooner?
Yui flinched and said, "I should have thought of that. It's just that I never made chicken noodle soup before either."
Thoth was not pleased. He didn't even raise an eyebrow in amusement. Swaying his head side to side, he muttered Ancient Egyptian under his breath.
"I will go now, sir. I'm sorry for bothering you." Yui bowed slightly to her teacher and began to turn around and leave.
"Here."
Thoth, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled from behind his back a green book. Yui stepped forward and took the book from her teacher's outstretched hand. She looked at the cover. It was a worn cookbook titled in spidery print, Dummy's Guide To Cooking.
That is just like him, Yui thought with an awkward smile.
"Thank you, Thoth-Sama. I really appreciate your help."
"Tch, as if I parted the Red Sea for you. It was nothing, Kusanagi. Next time, ask for my help instead of wasting your time looking in the romance section. Now get out."
"Yes, sir," Yui said, and she quietly left the library.
"See? See? You are his favorite," Apollon declared. He watched the blue fire tickle the belly of the black pan. The others were busy bringing out plates and utensils. Hades was gently told to remain outside the kitchen after a tsunami of forks nearly impaled Thor. The gods and human ambassador were almost done with their batch of chicken noodle soup.
"Tsukito, how did you know Thoth would help me?" Yui said. "I thought for sure he would refuse to talk to me after what happened last night."
Apollon interrupted, "Or maybe you thought he was going to -"
"Falcon punch!" everyone yelled. The group laughed at the inside joke. Yui smiled and laughed too, for once not bothered by the comment.
"He does that exclusively towards Yui," remarked Thor.
"No, he did that to me once," Apollon corrected him. "It was after my incident in the library. He did that to me. Scary!"
"There was the one time he did that with Yui and me," Tsukito said.
"That was because we were joined by the rings," Yui reminded him.
"I wonder why he does that. It's a bit rude," Balder said.
"It is the closest thing to physical force that he can use without harming us or breaking the rules," Tsukito said.
"So, is Thoth-sama really annoyed with Yui? That seems strange, don't you think? It's strange that Yui is his favorite but he does that," Apollon said.
"Guys, I think you are over thinking it," Yui said.
"We're just worried for you. Doesn't it bother you?" Balder asked. Yui stopped her spoon from pouring midway.
"Well," Yui said, "it does bother me a little. I never know when he's going to slam his fist against the wall. It gets annoying after a while."
"Then tell him to stop," Thor said.
"It's not that simple. Thoth-sama is easily provoked. If I say something, it sets him off. He doesn't hurt me, but I wish he was more patient."
"He was sort of patient with you today, right? That's progress. That sounds like progress, right?" Apollon said.
"I don't like it," Balder said.
"Hmm? What was that?" Yui said.
"Oh, uh, nothing."
"Okay, then. We're done! Let's give this to the others. I'm sure they will want to eat something by now," Yui said. Although it was rough at first, cooking chicken noodle soup with her classmates was a fun time. Everyone was so sincere in helping one another. They were growing closer over the course of the school year. Moments like these lifted Yui's often stressed and tired spirits. The gods were willing to not just reconnect with humanity and love, but also with one another. Yui was sure that if anything happened to her, her classmates would be able to carry on without her with great strides towards graduation.
Everyone visited the infirmary and greeted the sick patients. Dionysus begged his brother Apollon for some beer, which Apollon kindly refused. Takeru was surprised to see his dutiful and quiet older brother come to his bedside and greet him with a bowl of soup, but he grinned ear to ear and seemed to recover almost immediately at the sight of his family. Loki waved off concerned questions from Balder and Thor, amping up his pain and relishing the coddling he was receiving from Balder while Thor rolled his eyes and muttered, "Drama queen."
An hour passed by. Everyone well enough to go back to their dorms did so with glowing smiles and uplifted hearts. Those who were still recovering from last night stayed behind and promised to attend class as soon as they were able. The gods congratulated Balder for thinking up the clever idea of making soup for the others. Balder smiled and insisted that he didn't deserve the praise. He looked to Yui, who was the last to leave the infirmary.
"Yui, some of us are going to watch a film tonight. Apollon says it is called Clash of the Titans. Do you want to come?" Balder asked. He grinned sweetly at his classmate.
Absent minded, Yui said, "I'm sorry, but I am going to head back to my room. I am very tired after today. Rain check, okay?"
"Oh, of course," Balder said, the disappointment in his voice barely hidden. He mustered another smile and said, "I wish you sweet dreams then. See you in class tomorrow?"
"Of course," Yui said. Her answer cheered Balder. Balder, Thor, and Apollon headed to the Norse dorm for movie night while Yui and the remaining students headed to bed.
It was when Yui was slowly walking down the halls, about to reach the door to her dorm, that she caught Thoth walking out of Zeus's office. He looked tired and beaten, not in body but in spirit. His usually narrowed eyes were now drooping from what might have been an exhausting meeting. Yui stopped in her tracks and chewed on her lower lip. She and Thoth were not friends. They were teacher and student, strictly professional and courteous to one another for the sake of everyone graduating but never friendly or open to the other person. Thoth considered himself above Yui – he was a god, so she couldn't argue that – and Yui had better things to do than suck up to her teacher.
However, this one time, Yui thought it wouldn't hurt to approach Thoth and ask how he was doing. His once perfect posture was now deflating. His slouching removed the royal air he always carried around. Carefully and quietly, Yui approached the Egyptian. Thoth already noticed her coming and straightened himself immediately and greeted his sole female student with a cold glare. Yui stopped herself short from that look and had to clear her throat before speaking.
"Thoth-sama, how are you?"
"Kusanagi, you are the representative of humanity, not my personal nanny. You have no obligation to ask how I'm feeling. And I am fine, human." Thoth rested his right fist and lower arm against the wall, just above Yui's petite frame. The god was one of the tallest in the school. The person closest to rivaling his height was Thor. Yui was surprised to see the beginning signs of bags under Thoth's eyes. Yui was surprised to see that beings of higher power felt fatigue.
"I know, sir. I'm only a student here, but I wanted to ask how you were doing. You seem very tired." The young student hesitated, wondering if her words would only annoy Thoth more. Yui said, "It isn't like you, Thoth-sama, so I was concerned."
Thoth scoffed and turned his eyes to the opposite wall of the hallway. He said, "I have been weary for a long time, Kusanagi. This school taxes on me and my time, which I could be spending doing something worthwhile instead of teaching these idiots."
Yui barely noticed that Thoth used "these" instead of "you" in his last sentence. She took that as a good sign and pressed forward before heading back to her dorm.
"I'm sorry you have to deal with so much. It's not easy being our teacher. I hope you will sleep well tonight at least. Good night, Thoth-sama."
She bowed her head politely at her teacher and went her way.