Day 3: Gifts

Chapter 3: Buckwheat and Jelly Beans

Jyou was spending his birthday lying on the couch and reading about the historiography of Japanese gynecology. Then there was a loud rapping on the door. Jyou grinned, threw the text book over his shoulder, and hurried to welcome his expected guest.

He opened the front door and there were Mimi and Palmon, wearing matching yellow dresses and holding a big wrapped package tied up in a bow. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they sung in unison.

"Thank you! Oh my. I'm so surprised. You shouldn't have!" Jyou said, as though Mimi hadn't been dropping hints all week that she was preparing an epic birthday present for him.

"Don't be silly. I love making presents! Especially THIS present!" Mimi thrust the gift into Jyou's hands.

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" Palmon chanted.

"Okay okay, come inside." Jyou ushered the girls inside and carried the present to the kitchen table, where Gomamon was waiting eagerly. He carefully untied the bow and slowly peeled off the wrapping paper.

"Jyooooouuu!" Gomamon rolled on the table impatiently.

"…Aha!" Jyou tossed the last bit of wrapping paper aside and finally saw his present. "You made me a cake?"

"YES!" Mimi hopped excitedly.

"I made the frosting!" Palmon chimed in.

The frosting was a blue swirly mess with a picture of what appeared to be a white duck on top.

Gomamon squinted. "Is that supposed to be me?"

"No, it's Ikakumon! So it's the cool version of you!" Palmon clarified.

"Didn't she do a lovely job?" Mimi's eyes shown with pride.

"Uh. Um. Yeah!" Jyou smiled at the plant digimon and petted her flowery head.

Gomamon tilted his head to the side and squinted at the picture, still not buying it.

"And it's not just ANY cake…" Mimi said dramatically.

"Yes?" Jyou arched his eyebrows.

"Your mother told me that you've eaten the same vanilla cake for every birthday you've ever had."

"That's true!" Jyou replied. "I don't mess with the classic."

"Your mother gave me the recipe," Mimi explained.

"Awww." Jyou was touched. "That's so kind of you, Mimi." It was his first birthday living in an apartment without his mom, and Mimi had made his favorite plain vanilla cake for him.

"And that's not all!" Mimi continued.

"Huh?"

"Your mother gave me your old recipe, but I improved it!"

"Say what?"

"A brand new birthday cake for a brand new adult life!" Mimi clapped her hands together.

Gomamon looked thrilled. "Good! I was tired of that boring vanilla cake."

Jyou was starting to feel nervous. "How did you improve it?"

"Oh, I just added a few ingredients," she said mysteriously.

"Like…what?"

Mimi was not good at keeping secrets. "Buckwheat!"

"Buckwheat?!" Jyou was flabbergasted.

"And a layer of peanut butter with lemon meringue! And jelly beans!"

"Excuse me?" Jyou was confused.

"And the secret ingredient…" Mimi whispered, "Pistachios!"

"Um."

"You said you loved pistachios!"

"I did?"

"Yes! You told me so when you were thirteen."

Jyou did not remember that at all, but he couldn't help but be impressed that Mimi did. Gomamon suddenly did not look so excited for the birthday cake, but Jyou forced a smile. "Right! Well, let's dig in!"

Mimi grabbed a knife and cut out a large piece for him. "Nobody eats until the birthday boy gets the first bite!" She cut out another piece for Gomamon, who was showing uncharacteristic restraint around sweets.

Jyou took a deep breath. He stuck his fork in the cake and scooped up a bite into his mouth.

Mimi watched him attentively.

Jyou winced and chewed slowly… He shut his eyes and swallowed.

Mimi held her breath.

Jyou wiped his mouth politely with a napkin. "It's delicious!" He coughed into the napkin.

Mimi was delighted. She hugged him tight. "EXCELLENT! YOU'RE WELCOME!" She kissed Jyou on both cheeks and then cut a slice for herself. "Happy birthday, Jyou. You're my favorite person." She took a bite.

Jyou was deeply moved by her words. "Thank you, Mimi—"

Mimi coughed out her bite. "YUCK!"

"Er." Jyou looked away awkwardly.

"This tastes so gross!"

"Um…Yeah, it does," Jyou admitted.

"Why didn't you say so?" Mimi asked. "You have the crest of honesty! You can't lie!"

"Oh Mimi…" Jyou shrugged and smiled innocently. "I'm only human. I want to be a good boyfriend."

Mimi was touched. "Oh Jyou!" She hugged him tight and Jyou hugged her right back.

"But my frosting was good, right?" Palmon asked nervously.

"Your frosting is beautiful," Jyou assured her.

"But it doesn't look anything like me!" Gomamon objected. Jyou stuffed a forkful of cake into the seal's mouth and shut him up.

As soon as Mimi let him go, Jyou turned back to his piece and took another bite.

"You don't have to eat it, silly," Mimi insisted.

"Wait…" Jyou chewed and swallowed again. He paused. "It's actually not that bad."

"No lying!"

"No. I mean it. The first bite shocked me, but…" He kept eating. "It's actually kind of fun tasting? You know, I think I like buckwheat."

"Jyou…"

"This cake came out of the blue and is full of surprises. I wasn't expecting it, but it's quickly growing on me… Just like you did!" Jyou said, ruining any subtlety to his metaphor.

Mimi smiled and picked back up her piece. She could tell that Jyou was being sincere again. They were both bad at lying. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Jyou insisted.

Gomamon pushed his piece to Palmon, who gobbled it up in three messy bites.

"Thank you!" Palmon grinned, bits of peanut butter and jelly beans around her mouth.

"How am I the only refined one here?" Gomamon rolled his eyes.

"I am a very refined, classy lady!" Mimi defended herself. Then she used her napkin to wipe off a speck of blue frosting on Jyou's nose.

"Whoops! Clumsy me…" Jyou didn't finish his sentence as Mimi leaned in the rest of the way to kiss him.