Kaede approached her desk with some trepidation.
Someone had left a box on her desk. Wrapped in bright red paper with dozens of miniature snowmen on it.
No one ever gave her anything, let alone so untraditionally decorated and at a time of year that had no association with gift giving. Her birthday was months away.
She poked at it gently. It didn't explode. It took another minute to carefully unwrap without damaging the paper or triggering any traps. Even then she opened the box with the lid facing away from her. There was no shower of ink or any other projectile.
She cautiously peered in.
The contents were a black lunch bento edged in her favourite colours, what looked like a small fortune of imported chocolate, a folded note and a small card.
The card simply read, "One Favour" in very neat English. That could be more valuable than the rest of the box. The lunch would make her the envy of everyone who didn't get one every day, but a favour from her? What had she done to deserve this? Maybe the note would explain. It did not.
"He's not available, but he does think you're pretty."
Kaede blushed brightly and buried the note in her bag out of sight of anyone who might ask about it.
She found a very secluded spot to each her lunch. She was torn between holding on to the whole thing as a keepsake or actually eating it. The temptation didn't last long.
With the card and the note in front of her, she relished every last bite of food.
The card said nothing else on it. No small print. No caveats. No explanations.
The note appeared to be a limitation, but the first part was merely stating the obvious. Or was it? Neither of them were in class today. The person he hugged was Ayanami not Soryu. But the food obviously meant that Soryu had involved him. They even lived together.
Maybe she could ask Soryu to arrange for her to get a hug. She envied Ayanami getting those.
Was that thinking too big? Or too small?
She packed everything carefully away.
For a long time, her cheer was no longer faked.