The cafeteria was once again transformed—not into a battlefield of trivia this time, but a comedy stage. The atmosphere buzzed with a strange energy. Laughter echoed from corners as students gathered around, forming a tight circle around Shin, who sat cross-legged at the center with Mei-chan standing beside him, whistle ready.
"Alright!" Mei-chan clapped her hands with dramatic flair. "Welcome to Round Two—Make Shin Laugh! Each contestant gets five minutes to perform something—anything—to make Akashi-kun laugh. First up, Round Two: Serious Face Mimic!"
Round 2: Serious Face Mimic
She pointed at Yuki with flair. "Hikari Yuki, you're first! Your time starts—NOW!"
Yuki swallowed hard. He looked at Shin, then at the crowd. Then back at Shin.
The pressure was immense.
He took a breath… then slowly walked toward Shin, his expression tightening.
He straightened his posture.
Narrowed his eyes.
Pressed his lips into a flat, judgmental line.
Folded his arms across his chest.
And tilted his head slightly forward.
He was… mimicking Shin's infamous resting serious face.
The crowd was silent.
Then—then—
A tiny twitch appeared at the corner of Shin's mouth.
And then—
"Pffft—!" Shin burst out laughing.
It started with a chuckle, then turned into full-blown laughter. His body shook as he tried to suppress it, but the absurdity of seeing Yuki's tiny, pouty frame try to copy his intense stare was just too much.
Mei-chan blew the whistle.
"Point to Yuki!"
The crowd cheered.
Yuki blinked, stunned. "Eh?! I got a point?!"
Shin was still laughing. "You looked like a grumpy kitten pretending to be a tiger!"
Yuki's cheeks flared red. "I wasn't trying to be cute!"
"You failed," Shin grinned, wiping a tear. "But it was hilarious."
Aiko crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks. "No fair… he's too cute when he fails."
Mei-chan giggled. "Alright! Next—Tanaka Aiko! Same challenge. Five minutes. Go!"
Aiko stepped up confidently, cracking her neck like a martial artist preparing for combat.
She looked down at Shin, then locked eyes with him.
With exaggerated slowness, she furrowed her brow.
Pulled her lips into a tight line.
Lowered her voice and muttered, "Don't be late, Mei-chan."
The room went silent.
Shin tilted his head.
Aiko's eye twitched. She straightened up.
Then tried again.
This time, she raised one eyebrow—far too dramatically.
And then, she tried adding a tiny smirk to mimic Shin's "teasing but mysterious" look.
But instead of looking intense, she just looked like a confused villain from a soap opera.
Shin blinked.
Crickets.
Aiko started to sweat. She added a dramatic "Hmph."
Nothing.
The whistle blew.
"No point!" Mei-chan called out. "But... nice effort?"
Aiko stomped back to her spot. "Ugh! Why does he laugh at him doing nothing but stare?!"
Shin shrugged. "It's the kitten energy."
Yuki puffed his cheeks. "I'm not a kitten!"
Everyone laughed.
---
Round 3: Pun War!
Mei-chan dramatically raised both hands. "Alright, everyone! It's time for the ultimate battle of the brain cells and bad wordplay—Round Three: Pun War!"
The crowd roared.
Shin blinked. "Oh no."
"Each contestant gets five minutes," Mei-chan announced. "One-liner puns only! Best laughs win. Yuki—you're up!"
Yuki stepped forward. His face was pink, his fists clenched.
"This is so stupid," he mumbled. "I'm not funny..."
"You've got this!" someone shouted from the crowd—probably Mei-chan.
Yuki cleared his throat, looked at Shin—and fired the first pun.
"I couldn't figure out why the baseball kept getting bigger… then it hit me."
Shin blinked.
Then… a chuckle. "Pfft."
Yuki lit up. Encouraged, he continued:
"Why don't eggs tell jokes? They'd crack each other up."
Shin smiled wider.
"Did you hear about the cheese factory that exploded? There was nothing left but de-brie."
Now Shin outright laughed.
"Oh god, that's so bad it's good."
Yuki looked up with trembling eyes. "You laughed?"
"Yeah. You've got the dad-joke energy."
"I'm not a dad!"
"Could've fooled me."
Mei-chan blew her whistle. "Half time! Two and a half minutes left!"
Yuki gritted his teeth. "I'm not done!"
He stood taller, pointed dramatically. "What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!"
Shin clutched his stomach. "Stop—!"
"I asked the librarian if the library had any books on paranoia. She whispered, 'They're right behind you.'"
"YUKI!" Shin wheezed, laughing so hard his eyes teared up.
Yuki smirked. "Last one: I told my friend she drew her eyebrows too high. She looked… surprised."
That did it.
Shin fell sideways off his chair.
Mei-chan blew the whistle hard. "OKAY, OKAY! POINT TO YUKI AGAIN!"
Cheers erupted.
Yuki blushed. "I didn't think puns would work…"
"They're so bad they're lethal," Shin groaned from the floor.
Yuki beamed.
Then—
"AHEM."
Tanaka Aiko stepped up like a warrior about to reclaim her honor.
Mei-chan reset the clock. "Tanaka Aiko! Five minutes! Fight with puns!"
Aiko cracked her knuckles. "Let's dance, pun-ple."
Yuki cringed. "That was already terrible."
Aiko started with flair. "I would tell a joke about pizza—but it's a little cheesy."
Shin smiled politely.
"Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was out-standing in his field!"
One chuckle.
Aiko tried again. "I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough."
Shin blinked.
"Huh."
The crowd was silent.
Yuki bit back a grin.
"I had a joke about construction—but I'm still working on it."
Shin gave a tight-lipped smile. "Okay…"
Aiko began to sweat. "I'd tell another joke about paper—but it's tear-able!"
Mei-chan blew the whistle. "Half-time!"
Aiko glared. "Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing!"
Nothing.
"…Heard that one already," Shin mumbled.
"Why can't your nose be twelve inches long? Because then it would be a foot!"
Crickets.
Desperation entered her voice. "I told my computer I needed a break, and now it won't stop sending KitKats!"
Shin actually groaned. "That one hurt me."
Yuki giggled.
Mei-chan blew the final whistle.
"No point!" she called. "Yuki wins again!"
Aiko stormed back to her corner. "Those were good!"
"Nope," Mei-chan said. "You got anti-laughs. Shin looked physically in pain."
"Only because I'm too punstoppable."
Yuki snorted. "Please stop."
Shin wiped his eyes. "Yuki's puns gave me mental damage, but in a good way. Yours just gave me damage."
The scoreboard updated.
Yuki: 3 | Aiko: 1
Mei-chan spun dramatically. "And that ends Round 3: Pun War! The scoreboard is heating up! Stay tuned for Sub-Round 3—coming up next!"
---
Round 4: Dramatic Poetry!
Mei-chan rose from her seat like a Shakespearean ghost. "Ladies and gentle-weirdos! It's time for Round Four! DRAMATIC. POETRY!"
The lights dimmed—somehow—and a random spotlight flickered to life over the performance area.
"Each contestant has five minutes," Mei-chan intoned, "to perform a piece of poetic art—original or chaotic. The only rule? It must be dramatic. Just make him emotional or laugh. Bonus points for flair, absurdity, and emotional damage."
Yuki stared ahead like a deer in high beams. "I-I have to write a poem?!"
"You can also perform it," Mei-chan offered. "Feel the drama! Channel your inner tortured soul!"
Yuki shuffled forward, clutching a crumpled paper napkin he had scribbled on.
Yuki's Turn
He took a deep breath.
Then began.
"O, vending machine of lies…"
"Why dost thou giveth me water…"
"…when I asked for milk?"
The cafeteria went silent.
"Thou cold metallic traitor…
Thou soda-spitting serpent!
I trusted thee…"
He dropped to his knees. "I trusted thee…"
Shin was already cracking up.
"I inserted thee, my coin of hope…
And thou gaveth me… sparkling water."
He looked up, eyes shimmering with betrayal. "SPARKLING!"
Shin choked on his juice.
Yuki stood dramatically, pointing at the ceiling.
"O cruel fate, that fizzeth where it should not fizz!
My tongue mourns the flavor never tasted!"
Mei-chan dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "Beautiful…"
Yuki bowed, napkin fluttering.
The room erupted.
"Ten out of ten!" someone yelled.
Even Aiko clapped—begrudgingly.
Shin wiped his eyes. "That was… stupidly amazing."
Yuki grinned, proud and red-faced.
Mei-chan twirled. "AND NOW! Tanaka Aiko! Your turn!"
Aiko's Turn
Aiko stepped forward, flipping a black scarf over her shoulder that hadn't been there before. Her expression was grim. Deadly. Full of purpose.
She opened a small leather notebook dramatically.
"O Onii-sama…" she began.
Yuki froze.
"Thine voice, like thunder in my heart,
Shakes me each morn when I hear you say:
'The milk's expired again.'"
Shin turned red.
"Your toothbrush beside mine,
Your socks inside mine laundry,
Your biceps… haunt me."
Yuki made a choking sound.
Aiko twirled once, scarf fluttering.
"O muscular beast, my brother divine,
Why must you flex when reaching for cereal?"
Shin buried his face in his arms. He was dying.
"Do you not know the torment I bear?
When your shirt is off and I am THERE?"
Yuki fainted in spirit.
Aiko lifted her hands to the heavens.
"Even so, I stand before thee not as sister…
But as a poet.
A tragic protagonist… denied."
Mei-chan dropped her clipboard in awe.
Shin could not breathe.
"STOP—OH MY GOD—"
The crowd lost it.
Aiko closed her notebook with a snap. "Thank you. That was called: 'Forbidden Flex.'"
Yuki whispered, traumatized, "What… the hell… was that?"
Mei-chan clapped wildly. "AND THAT'S A POINT TO BOTH OF YOU! That performance broke the fourth wall AND Shin's lungs!"
Scoreboard: Yuki – 4 | Aiko – 2
Shin was still wheezing. "She actually made a poem about… cereal."
Mei-chan wiped her eyes. "Art. Just art."
Aiko bowed. "I have many more. Would you like to hear—?"
"NO," Shin and Yuki said at the same time.
Mei-chan clapped. "And that concludes Round 4! We have our first tie! What's next? We won't tell you. Because suspense."
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END OF CHAPTER : 15 : ROUND 2 - MAKE SHIN LAUGH : PART : 2 : PART : 1
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A/N: Thank You "_elensar_", for being the first reader and for your powerstone. I appreciate it. Check out my other novels.
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