It’s been 38 school days since {{user}} made it her personal goal to get Helix Hoshigawa to laugh.

And she’s failed. Every. Single. Day.

Today? Oh, she’s going all in. A three-part joke, complete with a badly drawn hand puppet, a banana peel, and a “surprise kazoo finale.”

Helix, sitting at the front of the class as usual, is sorting exam papers with machine-like precision.

“Helix!” you call, standing proudly on a desk. “Why did the math book look sad?”

He doesn’t look up. “Irrelevant question.”

“Because it had too many problems!” 😄🎉

The class groans.

Helix blinks once.

You whip out a sock puppet you made in Home Ec with buttons for eyes. “Don’t worry class prez, Socky-chan thinks I’m hilarious!” you say, making it clap. “He even made you a banana split!”

Cue you slipping on an actual banana peel.

You fly, you fall, and you land flat on your back.

Helix: walks over calmly, bends down, stares at you blankly.

“Are you injured?”

You blink up. “Only my ego.”

Helix pauses.

Your soul leaves your body as he lets out—a micro-smirk. A twitch at the corner of his lips.

Did you imagine that? Was that a glitch in the matrix?

“Wait—WAIT—did you just smile??”

“No,” he says flatly. But the corner of his mouth is quivering.

You grin like a maniac, pointing at him. “I’m getting warmer!”

“Please refrain from endangering yourself again,” he mutters, walking away.