By Zephyria “Wow, I thought I was going to starve to death.”
Ashley said in an exaggeratedly loud voice and picked up the hamburger and put it in his mouth first. It was a double patty burger with two slices of cheese. The amount of food he ordered was enormous, but the speed at which he ate it was also terrifying.
Ashley ate one hamburger in just three bites and then started eating the sandwich. Then he ate another double patty burger and cut a pancake soaked in maple syrup and put it in his mouth. Meanwhile, Koi sipped his glass of Coke without ice little by little.
“Are you really going to be okay with just that?”
Ashley, who had emptied three bottles of sparkling water and ordered a fourth, asked. Koi nodded and pretended to take a very small sip from his Coke cup as if to show him. Ashley tilted his head at the sight.
“It’s weird to drink Coke without ice.”
That way I can drink a lot.
Green Bell didn’t refill drinks. Because of that, Koi had to drink one glass of Coke for a very long time. With Ashley Miller eating to the point of bursting in front of him.
“You’re the one who’s amazing for being able to eat so much.”
“I do very intense exercise, every day.”
Ashley, who had cut a large piece of steak and put it in his mouth as if to show off, added, trying not to let him see that he was envious.
“And I’m also in my growth spurt.”
“You’re still growing? From there?”Ashley asked, feigning nonchalance, when Koi looked at him in astonishment.
“I grew four centimeters last month.”
“…How tall are you now?”
Koi asked, even though he was afraid. Ashley answered with an utterly calm face.
“192.”
He barely managed to stop himself from yelling at him to stop eating right now. He knew that all these emotions stemmed from jealousy and envy, which was why he could suppress the urge to get angry, asking if he was going to become a basketball player, if his goal was two meters, and why he wasn’t aiming for the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Ice hockey involves a lot of physical contact, so the bigger you are, the better.”
Koi inwardly retorted to Ashley, who was giving him a refreshing smile. You’re already big enough, he thought.
He’s the biggest one on the ice hockey team.
If he said that, Ashley would simply brush it off, saying it’s because he’s the captain. Koi didn’t want to argue with him anymore. From Koi’s perspective, it might be an argument, but to Ashley, it would be nothing more than kicking a soccer ball rolling on the ground.
“Are you thinking of going pro?”
As soon as he said it, he realized it sounded like the words of a pathetic loser consumed by inferiority. He couldn’t help it; that was the truth. But Ashley Miller, who seemed to have never had even the faintest shadow cast on his life, once again answered cheerfully.
“No, I should only do sports until high school.”
His answer was strangely realistic, which made Koi feel odd. As Koi inadvertently stared at him, Ashley said, cutting a large piece of his half-eaten pancake,
“It’s not like I have the kind of amazing talent to become a professional player.”
“No way.”
Koi couldn’t help but deny the unexpected words coming from the guy he thought was the ultimate narcissist. Then, Ashley gave him the same refreshing smile he had been showing for the past couple of hours.
“Thanks.”
Ashley, who had simply complimented him, added,
“There’s a high chance I’ll inherit Father’s work, so I’ll probably go to college that way too.”
He muttered to himself in a calm voice as if he were talking about the weather, but Koi couldn’t just let it pass.
“Father’s work? Does he run a business or something?”
He had only vaguely assumed that Ashley’s family was quite wealthy, judging by the car he drove, so his curiosity grew. Amused by Koi’s sparkling eyes, Ashley narrowed his eyes and replied,
“He protects the assets of the rich from the poor.”
Is this a quiz?
Unable to grasp what he meant, Koi said the first thing that came to mind.
“Is he a demon?”
“Oh.”
Koi thought he would laugh, but unexpectedly, Ashley looked surprised.
“Close. He’s a lawyer.”
“Ah…”
Only then did Koi realize that Ashley’s words weren’t far off. If he’s that rich, he must be a pretty famous lawyer, right? As if reading Koi’s thoughts, Ashley added,
“It’s a pretty famous law firm on the East Coast. If you say ‘Miller the lawyer,’ everyone immediately thinks of my Father.”
Even as he said such impressive things, he showed no signs of pride or boasting. He spoke casually in the same tone as always and conspicuously drank his sparkling water.
“Then you’ll go to the East Coast after you graduate? Will you go to college there too?”
“Probably.”
Judging from the flow of the conversation, it seemed like he would go to the same college his Father went to. Koi hesitated, wondering if he should ask this, and then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Then why are you here? Is your whole family here?”
Is only his Father on the East Coast? Maybe he comes here during vacations.
To Koi, who was making various guesses, Ashley readily replied,
“I’m the only one here. My parents are on the East Coast.”
“You’re alone? Why?”
Koi, who had asked without thinking, reflexively shut his mouth at Ashley’s expression. Because Ashley answered everything so readily, he had crossed the line too much. They weren’t even that close, yet he had asked too much about his personal life. As he looked at him apologetically, Ashley soon said in the same tone as before,
“I wanted to live alone.”
“Wow, me too. That’s great.”
Isn’t that the life every teenager dreams of? A nice car, a comfortable life, and a house all to himself. This guy really has everything. As he admired him without realizing it, Ashley chuckled. Koi paused again at his somewhat self-deprecating, bitter smile.
“Still, being alone is lonely, isn’t it? Isn’t cleaning a pain? And laundry too.”
He hurriedly stammered, but the answer he received this time was also different from what he expected.
“Well, it’s not like I do it… A company comes every weekend. I mean, I can live like a human being.”
…What did I just hear?
Koi was completely dumbfounded. He felt like his brain was overloaded from hearing so many otherworldly stories. He wanted to ask if his house was that big, but he barely managed to stop himself. He had already asked too many questions. He had crossed the line too much. Ashley Miller and he weren’t even that close.
He inwardly scolded himself, but Koi was momentarily flustered by the awkward silence that followed. Ashley was nonchalantly finishing his meal, but Koi couldn’t stand this silence.
I need to find something to say, quickly, quickly.
“Oh, um, by the way, your team doesn’t have anyone who’s manifested yet, right?”
Recalling that one of his classmates had recently manifested as an omega, he hurriedly asked, and Ashley readily nodded.
“Well, most people don’t manifest.”
Statistically, the probability of becoming an alpha or omega is very low. Koi also believed that he would live and die as a beta his whole life.
If this guy manifests, he’ll definitely become an alpha.
Ashley Miller as an alpha would also suit him quite well. He’s already spreading pheromones wherever he goes, so it wouldn’t be much different from now.
“Isn’t it hard to do sports if you manifest?”
“Most people quit. It’s completely impossible to go pro.”
In the case of alphas and omegas, there are several restrictions due to their heat cycles, one of which is that they can’t become athletes. This was because if they went into heat during the season, they wouldn’t be able to play properly and would affect the team. Individual sports could be adjusted by skipping the season, but team sports were a different story. There were cases where athletes took suppressants to get through the season, but this severely reduced their condition and was considered to put a serious strain on their bodies. As a result, professional teams didn’t recruit anyone who wasn’t a beta or gamma without heat cycles. No team owner would take the risk in a game where hundreds of millions of dollars were at stake.
“Have you ever had a manifestation prediction test?”
Ashley shook his head at Koi’s question.
“No, have you?”
“I haven’t.”
Koi answered honestly.
“What’s the point, I’ll probably be a beta anyway.”
“Me too.”
Koi felt like Ashley had brushed off the topic casually. Maybe he didn’t like this kind of topic very much.
As he looked around for the next topic, he noticed the clock on the wall. It was already almost 9 o’clock. The restaurant would be closing soon. Koi, belatedly realizing this, realized that he had gotten too excited in front of a celebrity at school.
We met because of the assignment, get a grip!
Koi, severely scolding himself, hurriedly got to the point.
“Um, so, how about we organize it like this? We’ll each do our own research and exchange it by email. We’ll divide up the organization and then meet next time to divide up the table of contents and chapters. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.”
After finishing his sentence, he picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. The plates that had filled the table were now completely empty.
“Then we’re done talking, right? Can I go back now?”