By Zephyria Instead of asking questions, Ashley picked up the plastic bag that Koi had packed and inadvertently opened his mouth at the sight of the textbook.
“Are you taking the college entrance exam?”
“Ah, yeah. Next week.”
Koi nodded and asked.
“Did you take it?”
I can answer this much. Everyone knows it.
“Yeah.”
“I see. That’s nice. I’m so nervous.”
Seeing him take a deep breath and stroke his chest, Ashley said.
“You can take it again if you don’t get good grades.”
Then I’ll have to pay again.
Koi swallowed the words that had come to the tip of his tongue and gave an awkward smile.
“You got good grades, right?”
“Well, so-so.”
Koi asked him, vaguely glossing over it.
“Can I ask what your score was?”
Ashley said casually.
“It’s a common score.”
“So, what was it?”
Koi asked persistently. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to know his score, but that he wanted to talk a little more. Ashley rubbed the back of his neck and said.
“Perfect score.”
“What…!”
Koi raised his voice without realizing it and widened his eyes. Ashley couldn’t help but laugh, as his already large eyes looked like they were about to pop out.
“Unless you make a big mistake, it’s easy to get a high score.”
“That’s, true, but.”
It wasn’t uncommon for kids taking the same AP classes. Still, it was a huge deal for Koi, who had the exam right in front of him.
“I’m jealous. I need to do well too.”
“You’ll do even better.”
Ashley comforted him. Koi tilted his head and asked.
“How can you do better than a perfect score?”
He wasn’t being sarcastic, he was genuinely curious. If someone else had said that, he would have snorted, but when Ashley said it, it felt like there was really something to it. Of course, Ashley was just a high school student of the same age as him, so there was nothing particularly different. Ashley avoided giving an answer.
“Well, I’ll be going.”
“Ah, wait! Ash!”
Koi hurriedly called out to him and rushed out from behind the counter. Ashley waited, wondering what was going on, and Koi held out the ugly doll from earlier with a bright face.
“You have to take this with you.”
His face didn’t even imagine that Ashley wouldn’t have brought it out on purpose. Ashley looked back and forth between the doll and Koi’s face, and reluctantly accepted it.
“…Thanks.”
“Yeah!”
Koi was overjoyed. Ashley could clearly see that his ears were twitching incessantly.
“Well, I’ll be going. Good luck.”
“Yeah, bye. See you again.”
When Ashley greeted him again, Koi stood inside the counter and waved his hand enthusiastically. Last time, the owner had scolded him for leaving the counter unattended, so since then, he had no choice but to see Ashley off while standing there. Ashley opened the store door, leaving behind Koi, who was leaning his upper body over the counter and waving his arms with all his might.
“Cough, cough.”
Suddenly, a rough cough erupted. Ashley, who was coughing with his shoulders shaking, raised one hand to show Koi, who was staring at him with wide eyes, that he was okay, and headed to his parked car.
He threw the plastic bag that Koi had packed onto the passenger seat carelessly, looked down at the doll he was holding in his other hand, and sighed.
Ashley moved again, opened the back door of the car, and, as always, placed the ugly doll that had stubbornly grown in number on the back seat. He fastened the seat belts together with the other ugly dolls.
*
Koi watched the departing Cayenne from inside the store. Whenever Ashley visited, he always felt a sense of pride, happiness, and loneliness at the same time, but the feeling he felt today was a little different.
Is he not feeling well…?
He remembered when Ashley had a cold and was sick for several days when they were working on a team project. Ashley might be weaker than he looks. Some people are just more prone to catching colds. Come to think of it, his cheeks seemed flushed today. Koi fell into serious thought with a serious face.
*
“Cough, cough.”
It’s a cold. Ashley recalled, coughing with a fever. He had always prided himself on being healthy, but colds were an exception. The respiratory illness he had suffered from since he was a child had decreased in frequency, but there was never a year that passed without it. Moreover, this year was already the second time he had such a bad cold.
Haa, haa.
He reached out to the side table with rough breaths. He poured water from the pot and drank it, but it was difficult to swallow because of the sore throat. He had no choice but to barely wet his lips and put the cup back down, then curled up like a cocoon and lay down.
It’ll get better in a few days. It would get better faster if he took medicine, but he didn’t have the strength to go look for it. The employee who did the housework had gone on vacation, of all times. She had prepared food for him to eat for a few days, but it was useless at this moment. He couldn’t even swallow his saliva right now.
Haaa…
It was when he was about to close his eyelids in a feverish and hazy consciousness.
♪♪♬♩♩♪…
He faintly heard a familiar sound. It was only after a while that he realized it was his cell phone ringing.
The sound gradually became clearer. Ashley barely lifted his eyelids and looked up at the side table where his cell phone was. He wanted to just ignore it, but it was too noisy. He had no choice but to take his arm out of the cozy blanket and grab his cell phone.
“…Hello.”With a voice completely hoarse, Ashley barely managed to answer, and from the other end, he heard a surprised intake of breath.
- Ash, are you not feeling well?
It took Ashley a moment longer to realize who was asking so quickly. He blinked his half-open eyes and whispered,
“…Koi?”
- Yeah, it’s me! Ashley, what’s wrong with your voice? Do you have a cold again? Are you in a lot of pain?
Koi rattled off the words as if he had been waiting for this. In contrast, Ashley couldn’t answer. His mind was blank, and no words came to mind.
“…I’m okay.”
He managed to say just that one word after a long while, but the rough cough that followed probably didn’t inspire much confidence. Sure enough, Koi asked with a worried voice from the other end of the phone.
- Really? You’re coughing so much! You’re actually sick, aren’t you? Are you in a lot of pain? What should I do? Did you take medicine? What about food?
There were many questions, but Ashley only managed one word again.
“I’ll get better soon.”
- But you’re in pain until then!
Koi retorted sharply and then suddenly went silent. The sound of his breathing, which sounded like he was contemplating something, somehow felt like a lullaby to Ashley. Just as he was about to close his eyes and fall back asleep, Koi suddenly said,
- Hey Ash, can I come over to your place for a bit? I just want to see how you’re doing.
What was he talking about?
Ashley’s head wasn’t working properly, and he didn’t grasp the meaning. He was just listening blankly when Koi continued,
- You said you live alone, right? You probably haven’t taken any medicine or eaten anything, have you? …Or maybe, is someone there with you right now?
The last words followed cautiously, without confidence. Ashley still didn’t understand what he was saying and only reacted to the last part.
“No, I’m alone.”
- Then I’m coming over.
Koi declared in an uncharacteristically firm tone. Ashley’s mind cleared a little at that firmness.
“…What?”
Ashley asked, still breathing heavily, and Koi replied,
- It’s harder to be alone when you’re sick. I’ll just give you medicine and leave quickly so I don’t bother you. …Can I come over?
Koi added the last words after a pause this time as well. Ashley’s mind was too blank to think of anything, so he barely managed to mutter,
“Do as you please.”
- Okay!
Koi shouted as soon as he got permission. Ashley belatedly grabbed him, thinking he was about to hang up right away, “Wait a minute.”
“You can’t come in anyway.”
To enter the premises, several procedures were required, such as the security guard checking identification or the owner of the mansion being visited confirming the visit. Ashley was in no condition to do any of that. As if sensing Ashley’s thoughts, Koi said firmly,
- It’s okay, I can get there. If it’s the house you showed me before.
Ashley reacted to the last part again.
“That’s right.”
- Okay. So, it’s okay for me to come, right?
Koi asked one more time. But Ashley had already fallen asleep as if he had fainted.
*
It was a cold after all.
Koi thought, looking down at the disconnected phone. He had called Ashley because he had a bad feeling about him not coming to the store for several days, and his hunch was right.
What if it gets worse?
Koi was also in the same situation, with no one to take care of him. That’s why he knew so well how lonely it got when you were sick.
Tomorrow is the day of the college entrance exam.
It was a very important day for Koi, but he couldn’t just leave Ashley alone. He wanted to help him in any way he could, and this might be an opportunity. Wouldn’t it be okay just to get him some medicine and something to eat? It wouldn’t take long either.