By Zephyria What was that just now?
Koi curled up in his narrow bed, deep in thought. He had judged the fluctuating feelings to be due to puberty at the time, but after returning home and regaining his senses, it felt strange.
If it’s puberty, shouldn’t it be like that all the time?
Koi fell into serious contemplation. He had experienced the emotional changes of puberty that he had learned about in class at that age. However, he didn’t have the environment to express it, and as he endured and ignored it, it simply flowed by. He could have thought that it was now surfacing, but then another question remained.
Why does it only happen when I’m with Ash?
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find the answer. Moreover, the emotions of puberty are supposed to involve extreme swings between anger, joy, and other feelings, but the only emotion he felt was joy. And that was only towards Ash.
Strange. Why is this happening?
Koi turned over with a serious expression. Even now, just thinking of Ashley made him aware that his ears were twitching. Koi hurriedly grabbed his ears, which were flapping busily. This is the problem, this is. He knew that Ashley occasionally stared intently at his ears. Whenever that happened, his ears were always moving, and by the time he belatedly realized it, Ashley had already smiled.
Ash wouldn’t tease me about something like that, though.
Koi felt his face flush and held both ears tightly.
Still, it’s embarrassing.
After blurting out that he liked Ashley so well, he was now so embarrassed. It wasn’t just the act of moving his ears that was embarrassing. It was the fact that his ears were reacting so enthusiastically to Ashley that was embarrassing.
Why all of a sudden?
He himself thought it was strange, but he couldn’t find the cause. Puberty that only reacts to one person, he had never heard of it. There were many cases where people rebelled against their parents or took out their anger on their families, but again, Koi’s case didn’t fit.
Is it because he’s a friend?
Koi grabbed his ears and fell into thought. Isn’t everyone this happy and joyful when they’re with their friends? Come to think of it, Ash also laughed frequently when he was with the ice hockey team guys.
I see, it’s natural because he’s a friend.
As soon as he came to that conclusion, another question arose.
But do friends’ hearts also race like this?
He tried to remember if Ashley or the other guys had ever shown reactions like blushing or being shy with each other. Nothing came to mind.
Am I the only one like this?
The question returned to square one. Why? What’s the problem? Why does my heart beat so fast and I feel so happy whenever I see Ash?
From the time he started becoming close to Ashley, Koi had been restless with joy whenever he saw him. It was so obvious that Ashley had even laughed and asked him several times if he liked him that much. Even if his ears hadn’t moved, he would have known for sure. Koi had always expressed his joy with his whole body.
Each time, Koi had answered without hesitation that he did. There was nothing to be shy about. He wasn’t embarrassed either. He had said so confidently that he liked him, so why did his heart pound and his breath quicken just thinking about those words now?
If Ashley asked him again now if he liked him, Koi didn’t think he could answer the same way he used to. Just imagining it made his heart race and his whole body tingle.
Ugh! He screamed inwardly and curled up as much as he could, when Ashley’s face suddenly came vividly to life in his mind.
Koi.
I like you.
His face flushed and his skin tingled. In his memory, he had already returned to the scene from earlier.
The two were facing each other at the snack bar. Ashley’s clear silver-blue eyes were fixed on Koi. Koi held his breath and waited for him to speak. Ashley, who had gently stroked Koi’s cheek, whispered with lips that smiled in a soft line.
Let’s date.
“He didn’t say those words!”
Koi screamed and pounded the bed. At the same time, he hurriedly stopped his hand at the loud noise made by the cheap frame under the thin mattress and rubbed the spot he had hit.
Strange, too strange.
Even if it was his first time making a friend, he could tell. This was too strange of a feeling. Is it okay to have these feelings for friends? Besides, dating, what’s that? That’s something you say to someone who’s going to be your girlfriend.
“We’re both guys.”
Koi said out loud. His heart, which had been pounding so much, gradually slowed down. His own voice pulled him back to reality. That’s right, and. Koi muttered softly.
“Ash has someone he likes.”
He took the strength out of his shoulders and laid his head on the mattress. The loud pounding was gone without a trace, and his mood sank. Koi kept thinking.
Once he confesses to that girl, he won’t have time to play with me anymore.
Thinking that made him feel so lonely. Suddenly, Ashley’s appearance with Ariel came to mind.
What was the real reason I ran away so frantically back then?
He had returned to square one, but his heart was heavier. Koi, who had turned to the other side, fell into thought again. He was experiencing all sorts of emotions, happy and sad on his own, but no answer came out. What was certain was that Ashley was the cause of all this.
If this isn’t the feeling you get between friends, then what is it?
He had no idea what his heart was. But there was no one to consult about this. His first and only friend was Ashley, but he couldn’t consult him.
What if he hates me, saying I’m disgusting?
If this wasn’t a normal feeling, he might despise Koi. Koi absolutely wanted to avoid him hating him. But in order to do that, he had to know the cause.
For someone like Koi, who had no other friends and no suitable adults around to consult, there was a very good system that could be used in times like this. Koi jumped up and took out his cell phone.
On the site that students mainly used for assignments, all sorts of questions asking for answers were posted. There were also many miscellaneous worries, such as parents’ divorce or problems with the opposite sex. It was the most necessary space for Koi right now.
As soon as he entered the site, he paused for a moment before posting a question. What should he write?
Hello. My name is Corner Niles and I go to Buffalo High School.
Koi, who had written that far, was startled and hurriedly erased what he had written. Crazy, crazy! He might as well go to the playground and make a billboard advertising that Corner Niles’ heart beats so fast whenever he sees Ashley Miller that he’s going crazy, what should he do!
It’s a good thing I don’t have any money.
Koi thought, stroking his still-fluttering heart. If he had had money, he might have really done something crazy like that. He was grateful for the first time that he was a pauper.
“Hoo.”
After taking a deep breath, he began to carefully write the question again. Somehow, it was much more difficult than writing the numerous assignments or essays he had worked so hard on until now. How could it be so difficult to just leave a question on the bulletin board? Koi was finally able to complete the post only after revising it several times, reading it out loud, and revising it again.
I’m a male high school student. I recently made a friend, and he’s a really cool kid. He’s always kind and very nice to me. He’s the captain of the ice hockey team and incredibly handsome. He’s the most popular kid in school, but he doesn’t act conceited. He’s also smart, so he takes all AP classes. He also got a perfect score on the college entrance exam.
I really like him. But lately, strangely, my heart beats and my face flushes whenever I see him. I don’t think it’s puberty, so why am I like this? Can you have these reactions to just a friend? It’s my first time making a friend, so I don’t know. Is there anyone who can tell me?
Let’s take out the part about being the captain of the ice hockey team.
It was when Koi, who had read the post out loud, touched the screen to make corrections.
[Registered]
“Uh, uh?”Koi’s eyes widened in surprise. Oh no! As soon as he realized the reality, he shrieked.
“De, delete, no, sa, erase.”
Koi frantically looked around for the button. He hurriedly pressed the delete button and entered the password, but.
[Incorrect Password]
“Wh, what?”
Flustered, he slowly pressed the numbers and letters alternately this time. His fingers trembled, and he became breathless.
[Incorrect Password]
“Aaaagh!”
Eventually, Koi grabbed his head and screamed. What do I do, what do I do! While he was pressing the passwords that kept popping into his head with a tearful face, the number of views kept increasing.