By Zephyria 
“Koi!”
“Bill!”
The two met in the hotel room and embraced each other the moment they saw each other’s faces. The warmth of their bodies and the solidness of their arms brought a powerful sense of reality. Bill seemed to feel the same, holding Koi tightly and shaking him with a loud, booming laugh.
“How long has it been? How have you been? You look a bit thinner, huh?”
“I’m fine. More importantly, what happened? Weren’t you in the middle of training?”
Koi finally pulled away and asked. Bill gave a wry smile and held up one arm.
“I got a little injured. It’s not serious, but they said I should rest from training for about two weeks.”
“How did that happen?”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing major.”
Koi, who had just noticed the bandage around his wrist, was startled. Bill waved his hand with a smile. After sharing the tea and dessert Bill had ordered, they briefly exchanged updates on their lives before getting to the main topic.
“So, you’re on vacation? All the way here?” Koi asked.
Bill replied with an ambiguous expression.
“Well, that’s part of it, but there’s another reason too.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Koi asked again, but Bill casually changed the subject.
“How about you? Did you meet Ash? That guy, he’s got quite a reputation as a lawyer here?”
Bill held up his index and middle fingers on both hands to form a V, emphasizing the word ‘reputation’ and flicking his fingers lightly. Koi felt awkward and scratched the back of his head.
“I don’t really know about that… I did meet him.”
He hesitated, then stammered out an explanation, compressing everything that had happened to the friend who had always supported him, along with Ariel. Bill, who had been listening with an intrigued expression, gradually grew serious, his jaw dropping in surprise at the end.
“You proposed? Suddenly?”
“Yeah.”
Koi, embarrassed by Bill’s shocked expression, which was more so than Ash’s, averted his gaze.
“If Ash keeps backing away, what else can I do? I had to push it.”
“No, I mean, you’re right, but…”
Bill looked at his friend, feeling both bewildered and proud. He hadn’t realized Koi, whom he always thought of as timid and easily intimidated, had this side to him. His chest swelled, and he clapped Koi heartily on the back, exaggerating the gesture.
“Hey, you did great. Really great. That’s amazing, Koi. That’s how a man should be. Ash that bastard isn’t a man at all, just backing away when you push? What’s the point of having a big one if he’s like that? If he’s going to be like that, tell him to just cut it off, is that being a man?”
No, that would be a bit problematic… Koi thought to himself. I need Ash’s ‘thing’ too. Cutting it off would be difficult.
“Anyway,” Koi said, quickly changing the subject, “Since I came out, we have to see how Ash will react.”
Bill nodded in agreement, then furrowed his brow.
“But what is Ash’s game? Does he really love you?”
“I think he meant it,” Koi said with conviction, but then his shoulders slumped, his energy draining. “But I have no idea what he’s thinking. Nothing adds up.”
He couldn’t back down, though. Koi had given up on Ash once before. He had resolved not to do so again and had come this far. His only remaining option was to move forward.
“We’ll just have to wait and see how Ash reacts. If I don’t hear from him in about a week, I plan to go find him, at his office or wherever.” He paused. “This time, I’m going to buy a ring and propose properly.”
Bill’s eyes and mouth widened in an “O.”
“Your execution is incredible. I mean, you’ve worked for 10 years to get this far.”
“Yeah, if Ash says he doesn’t love me anymore, then there’s nothing I can do, but since he says his love is genuine, there’s no reason to give up.”
Seeing Koi speak with such conviction, Bill nodded.
“You’re right. Anyway, remember that Ariel and I are always on your side.”
“Thanks, that means a lot.” Koi replied sincerely. He wouldn’t have had the strength to come this far without Ariel and Bill. Even now, Bill’s timely appearance had helped him steady his wavering heart.
I won’t make any mistakes this time.
Reinforcing his resolve, he changed the subject.
“I’ve told you everything about me. Now tell me about you. Why are you here? Is there a reason?”
He realized belatedly that he had forgotten to mention his transformation, but he had missed the chance to bring it up. He also felt he should tell Ash first, so Koi waited for Bill to speak. Bill scratched his short hair with a brief “Uh,” then hesitated before opening his mouth.
“Um, you… you met Ariel, right? How is Ariel doing these days? I mean… is she seeing anyone?”
“Huh?”
Seeing Bill’s slightly flushed cheeks, Koi suddenly understood everything, as if struck by revelation.
“No way, you?”
Bill, startled, covered his face with his hands, unbefitting his large frame, and bowed his head.
“What do I do? I really can’t live without Ariel.”
Koi’s jaw dropped, and he stared at Bill blankly. He thought things were completely over between Ariel and Bill when Ariel moved to the East Coast, but was that not the case?
Koi quickly took a gulp of water, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.
“Tell me, everything.”
***
“Huuu.”
Back home, Koi let out a long sigh. Alone, the silence settled in, and his mind calmed.
So much happened today.*
After a quick shower, he lay in bed and calmly reviewed the incredibly long day. It was truly surprising that Bill had come all this way to rekindle his relationship with Ariel. He had been overjoyed to hear that she had recently broken up with her boyfriend and was single, but it seemed he couldn’t approach her easily. Having come all this way, Bill wanted to rebuild their relationship carefully. Of course, Koi declared neutrality, as both their opinions were important. If Ariel didn’t want it, he couldn’t force it.
“Of course, I understand, Koi. Just telling me how Ariel is doing is enough,” Bill had said with a smile. “It’s probably not good news for Ariel that you mentioned she broke up.”
That’s true. Koi nodded absently. In any case, it was like he had blabbed about Ariel’s private life, so he honestly had to confess and apologize. He also felt it would be fair to let her know Bill was here, but he couldn’t interfere with his plans, let alone refuse to support him. Because of that, he promised to apologize after Bill met Ariel. Bill’s vacation was two weeks, so it wouldn’t take too long.
I’m sorry, Ariel.
Apologizing with a sense of guilt, Koi closed his eyes. Immediately, Ash’s face appeared in his mind, and his chest felt heavy. It had been better when he was with Bill, but now that he was alone, he quickly became depressed. Ash’s every word replayed in his mind, and his last words echoed.
“You’ll know soon.”
What on earth are you thinking, Ash?
“You ruined my plan, completely.”
As he drifted off to sleep, Koi vaguely recalled Ash’s words from when they last met.
Come to think of it, what was that plan…?
But the thought was buried again beneath his consciousness, and he had completely forgotten it by the time he woke up.
“Agh…”
Suddenly, a sharp pain in a corner of his abdomen made Koi wince and let out a small groan. The pain, which had started a few days ago as an irregular stabbing sensation, would appear suddenly and then subside, repeating this pattern several times.
Am I not feeling well…?
Koi paused his digging in the garden and straightened his back. Gardening was hard work, but the daily wage was decent. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Suddenly, he felt his waist vibrate and pulled out his phone, surprised. The owner of the number he had saved just in case was contacting him; something must have happened.
“Ah, yes.”
He quickly answered the call, and a familiar dry voice came from the other end.
—Corner Niles? I am…
“Miss Burness, did something happen to Ash?” Koi asked urgently before she could finish. He still had two days left before the week he had promised himself. As a premonition of something bad made his vision go dark for a moment, Burness replied briefly, “No.”
—Something has happened, but it’s not with Junior.
“What? What do you mean…?”
As he asked, bewildered, she continued.
—Mr. Dominique Miller has passed away. I’m letting you know in advance since it will be in the news anyway.
“…What?”
Koi was stunned and could only manage that one word.