By Zephyria His face refused to cool down even while he was working his part-time job. Koi realized for the first time how embarrassing it was to buy condoms. Of course, he’d never had the opportunity to buy them before, so it was only natural.
Ash has probably had a lot of experience with this, right?
“Ah.”
Having thought that far, Koi belatedly realized something.
Wouldn’t Ash already have condoms?
“Of course!”
He shouted without realizing it and tore at his hair. Ashley had had several girlfriends before Koi. Of course he’d have experience, and if that was the case, condoms were an essential tool. There was no way someone as considerate as Ashley would do anything without condoms in the first place.
“No, but a man should be the one to prepare first.”
Koi repeated the advice Mr. Ferguson had given him when he bought the condoms. What if Ash didn’t have any condoms? You know, there’s always that jinx where you don’t have them when you really need them.
And wouldn’t it be a little weird to use condoms he bought to use with other girls with me?
A glimmer of hope appeared. But the next moment, he frowned and muttered, “But wouldn’t that be better than being embarrassed?”
Ugh, he screamed again and clutched his head. No matter what excuse he made, it was still a stupid thing to do. It was a good thing he went to the next town over; if he’d bought them here as he’d originally planned…
The CCTV camera was pointed directly at the checkout counter, so it would have shown exactly what Koi was paying for. He’d almost bought them at the store where he worked, but he’d changed his mind and gotten up early to go to the next town over, and he was really glad he had.
That was a decision he wanted to pat himself on the back for.
Anyway, it can’t hurt to be prepared.Koi consoled himself, his hand reaching into his pants pocket. The feel of the small, bulging box made his face flush and his heart pound once more.
*This is it. I’m finally doing it.*
He couldn’t calm down at the thought. He fidgeted and flapped about, when suddenly his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID; it was the store owner.
“H-hello?”
He answered hastily, and a curt voice came from the other end.
“What are you doing all by yourself? You’re distracting.”
He must have been watching Koi on the CCTV. Without realizing it, Koi glanced up at the camera, then quickly looked away.
“N-nothing… just stretching. W-what’s up?”
He stammered, and the owner continued in a nonchalant tone.
“About this Thanksgiving. You’re working, right?”
“Huh?”
Koi asked back without thinking, and the owner pressed him again.
“You don’t have much else to do. Of course you’re working, right? Huh?”
He wasn’t exactly wrong. Koi always worked part-time during times like this, so it was natural for him to assume he would this time as well.
But this year was different.
“I… I have plans.”
“What? Plans?”
The owner paused at Koi’s words and asked back. Seeing the obvious bewilderment, Koi puffed out his chest and replied.
“Yes, I’ve been invited to a friend’s house.”
*Boyfriend’s house, though.*
Koi added inwardly, his face flushing on its own. He smiled unconsciously, and the owner, who had been silent for a moment, stammered.
“S-so, you’re not working that day? Really?”
“Yes, I’m taking the day off.”
The owner was silent for a while. The silence made him feel uneasy, and then he asked in a reluctant voice.
“…Even if I paid you more?”
Koi was startled by the unexpected offer. He had never received a single extra penny for working overtime, so this was a first.
“Uh…”
Koi wavered for a moment, but soon he steeled himself. Ashley was more important than money. The scales were tipped so clearly that Koi put strength into his voice and said,
“It’s okay, I’ll take the day off.”
“Haa…”
The owner let out a deep sigh, then spat out in a shrill voice.
“You’re really selfish and ungrateful.”
He cursed and hung up. Koi stared at his cell phone in dismay, then changed his mind. *Oh well. There’s something more important right now.*
He stroked the condom in his pocket once more, reassuring himself. *Just think about the good things. There are plenty of fun things to look forward to.*
*Just think about Ash.*
Just thinking of him made the corners of his mouth turn up and brought peace to his heart. He planned to tell Father in advance that he would be sleeping over at a friend’s house.
Recently, Father had become gentler than before. That wasn’t to say he was being affectionate or anything, but he drank less, and when he ran into Koi, he would ask, albeit gruffly, if he had eaten, or how his day was. Of course, Koi was still afraid of him, so he only said short replies like, “Yes,” “No,” or “I’m fine,” and kept his mouth shut, so the conversations didn’t last long. But even this was a great peace to him.
*It’s all thanks to Ash.*
Ever since he started dating him, only good things have happened. He must be a gift from God to Koi. Koi smiled broadly and checked the remaining days on his cell phone calendar.
*It’s almost here.*
He held his cell phone to his chest and took a deep breath. It was the most exciting and anticipated Thanksgiving he had ever had in his life.
Until Ashley called unexpectedly.
*
“You’re going home?”
Koi was so surprised by the sudden news that he shouted without realizing it. He heard a deep sigh from the other end of the phone.
“I’m sorry, Koi. You must have been really looking forward to it.”
“I-it’s okay.”
Koi quickly comforted him.
“You should spend Thanksgiving with your family. It’s okay, I’m fine. Really.”
“Haaa…”
Another sigh, as if boiling up from within, escaped Ashley’s lips. The thought of leaving Koi alone with that Father of his made him feel like he was going crazy. Especially since he must have been so excited.
More than anything, he was disgusted with himself for getting his hopes up first, only to call it off.
But he couldn’t go against Father. He had to face the frustration he had felt so many times since he started dating Koi.
*I’m still a minor.*
Ashley had no choice but to accept the helplessness that washed over him at the fact that he had no power or rights. If he disobeyed Father’s orders, he didn’t know what he would do. He probably removed Ashley from the team to show him that.
To flaunt his power and crush Ashley before he could even resist.
The effect was certain. Ashley had completely lost his will to resist him. On the other hand, he also thought that he should just try to appease him until graduation. Once he became an adult, he could do whatever he wanted. Even if it meant giving up college, he had to graduate high school. For Koi’s sake.
“I’m sorry, Koi.”
As he soothed his own heart, he apologized again, and Koi repeated, “It’s okay,” once more. He couldn’t forgive himself for making Koi even lonelier on a day like Thanksgiving. But what he hated most was still that man.
“Koi, it’s just for this year. Let’s be together every year from next year on.”
“…Okay.”
Koi soon replied.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“Yeah.”
Ashley nodded and changed the subject.
“You don’t have anything planned for Thanksgiving, right? You promised me.”
“Uh… yeah.”
Koi hesitated and agreed. *If I had known this would happen, I would have said I’d work part-time…* Regret washed over him belatedly, weighing heavily on his heart. Ashley, sensing the mood, asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, well…”
Koi hesitated, then answered as brightly as possible.
“The part-time job manager asked me to work on Thanksgiving, but I turned him down. It’s okay, I’ll take a break for once…”
He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, and Ashley, who had been quiet for a moment, suddenly suggested.
“Then why don’t you work at my house?”
“Huh? Your house?”
Koi asked in surprise, and Ashley continued, “Yeah.”
“There are a lot of holidays starting from Thanksgiving. People are often away. How about you work instead? It’s not that difficult, just removing debris floating on the surface of the pool or cleaning one designated room each day.”
Koi imagined cleaning the entire huge mansion for a moment and felt faint, but soon came to his senses.
“One room a day?”
“Yeah. You can do that much, right?”
“Uh…”
Of course he could. But it was too easy, that was the problem.
“Does that even count as a part-time job…?”
Koi asked cautiously, and Ashley readily said.
“Of course. I don’t want the house to be dusty when I get back.”
Of course, that made sense. Thinking of the huge mansion that was always sparkling clean thanks to the many people who cleaned it every day, his words were perfectly reasonable.
“Um, so… when are you coming?”
Koi asked again, and Ashley was silent for a moment. He paused as if checking something, then came back.
“They said it’ll take about ten days.”
“Ten days…”
Koi muttered unconsciously, then quickly cleared his throat.
“Um, so where are you going? If it’s your family home…”
After a sigh, Ashley replied.
“I’m going to the East Coast.”
101
“The East Coast?”
*How much of a time difference is that?* He racked his brain, and Ashley said as if reading his mind.
“It’s three hours ahead there.”
“…I see.”
Then it wouldn’t be easy to talk on the phone. In any case, once there was a time difference, it wasn’t easy to call at the other person’s time. He felt gloomy on his own, when Ashley suddenly asked.
“Koi, I have something I want to suggest.”
A suggestion? Koi tilted his head in bewilderment and nodded.
“Uh, yeah. What is it?”
At Koi’s question, Ashley continued without hesitation.
“Why don’t you quit your current part-time job and just work at my house from now on?”
“What?”
Surprised, he asked back without realizing it, and Ashley continued.
“It’s annoying that I can’t see you because you’re working part-time every weekend… and we can’t even be together properly at school. I want to see you all day on the weekends, but I can’t because you’re working.”
Ashley’s sigh came from the other end of the phone. Koi felt sorry and anxious, and mumbled.
“That’s true, but… if I get paid while being with you, it’ll feel like I’m only seeing you because of that.”
“Of course not, I’m not saying I’m paying you for your time.”
Ashley spat out in a somewhat displeased tone. Koi was momentarily flustered, and he softened his tone and added.
“You come and do your work. I won’t bother you until you’re done. But then we can play together right away. How about it?”
That made sense. In fact, by the time his current part-time job was over, there wasn’t much time left to see Ashley. It was only two or three hours at most, so it was natural for Ashley to be dissatisfied.
“Um, then… let’s try it this time…”
He didn’t know what kind of work it was, and he wasn’t sure if he could do it properly, so he couldn’t bring himself to say yes right away. Koi said cautiously, and Ashley immediately accepted.
“Okay, then come this holiday. Is that okay?”
“Huh? Oh.”
Koi answered without thinking. This week? Then he would have to quit his current part-time job right away.
*It’ll be hard to find another job…*
His expression darkened for a moment, but he shook his head. *Anyway, let’s try this job and think about it later.*
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
As soon as Koi answered, Ashley’s reply came.
“That’s a relief.”
Koi’s heart warmed at the sound of his voice, which seemed genuinely relieved. He smiled unconsciously and asked.
“Do you like the idea of me working at your house?”
“Of course.”
Ashley soon added.
“I want you to be waiting for me at home when I get back.”
Hearing those words, Koi’s heart skipped a beat and began to pound rapidly. *That’s just like being married…* Just as he was thinking that inwardly, Ashley said with a laugh.
“It’s like a honeymoon, isn’t it?”
Koi couldn’t answer and just gasped. Ashley laughed again.
“I like you, Koi.”
“U-uh, okay.”
Koi confessed with a flushed face.
“I like you too.”
Ash whispered in an even sweeter voice.
“I want to kiss you.”
*I feel like my heart’s going to stop.* Koi felt a sense of crisis and clutched at his chest.
“M-me t-too.”
Ashley laughed again and murmured, “I love you.” Koi took a deep breath this time and said clearly.
“I love you too.”
He usually hated to part ways and would go back and forth on the same road several times, but now he hated to hang up even more than before. Koi couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye and just hesitated. Ashley was the same, but reality didn’t just leave them alone.
“I have to go now.”
Ashley said with a sigh. Koi listened blankly, then belatedly widened his eyes.
“Go? Already?”
Ashley gave a wry smile and said, “Yeah.”
“I got a call just three hours ago, so I’m at the airport now. The plane will be taking off soon. They’re telling me to hang up.”
The secretary sitting across the aisle was looking at him. Ashley, making his last call from Father’s private jet, told Koi he loved him one more time and ended the call.
Koi stared at his cell phone for a moment, then held it tightly to his chest. As if Ashley’s breath remained there.
Ashley was the same. He continued to stare at his cell phone even after hanging up. He was struggling to resist the urge to drop everything and run to him, when the stewardess, who had been waiting for him to hang up, spoke to him.
“Is there anything you need, Mr. Miller?”Ashley asked the flight attendant standing before him for some potato chips, then turned his gaze to the window. The plane was preparing for takeoff.
“Don’t worry about your friend. I’ll take care of it,” his secretary said.
Ashley glanced at her and replied, “Pay him properly. You know that.”
“Of course. Mr. Miller doesn’t skimp on his employees,” the secretary said, staring straight at him. “You know that.”
Ashley turned away without a word. The flight attendant placed the bowl of potato chips in front of him and returned to her seat. He thought the conversation was over, but unexpectedly, his secretary spoke again.
“You’re definitely Mr. Miller’s blood. You don’t move without a price.”
Ashley knew he couldn’t defy Father anyway. He had simply added a small act of rebellion to his willingness to obey, proposing a trivial deal, which Father had unexpectedly accepted. Ashley was curious about Father’s intentions, but since he had gotten his way, he dismissed it as unimportant.
“It’s all I’ve learned,” Ashley replied.
The secretary chuckled at his answer. Ignoring her as she quickly returned to her usual expressionless face, Ashley continued to stare out the window.
Soon, the plane slowly began to move. A gloomy feeling washed over him, and he already missed Koi.
*
“Haaah.”
Koi, having skimmed all the debris from the surface of the pool with a net, took a deep breath and stretched his back. It felt like quite a bit of time had passed, but in reality, it hadn’t been long. This was all he had to do today. Koi deliberately walked slowly around the pool, pushing the net whenever he spotted even the tiniest speck of dust. Of course, even after all that, only about an hour had passed.
To get paid so much for doing so little.
Koi felt a pang of guilt. When he first received his payment, he thought something was wrong. He worked less than half the hours he used to work at his previous part-time job, but he was paid three times as much. He was being given so much money; something must be wrong.
– No, that’s the correct amount.
When Koi called the employee who paid him, as Ashley had told him to do, and asked about it, the employee replied nonchalantly, “I know the amount is small, but there’s nothing we can do since you don’t do much work. Ask Mr. Miller to increase your workload next time he comes.”
“The amount is small? Oh, I’m sorry,” Koi said, raising his voice without realizing it, then quickly apologizing. It wasn’t a mistake. He was really being paid this much. And it wasn’t just because he was Ashley’s friend. Judging by the employee’s attitude, everyone who worked here received about the same amount. He couldn’t believe that this wasn’t even considered a lot.
Ash didn’t give me extra money on purpose.
In any case, he felt relieved that Ashley thought he was paying him fairly for his work. More than anything, he was grateful to Ashley and wanted to see him soon.
I want to see him soon.
With this money, he could not only retake the college entrance exam but also greatly contribute to his independence. Koi worked even harder than before, taking the initiative to do things he wasn’t asked to do. Above all, he made sure to clean Ashley’s room every day without fail.
He’ll want to rest in his room as soon as he gets back.
Thinking this, Koi finished cleaning the pool, went inside the mansion, washed his hands and feet, and headed to Ashley’s bedroom.
First, he shook the dust off the bed and neatly made it, then picked up a feather duster and began dusting the furniture. Thinking about how this was Ashley’s space, he felt even more attached and cleaned with more energy than usual. He was so motivated that he even tried to remove the dust behind the side table, and was just about to lift one leg when, “Ah, oof!”
He lost his balance for a moment, and the table wobbled. Koi hurriedly grabbed it to prevent it from falling, but the loose drawer slid out. Startled, Koi turned his head and froze. Inside the drawer was a pile of condoms.
“Oh…”
For a moment, his brain completely shut down. What did I just see? Koi stared wide-eyed, frozen in place. He couldn’t imagine anyone buying so many condoms.
No, I knew Ashley would have condoms, but I never thought that someone would be Ashley. Faced with a quantity that seemed to be at least several boxes, Koi, who had only ever bought one pack at a time, couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
What does he need so many for?
The purpose was obvious. And the reason for keeping them in the side table drawer was simple and obvious. So that he could act immediately when the mood was right.
Of course, that’s true, but…
With trembling hands, Koi picked up a condom and reflexively covered his mouth with his other hand. The size was beyond imagination. He had never seen such a large condom. The largest size he had ever bought was like a baby compared to this.
“Eep…”
He gasped, his face turning pale. Just then, his cell phone rang, and Koi hurriedly picked it up, only to be horrified.
It was a call from Ashley.