LMI 109

“Buffalo wins!”

“Whoa!” Streamers poured down, and everyone hugged each other and rejoiced. Koi also put his arms around the Cheerleading Team kids and jumped up and down, celebrating the victory.

“We all worked so hard!”

“The Gorillas almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I know, I really thought we were going to lose at the end!”

“It was really close, right? We might have lost if we went to overtime.”

“We didn’t, so it’s fine, Buffalo!”

“Buffalo!”

Koi, who had shouted with them again in unison, released his arms and turned around. He saw the hockey players being tossed in the air and patting each other on the back, unable to contain their joy.

*Of course. They came all the way here with so much difficulty.*

Koi recalled with a bitter feeling. If Ashley had been there, winning would have been easy, but that wasn’t the reality. Every game was nerve-wracking, and they barely managed to win, and it was exhausting for the fans to watch them win by a comeback or by one goal every time.

*Still, it’s a relief that the results came out as much as everyone worked hard.*

Koi smiled and looked at them, but soon became depressed. It was already past February. The season was over, and there wasn’t much of the semester left. He hadn’t heard from Ashley since then.

*Are you okay, Ash……?*

His heart burned with anxiety and worry, but there was nothing he could do. He had asked the mansion’s caretaker, but all he heard was, “He’s doing well.”

*I want to hear his voice.*

*I want to hold him and feel his warmth.* Why wasn’t he coming back? Surely this wasn’t the end……?

“Koi, let’s go. It’s the after-party today!”

“Oh, yeah.”

Koi hurriedly came to his senses at the vice-captain’s words and followed him. No one said anything about Ashley. It had become tacit. No one knew why Ashley had been excluded from the hockey team in the first place. The coach had simply declared it unilaterally, and the team’s players, including Bill, had protested strongly, but it didn’t have much effect.

In the first place, what was the point of talking about it when he wasn’t there? When Bill heard that Ashley had to go to the East Coast for Thanksgiving, he gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger and came up with a plan.

〈Let’s protest in earnest after the vacation is over.〉

Everyone on the hockey team agreed, but Ashley had disappeared since then. Christmas had passed, the New Year had passed, and now February was coming to an end, but there was no contact.

*Why?*

Even as he smiled outwardly with the kids, Koi’s mind was filled with Ashley.

*Ash, are you tired of me……?*Time continued to flow, despite Koi’s inability to quell his anxious heart. The semester ended, summer vacation passed, and Koi entered his senior year.

*

Whoaaaaaa!

The boisterous roar made his ears ring. The school was holding a festival before the ice hockey league started. Though, to call it a festival was generous; it was more like a riot involving a near-scrap-heap car they’d dragged in, which they proceeded to beat, smash, and set on fire.

Koi, having finished helping a teacher later than usual, noticed the chaotic atmosphere as he left the building and quickly understood the situation. Students were likely making a ruckus as they gathered for the car crash event.

Under the dim sky, where darkness was already beginning to settle, tall spotlights stood at regular intervals, brightly illuminating the field. In the middle of the field, a car sat alone, prepared in advance, and the gathered students looked eagerly excited, waiting to smash and destroy it.

Koi, intending to cross the field to get to his bike, soon spotted Ariel standing near the bleachers, some distance from the crowd. Or rather, “them” would be more accurate. Ariel wasn’t alone.

She’s with Bill?

Koi’s eyes widened in surprise. It was an unexpected pairing. Bill, who he thought was closest to Ashley on the team, was with Ashley’s ex-girlfriend.

He stood there for a while, blinking blankly. Ariel, with Bill, the former vice-captain of the ice hockey team, who was as tall as Ashley and had a large build, seemed quite happy.

Both of them had quit extracurricular activities as seniors to focus on college entrance exams. They probably hadn’t had many opportunities to be together because of that, but seeing them now made him feel strange. They watched the other kids, who were shouting and jumping around in excitement before the car crash, occasionally laughing and whispering to each other.

The way they talked, with soft expressions, was clearly unusual.

As if someone else had the same thought, a voice suddenly spoke from behind him.

“Do you think those two are trying to date?”

There was no reply. But it was a perfectly plausible guess. Otherwise, there was no reason for two people with no further connection to be standing face to face, talking so seriously.

What are they talking about?

Just as he felt a normal curiosity, Bill suddenly turned his head. Their eyes met unexpectedly, and Koi startled, his eyes widening. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he felt uneasy for some reason, so he gave an awkward smile.

Suddenly, some of the lights flickered ominously and went out, focusing the light on the car. The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. In the hushed silence, the ice hockey team coach threw a wad of burning paper onto the pile of firewood. The firewood, which had been doused in gasoline beforehand, was instantly engulfed in flames. Soon after, the coach let out a rough, metallic shout.

“Whoaaaa! Let’s go, Buffaloes!”

Everyone screamed and rushed towards the car. People used all sorts of tools to beat the car, some kicked it, and others filmed it.

Let’s just go home.

Koi quickly turned around. It had nothing to do with him. If Ash were here, it would be a different story…

It was already nearing October.

Maybe Ash isn’t ever coming back.

Just as his nose unconsciously twitched and he sniffled, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind and pulled him back hard.

“…Uh!”

He let out a short scream in surprise, but Koi’s voice was completely buried in the shouts. When he turned his head in a panic, his eyes widened even more when he recognized who it was. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, even after seeing the face that was so much higher than his.

“…Ash?”

Koi muttered in disbelief, stunned. Ashley smiled. Koi could only stare at him, speechless, his mouth open.

In the midst of the predicted chaos, Koi locked eyes with Ashley for a moment. It was only a few seconds, but strangely, that moment remained in Koi’s memory for a very long time.

The acrid smell of burning firewood, the chilly night air, the mind-numbing shouts, and the deep purple eyes that were looking at him.

The wind blew, and Ashley’s near-silver blonde hair fell over his forehead. The flames reflected on his profile, casting flickering red shadows. He seemed thinner than before. His face, with its clearly defined bone structure, felt very sharp, but the eyes that looked at Koi were still a mysterious and warm, shining purple.

As if annoyed by the falling hair, Ashley raised his hand and swept it back. The blonde hair, twisted around his long fingers, returned to its place. But this time, Ashley just left it alone.

Koi stared blankly at him, at even his perfectly shaped fingernails, and Ashley finally opened his mouth.

“Hi, Koi.”

He couldn’t believe it, even though he heard the voice. Ashley smiled at Koi, who was just staring with wide eyes.

“Long time no see.”

“Ash…!”

Koi stopped breathing, finally realizing it. Ashley, seeing Koi frozen in place, just staring with wide eyes, stood with his arms wide open. Just like before he disappeared. But Koi just stared, unable to move.

Suddenly, an awkward silence fell. So many emotions overflowed that he didn’t know what to say, what to do. Koi wiggled his fingers and opened his mouth, but he couldn’t speak, just gaped.

That’s when someone suddenly shouted from behind.

“Ash, isn’t that Ash?”

Ashley turned around, and Koi also looked in the same direction. Bill was approaching with a bright face.

“It is, you bastard!”

Bill shouted and hugged Ashley tightly. Ashley also hugged him back with a smile. It was a completely different reaction than he had shown Koi. Koi watched them with mixed feelings. Bill continued to speak boisterously.

“What happened? Why haven’t you been to school for so long?”

“I’ve been busy.”

Ashley smiled and vaguely answered. Koi was also curious, but he couldn’t ask.

As he silently watched, Ariel, who was standing behind them, came into view. She was also just watching them, just like him, and Koi felt a sense of kinship. Of course, it was an absurd feeling.