By Zephyria “Pay more attention from now on.”
“Ah… Okay.”
Koi nodded, but he couldn’t let go of his attachment to the bread that had gone into the trash.
What a waste, I could have eaten it if I just cut off the moldy part.
He was full of regret, but it was already too late. Soon, Koi’s head was filled with other thoughts.
“Are you okay? You must be really hungry.”
That was exactly right. Ashley was so hungry that his intestines were cramping, but he still had something to do.
“More than that, what are you doing here? …At this hour.”
He needed to buy the tickets and leave quickly, but his mouth was saying something else. Koi readily answered, completely unaware of Ashley swallowing his groans inside.
“It’s really busy at the beginning of the semester. I don’t have enough time for extracurricular activities or volunteer work…”
The last words faded away as if he was embarrassed. Ashley glossed over it, saying, “I see.” He was flustered to meet Koi at school at this hour, and he couldn’t immediately think of how to react. Maybe it was because he was hungry. Nevertheless, his nerves were not getting sharper, but rather easing more and more. Moreover, he felt like he would laugh on his own, so he forced himself to put strength on his lips to press them down, and Ashley struggled to move his head, which kept stopping.
Buy the tickets and leave quickly. That was the best thing to do.
“Two tickets.”
“Huh?”
Koi blinked and looked up at him. Ashley slowly repeated himself, cutting off each syllable one by one.
“Give me the tickets. Home. Coming. Party.”
“Ah, ah.”
Only then did Koi understand and nod. He thought he would run to the counter right away, but for some reason, Koi hesitated and didn’t leave the spot.
“Um… I’m sorry, but they’re all sold out.”
“What?”
This time, Ashley couldn’t understand. Koi took a deep breath and exhaled, then spoke in a slightly clearer tone.
“They’re all sold. So there’s nothing left now.”
Ashley looked down at him without saying a word. Koi became worried, looking at him standing still without even blinking.
“Gone? The tickets?”
Only after a few seconds did Ashley finally shout in a rough voice. Koi flinched in surprise at the cry that came out all at once, as if suppressing resentment and then bursting it out, and then nodded with difficulty.
“Y-yeah… The last two were sold a little while ago. Um, 30 minutes ago…”
Koi began to explain the situation in unnecessary detail, stammering.
“I think they were sophomores, and they said they were going with their first girlfriend, so they bought them. I should have written that they were sold out, but I didn’t think anyone would come at this hour, so I thought I’d clean up first and put it up just before closing. I’m sorry, if I knew you were coming, I wouldn’t have sold them and left them… I never thought you still hadn’t bought them. I’m sorry.”
He was apologizing repeatedly, but it was useless. What he needed was not an apology, but a ticket. A ticket that would return Ashley to his daily life.
But the plan went wrong from the start. From the decision not to meet Koi again to buying the tickets, nothing went according to plan. Plus, he was starving like crazy.
Why did it turn out like this?
Ashley covered his eyes with one hand and tilted his head back with a painful groan. What is it about the homecoming party that I have to experience this kind of frustration?
“…Haa.”
Only after a few more seconds did Ashley accept reality. It wasn’t difficult. The truth was simple. He was screwed.
Ashley dropped his hand and readjusted the bag on his shoulder. And he prepared to get out of this damn school.
“Bye, Koi.”
It was when he said goodbye listlessly and turned around.
“W-wait, Ash!”
Koi, who had been watching him and feeling intimidated until then, suddenly shouted. Thinking he was going to offer him spoiled milk this time, he turned around to see Koi rummaging through his pockets and taking something out to hold out.
“Um, this.”
“…What is it.”
At his lukewarm words, Koi held it out again without saying a word. Ashley, with a reluctant face, took it and unfolded the crumpled paper one step at a time. First, he saw the word “party,” then the date, and then the word “home.”
Ashley’s expression changed little by little each time he unfolded a crease. Koi watched the change in his expression with joy. When he finally unfolded the ticket completely, Ashley looked down at him with a surprised face.
“What the heck is going on?”
At Ashley’s question, Koi only smiled with a proud face.
“You said they were all sold out, what’s going on? Are you messing with me?”
When Ashley asked, holding back his annoyance, Koi still answered with a smiling face.
“I got it as a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yeah,” Koi nodded.
“Mr. Bacon gave it to me, thanking me for helping out at the school store in his place.”
“It was given to you.”
“That’s true, but.”
At Ashley’s remark, Koi answered shyly.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, and I don’t have any clothes to wear.”
He confessed honestly and continued lightly.
“So it would be much more meaningful for you to have it.”
“No, wait, wait a minute.”
Ashley became confused and held out one hand to stop him.
“I’m a little confused right now, are you saying you’re going to give me what you got as a gift? With no strings attached?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Koi nodded as if it was obvious.
“If it’s for you, I won’t regret it at all.”
“……”
Ashley looked at him without saying a word. Koi, embarrassed by the continued silence, fiddled with his ear and muttered.
“Um, I really didn’t know the bread was spoiled. I’m sorry.”
“That’s, okay.”
Ashley muttered. He barely spoke as if squeezing his vocal cords, but nothing else came to mind. Of course, he didn’t even think that Koi would have deliberately offered it to him. He just wanted to give Ashley something.
With no strings attached.
Ashley opened his mouth. Koi’s eyes sparkled as he waited for him to speak.
“…Why do you like doing things for me so much?”
“Of course, I do.”
At the question that came out after a long time, Koi answered without hesitation.
“Why?”
Ashley asked again. Koi’s answer flowed out in an instant this time as well. But Ashley felt that moment very slowly.
With brightly shining eyes, a broad smile spreading across his face, and both cheeks flushed red with joy, Koi said.
“Because I like you.”
Ashley was stunned as if he had been hit by something. It felt like his heart had fallen to the bottom and then risen again. Then, his pulse was racing like crazy, his face was flushed, fireworks were constantly exploding in his ears, and the trembling was transmitted to the tips of his fingers. At that moment, he felt like his feet were floating in the air.
Ah.
He realized. He couldn’t deny it anymore.
I like this guy.
It was definitely sympathy at first. But when did that feeling change like this?
Ashley thought.
Maybe I still feel sorry for this guy.
But Ashley himself knew very well that it was a lie. His heart wouldn’t be beating like this out of sympathy.
Suddenly, a hollow laugh spread.
I was going to stay away from Koi for a while, what a ridiculous thought.
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it became. Everyone knows that Koi is the same gender. It was an obvious fact.
But so what?
This beating heart, this excited breath, this trembling gaze are all directed only at you.
“…Koi.”
After a long time, Ashley opened his mouth. Koi reacted immediately.
“Yeah?”
He could clearly see him straining his ears as if he wouldn’t miss a single word of what he was about to say. Ashley’s lips crumbled on their own.
“Want to go together? To the homecoming party.”
“Wh-what?”
Koi shouted in surprise at that moment. Ashley wouldn’t have been so surprised even if he had confessed that he was actually a serial killer. Koi, with his eyes wide open, jumped up and stepped back, then took a step forward again.
“Go to the homecoming party? With me?”
“Yeah.”
Ashley nodded.
“If you have someone else to go with…”
“No, I don’t. There’s no way I would, I’m Corner Niles!”
“I know.”
Ashley burst out laughing. Koi’s face flushed red with embarrassment, but he stubbornly said what he had to say.
“There’s no such thing as a partner for Corner Niles, maybe Ashley Miller.”
“That’s good.”
“What?”
Koi inadvertently asked back. He thought he had misheard. But Ashley still said with a smiling face.
“You only need me for the rest of your life.”