By Zephyria He deliberately put both hands in his pants pockets to resist the urge to reach out immediately and trap Koi in his arms again.
“So.”
Ashley said casually.
“Why did you run away this time? Is it because you’re going through puberty again?”
“N, no.”
Koi shook his head but couldn’t bring himself to look up. Of all people, he had to run into Ashley right away. He wasn’t ready yet, but he didn’t expect to be caught so quickly.
His heart kept pounding. When he secretly stole a glance, Ashley happened to take his hands out of his pants pockets and cross his arms. The moment he saw that, Koi turned pale.
What do I do, is he angry at me? Of course, who would like it if you ran away as soon as you saw them.
While he was feeling utterly dejected, Ashley looked down at Koi and thought something completely different.
I want to hug him.
He even crossed his arms to stop his hands, which were trying to reach out immediately despite being in his pockets. But this emergency measure wouldn’t last long either. He had to end this situation quickly.
“Koi.”
Ashley called his name again. Koi flinched and shrugged, and he heard a deep breath from above his head. Not knowing what to do, Koi only rolled his eyes around, and suddenly Ashley’s face was thrust in front of him.
“Eek!”
“Where do you think you’re going.”
Ashley, who grabbed and fixed Koi’s arms, who was trying to step back without realizing it, smiled. Koi was helplessly held captive and faced Ashley’s face. Unlike what he had been anxious about, Ashley didn’t seem unpleasant at all. Rather, seeing him smiling at Koi as usual, his anxiety gradually subsided.
I, is it okay…?
As he blinked and looked at him, Ashley opened his mouth.
“I’m not angry. So don’t worry.”
His gentle voice seemed sincere. Ashley smiled at Koi, who was still only looking at him, once more.
Thank goodness.
Only then was Koi relieved, and his face relaxed as well. And as the tension subsided, another joy came to that place.
It’s Ash.The moment he thought that, Koi realized his ears were twitching and hurriedly grabbed them. His face flushed hot. He had vowed yesterday never to move his ears again, but the habit had popped out again. The moment he saw Ashley’s face, he was so happy and glad that his ears moved on their own.
What to do!
He was mortified, but Ashley laughed out loud. Koi was on the verge of tears, but even that look was so lovely to Ashley that he wanted to hug him and shower him with kisses right away.
Koi, why are you so cute?
Ashley thought, watching Koi, who was flustered and clutching his ears with both hands.
I like you, Koi.
His heart felt like it was going to explode. It was the first time his heart had ever raced like this. It was also the first time he had ever been unable to do anything with the person in front of him.
I want to hug him. I want to bite those ears. How sweet would it be to kiss those lips?
Ashley bit his lip to suppress a sigh. Instead of taking a deep breath and calming himself down, he moved his hand and gently grabbed Koi’s wrist. Koi looked up at him with a bright red face. A dangerous impulse took hold in Ashley’s mind.
Ah, I want to grab Koi and lock him up in my room.
“We’re going to be late for class, Koi.”
Barely overcoming the crisis of becoming a criminal, Ashley said in a seemingly friendly voice. Only then did Koi blink and say, “Ah.”
“S-sorry.”
Ashley, who had quickly caught up with him in a few strides as he hurriedly turned around, asked as they walked side by side.
“Did you get home okay yesterday? Nothing happened?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Ashley asked casually, but Koi’s heart pounded again. Would Ash see the posts on that site? Maybe he saw my post too? No, I heard that popular kids like Ash don’t do that. He has a lot of friends, he has to study, and he’s even the captain of the ice hockey team, so how would he have time to hang out on something like that?
If he had seen it, he wouldn’t be talking to me so casually.
For Koi, it was a fairly plausible and close-to-the-truth conclusion. But the anxiety didn’t subside. Eventually, Koi couldn’t stand it and opened his mouth.
“Um, hey, Ash.”
“Yeah?”
At the immediate response, Koi carefully began to speak.
“Um, how do you, um, do your homework? You know, like, on the internet, are there any sites where you can ask questions? Do you go there and look?”
Is this what they call leading questions?
Ashley was dumbfounded and laughed, but he pretended not to notice and said,
“No, I only go to professional sites.”
“Oh, really?”
Koi’s face lit up, but then he asked again with an anxious look.
“Then, you know, like bulletin boards. Where people post their worries. You don’t go there either?”
“I don’t go.”
Ashley said without hesitation. He had nothing to hide because it was true.
“I don’t go to those kinds of sites. I don’t find reading those posts interesting.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thank goodness. Koi breathed a sigh of relief. I’m really glad I asked. I can completely relax now. He finally let out the breath he had been holding in. Suddenly, he heard a sound like birds chirping. It was Ashley’s whistle. Koi looked up at Ashley, who was whistling and walking, and asked.
“Did something good happen? You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Huh? No, not really. Same as always?”
Ashley said that and smiled brightly. Koi was puzzled and said, “Okay,” and moved on, but he still had a strange feeling in the back of his mind. Why is Ashley always smiling, but he seems to be in an especially good mood today?
Am I seeing things? Koi wondered, tilting his head, and then suddenly became curious. He had been too scared to look at even one comment so far. As a result, his worries remained the same, and he still had no one to talk to. Except for his only friend, who was also the subject of his worries.
What would Ash say if I asked him?
Koi looked up at Ashley again. Ashley looked down at him even though he hadn’t said anything. Their eyes met, and he smiled again. Koi was so startled that he couldn’t say anything and turned his head away again.
I can’t do it, absolutely not.
Koi thought with a bright red face.
How can I ask him that? Especially to his face. Absolutely not.
I should be grateful that Ashley hasn’t seen that post. Let alone ask him about it myself, that’s ridiculous.
Please, let Ash never see that post.
Next to him, Ashley was walking leisurely, thinking.
I want to devour him.
*
As expected, the school was buzzing with talk about the post. Of course. The content of the post was commonplace, but the subject was the problem. A confession of a crush on the school’s superstar was an unmissable piece of gossip for high school students full of energy.
“Hey, did you guys see that post? The one on the bulletin board, that one.”
“Cough.”
Koi, who was drinking water as soon as they sat down together at lunchtime, choked badly at Bill’s sudden words.
“Koi, are you okay?”
Ashley asked, puzzled, looking at his complexion. At the same time, everyone’s attention was focused on him, and Koi coughed and quickly waved his hand.
“I’m, I’m okay, just water, cough.”
The guys watched Koi cough for a while and then started talking among themselves again.
“I saw it, it’s Ash, right?”
“Hey, you think so too? Me too!”
“It’s Ash, duh. He even put ‘Ashley Miller’ right there, plain as day.”
“Who is it, though? Who do you think it is among Ash’s close friends?”
Koi nervously unwrapped his hamburger. Of course, he couldn’t feel hungry because all his attention was focused on his ears. Just as he was trying to ignore it and pretend to be nonchalant, one of the guys suddenly shouted.
“Could it be Koi?”
Koi almost stopped breathing at that moment. The blood drained from his face in an instant, and his heart was pounding, but suddenly Ashley asked.
“Do you guys want to come to my house tomorrow?”
“What?”
“Tomorrow?”
Their topic changed in an instant. Koi blinked in bewilderment and looked at Ashley. Ashley left Koi alone and spoke to the ice hockey team guys.
“It’s the weekend. There’s no practice, how about it?”
“Sounds good!”
“Of course, it sounds good, are you kidding me!”
“Hey, can I bring my girlfriend? Huh?”
They were all excited and noisy. Ashley was still looking at them and suggested.
“Instead of that, should we tell everyone who wants to come to come? How about it?”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“You have a gate at your house.”
It was a valid question, but it was no big deal for Ashley.
“There’s a common area on one side of the country property where we can have parties. There’s also an outdoor pool, so we can use that. The entrance to that side is easy to get in and out of.”
“Ah, that’s good, then.”
“Then a lot of people can come.”
“How do we let people know about this? Should we just tell our friends?”
Ashley easily handled the next problem as well. With a smile.
“How about posting it on the bulletin board?”