By Zephyria Huh? What’s wrong?
Koi was puzzled and crawled out from under the table. It wasn’t just Koi who was puzzled. Everyone had stopped chattering and was looking at Ashley. Even Ariel looked up at him, not knowing what was going on, and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
The other kids also had question marks all over their faces and waited for Ashley’s answer. But right now, Ashley only had one thing in mind.
I have to take Koi out of here.
“Ah, well, you see.”
Ashley, who rarely stuttered, quickly added.
“I suddenly remembered an assignment. I missed a few days of class, so I decided to make it up with assignments.”
“…So?”
Bill spread his hands to the side and looked around. Everyone else was just as unconvinced. Ashley gave an awkward smile and continued.
“Ah, so I can’t be doing this right now. I have to go finish the assignment to maintain my grades. You need good grades to get into college, right?”
“Uh… that’s right…”
“Okay, let’s go, Koi.”
Ashley ignored Bill and immediately turned around and blurted out. Everyone’s eyes turned to Koi this time. Koi also blinked, not knowing what was going on, and pointed at himself. Ashley didn’t say much and strode over to him in three or four steps and grabbed his arm.
“Ah!”
Ariel, who was late to get up from her seat, shouted at the sight of him dragging Koi away without stopping.
“What are you doing! We have to have a meeting!”
“You guys can decide on the cheerleading uniforms and just let me know the results later, right Koi?”
Ashley shouted as he opened the door and looked down at Koi and asked. Koi looked up at Ashley, dazed. If I say I’ll stay now, Ashley might be embarrassed…
“Ah, yeah. I will.”
Unlike usual, he was quite perceptive and agreed.
“I, I also missed class… so I have to do my assignment. Sorry, Al. I’m all for any design. Sorry…”
While he was talking, Koi was grabbed and dragged away by Ashley. Watching the closed door, everyone left behind blinked with bewildered faces. But it didn’t end there. Suddenly, Ashley came back and showed the staff several $100 bills, put them on the counter at the entrance, and left again.
Silence fell over the remaining table. They were just looking at each other, not understanding the situation, when a guy from the ice hockey team broke the silence with a sigh of relief.
“…Thank goodness. I thought he was just going to leave without paying.”
Following him, the other guys nodded in agreement.
“Me too.”
“Me too, I ordered everything I wanted to eat.”
“Wow, that’s a relief.”
“Ash is loyal after all.”
“He’s a man, a man.”
And they started eating again with excitement. The girls, including Ariel, frowned in disbelief, but of course, it didn’t matter to them.
“Is that why you guys are called gorillas, you know?”
At Ariel’s light criticism, Bill, who had just finished his hamburger, grinned.
“Call us happy gorillas.”
The ice hockey team guys who followed, smiling brightly, all looked extremely happy. It didn’t seem worth having any more conversation, so Ariel just shook her head and spoke to her elegant sisters.
“Let’s talk about the new cheerleading uniforms from now on. Is that okay with everyone?”
She looked around once and then frowned and ordered.
“Everyone except the gorillas, gather here.”
*
Ashley roughly threw the cash and left the store, and as soon as he got in the car, he locked the doors first. Because of that, Koi, who was waiting for him in the passenger seat, was startled and looked at him cautiously.
He locked the doors again.
After pushing Koi into the car earlier, he had immediately locked the car doors and gone back to the store. Koi gave up early on the door that only rattled and waited for Ashley.
He finally sat in the driver’s seat and started the car without saying a word. Koi had no idea why Ashley was doing this, so he just watched him cautiously.
It was some time after Ashley got on the road that he opened his mouth.
“Who was that earlier?”
“Who are you talking about…?”
Koi asked cautiously, and Ashley was silent for a moment and then suddenly gritted his teeth. Koi, startled by the rough grinding sound, unknowingly stuck close to the door, and Ashley glanced down at him. After making sure the door was properly locked, he opened his mouth again.
“The kid sitting next to you, you guys seemed very close.”
“Uh…”
Koi pondered for a moment and tilted his head. Which of the kids sitting on either side is he talking about?
“The one on the right.”
Koi soon realized what Ashley was talking about.
“Ah, Whitney? The one I’m cheerleading with.”
That’s strange. Doesn’t Ash know Whitney?
He heard that the Cheerleading Team and the ice hockey team were close and knew each other well, but Koi wondered if Ashley was an exception. But before he could ask, Ashley spoke first.
“You haven’t been cheerleading for very long, but you’re already so close to the other kids?”
“Huh? Uh…”
Koi blinked and answered honestly.
“I’m very clumsy… But the kids all teach me well and treat me kindly. They’re all good kids…”
As he spoke, he smiled naturally. The faces of the Cheerleading Team kids, who always encouraged Koi and told him he could do it, came to mind, and the anxiety he had felt until just now subsided peacefully. Of course, Ariel was there too. She was shouting with a stern expression, “You don’t have enough muscles!”
As he thought of that, he unknowingly chuckled softly. That also displeased Ashley.
“You seem to be happy just thinking about her?”
“Huh? Uh…”
Koi answered without thinking.
“You know, I’ve never been this close to girls before… Since we practice together… I get to see them a little closer. I didn’t know girls were like that, I mean, I had no idea about girls at all.”
Koi’s voice, making unnecessary additional explanations, gradually brightened. Unlike usual, he didn’t stutter and the words flowed out smoothly.
“They’re kind, cute, and have a great sense of camaraderie. Isn’t that amazing? You’ve known that all along? I’m so glad I know now…”With shining eyes, Koi turned to Ashley, but suddenly Ashley jerked the steering wheel hard. Surprised, Koi couldn’t finish his sentence and screamed. Even though he was wearing his seatbelt, his body swayed. Ashley pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned on the hazard lights.
Haa, haa.
In the blink of an eye, Koi couldn’t even process what had happened. He was just patting his chest in shock when Ashley unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to him.
“So you kiss him? Right in front of me?”
At the harsh tone, Koi, who had been catching his breath, was startled and raised his voice without realizing it.
“Kiss? Me? Why? With who? When?”
Unbelievable. He had his first kiss stolen without even knowing it. Who on earth? When did that happen? Ashley, who glanced at the pale Koi, looked forward again and spat out as if chewing.
“The guy sitting next to you, he kissed your cheek.”
“Who? Next to me?”
“Whitney!”
Ashley finally shouted. Koi, who had flinched for a moment, belatedly swallowed his breath.
“Kiss, what are you talking about! Nothing like that ever happened, we just bumped a little!”
“I saw it.”
“No! You saw it wrong!”
Ashley looked at him with a very angry face. For some reason, he didn’t seem to believe him at all. Koi couldn’t stand the injustice and said urgently.
“Really, he said he dropped something on the floor, and we were just picking it up and our faces brushed. A kiss, that’s ridiculous.”
Koi strongly denied it, but Ashley’s expression didn’t change at all. He still had reason to be angry.
“Going under the table together?”
“Huh?”
Koi, who paused for a moment, soon gaped in disbelief. Seriously!
“I told you, he said he dropped something! I was just trying to help him pick it up. Why are you getting so mad about that!”
He was so upset that the tip of his nose tingled. Ashley still stared at him, not letting go of his suspicion, and asked.
“You didn’t think anything of it? You just went in to pick it up?”
“Yes!”
Koi, who had said that far, suddenly felt a surge of anger and shouted without realizing it.
“You were laughing and chatting with Al! Why are you only doing this to me!”
For the first time, Ashley faltered.