BOT Chapter 04

Chapter 045adf71f443b64822

 909357e8c1b4f28a

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For just a moment, something sticky flashed across Evan’s lively and gentle face. But as if it never happened, a calm expression settled on his face again.9fd2eab78206cc5a

More importantly, that phrase sounded very familiar. As I was about to wrack my brain over the familiar sentence, Evan’s hand reached out to me. My chin was grasped, forcibly tilting my head up.870c08e8edabce05

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“What are you thinking about?”55b3e230c122e70e

“Huh?”fd0b1d0ec2d0eec9

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“I’m curious. I can see what you’re doing, but I can’t look inside your head.”1264398938ebf63a

Evan whispered softly, uncomfortably 5b62ec3656 close to my side. Startled, I b5de4d44f7 stepped back f348ec9474 from him.c95424d0a627fb6d

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“Y-you’re too close.”46142532e1427624

Still, Evan didn’t stop clinging to me. My body, precariously perched on the edge of the chair, wobbled.164de7a25605f497

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“So tell me, Hyle.”635d2ec3f3b4f59c

“…Tell you what?”5c5e6212441b3c27

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He grasped my 07974f4a82 hand, which had b011b859db been left defenseless 293f0524cf on the desk. His hand was 26e30f4be3 much smaller and 1309c0ee55 softer than mine. As I stared, dumbfounded, 4ae7c848d4 at our interlaced fingers, 42447c06d3 Evan smiled.251d247eebadec1a

“Holding hands is fine, right?”4d0da30066bb2f09

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“Huh? Y-yeah.”1174bc3ac19b0f6c

I nodded absentmindedly. Now that I thought about it, Evan always touched me without any warning. Just like now. As I swallowed empty air, trying to calm my startled heart, suddenly Evan’s scent wafted strongly. My brain froze at the position that had changed in the blink of an eye. A clear voice came to my ear. Each of his whispered breaths tickled.79e07bb52c328b38

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“How about hugging?”4baf97faba896c96

“…Huh?”c7e1e5c41549d069

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“I often sleep like this when I can’t fall asleep. My insomnia was severe, but I fall asleep quickly when you’re around.”2ed564f958af1606

I was 65323375f4 grateful for d5ba45c4a3 last night 70bfb347da too.With that added phrase, words of refusal disappeared. How could I say no when he’s like this?a1cc23c61f20d159

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I squeezed 14e292819d my eyes 8fbb8e1e61 shut, worried f5cabeba79 that Evan b7c1d761d0 might hear 7b2887ab43 my pounding 07b953f7e2 heart. With my vision 954c0fcfe3 blocked, his body 08ccb9a619 temperature felt even 77f238e5a7 more vivid.851e00363947f958

Something hot moved from my back to my face. The touch that had been stroking my tightly closed eyelids and sharp nose bridge was now near my mouth. I carefully opened my eyes at the unfamiliar sensation on my lips, and met Evan’s eyes as he was fondling my lips with a serious expression.1f8793999c205779

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In his dark 4b563bd1e5 pupils, I saw 71ca5f2273 my own reflection—my 694380481d sharp eyes softened, 27fb8e6a10 my face flushed 6828b08c20 bright red. Somehow, seeing 9e436f5d33 myself like f33ae170e7 this felt 413324d84b unbearably pathetic.f986b3d0acda010d

Then, his thumb pried ff815a3180 open my lips.e28b4e745ec6bce1

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“Wait, Evan—!”e1b68e3467db87b0

“Hyle, you’re really cute.”a5239fc9fcf383a9

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“Mmph…”26bb4483d13492ba

The thumb pressing against my lips pushed forward slightly, parting them. I hastily pulled back so his hand didn’t completely enter my mouth, but my lips still brushed against his fingertip, dampening it slightly with saliva.0633d844777c7046

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His black eyes bore ad62e1562b into mine. I felt as ad435f1dcd if I was 296601099f being completely exposed, 07c89cdd1e my every thought 4e8b81b3a0 laid bare.70408b62139739d7

With each breath I 2387a2c524 took, my chest swelled 7e811c4fd4 up, making it feel 1c9018aeca like my shirt would 30412475b8 burst at any moment.6627d13e70c92a5d

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Without a word, Evan 0b2c8c04f4 brought the finger that 47b749c96f had touched me to 9ba92d28b0 his lips.3b01778c05510e8c

Slowly, deliberately, he ran b793418c3c his lips over it—almost a1efff4ea5 as if he was df91a0be9d putting on a show.5e86641bac0f7204

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“What are you doing!”3b70b72e5076c6b0

I reflexively grabbed his 4c32191a38 wrist. His thin 2433097d26 wrist fit ff1cdff75e easily in 94bb83f099 my grip, 6cd89419a6 bending under e30746a374 my force.a3acbf50499cca14

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Evan merely 78746a00a8 looked at 744bb10673 his twisted 8beaa8e0b1 wrist without bd8093ea33 a single d8e1f5b7ba sound of 0842befecf protest.356e2d0c460b3666

His pale hand 429acf0bc4 had lost all 7b97171a53 color.a8fa46219d66ce47

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Only then 50da72eb91 did I b4ef5c688b realize I 4f3e08b462 had grabbed 089b92814a him too a98b293560 hard.36a78f210372e1ce

Panicked, I let go, but a vivid red mark remained on Evan’s delicate skin like a brand.aa624bd27ff36c89

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“I-I’m sorry.”579bce5c776faadf

Evan stared ff2364d5c3 blankly at 8b81fae9ba the mark c0f892d5c1 on his dace2cf9ae hand.7a46a7dfadcba117

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Did it 0b1ca13361 hurt a fd4a857cbe lot?d62804609c5ccb52

Did I break d971fdb059 something?79659644d1a8a174

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I should have 4b13c0b077 controlled my strength 926564b2e8 better.ea4829b56bf8db57

Hyle Verde’s body was stronger than an ordinary person’s—it came with being the protagonist.3ea8cb09cd9e4492

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Surely I hadn’t broken his wrist… right?a31c4eec2bb8fce8

As I anxiously cb1ea61465 paced around him, 652e5f88e5 Evan suddenly burst 4f8a4a9766 into laughter.f7895d4c544809a4

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“See? That’s exactly what makes you so adorable.”573c223344e77c0a

His satisfied f40bd1e02b smile returned.9df234fc8b86fa60

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“Everything about you, Hyle, is so lovable.”5cc91e72719fe2e3

Lovable.3dd2a7eebec9d728

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It sounded almost 1a347e0a94 like a heartfelt 2a96002511 confession.9106d76e965c8c6e

His cold 28b04ac692 fingers brushed f35b834756 back strands 2cfda3b38c of my 1945e943c7 silver hair 8d53c8f706 clinging to 822ff6d58c my face.9334c6c77fdf8d06

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Or maybe I 3398b0d837 was just burning ffef531056 up.324036d0e7ff50b1

Evan ran his fingers f3b551ca81 through my hair for 77cc09d3ee a while before speaking e46b182190 again.9b04c67376863217

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“Oh, by the way.”796ec41e06124ee3

His voice, melodic enough 8ba1d94da0 to feel like a e6cc897059 song, whispered against my cb6d101714 ear.50129ca7f4b97648

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“I don’t like it when others touch you.”e8bb8705e2b92e0b

Evan was still smiling.23f94fe012c63d0b

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It was f786c3bf9e the same 49179e47dc smile as ca2b789305 always.d14d6edb0bd52e34

But something felt… off.d6648c3578661548

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“Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again.”fc23b4a143f49554

“You can’t let something dirty touch you, can you?”098bd8439e3e5adb

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Got it?59f7156552e3f2ab

Evan murmured sweetly.0cb0c0a9977fc3da

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It felt less c601c7f3f6 like a suggestion b465f42645 and more like 029b6f2920 an irresistible command.d82e7bcf21ab1336

Without even thinking 31188be5a3 about his words, e1f5d5e41d I nodded.20a78d50c81d239d

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Evan patted my 12190d60ed head a few eb03afc6a3 more times before 59ced13978 flashing a beautiful 0265ed40cf smile and opening a0e84b7a67 his book.1c90c787a81bffc0

The sound 4774faf8a4 of flipping a3038246fa pages echoed e0bc53d8f1 in the 4abe303fce quiet lecture 1b907ca3ba hall.9200dea84f733698

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But something nagged 235e9f6f7f at me.89287a98763cd650

What? Was he talking about what happened with Carmen this morning? But I was the one who touched Carmen first. Carmen didn’t touch me.abe7404e8e7a32e9

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Students entered the classroom one by one, and the lecture began. Just as the chattering voices quieted at the sound of the professor’s footsteps, I realized what that strange feeling was. And that’s when I realized what had been bothering me all along.1605f9bd646d48b0

That morning… Evan hadn’t been there.af394ec9a168657a

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So how did ca2b219696 he know?7c2bd86605808540

For a a65d7bb894 moment, it b8487d978b felt like ef49162b2d the air df1ef0d107 around me 5b6a6274fe had dropped 7f2e2f3fe5 a few 05b46bb5fd degrees. Cold sweat 32b3dcf9fa trickled down 6ee8aff461 my back. I slowly turned my b5e13d9c27 head to the side. Among the dozing d3e832e5e8 students, Evan was d10a09a6a3 diligently taking notes. Sensing my gaze, 8611df7075 he turned his bc94760e73 head. When our eyes a3fc0f4557 met, Evan gave 528b7e4352 me a composed ec4758c951 smile. His delicate adf872ffeb and graceful ee696fdb11 beauty stood ee72e475af out even f951823e1e more. His face was filled 07b061edd9 with nothing but kindness.cc289d4fc03fe6e9

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I shook my cold hands and feet vigorously. Maybe I was just feeling weak from lack of sleep. Thinking strange thoughts like that…7a8c82a19ba357e0

To shake 0c4f304a29 off the e8c9a6ea97 eerie feeling, 5ad2c432bc I fixed 30149128f2 my gaze a1a31d4acd on the 237e52eb28 blackboard. But no matter how 98bdffb5c6 much I tried, my 5b8f50f56c eyes kept drifting toward 08f4838998 Evan.415b81c6bd2eed99

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He said he had student council work early this morning. He probably didn’t have time for breakfast. Oh, did he stop by the cafeteria on the way? That makes sense—he must’ve been hungry since he left without eating.fa62b744594dc9f5

As I 808a3fe6ea got lost c532788f30 in thought, 660c8dd958 my gaze 40ce9c8ac2 naturally fixated 4dda7bb68a on him. Maybe Evan f025525cb3 had noticed 890fb0c73a my stare, ee015983e5 because his 079a3fe739 clear, shining 2ee4bd02b2 black eyes 3d2cdc172e met mine. I quickly lowered my b4ee62ef38 head, but a small 0eb7ae65ce chuckle reached my ears.0f75188317651850

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[Why are you looking at me like that?]

His elegant cb29172ae4 handwriting adorned 9b1a844c17 the corner 120fcba5f4 of his 7e611eb188 notebook. Unable to meet his 516d073d42 eyes, I simply watched 8f1be84c32 his hand move fluidly 9518da3a48 across the page—until I 35b0169759 suddenly froze. Every time 4507f68996 the pen 33701e7cb7 tip tapped c03636db67 against the c83a83a0f1 paper, his 71a5e68215 wrist flinched e5b62c68fb slightly. The red mark I 916ea95884 left on him stood 6efdcc559c out starkly.5032c778a47f7f61

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He didn’t say it hurt, but it must be, right? What did I do to that slender wrist?ae21bedfacf92892

[I’m sorry.]

The chill that had momentarily surrounded me melted away into guilt in the blink of an eye. Despite my firmly written apology, Evan looked puzzled, as if he didn’t know what I meant.c1eba6cef320f442

[For what?]

But Evan’s hand was still trembling. I felt more guilty at his face, which seemed unaware of the pain. He must be hiding his pain. Because Evan was kind.3a20694c2f263822

For the rest of the lecture, my mind was filled not with the professor’s words but with thoughts of Evan’s wrist. To make matters worse, we had a physical examination today. A hurt wrist in a situation like this was just asking for trouble. And Evan was the main uke of the original novel, the one who always suffered.88073cff0b43a896

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I mean, I get that this is a military-style academy, but why do we have to do fitness tests? Complaining wouldn’t change anything, though. Even while changing into my sports uniform, I kept glancing at Evan. He looked like he would collapse at a single touch. The loose-fitting uniform only made his small frame seem even more delicate.5a7a8f7a87e10a68

“Hyle?”9ab3ebf4b09d6fb9

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“…You should eat more.”eace7746fa9f65b8

How could 5fe956d1af someone so 3fd34786dd fragile even 440022de37 survive? Even for the mainbottom, this was too much. The original Hyle Verde was a lunatic—how could he have treated someone like Evan so cruelly? If it were me, I would’ve made sure he ate three full meals a day and exercised properly.4f932530d96a2bc9

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“Hyle, what’s wrong with you?”1e37a05e4601ef12

I blinked, and before I knew it, Evan’s face was right in front of mine. In my dazed state, I exhaled, and his long eyelashes fluttered. His pretty face kept getting closer, close enough to kiss. His skin was pale, and his lips were plump and red. Those lips… when they brushed against mine before, they were so soft. Warm, soft… I wanted to feel them again.d5850621a250e742

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“What are you two doing? Hurry up!”b5551ca0bbf024ce

From a distance, Carmen’s voice snapped me back to reality. My thoughts were scattered. What the hell was I thinking? With a sharp smack, I slapped my own cheek. It stung, but at least I felt more awake now.4061fbe2d506936c

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“L-let’s go now, Evan!”0bcebb5e8f42c3a9

“…Okay.”4771d9f1aca8900f

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My self-inflicted slap had d37ec22acc drawn curious stares, but 58197af479 I acted shamelessly. My flushed face was 0d546837bb totally because of the 7f3518b696 slap—not because of any ae7cb9a9a5 weird thoughts. Nope. Telling myself 32048651ea that, I d6bf134911 walked ahead fbf90b3492 of Evan.de94ddfb795f8a0a

In the distance, Carmen, 147fd13491 who had turned back 77e768f1cf to check on us, f0b950720e suddenly bolted toward me f7e55d02f4 with a panicked expression.1611044ab5301d34

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Confused, I turned around—but 9f743249d3 all I saw was 0c722b4757 Evan, smiling.7ce89abb9b3223fd

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆829296432a02c204

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