BOT Chapter 04

Chapter 04

 

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.

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.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh?”

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

Evan whispered softly, uncomfortably close to my side. Startled, I stepped back from him.

“Y-you’re too close.”

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

“So tell me, Hyle.”

“…Tell you what?”

He grasped my hand, which had been left defenseless on the desk. His hand was much smaller and softer than mine. As I stared, dumbfounded, at our interlaced fingers, Evan smiled.

“Holding hands is fine, right?”

“Huh? Y-yeah.”

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.

“How about hugging?”

“…Huh?”

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

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

I squeezed my eyes shut, worried that Evan might hear my pounding heart. With my vision blocked, his body temperature felt even more vivid.

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.

In his dark pupils, I saw my own reflection—my sharp eyes softened, my face flushed bright red. Somehow, seeing myself like this felt unbearably pathetic.

Then, his thumb pried open my lips.

“Wait, Evan—!”

“Hyle, you’re really cute.”

“Mmph…”

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.

His black eyes bore into mine. I felt as if I was being completely exposed, my every thought laid bare.

With each breath I took, my chest swelled up, making it feel like my shirt would burst at any moment.

Without a word, Evan brought the finger that had touched me to his lips.

Slowly, deliberately, he ran his lips over it—almost as if he was putting on a show.

“What are you doing!”

I reflexively grabbed his wrist. His thin wrist fit easily in my grip, bending under my force.

Evan merely looked at his twisted wrist without a single sound of protest.

His pale hand had lost all color.

Only then did I realize I had grabbed him too hard.

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

“I-I’m sorry.”

Evan stared blankly at the mark on his hand.

Did it hurt a lot?

Did I break something?

I should have controlled my strength better.

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

Surely I hadn’t broken his wrist… right?

As I anxiously paced around him, Evan suddenly burst into laughter.

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

His satisfied smile returned.

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

Lovable.

It sounded almost like a heartfelt confession.

His cold fingers brushed back strands of my silver hair clinging to my face.

Or maybe I was just burning up.

Evan ran his fingers through my hair for a while before speaking again.

“Oh, by the way.”

His voice, melodic enough to feel like a song, whispered against my ear.

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

Evan was still smiling.

It was the same smile as always.

But something felt… off.

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

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

Got it?

Evan murmured sweetly.

It felt less like a suggestion and more like an irresistible command.

Without even thinking about his words, I nodded.

Evan patted my head a few more times before flashing a beautiful smile and opening his book.

The sound of flipping pages echoed in the quiet lecture hall.

But something nagged at me.

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.

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.

That morning… Evan hadn’t been there.

So how did he know?

For a moment, it felt like the air around me had dropped a few degrees. Cold sweat trickled down my back. I slowly turned my head to the side. Among the dozing students, Evan was diligently taking notes. Sensing my gaze, he turned his head. When our eyes met, Evan gave me a composed smile. His delicate and graceful beauty stood out even more. His face was filled with nothing but kindness.

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

To shake off the eerie feeling, I fixed my gaze on the blackboard. But no matter how much I tried, my eyes kept drifting toward Evan.

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.

As I got lost in thought, my gaze naturally fixated on him. Maybe Evan had noticed my stare, because his clear, shining black eyes met mine. I quickly lowered my head, but a small chuckle reached my ears.

[Why are you looking at me like that?]

His elegant handwriting adorned the corner of his notebook. Unable to meet his eyes, I simply watched his hand move fluidly across the page—until I suddenly froze. Every time the pen tip tapped against the paper, his wrist flinched slightly. The red mark I left on him stood out starkly.

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

[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.

[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.

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.

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.

“Hyle?”

“…You should eat more.”

How could someone so fragile even survive? Even for the main bottom, 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.

“Hyle, what’s wrong with you?”

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.

“What are you two doing? Hurry up!”

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.

“L-let’s go now, Evan!”

“…Okay.”

My self-inflicted slap had drawn curious stares, but I acted shamelessly. My flushed face was totally because of the slap—not because of any weird thoughts. Nope. Telling myself that, I walked ahead of Evan.

In the distance, Carmen, who had turned back to check on us, suddenly bolted toward me with a panicked expression.

Confused, I turned around—but all I saw was Evan, smiling.

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