LMUC Ch 3

At first, he thought he misheard. Blinking and looking up, Ashley spoke with his usual smiling face:

“I said I’d help. What should we do first? Clean up?”

“What, what? Why?”

This time, he heard it clearly. But Koi still couldn’t believe what his ears had picked up. Ashley Miller is going to help me clean? Why suddenly? For what reason?

He must have some ulterior motive.

First came suspicion, but even that didn’t make sense. This was an assumption one could only make if there was something to gain from him. Ashley Miller wouldn’t gain even a speck of dust from Conner Niles.

Even the dust in my house would be more than what he could get from me.

Koi added a touch of self-deprecating humor before he could laugh it off, then looked at Ashley seriously. Still, he couldn’t be reassured. Even without anything to gain, it was hard to believe someone would do this without any intent.

“I don’t believe in kindness without a reason.”

He said, full of caution. The smile slowly faded from Ashley’s face. They looked at each other in silence for a while.

Finally, it was Ashley who sighed first.

“Actually, I came because I have something to ask.”

Of course.

“What is it?”

Unable to fathom it, Koi asked, and Ashley, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, finally spoke.

“It’s about the assignment.”

“The assignment?”

At this unexpected topic, Koi blinked and repeated what he said. Ashley scratched his head awkwardly as he spoke:

“That, the team assignment from Professor Martinez. We both got an A+ on it.”

“Ah, ah.”

Only then did Koi understand what he was talking about and let out a soft exclamation. Now he thought he knew what Ashley wanted to ask. Sure enough, Ashley continued in a somewhat troubled tone:

“Why did you put my name on it?”

He looked utterly perplexed. Seeing that face, Koi felt a slight relief in his chest, but also a bit of mischief, so he asked back sharply on purpose:

“Why? Got a problem with it?”

“It’s just weird.”

Ashley furrowed his brows. Koi felt a sense of unfamiliarity as if he were seeing Ashley’s bare face for the first time.

“You said you don’t believe in kindness without a reason. Why did you do it? I can’t figure it out no matter how much I think about it.”

Ashley, crossing his arms, looked down at Koi as if urging him to explain. Koi tried to stand as tall as he could to not be intimidated, although he still had to tilt his head back to look at Ashley’s face.

“It’s no big deal. I put your name on it because we were on the same team.”

“But why?”

Ashley still didn’t believe him. Koi thought for a moment before answering honestly:

“It was a team assignment, and I was worried I wouldn’t get the grade if I said I did it alone.”

“Other guys just submitted without including their names.”

“That’s them.”

Koi said stubbornly.

“Anyway, it’s a team assignment, so what if Professor Martinez docked points because a team member didn’t participate?”

It was that important to me, but you just bailed out.

Looking back at him with some lingering resentment, Ashley asked again:

“Still, weren’t you angry?”

“Yeah. So I put my name on top.”

At Koi’s answer, Ashley’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter. Koi watched him, puzzled, as Ashley bent over, laughing heartily.

“I owe you one.”

After a while, Ashley said with a face still full of laughter.

“Forget it, you did it for yourself.”

Koi said readily. He thought to himself, ‘You helped me earlier,’ but didn’t say it out loud. The statement was meant to send him away, but instead of leaving, Ashley stood there and looked around the store.

“We’ll clean now, right? Let’s do it together.”

“What?”

Was he serious?

When he asked in surprise, Ashley didn’t waste any more time and turned to start moving, asking:

“How are we going to handle the ceiling? I should clean that, right?”

At that, Koi looked up, pondering the high ceiling for a moment before finally agreeing, “Yeah.”

“Wait a sec, I’ll get the mop wet.”

Koi rushed out to fetch the cleaning supplies and came back. Ashley, waiting in the same spot, took the mop from Koi and began wiping the ceiling. Seeing him stretch his arm without a ladder to clean the stains, Koi felt a moment of self-deprecation but soon returned to reality. There was a lot to do. He hurriedly started to clean and organize the messed-up display shelves.

🏒

With Ashley’s help, the cleaning was done more easily than expected. Soon, the store was back to its pristine state, but there were still noticeable gaps in the shelves. Five beers from the fridge were also missing.

How much is all this going to cost?

Just as he sighed deeply,

“Is it done now?”

At Ashley’s voice, Koi looked up. Ashley, looking no different from when they started cleaning, was watching him. Even in this situation, seeing the perfect Ashley Miller, Koi reluctantly nodded.

“You can go now. Thanks for the help.”

“No problem. …What about the empty spaces? There were a lot of things ruined, too.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, another long sigh escaped him. Ashley, who had been silently watching, spoke up:

“…I’m having a party on Friday.”

Wondering what he was talking about, Koi looked up, and Ashley continued:

“I need a lot of snacks and stuff. I want to buy them here, can you handle the checkout?”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Koi waved his hand as if to say “do whatever you want” and then sat down at the checkout counter. Seeing him slump over the counter, Ashley turned around to start picking items.

When he returned to the checkout, Koi had fallen asleep. Ashley paused for a moment, then took a notepad and pen from beside the counter, left a message, and placed five 100-dollar bills next to it.

When the sound of the bell woke Koi up with a start, he was alone. Hurriedly coming around from the counter, he saw the Cayenne driving out of the parking lot. Standing there for a moment, Koi turned back to the counter and belatedly noticed the money and the note.

What’s this? 500 dollars?

Surprised, he quickly checked the message that was clearly left by Ashley. It listed several items in a random assortment. Koi was puzzled until he checked the inventory to see what was lost after closing the shop.

🏒

The next day, Koi went to school at the usual time, his heart beating with anticipation as he looked around. Ashley and his gang were always conspicuous, so he would see them even if he didn’t want to, but for some reason today, they were nowhere to be seen.

That’s strange.

Checking the time, he grew anxious and started opening and closing his locker while looking around. He hoped Ashley wasn’t absent again today…

Just as he thought that, he suddenly felt a change in the air around him. Of course, this was familiar too.

Ashley Miller had arrived.

Turning his head with joy, Koi confirmed his expectation was correct. But he also noticed an unwelcome face in the mix. Nelson’s gang was lurking a short distance away from Ashley’s group.

Time to retreat.

Koi slowly backed away, then turned around and ran like mad. After what happened yesterday, Nelson would surely be grinding his teeth. If he caught him now, the bullying would be worse than yesterday. He had to avoid catching Nelson’s eye at all costs. The school year was nearly over, so he just needed to hold on a little longer.

What if they come to the store again?

The uneasy thought crossed his mind, but that was a different story. For now, he needed to overcome the immediate crisis. Koi ran and ran towards the building where his class was, panting.

 

“Huh.”

When Ashley let out an exclamation, the guys with him asked curiously:

“What’s up? Something there?”

“What is it? What?”

While they looked around, Ashley kept gazing in the same direction, equally puzzled, with nothing to say.

He understood the situation when he turned his head in the opposite direction. The moment he made eye contact with Nelson, who flinched and quickly led his gang away, Ashley realized why Koi had run off so eagerly.

“…Hmm.”

As he rubbed his chin, deep in thought, his friends still looked at each other in confusion, none of them understanding why.

🏒

“Phew.”

As soon as lunchtime came, Koi dashed to the cafeteria and let out a deep breath seeing the already long line. After lunch, he had Chemistry class, which was in the building furthest from the cafeteria, so he had to hurry.

Fortunately, the line moved quickly. Soon, a line formed behind Koi as well. As he was stepping forward in line, someone suddenly hit him hard on the back of his head.

“Ah!”

Koi nearly fell forward with a reflexive scream but managed to regain his balance. Who was it? Turning around in shock, he froze. The gang he’d been avoiding all morning was glaring at him. Well, only Nelson was glaring; his crew was snickering, watching with interest.

“You think you can avoid me forever, you pathetic loser?”

Nelson ground out through clenched teeth. The students around them glanced over and stepped back. No one wanted to get involved in an unnecessary fight and risk getting hurt. Although Koi had experienced this plenty of times before, he felt extremely lonely each time.

Would one ever get used to realizing they’re completely alone? Pain never gets familiar. Neither do the wounds of the heart. But Koi knew these pains would follow him until he died.

Just as he felt the repeated despair of being dragged away by Nelson by the collar, someone called out:

“Koi!”

Someone had shouted his name. Both Koi and Nelson paused. Nelson’s gang first looked in the direction of the voice, gasped, and then everyone, including Nelson, turned pale. Koi, half in disbelief, turned his head last and opened his eyes wide.

No way…

But no matter how many times he blinked, the scene didn’t change. Ashley Miller was standing in the line ahead, waving at him. In his wide field of vision, he saw Ashley talking to his friends before turning around.

Everyone stood still as Ashley walked over to them with long strides, the scene feeling surreal to Koi, like a deliberately staged movie scene.

No one moved until Ashley stood before Koi and Nelson. Then, everyone watched, holding their breath, as Ashley raised his hand. Koi, too, was spellbound by the sight, and Ashley spoke with a smile:

“What are you doing? Come on, lunchtime is short.”

After saying that, Ashley grabbed Nelson’s wrist, which was holding Koi’s collar. Still smiling at Nelson, Ashley said:

“We need to eat quickly if we’re going to be ready for the next class, right?”

Although the words were for Koi, his eyes were on Nelson. Ashley didn’t lose his smile, but Nelson was clearly intimidated.

The grip on Koi’s collar loosened, and Nelson stepped back, looking at Ashley with wavering eyes before turning and running off. His gang hurriedly followed. The previously silent students around them started whispering and giggling.

Koi couldn’t believe how absurdly the situation had ended. Ashley hadn’t cursed or thrown punches; he just said a few words and grabbed a wrist, and Nelson ran away? That Nelson?

Looking up with a still dazed face, Koi met Ashley’s gaze. The always-smiling face made Koi’s cheeks flush suddenly.

“Th-thank you.”

Stammering his thanks, Ashley just nodded as if it was nothing. Indeed, it was nothing much. He had only walked a few steps and said a few words.

But Ashley Miller could never know how significant this was for Koi. Someone stepping in to help in such a situation, and that someone being none other than Ashley Miller, was incredible. Koi couldn’t believe that this superstar had helped someone as insignificant as him.

Could this all be a dream?

He slapped his cheek hard to make sure. The sound echoed, and as he rubbed his stinging cheek, Ashley looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, no, nothing.”

Shaking his head, still not quite believing it was real, an even more surprising thing happened. Ashley pointed behind him with his thumb and said:

“Let’s go, lunchtime will be over.”

“Huh? Me?”

When he asked in confusion, Ashley, who had already turned around, smiled like the sun again.

“Of course, you, Conner Niles.”

Koi blinked, then hurried to follow Ashley. As he almost ran to keep up with the long strides, his mind was still in a daze.

Ashley took my side, saved me, and even invited me for lunch. Ashley Miller, with me.

And he even got my name right this time.

But that wasn’t all. Ashley’s friends, who had been waiting, greeted Koi casually as he returned with Ashley.

“Hi.”

“Hi!”

They waved lightly or nodded in greeting and naturally continued the conversation. Koi couldn’t believe he was standing among the six members of the ice hockey team. He, who always ate alone, was now standing with the six most popular people in school – who could have imagined this was reality?

If an angel had appeared before he went to sleep last night and told him this would happen, Koi would have thought the angel was a demon. How could such an unbelievable, almost scam-like thing happen?

Surrounded by six guys, either as big as or slightly smaller than Ashley, the outside world was invisible, and a thick shadow was cast over him, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t need to see the sunlight for the rest of his life! Koi thought happily.

“Go ahead, Koi.”

As he was still in a daze, Ashley nudged him forward. Koi was surprised once again to realize he was the first one in line to get lunch.

Was today my birthday?

Maybe I’ll die tomorrow. Considering I’ve used up a lifetime’s worth of luck like this, perhaps Death has pitied me and given me one good day before the end.

Anyway, it didn’t matter. Koi felt like he was living in a wonderful dream; he couldn’t even feel his feet on the ground. Moreover, the six of them naturally surrounded him and sat at the same table. Though he couldn’t join their conversation, just listening with his ears perked up and his eyes darting around was enough to make him happy.

The six of them laughed loudly, changing topics constantly. Having friends is such a joyful thing, Koi thought, his cheeks flushed as he listened intently.

“I just can’t understand it.”

One of them grumbled about getting scolded by his father over grades the day before.

“Babies, they just eat and sleep and get praised, right? My sister’s baby, she just lies there and poops, and everyone says she’s doing great.”

He sighed deeply, lamenting:

“I want to go back to those days.”

“There’s not much difference from now, though?”

At another guy’s nonchalant remark, Koi nearly spat out the vegetable juice he was drinking. What was surprising was that no one else showed such a strong reaction, as if such conversations were common. The first guy asked seriously:

“Why don’t you get mad now?”

Holding a sandwich, Ashley answered:

“You have to consider the audience who’s been watching the same performance for over ten years. Plus, the ticket prices keep going up.”

Unlike Koi, who nearly spat out his drink again, the others nodded as if they agreed. The first speaker protested, feeling wronged:

“You’re really mean.”

It was hard to hold back anymore. Koi’s face turned red as he tried to suppress his laughter. One of the guys noticed and blinked.

“What’s that?”

Suddenly, everyone’s attention was on him. Koi, who had been holding his breath to stop laughing, was flustered by the sudden interest and looked around.

“Huh? Me?”

He managed to ask in a trembling voice, and the guy who started it all nodded, “Yeah.”

“Your ears are moving. How do you do that? Wow, I’ve never seen that before.”

The moment he heard that, Koi turned pale and quickly grabbed his ears. Oh no! He was in a panic, but the others were already making a loud fuss.

“What? His ears move?”

“Where, where?”

“He can move his ears?”

With such big guys talking loudly, Koi quickly became dazed. Amid the chaos, he couldn’t keep up with what was being said, and all he could do was dart his eyes around in fear, huddling into himself.

〈Look at this, you loser!〉

〈He’s a monkey, a monkey.〉

〈No, he’s a dog! Loser, walk on all fours!〉

〈Woof, woof, woof. Hey, do it! Woof!〉

The echoes of laughter seemed to ring in his ears. He felt cold sweat running down his back, and his vision spun.

He had let his guard down, and his habit had shown itself. When this was first discovered, he had no idea how much bullying he endured. Even before that, Nelson’s gang, who had always made life hard for Koi, started targeting him even more from that day on.

And now again.

Having finally found himself in a new group, only to face the same situation, Koi felt like crying. He couldn’t even look at Ashley, imagining him joining in the contempt and mockery like Nelson.

Biting his lip and trembling, he heard Ashley’s voice amidst the noise:

“Koi, is that true?”

It’s all over. I’m completely ruined because of this shitty habit. Of course, Conner Niles, your life can’t go so smoothly, can it? Know your place, you got too excited, and now you’ve messed everything up. Nothing ever works out for you. You foolish idiot!

As he showered himself with self-deprecation, hate, and blame, Ashley spoke again:

“Everyone, quiet down, you’re scaring him. Keep it down, I said!”

After calming the surroundings, he spoke to Koi again.

“Koi, it’s okay. Sorry, these guys sometimes forget how intimidating they can be. They’re just big and dumb.”

“Hey, doesn’t that include you?”

“Yeah, that’s not fair! Ash Miller, you’re the biggest among us!”

They all started shouting again. Up until that point, Koi had been trembling with fear, but he began to realize the atmosphere was different from what he had feared.

“Huh…?”

Carefully lifting his gaze, he saw Ash and the gang talking and teasing each other just as they had before. The horrific scenario Koi had imagined didn’t happen.

Bewildered, he slowly let go of his ears. When he cautiously looked up, his eyes met with Ashley’s. Unlike Koi, who froze in surprise, Ashley smiled brightly as if it was no big deal.

The tension in Koi’s shoulders began to ease. Is it okay…? As he cautiously gauged the situation, another guy quickly chimed in.

“Can you really move your ears?”

Koi was startled, and immediately another guy protested, feeling wronged:

“I saw it! Do you guys think I look like a hippo taking a dump?”

No one paid attention to the guy who was hopping mad. Instead, they all looked at Koi with shining eyes, asking:

“Is it really true? Show us, I want to see it.”

“Come on.”

“Please, just once. Okay?”

This kind of reaction was new to Koi, making him unsure of how to respond. But it wasn’t a bad atmosphere at all. Seeing even Ashley looking at him with interest, Koi gathered his courage and carefully moved one of his ears. Cheers erupted immediately.

“Wow.”

“Wow, that’s insane!”

“Look, he really moves his ears! It’s so cool!”

“I’ve never seen that before, wow, awesome.”

“How do you do that? Is it something you train for? Or is it natural? Is it genetic?”

“Can you move both? Do it, can you move them separately? Together too? Wow, it works.”

Overwhelmed by the flood of questions and comments, Koi realized none of it was mocking or ridiculing. Seeing their genuine curiosity and amusement, he felt more confident. He timidly moved both ears, and they clapped, laughed, and tried to move their own ears, making faces. Of course, none succeeded.

“How do you do that?”

Even Ashley, who had failed, asked with a furrowed brow. Koi, with a red face, stammered:

“It just… worked since I was little.”

“That’s amazing. Can you do it whenever you want?”

Another guy asked, and Koi, stuttering but with a louder voice, replied:

“Sometimes, but it also moves with my mood. It’s like a habit… when I’m very happy or surprised.”

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“See, some things are just innate.”

As one of the guys even whistled, the conversation quickly shifted to another topic. Koi could never have imagined that his complex would be resolved so easily. Was it really this simple?

Still dazed, he was about to drink his vegetable juice when one of the guys, deeply engaged in another conversation, grabbed Koi’s juice by mistake. He hadn’t properly seen and took Koi’s drink instead of his own.

“Huh.”

Koi tried to stop him, but he had already taken a large gulp.

“Ugh, what is this?”

He immediately shuddered, checking what he had just drunk in surprise. Koi felt an unnecessary guilt and mumbled:

“I tried to stop you…”

“It’s the fault of the person who didn’t look properly, don’t worry about it.”

Ashley dismissed it casually. Still, when Koi looked apologetic, the guy grimaced as he handed the drink back, saying:

“What kind of stuff do you drink? It tastes like underwear washed in sewer water after a month.”

“Have you tasted that?”

“You’d know if you tried it.”

Watching the guys bicker, Koi tried to act as if it was nothing and replied:

“I think it’s okay.”

Immediately, the others exchanged words:

“No one would drink that unless they’re trying to bulk up.”

“Those who drank it are probably all dead by now, right?”

“Hey, wasn’t the pancake you made before an assassination attempt?”

The conversation naturally shifted elsewhere. Seeing Ashley also laughing and chatting normally, Koi sighed in relief.

There had been several crises, but he managed to get through them. Koi felt like he had faced the two biggest crises of his short life back-to-back and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

After the crisis passed, a sense of accomplishment spread through him. Eating lunch with the six most popular guys at school still didn’t feel real.

Before returning the tray and heading to the next class, Koi quietly called out to Ashley. At the sound of his name, Ashley stopped and turned around. Koi rummaged through his pocket to pull out the money he’d been carrying all morning.

“Uh, about the money from yesterday’s payment.”

“Oh, was it not enough?”

At the prompt response, Koi looked up reflexively.

“No, it’s not that…”

When their eyes met, Ashley tilted his head.

“Huh?”

For some reason, the words didn’t come easily. Koi looked up at him for a moment before quickly looking down and hurriedly pulled the money out of his pocket.

“Oops.”

Along with the money he had bundled to give to Ashley, his lucky $2 bill came out too. Before Koi could pick it up, Ashley bent down to grab the crumpled bill and handed it to him.

“Here.”

Handing over the bill, Ashley smiled.

“You’ve had this for a while, huh?”

“Uh…”

There was a reason for that. Koi mumbled his reply and changed the subject.

“Yesterday, when you left after paying, it was too much.”

He was careful to keep his voice from shaking as he chose his words.

“You paid for the items that got ruined too, right?”

Since he didn’t know the exact amount lost, Ashley must have left a large sum on purpose. It wasn’t the situation to act proud or say not to pity him. But Koi, trying to retain his dignity, handed back the change while expressing his gratitude.

“…Thank you.”

He said cautiously, and Ashley smiled his usual smile.

“I was the one in debt first.”

“You’ve more than made up for it.”

“Good to hear, then.”

Ashley took the money Koi handed him and stuffed it into his pants pocket, then waved and walked briskly towards his waiting friends. Koi watched his back for quite a long time, his heart still pounding.

🏒

“You’ve been acting strange lately.”

After finishing both after-school practice and meeting up with their girlfriends at Greenbell, the ice hockey team gathered together.

After the guys, who were no different from beasts after their workout, had their fill showing off their hearty appetites, Ariel spoke up when some sense had returned. Ashley looked down at her with curiosity when she said with a frown:

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

The other guys gathered around watched with interest. Ariel continued:

“You’re hanging out with some weird loser now, you never even looked at guys like that before.”

“Who?”

“Aren’t you talking about Koi?”

One of the guys watching furrowed his brow at Ashley, who then nodded, understanding. Ariel crossed her arms under her chest and pouted her lips.

“You used to not even acknowledge those types. Why the sudden change? Did he get something on you?”

“Me?”

Ashley laughed out loud, and the other main players of the ice hockey team burst into laughter as well. Ariel blushed but turned her head away as if it was nothing.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Well, we were curious too.”

Bill, one of the group, chimed in.

“You always include him at lunch. Why do you do that? It can’t be that he’s got something on you.”

Bill added with a smirk towards Ariel. Ariel raised her eyebrows, but Ashley, having swallowed a big bite of his burger, spoke up:

“It’s nothing. Just, I feel sorry for him.”

“Sorry for him?”

Ariel asked, sounding incredulous. Another guy nodded, answering for Ashley:

“Well, he was pretty badly bullied by some nasty guys.”

Another guy agreed:

“Yeah, I think he was getting beaten up when we first saw him.”

“He wasn’t beaten, but he was about to be.”

“Same difference.”

“Totally different?”

Ashley let the conversation drift into pointless banter for a while before he spoke up again:

“Anyway, just treat him nicely. He’s pitiful.”

Everyone looked at each other and nodded in understanding.

“Just be nice enough to acknowledge him, right?”

At Bill’s words, Ashley nodded and picked up a French fry to eat. Ariel, who had been sitting with an unpleasant look, said:

“Don’t hang out with him for no reason. It makes you look bad too.”

She added with a pout while drinking her cola:

“We’re different from those types.”

Ashley glanced at the ice in her cola cup absentmindedly before speaking:

“Yeah, of course.”

Because only that guy doesn’t put ice in his soda.

He thought to himself and then chuckled, dismissing the thought.

“Oh, now that you mention it, he’s in our class.”

Bill said as if he just remembered, and another guy nodded in agreement.

“He’s in a few with me. He’s in almost all of yours, Ash? He must be taking all the AP classes.”

A guy who whistled shortly was met with a smirk from his girlfriend, who said:

“If he’s got nothing else to do, he might as well study. He doesn’t have friends, does he?”

“Who would want to hang out with such a loser?”

Ariel scoffed, and everyone laughed. Ashley laughed too, ignoring the small guilt stirring in his chest.

Why does his smiling face come to mind now?

He deliberately crunched on the ice from his cup to clear his mind and started chatting with the other guys.

🏒

“Hi, Koi.”

“Hi, Bill.”

One of the main players from the ice hockey team greeted him in front of the lockers. Koi responded happily, and the guy smiled back before heading to his locker.

Since that day, the guys who hung out with Ashley often acknowledged Koi. Though it was just simple greetings, it was a tremendous change for Koi. Until now, no one had ever greeted him first at school, so no one but him knew how much joy a simple greeting could bring.

The change wasn’t just that. The way other students treated Koi had changed too. The dismissive treatment and whispering behind his back had ceased, replaced by simple greetings or even light conversation.

When a classmate casually talked about a TV show they had watched the day before in the same class, Koi was shocked to the point of nearly fainting. Although he didn’t manage to respond properly, and the classmate left shortly after, this was massive progress. That day, Koi spent his time searching for the show the classmate mentioned, watching free clips on YouTube, completely engrossed.

The best part was that Nelson’s gang’s bullying had disappeared. To live a day without mockery, beatings, or even the fear of them – how peaceful and happy that was. Koi enjoyed this newfound normalcy and felt extremely satisfied every day. All thanks to Ashley Miller.

How can someone like that exist?

Koi thought, his heart beating with excitement. He’s good-looking, has a great body, is tall, excels in sports, and is smart on top of it, with a good character too! Could there be another human this perfect?

If there were a religion for Ashley Miller, Koi would be the first to become a follower. That’s how much space Ashley had taken in his life. It might have been nothing to Ashley, but he had turned Koi’s life, which had been only despair, into one filled with happiness and satisfaction. Koi felt he could never thank Ashley enough. He thought he would do anything if he could be of help to him someday, even if it was unlikely that Ashley Miller would ever need someone like Conner Niles.

Time passed, and the school term ended, bringing them to the holidays.

🏒

♪♪♪♬♬♩♪…….

The sound of the ringing bell woke Ashley up early in the morning.

“Ugh…”

Groaning, he buried his face in the pillow and stretched out his long arm to fumble on the bedside table for his phone. The bell continued to ring.

— Ash?

At the shrill voice that came through as soon as he picked up, Ashley didn’t react for a moment.

“…Al?”

When he called out with his still hoarse voice, Ariel answered from the other end.

— Ash, what are you doing? Still sleeping?

“…What time is it?”

Forcing his heavy eyelids open to check the time on his phone, he nearly swore.

“So, what’s up?”

His voice came out rough, and Ariel paused before speaking:

— Just wanted to say I don’t think I can meet up today. My dad wants us all to have dinner together.

Frowning, Ashley soon realized:

“…It’s the 4th of July.”

At his murmur, which came out like a sigh, Ariel responded with an “uh-huh” and continued:

— I’m sorry, are your parents coming or anything?

It was common knowledge that Ashley’s parents were in the East and he lived here alone. Ashley answered without much emotion:

“It’s fine, families should spend Independence Day together. I understand.”

— I’ll call you, Ash.

Ariel left a kissing sound on the phone before hanging up. Ashley stared at the disconnected call for a moment before throwing the phone onto the bed and turning over with a sigh.

“Right. Holidays should be spent with family.”

He repeated what he had said, then fell silent. The surroundings were endlessly quiet.

🏒

From far away, there was a sound like the wind, followed by a loud explosion. The fireworks had started. Koi, standing at the checkout counter, looked outside without thinking. Beyond the glass door, all he could see were the fading tails of the fireworks in the sky.

That would be fun.

Koi thought absentmindedly. Independence Day was one of the biggest holidays of the year, and everywhere was crowded. Restaurants would raise their prices, and families would naturally pay the price to spend time together.

But that had nothing to do with him. Especially not family time, which he had lost long ago. On days like this, working was better. He refocused his mind and turned his head. What was important now was the college entrance exam next month. He was fully prepared; all that was left was to get the scores.

While he was tackling the math problems he hadn’t finished the day before, the sound of the bell made him snap back to reality.

“Huh.”

Seeing the unexpected person who entered the shop, he blinked in surprise. The man who had come in also paused when he saw Koi behind the counter.

“Ash.”

Koi whispered softly, and Ashley responded in a similarly hushed, hoarse voice:

“…Koi, hi.”

Then he cleared his throat with an “ahem.” Koi watched as Ashley turned to look at the snacks. He couldn’t believe the sudden situation. This was the first time he’d seen him since the holidays started. His heart started beating wildly.

Koi kept his eyes on Ashley the entire time he picked out items and brought them to the counter. Only after placing several snacks on the counter did Ashley speak:

“Aren’t you taking the day off for Independence Day?”

“Huh? No.”

Koi answered hastily while scanning the barcodes.

“My family doesn’t gather for meals on days like this.”

“…Hmm.”

Ashley’s response was vague. Koi bagged the snacks.

“What about you? Your parents didn’t come?”

At Koi’s question, Ashley handed over his card.

“My family doesn’t gather for meals on days like this.”

Repeating what Koi had said, Koi let out a laugh. Ashley looked at him, slightly taken aback, and Koi said with a smile:

“We have something in common.”

Ashley looked down at him silently. It wasn’t meant as a joke; it was more of a sarcastic remark, though it wasn’t clear whether he was mocking himself or Koi.

However, Koi looked up at him with his bright, sparkling eyes, genuinely happy. The sight made Ashley feel somewhat burdened, so he turned around with his bag as soon as he got his card back.

“Oh, Ash, wait! Just wait a sec!”

As Ashley was about to get into his parked car, Koi ran out of the store shouting. When Ashley stopped, Koi rushed over and handed him something.

“Here.”

“…What’s this?”

Instead of taking what Koi was handing him, Ashley asked, and Koi excitedly explained:

“It’s a souvenir for Independence Day, take it.”

Urged on by Koi’s eagerness, Ashley had no choice but to accept it. Looking down at the oddly shaped pink doll in silence, Koi’s voice rose with excitement:

“Isn’t it cute?”

“…”

Ashley stared at his face for a while before looking back at the doll. No matter how you looked at it, the doll was too ugly, and it even had a mischievous expression. Who would pay for something like this? It would only be given away for free.

But Ashley couldn’t bring himself to say it honestly. The look on Koi’s face as he looked up at him was so, so…

Happy.

“Pfft.”