LMUC Ch 5

Even though he had received permission from Ashley, it still took courage to enter. After a deep breath, he cautiously stepped into the house. It was surprising that such a grand mansion didn’t have a security system. If there had been one, an alarm would have sounded by now.

Maybe it’s because Ashley is home.

Koi thought. Or perhaps they trust the security of the club grounds entirely.

Who would imagine someone would take the back road up here?

He had come half by bike, half by dragging it. Even he thought he was stubbornly persistent.

Once he thought that far, he felt embarrassed, but since he had already come this far, he wanted to see how Ashley was doing. Actually, even just a simple greeting would be nice. At that point, Koi realized it himself. He just wanted to see Ashley.

Am I turning into a stalker?

Even as he thought that, his steps didn’t stop. Walking through the vast hall and up countless stairs, Koi guessed where Ashley’s room might be. From outside, the mansion appeared to be about three stories, maybe four. After another deep breath, Koi climbed the stairs to the second floor. Standing in the hallway, he was overwhelmed by its endless length.

I need to hurry up.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he started moving briskly. The first room he entered was a kitchen and bar combined. The walls were packed with all sorts of alcohol, glasses, and cocktail ingredients. The lack of any empty space suggested Ashley wasn’t one for drinking.

Koi looked around thoughtlessly and accidentally touched what looked like a refrigerator, startling himself. Light immediately came on, illuminating the packed bottles of drinks through the glass.

This isn’t the place, huh.

Leaving the comfortable area prepared for making drinks and simple meals, he moved to the next room. There were no lights on, but enough sunlight came through the countless windows on one wall to light up his path.

The next room was a movie theater. Koi exclaimed “Wow” at the sight of the large screen and the comfortable-looking sofas before quickly closing the door and moving on.

If I keep marveling at everything, I’ll never finish. Let’s hurry up.

He urged himself on to the next room.

Koi opened and closed several doors. The house was enormous, the hallways endless, and rooms kept appearing one after another. He passed through a game room with a large pool table, a fitness room filled with various exercise equipment, and a room packed with arcade games, then checked several bedrooms that felt empty and devoid of any human warmth.

Panting, panting.

Finally, when he found the bedroom where Ashley was sleeping, Koi was completely exhausted.

🏒

〈You want to go west?〉

The man asked, cigar in mouth. Meeting those eerie purple eyes, Ashley suppressed the usual sense of loathing and answered:

〈I don’t want to stay in this house. It doesn’t have to be the west.〉

The man narrowed his eyes. Ashley showed no reaction to his familiar sneer. The man, deeply seated in a leather chair behind a massive oak desk, inhaled deeply from his cigar. Ashley stood on the other side, waiting for the man’s response.

The silence was long. Longer than expected, to the point where it was hard for Ashley to endure with patience.

〈There’s a villa in the west.〉

The man finally spoke.

〈It was bought for vacation, but since it’s empty, you might as well stay there.〉

Speaking slowly up to that point, the man turned his gaze to Ashley. He was waiting. For words to come from Ashley.

The man who had never lost a case always demanded a price for everything he did. The price Ashley would pay to get what he wanted was, from the man’s perspective, laughably cheap. It was just a single word. But to say that word, Ashley had to take a deep breath.

〈Thank you, …Father.〉

The man’s lips loosened. The sweet, deadly scent of pheromones mixed with the harsh smell of cigar smoke settled heavily around him.

 

“…Cough, cough.”

Violent coughing shook his entire body, waking him from sleep. The pain he had ignored spread throughout his body, but it was better than continuing the nightmare.

Panting, panting.

Breathing heavily, he slowly opened his eyes. The room had been bright before he fell asleep, but now the sunset was setting in. The fever was still there. With his cheeks burning and his whole body feeling heavy, a sigh escaped him naturally. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, he felt a strange sense of unease.

…What is it?

Ashley listened with his eyes closed. Due to the fever, his senses were dull, so at first, he couldn’t be sure. But he wasn’t wrong. Just as his consciousness was about to drift again, he clearly heard it. Footsteps coming down the hallway.

Is it one of the staff? He thought briefly, but then he denied it. Even if he had lost consciousness for more than a day, the setting sun proved such a thing was impossible. The staff came early in the morning, finished their work before noon, and left. It was too early if it was the rising sun, and too late if it was setting. Moreover, they were on vacation. The conclusion was that someone had come without permission.

Could it be a thief?

Ashley thought, still lying down. If he were well, he would have grabbed a hockey stick and swung it, but now everything was just annoying. He hoped they would take whatever they wanted and let him sleep. Even if the entire mansion disappeared, that man wouldn’t care. Maybe he’d only care if Ashley was gone.

Because Ashley was that man’s son, almost like property.

Just like the one who had given birth to Ashley.

The footsteps grew closer. If it were a thief, they would be busy rummaging around, but there was none of that.

The footsteps approaching seemed to indicate that their destination was Ashley’s room.

…Could it be that man?

When the image of those hateful purple eyes came to mind, the door burst open.

Ashley consciously took a deep breath. If it were that man, that sickeningly sweet scent would fill his lungs.

But expecting an unpleasant feeling, he inhaled deeply, but there was no smell at all. Realizing the only scent was the faint fabric smell from his blanket, Ashley returned to his previous assumption.

It’s a thief then.

Ashley buried himself deeper into the bed, hoping the thief wouldn’t bother him with annoying demands for valuables while threatening him with a weapon.

Take it all. Just don’t touch me.

That was Ashley’s only wish, but the probability was fifty-fifty. He had to think about what to do in the worst-case scenario.

Waiting with his eyes closed, unexpectedly, the thief didn’t immediately enter the room. Maybe he was scanning the room from outside.

But with a creak, Ashley soon realized why. The stupid thief was trying to be as quiet as possible, holding the door handle. The evidence was the gasp of surprise that came after the loud noise.

Just some petty thief?

Ashley thought, still with his eyes closed and half asleep. With such an incompetent thief, what he would take wouldn’t be much. He’ll leave soon, Ashley thought and decided to go back to sleep. Just as he was about to drift back into a hazy consciousness, he heard it again.

Squeak.

The sharp sound forced him awake again. Deep wrinkles formed on his forehead from his serious frown. Again, the petty thief had stopped moving.

Ashley tried to ignore it and force himself back to sleep, but he failed once more. When the door made another loud noise, he nearly shouted for him to just come in. If it weren’t for the high fever making his body burn, he would have done so. But in reality, all he managed was a grimace and a small groan with his eyes closed.

Fortunately, the door noise stopped. Instead, another eerie mechanical sound was heard. Squeak, squeak. It wasn’t as loud as before, but it was still irritating to the ears.

What great treasure is he trying to steal to make such a fuss? Ashley gritted his teeth, and then the sound stopped.

Soon after, he felt the presence of someone holding their breath. The movement of someone tiptoeing across the room was palpable. He approached Ashley’s bed quietly.

Until then, Ashley hadn’t moved. The thief, with some audacity, seemed to want to check the person lying on the bed. Ashley couldn’t take it anymore. The moment the thief gently lifted the sheet over Ashley’s head, Ashley suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“You bastard, that’s enough…!”

With a hoarse voice, he shouted as he pushed the startled thief onto the bed. The thief was smaller than he expected, small enough that Ashley could easily break a bone or two if he wanted.

What shocked him was the identity of the thief. Ashley looked down in disbelief at the familiar face staring back at him with wide eyes.

“…Koi?”

His voice, still hoarse, barely made it out of his throat. Koi, who had been blinking blankly until then, nodded awkwardly.

“Yeah, it’s me. …How have you been?”

The words were added formally, seeing Ashley was clearly not “well.” Ashley stared at Koi blankly before coughing violently.

“Ash!”

Koi shouted in panic, quickly getting up. With the tension gone after realizing who the “thief” was, Ashley collapsed back onto the bed.

“Ash, are you okay? Oh no, you must be really sick!”

It’s because of you.

Ashley wanted to say but couldn’t due to his coughing. As Koi watched him with worry, still coughing painfully, he hurriedly got off the bed.

“Ash, I brought medicine. Take some, and I have soup too.”

Ashley, barely opening his eyes amidst his body-shaking cough, figured out what the strange mechanical sound was. It was the sound of the cart Koi had dragged in.

“The kitchen is huge.”

Before Ashley could ask, Koi spoke first while scooping soup from a pot into a bowl.

“It’s vegetable soup.”

“Get rid of it.”

Ashley said immediately. Koi, startled, turned around quickly, pouring the scooped soup back into the pot and opening another to repeat the action.

“It’s cream soup.”

“…”

Even in his feverish, dazed state, Ashley looked at Koi in disbelief. Panting, he turned his gaze behind Koi to see four pots of various sizes on the cart.

“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I bought different kinds.”

Koi said, blushing. He also added that he would remember Ashley doesn’t eat vegetables. Ashley just blinked, lying down, without the energy even to speak, let alone think. Feeling sorry for him, Koi made a sad face and stirred the soup, spooning some out to offer.

“Here, Ash. Eat some.”

Ashley moved only his eyes to look at the spoon and then back at Koi. Koi, not hiding his concern, said:

“You need to eat something to get your strength back. Eat and take your medicine, okay? Then you’ll get better soon.”

“Here,” Koi offered the spoon again, his ears not moving at all. Thinking that Koi was genuinely worried about him, Ashley felt strange.

“Okay, here.”

Hesitating, he opened his mouth, and Koi carefully inserted the spoon, letting the soup flow in before pulling it out. Watching Koi ready to serve another spoonful, Ashley struggled to swallow it.

“Does it hurt?”

Seeing Ashley grimace, Koi immediately reacted. The sore throat was too severe to continue. When Ashley shook his head at the spoon Koi was offering again, he looked downcast, then put down the bowl and handed over a cup of water and medicine.

“Take the medicine, here.”

Ashley, blinking while lying down, struggled to sit up. What he needed most right now was that.

“This is for fever, this is for phlegm, and this one’s for a sore throat.”

Koi explained each one, placing pills and capsules into Ashley’s palm. He didn’t forget the lukewarm water either. Ashley couldn’t help but grimace with each swallow, but after managing to drink the whole cup, he sighed. His throat hurt terribly, but at least the thirst was quenched.

When Ashley tried to lie back down, Koi quickly came to support him. Although he doubted it would be much help, Ashley leaned his head on Koi’s thin shoulder. The coolness of Koi’s t-shirt against his forehead felt good.

“Go to sleep, Ash. You’ll feel much better when you wake up.”

Koi spoke as if to a child, then gently placed Ashley’s head back on the pillow. Ironically, despite feeling a moment of regret, Koi didn’t leave his side. Pulling the blanket up to Ashley’s neck and patting his chest, Ashley realized he was feeling relieved.

“Yeah, I’ll stay here.”

Koi said. Only then did Ashley realize he had whispered something to him.

Don’t go.

Words he had never said to anyone. Not to his girlfriend, not to his friends, not even to the parents who gave birth to him.

Because he thought it was meaningless.

Ashley looked at Koi blankly, blinking. Through his blurred vision, he saw Koi smiling.

…Because everyone would leave even if you held on.

Ashley raised his heavy hand to grasp Koi’s hand, which was gently patting his chest. Unlike his feverish self, Koi’s hand was cool. Sighing in relief, Ashley fell asleep. This time, he didn’t wake up in the middle.

Koi exhaled in relief as he watched Ashley’s face, now sleeping with even breaths. When he first found Ashley, he almost called an ambulance. He looked that serious, and there was a sense of urgency that something bad might happen.

Stay calm.

Suppressing his fear, Koi tried to handle the situation as rationally as he could. When did Ashley start feeling sick? It was clear that there was no one else in the house. Koi hadn’t encountered anyone or even felt another presence.

Let’s do what I can first.

With that determination, he carefully left Ashley’s room. From what he had seen on his way, there was a snack bar or a simple kitchen on the second floor. All he needed was a pot to cook soup, a plate, and a cup for medicine, so he didn’t need to go to the main dining kitchen.

After closing the door behind him, Koi hurried back the way he came. Ironically, the kitchen was on the opposite side.

After walking quite a distance, he arrived at the kitchen and started cooking the instant soup he had brought. Although he might have woken Ashley when he opened the door again, he had at least given him the medicine. Koi thought while looking down at Ashley’s sleeping face.

Let’s see how the medicine works first.

He was anxious about the effectiveness since he had picked them out in haste at the store, but he had done all he could for now. After wiping Ashley’s sweaty forehead with the napkin he brought, Koi straightened up.

When Ash wakes up, I’ll reheat the soup…

Thinking that, Koi yawned without thinking. Fatigue hit him belatedly. Ashley was sleeping deeply, holding Koi’s hand. Koi looked down at it for a moment before leaving it be and slumped over on the bed. Sleep overwhelmed him in an instant, and with small snores, Koi also fell asleep.

🏒

Birdsong came from somewhere. The cool breeze of early morning woke his senses, and fresh air circulated around. With the sunlight coming through the window and the cold air, Ashley briefly furrowed his brow before slowly opening his eyes.

“…”

At first, he was just dazed.

Blinking while lying down, Ashley felt a strange sensation and checked his hand, opening his eyes wide. As he moved his gaze to find the owner of the hand he must have been holding all night, he froze.

Koi.

His once empty mind started to work again with difficulty.

How?

As memories returned one by one while looking at Koi’s face, deeply asleep and breathing unevenly, he remembered. The one who had unexpectedly come to see him, the one who tried to feed him four different kinds of soup, the one who brought a handful of medicine and gave it to him with water.

And finally, the one who promised to stay by his side, holding his hand.

Koi had kept his promise. He was sitting in a chair by the bed, holding Ashley’s hand, his face half-buried in the bed sheet, looking like he wouldn’t wake up for anything less than a major disturbance.

Ashley watched Koi without moving for a while.

He could have just left.

The fact that he stayed after hearing Ashley’s feverish words was unbelievable. If it were Ashley, he would have left long ago.

Why?

Ashley thought.

Why didn’t he leave?

At that moment, a monotonous alarm sound rang out. Startled, Ashley sat up, trying to find the source of the sound. Realizing it wasn’t his phone, he looked around and soon understood. It was coming from Koi’s phone.

Carefully searching through Koi’s clothes while he still slept, snoring softly, Ashley found the phone in his jacket pocket and opened the screen to turn off the alarm. The moment he saw the schedule on the screen, he snapped to attention.

“Koi, Koi!”

Ashley shook Koi’s shoulders urgently. Until then, he was still holding Koi’s hand. He didn’t want to let go, but he had to. Ashley reluctantly let go of Koi’s hand and instead grabbed his shoulders, pulling him up.

“Koi, wake up! It’s morning!”

“Huh… mm?”

Koi mumbled as he barely opened his eyes. He looked blankly at the face in front of him and then grinned.

“Ash, are you all better?”

“Snap out of it!”

Ashley shouted urgently.

“The exam, you! The college entrance exam!”

At Ashley’s shout, Koi only blinked his sleepy eyes. His reaction came seconds later.

“What?”

Koi screamed almost as loudly as Ashley and suddenly jumped out of bed.

“Wait. Wait, Koi!”

Ashley, trying to follow the panic-stricken Koi, stumbled from dizziness and closed his eyes.

Damn.

The fever hadn’t subsided yet. Although he felt much better than the day before, his head still felt heavy as he hurried after him.

“Koi, wait!”

Ashley called out to him with his still hoarse voice. Koi, who was rushing down the stairs, turned around. Seeing Koi’s pale face, Ashley leaned against the banister and said:

“I’ll drive you to the exam. Have you got everything you need? Check that first!”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

Koi stopped right there and rummaged through his bag, which he had grabbed in a hurry.

“My phone!”

“Here.”

Ashley held both his and Koi’s phones in one hand as he descended the stairs.

“I’ll hold onto it.”

“Thanks.”

Koi thanked him hastily and checked his belongings again. Fortunately, everything including his exam admission ticket was in the bag, except for one thing.

“Just a sec, I’ll get my calculator.”

Before Koi could scream, Ashley quickly spoke and ran back up the stairs.

“Get in the car first!”

Ashley shouted hoarsely and disappeared from sight. Koi, his heart pounding with anxiety, looked in the direction Ashley had gone before hurrying down the stairs.

Ashley’s car was still parked where he had seen it the day before. Koi touched the car, worried about setting off an alarm, but there was no sound.

The passenger door opened easily. Once inside, he noticed the smart key carelessly placed on the dashboard.

“Here.”

Before even sitting in the driver’s seat, Ashley handed over the calculator and started the engine.

“Where’s the exam venue?”

As they drove out of the estate, Koi answered with a trembling voice:

“Luckily, it’s close.”

“Yeah.”

The problem was it was during rush hour. If they didn’t get there on time, taking the exam would be impossible. Koi clasped his hands together as if in prayer, his eyes tightly shut. Please!

“Shouldn’t you be praying to me?”

Ashley asked suddenly. Koi responded with his eyes still closed:

“I’m praying to you and your car. Please, let us not be late.”

“If we make it, what will you do for me and my car?”

His voice was still hoarse but better than the day before. Koi noticed he was trying to ease his tension.

“Just say the word, I’ll do anything I can.”

When Koi spoke sincerely, Ashley laughed.

“Didn’t you learn not to make promises like that lightly?”

He was joking, but Koi was serious.

“It’s okay, I can do anything for you.”

Ashley took his eyes off the road to look at Koi. Koi repeated:

“Thank you, really.”

“Save that for after we make it on time.”

With a voice full of laughter, Ashley quickly changed lanes.

🏒

Ashley’s car arrived at the school, the exam venue, 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled time. Koi, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, breathing heavily with a pale face, finally came to his senses when Ashley snapped his fingers in front of him.

“We’re here.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

Blinking belatedly, Koi said hastily:

“Th-thank you. We really made it on time…”

While he was amazed, he also felt worried.

“Are you okay? I mean, you know…”

Worried that he might have pushed himself because of him, Koi asked cautiously. As if reading his mind, Ashley made a joke.

“My body? Or the car?”

“Both.”

When Koi answered seriously, Ashley gave a nonchalant response.

“I might get a few tickets.”

“What about your body? You’re not over the cold yet.”

Ashley dodged Koi’s hand trying to check his forehead and said:

“Go in first. I’ll wait here.”

“You’ll wait?”

“Yeah.”

Ashley added casually.

“Don’t worry about me; I’ll just kill some time.”

“Yeah…”

Koi hesitated before getting out of the car, leaving his phone with Ashley.

“Uh, shall we meet here later?”

“Yeah. See you after it’s over.”

“Okay.”

After hearing Ashley’s response, Koi turned around and ran towards the exam venue. Soon, there was a honk from behind, and Ashley drove off.

…Looks like the fever’s coming back.

Once alone, he was suddenly hit with fatigue. The medicine must have worn off; it had been over twelve hours since he took what Koi gave him. He drove slowly, looking for a nearby pharmacy. He needed to take some medicine and get some rest.

Realizing this, Ashley soon discovered another issue. He was still in his pajamas.

“…Sigh.”

After a deep sigh, he changed the car’s destination. He had to go home first to change clothes.

As he drove, tasks started piling up one by one. First, shower, change clothes, eat something, check if there’s any medicine at home…

The more tasks he had, the heavier his body and mind felt. At times like this, he wished there was someone by his side. They wouldn’t have to do anything for him; just being there would be enough.

Koi’s face suddenly came to mind, and he quickly shook his head. This was just because Koi had taken care of him the day before, nothing special. He reminded himself while turning the wheel.

Never.

🏒

I’m doomed.

Koi walked out, his mind blank. He couldn’t even remember what he had seen on the exam. Throughout the test, all he could think about was Ashley.

Is he okay? His cheeks were flushed. He must still have a fever. Come to think of it, his eyes seemed out of focus. I should have told him to go home and rest. I could have walked back after the exam.

Ah, focus. This isn’t the time for that. I need to concentrate. Ashley went through all that trouble to bring me here, so if I mess up the exam, what then? Focus!

…He’s not still out there, is he?

Concentrate, Conner Niles!

What if he collapsed?

Conner Niles, focus on the exam!

Ashley, just go home and rest.

Conner Niles!

All day, his two selves fought over this, tearing at each other’s hair until the exam ended. Koi walked out feeling completely burnt out.

Outside, cars were lined up, waiting for students who had finished their exams. Normally, Koi would have walked past them to ride his bike home, alone as always.

But today was different. With a mix of anxiety and excitement, Koi walked among the parked cars, looking for Ashley.

Is he not here?

He felt disappointed, then…

He’s better off resting if he’s not feeling well.

Then he felt relieved, but…

It’s okay, you’ve always been alone.

Then loneliness set in, but…

When I get home, Ash will be waiting, right?

Then happiness bubbled up, only to shift again. His emotions were like a roller coaster, experiencing such a range of feelings at once for the first time.

But such unfamiliarity was only a small part. The moment he spotted the familiar Cayenne among the packed cars, Koi’s heart swelled indescribably.

Ah.

The gloom of having messed up the exam flew far away. His mind was filled with thoughts of Ashley.

Ash, Ash, Ash.

Repeating his name under his breath, he quickened his pace, which soon turned into a run. His heart beat wildly at the thought of seeing Ashley, excitement making him unstoppable. Even though the distance wasn’t great, he was impatient.

Panting, he finally reached the car but hesitated to open the door.

What if it’s someone else’s car?

With unnecessary worry, he hesitated, then cautiously peered through the window, freezing when he saw. He wasn’t wrong; it was Ashley’s car. Only Ashley was asleep in the driver’s seat, his head resting on the headrest.

Koi stood there for a while, just looking at him. A complex mix of emotions confused his heart. He felt sorry, guilty, grateful, and…

…even affectionate.

Huh?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Ashley stirred and opened his eyes. Rubbing his neck as if tired, he let out a sigh and turned his head. At that moment, his eyes met Koi’s through the window.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. Ashley stared at Koi blankly. It took him a few seconds to realize the reality.

“Ah.”

Ashley let out an exclamation, reaching out to open the passenger door. Koi, now alert, quickly got into the car.

“Did you wait long?”

As soon as he got in, he asked, and Ashley answered, “A little.” He was wearing a comfortable shirt and jeans. Seeing this, Koi smiled and asked:

“Did you go home?”

Ashley, preparing to leave by starting the car, answered:

“I came in pajamas.”

“It’s fine, you still look great.”

When Koi spoke sincerely, Ashley burst into laughter.

“You really like me too much, don’t you?”

Koi felt embarrassed but didn’t deny it. Ashley always looked good, even in just a simple t-shirt and jeans. Maybe because he was sick, his usually perfectly styled hair was now messy, falling over his forehead, but Koi didn’t mind either way.

“How was the exam? Did you do well?”

As they drove out onto the road, Ashley asked. Koi gave a vague response:

“It was… okay, I guess…”

He quickly changed the subject.

“How about your condition? Did the fever go down?”

“Meh, so-so.”

Ashley repeated Koi’s words. The memory of doing this before made Koi laugh.

“Why do you keep copying me?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

At Koi’s laughter, Ashley also laughed. His cheeks were still flushed, but he seemed better than the day before. That’s a relief, Koi thought.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the country club. If Koi had come alone, he would have had to wait among the many cars, trying to confirm his visit through a phone call with Ashley, but riding with Ashley made the entry incredibly easy and straightforward.

Koi marveled as they passed through the residents-only gate directly, skipping the line of cars.

“It ends this quickly?”

“I live here.”

Ashley said it matter-of-factly and kept driving.

The last time when Koi had come up the mountain and even that morning, he was too preoccupied with the exam to appreciate the surroundings, but now, driving slowly through the estate with Ashley, he saw that each mansion was full of character and grandeur. Some seemed almost modest compared to others, but they were still impressive.

However, the biggest was still Ashley’s mansion. To buy such a huge house for someone living alone, his parents must really care for him, Koi thought.

“Is there a special reason you live in this house?”

To Koi’s question, Ashley answered while parking the car:

“There’s a gate, so security is pretty good.”

He gave an unexpected answer to the question about size, making Koi feel awkward to ask more, so he just said, “I see.”

Ashley smoothly parked the car and got out first. Koi unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to get out when he suddenly stopped and turned his head.

“Huh.”

Ashley, who had already started walking, turned back. Seeing the look on his face asking what was wrong, Koi pointed to the back seat.

“Look, the dolls.”

Ashley followed his gaze and soon understood. Koi’s face lit up seeing the ugly dolls buckled up in the back seat.

“They’re all going for a drive together.”

“And they’re wearing their seatbelts properly.”

“Right.”

Koi laughed out loud. Thinking that the gifts he gave were always with Ashley made him unable to stop laughing. Ashley looked at Koi’s ears for a moment before speaking.

“…Yesterday.”

At the quiet voice, Koi looked up. A gust of wind blew from behind Ashley, tousling his bright blond hair. Standing a little away, Ashley looked at Koi and said:

“Why didn’t you leave?”

It took Koi a moment to grasp the meaning of the question. As he just blinked in response, Ashley continued:

“I was out of it with the fever, so I grabbed your hand, but you could have left after I fell asleep. If you had just let go and left, I wouldn’t have known. Why didn’t you leave?”

Ashley added in a serious tone:

“It was the night before your exam.”

There would be other chances, of course, but missing one opportunity was always a pity. Many people can’t sleep from the tension before an exam. Despite this, Koi had spent that crucial time, meant for final checks and preparations to avoid mistakes, stuck with Ashley.

Ashley was curious about the reason. Facing him, waiting for an answer, Koi spoke up. His face brightened, and he smiled broadly.

“I promised, Ash. To stay by your side.”

Ashley stared at Koi’s radiant smile, lost in thought. A cool breeze passed through him from behind, but he didn’t feel the cold at all. For some reason, his face grew warm, and his heart started beating fiercely.

Just then, the setting sun painted Koi’s face orange, making his brown eyes look like gold as he looked up.

Ah.

Ashley covered his mouth with one hand. If he didn’t, he felt like his wildly beating heart would leap out of his mouth.

I don’t believe in promises.

Ashley thought. He never believes in promises to stay by someone’s side. Because they’re all lies.

But…

Koi’s smiling face filled Ashley’s eyes.

But why does your promise make my heart beat like this?

🏒

The mansion was as empty as always. In the silence where no sign of life could be felt, Koi suddenly became curious.

“When do the workers come here?”

To Koi’s question, Ashley answered briefly:

“They’re on vacation.”

“I see… When will they come back?”

“Maybe next week?”

Ashley added casually.

“They left some food prepared, so if that runs out, I can order delivery or eat out.”

“I see.”

Koi said that, but he thought to himself that food isn’t the only important thing. It wasn’t hard to imagine Ashley heating up meals alone and eating them in this vast mansion.

“…Me too, though.”

“Huh?”

Koi, who had murmured, quickly shook his head.

“No, nothing.”

Of course, he and Ashley were completely different. For Koi, whose only friend was Ashley, chased between school and part-time jobs, struggling with flickering lights in an old motorhome, pretending to sleep on a flat mattress to avoid his drunken father, how could he be the same as Ashley?

But it didn’t matter now. At that moment, he was happy. He decided to forget about the ruined exam for today.

“Then when they’re not on vacation, when do they come?”

When he asked again, Ashley answered:

“When I’m not here.”

“Why?”

Ashley easily explained why Koi was curious.

“Part of the contract is to avoid meeting me as much as possible.”

“Huh? Why?”

Surprised by the unexpected reason, Koi asked again. Ashley answered nonchalantly again:

“My father values privacy very much.”

Koi still didn’t quite understand, but he didn’t ask further. There are many people in the world, and as many ways of living. Especially, the lifestyle of the rich like Ashley’s family was something Koi couldn’t comprehend even if it was explained.

“So, they just prepare meals and leave?”

Following Ashley to the kitchen, Koi asked. Ashley opened the fridge and looked inside while answering:

“Mostly. If I want something special, I leave a note or communicate through my father’s secretary.”

“I see…”

Koi murmured softly. Ashley’s life at school didn’t seem much different from other students, but once outside, the difference was stark. Even the second time, Koi felt awed by the scale of the mansion he couldn’t get used to, following Ashley.

“Let’s eat dinner first.”

“Okay.”

Koi nodded readily to Ashley, who turned back to speak, and followed him into the kitchen.

Unlike the kitchen on the second floor, the main kitchen for dining was as vast as the mansion itself, with no less than four refrigerators. Each was designed differently, suggesting different purposes, and Koi couldn’t imagine why there would be so many fridges in a mansion where Ashley essentially lived alone.

But perhaps having four fridges was normal to fill such a large kitchen. There was an oven attached to the wall, and the countertops were enormous. The kitchen utensils were neatly organized, and the array of knives was like something you’d see in a famous restaurant’s kitchen, so diverse and evidently expensive that even Koi, who knew little about it, could tell.

“Wow,” Koi exclaimed, looking around the well-organized kitchen, and then hurried over to where Ashley was checking the contents of the fridge.

“I’ll help.”

To Koi’s offer, Ashley, without turning his head, handed him a plate. On the plate wrapped in plastic was a large piece of pre-measured chicken.

“Put it in the oven at 250 degrees for 30 minutes.”

Ashley said as Koi read the note on the plastic wrap aloud.

“Put it in the oven; we’ll cook it all at once.”

“Okay.”

Koi nodded in relief, having been momentarily confused about how to use the unfamiliar oven.

After that, Ashley took out several more dishes. Operating the oven with practiced ease, he checked the fridge again while waiting for it to preheat.

“What salad do you like? Shrimp with avocado? Salmon with lettuce? Or chicken?”

“Uh…”

Koi hesitated, not knowing what he would like, but Ashley took all three out and placed them on the cart. Koi tried to follow Ashley’s movements, raising and lowering his arms, trailing behind, but there was no real opportunity for him to do anything.

When he tried to reach for the dishes on his tiptoes, Ashley had already grabbed and set them down. When he looked around for forks and knives, Ashley strode over and opened one of the many drawers, pulling out the right number. Then, seeing Ashley take out five bottles of salad dressing, Koi was sure this time he could be of help.

“Huh.”

Koi, ready to receive the bottles, froze as Ashley turned around holding three in one hand and two in the other.

I should’ve grabbed the bottle necks.

Koi sighed softly, watching Ashley effortlessly place the bottles, each one between his long, thick fingers, onto the cart. Just then, ‘ding,’ the sound indicating the oven was preheated rang out, but even that was Ashley’s domain.

I’m really no help to Ash at all…

Feeling self-deprecating over such a trivial matter, Koi couldn’t help but slump his shoulders. While checking if anything was missing on the cart, Ashley spoke:

“Can you go to the snack bar and get some drinks and ice? The snack bar is…”

“On the second floor, to the right? Yeah, I’ll get them!”

Koi answered eagerly. Seeing Ashley look up at him, Koi belatedly realized his mistake. With no choice, he confessed:

“Uh… when I came to your house yesterday. I kind of… looked around to find you. That’s when I saw it.”

“Ahh…”

Ashley nodded in understanding. Right, he had made soup yesterday.

While Ashley seemed to accept it internally, Koi felt embarrassed for wandering around the house without permission and feared that Ashley might dislike him because of it, causing his shoulders to hunch involuntarily. Nervously gauging his reaction, Ashley surprisingly just turned back to check the dishes on the cart.

“Huh?”

Bewildered, Koi watched as Ashley looked back at him and asked:

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Uh…”

Koi snapped back to reality and hurriedly stepped back, saying:

“I’ll, I’ll go get them.”

“Okay.”

Ashley replied nonchalantly, grabbing the cart’s handle.

“Where do you want to eat? The dining room? The lounge?”

“Uh, anywhere is fine with me.”