Chapter 134
Koi looked up at Ashley, stunned. Ashley’s face was desperate now, a stark contrast from before, and he rushed to add,
“Tuition, living costs, nothing matters. You don’t need anything. All you have to do is come with me.”
“Ash...”
“Just leave with me. I’ll do anything—anything you want. You just have to say the word. Just say yes, that’s all I need.”
Please, Ashley whispered. The word was so quiet it sounded more like a breath than speech. Koi swallowed hard. For a moment, he faltered. What if he nodded right now? What would happen if he said yes—if he took Ashley’s hand?
In that instant, the image of Ashley waiting endlessly in the train station’s waiting room rose in his mind. Then the image of himself sitting by his father’s hospital bed, watching the sunrise.
Koi bit his lip, then let it go. He looked at Ashley, who had been watching him the whole time, and finally spoke—quietly, painfully.
“...I can’t.”
Ashley froze.
“My dad has no one else but me.”
Koi’s voice trembled as he continued.
“I’m sorry, Ash. But... if I leave, he’ll be all alone.”