Chapter 145
Koi felt like Ashley had left something important unsaid, and he sharpened his ears, waiting for what might come next. But Ashley didn’t speak. What felt like a long time passed—though in reality, it had been barely five minutes—before Ashley finally opened his mouth.
“...Your ears don’t move anymore?”
“Huh?”
Koi instinctively reached up to touch his ears at the unexpected question. He could feel Ashley’s gaze still resting on them, and flushed with embarrassment.
“...I had them corrected. They don’t twitch randomly anymore unless I deliberately move them.”
Ashley said nothing, simply continuing to stare. Koi gave an awkward laugh and rushed to explain.
“It’s weird, you know? Having twitching ears. Breaking the habit wasn’t easy, but I worked on it, and eventually, it stopped.”
He laughed, but Ashley didn’t. Still fixated on Koi’s ears, Ashley muttered under his breath.
“...They didn’t move randomly.”
Koi lowered his eyes, fingers fidgeting with his ears. Ashley was right. If that old habit had remained, Koi’s ears would’ve started flicking wildly the moment he saw him again. His heart had been pounding with joy when they reunited.
But now he was glad he’d broken the habit. They weren’t kids anymore. Showing emotion in that way might’ve only made Ashley uncomfortable. Koi had decided to approach him with calm, mature composure—he wanted a fresh start.
He never dared to wish for anything more than that. What Koi wanted had already come true: to see Ashley again. That alone was enough. So returning to the West seemed like the right move. And yet, people were greedy. Koi decided to give himself a little more time. After all, what else did he have left in life besides this feeling for Ashley?