Henry froze, having missed the timing to stop Laila.
More than thinking he should respond to her, he was more concerned about Declan, who must have witnessed this entire situation from behind.
When Henry’s gaze turned not toward her but into empty space, only then did Laila turn her eyes as well.
“…Declan? Why are you here…?”
A flustered voice flowed from her lips.
Laila’s face turned red. It was different from her flushed cheeks from earlier. If before it had been tension, this time it was accompanied by gestures of not knowing what to do from embarrassment.
It seemed she hadn’t noticed Declan was there because the darkness had settled so deeply.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Laila apologized hastily to Henry in complete fluster. She had only now realized why he’d been urgently calling for her just before she blurted out her confession.
Henry couldn’t easily open his mouth. He was just as flustered.
While Henry hesitated, Laila quickly turned around and ran away.
Henry was left behind, unable to catch her or give an answer. With a disappointed expression, he turned around with a guilty face.
“This is, well…”
“Let’s go.”
Cutting off Henry’s words as he didn’t know what to do, Declan spoke.
It was a brief suggestion. Declan didn’t ask anything more. Henry wasn’t in a state to bring up anything more either. No, he had nothing to say.
What would he say?
It bothered him. The fact that Declan had seen that situation. But even that alone was confusing.
Laila was the one who confessed, and he hadn’t done anything. So why did he feel like he should say something to explain himself?
Unable to say anything, Henry was following Declan back to the dormitory.
The path back to their respective rooms was quiet. Occasionally noise could be heard from beyond the rooms, but not enough to resolve the awkwardness between them.
One floor, two floors. Finally, when they reached the floor where Henry’s room was.
“Are you going to accept?”
Declan, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke to him. Because he’d been conscious of him the entire time, Henry easily understood Declan’s incomplete words.
It was a voice that sounded casual, or as if it meant nothing.
It was a voice no different from usual, but Henry felt his heart sink for a moment. Simply because the person asking him this question was Declan Russell.
“…Why are you asking me that?”
Once again, his bad habit inevitably came out. He’d reacted to his question with a somewhat sharp attitude.
Declan didn’t avoid Henry’s gaze. To Henry’s eyes, Declan’s gaze looking down at him silently seemed to be waiting for an answer.
“If I say I’ll accept, are you going to tell Laila about my secret?”
“…I told you I’m not planning to do that.”
“Then why? Since when have you been so interested in me?”
Henry was puzzled. He rationalized his sharp reaction, saying he couldn’t help but react sensitively.
Hadn’t it always been that way?
Only recently, occasionally. The few private conversations they’d shared.
Those were all conversations that started because he asked first. The conversations always began through his questions, and Declan at most only answered what he asked.
In every moment, there had been no questions coming back from him.
Because his secret was discovered. Because there were many things weighing on his mind.
He and Declan Russell were different—he was the one who had many things to ask unilaterally and many things to worry about. Declan had no reason to have that much curiosity about him.
But why, now?
And not asking right away, but only after taking that long awkward walk?
While holding his secret, to make him endlessly anxious? Because tormenting him is fun?
The one-sided trust that had barely been building up crumbled. Henry couldn’t understand Declan Russell, and couldn’t trust him.
Henry glared at the man before him, unable to hide his hostility.
The answer flowed out slowly.
“…I wasn’t interested, but I became curious.”
“So. Why exactly?”
Declan pressed his lips shut.
The flickering light at the end of the corridor faintly illuminated his cheek. On his face where shadows fell long, an expression Henry had never seen before faintly surfaced.
It was a face lost in thought. Only after a long while did he give Henry the answer he’d been waiting for so much.
“Who knows.”
Henry was both curious and not curious about his answer. Because he was fully tensed and preparing to act like nothing was wrong, in case he heard something he didn’t want to hear.
So he hadn’t expected such a futile answer either.
He felt deflated. Henry looked at him with disappointed eyes.
Receiving that gaze, Declan tossed out words.
“Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Without giving Henry a chance to respond, he just went up the stairs.
I already heard it, but pretend I didn’t hear it? Declan Russell so easily threw out impossible demands.
If that were possible, Henry would have demanded it of him before anyone else.
***
The next morning, Henry went out to watch the Powder Puff game, albeit belatedly.
Even though he didn’t have to go watch the game since he’d been excluded from all events due to his injury.
Normally, knowing he was supposed to be the star of the ‘Football Club,’ he would have gone to maintain his presence, but today was a bit different.
He had unfinished business, so he needed to wrap it up.
And more than anything.
[Tonight. Can I wait for your answer?]
He’d received a message from Laila, who had confessed to him last night.
So even though he knew he should go, the reason he headed to the field late was because he worried he might run into Declan if he went on time.
When Henry arrived at the field, the cheerleading performance by the male students from the Football Club had already ended.
An intense game was in full swing, and Henry naturally went to sit next to Joseph, who had saved a seat beside him.
“Just getting here?”
Henry nodded as he sat down.
“It’s the first set now. Started a little over 10 minutes ago. It’s 0:7. We had the second offense, but we lost the ball so we couldn’t score.”
Joseph enthusiastically explained for him since he’d missed the early part of the game. Henry half-listened to him. Busy looking for that man with blonde hair who had become familiar to his eyes.
Even among many people, a build like that with washed-out blonde hair wasn’t common. Thanks to that, Henry could easily find him among the countless spectators before long.
Even though he’d deliberately come late to avoid running into him, Henry was watching Declan instead of the game.
As always, many friends including Aiden were sitting next to him.
While they were joking around among themselves, Declan maintained his silence. Then occasionally Aiden would unilaterally talk to Declan.
If Aiden spoke to him about five times, he might or might not answer once. Maybe Declan’s words that they’re not very close might be true, he thought.
So it wasn’t a lie, Henry muttered quietly without realizing it.
At the same time, Henry was startled. He quickly checked on Joseph sitting beside him, but fortunately he didn’t seem to have heard due to the noise.
Right, normally voices mixed in with such loud noise can’t be heard. But how did that bastard…
Henry glared at a spot a little distance away, at the light-colored back of a head visible in the front row. Henry was comparing every single one of those trivial actions, everyone around him, to Declan.
The game continued on the field. However, the game situation had long since left Henry’s attention.
The only time Henry felt the passage of time, even briefly, was during halftime when the atmosphere on the field briefly regained some leisure.
That was because Declan Russell also stood up from his seat then.
Except for barely 10 minutes, Henry hadn’t felt the passage of time at all the entire time.
Too busy glaring at the back of Declan Russell’s head and observing his every action and behavior.
Then at some point, an explosive cheer pierced his ears too. Joseph, who was sitting next to him, threw his arm over Henry’s shoulder and cheered.
The spectator stands shook. Someone jumped up and shouted toward the field.
Only then did Henry stop his thoughts and look at the field.
A white helmet. Black hair tied tightly in one bundle.
Hazel was lying on the endzone with a face drunk on happiness, breathing heavily. As she got up clutching the ball, the Junior students on the field rushed over and hugged her.
4th quarter. Just 28 seconds until the end of the game. Score 14:19.
And then.
The score went up.
20:19.
A reversal.
“Waaaah!”
“Hey! It’s a reversal!”
Cheers poured toward Hazel. While the Seniors’ atmosphere sank considerably, everyone including the Juniors and everyone unrelated to the game called out Hazel’s name together.
While Hazel, who had become the hero of victory, lightly circled the field greeting everyone, Henry was in shock.
At the fact that during the entire 70 minutes, he had been looking only at Declan Russell instead of the game.
