*

A gentle breeze blows as the cherry blossoms rain down in spring, the sun is high in the sky with the clouds lazily playing hide and seek with it, and the cool spring day signals the beginning of another school year.

A new year, new experiences, new friends, a new adventure, and most importantly, the sprout of new romantic relationships. What is waiting for the students of J.S. University on the other side of those gates?

The students at J.S. University are starting a new semester this spring, and among them is a certain pink-haired student wearing a blue sweater who is determined to make this his best year going forward. Haruno Aoi is a second-year communication major, but because of his feminine features and his shy nature, he shies away from anything that would make him the center of attention.

But this year, he is determined to overcome his shy nature and put himself on the spot to build his confidence and come out of his shell, because one day he might really have to take over his father’s Idol agent company.

Aoi comes from a well-known and rich family that manages the top artists in Country X, and because of that, he became a target for bullies at school because of his father’s money and other benefits that came with being the only son of a multimillionaire. This contributed to making Aoi close off to people that weren't his family and his best friend Yukino, who once saved him from bullies back in middle school.

Aoi would much rather have his sister take over the company, but he also doesn't want to let his mother and father down, so this year he must do his best to be more confident and stand out a little more.

"Aoi, don't forget to call Mom when you're settled in; you know how she worries about you,” Maki said, stopping the car in front of Aoi’s new dorm.

Aoi held onto his seatbelt tightly, looking down at his legs, unsure of his decision to stand out while at the same time not hearing his sister.

“If you keep acting like this, I might just have to act like a guy and move into your dorm with you,” Maki said, placing her hand on her little brother’s head. Aoi’s face turned red in embarrassment, shaking his head.

“You don't have to do that, Maki; I’ll be fine. I’ve made up my mind.” Aoi said it with a determined look on his face.

“Now, that's the spirit. This is your new dorm number; we couldn't get you a room to yourself, but if you ever have any problems with your roommate, you can just talk to the dorm master, alright?” Maki explained, and Aoi nodded vigorously with a simple but sweet smile.

Maki smiled, and the two came down from the car to offload Aoi’s bags. After a few minutes, Maki got back into the car, waved goodbye to her brother, and headed off to work. Aoi turned around and faced the building, with a scared but serious look on his face. He took a deep breath and walked in with an ironclad resolve.

At the same time, seated on the window frame with a basketball in his hand, was another handsome young man. Kazumi Kosuke. The stone expression that he used to hide how he really felt softened as he looked at the school’s sports complex from his room.

Kosuke was an incredible athlete who got into a terrible accident playing basketball in junior high, but even after graduating, he has always been afraid to play again, wondering if he would ever be as good as he used to be. That made him take the decision to take three gap years before finally enrolling in college.

But this year was going to be different for him too; he had already signed up to join the school’s national team, and he really didn't want to end up as a wannabe coach. His family was a normal family that was able to provide for him and his two younger siblings, but Kosuke has always wanted to pay his family back for taking care of him, and what better way than to focus on his talent and studies to make it big?

In his last game in middle school, due to a misstep, he tore several main muscles and dislocated his ankle, making him miss out on opportunities to be scouted by legendary high schools.

In the meantime, while he was recovering, he worked together with his former friend and ex as a model for his collection and got a little famous doing that while in high school, but after their fallout, Kosuke walked away to pursue his real dream.

His sophomore year was going to be his debut year; he would make the school’s national team as a regular. But Kosuke has a secret.

Three years ago, on his way to a shoot, he barely made it on the train, and when he did, he was exhausted and dehydrated. Trying to catch his breath, someone handed him a bottle of water.

He looked up and locked eyes with the cutest boy he had ever seen. Stunned, he bowed slightly, receiving the water. The boy crouched in front of him with a smile while watching him. Kosuke looked away as he felt his heart skip a beat as the boy smiled at him.

Shy, he looked away; he was already with someone else. Why did this young boy make his heart skip a beat? But before he could get his answer, the train came to a stop and the pink-haired boy ran off the train in a hurry but he said something… After that, he has never seen the boy since then.

Aoi pulled on his bag into the building already filled with shirtless guys running and playing across the hall. Due to his small frame, he was pushed and shoved around the hall before even getting to the dorm master’s office.

He knocked on the door before opening it. The dorm master stood by the window, taking a smoke break. He turned around after hearing his door. His dark hair hung lazily in front of his glasses, with his sleeves rolled up as he sized the young boy who walked in.

“Haruno Aoi, second year; a pleasure to meet you.” The boy took a 90-degree bow in front of the slender man.

The man looked at Aoi before responding, “Matsume Megumi, Dorm Master. It's a pleasure to meet you. Have a seat.” The man responded by putting out his cigarette.

Megumi clicked away at the system pulling up student files and records. He opened up Aoi’s file and raised a brow at his assigned roommate. He looked up at the fragile boy in front of him before letting out a heavy sigh.

He placed a set of keys in front of him: “Room 301. Your roommate is already trying to get along.” Megumi said, trying not to show how worried he was about Aoi being paired with a slightly older roommate.

Aoi’s eyes lit up like two stares lost in the sky. Megumi was taken aback for a moment before shaking himself out of the young boy’s hypnotic trance and saying, “I’ll do my best.” He said this before exiting the office.

Megumi sat quietly for a while before he stood up, brought out another cigarette to light, and, with a puff of ash smoke, he smiled subtlety, “This is going to be another interesting year.”

Meanwhile, with Kosuke still lost in thoughts, the keys to the door jiggled and someone opened the door gently, walking in without any form of hesitancy or excitement, Kosuke simply said,

“I’ve taken the room on the right; feel free to take the other room or whatever.”

Aoi felt confused but dragged his stuff into his room and made himself at home, peaking at the boy by the window Aoi thought to himself,

“He’s really handsome; he must have a lot of girlfriends and be pretty confident; maybe I should go introduce myself; besides, we’ll be living together for the next year after all.”

Aoi picked out the red bean dish his mother gave him to offer his roommate and his neighbors. Despite Kosuke’s intimidating look, Aoi was determined to make his first friend other than Yukino.

He opened his door and stepped out. He slowly walked over to where Kosuke was seated by the window and couldn't help but admire him the more he looked at him. When Kosuke noticed he was being watched, he looked over to the person standing in front of him.

His reaction was priceless; his eyes were wide and a light blush spread across his face, Aoi too looked away when he realized he was staring, He held tightly to the tray and nodded and with the biggest smile he could muster, he said,

“Haruno Aoi, I’ll be your roommate for a while; let's work together and be friends, right?”

The only response was the sound of the basketball falling out of Kosuke’s hands.

The air in the room was still; no one moved or said a thing. Both Aoi and Kosuke were still staring at each other, with different thoughts going through their minds.

Kosuke had this heavy feeling in his chest, a familiar feeling like he had seen this person before, but he couldn't tell where. While Aoi continued to feel the little confidence he had summoned up being deflated, he began to think; he thought maybe his roommate was already irritated with him and subconsciously took a step back.

Kosuke instinctively reached forward, but Aoi was faster. He dashed into his room and locked the door behind him with a click on his side of the door. Kosuke stood there confused, his arm extended in front of him. He didn't really understand why Aoi ran away, but maybe it had something to do with him.

Aoi pressed his back against the wooden frame, hugging his knees and letting the tray slide to the ground beside him. He felt embarrassed for running away because he felt intimidated by his roommate.

For someone he was just looking up to, how could he just run away at the first sign of what felt like danger? She hugged his knees closer, just thinking of the kind of impression he had given his roommate.

From now on, he would have to get up by 5 am to get ready and leave the room before his roommate. How was he going to survive? Aoi kept beating himself when he noticed something.

Or, to be exact, he smelled something… something good, good enough for him to unwrap himself and willingly open his door and walk out to find a fresh batch of chocolate cookies sitting on the kitchen counter.

Aoi looked around like a small, cute, defenseless animal before approaching the enticing desert on the table. He took a second to stand up straight, and he turned around, but his feet just wouldn't move. Maybe it was because he was hungry or the fact that the cookies were still warm.

Aoi continued to fight himself until he heard a small laugh at the other entrance. Shocked and losing balance, Aoi stepped back, tripping over a chair. He closed his eyes and prayed to survive the impact.

Waiting to pass out from the pain, Aoi slowly opened his eyes, wondering what had happened, but was met with the face he ran away from earlier; his roommate had managed to catch him before he was majorly injured.

Now that he was up close, he couldn't help but stare at the other boy’s face, his narrow brown eyes slightly covered by his somewhat perfect hair, the little beauty spot under his left eye and most importantly, his

“You should really watch your step there... You wouldn't want to get a scar on that pretty face of yours.” Kosuke said he was trying to break the ice, but to Aoi, he felt like God had reincarnated as a human before him. How could someone with that kind of face be this nice?

Kosuke watched the young boy lost in thought; he too was drawn in by his small face and long lashes, but he couldn't be sure and tried to play the scene as cool as possible. He slowly stood the pink-haired boy up straight and helped him take a seat.

Aoi watched Kosuke unknowingly, like a prey turned predator. He watched as Kosuke walked over to the fridge to grab a beer and an orange juice. He picked out a paper plate and cup and placed them in front of him.

He poured the orange juice into the cup and placed a few cookies on the paper plate. Kosuke pushed the plate and cup in front of Aoi with a warm smile as he introduced himself.

“Kazumi Kosuke, physical health major, but you can just call me Kosuke; nice to meet you.” Kosuke was introduced from behind the counter.

Aoi felt a light blush spread across his face. Feeling embarrassed again, he lowered his head but tried his best to muster words through his lips.

“Haruno Aoi, nice to meet you.” Aoi said he was folding his small hands into fists

“What?” Aoi’s head shot up, learning that Kosuke didn't hear him introduce himself.

“Just kidding, Aoi, right? That's a nice name.” Kosuke said, taking a swing at his beer.

“No, it's not... It sounds like a girl's name.” Aoi smiled sadly.

“Sure, you’d probably be the prettiest girl on campus if you were.” Kosuke said absentmindedly. He turned to look at Aoi but found him with a huffy expression on his face. He looked so adorable that Kosuke couldn't help but laugh.

“Now you’re laughing at me... Fine, I'll go back to my room,” Aoi said, but Kosuke caught his wrist before he got down from the chair.

“I’m sorry, I mess up a lot.” Kosuke took a deep breath. “What I meant was that Aoi really suits you.” He said it genuinely.

Aoi could feel his face heating up again and looked away, he hated the effect this complete stranger had on him but it didn't matter for now, he was going to get better, fired up he leaned in closer to Kosuke also catching him off guard.

“Will you teach me how to be confident like you?” Aoi said with a serious look on his face, Kosuke felt pale for a second, confused about the entire situation, and before he could get himself.

“Oii, Kosuke-san, let's go shoot some hoops if you’re done unpacking!” A young boy barged into their room.

The two stayed frozen as their eyes subconsciously trailed over to the person talking, the boy was also confused and stood frozen, wondering if he had interrupted something. The two roommates turned back to face each other only to realize how close they were.

Aoi’s face turned red in an instant, and he clapped a hand over his mouth before running off to his room and screaming, “Nice to meet you too, Kosuke!” The door closed with a bang, shaking Kosuke out of his trance.

“Yeah...” was the only thing he could trail off.

"Sorry, man, bad timing?” The boy walked in, his eyes glued to Aoi’s door.

“It’s cool, Mitsuki; we were just introducing ourselves, and things took a weird turn,” Kosuke answered.

“Oh cookies… Wait, THAT WAS YOUR ROOMMATE?!” Mitsuki screamed, almost choking on the cookie, but Kosuke didn't seem to notice; he was more concerned about Aoi.

“I think I’ll take you up on that game.” Kosuke sighed before picking up the ball from the corner it had rolled into. He needed to clear his head. Aoi couldn't be the same boy, could he?

“I’m choking to death, and all you can talk about now is basketball?” Mitsuki said, drinking his third glass of water.

“You were the one who barged in here, remember?” Kosuke answered with a bored look in his eyes.

“Yikes, fine. I'm sorry, Kosuke-san. But seriously, the person who ran in there right now wasn't a girl but a dude.” Mitsuki asked again. Kosuke looked at Aoi’s door and nodded slowly.

“Damn, you better stay awake, dude. If I almost fell for him, who knows what’ll happen if you share a room with him?” Mitsuki advised.

“Shut up and let's go play ball.”

Aoi sat quietly hugging his knees as he lay on the bed. He couldn't hear the voices, but he believed they were talking about him. He stayed there quietly until the voices faded and he heard a door close shut. That was when he flew up to take a deep breath; he hadn't realised he was holding it in for so long.

Feeling better, he fell back into bed, staring at the poster he plastered on the low ceiling. MeiMei was one of the big artists their company had produced; she was beautiful, confident, and pure. She always smiled at Aoi whenever she saw him, making him always look up to her.

But now, Aoi was preoccupied with thoughts of what Kosuke and his friend thought of him, and after a few minutes of going back and forth in his mind, he mumbled as he drifted to sleep.

“Mei-chan, what should I do?” And he fell asleep.

A few hours later, there was a loud crash in the hallway—so loud, it woke Aoi up. Fuzzy, he rushed out the door to go check what happened.

And in front of his room, there was a boy, lean, pale-skinned, with brown hair and giant glasses. In front of him were four large moving boxes; that must have been what crashed, Aoi thought.

Quickly, he crouched next to the boy, who seemed to have passed out.

“Hey? Are you okay?” Aoi shook the body lightly; thankfully, the boy moved a little.

Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled the boy away from the passage and leaned him against the wall before he proceeded to pick up the things that had fallen out of the boxes and reseal them. Although a few things were broken, they would sort them out later.

He went back to the boy to try waking him up when another boy passed, Aoi felt a chill down his back as he looked up, a tall boy with purple hair and fashionable clothes walked by with a backpack, incidentally his eyes met with Aoi, a deep purple, cold and uninterested, a second later he looked away and continued on…

Aoi stared a bit longer, not able to stop the chill he felt, he was distracted by the morns of pain of the boy in front of him.

“Hey… hey, are you alright? Can you hear me?” Aoi asked worriedly, the boy looked through his cracked glasses at Aoi and was first blown away by such a beautiful person.

“Hey, can you hear me? You fell in front of my room and I helped you gather your things, are you okay to move?” What was better, this beautiful was also his hero, this was the best day of his life, he thought.

“It must have been a nasty fall if you're still unable to speak, I'll take you to Megumi-san, you might have a concussion,” Aoi said trying his best to pick the boy up despite his weak body.

The boy couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe that there was someone who would go out of their way to help someone as insignificant as him, he felt touched by this and almost felt like crying…

“By the way, I'm Haruno Aoi, but you can call me Aoi, nice to meet you,” Aoi said with a breathtaking smile.

The boy felt his heart skip a beat at Aoi's smile and said one word.

“Angel...” and passed out.

The weight of the boy pulled Aoi down with him as they both fell to the ground. Dragging the boy aside again, Aoi tried calling out to the boy again, but this time he was out cold.

*

Aoi somehow managed to get the boy to Megumi-san’s office and escorted them to the nurse's office within the building.

“Good job bringing him in, I honestly didn't think you had it in you,” Megumi said, lighting another cigarette in front of the infirmary.

Aoi smiled shyly, not used to getting such praises from adults around him, he looked back into the infirmary at the young boy concerned, he wanted to go back to his room but also didn't want to leave him alone.

“You can leave if you have to, the nurses made sure he won't be up till probably tomorrow,” Megumi said blowing out a puff of smoke.

A light blush brushed across Aoi's face from being caught, but he was relieved that he could leave the strange boy in good hands, he turned around to leave when Megumi called out to him and dropped a ten-dollar bill in his hand…

“You look like you haven't eaten in a week, there's a canteen down the street and a convenient store by the left corner… Do what you like.” The dorm master said before walking away with his hands in his pocket.

Aoi watched in awe… he never believed Mr Megumi would be so reliable, he tagged him as an unofficial tug when they first met that morning, but now he knew he could rely on him.

He bowed where he stood as he shouted the biggest thank you his voice could carry, Mr Megumi only waved his right hand before disappearing into a corner, Aoi stood up straight looking at the ten he was given, his eyes glittered already preparing what he would make for dinner in his head.

The sky had faded from blue to a mix of orange, peach and purple, with the low buzz of boys filling the lower canteen. Aoi walked by, deciding to make his way to the convenience store first to pick up some ingredients for dinner.

The store was bustling with students grabbing snacks and drinks, while Aoi carefully selected fresh vegetables, tofu, some rice and a few other necessities, already planning for a simple yet comforting meal in his mind.

As he made his way back to the dormitory, the sky had gotten darker, and the cherry blossoms swayed gently in the evening breeze. A sense of calm washed over Aoi as he entered the building and headed towards their shared kitchen to start cooking.

He noticed the cookies he had left out earlier, Kosuke had given those to him and he made sure to save them properly. With a shy smile, he bit into the chocolate chip cookie and couldn’t help how amazing it tasted.

He got himself a glass of milk as he snacked on the cookies. After a refreshing 10-minute break, Aoi rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, put on a disposable apron and got to work.

The aroma of sautéed vegetables filled the air as Aoi worked diligently in the kitchen, chopping, stirring, and seasoning the food with care. Cooking had always been a source of comfort for him, a way to express himself and show care for others.

Lost in his own world, Kosuke walked back to the dorm, the basketball in his hand and the lingering feeling of unrest. On getting to his floor, the entire hallway was filled with an interesting aroma, one that even brought the boys out of their rooms.

“Do you smell that?” a random guy says.

“Smells like mother’s cooking.” The other sighed. Kosuke walked by, not paying attention to them and ignoring the delicious scent, till his door.

He smiled.

Just as he was about to set the table, Kosuke walked into the kitchen, a tired but intrigued expression on his face. He watched Aoi with curiosity as he prepared the meal, the clinking of utensils and the sizzle of the stove filling the room.

"Hey, Aoi. What’s going on here?" Kosuke asked, trying to sound as gentle as possible, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Aoi looked up, a small smile on his face, this took Kosuke aback, the boy was so beautiful. "Just a simple vegetable stir-fry with tofu and rice. I hope you don't mind."

Kosuke's stomach growled in response, and he chuckled. "Mind? Are you kidding? That smells amazing. Do you think I could get a plate?"

Aoi paused for a moment, the smile growing wider across his face, nodding profusely, he excitedly rounded up his cooking while Kosuke set the table for the two of them.  As they sat down at the table, Aoi served the food onto their plates, the steam rising and carrying the fragrant scent of the dish.

Kosuke looked at the food in front of him, astounded, in his head, Aoi was another rich spoilt brat.

“Thank you for the food.” Aoi said, distracting Kosuke from his thoughts.

“Thank you for the food,” Kosuke said back. They ate in awkward silence, the clinking of cutlery and occasional words exchanged creating a slightly tense yet warm atmosphere.

“So, err… Aoi,” Kosuke tried starting small talk. Aoi looked up at Kosuke with curious eyes.

Caught off guard, by his beautiful pink-hued eyes, Kosuke looked away, “So, what’s your major?”

“Arts and Entertainment Management Major, under communication,” Aoi said, focussing on his food.

“Oh, you want to be a manager?” Kosuke followed up, awkwardly having a drink. Aoi’s body language wasn't really putting him at ease.

But the boy only shook his head and the two fell back into an awkward silence. A few minutes after dinner, Aoi and Kosuke cleaned up together, their movements a bit clumsy as they navigated around each other in the small kitchen. There were moments of awkwardness, but also moments of shared laughter.

As they finished cleaning, Aoi felt a mix of emotions swirling inside him. Despite the awkwardness, there was a sweetness in the air, a budding connection between him and Kosuke that he couldn't quite explain.

"Thanks for the meal, Aoi. It was really delicious," Kosuke said, drying his hands on a kitchen towel.

Aoi smiled, feeling a warmth in his chest, grateful for the unexpected bond that was forming between them.

Kosuke walked into the living room and picked up a magazine, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "So, what did you do after I left the house?"

Aoi shrugged, trying to hide the nervousness that bubbled within him. "Oh, it was nothing much. Just found a boy passed out in front of our door and took him to the infirmary."

Kosuke raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in his gaze. "Boy you found earlier? What happened?"

Aoi hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. But then, he decided to take a leap of faith. "Well, I had a nap after you left with Mitsuki-san when I heard a loud crash. I rushed to the front to find a boy passed out, so I did what I could to get him to Megumi-san who helped him to the infirmary."

Kosuke's expression softened, a look of concern flickering in his eyes. "Is he okay?"

Aoi nodded, relief flooding through him. "Yeah, the nurses said he'll be fine. He won't wake up until tomorrow, though."

There was a moment of silence between them, the air thick with unspoken words and untamed emotions. Aoi felt his heart racing in his chest, his palms growing sweaty as he struggled to find the right words to say.

Suddenly, Kosuke stood up from the couch, his gaze locked on Aoi's. "Hey, Aoi... Can we talk?"

Aoi's breath caught in his throat at the seriousness in Kosuke's voice. "S-sure, what is it?"

Kosuke took a step closer, his eyes searching Aoi's face as if trying to read his thoughts. "I know we got off to a rocky start earlier, but I just wanted to say... I'm glad you're my roommate."

Aoi felt his cheeks flush at Kosuke's words, warmth spreading through him like wildfire. "I'm glad too, Kosuke," he whispered, his voice barely above a breath as he stood up slowly.

And then, without thinking, Aoi closed the distance between them, his heart pounding in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Kosuke in a friendly hug. It was warm and comforting, a gesture of trust between two newfound friends.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as they lingered in each other's embrace, Kosuke surprised by Aoi’s actions, the world fading away until there was only the two of them, lost in a moment.

When Aoi finally pulled away, their eyes met in a silent exchange of understanding. Aoi felt a sense of gratitude wash over him, grateful for the opportunity to forge a friendship with someone as kind and genuine as Kosuke.

"I'm glad we're roommates, Kosuke," Aoi said, looking to the floor, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Kosuke returned the smile, looking away, his eyes holding a warmth and sincerity. "Me too, Aoi. Me too." He scratched under his chin lightly.

“Err… I think I’ll go in first. I have to run in the morning.” Kosuke said.

“Ohhh, I understand.” Aoi said with sad eyes. Kosuke panicked.

“No, no… I mean, we could talk some more tomorrow, maybe learn more about each other?” He said, trying not to upset Aoi.

The young boy looked into Kosuke’s eyes and smiled, “Sure, I’d like that.” Kosuke felt relieved.

“Good night, kid,” Kosuke said, walking into his room. Aoi responded, “Good night, Kosuke-san.”

As they settled back into their respective beds, Aoi couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over him. Despite the challenges and uncertainties that lay ahead, he knew that he had found something with Kosuke, someone he could rely on and trust for now.

With that comforting thought in mind, Aoi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his heart full of gratitude and hope for the future.