Chapter 66 - Not Even Buddha!

Without realizing it, Kazuki's face turns red from Rei's intoxicating presence against the back of his neck. For a brief moment, he clearly feels Rei's chest muscles pressing against his back, along with his breath, shallow and fast.

— Rei?!

The only thing that crosses Kazuki's mind is the comforting scent of the beastman, which is oddly similar to the fragrance of hot chocolate. For some reason, it reminds him of his home, in his old world.

He'd never noticed it before — maybe it's his natural scent, or perhaps he's using his pheromones. After all, both alphas and omegas have a distinct smell when their pheromones are released.

— Ah, sorry. For getting so close all of a sudden.

Rei says this, but doesn't show any signs of pulling away and remains in the same position. For a brief moment, Kazuki wonders why he even asked Rei to climb onto his back.

"Why did I do that? I just wanted to help, I didn't expect things to go this way when I offered to carry him."

Kazuki thinks to himself, feeling embarrassed and nervously aware of his growing excitement below. "I can't let him see me like this… thank god he's facing away…"

"I need to calm down and think about something else right now."

Before he can say anything, Rei speaks up quickly:

— Has your scent always been this good? It's amazing.

Those words echo in Kazuki's head: "Your scent is really nice." He doesn't know what to say, his mind goes completely blank.

On the other hand, after making that comment, Rei leans back slightly and lowers his head.

"Shit, shit, shit. I just spoke without thinking… How embarrassing! His scent made me lose my senses for a moment, and before I knew it, I was talking… Pervert!"

"I need to focus on something else. If I get turned on down there… he'll probably feel it…"

"What the hell is going on? Calm down. I'm feeling just like I did when I was in heat..." Rei thinks to himself, desperately trying to keep his thoughts in check.

With all these conflicting thoughts, Kazuki starts walking faster than usual, trying to reach the village quicker. Nervousness is controlling his thoughts as he struggles to keep his composure.

At that moment, maybe both of them were struggling with their own weaknesses?

"Enough! I need to stop this. I can't involve Rei in my feelings… Maybe he doesn't like me... Last time, he kissed me because he was in heat, but now it's different."

"I'm not sure if he likes me the same way I like him… My feelings should stay one-sided, so… I don't want to ruin our friendship over something I'm not sure about." Kazuki reflects for a moment, trying to calm his heart and think more clearly.

Even though Kazuki feels this way, his heart is frustrated by the uncertainty. He feels like a coward, unable to ask Rei directly how he feels, unsure whether his feelings will ever be reciprocated.

Taking that risk seems dangerous. Making a decision in that moment is hard. But the worst part is not being able to express his feelings out of fear.

With his mind clouded with frustration, Kazuki decides to change the subject, trying to steer the conversation away from what just happened.

— Rei, I think we're close to the Nertyrem river. Just a little more, can you see it from a distance? — he says, pointing to the side. — When we get there, we'll rest.

There's a brief silence after that.

— Ah, you must be tired... You know, when I was a kid, I used to go camping with my parents in places like this. Though this one's a bit too narrow, I remember one time when...

Kazuki begins telling stories from his past in an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere, but ends up making it worse.

"Ah, come on. This can't be happening. This idiot… he's terrible at hiding it. It's obvious on his face that he's just rambling on to kill the mood."

"What am I doing right now?" the student thinks, not paying attention to Kazuki.

"Why am I so angry and hesitant? When I died, I regretted not doing things my way. I regretted not taking those football guys who kept flirting with me."

"So… why?"

"Why am I not taking the initiative, when I know he likes me?"

"Is this fear? Apprehension? Love? I don't get it."

"Why not just say what I really want? Am I a coward for not doing that? No, no... Fuck it, I'm not gonna keep listening to this bullshit."

After thinking all this, a smug smile forms on the student's face.

— When that happened, we started laughing. It was like we didn't expect that little animal to attack us. Do you think I could've done anything differently?

— … Rei? Are you listening?

— Rei? — Kazuki asks, turning his head to the side, confused as to why the student isn't responding.

— Shut up.

Before Kazuki can say anything in response, Rei covers his lips with his own, tilting his head to the side and kissing him aggressively.

❖ ❖ ❖

PayPal: Theomastoribio@gmail.com

Patreon: patreon.com/Theomas

❖ ❖ ❖