Heyyy, Tanuki chan here! I just wanted to say a huge thank you because the novel just passed 23K views! I honestly can't believe it. I started this whole thing full of doubts, afraid no one would read it, and now seeing how it's grown, how you all comment, react, and get excited about the characters—it seriously means the world to me. Thank you for all the love, for being here, for following every chapter with so much passion. I read everything, always.
And to top it all off, I'm so happy because Elizabeth and Nerissa from Hololive just released a cover of Rondo Revolution, Utena's opening, which is literally my all-time favorite anime opening. I listened to it and almost cried. It was like this perfect mix of nostalgia and joy, and with their beautiful voices… it was just magical.
Enjoy the chapter!!!
.....
Yes, he said softly. I'd be happy to meet you.
Semiel said it almost in a whisper, as if the words escaped before he could hold them back. In the dim light of the room, the glow of the now-dark screen still lingered in the air like a distant echo. Saval looked at him, surprised, unsure if he had heard correctly. But Semiel didn't add anything. He just lowered his head a bit, and a few seconds later, his breathing began to deepen and steady. He had fallen asleep.
The wine, the exhaustion, the movie—everything had taken its toll. Saval watched him for a moment. Semiel's cheeks were flushed, and he wore a peaceful expression, untouched by the weight of what he had just said. He looked at peace, even somewhat vulnerable.
Saval stood up quietly and walked to the bedroom to fetch a blanket. He returned with slow steps and covered him gently. As he adjusted it over him, he saw how Semiel shifted a little, like a child seeking warmth. Saval stood there, still, watching him.
I'm glad you dream peacefully, he murmured, not expecting a reply.
He stepped away and turned off the projector. The room remained dim. Then, unhurriedly, he walked to his own room. He closed the door softly and sat on the edge of the bed.
His heart was beating with a strange mix of confusion and clarity. He leaned his elbows on his knees and ran his hands over his face.
He didn't know exactly how he was supposed to feel. It wasn't that he was entirely caught off guard. He had suspected, at certain times. He had noticed things—gestures. The way Semiel looked at him when he thought Saval wasn't watching. The excessive attention to small details. His way of taking care of him, of staying close without intruding, but always being there.
He thought about Antonella. About Semiel's quiet jealousy every time she spoke with Saval, about the long stares, the silences filled with meaning only if you knew what to look for.
He was always my friend, he said quietly, as if that could make things clearer.
He had known him before everything fell apart. Before the scandal, before the university was in shambles, before Antonella left. They had shared so much. Laughter, silence, defeat.
But was there something more?
He couldn't fully deny it now. Not after that sentence, said with such heartbreaking softness it had left him speechless. I'd be happy to meet you. As if everything Semiel had wanted to say all these years was held in that single moment.
Saval lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, even though he couldn't really see it. His mind was full of scattered thoughts. It wasn't about feeling the same—not yet. It was something else.
—How do you even respond to something like that?—he thought. —I don't want to hurt him, but I don't want to lie either. I've never seen him that way.
That was the truth. To him, Semiel had been a refuge, a companion, the only constant in all the chaos. But he had never asked himself if that could be love. And now, the question had settled in his mind like a persistent drop in the center of his thoughts.
He remembered nights like this one—others that seemed less significant on the surface—where they played video games, ate instant ramen, laughed until they couldn't breathe. Maybe there had been something there too. Maybe Semiel had always been waiting for the moment.
—And now that he said it, I can't pretend I didn't hear him.
Saval closed his eyes. There was no anger. No discomfort. Just a kind of melancholy. As if they had just crossed a threshold he wasn't sure he wanted to cross. As if he stood on the edge of something important, not knowing whether to move forward or step back.
He thought about his answer. He didn't want to improvise. What could he say?
—I want to be honest. Tell him I care, that he matters to me. But that I need time to understand if this can become something else. Will that be enough for him?
He turned over, hugging a pillow.
—He deserves to hear it face-to-face. Tomorrow, when he wakes up, I'll talk to him calmly. So he knows I'm not pulling away. That I'm not afraid of what he feels. That I'm just… processing it.
He recalled again the way Semiel looked asleep. The tone in which he'd said those words. Not like an urgent confession, but like a simple truth. Painful in its simplicity.
—I can't say yes. But I don't want to lose my friend either.
Part of him wished nothing would change. Another part already knew that was impossible.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would answer him.
With his own words, with the respect and calm Semiel deserved.
And with that in mind, for the first time in a long while, Saval slept deeply.