The high school gym was massive, loud, and smelled like floor wax and expensive perfume. It was the day of the big mandatory public event, and the vibe was super formal. Yasuo felt totally out of place. He was just there to deliver the catering from Mayonaka's Sweets, carrying trays of fresh, warm Anpan that smelled like heaven.
As he set up the pastries, his eyes kept drifting toward the stage. There he was. Daisetsu Nakamura.
The man looked like a literal god in his stern, formal teacher uniform. It was crisp, black, and made his broad shoulders look even wider. Usually, Daisetsu was a "Wounded Soul" who looked a bit reckless, but right now, he was the "Stoic Protector" in full effect. He looked so "respectable" and distant that Yasuo felt a sharp pang of insecurity in his chest.
Look at him, Yasuo thought, feeling his heart do a painful squeeze. He's a high-class teacher, and I'm just the "simple baker" who brings the bread. We live in two totally different worlds. Yasuo's shyness usually kept him quiet, but seeing the "social gap" between them made him want to hide behind his catering trays.
Daisetsu was standing near the edge of the stage, his face like a mask of ice—non-chalant and strictly professional. He was talking to some important-looking school board members, looking every bit the competent Sensei. Yasuo sighed, feeling like the secret bond they had built over flour-dusted mornings at the bakery was just a dream.
But then, the ceremony hit a small break.
Daisetsu stepped away from the officials. He walked with that powerful, reflexive stride toward the back of the gym, passing right by the catering table. Yasuo froze, holding a tray of buns like a shield.
Just as Daisetsu passed, he slowed down. He didn't turn his head, but his gaze snapped to Yasuo. For a split second, that cold facade cracked. He gave Yasuo a quick, private, and incredibly sexy wink.
"Doing a good job, Yasuo," Daisetsu murmured, his voice a low vibration that only Yasuo could hear.
Yasuo's heart didn't just beat; it practically exploded. His legs felt like they were made of jelly. That one wink was a sudden burst of intimacy that made him feel like they were the only two people in the room. It was a total "You flirt, I fell harder" moment.
"I... uh... thanks," Yasuo squeaked, his face turning a shade of red that would put a strawberry to shame.
Daisetsu walked away, back to his cold Sensei role, leaving Yasuo in a total daze. The adrenaline was pumping through Yasuo's veins. He felt exhilarated, nervous, and—most of all—completely obsessed with the man. He needed to get out of there. He needed a distraction before he did something crazy like scream in the middle of the gym.
As soon as his delivery work was done, Yasuo bolted. He didn't go back to the bakery. Instead, he rushed to the local bookstore.
He had a "secretive reader" hobby that he was usually very careful about. He loved BL stories—the kind with intense seme-uke dynamics that made his heart race. There was a new volume he had been waiting for, and today, he needed that hit of romantic fiction to deal with his real-life feelings.
Inside the bookstore, Yasuo abandoned his usual caution. He was riding a high from Daisetsu's wink. He found the Manga section and scanned the shelves until he saw it: the highly anticipated new release.
He grabbed the book and clutched it to his chest. The cover was very explicit—featuring a muscular man pinning a smaller guy against a wall in a way that looked a lot like the storage room fantasies Yasuo had been having.
"Finally," Yasuo whispered, his usual "non-confrontational" self completely gone in his excitement. He was so focused on his private joy that he didn't even notice the tall shadow approaching from the next aisle.
He spun around, ready to run to the register, but his path was blocked.
Yasuo slammed right into a solid chest, the air leaving his lungs in a sharp gasp. He looked up, expecting to see a random stranger, but instead, he saw the deep, familiar eyes of Daisetsu Nakamura looking down at him. Yasuo froze, realizing he was still clutching the spicy, explicit BL book right against Daisetsu's chest.