Just then, Bua's class had ended, and she prepared to go see Nene. Someone called her name the moment she stepped out of the classroom.
"Bua..."
It was one of the second-year students she had become acquainted with earlier.
Taking a breath, he spoke. "Bua, I heard you won a special photography award. Can you help me with something?"
The senior was a member of the photography club, currently working on a new project with his team.
After hearing that Bua had won such a prize, he really wanted her to join along with them.
He handed her an application form and told her to think it over.
Bua accepted it. She already had plans to sign up, so she asked whether it was urgent.
"You can fill it out tomorrow," he replied before giving her his phone number, a pleased smile spreading across his face.
Since she was on her way to meet Nene, she excused herself and left.
The senior watched her go and couldn't help thinking, 'she's really a kind girl...'
Her pace faltered outside the Department of Arts.
Her heart began to pound at the possibility of seeing May. Her wavy hair swayed gently as she moved on.
Soon, her footsteps carried her into the main building of Nene's faculty.
A trace of shyness made her lower her eyes.
Then, as if guided by instinct, Bua lifted her head.
She saw her...
The person she had always waited for.
It was May, heading down the hallway toward her.
Bua knew May hadn't noticed her, and even if she had, nothing would change.
Still, seeing May approach while mumbling to herself brought a smile to Bua's face. For some reason, the sight looked adorable.
Time seemed to slow, as though even that wasn't enough for Bua.
No. She wished she could keep looking at May forever.
A memory flashed through her like a wind rushing past.
Back at the school where Bua studied—
It all began on a festival day, when the entire school was celebrating.
The event included costume performances.
Different stalls had students dressed as puppies, bears, rabbits, and other mascots to attract visitors.
Everyone was occupied with their own responsibilities.
Among the bustling crowd, a girl wandered between the stalls while talking on the phone.
Her steps were light and careless.
From the other side came her father's voice,
"Dear, where are the boys?"
May pursed her lips.
"Oat has something to do. You know he's a social butterfly. As for Artit and Kao, they're probably sitting somewhere quietly, not caring about anything."
"May, are you laughing? Stop teasing the boys. Did you hear what I said?"
"Kha, Paa. I'll call you later."
Out of the corner of her eye, something caught her attention.
"Wait, don't hang up. I wasn't finished, May—"
The call ended before he could finish.
With a deep breath, her father wondered if he should increase the allowance he always gave the boys.
Honestly, he wanted to reward them for putting up with May.
Unfortunately, he was just as afraid of his daughter as he was of his wife.
Meanwhile, drawn by curiosity, May headed toward a stall where a student dressed as a bear mascot was performing.
A large crowd had gathered around the energetic dancer.
She joined the audience without hesitation.
Completely absorbed by the performance, she forgot all about recording videos on her phone.
Clap! Clap!
She applauded along with everyone else.
Soon, students lined up to take photos, and May eagerly joined them. After snapping a selfie, she lingered in front of the mascot.
She leaned closer to the oversized bear head.
"You dance really well. Where did you learn that?"
No reply came.
The silence somehow made her smile.
Before she could say anything else, the crowd pushed her away.
"What the hell? Which class are you from? Do you even know who I am? You jerk!"
The sudden outburst made everyone nearby turn toward her.
A few stalls away, Oat stood buying candies for his younger siblings.
"Oh, can I buy this one? It reminds me of Sky's face when he's up to no good."
"How much is this?"
Then he heard the familiar voice, and worse, May was causing another scene. His face fell instantly.
"Shit. Isn't that May?"
"Didn't I leave her with Artit and Kao?"
"I knew something like this would happen."
Blaming himself, he hurried toward the source of the commotion.
The moment he arrived, he understood everything.
"Sorry! Sorry, everyone!"
He quickly apologized to the crowd before grabbing May's wrist.
"Come with me."
"You jerk, Oat! Let me go!"
May even tried kicking him as she struggled.
Despite her resistance, Oat dragged her away from the area.
But the boy who had almost fought with her was still furious.
Beside him, another boy grabbed his hand to hold him back. "Are you new to this school?"
The boy noticed the entire crowd staring at him. "Yeah, so what?"
"That was May," he whispered. "And the guy who apologized is Oat. He's basically the boss here. If you want a quiet life, don't mess with them. Everything runs smoothly because of them."
Seeing everyone's tense reactions, the new boy quickly turned and ran away.
Just like that, the chaos ended.
Hidden inside the mascot costume, she couldn't stop smiling as she whispered, "May..."
As evening approached, students began cleaning their stalls.
Only the occasional footsteps echoed across the festival grounds.
Someone stepped toward the bear mascot stall. "You can change your clothes now."
"Kha."
A female voice answered from inside the costume.
The bear head was removed.
Sweat dampened her hair, and exhaustion showed on her face.
Another friend called out. "Bua."
She glanced back at the voice, her face lighting up.
"Go change before you get sick."
Before she could reach the changing room, someone suddenly ran toward the stall.
Bua recognized her immediately.
However, May's attention was focused on the bags she carried.
Panicking, Bua quickly put the bear head back on.
Both of May's hands were filled with bags containing cold drinks. For some reason, she had been thinking about the mascot all day.
Feeling sorry for whoever had worn such a heavy costume, she bought drinks and returned.
Step by step, she drew closer.
Inside the costume, Bua's thoughts became a complete mess.
She had no idea what to do.
"Hello, kha. I bought these for you."
May extended the bags toward her.
Bua froze.
Without waiting for a response, May grabbed the mascot's oversized paw and placed the drinks into it.
Before they could properly talk, May's phone rang.
Her father had arrived to pick her up. Disappointment flickered across her face as she drew nearer.
Her fingertips brushed the bear's cheek.
"See you again."
A bright smile bloomed on her face before she waved and hurried away.
Inside the costume, Bua was completely flustered.
Her heart raced.
She nearly dropped the drinks May had given her.
"Bua! Bua!"
Hearing Nene's voice, Bua removed the bear's head.
"Nene... Why are you here?"
"Why haven't you changed yet?"
"I'm going now."
Nene examined her carefully.
"Why is your face so red? Are you sick? I knew this costume idea was weird. Let me buy you something cold."
"Nene."
Bua stopped her and showed her the drinks already in her hands.
After hearing the entire story, Nene stared at her in disbelief.
From that day onward, Bua crossed paths with May several more times.
At first, simply seeing her from afar was enough.
As time passed, however, the urge to talk to her only grew stronger.
Nene was always the one encouraging her.
School hadn't even reached vacation when Bua was forced to transfer.
Nene didn't come to school on Bua's final day. She had cried so much that she became sick.
"Bua."
Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder after they left the principal's office.
"I'm sorry. Because of me, you have to repeat a year."
"It's okay, Mae. Don't blame yourself."
"Bua, don't you have anyone besides Nene to say goodbye to?"
When Bua remained silent, her mother let out a soft sigh.
"I'll wait outside. Come after you've said your farewells."
The moment her mother stepped away, Bua took off running.
Faster than she ever had before.
A deep sense of regret filled her chest.
Even after meeting May so many times, she had never found the courage to express her feelings.
Breathing heavily, she stopped in front of her locker and pulled it open.
Everything had already been cleared out except for a small brown bear doll tied with a ribbon, which she bought to reveal she was the one inside the mascot.
Bua picked it up and rushed toward May's classroom.
The lunch bell rang...
Students poured into the hallway.
The noise around her was louder than ever.
She searched through the crowd desperately.
Sweat dampened her forehead, and her legs ached from sprinting across the school.
Then she found May.
Just as Bua approached, close enough to reach out—
Another girl suddenly grabbed May's hand.
Completely flustered, May tried to stop her while failing to hide her smile.
Around them, May's friends immediately began teasing.
While tightly holding May's hand, the girl countered, "Quit messing with my May!"
"Why are you so silent, May? Look at them..."
Their friends all broke out into chuckles and giggles.
"Okay, we'll quit messing with your girlfriend," they teased, while that girl hummed in agreement.
"Did they just say girlfriend? Is May in a relationship?"
For a moment, every sound around Bua faded away.
The lively hallway became distant and blurred.
A sharp ache spread through her chest.
Without saying a word, she turned around.
Her eyes had already reddened. Clutching the bear doll tightly, she cast one final gaze toward May.
Somehow, the weight she had carried for so long finally eased.
"I'm too late, right?"
"Please be happy."
At that exact moment, May suddenly looked back.
"May, what's wrong?" one of her friends asked.
"Nothing... It just feels like something is wrong."
"Your mood swings again?"
"Maybe."
May laughed, though an uneasy feeling remained deep inside her.
Outside the school gate, Bua found her mother waiting.
She was talking on the phone and didn't seem to be in a good mood.
Bua forced a smile onto her face.
Then she dropped the small bear doll into a garbage bin.
As she walked toward her mother, a child's voice called out from behind.
But Bua kept her eyes fixed ahead. Without checking behind her, she continued forward.
Back to the present—
Bua was still nervous.
The moment Nene told her that May was here, all of those buried emotions resurfaced.
May had been hurt deeply by her previous relationship, and knowing that pained Bua even more.
She couldn't deny it anymore.
She was still in love with May.
"How should I act? If I let this chance slip away, I might never get another one."
"You can do it, Bua."
Using the excuse of finding Nene's class, she made her way over to May.
They greeted each other and introduced themselves.
May's eyes drifted over to Bua.
"What's this? I feel like I can't let her go..."
May shook her head. "I'm going crazy... just like Artit."
"She's really pretty... Her voice is sweet, too."
Quickly composing herself, May pushed the thought aside.
"I can't waste this golden opportunity."
"So, Bua, how about I show you around?"
"But aren't you busy?" Bua asked.
"No. I'm completely free today. Trust me."
Beaming cheerfully, May took her hand and guided her forward.
Bua quietly treasured the moment.
May chatted the entire time, but very little of it reached Bua's ears.
Her attention stayed fixed on the warmth of May's hand.
Together, they explored the campus one place at a time.
"Bua... What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Bua smiled softly.
Their hands were still linked, as though carrying a promise that had survived the years.
***
At the same time, in Mok's dorm—
Click! Clack!
The door handle turned as Mok entered first, inviting Kao inside.
Kao stepped in and removed his shoes.
"You don't need to—"
Before Mok could finish, Kao was already done.
Mok gave an awkward grin.
"Wear my slippers..."
Kao tilted his head and shook it lightly.
He kept standing until Mok pointed toward the bed.
There was a couch in the room, but Mok still led him to sit on his bed instead.
Mok walked to Toffee's shelf and took out the soothing cream.
A thought crossed his mind.
"Would Toffee get angry?"
But they always shared things, so he pushed the thought aside.
"Here. Apply it."
He offered the cream to Kao.
Kao ignored him.
"What's wrong this time?"
"You do it."
"What?"
"If you don't, I'll just endure the pain."
He paused, then added lazily, "Besides, I can't even shower properly. It'll stink. I'll be fine in two days, so just leave it."
"Kao, don't be stubborn."
Kao pointed at himself. "Me? Stubborn?"
Mok stood there helplessly.
"Move back to the bed and take off your pants."
"What? I didn't hear that."
Kao grinned.
"Kao. I won't say it twice."
"Okay, okay. Don't be so cold."
For a moment, Mok let his guard down.
That was all Kao needed. He grabbed Mok's wrist and pulled him down.
Mok lost his balance and fell on top of him.
Their noses brushed as Kao wrapped his arms around him.
"I missed you..." Kao whispered.