I started avoiding him, not wanting
him to see how much I regretted everything.
One evening, Liam spotted League of
Legends on my phone and insisted we play
together. Jason sat sullenly, silent. Pulled into
their game, I saw the familiar usernames and
felt a pang of guilt. We were one player short
for a five–man team, so I invited my high
school deskmate, Alex. Alex called jungle, the
others chose their roles, and I was left with
support. Suddenly, Liam shouted, “Ethan,
how’d you get that skin? It’s sick! Must’ve
cost a fortune, right?” “Uh… someone gave it
to me.” “Whoa, hook me up with some rich
friends like that! You have so many skins, that
must be thousands of dollars!” I glanced
nervously at Jason, unaware they were so
expensive. He’d claimed he’d gotten them
く
from lucky draws and just gifted them to me.
I hadn’t thought much of it back then, figuring
a high schooler wouldn’t have that kind of
money. The game started. I played support,
sticking to Jason’s ADC, but we didn’t
exchange a word. He was good enough to
carry on his own, even without me. When our
jungler got ganked, I tried to help Alex, but
ended up dying repeatedly. Jason scoffed,
finally breaking his silence. “Didn’t you see my
pings? Why’d you run in there?” “Why are you
even trying to save him? Can’t you see how
many enemies there are? You’re so dumb!” I
bit my lip, trying to hold back my frustration.
He’d never spoken to me like this when he
thought I was a girl. Typical.
We lost several games in a row. Not wanting
to endure any more of Jason’s criticism, I
made an excuse about being tired and left
L
the game. Liam and Mike followed suit,
complaining about their early class. Jason
glanced at my and Alex’s stats, his voice
dripping with sarcasm. “So that’s why you
deleted me. Found yourself a new oppa, huh?
What, is he a better jungler? Does he know
you’re a guy?” “He’s my deskmate from high
school. We play sometimes.” Jason clenched
his jaw. I quickly calculated the cost of the
skins and transferred the money to him. He
stared at his phone, then glared at me.
“What’s this? You think you can pay me off
like I’m some kind of escort?” “It’s for the
skins. I didn’t realize they were so expensive.
Tell me if it’s not enough, I can send you
more.” “I don’t take back gifts.” He snorted
and turned away, ignoring me. I climbed into
bed, stealing glances at him across the room.
He clearly hated me and wanted nothing to
do with me. I tossed and turned, unable to
<
Jason didn’t speak to me for a week. I spent
most of my time at the library, avoiding him
as much as possible. Then our anime club
had an event on campus. The president asked
us to dress up and help sell university
merchandise. I arrived late, and the only
costume left was a… maid outfit. With cat
ears. I almost turned around and left, but the
president, Chloe, insisted we were short-
staffed. A senior helped me with my makeup
and wig, stifling giggles as she told Chloe,
“Girl, you have a good eye. This freshman
looks way better in this than any of us! He’ll
definitely draw a crowd!” “I know, right? I had
to work hard to convince him to join the
club.” Chloe winked. I tugged at the hem of
the short skirt, feeling incredibly self-
conscious. It was so puffy that any sudden
movement threatened to reveal the shorts
underneath. Cross–dressing seemed to be a
<
thing in the anime club. Chloe and the other
senior girls were dressed in sharp, masculine
outfits, while the guys wore cute, feminine
costumes. I awkwardly followed them to the
booth, taking comfort in the fact that I wasn’t
the only one dressed… unconventionally.
Soon, a crowd gathered around the
merchandise, some people even taking
pictures. I stood there, explaining the items,
when two girls asked to take a photo with
- me. They complimented me on how pretty I
looked. I gave a weak smile, then spotted a
familiar figure heading our way. Jason,
holding a basketball, seemed to be on his way
to the courts. He stopped to look at our
booth. I froze, trying to hide behind the senior
girls. His eyes swept over the crowd and
landed on me. His expression was unreadable,
almost scrutinizing. He frowned. Before he
could say anything, a tall guy who’d just
bought a mug approached me. “Hey, pretty lady, can I get a picture with you?” “I’m a
guy…” I mumbled. His eyes lit up. “Whoa,
really? You’re even more amazing! Can I get
your WeChat? I’d love to invite you to the
next anime convention!” “Uh…” I fumbled for
my phone. A phone appeared between us.
“He doesn’t have his phone. Scan mine,‘
Jason said flatly, giving me a sidelong glance,
his eyes filled with a complex mix of
emotions. The guy scanned his QR code and
walked off happily. Jason stared at the friend
request, then hit ignore. “Huh. You sure are
popular. Enjoying the whole ‘dressing–up–as-
a–girl‘ thing a little too much?” “It’s for the
club,” I muttered. “Really? You seem to be
having a blast.” His eyes flicked to my neck,
his gaze heating up. I felt a blush creep up my
cheeks and took a step back. “What are you
looking at?” “Nothing!” Jason snapped,
looking away. “And why are you wearing a
bell on your neck? It’s… just…” He struggled
for the right word, then huffed, “Don’t wear
this kind of stuff again. Aren’t your
embarrassed?” His words stung. “It’s none of
your business,” I retorted. “Fine, whatever,
freak,” he muttered, turning to leave. My
chest ached as I watched him walk away. I
hadn’t done anything to him! Why did he have
to be so mean?
After the event, someone posted pictures of
me and Chloe on the university forum. They
went viral. “OMG, it’s the anime club
president! She’s so handsome! I want to
marry her!” “Wow, that cat–eared maid is
gorgeous! Furry alert!” “They’re such a cute
couple! I heard the maid is a guy cross-
dressing. Even better!” “My forbidden love is
awakening! Someone stop me!” I had no idea
I’d become a campus sensation. Walking out
of the library, I felt eyes on me everywhere.
Thanks to the anime club’s efforts, the
university merchandise sold out. Chloe was
thrilled and treated me to dinner. As we
finished, she grabbed my arm excitedly.
“Ethan, you have to come to more of our
events! Your boba tea is on me from now
on!” “Sure thing, Chloe!” I chuckled
awkwardly, just as Jason walked past on his
way back to the dorm. He gave me a cold
look and headed upstairs without a word. A
wave of awkwardness washed over me. I
followed him, deliberately lagging behind. I
snuck glances at him, my mood sinking. The
truth was, I had a crush on Jason. He’d been
so kind to me online, so gentle that I couldn’t
help but be drawn to him. But he hated me.
