The Squirrel and The Tree (Nako x Male Reader)

Chapter 5

"Ehhh? You have basketball tryouts today?" Nako looks at Yongrae in amazement.

"Yeah~ Apparently they are adding strings because a lot of students joined," Yongrae scratches his head, thinking it's a pain to still do tryouts for a club.

"Oh, so that's why," Nako oohed before flashing Yongrae an excited smile. "Can I watch you play???"

"Yeah~ Of course you can," Yongrae ruffles Nako's hair, earning a small squeal from her.

"Yeeeey! What time would it start?"

"Hmm~ After classes, so don't worry about missing it~"

"I won't miss it, I promise!"

"Okayyy~"

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Nako POV

Me and Ki-chan soon arrive at school and are now walking to the freshman building.

Upon arriving, we can see that the hallway is packed and filled by all the freshmen students. All of them were scanning the papers pasted in the bulletin boards, trying to find their respective classrooms.

"Huh~? How are we going to get through that" Ki-chan scrunches his nose, not wanting a part of the chaos.

"Hmm," I put my finger on my chin, thinking of a way for us to get through. It wasn't long until an idea popped into my mind.

"Maybe..."

"Nako-chin~ Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ki-chan asks. I can already feel the reluctance in his voice.

"No, but it's the only idea I got," I answer honestly as he just sighs. My idea was to sit on his shoulders because that way, we wouldn't have to squeeze ourselves to look at the bulletin boards.

"But I'm already tall enough, Nako-chin~" he whines cutely. "I can squeeze through, myself."

"Not in this situation, you won't," I say, matter of factly. "I know you're tall and strong, but with that amount of people, even the likes of you wouldn't be able to push through. That's why we have to gather info from above!"

"Oh~ That's smart Nako-chin~" He praises, making me smile proudly at myself. Hearing him compliment me boosts my confidence.

"Alright then~ Brace yourself," Ki-chan takes a deep breath before running past the students of the freshman building.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Ow! What the?!"

"He's so tall, wtf?"

"Who's that girl on his shoulders?"

"How tf he running so fast in that big body?!"

It only took a matter of time for the whole freshman building to have their eyes on us. I can't blame them though, Ki-chan was just too intimidating.

There were 5 bulletin boards in the whole building and all of them were in this hallway, which explains the crowd of students flocking. Ki-chan and I already checked 3 out of , but none of our names were there. It was a good sign for me though because it just increases the chances of us being classmates.

Just as I was about to get my hopes up, however...

"Alright, Nako-chin~ 4th one," Ki-chan leaned forward in order for me to read the list of students that are assigned in class 1-B.

"Yabuki, Yabuki, Yabu-, AH! My name's here!" I exclaim to inform Ki-chan.

"Nice~ What about my name?~" He asks, making me look back at the list of names.

"Ki Yongrae, Ki Yongrae, Ki..." My heart dropped. Ki-chan's name is not in the list.

"Well, Nako-chin~?" He enthusiastically asks while I bite my lip. His name is not in the list, which means for the first time since we've become the best of friends, we are not going to be in the same class together.

"Ki-chan..." I pout, trying my best not to shed tears. "Your name isn't here."

"What~? Then that means," He gasps, leading me away from the bulletin board. "That means we're not classmates?"

When he said that, I started to whimper. I am so used to being with (Y/N) that the thought of him not being with me in class hurts my heart. Why did they feel the need to separate me from him!

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Yongrae POV

I felt sad that Nako-chin and I wouldn't be classmates this year. It sucks to accept it, but it is what it is.

Suddenly, I felt my hair slowly get moist. I try to look up at Nako-chin, only to hear her small whimper.

I hurriedly led us out of the building to free ourselves from the crowded area. I carried her off my shoulders and sat her down on a nearby bench just outside the building.

I sit beside her as well.

"Nako-chin~" I tried to get her attention but she did not hear me. She's still sobbing.

It hurt my heart to see her so sad so I pulled her into a hug, hoping it would calm her down.

"Ki-chan," She snuggles on my chest as she starts to calm down. I smile, seeing that my hugs still comfort Nako-chin.

"Come on, Nako-chin~ Cheer up!" I pull away from our hug to pinch her cute cheeks. She giggled a bit, which was a good sign.

"Alright, alright," she answers in aegyo, which never fails to make my heart flutter. She's just so cute, I can die.

"I know it's sad~" I start off, ruffling her hair. "But at least we'll be on the same building~"

Nako-chin starts to ponder, wiping the tears off her face in the process. She thought really hard about it before she sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," she smiles and hugs me again, this time by my neck. I wrap my arms around her small frame, hugging her back.

I can smell her perfume, the fragrance that immediately makes me think of her, and it comforts me.

Even if we're in separate classes, I'll still be here for her and keep her safe, no matter what. I'm not just gonna break my promise to her dad just because we're not in the same classroom.

"Can I hug you a bit longer?" Nako-chin suddenly whispers delicately into my ear as she holds me tighter in her arms. I chuckle, pulling her closer to me as well.

She may not notice but she keeps making my heart happy with every little thing that she does. And I like it that way.

"Sure, why not~"

~~~~~~