Cherry Yugo

My name is Kochi Yugo.

I turned 30 today. A milestone, in a way. Supposedly the peak of my life and my adulthood.

Unfortunately, I’m just a (sad) accountant for S Company. Ever since I graduated university, my daily life consisted of working, attending drinking parties against my will and… sleep. 

Nothing much, in sum. 

I’m never motivated to do much, it is like a cycle that never stops.

I’m always too tired to go out but I’m also too sleepy to give it my all at work. It was a peaceful life in a way.

But after turning 30, my life turned into a literal storm of thoughts.

“Ha, I’m hungry today. I wonder what to get for lunch.”

“I’m going to be late for work!”

“Hmm, morning again… can’t wait to go back home and jack off to my favorite por–”

I might have grimaced unconsciously at that last thought – mind you, these aren’t my thoughts! These are thoughts of the people bumping into me in the crowded subway on my way to work. 

The crowd sticking to me aside, these thoughts swirling around me is like being hit by an icy storm, prickling my skin and my brain.

It’s painful, it’s even more tiring than before… It’s a shitshow, to be honest.

My friend Hokuto once told me how we could turn into wizards if we’re still virgins at 30 and I thought it was such a stupid myth. Jokes on me, the myth isn’t one. I had even forgotten about it until it happened to me, I cursed the universe for being such an asshole to me. I didn’t ask to be a virgin, and I absolutely didn’t ask to have this power. It’s the worst power to have. I preferred being super smart, at least it’d be useful or something. I mean… being overwhelmed with a ton of dark, dumb and deep thoughts from strangers is not the most agreeable thing on Earth. I don’t need the unnecessary stress that comes with it. I just wanna be alone and in peace… 

As if it wasn’t hard being a virgin who didn’t have many occasions to bond and find new friends and partners, but with that power? It became one million times worse!

Sighing deeply, I try to move away from the girl next to me who was squealing so loudly in her head while watching a video of an idol jiggling on her smartphone.

Although I used to be reluctant to go to work, I now cannot wait to be at work – there, at least, rare are the people coming to touch me so I won’t be hearing anyone’s thoughts.

After rushing out of the subway station, I run into my building faster than ever as if my life depends on it. 

When I’m walking towards the elevator to get to my floor, only a few people are waiting but as soon as I enter, a surge of employees follow suit and push me into the back of the elevator. 

“Wow, I made it in time! Lucky!”

I feel like crying. Again a crowded place.

“It stinks in here, it’s only morning… Do people shower?”

Loud. These are way too loud thoughts.

“Wow, our shoulders are touching!!!” “He’s so cute, today too…” “His bed hair is so adorable…” “I wish I could smooth it out by stroking the back of his head but it’s too creepy!!”

I subtly look at the people around me, and I realize that a long-time colleague had his shoulder crushed against mine and unconsciously, I look up to meet his eyes. 

It’s Jesse, a team member of the marketing team. Difficult not to know him, he’s quite popular and easy to work with. 

As soon as our gazes meet, both his eyes and his body coldly shy away from me, cutting his stream of thoughts.

He has always been a rather friendly guy with a sense of distance. I’m really surprised he has this kind of thoughts. For a guy, moreover! I wonder who is the guy he likes so much. 

Before I could wonder any longer, the elevator suddenly empties itself and the crowd diminishes floor after floor.

At our floor, only Jesse and I get off. I awkwardly give him a smile to tell him that he can head out first. He gives me a calm smile:

“G’morning, Kochi-san.”

“Mhn, morning.” I babble, my mouth isn’t working well today! Well, try to be me for one minute and you’ll find out how difficult it is!

I unintentionally lower my head, too embarrassed to even meet his eyes again as I walk straight towards my desk. He quietly laughs when he hears me hit my foot against my chair.

How could he even see me, his cubicle is so far from mine… 

To be honest, I’m really unsettled by his thoughts.

I’ve never thought that Jesse, the perfect boy of the company, had a crush on anyone. He really hid it well, because he always has a friendly aura that makes him both approachable but unreachable. Since he always acts so nice to everyone, it is difficult to know what his real thoughts are.

We both joined the company at the same time but I’m actually a bit older than he is. I was in another company that decided to move their headquarters to Singapore and asked me to go with them. Of course I declined, I’m not well versed in English and I don’t see myself in another country than Japan.

I then applied for this company, along with Jesse who was fresh out of university. We’re not in the same department but we interact quite often. I’ve never really paid attention to him before. He’s the embodiment of a dazzling existence that sort of exhausts me, so I don’t actively seek him. Or anyone.

Maybe that’s why I’m a virgin, I don’t seek friendship or love.

When I first discovered my powers, I thought of getting rid of my virginity with a “ professional” but I was so stressed out and her thoughts were so overwhelmingly graphic that I threw up before her. It was embarrassing. But every time I hear people’s kinkiest thoughts, I feel like passing out. It’s just too intense for me.

There is a colleague that I find immensely pretty and wanted to talk to her but every time I tried, I found myself falling into a pit of negativity, wondering why would she even pay attention to me. I’m not worth any attention.

Jesse, however, is worth the attention. He’s really good at making small talk, hyping people up, and cheering them up. I don’t know how he does it, but it makes me feel self-conscious and a bit irritated at how well he brings people together. More than that, he gathers people around him.

During lunch, he’s always surrounded by a bunch of people asking him out and he always chooses someone he has never eaten with before. Today, too, but for some reason, as he hesitates on whoever to choose, his eyes fall on me and our eyes meet again.

I’m not sure why he looked at me but I immediately looked at my screen where the numbers and the categories get even blurrier and more mixed up.

“Don’t sleep on the job, Kochi, we need people to be paid by tomorrow,” my manager said.

We’re short-handed and there are around 300 employees in S company and I have to manually input all of the transfers that have to be made to every employee in this company. I think I’ll still be there tomorrow…

*

*

*

As expected, I am still here after everyone left.

Everyone except Jesse.

He comes like a shining sun in the dark where only my screen is brighter than any light in the office which, by the way, had been almost all switched off at that time.

“Hey, Kochi-san! You’re still there.”

I feel a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m so mad he got dumped all the work and he’s all alone here!! I wish I could help him… Ah, he looks tired but damn he looks cute…. and sexy… I love the line of his neck… Makes me want to lick it.”

It makes me shudder as I slowly turn around to meet Jesse’s eyes whose gentle eyes don’t betray his most lustful thoughts.

Is he… talking… about… me?!

I remain motionless for a few seconds too long before breaking the contact between my shoulder and his hand.

“Hey, are you okay? I think you need a break, Kochi-san…”

“I-I-I c-c-can’t.”

I was suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment and fatigue and somehow, my brain became foggy.

“Want some help?” 

“S-S-sure…” I don’t know why I agreed. I should be running away… I’m still in shock.

Jesse had never shown any interest before and his kindness has always been evenly distributed to the whole team. Hearing his thoughts, his erotic thoughts, makes me realize that he is so different from what he shows to everyone.

I shake my head. Work is the priority right now.

As we both work in silence, I attempt to forget the shocking truth by pushing it back to a corner in my brain. 

“It seems to be all good! You worked hard!” Jesse chirps happily after verifying all of my transactions to be sure I haven’t made any mistakes. 

“Time to go home!” I say as I stretch myself on my chair.

I can’t wait to go home and soak into a hot and relaxing bath.

“Ah! Trains?!” I suddenly scream, realizing I missed my last train. I really hate using a taxi to go home, it’s a waste of money. “Shit… I missed it.” I mutter.

As soon as he hears that, Jesse says: “Heeh? You missed your train? It’s fine. Stay at my place. I’m nearby!”

I frown.

But.

Is it really a good idea? I wonder while remembering the dirty thoughts Jesse had about me. Is… it…?? 

*

*

*

I don’t know why I followed him home, maybe I got carried away when he suddenly gave me his scarf.

“You look cold, Kochi-san.”

He only smiled softly.

He is a handsome man, he is actually really popular in the company. Any girl would get swooped up by his true kindness. Would they still be swooped up by his dirty thoughts? Maybe, yeah.

“Are you ok? We’re soon there. You look so tired, too. I should be cooking for you but I’m not a good cook.”

“You’re not?”

“Oh, no! I’m a mess in the kitchen!” he says, laughing at himself, his eyes shining a little in the darkness of the night.

“I can prepare something.”

“Really?? But you must be tired…”

“It’s okay, I want to pay you back for helping me and letting me stay over at your house.”

He pouts a little, tilting his head but then smiles again.

“Okay!”

*

Surprisingly, his place is a bit of a mess. 

He looks like a neat and capable man at work, I didn’t expect him to be so messy at home. He panics a little as soon as we enter his apartment and quickly scurries around his place to tidy as much as possible.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t expecting guests! I forgot it was so messy!!”

His panic makes me laugh a little.

“It’s fine, let me just take a bath and cook you something quickly.”

“Ah… Please, go ahead.” He says, holding his arm toward the space of his home, his face red with embarrassment.

*

Jesse guides me to his bathroom and hands me a towel. 

Our hands touch.

“Fuuuuck, he’s in my home in my bathroom!!!!! He’s gonna be naked!!!! Plus he’s so cute!!”

Jesse’s face is still the same but his thoughts!!!! Me?? Cute??!! Is he crazy?

Breaking contact, I feel my face heat up.

“Erm, if you need anything… let me know…”

“O-Okay…”

I can’t even meet him in the eye.

It’s so embarrassing.

I still can’t believe he has such thoughts…

*

I was mulling in the bath about how to face him properly, but since he doesn’t know I can read his thoughts, I guess I can just ignore it. In normal times, I’d have already run away from any form of trouble. And Jesse smells like trouble… but I admit I can’t help being a little curious about him. 

I took perhaps thirty minutes in the bath when I hear a quiet knock on the door.

“Kochi-san? Are you okay? I left some pajamas on the washing machine, please use it.”

“Yes! T-Thank you…”

He’s very caring somehow… He really fits the image people have of him.

*

“Hey, do you have hairdryer?” I immediately ask as I get out of the bathroom and for a few seconds he doesn’t answer, almost lost in thoughts. I walk towards him and inadvertently touch his arm.

“Shiiiiit, he’s wearing my silky pajamas I always dreamt of him wearing!!!!! I’m soooo happy!!! He’s so cute in it… He’s wearing my clothes moreover! I could eat him alive!”

I bring my hand back to myself with a shocked face, maybe he realized it because he says:

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I–I– I forgot. Hah? I am... hum, I am looking for– for a hair dryer, do you have one?”

“Ah, yeah, sorry I don’t use it often. I keep it for my sis when she comes over.”

“You have a sister?”

“Yes! She’s just a few years below me, but she’s more mature even though I’m older.”

“Yeah, girls are more mature, usually.” I casually comment, vaguely imagining what kind of girl his sister is. She must be a beautiful woman just like him…

“Do you… want me to dry your hair?”

I can’t see his face, but I can hear the shyness in his voice and it makes me chuckle. Is he really shy about something so small?... Well, it’s embarrassing to have your hair dried when you’re 30 years old…

“Huh… Sure, if you fancy that.”

“I do!!... I mean… I can help…” 

He’s cute. 

Cuter than I thought.

He always gives off a calm and mature aura at work… He looks very embarrassed and sort of happy to dry off my hair. It would be creepy in other circumstances but today… just for today I’m letting this go. I’m a little happy to be liked by a guy like him.

I sit on the floor and after plugging the machine, he sits back on the sofa behind me and softly places his hands around my head, I can feel his large and warm palms over my head. It feels nice.

“His hair is so soft.”

“It’s not…”

“Hm? Is it uncomfortable?”

Shit. I thought he was talking to me…

“It is… I was thinking how my hair isn’t very soft.”

“Oh, we can put some oil, I have a good oil that my sister recommended to me. I can apply it for you…”

“O–okay..”

“He’s cute… and I get to touch his hair, and get even closer to his neck. Man, he smells good, he smells like me! I’m so happy.”

He needs to stop thinking I’m cute! I’m a man! Why does he keep thinking that about me?! He’s a bit of a pervert, this guy. It’s getting embarrassing, I don’t think I can look at him in the eye anymore.

I’m pretty sure I’m redder than a tomato.

Jesse keeps drying my hair for a few minutes before placing the dryer down and getting some oil. The sound of it makes my imagination run wild as I hear the noise of a bottle being opened and the squelching sound of liquid being squeezed out in his palm. I don’t even dare looking back at him, or at his fingers that I can imagine are layered with oil…

Suddenly, I feel fingers going through my hair, massaging my scalp, and any worry that I had suddenly disappeared with the relaxing sensation of Jesse’s fingers caressing my skin, my hair, and a little bit of my nape.

I don’t know why I even let him.

It’s weird, isn’t it?

I don’t know… My brain is so fuzzy…

“Nnnmh…” I involuntarily let out a moan that doesn’t sound like myself at all. Before I could catch myself I hear:

“Shit. ‘Think I’m getting hard.”

It snaps me out of it as I suddenly stand up from the floor.

“Hum. Thank you Jesse, I think it’s time for me to sleep. Night.” I hurriedly say as I slip beneath the blanket of the guest futon.

“Hey, use my bed, I’ll sleep here instead.”

“What?! No! it’s your house.”

“Come on, I don’t want you to get sick. You’re older, you should be more careful.”

“Are you saying I’m old?”

“Not old! Just older than me!!”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re stubborn, y’know.”

“iknowthankyou,” I mutter, hiding under the covers.

“Ugh. Okay. Good night Kochi-san.”

“At this rate, I think you can drop the honorifics.”

“... Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay… Kochi . Night.” He whispers.

“Hmm.”