Bokuto Koutarou |12| Bokuaka

Do you believe in the concept of "love at first sight"? Our protagonists didn't; or at least, not until that cold winter afternoon at the Fukurodani University sports complex. The place divided its gigantic frozen rink into two opposing worlds: the noisy chaos of the hockey team and the pinpoint grace of figure skating.

There reigned Bokuto Koutarou, the imposing hockey ace. With formidable musculature, overwhelming energy, and rather mediocre scores, he was always the center of attention. At the opposite end of the spectrum skated Akaashi Keiji, a young man of magnetic beauty, reserved and academically brilliant, whose movements on the ice bordered on absolute perfection.

During a simultaneous training session, the hockey team was playing a friendly match. In the middle of a counterattack, Bokuto stopped dead in his tracks. The roar of the blades and the shouts of his teammates faded completely. His golden eyes were fixed on the neighboring rink: Akaashi had just soared into a perfect spin, suspended in the air as if defying gravity, and then landed with flawless elegance. Bokuto was completely mesmerized, oblivious to his surroundings.

The visual idyll was shattered by a sharp impact. A stray hockey puck struck Bokuto squarely in the back of the neck, sending him crashing to the ice as darkness engulfed him.

When his heavy eyes finally opened, the sharp pain faded into the background. The cold of the floor was gone; in its place, he felt a comforting warmth. His head rested on a soft lap. Focusing his gaze, ignoring the others' worried murmurs, the first thing he saw was a pair of deep blue eyes watching him with genuine anguish. It was Akaashi.

Dazed and with his wires crossed from the trauma, Bokuto managed an awkward smile. He let out a hoarse laugh, similar to that of a drunken old man, and muttered:

—Wow... I must be in heaven, because I just saw an angel...