L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 77

“What are you two doing?”

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Elle's voice became sharp. Ashley reluctantly straightened his body, which had been leaning toward Koi, and spoke in a tone that clearly expressed his displeasure.

“...It’s nothing.”

Koi felt the absence of Ashley’s warmth and cautiously glanced at Ariel. Her arms were crossed, and she was staring at Ashley with a furrowed brow. There were many emotions visible on her face, but it was hard to tell which one was real. What was certain, though, was that she wasn’t in a good mood.

Just then, Ariel’s gaze shifted to Koi, as if asking, What are you doing over there? Koi hesitated but slowly moved his feet, walking toward her. Ashley, for a brief moment, seemed like he was going to stop him but quickly controlled himself and watched as Koi shifted his attention from him to Elle.

Looking at Koi as he came closer, Ariel matched her gaze with Ashley’s, raising her chin with her arms still crossed.

“What is it? Do you need something?”

“No...”

Ashley looked at Koi’s back with narrowed eyes before suddenly flashing a bright, cheerful smile and asking,

“Not a new boyfriend, right?”

“What? Are you crazy?”

Ariel immediately denied it, clearly irritated. While she was right, Koi couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward about her sudden seriousness... he hesitated and kept his eyes on the ground. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Ariel continued speaking.

“I told you, Koi is a precious member. Why? Do you need something?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“What’s wrong then?”

“Ashley, is something going on?”

Soon, other cheerleading members began to walk out of the changing room. Ashley noticed them behind Ariel and quickly waved them off.

“It’s nothing. I’m going to practice now.”

With a casual wave, he turned and left without another word. One of the cheerleaders, watching Ashley’s retreating back, mumbled to herself.

“Were you waiting for Elle?”

The murmurs from around the room quickly followed.

“Really!”

“That makes sense. Maybe he wants to try again?”

“Was he waiting for Elle to come out and getting nervous? Ash is cute!”

The group giggled, and although Ariel dismissed their teasing, saying that it couldn’t possibly be the case, no one seemed to listen. Koi silently agreed with their thoughts.

Ashley had said he’d talk to Elle after winning the match...

Maybe Elle is waiting for him, Koi thought, when suddenly Ariel looked at him and raised her voice, her expression stern.

“What are you doing, Koi? Go change and come back out. We’ll check if it fits for you.”

“The uniform’s hanging by the mirror!”

A member of the team, who was also the assistant captain, added and gently pushed Koi forward. Koi, still unsure, ended up walking into the girls’ changing room, and the door closed behind him, cutting off his ability to hear their conversation.

Turning alone, Koi saw the uniform hanging next to a large mirror, just as the assistant captain had said. Of course, it was a mini skirt that came to his thighs.

“Ugh...”

A groan escaped him involuntarily. As he clumsily stood there, the first time in his life trying on a skirt, his face twisted in embarrassment.

“Koi, Koi!”

He still couldn’t bring himself to go outside, fidgeting nervously, when the assistant captain knocked on the door and shouted.

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“What are you doing? You still aren’t done? We’ll count down from 30, so open the door or should we open it for you?”

“Ugh, ah!”

Koi screamed in shock and swallowed his breath. From beyond the door, the girls began counting. There was no more time to waste. Finally, he gathered his courage, tightly shut his eyes, and opened the door.

“...28, 29!”

The door swung open just as the countdown reached one second, and all eyes were immediately on Koi. Standing awkwardly with his fists clenched, eyes tightly shut, Koi felt the chilling silence.

It’s the worst.

He couldn’t even bring himself to look in the mirror to see how he looked. The thought of it was too much for him. Steeling himself, he opened his eyes and spoke.

“I-I think I... shouldn’t do this...”

“Enough!”

Just as Koi had begun to speak, Ariel suddenly blocked his way.

“This is enough. Plus, you’re at the end of the line, so as long as you don’t mess up, you won’t be seen much. It’ll be fine.”

Ariel made a decision on her own and turned around.

“Alright, let’s go. Tomorrow is the match, everyone should rest well. Got it?”

As the cheerleaders cheered in response, Ariel opened the door to the changing room.

“Come on, get changed. You’ve got 5 minutes.”

“Hurry, hurry!”

“Uh? Uhh.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Pushed into the changing room, Koi hurriedly changed. The tight-fitting shorts felt uncomfortable, but there was no time to waste. Five minutes was far too short. Hastily putting the cheerleading uniform in his bag, Koi stepped out of the changing room, only to be met with complete silence. The hallway was eerily quiet. It seemed everyone had already left, except for one person: Ariel.

Leaning against the wall and looking at her phone, Ariel quickly stood up as soon as she saw Koi emerge.

“Let’s go.”

“Uh? Uh.”

Is there somewhere else to go? Koi was confused, but he hurriedly followed her down the hallway. Ariel pointed to where she had parked her car.

“Bring your bike, hurry.”

“Uh?”

He spoke absentmindedly, and Ariel frowned.

“We’re running late, so I’ll take you. Hurry up.”

“Uh... why?”

Koi asked belatedly. He wanted to say he could go on his own, but before he could, Ariel spoke first.

“Did you forget? Tomorrow is the match. If you’re late, you’ll have less time to rest. Get on quickly, and no phone tonight. Just go to sleep, got it?”

“Hurry!” Ariel snapped, and Koi rushed to comply. As soon as he got back, Ariel had already started the car, waiting for him.

Remembering how much she hated delays, Koi moved as quickly as he could. He dashed to the trunk and shoved his bike in before hurrying to the passenger seat and buckling up, moving with a speed he didn’t know he had.

After catching his breath, he noticed Ariel chewing gum as she started driving. Grateful, Koi exhaled and carefully spoke.

“Th-thank you, Elle.”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s all for tomorrow’s match.”

Ariel responded gruffly, but the hand on the wheel was gentle. Thanks to her, Koi was able to relax on the way home.

“No phone and go straight to sleep.”

After dropping him off, Ariel reminded him once more before driving off without looking back. She, too, would need to get some rest for tomorrow. Despite the kindness she showed by dropping him off, Koi felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

It’s no wonder she and Ashley make such a good pair.

Koi stood there for a while before turning toward home. His steps were slower than usual.

*

“Ugh!”

Bill shouted with a gorilla-like roar, swinging his hockey stick. The puck hit the air with perfect precision, and he scored a beautiful goal.

“Ah, damn it!”

Clenching his fists, Bill cursed in frustration, only to be met with laughter and teasing from the others. Ashley chuckled, but his mind was elsewhere.

What was that earlier?

The events from the hallway wouldn’t leave his mind. Ariel’s attitude was clear. Koi was one of her "sisters," so naturally, it was her instinct to protect him, like a mother bird.

What bothered him was Koi’s attitude. The way he turned from Ashley to Ariel wasn’t sitting right with him.

Did I let him off too easily?

Ashley seriously reflected on his actions. He had tried to be considerate, letting Koi enjoy his last bit of freedom, but it wasn’t supposed to mean letting him fall for the other girls. Koi was beta, an ordinary guy, so of course, it was natural for him to show interest in other girls.

I should’ve made sure he didn’t join the cheerleading team.

He sighed, regretting his earlier decision. There was only one day left. Tomorrow, everything would be over.

“Hey, Ash!”

A shout from another teammate snapped Ashley out of his thoughts, and he chased after the puck. His teammates quickly followed, sticks clashing as they all aimed for the puck. Ashley didn’t miss the chance and used his body to shove a teammate aside, sending the puck flying. Bill quickly received it, struck it with his stick, and scored. Amid the mix of frustrated sighs and cheers, Bill raised his hand toward Ashley.

“Finally, tomorrow.”

Ashley high-fived him, but his mind was consumed by only one thought. All the preparations were done. As he thought about Koi locked in his room, a smile spread across his face.

“Only one day left.”

At that moment, Koi had arrived home. As usual, the house was quiet, with no one around. He pressed his thumb into the dirt in a paper cup, watered it slightly, and hurriedly washed up before lying down on his bed.

He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, he drifted into a deep sleep without even dreaming. As he fell asleep, the last image in his mind was of Ashley and Ariel together.

Now, there’s only one day left.