L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 78

“Whaaa...!”

The overwhelming roar of the crowd pierced Koi’s ears. His shoulders tensed, and he shrank inward, unable to stop his trembling even as he stood in the hallway.

Right now, the girls of the cheerleading team, excluding him, were getting ready to go onto the rink in their new uniforms. It was for the performance between the first and second periods.

Even though he was the odd one out—sometimes "jalapeño," sometimes "paprika," sometimes "broccoli" among them—changing clothes with the girls was, of course, prohibited. So, the girls went first, and Koi was to change afterward. He exhaled, trying to calm his nerves as he waited for them to finish.

I can't believe this day has actually come.

Even though he had tried on the uniform the day before, it still didn’t seem real. How could I be wearing women’s clothes and doing cheerleading? And in front of all those people, too.

"Ugh!"

His face burned with embarrassment, and a scream escaped his mouth. What’s college even about? Is this really worth it? Were there no other options? Really, absolutely no other choice?

He tugged at his hair, lost in his thoughts when the door suddenly opened, and the cheerleading girls stepped out. Ariel, who had been leading them, spoke to Koi, who was still gripping his head.

“What are you doing? Go on in and change.”

“Hurry, we’re running out of time.”

The assistant captain chimed in next. Koi, still clutching his bag with the uniform inside, moved hesitantly, but his feet wouldn’t budge. The girls behind him pushed him forward.

“Hurry up, we’re busy!”

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

“Get moving!”

Koi was shoved into the changing room, and the door slammed shut behind him. He looked back at the door, but it was too late to stop now. He had come too far. Reluctantly, he opened the bag, pulled out the uniform, and froze when he saw the skirt.

Please, let this all just be a dream...

He slowly put on the tight shorts and the deep V-neck shirt with no sleeves. Finally, he picked up the skirt.

"Ugh..."

A groan escaped him as he struggled with the skirt. But he couldn’t bring himself to look in the mirror. Instead, he tightly closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

He had already shown it to the girls in the same club the day before, but that had been a brief glance. He didn’t need this much courage then. But this time, it was for real.

After all his hard work, he couldn’t let everything fall apart over just this skirt.

He pushed himself mentally, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t summon any courage. After taking several deep breaths and calming himself, he finally grabbed the doorknob. As he heard the door creak open, a fleeting thought crossed his mind.

If I do this much, they should just give me the college entrance score... right?

His vision was shaky from the nerves, but he could see the faces of the girls, including Ariel. He had no idea what he looked like. Will they laugh? Of course, they will, right? There’s no way they’ll just let it slide after all the effort I’ve put in. Really? They won’t, right? Can’t they just let it go?

Koi stood there, holding his breath, watching them while imagining countless scenarios in his head. The girls, without saying a word, watched him intently before suddenly bursting into cheers and hopping around.

“It suits you!”

“You look really cute, Koi!”

“You look even cuter than yesterday! The new uniform looks great on you!”

Hearing their bright laughter, Koi was left dumbfounded. Are they mocking me? It must be that, right? With his face flushed red and unsure of what to do, the girls, noticing his discomfort, quickly began offering him words of encouragement.

“It really looks good on you, Koi. You’re adorable!”

“Don’t worry, no one will even know you’re a guy in this. They’ll probably just think you’re a tall, skinny girl.”

“That’s right, exactly.”

“Yeah, it’s fine, you just look like a skinny girl!”

Koi wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad. He didn’t want to look like a girl, but he also didn’t want to look like a guy in women’s clothes. He appreciated the girls’ encouragement but couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

As he stood there, not knowing what to do, Ariel, who had been watching him with her arms crossed and a stern expression, suddenly reached out her hand. Reflexively, Koi flinched, but Ariel paid no mind. She gently patted one side of his head. Koi, confused and unsure of what was happening, hesitated while Ariel furrowed her brow. She then licked her palm and pressed his head down harder.

“You’re still all messed up.”

Ariel muttered to herself before pausing as if deep in thought. Suddenly, she pulled a pin from her hair and handed it to Koi.

“Bend your head down.”

“Uh, okay.”

Following her instructions, Koi bent his head obediently. Ariel held the spot where she had just pressed her palm and used the pin to secure his hair.

“See? Much better.”

As Koi raised his head, Ariel nodded, satisfied. He felt a small weight on his head. Automatically, he raised his hand to touch it, but Ariel grabbed his hand immediately.

“No, don’t touch it. It’s fixed now.”

“Ah, okay.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Koi quickly lowered his hand as Ariel turned away. She glanced around at the other cheerleaders before speaking.

“Are you all ready?”

“Yeah!”

The cheerleaders responded in unison. Ariel nodded confidently and turned toward the rink. The girls, led by her, walked toward the rink with determined expressions, while Koi, feeling as if he might collapse from the tension, walked clumsily at the very back.

 With a loud crack, the hockey stick struck the puck, sending it flying. The puck skimmed the ice before sliding across the floor. Ashley was quick to intercept it, charging forward with the puck, and the roar of the crowd grew even louder. The opposing team's defense closed in on him.

Ashley clashed blades noisily with one of the defenders, quickly scanning his surroundings. Bill was to his right. He passed the puck to Bill.

The puck collided perfectly with Bill's stick, and he dashed forward, passing it back to Ashley. As the defense closed in, Ashley passed it left, and the puck flew towards Bill, who took the shot.

“Wooooah!”

The net rippled as the puck went in, and cheers erupted. The horn sounded, signaling the end of the first period. Ashley and the others exhaled, catching their breath.

“Wasn’t that too easy?”

Bill said as they headed back to the dugout, and the others laughed in response.

“We don’t even need a third period. We can end it in the second.”

“We’ve come this far, we might as well wear them out on the ice.”

“Why, don’t we get to eat at the restaurant, too?”

“Hey, that’s a bit too cruel.”

Laughter erupted, and Ashley chuckled as well when he noticed the cheerleaders emerging for their performance. Bill and the others cheered loudly, raising their arms in excitement.

“Buffalo! Buffalo!”

The ice hockey team roared, and the cheerleaders, including Ariel, smiled as they passed by them. The guys whistled and gave thumbs up.

“Is that the new uniform?”

“Oh, it’s cute.”

“Looks great on you!”

The assistant captain made a playful kissing gesture, and the hockey players pretended to fall over dramatically, clutching their chests. Everything seemed perfectly in sync.

As Ariel walked at the front of the group, Ashley called out to her.

“Good luck.”

Ariel raised her chin arrogantly and smiled faintly, to which Ashley returned a smile as well.

Ariel led the way onto the ice, followed by the assistant captain, with the rest of the cheerleaders trailing behind. By the time they reached the ice, Ashley was still smiling. I wonder where Koi is. He thought, glancing back. The last person to follow the girls onto the ice, stumbling along, was Koi.

...Huh?

The first thing he noticed was the cherry pin in Koi’s hair. Then, his long neck, sharply angled shoulders, skinny body, and the ridiculously short skirt caught his eye. And Ashley couldn’t stop staring. His gaze shifted lower to Koi’s long, radiant legs.

“...Wait, Koi!”

Ashley called out urgently, but it was already too late. The formation was set, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) and the music started.