L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 79

The pounding drumbeats from the broadcast, followed by the deafening roar of the crowd, left Koi stunned. He exhaled sharply, cautiously scanning his surroundings. From the stands came a mix of cheers and clapping. Embarrassed beyond belief, he emptied his mind and focused solely on maintaining his position in line, not wanting to disrupt the formation. Somehow, he had managed to get through it.

After they finished their wave to the crowd, Koi hurriedly headed toward the dugout, having been placed last so he could leave first, thanks to everyone’s consideration. He moved quickly, his body urging him to run away—he felt like he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

As he entered the dugout and tried to catch his breath, someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

“Ah!”

Startled, Koi looked up and froze. Ashley was glaring down at him with a fierce expression, one Koi had never seen before.

What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?

Koi blinked, panicking. Even he, with his usual obliviousness, could tell: Ashley was absolutely furious, his face showing clear signs of being unable to control his anger.

“What’s this?”

“...Huh?”

Koi stammered, but before he could respond, Ariel’s voice ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) cut in from behind.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s this’? It’s the cheerleading uniform.”

Ashley turned to look at Ariel, who had just entered, frowning as she observed them. The boys from the ice hockey team, who had been waiting to compliment the cheerleading team on their hard work, cuteness, and the new uniforms, were now staring at them with wide eyes, alternating their gazes between the two of them. Ashley, still holding onto Koi, shot a sharp remark at Ariel.

“What’s wrong with the uniform? Why would you pick something like this?”

“What’s wrong?” Ariel raised her voice. “What nonsense are you talking?”

“Can’t you see? How could you pick something like this?”

“Then you should’ve been at the meeting, the one who skipped out on it to do assignments!”

“What?!”

“What’s your problem?”

As the two of them bickered face to face, the other members of the team looked on, unsure of what to do.

“What’s wrong with Ash?”

The assistant captain asked nervously, to which Bill shook his head.

“I don’t know, either. He didn’t say anything when you guys left, but now he’s suddenly angry.”

Whispering softly, Bill found himself reluctantly stepping in between them.

“Uh, excuse me...”

Both Ashley and Ariel turned to face Bill. The intensity in their eyes startled him, but he gathered his courage and continued.

“I don’t know what the problem is... But, um, we all picked the uniform together.”

“That’s right,” Bill glanced around. The ice hockey team members who had been watching nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, we picked it together.”

“From that store, right?”

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“Yeah, I think it looks good on everyone...”

“I agree.”

“Me too. Everyone looks cute, it suits us.”

Nodding along with them, Ariel placed her hands on her hips and tilted her chin up, as if to say, Only you’re making a fuss over this. Ashley’s anger was rising, but in a situation where no one was siding with him, it was hard to maintain his stance. Trying to find something to say, Ashley’s frustration built until Ariel snapped at him.

“Why are you acting like this? What’s wrong with the uniform? Just tell me what’s bothering you, and maybe we’ll consider it.”

All eyes shifted to Ashley. He had to explain why he had a problem with the uniform.

“It’s just...”

After a long pause, Ashley finally spoke.

“It’s too short! Her legs are completely exposed!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The surrounding area fell into silence. Only the sounds of the crowd in the stands lingered faintly in the air. After a long pause, Ariel spoke with a twisted expression.

“Did you eat something weird?”

When Ashley froze for a moment, Ariel’s temper flared.

“This is a uniform! What’s wrong with the legs being shown? And you’re looking at it in such a perverted way! Are you a creep?”

“Watch your words.”

“No, you watch your words! Who’s evaluating uniforms based on how much leg is showing?”

Ariel was genuinely angry now, and her reaction made the rest of the ice hockey team, including Bill, cautiously side with her.

“Uh, Ariel’s right. Ashley, you crossed the line here.”

“Yeah, it’s just a uniform. What’s the problem with it?”

“It’s not that short. Everyone wears stuff like this.”

“Man, why are you sounding like my dad...”

No one sided with Ashley. Naturally, that made sense. Ashley had never acted like this before. Sure, he’d dated cheerleaders before, but he had never said anything like this about the uniforms or their legs—it was unimaginable. In fact, he had been watching the cheerleading team head out to the rink like it was someone else’s business.

But that was before Koi’s bare legs had been on full display.

Now, thinking about how everyone in the arena—both the team in the dugout and the people in the stands—had seen those legs, Ashley felt like he might go crazy. How had he not realized this? The reason the cheerleading team accepted Koi was precisely because they needed a “crossdressing guy.” Of course, Koi was going to wear that uniform. That was a given.

No, he had known Koi would wear a skirt. He had even expected it to some degree. But he had never imagined Koi would look so cute in it. And those legs—what was that? Koi had such beautiful legs.

The image of Koi sitting with those long, radiant legs covered in black stockings made him feel faint. Could the term “captivity” even begin to describe how he felt? What kind of people were Koi’s parents? How could they let such a cute and alluring kid ride around on that old, beat-up bicycle and go out in public?

That wasn’t all. Koi had even placed a pin in his hair. Of all things, it was a cherry. This was too much for Ashley to handle. He pointed directly at Koi and yelled.

“What’s with that pin? Why a cherry?!”

Ariel wasn’t backing down, though.

“What’s wrong with cherries? They’re cute!”

What’s the problem? Koi with cherries? That’s way too provocative!

But the only person who recognized the issue was Ashley. Everyone else was just confused, whispering to one another.

“What’s going on? Why are they fighting?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He doesn’t want his girl showing off to anyone else.”

“Is it jealousy? Possessiveness? Something like that?”

Someone’s voice was joined by another.

“If that’s the case, then seriously, Ashley, I didn’t expect that from you.”

More voices joined in agreement.

“I didn’t know he was this uptight.”

“I didn’t even know he was like this. My dad never talks to me like that.”

“Maybe that’s why Ariel broke up with Ashley.”

Suddenly, they realized something. Their faces lit up with understanding, and one of them spoke cautiously.

“Uh... could it be that we made a mistake?”

They had been trying to get Ashley and Ariel back together for a while, but now everything was falling apart. Watching the two of them still argue, one of the girls whispered.

“Letting her go to him like that, it’s gotta be a problem.”

“Problem? This is insane!”

“Right, no way. Ashley’s out.”

“What are we going to do? It’s hard to find a guy good enough for Ariel.”

“We don’t have a choice. Ariel’s opinion matters more.”

Koi, still embarrassed, looked at Ashley and Ariel once more. He lowered his head in shame, feeling guilty. He was grateful to Ariel for supporting him, but felt bad for Ashley, unable to raise his head.

As the argument continued, the horn sounded, signaling the start of the second period.

“You have to go, Ashley.”

Bill, who had been quietly observing, finally stepped in. Ashley glanced down at Koi one last time, muttered a curse under his breath, and let go of him. Koi, stumbling back, walked out toward the rink, followed by the rest of the team. Bill, the last one out, glanced back and forth between Ariel and Koi.

“Sorry, Ashley’s just a little sensitive today.”

“It’s fine, just go out.”

Ariel replied curtly, turning her back. Koi, seeing Bill’s gaze, quietly whispered, “I’m okay.”

The two teams lined up at the center of the rink, and the referee threw the puck into the air to start the face-off as the game resumed.