L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 27

“What? I don’t have enough credits?”

Koi’s voice rose in sheer panic at the sudden bombshell. His face drained of all color as he stared at the teacher, who looked at him gravely.

“That’s right. You’re seriously lacking in extracurricular and volunteer hours. Your entrance exam scores were lower than expected too... but honestly, Koi, even a perfect score wouldn’t guarantee admission to a top state university.”

“I don’t have enough extracurricular credits?”

Koi asked again, his voice unsteady. The teacher nodded.

“That, and volunteer work.”

“...Ah.”

A groan slipped from Koi’s lips.

He had always been buried under a mountain of assignments and his part-time job, leaving no time for additional activities. And, of course, his introverted nature made it even harder to participate in anything. But this wasn’t something he could just give up on. Retaking the college entrance exam was an option, but if he didn’t secure the necessary extracurricular and volunteer credits now, he’d be in serious trouble later.

What am I supposed to do?

Growing increasingly anxious, Koi asked,

“Um... do you have any suggestions?”

Sure, he could try asking around at hospitals or churches, but Koi had zero networking skills. His best bet was relying on his teacher.

The teacher let out a sigh, clearly troubled by Koi’s desperation.

“Koi, figuring this out on your own is also part of the process.”

“I know.”

Koi slumped in defeat. If only knowing something made it easier to deal with, he wouldn’t be having this crisis.

Seeing Koi clutch his head in frustration, the teacher thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Participating in school events could count toward your extracurricular credits. But... it’s too late to join a sports team now.”

Not to mention, Koi had zero athletic ability. He was barely scraping by in the mandatory marathon class, and even that was a struggle. If he joined a competitive team, he’d probably drag them down and end up losing points.

“How about choir? Or maybe...”

The teacher listed several extracurriculars, but Koi couldn’t do any of them. The few options he could manage were already full, and the ones with open spots were far beyond his abilities.

“...Sigh.”

The teacher finally let out a long breath before suggesting one last option.

“I really didn’t want to bring this up, but Koi... this is your only remaining choice.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Koi sat up straight, fully prepared to do whatever it took. As long as there was an opportunity, he would take it.

The teacher opened her mouth, and Koi leaned in, hanging onto every syllable.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“...Cheerleading.”

For a moment, Koi thought he had misheard.

“...What?”

He let out an awkward laugh. Surely, she was joking.

But the teacher remained dead serious.

“The cheerleading team, Koi.”

Koi’s face froze in place.

The teacher continued,

“Oh, and you’d have to wear a skirt.”

Now, it wasn’t just his face that turned stiff—his entire brain short-circuited.

“...Wait. A skirt? Why?”

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It took him several long seconds before his thoughts started functioning again, and that was the first question that came out.

The teacher explained matter-of-factly,

“That’s because our school’s cheerleading team has traditionally only accepted female students. Even if you apply, it’s a fifty-fifty chance whether they’ll actually take you. You’ll have to pass an entrance test first.”

She sighed before continuing.

“Normally, the cheerleading team is incredibly competitive, and openings are rare. But this year, too many people have quit, and now there are... rumors going around.”

“Rumors?”

Koi asked, frowning.

“Well, just silly superstitions.”

The teacher trailed off, but Koi could already guess.

It was probably something dumb—like a ghost haunting the team, or a curse placed on them. Typical high school nonsense.

But whatever the reason, the lack of applicants worked in his favor.

...Except for the skirt.

Koi hesitated, his brain scrambling for alternatives.

“Even if I do wear a skirt, would they really let a guy onto the cheerleading team?”

The teacher let out a small laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it herself.

“They think that if a guy cheers in drag for a whole season, it’ll ward off the bad luck.”

She shook her head in amusement.

It was ridiculous.

But the cheerleading team took it very seriously.

And for Koi, this was an opportunity.

If he could just endure the humiliation of cross-dressing in front of the entire school...

But that was easier said than done.

Koi {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} already hated standing out. This would be absolute torture.

If he could afford to say no and walk away, he would.

But he couldn’t.

His missing extracurricular points would not let him go.

“...Can I think about it?”

In the end, Koi could only respond in a weak voice.

“Don’t be too discouraged, Koi.”

His teacher, seeing his visibly slumped shoulders, offered words of comfort.

“I’ll try to find you an easier way to earn your volunteer hours, okay?”

She was well aware of Koi’s difficult home situation. Though he had never openly admitted it, the teacher had long suspected something was wrong and had subtly tried to probe for the truth. Of course, Koi had always denied it. But ever since then, she had done what she could to help him in small ways.

“Are you still working at that store?”

She asked, recalling the times she had stopped by as a customer.

“Yes,” Koi answered.

“Good. You’re a hardworking kid.”

Her warm smile made Koi feel a little better. She patted his arm reassuringly, then suddenly blinked as if an idea had struck her.

“Oh! This won’t earn you a lot of points, but how about working at the school store?”

“Huh?”

Koi looked at her, confused.

Before he could ask, she explained,

“Of course, it’s unpaid.”

“Oh—yeah, I figured...”

Still bewildered, Koi asked,

“But does that actually count for credit?”

“Technically, it’s just volunteer work.”

The teacher grinned playfully before adding,

“But if you’re helping out a teacher with a very bad back, you might get a tiny bonus.”

She winked. Her wrinkled face tilted mischievously.

Seeing her expression, Koi finally managed a small smile.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Koi.”

Still smiling, she continued,

“These are the hours I usually work. I’ll let the other teachers know you’ll be helping.”

She handed him a small note with the schedule written on it.

“Normally, the store wouldn’t be too busy, but since it’s the beginning of the semester, a lot of students are buying tickets.”

“Homecoming tickets?”

“Yes.”

The teacher nodded before suddenly opening a drawer.

“Oh, right! If you’re interested, you should go with your girlfriend.”

“Huh? No—”

Koi immediately shook his head in panic as she handed him two homecoming tickets.

But the teacher, unfazed, insisted,

“My back’s been acting up, so I won’t be going this year. Wouldn’t it be a waste to throw these away?”

“Oh... yeah. I guess so.”

Before he even realized it, Koi found himself nodding.

He had never been to homecoming before.

And he never would.

Or at least, that’s what he had always believed.

Maybe this is another opportunity for me.

Hesitant, Koi slowly reached out his hand.

The teacher waited patiently.

When his fingers finally grasped the edge of the tickets, she released them.

“There. Now they’re yours.”

“...Thank you.”

Koi bowed slightly, still feeling dazed.

It was the first time he had ever held a homecoming ticket in his hands. It was just a cheap slip of paper with some cheesy writing on it, but to him, it looked more valuable than a ticket to the hottest pop star’s concert.

His teacher, pleased, watched him for a moment before adding lightly,

“Good luck with the cheerleading team, too.”

“...Ah.”

A sigh escaped Koi before he could stop it.

The teacher burst into laughter.