L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 30

“I’ll be the only one you’ll ever need.”

“...Huh?”

Koi made a dumbfounded noise.

Ashley laughed again.

Seeing him smile like that, Koi thought, Something good must have happened.

Then he tilted his head, confused.

What could have possibly put Ashley in such a good mood while he was in the school store?

Was it the homecoming ticket?

Koi immediately shook that thought away.

The ticket was meant for him to take his girlfriend.

And now he was saying he wanted to go with him?

That couldn’t be the reason.

Did something happen with his girlfriend?

Is that why he suddenly decided to ask me instead?

But then... why was he trying to buy a homecoming ticket in the first place?

None of this made sense.

Koi had no idea what was going on.

In the end, he gave up trying to figure it out.

Whatever Ashley was saying, he would just go along with it.

“...Are you really serious? You’re really going to go with me? To homecoming?”

“Yeah.”

Ashley’s answer was clear.

“I want to go with you.”

Those words made Koi happier than anything.

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But something still bugged him.

“Do guys even go together?”

He asked cautiously.

Ashley countered with his own question.

“Do you not want to go with me?”

“What? No! Absolutely not!”

Koi practically jumped, flailing his arms in panic.

Ashley laughed again.

“Then it’s fine.”

“...Oh. Yeah.”

It felt like the decision had somehow been made before he could even process it.

Koi still looked dazed as he stared up at Ashley.

Ashley, too, looked at him.

More specifically—his gaze was locked on Koi’s slightly parted lips.

I want to kiss him.

The urge was so overwhelming that he had to clench his fists.

Hold it together, Ashley Dominic Miller.

You haven’t even confessed yet.

Ashley suddenly glanced around and changed the subject.

“Is this all that’s left?”

Koi snapped back to reality and hurried after him.

“Ah—yeah. Just need to finish this up.”

“Alright. Let’s finish quickly.”

“...What?”

Koi looked at him in shock.

Ashley had already picked up a box.

“Let’s get this done and leave. I’m starving.”

“But, wait—”

Koi panicked, flustered.

“This is my job! I can do it by myself.”

“If we do it together, it’ll be faster. Let’s finish up and go eat.”

Ashley pointed at an empty shelf.

“Does this go here?”

“Uh, yeah, but—”

Before Koi could even finish his sentence, Ashley had already shoved the box onto the shelf.

It was something Koi would have needed to struggle with, climbing onto a step stool and carefully positioning it.

Ashley handled it like it was nothing.

“Anything else?”

Koi tried once more to stop him.

“Ash, seriously, it’s fine. This is my job. I need the volunteer hours.”

Ashley sighed.

“Koi, I am starving.”

He said it like he was barely holding on.

“Let’s just finish this. You haven’t eaten either, right? That was supposed to be your dinner, wasn’t it?”

Ashley’s eyes flicked toward the trash can.

Koi followed his gaze to the moldy bread inside.

Ashley continued.

“Unless you’re planning to dig that out and eat it, we should just hurry up and go. If we wait too long, all that’ll be left is shitty fast food.”

His tone left no room for argument.

Koi sighed in surrender.

Ashley followed Koi’s instructions, helping to put everything away.

But as he worked, he kept glancing toward Koi.

Koi might not feel the same way I do.

His heart was pounding like crazy, but he forced himself to think rationally.

Koi had told him plenty of times that he liked him.

But that didn’t mean what he thought it did.

Koi might just see me as a friend.

A really, really good friend.

It was the most realistic assumption.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even if he did have the same feelings, there was no guarantee Koi had realized it yet.

And even that was an optimistic thought.

It wasn’t a pleasant conclusion.

But Ashley accepted it.

Maybe... this is just an unrequited crush.

*

"Thanks for today, Ash."

Koi expressed his gratitude sincerely.

Ashley had just pulled Koi’s old, beat-up bicycle from the trunk and set it down on the sidewalk. He looked at him and asked,

"You sure you’ll be okay? You don’t need me to walk you home?"

"Yeah, I’m fine. My house is just around that corner."

Ashley didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t insist.

He knew when to push and when to step back.

This was a time to step back.

"Alright, Koi. See you."

Ashley said his goodbye first.

Koi smiled and waved.

"Bye, Ash. Get home safe."

But neither of them moved.

Ashley quickly realized—Koi was waiting for him to leave first.

If this had been an actual date, Ashley would have insisted on walking him all the way home, making sure the lights in his room turned on before he drove off.

But this wasn’t a date.

So he let it go.

Sliding into his car, Ashley started the engine. Koi took a small step back.

Just as he expected, Koi remained in place, watching until Ashley was far down the road.

Once Koi disappeared from the rearview mirror, Ashley pulled over on the side of the road.

"Haah..."

He let out a long sigh and slumped forward, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

The tension that had been building all evening finally unraveled.

This was a first for him.

Ariel hadn’t been his first girlfriend.

He had dated before, had flings, and even been in serious relationships.

All of them had felt right. He had liked them, he had been excited.

Even when they ended, it had always been on mutual terms, and the memories remained fond.

But never—never—had he been this wound up before.

His entire body had been on edge, every nerve tuned in to Koi’s movements, his words.

It was like every single cell in him was desperate to remember everything Koi did.

And, more than anything, he had spent the entire night struggling against the urge to kiss him.

Why is Koi so... lovable?

He wanted to linger in that feeling, just for a bit longer.

But there was something he had to do.

Something he couldn’t put off any longer.

Ashley checked the time, hesitated for a moment, then typed out a message.

[Can we talk? I’ll come to your place.]

A reply came almost immediately.

[What is it?]

Ashley’s fingers moved over the keyboard.

[I’ll tell you when I see you.]

Another quick response.

[Fine. Text me when you get here.]

Ashley put his phone down and started driving.

Heading toward Ariel’s house, he deliberately emptied his mind.

In the end, this was his fault.

Whatever Ariel said, whatever she did—he would take it.

And that’s how he ended up getting slapped.

Three times.

*

The weekend sky was as clear as ever.

Koi, who had slept in for the first time in a while, checked his fridge—completely empty, as always—before grabbing his bike to go buy food.

He had stocked up on bread for the weekend, but since Ashley had thrown it all away last night, he was left with nothing.

He had planned to head to the store that sold leftover baked goods.

But at the last second, he impulsively changed direction.

Instead, he turned toward school.

It was a longer route, but...

Even as he thought that, he didn’t stop pedaling.

By now, the hockey team would be training.

He had seen Ashley just last night, but he already wanted to see him again.

Excitement filled his chest as he pedaled harder.

Huff, huff...

Breathless, Koi arrived at school and slowed his pace, scanning the field.

The hockey team was in the middle of endurance training.

He searched the crowd.

But no matter how much he looked—

Ashley wasn’t there.

“Hey, Bill!”

Spotting Bill stepping away to grab water, Koi immediately called out.

“Yo, Koi.”

Bill greeted him casually.

Still catching his breath, Koi wasted no time getting to the point.

“Where’s Ash? He’s not here today?”

“Oh—ah.”

Bill twisted off the cap of his water bottle and answered,

“He said he was sick, so he’s taking a few days off.”

“Ashley’s sick?”

Koi’s eyes widened in shock.

Bill chugged half a liter of water in one go before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Yeah. Caught a cold.”

“Again?”

Koi immediately recalled the last time Ashley had been sick.

That cold had been the reason they had gotten close in the first place.

But that didn’t mean Koi wanted him to be sick again.

“...Is it bad? He must be really sick if he’s skipping practice.”

And for days, too.

Koi asked ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ cautiously.

Bill smirked.

“Who knows? Maybe he’s actually sick... or maybe it’s something else.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Bill waved it off like it was nothing.

“He broke up with Elle.”

“...What?”

Koi froze.