L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 109

“Buffalo wins!”

Waaaahhh! Cheers erupted, and people hugged each other everywhere in celebration. Koi, too, jumped up and down with the cheerleading girls, arms around shoulders, celebrating the victory.

“We really worked hard, all of us!”

“The gorillas nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“I know, right? I really thought we were gonna lose at the end!”

“It was way too close! If it went into overtime, we might’ve lost.”

“Didn’t go into overtime, though—Buffalo!”

“Buffalo!”

Shouting in unison, Koi joined their chant before letting go and turning around. He caught sight of the hockey team guys tossing each other into the air, slapping each other’s backs, completely overjoyed.

Well, of course. They worked so hard to get here.

Koi smiled bitterly. If Ashley had been there, the win would've been easy—but that wasn’t the reality. Every match had been nerve-wracking, barely scraping by with last-minute comebacks or one-point victories. Even being the cheering squad had been exhausting.

Still, they got the result they worked for. That’s something to be thankful for.

Koi watched them with a smile, but his expression soon turned somber. It was already the end of February. The season was over, and the semester wasn’t far behind. Ashley hadn’t contacted him since then.

You're okay, right, Ash...?

His chest burned with anxiety and worry, but there was nothing he could do. He’d even asked the estate manager, but the only answer he got was, “He’s doing fine.”

I want to hear his voice.

I want to hold him, feel his warmth. Why won’t he come back? Don’t tell me this is how it ends...

“Koi, let’s go! Time to party!”

“Ah, yeah.”

Jolted out of his thoughts by the vice-captain, Koi hurried after them. No one brought up Ashley. It had become an unspoken agreement. No one really knew why Ashley had been removed from the hockey team in the first place. The coach had simply declared it one day. Bill and the others protested hard, but it didn’t change anything.

What’s the point of arguing when the person involved isn’t even there? When Bill heard Ashley had to go to the East Coast for Thanksgiving, he’d clenched his teeth, trying to keep his temper in check, and said:

〈We’ll protest properly once the break is over.〉

Everyone on the team agreed. But after that, Ashley just disappeared. Christmas passed, then New Year’s, and now February was ending—and still no word.

Why?

Even while laughing with the others, Koi’s head was full of Ashley.

He didn’t... get tired of me, did he...?

With that uneasy thought eating at him, time kept slipping by. The semester ended, summer break passed, and Koi became a senior.

*

Waaaaaaahhhh...

The deafening roar made his ears ring. Just before the start of the hockey league season, the school was hosting a festival. If you could call it a festival. Really, it was just students going wild—smashing, beating, and setting fire to a junk car someone had dragged in.

Koi had stayed late to help a teacher and only left the building as things were already chaotic. Judging by the noise, the students were gathering for the car crash event.

Under the dusky sky, tall floodlights lined the field, casting everything in a harsh glow. In the center of the field sat the car, prepped in advance, and the students, gathered in a frenzy, waited eagerly for the chance to smash it to bits.

As Koi was cutting across the field with his bike, he suddenly spotted Ariel standing off to the side, closer to the bleachers.

Or rather, they—since Ariel wasn’t alone.

Is that... Bill?

Koi blinked in surprise. It was a pairing he’d never expected. Bill, who had been closest to Ashley on the team, was standing with Ashley’s ex-girlfriend.

He froze in place, blinking in disbelief. Ariel looked genuinely cheerful beside the tall, broad-shouldered former vice-captain of the hockey team.

Both had quit extracurriculars at the start of senior year to focus on college admissions, so they hadn’t had many chances to be together. But seeing them now felt strange. They watched the rowdy students getting ready for the crash, laughing and whispering to each other.

Their soft expressions and easy conversation made it clear—something was going on.

As if someone else had the same thought, a voice suddenly whispered behind him.

“Are they... dating?”

There was no response, but it wasn’t a far-fetched guess. Otherwise, there was no reason for those two—who no longer had any connection—to be standing there talking so seriously.

What are they talking about?

Koi felt a normal curiosity—until Bill suddenly turned his head. Their eyes met. Koi, startled, widened his eyes. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he still felt awkward, and gave a sheepish smile.

At that moment, one of the floodlights let out a loud crack and switched off. The remaining lights focused on the car. The moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived. In the brief hush, the hockey coach tossed a bundle of burning paper onto a pile of logs soaked in gasoline. The flames shot up instantly. The head coach let out a raspy, guttural yell.

“Waaaaah! Let’s go, Buffalo!”

Everyone screamed, rushing the car. They pounded it with whatever tools they had, kicked it, filmed it—it was chaos.

I should go.

Koi quickly turned to leave. This had nothing to do with him. Maybe if Ash were here, things would be different...

It was already almost October.

Maybe Ash was never planning to come back.

His nose stung unexpectedly. He sniffled and wiped at it—when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder hard from behind and yanked him around.

“...Ah!”

He let out a short scream, but it was swallowed completely by the roaring crowd. Alarmed, Koi turned his head—and his eyes grew even wider when he saw who it was. He couldn’t even speak.

“...Ash?”

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Koi whispered, completely stunned. Ashley smiled faintly. Koi just stared, mouth open, unable to say a word.

In the middle of the preordained chaos, Koi locked eyes with Ashley. It lasted only a few seconds, but somehow, that moment stayed in Koi’s memory for a very long time.

The acrid smell of burning wood, the cool breeze of the night air, the dizzying roar of the crowd, and those deep, violet eyes staring at him.

A gust of wind swept Ashley’s nearly silver-blond hair across his forehead. The firelight flickered red shadows across his face. He looked thinner than before. His defined features had grown sharper, almost severe—but his eyes, the same eyes looking at Koi now, were still warm, still full of mystery.

Annoyed by his windswept hair, Ashley lifted a hand to brush it back. The strands curled around his long fingers before falling back into place. This time, he left them alone.

Even his perfectly manicured nails were flawless. Koi stared, captivated, until Ashley finally spoke.

“Hey, Koi.”

He heard the voice—but he still couldn’t believe it. Eyes wide, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Koi just stared as Ashley smiled again and said,

“Long time no see.”

“Ash...!”

With the realization crashing down, Koi forgot to breathe. He stood frozen, eyes wide, staring blankly at Ashley—who stood with his arms wide open, just like before he’d disappeared.

But Koi couldn’t move. He just stared.

An awkward silence fell between them. There were too many emotions, too much unsaid. He didn’t know how to start, didn’t know what to do. Koi opened his mouth, fidgeted his fingers—but no words came out.

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And then, a voice shouted from behind.

“Ash! Is that you, Ash?!”

Ashley turned, and so did Koi. Bill was approaching with a bright smile.

“It is you, you bastard!”

Bill yelled and pulled Ashley into a big hug. Ashley smiled and hugged him back—a completely different reaction than he had with Koi. Koi watched, emotions tangled.

Bill kept talking loudly.

“What happened, man? Why were you gone so long?”

“I was busy.”

Ashley replied vaguely, still smiling. Koi wanted to ask too—but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

He stayed quiet, watching. Behind them, Ariel came into view. She stood there just like he did, watching the two of them. For a fleeting moment, Koi felt a strange sense of camaraderie.

Even though he knew it was foolish.