L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 41

As they walked toward Ashley’s parked car, Koi couldn’t help but feel like he was being dragged along against his will. And of course, he was. Ashley was walking ahead, fingers laced tightly with Koi’s, while Koi hesitated behind him, dragging his feet.

The warmth of Ashley’s large hand, tightly wrapped around his own, made Koi uncomfortable. He tried to subtly slip his hand free, but Ashley, sensing the movement, only gripped tighter. Startled, Koi looked up. Still facing forward, Ashley spoke.

“I told you—I’m not letting go.”

The words I won’t run away again were on the tip of his tongue, but they wouldn’t come out. Realistically, he’d just been caught fleeing in the act. Even to himself, that promise wouldn’t have sounded convincing. So Koi lowered his head again in silence.

The atmosphere was tense and awkward, yet at the same time, Koi felt a strange sense of reassurance from the warmth of Ashley’s hand refusing to let go. Was this what friendship was supposed to feel like? Constantly shifting emotions, conflicting feelings tangled up all at once? Koi didn’t know. Ashley was his first friend, after all.

Maybe I’m just hitting a really late puberty.

Koi thought to himself. Sure, he was past that age, but he’d learned that even adults could go through changes like that. Puberty brought not only physical changes but emotional upheaval too. And wasn’t that exactly what he was going through now?

Maybe manifestation and puberty are similar.

It was a surprisingly decent thought. Both involve drastic changes. Most experience it before adulthood, but sometimes it hits later. If that’s the case, then maybe puberty is just a kind of manifestation for betas. That would make for an interesting essay topic.

He’d unexpectedly stumbled upon an idea for his essay, which was great—but that was as far as escapism could take him.

Koi cautiously glanced at Ashley. He still hadn’t turned around, so Koi couldn’t see his expression. Ashley had pulled him along without once looking back.

He must be really mad.

Koi was suddenly struck with fear. Understandably so. He had taken one look at Ashley and immediately sprinted away at full speed—anyone would be pissed. And Ashley had stayed behind at school even though he didn’t have practice today, just to wait for Koi’s results. Koi’s reaction must’ve felt like a slap in the face.

But... what if he wasn’t waiting for me?

A new thought crept in. No, he said he was waiting for me. Koi shook his head, trying to push away the negativity—but once the doubt had surfaced, it wouldn’t go away.

What if he was waiting for both me and Ariel?

That would make more sense, wouldn’t it? Koi’s anxiety flared again. Ariel could’ve told him the result of the test too. If he failed, that would’ve been the end of it—no more need for practice. And if he passed, Ashley would’ve taken him home, just like always.

Maybe Ashley was using this chance to make up with Elle.

That made sense. Koi’s eyes widened. Come to think of it, Ashley was already exhausted from daily practice, yet still made time to teach him how to skate. It was almost too generous. Ashley was Koi’s first friend, so he didn’t know where the boundaries of friendship were—but putting himself in Ashley’s shoes, he might’ve done the same. If Ashley really needed him, Koi would’ve done anything.

Yeah. That’s what this was.

Suspicion solidified into certainty. Helping a friend while making peace with your girlfriend—what a clever idea. It worked out for Koi, too. He’d benefited from Ashley’s help, and Ashley had gotten something out of it in return.

It really was a good outcome.

Koi lowered his gaze gloomily. Then why did he feel like this?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure it out this time.

“We’re here. Get in.”

They had arrived at the car. Ashley finally let go of his hand and opened the passenger door. So he did hear that I passed, Koi thought. Still hesitant to move, he lingered, and Ashley asked again.

“I said get in.”

“Um, it’s just...”

So many things rushed to the front of Koi’s mind, but the only one that came out of his mouth was the most useless.

“I need to get my bike...”

“Just get in.”

Ashley cut him off.

“I’ll go get it for you.”

With a quick “hurry,” he pushed Koi to move. Koi couldn’t hold out any longer. He reluctantly bent down and slid into the passenger seat. Ashley shut the door behind him. A second later—click—the sound of the doors locking echoed.

“Uh, huh?”

Koi looked around in a panic. When he looked up, Ashley raised his smart key for him to see with a smug expression—then turned and walked away at a brisk pace. Koi stared blankly, eyes wide, watching him go.

No way...

Panicking, Koi grabbed the door handle. It wouldn’t budge. Only a hollow clunk.

What is this?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He couldn’t understand. Was it really possible the doors wouldn’t open from the inside? Did this car even have that kind of feature? Well... sure, with the right installation, anything was possible—but why would it?

Frantically glancing around, Koi tried again and again to open the door, but it was no use. In the end, he had no choice but to face the truth.

Ashley had locked him in.

*

Ashley didn’t take long to return to the car. Just as he had when he’d left with Koi’s bicycle slung over his shoulder, he came striding back and loaded it into the trunk before climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Alright, Koi. Talk to me.”

After locking the doors again, Ashley turned toward Koi. The interior of the Cayenne, which had felt so spacious before, suddenly felt unbearably small. Instinctively, Koi leaned back and shrank away, and Ashley frowned when he saw that. An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

“...Koi.”

Ashley finally spoke after a pause. Koi tensed, bracing himself—but the emotion in Ashley’s voice wasn’t anger.

“Koi, did I scare you?”

“H-huh?”

The unexpected question made Koi stammer reflexively. Blinking rapidly, he looked up as Ashley continued.

“Why did you run off like that? Even on the way here, you tried to get away again, didn’t you? Why? Did I do something wrong?”

“Uh...”

The things Ashley was saying were so far from anything Koi had expected that his mind blanked completely. He’d thought about so much on the way here, but none of this had even crossed his mind. Ashley narrowed his eyes at Koi’s wide-eyed silence.

“Don’t tell me it was something so serious you can’t even say it?”

“Wh-what? No! Absolutely not!”

Koi blurted out, violently shaking his head. He only stopped when the dizziness hit, gasping for air as he insisted again.

“That’s not it, Ash. That’s really not why.”

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“Then what?”

Ashley’s expression grew more serious. Koi regretted making him misunderstand, but clearing that up was more important than self-blame right now.

“Um, I mean, so...”

Koi scrambled to find the words, but it wasn’t easy. How was he supposed to explain feelings he didn’t even understand himself?

Thankfully, Ashley waited quietly, letting him fumble his way through it. Is his patience always this endless? Koi couldn’t help but feel both admiration for Ashley and disappointment in himself. He took a deep breath.

“Okay, so...”

“Yeah?”

As soon as he spoke, Koi’s eyes met Ashley’s. He was listening—completely focused and serious.

It’s okay.

Koi’s anxious heart began to calm. It’s okay to tell Ashley. He was sure of it now. No matter what he said, Ashley wouldn’t laugh at him. Taking another deep breath, Koi finally confessed.

“I... I think I’m going through puberty.”

Once the words left his mouth, he clammed up. Ashley continued to look at him. Seconds passed with no reaction.

“...What?”

Ashley finally responded—his face twisted in disbelief, and that was all he could manage. Of course. He had no idea what he’d just heard. Puberty? They were in eleventh grade. It was even more ridiculous than Ariel talking about cross-dressing a guy to get rid of bad luck.

But Koi seemed oddly confident in his own theory. With sudden enthusiasm, he began to explain why he thought so.

“They say it can hit late sometimes, right? Like a manifestation. Sure, you usually change by twenty, but anyway, I think I’m going through that now.”

“You manifested?”

“No, I said puberty!”

Koi emphasized the word.

“I mean the kind of manifestation betas experience.”

“...Haa.”

Ashley tried his best to take the explanation seriously, but he still couldn’t make sense of it. With a deep sigh, he fell silent for a moment, then turned back to Koi.

Koi was still anxiously watching him, waiting {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} for a reaction. Seeing his face, Ashley couldn’t just laugh it off as nonsense. So he decided to try and understand Koi—at least as much as he could.

“Okay, then. Why do you think you’re going through puberty?”

Ashley asked just as seriously as Koi had spoken. Koi opened his mouth to answer—but in that moment, Ashley’s face filled his entire view.

And Koi’s face turned bright red.