L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 6

“Oh, uh, right.”

Hurriedly, Koi pulled out money for his drink and placed it on the table. Ashley glanced at the receipt the waitress had brought over before smoothly pulling out his card and handing it back to her.

Koi watched as Ashley nonchalantly circled a 20% tip, and for some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

That tip alone is more than my lunch money.

He could count on one hand the number of times he had eaten at a restaurant where tipping was required. His chest tightened as he stared at the absurdity of it all. Was Ashley really okay with throwing around that much money? Did it not even cross his mind?

“...Hey, where do you live?”

Koi finally gave in and asked as they walked out of the restaurant. Ashley, already heading toward his parked car, answered casually.

“There.”

Following the direction of Ashley’s pointing finger, Koi froze.

At the top of a hill, beyond a guarded entrance, was an enormous estate. The kind that took over three hours to drive around entirely. And at the very peak, the grandest, most extravagant mansion—that was where Ashley Miller lived.

Well. That explains the tipping.

Still in shock, Koi barely registered Ashley’s next words.

“If you were a girl, I’d drive you home, but...”

Ashley let his sentence trail off deliberately. Koi quickly shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. Let’s just part ways here.”

“Alright, then.”

Ashley turned without hesitation, as if he had been waiting for that exact response. But before he could leave, Koi hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

“Wait—you need to give me your email.”

“Oh... right.”

Ashley paused, then nodded and held out his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

“Huh? Oh—yeah.”

Startled, Koi handed over his phone. Ashley quickly typed something before returning it.

“...You don’t even have a lock screen?”

“There’s no one to snoop through it anyway.”

Koi checked the phone, confirming that Ashley had saved his number and email. He expected Ashley to hand over his own phone in return, but instead, Ashley simply shoved his hands in his pockets.

“You send the first email. I’ll reply to that.”

“Huh...?”

Something about it felt off, but Koi couldn’t quite place it. In the end, he just nodded hesitantly.

“Alright.”

Before the awkward silence could stretch any longer, Koi spoke up first.

“See you, Ash. I’ll send the email soon.”

Ashley, who had just turned to leave, hesitated for a moment. He scanned their surroundings before looking down at Koi again.

“Where’s your ride?”

“Oh.”

Koi suddenly realized why Ashley had asked. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he pointed.

“That one. That’s what I came on.”

Ashley’s gaze followed his finger to where a beat-up bicycle stood alone.

The pause was brief—just a few seconds—but in that time, Koi felt like he could see Ashley’s thoughts clicking into place.

“You don’t need to drive me home,” Koi said preemptively. “Your place is in the opposite direction anyway.”

Ashley crossed his arms, looking genuinely conflicted.

Koi was surprised. Until this project, Ashley probably hadn’t even registered his existence. Yet here he was, debating whether to leave a classmate alone at night.

Is there anything this guy doesn’t have?

Just as Koi was about to feel completely overwhelmed, Ashley suddenly spoke.

“Alright, let’s do this instead.”

“Huh?”

Before Koi could even process what he meant, Ashley shrugged off his jacket. Then, without hesitation, he draped it over Koi’s shoulders.

Koi stared, wide-eyed, at Ashley. His dumbfounded expression must have been amusing because Ashley let out a short chuckle.

“Can’t have my project partner catching ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a cold.”

Well, yeah, obviously. That made sense.

Koi also didn’t want to catch a cold. That would be a huge problem.

But... if Ashley caught a cold, would Koi be just as concerned?

Probably not.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Of course, Koi was way more likely to get sick—he was small and frail, while Ashley was practically built like a tank.

It was almost laughable.

It reminded him of a Greek mythology lesson from last semester. If Ashley was a god, he’d be Apollo—radiant and untouchable. Meanwhile, Koi wouldn’t even be the grass beneath his feet—he’d be the tiny aphids clinging to that grass.

Wow. A god just lent his jacket to an aphid. Incredible. Koi Niles, did you just use up all your luck for life?

A million thoughts raced through Koi’s mind, but not a single one made it out of his mouth.

As the night air grew colder, he instinctively curled into himself. The chilly breeze brushed against his bare arms, sending shivers down his spine.

And then... warmth.

Ashley’s jacket was soft and carried just enough residual heat to make a difference.

Koi looked up at Ashley, who still stood in front of him.

No one had ever done this for him before.

No matter how cold or lonely he had been, he had always endured it alone.

But that wasn’t all.

Ashley smiled—warm and gentle, like his jacket.

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“That’s better.”

Just then, a gust of wind ruffled Ashley’s golden hair. He brushed it back absentmindedly, long fingers running through the platinum strands.

For some reason, Koi felt like he was about to cry.

“...Thanks.”

He whispered it, afraid his voice might crack.

The streetlights cast a soft glow over them.

They stood in silence, staring at each other.

Somewhere in the distance, Koi swore he could hear the faint pounding of a heartbeat.

He stared at Ashley, dazed.

Ah. So this is what falling in love feels like.

The realization struck him without warning.

If one of them had been a girl, Koi would have absolutely fallen for him.

But then—he quickly corrected himself.

Neither of them were girls.

Which meant this wasn’t love. It was something similar, but not quite.

“...I get why you’re so popular.”

Koi muttered under his breath.

Ashley let out a bright, carefree laugh.

Even his laughter feels exciting somehow.

Still in a daze, Koi watched him.

“Thanks for the compliment. See you later, Conan.”

And just like that, the spell was broken.

Annoyed, Koi snapped back,

“It’s Koi. Koi Niles.”

“Sure thing, Coil.”

Without a care, Ashley got into his Cayenne. The sleek, expensive vehicle purred to life before pulling away effortlessly.

Koi stood there for a moment, watching the car disappear.

Then, he turned toward his own ride—his battered old bicycle.

As he pedaled home, he felt unexpectedly lighthearted.

Ashley had turned out to be a much more likable guy than he had expected.

The project would go smoothly.

And for the first time, all his worries seemed to disappear.

Sure, Ashley kept butchering his name, but Koi could let that slide.

I’ll figure out how to return the jacket later.

For now, he just wanted to hold onto this feeling a little longer.

As he rode through the night, still thinking about their conversation, a strange thought popped into his head.

Maybe I should become a lawyer too.

That optimistic feeling barely lasted three days.

Koi sat in front of his monitor, frowning at his inbox.

Ashley still hadn’t read his email.

What the hell is going on?

To make matters worse, Ashley hadn’t shown up at school either.

Koi clenched his head in frustration.

If he was here, I could at least yell at him.

But since he had disappeared, Koi had no choice but to reach for his phone.

He had been putting this off.

But enough was enough.

There were other assignments he needed to work on.

Taking a deep breath, he typed out a message and hit send.

[Ashley, it’s Koi Niles. Remember me? We have a Spanish project together. I sent you an email three days ago. What’s going on? If you’re still reviewing it, let me know. We need to figure out when to meet next. You know the deadline’s coming up, right? Hurry up, please.]

He exhaled slowly.

For a brief second, it felt like he had taken control of the situation.

And then—new panic set in.

Now he had to wait for Ashley’s response.

Should’ve just done one or the other...

Regret hit him hard.

And so, with frustration bubbling inside him, Koi braced himself for yet another long day.