Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 115

“Hey, Ashley Miller, you bastard!”

As soon as they saw Ashley, who had come to school with Koi, the guys from the same ice hockey team went wild.

Large guys came running from all directions, attacking him without restraint, causing Ashley to sway and step back each time. Koi watched them from a slight distance with a pleased smile.

“What happened, not a word from you for so long!”

“Was the East so good, you damn bastard!”

“Do you know how much we suffered without you? You bastard, you bastard!”

To the guys who were rubbing his head, patting his back, and even stomping their feet, Ashley just smiled and mumbled evasively. But even amidst the chaos, this commotion reassured him.

Being like this, all the terrible memories from the East seemed to disappear. The fears of the future, too.

“Even if we wanted to complain to the coach, you weren’t here.”

Other guys nodded at Bill’s complaint.

“The season just ended vaguely.”

“How could you not show up for so long? I really thought something had happened to you.”

His friends’ expressions were a mix of curiosity and concern. Ashley decided not to hide it anymore and took a deep breath.

“Something did happen, and that’s why I couldn’t play in the games.”

The guys instantly fell silent. Ashley looked around at their tense, waiting faces, then finally spoke.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until now. I presented.”

Koi unconsciously tensed, watching everyone’s reactions. As expected, his friends exchanged bewildered glances, then looked at Ashley’s face, then back at each other. The first to react was, of course, Bill.

“…Presented? You?”

“Yes.”

When Ashley nodded, other guys looked flustered again, as if they had never imagined such a thing.

Well, presenting itself isn’t common.

Koi thought. Moreover, Ashley’s case was an even more special type. If this became known, it could cause considerable confusion. That’s why only a select few, including the principal and Koi, knew the truth, and Ashley intended to keep quiet about it.

Because of this, he only revealed a part of his secret to the rest of the people, including his friends.

There was no other way. This would resolve most of their questions.

“I became an Alpha. That’s why I couldn’t play in the games, I’m sorry.”

“Oh…”

Seeing his usually boisterous friends quiet was not a pleasant sight. Koi felt uneasy, looking back and forth between Ash and them. What if their friendship became strained?

<Then there’s nothing we can do.>

Ashley said it casually, but Koi was anxious. If he grew distant from the guys he had been so close with before presenting, Koi felt he would be even more heartbroken.

Ash said he only needed me, but…

Koi didn’t think so. Even if that was Ashley’s true feeling, Koi thought differently. He was not like Koi, who only had Ashley as a friend. He was always with people, at the center of them. Koi didn’t want him to change.

He waited nervously for a reply, when suddenly Bill looked back at him. Seeing Koi startled by the unexpected eye contact, Bill frowned and asked.

“Koi, you knew?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, everyone looked at him. Koi blinked, flustered by the unexpected situation. Oh, what should I do?

He hesitated, then looked at Ashley, who nodded briefly. Everyone must have guessed from that reaction alone. Reluctantly, Koi lowered his gaze and answered softly.

“…Yeah.”

“Haa…”

Bill then let out a deep sigh. The other guys also looked at Ashley with expressions of clear disappointment.

“Hey, how could you not tell us?”

One guy complained, and others joined in agreement.

“I’m really hurt, to think we were just that kind of friends.”

“You told Koi but kept it a secret from us, is that fair?”

“No matter how much you like Koi. We’re the Buffalos, no, we were!”

From the guys’ clamoring reactions, there was no sense of them distancing themselves from Ashley. Rather, it was the kind of resentful feeling that only close friends would express, and Koi’s heart gradually brightened. Ashley also seemed momentarily flustered, then gave a bitter smile and apologized, “Sorry.”

“I wanted to tell you sooner, but I couldn’t come back.”

“Why were you in the East for so long? Was it because of your presentation?”

Bill asked, his face a mix of worry and curiosity. Ashley nodded again.

“Yeah, you guys know. Pheromones are unstable for a while after presenting.”

“We know.”

“That’s what they say.”

As Betas, it was a realm they couldn’t fully comprehend, but they seemed to be forcing the fact into their brains for their friend’s sake. Thank goodness. Koi completely relaxed and watched them comfortably. Soon, another guy asked.

“So, are you okay now?”

“Yeah, how’s your body? You look a bit thinner.”

“Why is that? Do you lose muscle when you present?”

“Hey, does anyone have a protein bar? Give it to Ash, quick.”

Koi couldn’t help but laugh, watching the guys awkwardly continue the conversation to match Ashley. Ashley was the same, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Then, an immense sense of stability came over him.

This is it, what I missed.

The ordinary daily life he had taken for granted had finally returned to him. Ashley turned his head and met Koi’s eyes. Seeing Koi’s brightly smiling face, as if things had worked out, he felt immense satisfaction.

I don’t want to lose this.

He thought. Can’t it just stay like this? Forever, without going to the East.

But Ashley also knew the reality. The sweetness he felt now wouldn’t last much longer. His father had only given him a grace period ‘until graduation.’ And this was his last freedom.

It’s okay.

Ashley comforted himself, chatting idly with his friends. It’ll be okay, I won’t become a monster like them. I’m different from my father. I have my friends like this, and I have Koi.

I’m different from them.

He was strongly convinced. The chaotic and bizarre pheromone parties that had repeatedly appeared before his eyes seemed to gradually blur. And Ashley thought that he would slowly forget them, just like all memories.

“Oh, it’s class time.”

Regrettably, their reunion time was over. Someone said that, and everyone postponed the rest of their conversation, promising to continue at lunchtime.

“See you later then.”

“See ya.”

The remaining guys, who saw Ashley walking side by side with Koi, murmured in low voices.

“Did Ash liking Koi also happen because he presented?”

“It could be, Alphas and Omegas have lower hurdles for the same sex.”

“Koi wasn’t present, was he?”

“No, he didn’t.”

Everyone simultaneously thought the same thing. Someone voiced it.

“Did Koi accept Ash? Seeing them come together.”

“Koi knew he presented, so.”

Bill sighed and replied.

“We don’t know. Just keep quiet until Ash tells us first. Maybe Koi is just going along with it because they’re friends.”

“Right, probably.”

Another guy agreed.

“I’m a Beta, and I’d be pretty uncomfortable if a same-sex Alpha or Omega said they liked me.”

“Let’s pretend we don’t know.”

“Yeah, pretend we forgot.”

They reaffirmed their friendship and headed to their respective classrooms.

Whether Ashley had presented or not, the fact that they were friends remained unchanged, and whatever his intentions were when he confessed, that was Ashley and Koi’s problem. They intended to respect their friend’s feelings to the best of their abilities. And they were right.

“That’s a relief, isn’t it?”

Koi said as they walked to their classroom together. Ashley looked down at him and smiled.

“I told you it would be like this.”

Although he had told Koi beforehand, Ashley himself wasn’t entirely sure.

One can never know what’s in a person’s heart until they experience it. Even though they were friends who had been on the same team for years and were close, it was no different. He had only said that to reassure Koi, but when they actually showed more than just friendly affection, Ashley was happy too.

He could have told them he presented as a true Alpha.

He couldn’t help it. His secretary had warned him that if it became known, his security would have to be increased.

True Alphas, due to the uniqueness of their type, often become subjects of unnecessary attention. Many people are hostile towards them due to their promiscuous private lives or other reasons, so bodyguards were almost essential for safety. Of course, making such a fuss in a normal high school like Ashley’s was something only idiots who wanted to show off would do.

Ashley was not such an idiot, and he hoped to attend school as quietly as before until graduation. Because of that, he had no choice but to keep it a secret.

“Um, you’ll tell me when you graduate, right?”

Ashley nodded at Koi’s question.

“I’ll be free then.”

“Okay.”

Ashley spoke to Koi, who also nodded.

“When I graduate, Koi.”

“Yes.”

There was no one around. Slowly slowing down a short distance from the building where their classes were, Ashley asked.

“Won’t you come to the East with me?”

“What?”

At the sudden question, his slowing steps came to a complete halt. He was dumbfounded by the unexpected proposal. Ashley continued, looking at Koi, who was staring blankly at him.

“Let’s go to the East together. I’ll take responsibility for our life there, somehow.”

Seeing Koi still speechless, Ashley added.

“Including university tuition.”

“That’s…”

Koi didn’t know how to react. He didn’t want to break up with Ashley.

He knew that Ashley was going back to the East. But he had only imagined meeting him during vacations at best; going to the East together was not even an option. At the sudden suggestion, he just stared blankly at Ashley.