Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 204

Koi had somewhat stabilized by the afternoon of the next day. He woke up late after Ariel had left for work, and moved his still languid body towards the kitchen. A faint smile automatically appeared on his lips as he peeled off and checked the note Ariel had stuck on the refrigerator.

Eat anything from the fridge. I’ll be back by 7 PM. L.

Following her note, Koi casually took out ingredients and made himself a sandwich. He decided to make dinner for her return from work. He was just washing up and brewing coffee when he suddenly heard a message notification.

Ash?

Startled, he hastily checked his phone, and a disappointed sigh escaped his lips. The sender of the message was an unexpected person. After reading the content, he stood there for a while, re-reading the message.

“You got a message from Julie?”

Ariel, sitting opposite Koi as they ate the dinner he had prepared, asked in surprise. Koi nodded, a troubled expression on his face.

“It’s nothing much. Just asking how I’m doing, a greeting.”

“So what did you reply?”

At Ariel’s question, Koi just hesitated and replied.

“That I’m doing well.”

This blockhead.

Ariel stared intently at his face without a word.

Koi, flustered by her intense gaze, looked around nervously. Ariel glared at him for a while, then sighed and spoke.

“First, let’s get your type tested.”

“Uh,” Koi was about to say something, but Ariel added first.

“If you’re an Extreme Omega, it will show up as Beta, so if you’re still a Beta, you’re definitely an Extreme Omega. Because you did experience a heat cycle.”

He wanted to do more tests, but Ariel’s financial situation wasn’t abundant, and that was the best Koi could do with the money he had. He needed to save money just in case.

If he hadn’t broken up with Garrett, he would have had more余裕 (leeway/comfort).

His financial situation was so tight that paying rent was already a struggle, so he had no time. He regretted not enduring for two more months if he had known something like this would happen, but it was already too late. Ariel decided to focus on the immediate task and spoke.

“And how about keeping the fact that you’re an Extreme Omega a secret for now?”

To a puzzled Koi, Ariel added an explanation.

“Extreme Omegas are very rare, so we don’t know what kind of situation might arise if it’s revealed. So let’s keep it a secret for now and see how things go. If a situation arises where you have to talk about it, it would be better to just say you’re an Omega.”

Angel’s words suddenly came to mind. Was this why he had asked him to keep their meeting a secret?

His heart felt a pang, thinking that Angel had tried to hide his type for him. He wanted to meet Angel again, but it was probably impossible. All Koi knew about him was the name Angel. And even that wasn’t certain to be his real name.

“Should I tell Ash, though? I mean… if it’s confirmed that I’m an Omega.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say ‘Extreme Omega’ and vaguely skirted the issue, to which Ariel replied.

“If you’re confident about Ash, you can tell him. But I’d prefer you keep it a secret from Ash for now too.”

“Why?”

He didn’t like the idea of keeping a secret from someone he liked. To Koi, who clearly looked uncomfortable, Ariel continued.

“It’s not certain yet whether that bastard knew you were an Omega or not. Wouldn’t it be a problem if he intentionally deceived you? I want to observe the situation first.”

Ariel, who had first stated her opinion, soon backed down a step.

“But this is just my opinion, and if you want to tell him, do it. After all, it’s your business, and your will is important.”

Koi remained silent. He wanted to say that Ash would never lie to him, but the words wouldn’t come out easily. He felt uneasy, wondering if a corner of his own heart still harbored doubts, so he couldn’t speak readily. Ariel, who had watched Koi hesitate for a moment, soon changed the subject and asked.

“Would you like some tea? I have some left from the last time we drank it.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Ariel, who had intentionally given him time to think, returned with tea.

“What about Julie?”

“Huh?”

Koi paused at the forgotten topic, and Ariel said, bringing the teacup to her lips.

“This is the first time she’s contacted you after that breakup, right? Since she contacted you again, why don’t you meet her one more time? To make up for how rude you were last time.”

He’s subtly popular, isn’t he?

Ariel thought as she watched Koi, sitting opposite her, sweating profusely and not knowing what to do. To Ariel, who had apologized on Koi’s behalf for the absurdly broken date and earnestly explained how shy and awkward her friend was, Julie had, on the contrary, brightened up.

“My goodness, Ariel. Such an innocent handsome man, he’s not just a rare animal, he’s an endangered species.”

Ariel had been half in doubt at Julie’s reaction, which showed even more favor towards Koi, and only gave an ambiguous smile. But to contact him first, the thought that Julie was sincere made her feel uneasy in a different way than Koi. From what she heard from Garrett right before they broke up, Sarah also had a considerable liking for Koi.

At this rate, Koi will be juggling multiple people.

Even an Omega can date someone of the opposite sex. As long as they tell the other person beforehand. In fact, some people even like it because there’s no fear of pregnancy, and dating doesn’t necessarily mean marriage.

Surely that bastard isn’t planning to use and discard Koi, is he?

Shaking off the bad thought that suddenly came to mind, Ariel spoke.

“Anyway, shouldn’t you show some reaction back to someone who bravely reached out?”

“But the one I like is Ash…”

Koi mumbled in a hazy voice.

“I’m not telling you to date Julie.”

Ariel continued patiently.

“Even if you’re going to reject her, meet her in person. Think of it as paying off a debt since you were rude to Julie last time.”

That was true. Koi also felt a lingering sense of guilt, so her words were enough to sway his mind.

Ash would understand that much.

Thinking of Ash, his heart ached again. He still hadn’t heard from him. He probably hadn’t regained consciousness due to the rut. Koi wanted to believe that. It was hard to imagine anything else.

“Then… I’ll do that.”

As Koi reluctantly agreed, Ariel nodded and added.

“And contact Sarah too. She might still be waiting.”

“Okay.”

Thinking about it, he felt his face flush, as if he had acted inconsiderately towards many people. Ariel gently encouraged him, seeing his dejected state.

“It’s a good thing to clearly state your intentions. Since Ash is the one you like, it’s right to firmly reject others’ feelings, isn’t it?”

“Right. I think so too.”

Koi nodded.

“I’ll firmly reject them and come back.”

“Okay.”

Ariel smiled and lightly raised her teacup as if to toast. And they decided to get a simple test the next day and went to bed.

Koi received a call just as he had finally fallen into a light sleep after tossing and turning. He didn’t immediately recognize the ringing and wandered in his dream before half-waking up and fumbling for his phone on the mattress. Before he could even answer, a voice came from the other end.

“Connor Niles?”

Koi woke up completely at the almost imperceptible, machine-like tone. As he unconsciously sat up, the caller continued.

“This is Miss Bernice. I apologize for the late hour, but I have something to tell you.”

“Did something happen to Ash?”

He asked, his voice pale and almost shouting, and she paused for a moment before saying, “No.”

“Junior is fine. He regained consciousness a little while ago. It’s just a small… problem.”

“A problem?”

His heart sank. To Koi, who asked as if lunging forward, Bernice gave her answer.

“It’s not something to worry about that much. It’s just…”

She hesitated for some reason, then finally added.

“He has a memory impairment due to the rut. Do you understand what that means? Junior’s memories might be different from yours.”

Koi couldn’t react immediately to the unexpected words. What did it mean that Ash’s memories were different from his? As he remained silent, Bernice continued.

“Anyway, I thought I should inform you in advance so there’s no confusion. Junior has fallen asleep again. He will contact you first when he wakes up and fully recovers. Are you okay? Where are you now?”

“Uh… I’m fine. If I say I’m with my friend… Ariel’s house, Ash will know.”

He stammered in surprise at the unexpected question confirming his situation, and she replied, “Okay.”

“I apologize for the late hour. Then, get some more rest.”

Bernice, who still spoke in a businesslike tone, adding only the necessary words, soon hung up. Koi looked down at his phone for a while, but there was no further contact. And he lay back down in bed but couldn’t fall asleep at all until dawn.

& & &

“Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful restaurant.”

Julie, sitting opposite him, greeted him with a bright smile, and Koi smiled back, feeling shy. The restaurant he had invited Julie to was a French restaurant Ash had introduced him to. It was the only high-end restaurant he knew, and also the only one he could afford. There was no other choice. Grateful that Ash had made arrangements beforehand so he could visit anytime alone, Koi spoke.

“I’m glad you like it. I was really sorry about the last time.”

He apologized again, and she shook her head as if to say it was okay. Koi had decided that after dinner, he would walk her home and politely express his refusal. Instead, he intended to do his best for Julie during the time they spent together. Julie had a wide range of topics and was a pleasant conversationalist, so it wasn’t too difficult.

They chatted amiably until the staff brought the menu books. The staff handed them each a menu book after they laughed, talking about small incidents around them, then stood straight. Koi, who had smiled and taken it, opened the first page without much thought and then froze.

…Huh?

He blinked several times, but nothing changed. The prices written next to the menu items had at least one more zero than he had ever seen before. Koi was flustered, his mind completely stopped.

What happened?

The manager quickly approached Koi, who had frozen like ice. He hastily pushed the staff aside, took out another menu book, and spoke.

“I apologize, customer. This is the real one. We were changing menu books and printed samples, and the staff accidentally gave you the wrong one. Please understand.”

The manager handed them different menu books again and immediately retrieved the previous one. The new menu book Koi received had the same prices as the one he had seen before.

“Oh, you scared me. I was so surprised by the enormous prices.”

Julie laughed and patted her chest. But Koi couldn’t laugh at all. The manager’s words didn’t make sense. He said they were changing menu books, but the one he just received and the one he had received earlier were completely identical. The only difference was the price.

…No way.

Ash’s smiling face came to mind. What did Ash say when they first came here? Did he say it was a membership-only place, so the prices were like this? So this is a menu book exclusively for members? No, if it’s membership-only, then only members come here. So there wouldn’t be a need for a separate exclusive menu book, would there?

Maybe Ash lied to me…

Julie kept talking about something, but Koi couldn’t focus at all. His mind kept returning to Ash, repeating endless questions.

“Hoo.”

After excusing himself, Koi went to the restroom, washed his face with cold water, and composed himself. He checked his phone, but there were still no calls.

Should I contact him first?

He thought he should wait for Ash, but it was just an excuse. He realized that fear of Miss Bernice still lingered in his heart.

Get a grip, Ash is what’s important right now.

Koi slapped his cheeks hard several times, then looked at himself in the mirror and composed his mind. Ash would contact him once the tests were over and he had some leeway. He looked it up and found that when a rut comes, one can sleep for at least two days, and sometimes up to five.

Even if he regained consciousness briefly, he fell asleep again, so I’ll have to wait a little longer.

Even calculating simply, there were still days left. Don’t be impatient, he promised himself.

First, think about why I’m here.

Koi tried his best to stay calm. He wanted to sort things out around him before meeting Ash again, didn’t he? It’s also courtesy to Ariel. For now, let’s focus on Julie.

Even if Ash lied to me, it must have been for my sake.

Hoo, he sighed deeply and soothed himself, then returned to his seat. Fortunately, the time passed smoothly until they finished their meal. As they paid and left, he ran into someone who was just entering. Unlike Koi, who unconsciously stepped back, Julie brightened up and stopped.

“Oh, Mal. To meet you here!”

“Julie!”

Seeing them clasp hands and greet each other warmly, they seemed to be close friends. Koi stood blankly, watching them. A refined beauty, who looked like a rich young lady to anyone, was smiling brightly. Julie continued.

“How have you been? It’s so good to see you, it’s been ages.”

“I know. Have you been well? I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. I’ve been a bit busy.”

Julie, seeing the shy smile and the ring on the clasped hand, then noticed the man standing behind her and her face brightened even more.

“Oh, really? Seriously?”

“Yes,” her friend nodded, then introduced them to each other. Hearing the word ‘fiancé,’ Julie beamed and spread her arms wide. They hugged each other warmly, their eyes sparkling as they looked at each other, then Julie stepped back.

“Tell me the details later, promise.”

“Yes, I’ll call you.”

Her friend glanced at Koi and gave Julie a meaningful look, then left. Julie, watching her friend’s retreating back, finally looked at Koi with an apologetic expression and apologized.

“I suddenly ran into a friend. It’s been so long, I just… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It happens when you meet someone after a long time.”

Koi readily replied, then took the car keys from the staff and got into the car. As he drove Julie home in the car Ariel had lent him, Koi broke the awkward silence first.

“She seemed like a close friend.”

Julie also nodded and readily continued.

“She’s a high school classmate, and she’s really kind. Her family is very rich, but she never shows it, and she’s always quiet, so everyone liked Mal. I haven’t been able to contact her because I’ve been busy, but I can’t believe she got engaged. That’s a relief, she looks okay now.”

“Something bad must have happened to her.”

As he rounded a corner and agreed, she sighed, “Yes.”

“She almost got engaged in college, but it broke off. She had a really hard time then. I don’t know the exact reason, but that man was definitely in the wrong, no doubt.”

Julie spoke in a somewhat agitated voice, as if recalling memories from that time.

“Anyway, how on earth did she get involved with such a bastard? She really had bad luck.”

Julie’s house began to appear in the distance. Koi, thinking of what to say to her, said indifferently.

“That’s bad luck. But at least now she’s met a good person, so it worked out, right?”

“That’s true. Oh, you can stop there.”

As the car stopped where Julie pointed, she smiled and said.

“Well, meeting another bastard like Ash Miller would be out of the question.”

Koi, who was unbuckling his seatbelt and about to get out of the car, paused. He reacted a few seconds later.

“…What did you just say?”