Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 26

They say talk of the devil and he shall appear, and it was exactly like that. Koi thought this as he watched Ashley’s girlfriend walk towards them. She stopped a couple of steps away and then swept her gaze over Koi’s entire body meaningfully.

“Ash.”

Soon, her face was full of smiles as she turned to her boyfriend. Ariel naturally placed a hand on his shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, kissed him, and then gave a tender laugh.

“I need to talk to you for a moment, is that okay?”

“I have class.”

Ashley said, his face reluctant. He had stopped resting his chin on Koi’s head, but his arms were still draped over Koi’s shoulders. Ariel glanced down at his arms, then turned her gaze back to Ashley.

“How about we have lunch together?”

“Hmm, alright.”

When Ashley replied, Ariel finally smiled brightly, kissed him on the lips again, and then turned away.

After watching her retreating figure for a while, Koi looked up, and Ashley’s gaze was still fixed in that direction.

“Um, Ash?”

Koi cautiously called out to him. Only then, as if snapping out of it, Ashley lowered his gaze, and Koi continued.

“You’ll be late for class.”

“Oh.”

Ashley mumbled, as if just remembering.

“Right.”

He released his arms from Koi’s shoulders and walked ahead. Koi hastily followed behind him.

Glancing up, Ashley’s face was somehow serious, unlike before.

During lunch, the ice hockey team gathered, but the atmosphere was unusually unsettled. They kept glancing in one direction, whispering softly.

“What do you think they’re talking about?”

“Hold on, let me read their lips.”

“Surely they’re not breaking up, are they?”

“Breaking up? Why would they suddenly break up?”

“It’s not sudden, I tell you.”

One of them lowered his voice further.

“I think Ash has cooled off towards Ariel.”

“What? Why?”

“No way, she’s the queen of our school.”

Muffled gasps erupted here and there, and the guy continued.

“I heard that Ash and Ariel haven’t met in quite a while.”

“What? We saw them all together before, you mean they haven’t met since then?”

“I don’t know, but maybe they haven’t seen each other often. Anyway, Ariel’s really mad about it.”

“What’s going on? What happened?”

The guys, who had been whispering and watching Ashley and Ariel, found a new source of information.

“Koi, do you know anything?”

Bill asked Koi, who had naturally become a member of the group, and everyone looked at him. Koi, who had only been listening to their conversation until then, blinked rapidly, flustered by the sudden attention.

“Uh, well, that… I don’t really know either.”

It was half-truth, half-lie. He didn’t know exactly when they had last hung out together, but if it was true that the last time Ashley had bought drinks from the store where Koi worked, saying he had a party, then they hadn’t dated in quite a long time.

Because Ashley had spent the rest of the vacation with Koi.

Since he mostly met Koi in the evenings due to his part-time job, he might have met Ariel during the day. But somehow, he didn’t think that was the case. Still, he couldn’t believe that Ashley hadn’t dated Ariel because he was busy hanging out with him. Even though in his mind, it seemed the most plausible explanation.

Of course, how could I believe that Ash chose me over his girlfriend?

Koi thought, stealing a glance at Ashley and Ariel. Sitting opposite each other at a table, just the two of them, they were talking about something with serious expressions.

“So, what exactly has kept you so busy?”

In a corner of the noisy cafeteria. Ariel asked, her face full of dissatisfaction, not even touching the food in front of her. Her arms crossed below her chest, glaring at him, her face seemed to say, “Go ahead and make excuses if you want, I’ll tear them all apart.” Of course, Ashley had no intention of making excuses.

“I had a lot to do.”

When he vaguely mumbled a reply, Ariel raised an eyebrow. She was clearly angry.

“You could have called.”

That was true. Ashley paused, then sighed.

“Yeah, that was my fault.”

At his ready apology, Ariel gave him a suspicious look, then blurted out the question she had been holding back.

“Are you perhaps cheating on me?”

“What?”

Ashley’s face twisted into a disgusted expression. Ariel primly lifted her chin.

“If not, then fine.”

“Of course not.”

Ashley visibly ground his teeth. As if even being suspected of such a thing was unpleasant, he poked carelessly at the unappetizing vegetables with his fork. Seeing him, Ariel cleared her throat and said,

“Alright, I’ll believe you. But from now on, you have to reply to my messages right away, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.”

Only after hearing Ashley’s reply did Ariel finally relax her expression. Seeing her start to eat the salad she had piled high, Ashley asked,

“Nothing else happened, right?”

Ariel frowned, sprinkling yogurt over her vegetables.

“There was. That’s why I wanted to talk to you so much.”

“What is it?”

Ashley asked. Ariel put down the empty yogurt bottle and faced him.

“There’s a vacancy on the cheerleading team.”

“A vacancy? What do you mean, they’re short on members?”

To Ashley, who asked with a frown, Ariel showed a serious expression.

“That’s what I mean. We just barely filled it after one person dropped out last time.”

He had heard that another member had joined the cheerleading team to replace the one who got injured and quit before the vacation. But now there was another vacancy. Ariel glared at him, blaming him.

“Do you know how anxious I’ve been? But you didn’t answer my calls, and you didn’t send any messages.”

Ashley awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Ariel, who subtly noticed his reaction, asked,

“You’re going to the party, right?”

“What?”

Ashley looked up, and Ariel sighed as if dumbfounded.

“The homecoming party, don’t you remember?”

“Ah…”

Ashley’s voice trailed off as he finally remembered. Ariel was staring intently at his face. Reluctantly, Ashley replied,

“Right, I have to go.”

Only then did Ariel avert her gaze and start eating her salad again. Ashley put a meager sandwich into his mouth and thought.

I guess I’ll have to buy tickets.

“Ash!”

Ashley, who was returning after walking Ariel to her classroom, turned his head at the sound of someone calling him from behind. Koi was running towards him. Seeing him, Ashley’s face naturally relaxed and a smile appeared. Ashley stood still, waiting for Koi to come closer.

“Did things go well with Ariel?”

Koi, who had run hard and now stood facing Ashley, asked. Ashley took the first step and said,

“Well, more or less.”

“Oh, I see. That’s good.”

Ashley looked down at Koi’s head as they walked side by side, nodding. He felt the urge to pounce on him from behind again and rub his chin into his crown. Forcing himself to ignore his own feelings, he looked straight ahead and continued,

“The cheerleading team is short on people.”

“What? Again?”

Koi, who had unconsciously shouted, hastily added,

“Oh, I heard about it before. Someone got hurt and there was a vacancy.”

You guys were talking about it in class before vacation.

Koi thought to himself. When he blurted out the forgotten memory, Ashley replied without much suspicion.

“That’s right. They must have filled it somehow, but then someone else left.”

“Oh, I see…”

Koi, who had habitually nodded, asked again.

“Then isn’t that a big problem? The season’s starting soon.”

Trying to find members before the summer vacation would be to finish practice by then. It would take time to get in sync with new members. Ashley also agreed.

“So that’s why she’s so worried. She probably wanted to complain to me or something.”

Of course. In times like these, the person she’d rely on most would naturally be her boyfriend.

Koi, who had nodded, thought.

Then I might not get to spend much time with Ash anymore…

Suddenly feeling a pang of loneliness, Koi quickly shook his head. It’s only natural that his girlfriend is his top priority. I’m just grateful he played with me all summer vacation.

“Haa.”

Suddenly, a deep sigh came from above his head. Koi instinctively looked up, and Ashley’s serious expression came into view. As he wondered, “Huh?”, Ashley, still looking straight ahead, said,

“Ariel said she’d talk to the coach, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just change the choreography.”

“Uh-huh…”

Koi didn’t know much about that field, so he could only give an ambiguous response. As his voice trailed off, Ashley suddenly looked down at him and narrowed his eyes.

“You’re not thinking about anything, are you?”

“Huh? Uh…”

Koi stammered, his face flushed red. As if he had expected it, Ashley made a choking gesture at his neck.

“Ah, ow, it hurts! It hurts!”

In truth, it didn’t hurt at all, but Koi flailed about, exaggerating his pain. Ashley’s laughter echoed above him. Koi wished days like these would continue forever. He smiled along.

Even then, Koi thought it had nothing to do with him.