By Zephyria “What are you two doing?”
Sensing an unusual atmosphere, Al’s voice turned sharp. Ashley reluctantly straightened up, feeling forced to move away from Koi, and opened his mouth with a reluctant tone.
“…It’s nothing.”
Koi felt a pang of regret at the loss of Ashley’s warmth and cautiously observed Ariel’s reaction. He could read various emotions on her frowning face as she looked at Ashley with her arms crossed, but it was difficult to gauge which one was genuine. What was certain was that she wasn’t in a good mood.
Just then, Ariel’s gaze turned to Koi. As if asking what he was doing there. Koi hesitated, then moved his feet, which felt heavy, and approached her. Ashley momentarily suppressed the urge to grab him and could only watch as Koi shifted his gaze from him to Al.
Ariel glanced at Koi as he approached, then met Ashley’s gaze and raised her chin with her arms crossed.
“What? Do you need something?”
“No…”
Ashley looked at Koi’s back with narrowed eyes, then suddenly asked with his signature refreshing smile.
“He’s not your new boyfriend, is he?”
“What are you talking about, are you crazy?”
Ariel immediately denied it as if she was genuinely offended. It was true, but did she have to be so serious…? Koi thought inwardly, watching them carefully. Ariel continued.
“I told you, Koi is a valuable member. Why? Do you need something?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Al, is something wrong?”
Soon after, other members started walking out of the locker room one by one. Ashley saw the cheerleading members standing behind her and soon waved his hand.
“It’s nothing. I’m going to practice then.”
He said goodbye nonchalantly and turned around and left. One of the members who had been watching Ashley’s back muttered.
“Could it be that he was waiting for Al?”
At that, there was a stir and reactions followed.
“Oh my, really!”
“That could be it. Does he want to try again?”
“Was Ash getting anxious here waiting for Al to come out? Ash is so cute!”
Ariel denied it, saying that couldn’t be the case, but no one was listening. Koi also agreed with their opinion.
Ash said he would talk to Al after winning the game…
Maybe he thought Al might be waiting too, he thought. Suddenly, Ariel looked at Koi and then made a stern expression.
“What are you doing, Koi? Hurry up and go in and change your clothes and come back out. We’ll see if it fits you well.”
“The clothes are hanging next to the mirror!”
Soon after, the vice-captain chimed in and pushed Koi. Koi, who had inadvertently entered the girls’ locker room, had the door closed behind him, and he could no longer hear their conversation.
Koi, left alone, turned his head and saw the uniform hanging next to the large mirror, just as the vice-captain had said. Of course, it was a mini-skirt that came above the thighs.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped involuntarily. His face was contorted as he awkwardly put on a skirt for the first time in his life.
“Koi, Koi!”
Koi, who had changed his clothes but couldn’t bring himself to go outside, was flustered when the vice-captain knocked on the door and shouted from outside.
“What are you doing, are you still not done? I’m going to count to 30, open the door, or we’ll open it?”
“U-Ugh!”
Koi screamed in surprise and swallowed his breath. He could hear the girls counting down from beyond the door. He couldn’t stall any longer. In the end, he mustered his courage, squeezed his eyes shut, and opened the door.
“…28, 29!”
The girls focused their attention on the door that burst open with just 1 second left. Koi, who was standing awkwardly with his fists clenched and his eyes tightly closed, felt a chill run down his spine at the suffocating silence.
It’s definitely the worst.
Koi, who didn’t even have the courage to look in the mirror and didn’t know what he looked like, had no choice but to come to that conclusion. He mustered his courage, opened his eyes, and opened his mouth.
“Um, um, maybe I shouldn’t do it…”
“Okay!”
Just as he managed to get the words out, Ariel suddenly cut him off.
“This is enough. Besides, you’re at the very end of the line. As long as you don’t make any mistakes, you won’t be seen well, so it’s okay.”
Ariel, who had come to a conclusion on her own, turned around.
“Okay, then everyone, let’s go back now. Tomorrow is finally the game, everyone get plenty of rest. Got it?”
Leaving behind the members who were cheering in response, Ariel opened the door to the locker room.
“Okay, hurry up and change and come out. I’ll give you exactly 5 minutes.”
“Hurry, hurry!”
“Huh? Okay.”Forced into the locker room, Koi hurriedly changed. The tight-fitting undershorts felt awkward, but there was no time to dawdle. Five minutes was too short. After quickly folding the cheerleading uniform and putting it in his bag, he came out of the locker room to find a sudden silence. The hallway was quiet. Everyone seemed to have already left, except for one person: Ariel.
Ariel, who had been leaning against the wall looking at her phone, straightened up as Koi rushed out.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? Okay.”
Was there somewhere else to go? Koi was bewildered but quickly followed her out of the hallway. Once outside, Ariel pointed to where her car was parked.
“Get your bike, quickly.”
“Huh?”
Ariel frowned at his dazed response.
“It’s late, so I’m giving you a ride. Hurry up.”
“Um… why?”
Koi asked belatedly. He was about to say he could go alone, but Ariel spoke before he could.
“Did you forget? The game is tomorrow. The later you go, the less time you have to rest. Get in quickly, and don’t look at your phone today, just go straight to sleep. Got it?”
“Hurry!” she urged, and Koi hastily left. When he rushed back, Ariel was already waiting with the engine running.
Remembering her dislike of dawdling, Koi moved as quickly as possible. The moment she saw him, she opened the trunk, he hurriedly shoved the bike in, and then he sprinted to the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt – he moved with unimaginable speed.
Catching his breath belatedly and glancing at Ariel, she just chewed her gum without saying anything and started the car. Thank goodness. Koi breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously opened his mouth.
“Um, thank you, Al.”
“No need to thank me. It’s all for tomorrow’s game.”
Ariel spoke curtly as always, but her hands on the steering wheel were incredibly gentle. Thanks to her, Koi was able to get home comfortably.
“Don’t look at your phone, just go straight to sleep.”
After dropping Koi off, she told him again before driving off without looking back. She, too, needed to go back and rest. Despite this, Koi was deeply grateful for Ariel’s kindness in giving him a ride home, but a corner of his heart ached.
It’s only natural that Al like that is a better match for Ash.
Koi stood there for a while before turning and heading home. His steps were slower than usual.
*
“Ugh!”
Bill swung his hockey stick with a gorilla-like roar. The puck, hit squarely, cut through the air and slammed spectacularly into the goalpost before flying away.
“Agh, damn it!”
As he clenched his fists and cursed in frustration, the other guys laughed and jeered at him. Ashley also chuckled, but his mind was elsewhere.
What was that just now?
The incident in the hallway wouldn’t leave his head. Ariel’s attitude was clear. Koi was one of her ‘sister’ group, so it was only natural for her to protect him like a mother bird.
What bothered him was Koi’s attitude. The way he moved to her side, leaving Ashley behind, was not to his liking.
Did I let him off the leash too much?
Ashley seriously reflected on his actions. He had been considerate, letting him enjoy his remaining freedom to the fullest, but that definitely didn’t mean he could go running off to girls. Koi was a Beta, a normal guy. So it was only natural for him to be interested in girls his age.
I shouldn’t have let him join the Cheerleading Team.
Dwelling on his belated regret, he calmed himself down. Only one day left. Tomorrow, everything will be over.
“Hey, Ash!”
At another guy’s shout, Ashley snapped out of it and chased after the puck. The others closely followed him as he sped across the ice. Sticks crossed from all directions, vying for the small puck. Ashley seized an opportunity, pushed the guy in front of him with his body, and sent the puck flying. Bill immediately received it and swung his stick accurately, sending the puck into the goal. Amidst disappointed sighs and cheers, Bill raised his hand to Ashley and said,
“Finally, it’s tomorrow.”
Looking at his smiling face, Ashley gave him a casual high-five and said,
“Yeah.”
Only one thing remained in his mind. All preparations were already complete. The thought of Koi locked up in Ashley’s room made the tension in his face ease. With a faint smile, he added,
“Only one day left.”
At that moment, Koi arrived home. The house was quiet as always, and no one was there. Koi gently pressed down on the soil in the paper cup, watered it a little, quickly washed up, and lay down on his bed.
He didn’t think he would be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, he fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming. As he fell asleep, Koi last thought of Ariel with Ashley.
Now, only one day left.