L*ck Me If You Can Chapter 3

"Professor, I swear I sent the email. I submitted it early this morning before going to bed. I promise."

"Hmm."

Professor Martinez gave a disinterested response as she opened her laptop. Her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, typing in her password. After a brief pause, she turned the screen toward Koi.

There were countless emails in her inbox, but his was nowhere to be found.

Koi stared at the screen, his throat tightening. His fingers gripped the edge of the desk as he double-checked the email address. Then he looked up at her, panic setting in.

"You see it, right?"

She crossed her arms and watched him.

"This—this doesn’t make any sense."

Koi’s mind went blank. His eyes darted between her face and the screen.

"Professor Martinez, I know I sent it. I can show you my email account. The record should still be there. I swear, this is ridiculous!"

His voice wavered with desperation, but the professor’s expression remained unchanged.

She had probably heard the sa excuse a hundred tis before.

Koi felt like the floor had been ripped out from under him.

Professor Martinez finally broke the silence.

"Here’s what we’ll do. Send the email again by tonight, and I’ll accept the assignnt. But—"

Koi barely had a second to feel relieved before she continued.

"Rules are rules. I can’t give you an A."

"What? But—"

"That’s final. Go."

Her voice was sharp and firm. There was no room for negotiation.

Koi’s lips parted slightly, but there was nothing left to say.

His stomach twisted as he turned away.

What am I supposed to do now?

His vision blurred. His mind raced.

Would his GPA drop?

Would he lose his scholarship?

Why hadn’t the email gone through?

Why had he even pulled an all-nighter if it didn’t matter?

This is insane...

His chest felt tight. His hands shook.

His eyes stung with frustration.

Just as he was about to step out, Martinez’s voice stopped him.

"Wait."

Koi froze.

Heart pounding, he turned back.

Martinez let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before speaking.

"There’s only one assignnt left for the sester. If you do well on it, I’ll adjust your grade."

"What?"

Koi turned back in surprise. Professor Martinez looked him straight in the eye and continued.

"I’ll explain the details of the assignnt in the next class. This ti, make sure you submit it on ti and put real effort into it. Understood?"

"A—Absolutely! Yes, of course, Professor Martinez!"

Koi nodded eagerly, his voice filled with relief.

She gave a small wave, signaling that he could leave.

With a barely suppressed grin, Koi stepped into the hallway.

As he walked, he exhaled deeply, placing a hand on his chest.

This could’ve been a disaster.

His email never went through. He had pulled an all-nighter for nothing.

But he got another chance.

That was all that mattered.

What’s the next assignnt going to be?

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders.

I have to get a good score this ti.

*

"This assignnt will be a group project."

Koi's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the professor standing in front of the blackboard. She continued speaking as if it were nothing.

"There will be no presentations. Instead, everyone will write a report on the sa topic in pairs. The grade will be the sa for both mbers, so make sure to complete it properly."

Aside from the fact that there wouldn’t be a presentation, this was the worst possible scenario. He could accept that the topic was the sa for everyone, but having to work in pairs? That was where Koi hit a dead end.

Because there wasn’t a single person in this class who would pair up with him.

He had never had friends, but he had been managing just fine. Sure, there were tis he felt lonely or bored, but every ti he had tried to make friends, it had backfired. He had been bullied, humiliated, and made into a joke. After that, he had decided it was better to be alone. At least then, he could focus on his studies and his part-ti job. He barely had enough ti to sleep as it was—what would he even do with a friend?

That was how he had justified it to himself all this ti.

But now, a huge wall had suddenly risen in front of him.

And backing out wasn’t an option.

Most people would pair up with their friends first. The ones left behind would scramble to form teams among themselves. But even in those cases, they would at least choose soone they got along with, or at the very least, soone they had spoken to before.

Koi didn’t fit into either category.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

For soone like him, the lowest of the low in the school’s social hierarchy, a group project was nothing short of a death sentence.

He was spiraling into full-blown panic when the professor spoke again.

"This ti, I’ll assign the pairs myself. Co up one by one and pick a slip from this box. The na written on it will be your partner for the project. Understood?"

After a quick scan of the classroom, she concluded, seemingly satisfied. It wasn’t as if she had made this decision with Koi in mind, but ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ as far as he was concerned, it was a lifesaver.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Then, the professor called out the first na.

One student walked up to the box, picked a small folded slip of paper, and handed it to the professor. She read the na aloud, and the two students confird their pairing.

One by one, nas were called.

Tension spread through the room as the process continued.

Koi could feel his own heartbeat in his ears as he glanced around.

More than half of the class had already ford their pairs. The number of unassigned students—including him—was shrinking fast.

"Connor Niles."

The mont his na was called, Koi jerked up in surprise.

In his rush to stand, his foot caught on the leg of his chair, sending him crashing to the floor.

Laughter erupted around him.

Mortified, he ducked his head and scrambled forward, eager to get this over with.

He shoved his hand into the box, grabbed the first slip he touched, and imdiately handed it over.

He had barely turned to go back when—

"Connor Niles, your assigned partner is..."

He stopped in his tracks, barely breathing.

"Ashley Miller. Where is he?"

Koi’s vision blurred for a second.

Across the room, Ashley raised a hand lazily, looking completely indifferent.

The professor nodded.

"Alright, you two will be working together. Next student."

Another na was called, but Koi couldn’t move.

Ashley Miller is my partner?

His entire body went cold.

Ashley, completely unbothered, leaned back in his chair, casually scrolling through his phone.

*

"H-Hey, Ashley... Ash!"

Koi rushed after him the mont class ended, catching him just outside the classroom.

Ashley finally stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow.

Koi took a deep breath.

"So, um... about the assignnt. You know we’re partners, right? I figured we should talk about how we’re going to do it."

They needed to decide how to split the research, how to divide the chapters, and who would be responsible for which sections.

They would have to et at least three tis to exchange information and go over revisions before submitting the final report.

Koi had already started mapping out a schedule in his head. He’d have to line it up with Ashley’s free ti while also making sure it didn’t clash with his part-ti job. The best eting spot would be the school cafeteria—no need to spend money ordering sothing just to sit there.

Of course, all of this depended on whether Ashley agreed with his plan.

Koi waited nervously.

Ashley smiled his usual effortless smile.

"Oh, right. That thing. Hmm, what should we do?"

Feigning deep thought, he furrowed his brows and looked up at the ceiling.

Then, with a regretful expression, he ran a hand through his platinum-blond hair and let out a sigh.

"I’ve got practice after class, you know. I could et up after that, but it’d be pretty late."

"No, that’s fine. What ti works for you?"

Koi answered imdiately.

Ashley hesitated for the first ti.

That reaction alone told Koi everything.

Ashley hadn’t expected him to be so eager.

Did he... not intend to do the project in the first place?

An unsettling feeling crept into Koi’s stomach.

Ashley gave him an awkward smile.

"It’d be really late, though."

"I don’t mind. I can wait."

Now that things had co to this, he had no choice but to push forward.

Koi’s unwavering response made Ashley sigh dramatically.

"Man, you’re really serious about this, huh?"

He waved a hand vaguely in the air, like he was trying to brush the whole conversation aside.

Koi wasn’t going to let that happen.

"Connor Niles. My na is Connor Niles."

Ashley blinked.

Then, without hesitation, he smirked.

"Alright, Koi."

The nickna rolled off his tongue so easily it almost sounded natural.

Ashley tilted his head, his silver-blue eyes glinting playfully.

"It’s just one little project. No need to take it so seriously, don’t you think?"

That easy-going smile could probably charm anyone.

But Koi wasn’t falling for it.

"No," he said, his voice firm. "I want to do my best."