If he had the chance later, he really hoped to have more deep contact with Shioyaki and feel the difference between her and Yanami.
Sigh.
Scumbag.
Imaizumi Keita sighed and, with his free hand, fished his phone out of his pocket.
He unlocked it with one hand and clicked on a familiar avatar by memory.
"Alright, let go first."
Imaizumi Keita's voice came from under her arm, sounding much calmer than before. "I won't call out anymore. I'll find someone to help open the door."
"Really?"
"Really."
After receiving a positive answer, Shioyaki Lemon suspiciously let go of the hand covering his mouth, but her arms around his neck still didn't release him.
[Yanami, I'm locked in the sports warehouse; the door is locked from the outside. Come over as soon as possible.]
[Huh?]
...
Meanwhile, in the Class 1-C classroom.
Yanami Anna was chatting with a few friends she was on good terms with about recent topics, passing the leisure time before class.
Since completely shaking off the shadow of being a "loser," she had returned to being the shining Yanami in the crowd.
Just then, the phone in her pocket vibrated twice slightly.
While continuing to chat with her friends, she casually took out her phone and glanced at the message.
"What is it, Anna?"
A friend beside her noticed her abnormality.
"Ah... N-Nothing!"
Yanami Anna immediately snapped back to her senses, a smile returning to her face. "It's just... I suddenly have something I need to take care of first."
She quickly apologized to her friends and hurried out of the classroom.
As soon as she reached the hallway, the smile on her face vanished, replaced by a snicker that was a mix of pride and schadenfreude.
Looking down at the slightly pathetic distress message on her phone screen, she felt like she was about to float away.
"Hmph hmph hmph~"
Yanami Anna couldn't help but let out a couple of irrepressible hums.
That's what you get for running away after kissing me the other day!
That's what you get for avoiding me these past few days!
That's what you get for always acting like a cocky brat who has everything under control!
And the result?
Don't you still have to come to me for help?
Yanami Anna felt that the slight dissatisfaction she had accumulated recently because a certain someone was deliberately distancing himself was completely vented at this moment.
A sense of pleasure from having the upper hand made her steps light and airy.
How could she just rush over for something like this?
She had to let that guy wait in there for a while longer and properly experience what it felt like to be helpless.
Yes, that's what she'd do.
That way, he would deeply realize how important and indispensable his "girlfriend" was.
Thinking of this, the smile on Yanami Anna's face became even more brilliant.
She took out her phone, leisurely replied with "Got it, coming right now," then stuffed the phone back into her pocket and walked unhurriedly toward the sports warehouse.
...
Inside the warehouse.
Imaizumi Keita looked at the brief reply on his phone screen, then glanced at Shioyaki Lemon, who was still hanging on him, and sighed again.
"Alright, I've notified Yanami."
He tucked his phone back into his pocket. "She'll be over in a bit to help open the door. Can you relax now?"
"Yanami?"
Shioyaki Lemon jumped down from him, a look of gossipy curiosity appearing on her face.
"I often see you two eating lunch together and walking home together after school. You guys have a really good relationship."
"Eh? You actually think so?"
Imaizumi Keita turned his head and asked, seeing her eyes full of envy, "What makes you say that?"
"Just... a feeling." Shioyaki Lemon scratched her head. "When you two are together, the atmosphere is different from everyone else. And..."
She paused and said with a bit of embarrassment, "Aside from the guys on the sports team, I don't really have any male friends I know... except for Kouki."
"I feel like the atmosphere between you two is much better than it was between me and Kouki..."
Imaizumi Keita nodded.
That was natural, after all, they were in a fake 'couple' relationship.
Even if it was fake, they were still a couple!
Imaizumi Keita was about to say something to kill time when he suddenly noticed that Shioyaki Lemon's condition beside him wasn't quite right.
In this airtight warehouse, baked by the summer afternoon sun, the temperature was gradually rising.
And Shioyaki Lemon, who had just performed strenuous exercise, now had cheeks that were unnaturally red, her breathing had become rapid, and a layer of fine sweat beads had broken out on her forehead.
"Hey, Shioyaki, are you okay?"
"Hmm...? I'm fine..."
Shioyaki Lemon shook her head and looked at him with somewhat vacant eyes, but a silly smile appeared on her face.
"It's just... a bit hot... feels like being in a sauna..."
As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed at the air haphazardly.
"Look, Kin-chan... on the ceiling, there seem to be many little stars flying... twinkling, so pretty..."
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