Ayano Mitsuki's figure completely disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Shioyaki Lemon still maintained her standing posture from before, staring blankly in the direction Ayano had left, her eyes so dim that not a single spark of light could be seen.
After a long silence, Shioyaki Lemon's body swayed backward without warning.
...
"Hey!"
Imaizumi Keita spoke subconsciously, while Yanami Anna beside him had already stepped forward and pushed a chair behind Shioyaki.
Shioyaki Lemon slumped weakly into the chair and reached out her hand toward Imaizumi Keita.
"Eh? Shioyaki, are you really going to join?"
Imaizumi Keita asked, while Yanami had already pulled out a blank club application form and handed it to Shioyaki.
"...Thank you, Anna."
Shioyaki Lemon took the application form and pen, leaned over the table to write her name, and mumbled in a volume that everyone could hear.
"Strange... so... Kouki has a girlfriend... ahaha... what have I... been doing all this time..."
Those intermittent monologues were less of a question to anyone and more of a belated explanation to herself.
Imaizumi Keita watched quietly as Yanami Anna took out a paper crown with "New Member" written on it from the cabinet and gently placed it on Shioyaki Lemon's short hair.
"Welcome to the Literature Club, and also, you've worked hard... Lemon."
Shioyaki Lemon looked up, feeling the paper crown on her head; the forced smile on her face could no longer be maintained.
"...Yeah."
She responded gloomily, following Yanami's words: "I've worked hard."
As soon as she said it, Shioyaki Lemon could no longer control herself; she wrapped her arms around Yanami Anna's waist and buried her face in Yanami's abdomen.
Suppressed, faint sobs soon came from where the two were embracing.
Before the crying could grow louder, Imaizumi Keita decisively dragged the still-clueless Tsukinoki Koto out of the activity room and closed the door behind them.
The light in the corridor outside was much brighter than inside.
"Um... did I mess something up?"
Tsukinoki Koto finally realized.
She looked back timidly at the closed door, her tone full of uncertainty and guilt.
"Yes, you completely messed up."
Imaizumi Keita let go of her hand, leaned against the wall, and gave an affirmative answer in a flat tone, "Please be sure to reflect deeply, Senior."
"Ugh..."
Tsukinoki Koto let out an innocent wail.
"Originally, on Shioyaki-san's side, she was just tactfully given a friend zone card by Ayano-san; maybe she could have barely maintained a facade of peace."
Imaizumi Keita looked at her and pointed out the key to the problem mercilessly.
"As a result, Senior Tsukinoki, you acted as if nothing was wrong and even enthusiastically invited her to join the club, increasing her time spent with the 'girlfriend'."
"This is no longer a matter of being able to read the room; you're actively rubbing salt in her wounds."
Imaizumi Keita's calm and blunt analysis made Tsukinoki Koto completely wilt.
"You don't have to be so blunt..."
She protested in a small voice, her eyes wandering, not daring to meet his gaze.
"For someone like you, Senior, who doesn't understand unless things are said clearly, I think it's necessary to be a bit blunt."
Imaizumi Keita sighed, "Just like me, I would never bluntly mention in front of you when exactly you and President Tamaki plan to start dating formally."
"Wha-?!"
Tsukinoki Koto's body suddenly stiffened, and her cheeks flushed with a charming crimson at a visible speed.
She looked around frantically, and after confirming no one else heard, she lowered her voice and retorted to Imaizumi Keita in exasperation:
"I-I'm not in that kind of relationship with Shintaro! We're just childhood sweethearts!"
"Yes, yes, just childhood sweethearts."
Imaizumi Keita brushed her off with an insincere tone.
Tsukinoki Koto looked at his expression, and remembering what she had just done, her momentum for retorting vanished instantly.
She leaned against the wall somewhat dejectedly, her face full of regret.
"...I really am a jerk."
Just as Imaizumi Keita was about to say something more, a timid head peeked out from the other end of the corridor.
Koma Chihana seemed to have just arrived; seeing the two standing at the door of the activity room, her face was filled with confusion.
"Um... Classmate Imaizumi? Senior? Why... are you standing outside and not going in?"
"Ah, Koma."
Tsukinoki Koto also understood that they couldn't let anyone disturb Shioyaki Lemon's crying right now, so she quickly walked to Koma Chihana to explain.
"There's an... um, unexpected situation between girls in the activity room, so we won't be going in for now."
She grabbed Koma Chihana's shoulders without explanation and pushed her toward the other end of the corridor.
"There's nothing more for us to do here. Koma, didn't you say you wanted to check out the new bunko books at the bookstore in front of the station? Come, Senior will go with you."
"Eh? Ehhh? B-but..."
Koma Chihana's weak protest was quickly suppressed by Tsukinoki Koto.
Imaizumi Keita watched the two figures disappear around the corner of the stairs, finally feeling that the whole world had become quiet.
He leaned against the wall, took out his phone, and was about to brainstorm the continuation of his novel.
Buzz, buzz.
The phone vibrated in his palm, and a message from Yanami Anna popped up on the screen.
Lemon-chan and I are going to sit in the Family Restaurant for a while. Do you want to come along too?]
Family Restaurant?
Imaizumi Keita's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly; that was a place with quite a lot of commemorative significance.
He could almost immediately imagine Yanami's current appearance—clumsily comforting the new loser junior while also being distracted enough to send him a message inviting him over.
Imaizumi Keita smiled, his fingers tapping unhurriedly on the screen.
[Are you sure? Shouldn't you be focusing on comforting Shioyaki-san right now? Is it really okay to invite me over?]
After the message was sent successfully, the other party's reply popped up immediately, with a hint of panic between the lines.
[Eh?! Keita, you don't want to come?]
Imaizumi Keita looked at the message, the smile on his face deepening.
This girl is still so dishonest.
She's clearly afraid that he'll be attracted by the new loser, so she hurriedly called him over to declare her territory, yet she still has to pretend to be innocent, as if "we're just calling you along."
[Are you going there to comfort Shioyaki-san, or are you worried about me having solo contact with her?]
On the other end of the screen, there was a silence lasting for half a minute.
Just as Imaizumi Keita thought she had stopped responding out of shame and anger from having her mind read, a new message finally arrived late.
[...Hmph! Since you don't want to come that much, then forget it! Don't come!]
At the end of that sentence, an angry emoticon was attached.
Even through the screen, Imaizumi Keita could see her cute appearance as she typed this line in exasperation.
[No, I'm going.]
Why go?
Naturally, it was because what he loved most was seeing Yanami Anna's expression when she was clearly aggrieved to death but could do nothing about him, only able to accept reality huffily.
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