The Fire Escape on the Old School Building's Rooftop was probably the most easily forgotten corner of Ishibuki High School.
A somewhat rusty metal ladder clung to the mottled wall, leading to a platform that no one except maintenance personnel ever set foot on.
From here, one could look down upon a corner of the Sports Field. The view was wide, and because of its remote location, few people ever came here.
When Imaizumi Keita pushed open the iron door to the Rooftop carrying his lunch, Yanami Anna was sitting on the highest platform of the Fire Escape.
Her two fair, slender legs dangled in the air, swinging back and forth, while the hem of her uniform skirt fluttered in the breeze.
Beside her sat a lunch box wrapped in a cute cloth, indicating she had clearly been waiting for a while.
Hearing the door open, she immediately turned her head, her bored expression instantly replaced by a bright look tinged with a bit of complaint.
"Keita, you're too slow!"
She patted the empty space beside her, her tone sounding like a girlfriend scolding a boyfriend who was late for a date.
"I've almost finished my lunch! I thought you'd gone off to the courtyard alone again."
Imaizumi Keita closed the iron door and then walked over unhurriedly to sit down beside her.
"Couldn't be helped. I ran into something on the way and got delayed."
He took out his lunch, speaking calmly to Yanami without even looking up.
"Hmm? Ran into something?"
Yanami Anna immediately became interested and leaned in curiously. "What was it? Don't tell me another loser needed your help?"
Imaizumi Keita glanced at her, and seeing her gossip-loving expression that thrived on chaos, he intentionally kept her in suspense.
"Something like that. However, the protagonist this time was you."
He paused, slowly opening his convenience store lunch box. "Do you want to know?"
"Just tell me!"
Yanami Anna immediately nudged his arm with her elbow, urging him, "Stop keeping me in suspense! I hate it when people stop halfway!"
"On my way here, I ran into a few girls talking behind your back, so I listened in for a bit."
After hearing this, the excited expression on Yanami Anna's face instantly turned into one of obvious disgust.
"Huh? That's it?"
She curled her lip, picked up a piece of tempura with her chopsticks, stuffed it into her mouth, and commented unclearly.
"I thought it was something big. They must have been talking about me being rejected by Sousuke again. How boring."
Seeing her indifferent attitude, Imaizumi Keita reached out and gently ruffled her smooth hair.
"Well, it seems our Anna-chan has indeed become quite a bit smarter now."
His tone held a hint of gratified teasing. "You finally realized how pathetic your previous situation was."
"Hmph."
Yanami Anna wrinkled her cute nose, slapped his hand away from her head, and retorted stubbornly.
"I told you already! I don't care about that kind of thing at all anymore!"
As she spoke, she shot him another wary glance.
"By the way, Keita, you don't actually want me to go confront them face-to-face, do you? I'm not doing that! It's super embarrassing!"
"Of course not."
Imaizumi Keita shook his head and continued, "They didn't just talk about you getting dumped..."
He paused for a moment, seemingly enjoying the way her face shifted from wariness to confusion, before relaying that sour and jealous remark.
"They said, 'Yanami, you're so lucky. You just got dumped and immediately hooked up with a cool, handsome guy.'"
The air went silent for a heartbeat.
*Clack.*
The chopsticks in Yanami Anna's hand suddenly fell back into her bento box.
The expression on her face rapidly shifted from confusion to shock, and finally to extreme embarrassment and annoyance.
"Huh?!!"
She suddenly stood up from the steps, setting her bento box aside, not even caring about finishing her meal.
"'H-Hooked up'?! What right do they have to say that! What do they mean, hooked up with a cool, handsome guy!"
She stamped her feet in frustration, her cheeks turning bright red from shame and indignation, her eyes practically spitting fire.
"No! I can't take it! I'm going to go argue with them right now! I have to make them take those words back!"
As Yanami Anna said this, she suddenly remembered who the real culprit behind all of this was.
She looked at Imaizumi Keita, who was still sitting there with an innocent look on his face, with a resentful and accusatory gaze.
"It's all your fault, Keita!"
Her voice was full of grievance. "It was you who started it, tricking me with all those nonsense reasons, which is why things turned out like this!"
Seeing her look like she was about to cry from anger, Imaizumi Keita didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt; instead, he found her quite heart-fluttering.
Instead of arguing or defending himself, he looked at Yanami with a smile and asked back, "Then, are you willing to be tricked?"
The words Yanami Anna had prepared got stuck in her throat; she couldn't say a single word.
She opened her mouth, and the shame and anger on her face slowly transformed into a burning crimson blush during the few seconds they locked eyes.
Her momentum withered away rapidly at a visible speed.
After a long while, Yanami Anna sat back down on the edge of the platform like a deflated balloon.
She silently lowered her head, her gaze falling on the tips of her shoes, not daring to look into his eyes again.
Then, with a voice thick with guilt, she answered exceptionally honestly, "...Of course, I'm willing."
After saying that, she felt her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg.
Keita is just so mean for this...
Always forcing people to say what's truly in their hearts...
If it weren't for... she wouldn't like Keita at all...
Yanami Anna didn't want to continue this heart-pounding topic that made her face flush.
She picked up her chopsticks and, to hide her fluster, scanned Imaizumi Keita's bento box before quickly snatching the piece of fried chicken that looked the most delicious.
"Ah! Leave half for me!"
"No way!"
Yanami stuffed the entire piece of fried chicken into her mouth, her cheeks bulging. She mumbled back a counterattack, "This is punishment for bullying me just now!"
"You..."
"I don't care! This meat belongs to me now!"
As Yanami chewed vigorously, she triumphantly waved her empty chopsticks at him, her face full of a brilliant smile.
Looking at her like this, Imaizumi Keita only felt a sense of helplessness.
He shook his head and didn't fight her for it, simply eating the rest of his bento in silence.
A light breeze blew past, carrying the slightly sweltering scent of a summer afternoon.
After finishing the fried chicken and taking two more bites of her own bento, Yanami Anna felt herself calm down a bit.
She turned her head to look at the man beside her who was eating quietly, and a sudden, inexplicable wave of soft emotion welled up in her heart.
Even though this guy was always sharp-tongued, loved to tease her, and always acted like he didn't care about anything...
As long as she could be by his side like this, even if it was just bickering or arguing, she felt strangely... at peace.
A thought popped up from the bottom of her heart.
"Hey, Keita."
"Hmm?"
Imaizumi Keita turned his head in confusion.
Yanami Anna met his gaze, took a deep breath, and a very serious expression appeared on her face.
"Should we..."
Her voice was very soft, yet exceptionally clear.
"...Should we try dating for real?"
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