The next day, two days before the closing ceremony, the sky was clear and blue.
When the lunch break bell rang, Imaizumi Keita picked up his bento and headed to the courtyard, without the chattering figure beside him.
The bench was still the same bench, and the branches overhead still cut the sunlight into fragmented spots of light.
Everything was as usual, yet it felt like nothing was the same.
Imaizumi Keita sat down at one end of the bench, twisted open his milk bottle, and took a bite of the bread in his hand.
The sauce still had its usual rich flavor, and the texture of the bread was no different from yesterday.
But for some reason, as he ate it, it always felt like something was missing.
No one was chattering beside him anymore, which he should actually be happy about. Qī & 4 Yī] Lù Jiǔˇ]∫ Bā♦ Sōu∶, Suǒ'.:
Seriously, this habit is as troublesome as the reliance brought by abilities.
He chewed expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on the other end of the bench, but his mind uncontrollably replayed what Yanami had said.
"Until Keita, you figure out what you're hesitating about, I'm going to keep my distance from you for a while."
"This is also for your own good. Let Keita calm down by himself."
Calm down?
Imaizumi Keita stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth and drank the boxed milk in one gulp.
He really did need to calm down.
He needed to seriously think about how to get along with Yanami Anna and the girls around him who had crossed paths with him due to various coincidences.
That philosophy of love, which advocated "strangers meeting and embracing for warmth," seemed to need some adjustment. During his time interacting with these losers, he seemed to have been influenced by some indescribable emotions.
Perhaps it was because they hadn't yet entered society, or perhaps their views on relationships were simpler...
In short, events did not unfold as he expected...
...
Lunch break ended.
Imaizumi Keita returned to his seat, propping his chin with one hand, his gaze fixed on the treetops outside the window, his thoughts somewhat adrift.
Throughout the afternoon, Yanami Anna, as she had said, didn't look at him again.
She chatted and laughed with her friends, discussing where to have dinner after the closing ceremony and whether to go to the beach together for summer vacation.
She looked no different from usual, still the shining Yanami in the crowd. Yī｜／Sī〕";｜Èr●÷∈. Sān｜〔Qú〃♦ Cìwèi√ Zhé§∏ Dàigòu:
"Hey, Kin-chan."
Shioyaki Lemon appeared out of nowhere. She squatted down, resting her elbows on the desk to support herself, and looked up at Imaizumi's face.
"Did something happen today? I feel like you've been a bit down."
Imaizumi Keita turned his head to look at Yakishio's somewhat worried expression, feeling his mood significantly uplifted.
"Nothing, I feel no different than usual."
"Is that so?"
Shioyaki Lemon clearly didn't believe his perfunctory answer. She wrinkled her nose, a hint of gossip in her eyes.
"But, but I noticed that since yesterday afternoon, Anna hasn't really paid attention to you."
As she spoke, she glanced back at Yanami, confirmed that the other person hadn't noticed them, then turned back and asked in a low voice.
"You two... didn't break up, did you?"
Listening to her remarkably keen observation, a hint of surprise appeared on Imaizumi Keita's face.
He hadn't expected that a seemingly carefree and simple-minded sports girl like Shioyaki Lemon would have such a delicate side.
"We didn't break up." Imaizumi Keita's tone was frank. "It's just... she unilaterally made a decision, saying she wanted us both to calm down for a while."
Imaizumi Keita watched Shioyaki Lemon's "I see" expression and proactively steered the conversation in another direction.
"Never mind her for now."
He adjusted his sitting posture, and the weariness on his face also receded slightly. He asked, "SO So: ♦'Sǐ Bā Sī＋○＿Yakishio, are you free today? Is there still Track and Field Club activity?"
"Huh?"
Shioyaki Lemon was startled for a moment, then shook her head.
"No. The closing ceremony is coming soon. The coach said that to let us prepare well for the final summary, there will be no club activities starting today, and they will only resume during the summer training camp."
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