She gave him a playful wink, her tone full of the familiarity and closeness of friends.
"After all, getting to help you see how much Anna cares about you was pretty interesting, wasn't it?"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her short brown hair, so different from Yanami's, and her cheerful nature that was unlike typical girls; he felt his mood uncontrollably brighten.
The two arrived at the Literature Club activity room. Imaizumi turned the doorknob and found it unlocked.
Opening the door, he found only Komari Chika inside the room.
She was sitting on the sofa with her knees pulled up, a thick bunko book covering her face, curled into a ball.
Perhaps she felt more secure that way...
"Good afternoon, Komari."
Imaizumi Keita greeted her familiarly.
"Yahoo! Komari!"
Shioyaki Lemon, following behind him with a burst of energy, dashed inside and naturally took a seat in the empty spot opposite Komari Chika.
"!!!"
Komari Chika was startled by this enthusiasm and instinctively tried to shrink back into the corner while clutching her book.
Seeing her like this, Imaizumi Keita pulled Shioyaki Lemon back slightly with a helpless expression.
"Yakishio, keep your voice down, you'll scare her."
"Sorry, sorry."
Shioyaki Lemon scratched her head sheepishly.
Imaizumi Keita scanned the empty activity room and asked with some confusion, "Are the President and Senior Tsukinoki not here again today?"
Komari Chika hesitated before peeking out half her face from behind the book and answering softly, "Um... Sen-Senior Tsukinoki... her final exam results... weren't great, so... so the President... starting today, he's going to... help her study. The manuscript for the training camp also needs to be revised, so..."
Before she could finish, a look of dejection and envy uncontrollably surfaced on Shioyaki Lemon's face.
Study sessions...
It was another one of those classic tropes that only appeared in romance manga.
She was also the type who needed tutoring, but Mitsuki had never once offered to help her.
Even Anna had Kin-chan accompanying her now.
Sigh...
This feeling of being left behind was truly a bit depressing.
Shioyaki Lemon sighed helplessly in her heart and instinctively looked up at Imaizumi Keita.
That's right.
Kin-chan's grades had always seemed to be very good.
Even though he always acted like he didn't care about anything, his rank on class tests and mock exams always seemed stable at the top of the grade.
Then, if there were math problems she couldn't solve later, or ancient literature she didn't understand, could she... also go ask him?
Just then, the door to the activity room was pulled open with a'shua' from the outside.
Yanami Anna's figure appeared in the doorway.
She didn't seem to expect everyone to be gathered in the room; her expression faltered slightly when she saw Shioyaki Lemon and Imaizumi Keita sitting side by side.
"Yahoo! Anna!"
Shioyaki Lemon was the first to react, immediately standing up from her seat and waving at Yanami.
"Good afternoon, Lemon."
The same enthusiastic smile immediately appeared on Yanami Anna's face.
She walked in quickly, chatted with Yakishio for a few moments, and then turned her gaze toward Imaizumi Keita.
However, when she looked at him, that enthusiastic smile vanished instantly, replaced by a flat expression tinged with a hint of detachment.
Yanami Anna didn't speak to him; she just walked straight to the bookshelf and returned a light novel that was due.
After finishing this, she turned around and spoke to Komari Chika, who had been trying to minimize her presence in the corner.
"Um, Komari-san."
"Eh? Ah... Yanami-san?"
Komari Chika seemed flustered by the sudden mention of her name.
"I have something to do today, so I won't be able to participate in club activities for now. Could you please let the seniors know for me?"
After saying that, she waved to Shioyaki Lemon and turned to leave the activity room.
Throughout the entire process, she didn't spare Imaizumi Keita another glance.
Shioyaki Lemon couldn't help but lean in toward Imaizumi Keita, nudging his arm with her elbow, a mischievous, gloating smile on her face.
"Hey, Kin-chan," she teased. "It looks like Anna really doesn't plan on talking to you anymore."
Imaizumi Keita, however, was unfazed.
"Of course."
"After all, Yanami knows very well just how irresistible I am."
The air went silent.
"Pfft... Hahahahahaha!"
Shioyaki Lemon froze for a moment before bursting into relentless laughter as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.
She laughed while exaggeratedly slapping her chair, unable to even straighten her back.
"Kin-chan... you're... Hahaha! You're way too narcissistic!"
Even Komari Chika, who had been pretending to read, couldn't resist offering a faint critique from behind her book.
"...Nar-narcissist."
Listening to the merciless roasting from the two female club members, Imaizumi Keita felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He leaned back against his chair and let out a long sigh.
Honestly.
Why is it that in this world, no one is ever willing to believe the truth when I say it?
Is there something wrong with a handsome guy like me saying such things?
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