"Come closer first, and I'll tell you quietly. This matter, no one else can hear it, okay?"
Komari Chika hesitated for a moment, and considering that Imaizumi hadn't really done anything malicious, she slowly moved her head closer to Imaizumi.
Getting very close was, of course, impossible...
Then, a warm palm landed on her head, gently rubbing her hair.
"Eh?!"
Komari Chika's brain completely crashed at this moment.
She even forgot how to react, only allowing his palm, with its unique warmth, to do as it pleased on her head.
Imaizumi Keita looked at her completely petrified, adorable expression, and finally showed a satisfied smile on his face.
Indeed, this kind of direct physical contact was the easiest way to get a reaction from her.
And the easiest way... to make him feel satisfied.
Komari Chika quickly snapped back to reality, and a rush of heat surged to her cheeks with a "boom."
"Kyaa—!!"
Komari Chika sprang up from the bench, rushing back to the other end of the bench at top speed, maintaining an absolutely safe distance from Imaizumi Keita.
She opened her mouth, struggled for a long time, and then squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"J-just this once! N-next time... absolutely... absolutely won't fall for it again!"
After saying that, she quickly added another sentence.
"A-and! The f-fried chicken cutlet, I already ate it! You, you also... touched my head! We, we're both... q-quit!"
...
The corridor after school.
Imaizumi Keita and Shioyaki Lemon walked side by side, heading to the Literature Club activity room in the West School Building.
"Speaking of which, Kin-chan."
Shioyaki Lemon turned her head, her tone carrying a hint of incredulity, breaking the silence between them.
"Anna... she really didn't come looking for you again today, huh?"
After she finished speaking, she specifically looked back at the empty corridor, her face full of surprise.
"I originally thought that when she said she wanted to keep her distance from you yesterday, she was just throwing a tantrum. I didn't expect her to actually stick with it."
"Mm."
Imaizumi Keita nodded, a hint of surprise on his face. "Indeed, she has more backbone than I imagined."
Although he could probably guess that Yanami Anna had managed to hold out until now mostly because she had been teased so badly by him before, and her sense of shame had overcome her longing.
However, being able to do this was indeed commendable.
As expected of the woman he had his eyes on.
Whether it was the gradually revealed decisiveness to act when necessary, or this current unyielding backbone, both made him feel a strange... appreciation.
Eh, describing her like this, it doesn't feel like Yanami at all, does it?!
Yanami Anna wasn't like this before, what changed her...
As he was thinking this, Shioyaki Lemon next to him gently nudged him with her elbow.
"Hey, Kin-chan."
"Hm?"
"You really need to cherish Anna."
Shioyaki Lemon's tone suddenly became earnest.
"Anna, even though she sometimes seems carefree, is actually very thoughtful."
As she said this, she seemed to recall something and a sly smile appeared on her face.
"But, if you ever dare to bully her in the future," Shioyaki Lemon brandished her fist, half-jokingly, half-seriously threatening, "I'll be the first one who won't let you off!"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her like this and found it rather amusing.
She herself was a loser who had just declared defeat, yet now she already had the leisure to offer advice for someone else's love life.
What a... person you absolutely can't dislike.
However...
He genuinely liked Yakishio's frank, direct, and vibrant type.
Whether it was the coolness of sweating on the track or the righteousness of standing up for a friend now, both were very cool.
Sigh...
Imaizumi Keita sighed helplessly in his heart.
He really was a fickle man.
Although he had already recognized this fact, it still felt somewhat difficult when he actually started to implement it.
What he wanted was a tacit understanding, and even if it was for warmth, it should be mutually beneficial and clearly understood.
He couldn't just use superpowers to turn into a bulldozer and make the other person completely irrational, could he?
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