Your Boyfriend Is Right Here

The dismissal bell rang right on time, signaling the end of the school day.

To Yanami Anna, the bell felt more like the announcement of her punishment beginning.

Before she could even pack her bag, Hakamada Kusuke and Himemiya Karen stopped beside her desk with bright, cheerful smiles.

“Anna! Let’s go to karaoke!”

Karen grabbed her arm warmly, her voice full of excitement.

“I already know which new song I’m going to sing!”

Kusuke stood beside her, smiling naturally as always.

“Yeah, Anna. It’s rare for us to hang out. Let’s celebrate a little.”

Celebrate.

That word made Yanami freeze again.

She didn’t want to hear it—not from them.

Her eyes drifted toward the other side of the classroom, where Imaizumi Keita sat quietly staring out the window.

Imaizumi didn’t look their way.

This was their first “test” as partners, and he needed to see whether Yanami could take the first step on her own.

Yanami took a deep breath, recalling their lunchtime conversation and their afternoon agreement.

This was something she had to face herself…

She forced a smile, stood up, and said to Karen:

“Sorry, Karen. I have something to deal with first. You two go ahead—find a room and send me the number. I’ll come right away.”

“Eh? Something important? Need help?”

Karen asked with concern.

“N-no, nothing big! Just something personal!”

Yanami waved her hand quickly, pretending to sound light and relaxed.

“You two go first. Don’t worry about me!”

Seeing her insist, Karen—though confused—let Kusuke pull her along and left.

The classroom gradually emptied.

Soon, only Yanami Anna and Imaizumi Keita remained.

Yanami slowly packed her books into her bag, every movement heavy and sluggish…

“Let’s go.”

Imaizumi’s voice came from behind, calm with a hint of warmth.

Yanami slung her bag over her shoulder and followed him, the two walking down the hallway in single file.

The sunset outside stretched their shadows long across the floor.

Yanami stayed silent the entire walk, staring at the ground.

Her fingers clenched her bag strap tightly, clearly nervous about what was to come.

“Yanami.”

Imaizumi suddenly stopped.

Yanami, walking close behind him, almost bumped into his back.

She looked up and saw Imaizumi turning toward her, his dark eyes gentle.

Seeing how close she was to tears from anxiety, Imaizumi sighed softly and said warmly:

“You look like you’re heading to a battlefield.”

He continued quietly.

“But you did really well back in the classroom.”

That sudden praise melted Yanami’s heart instantly.

“I… I’m just…” she whispered nervously.
“Afraid I’ll mess everything up…”

“You won’t.”

Imaizumi smiled lightly.

“Did you forget what I said at lunch? Lovers are a relationship between two people.”

He stepped closer—just enough to give comfort without overwhelming her.

The familiar warmth of his presence washed over her again, calming her nerves.

“You still look scared,” he said softly.

“So just remember this. If you don’t know what to say, or what to do—stay beside me. Look at me. I’ll handle everything. You just need to… trust me.”

Hearing that, Yanami looked up.

For a moment, Imaizumi seemed to shine with a soft, comforting light.

Letting someone else take the burden…
didn’t feel so terrible.

Her heart warmed, wrapped in a gentle sense of safety.

“…Okay.”

She replied quietly.

Her pride as the “sunny-side girl” backed off in the face of that comfort.

…

By the time they reached the karaoke building in the shopping district, the sky had darkened.

Under the neon signs, two familiar silhouettes stood waiting.

Karen waved enthusiastically when she saw Yanami.

But when she noticed Imaizumi walking beside her, her expression froze briefly.

Kusuke frowned, his eyes jumping between them in confusion.

“Anna… why are you with Imaizumi-kun?”

Yanami froze completely.

Imaizumi’s earlier words echoed in her ears—

But when it came time to speak, fear and panic tightened her body.

She couldn’t answer naturally at all.

Just as she began to panic—

A hand reached toward her from the side.

Imaizumi’s hand rested gently on her shoulder, pulling her a half step closer to him.

He stepped forward with a relaxed smile and positioned Yanami protectively behind him.

“Because I’m Anna’s boyfriend.”

Anna.

The affectionate nickname slipped from his mouth naturally, as if they’d used it countless times.

“B-boyfriend?!”

Kusuke’s eyes widened, confusion turning into shock.

“You… when did you two start dating?!”

He stared at them in disbelief.

Before either of them could respond, Karen had already recovered.

She burst into a bright, sincere smile.

“Really?! Anna! Congratulations!”

She grabbed Yanami’s hands and shook them excitedly, her joy unmistakably genuine.

“That’s amazing! You finally found your happiness! And here I was worrying about you—turns out you were hiding it all along!”

Karen’s blessing was warm and heartfelt.

Facing Karen’s pure joy, Yanami felt something inside her quietly crumble.

She nodded slightly, saying nothing.

The karaoke room was dimly lit, a large screen playing popular music videos.

Kusuke and Karen naturally sat together, leaning close as they selected songs.

Noticing the “new couple,” Karen looked up and asked:

“Anna, Imaizumi-kun, do you want to sing first?”

“You two go ahead. We haven’t decided yet.”

Imaizumi answered easily, then guided Yanami to sit with him on the opposite side.

Soon, a slow romantic duet began.

Kusuke and Karen exchanged sweet smiles and started singing.

Their voices intertwined, their gazes fixed on one another.

The entire room filled with a suffocating cloud of romance.

Yanami sat beside Imaizumi in the corner.

Watching the two so intimately close, watching Kusuke gaze at Karen with gentle affection—

She felt like a spectator forced to watch someone else’s love story.

Even with Imaizumi beside her, loneliness quietly seeped into her chest.

Her body stiffened.

Her mood sank.

Even breathing felt heavy.

Imaizumi watched her silently, noting every subtle change.

A wave of disappointment, sadness, and jealousy radiated off her.

But because those emotions were directed at someone else, they didn’t help him—
instead, a faint stab of pain returned to his temples.

He needed to break this unpleasant spiral.

To pull Yanami’s focus back where he wanted it.

When the duet ended, applause blasted from the screen.

And while Yanami was drowning in her sadness—

Warm breath brushed against her ear.

Imaizumi’s voice came, low and intimate:

“Stop looking at them. Your boyfriend is right here.”

Yanami jolted, a shiver crawling up her spine.

She turned—

And met Imaizumi’s smiling eyes, impossibly close.

The next moment, her left hand resting on the sofa was enveloped in a warm grip.

Before she could react, Imaizumi’s fingers slipped between hers—

And intertwined tightly.

A powerful surge of warmth shot through their joined hands.

The high-quality wave of energy spread through him instantly, wiping out the pain in his temples and the irritation from the room.

And with it came a deep, instinctive satisfaction from holding her close.

Yanami felt something completely different.

Being held like this—
in front of Kusuke and Karen—
sent a storm of shame and panic through her chest.

Yet the steady warmth of Imaizumi’s hand, the firm and undeniable sense of being claimed—

Melted her loneliness away.

And deep inside—

A faint, wicked pleasure surfaced.

As if silently declaring:

See? I’m not someone nobody wants.

The contradiction of shame and satisfaction made her almost enjoy this dangerous closeness.

Imaizumi’s hand was warm and steady—
strangely comforting.

Yanami found herself savoring the feeling of their fingers interlocked…

Just then, Kusuke and Karen turned around after setting down their microphones.

And what they saw was—

In the dim lighting, Imaizumi Keita and Yanami Anna leaning close together, whispering, their hands tightly intertwined.

Kusuke’s smile froze painfully.

A sour, unexpected ache rose in his chest.

It wasn’t romantic jealousy.

More like the discomfort of seeing something that had always been “by his side” suddenly labeled as someone else’s.

Karen noticed none of this.

She clapped happily.

“Wow, Imaizumi-kun and Anna are really close!”