You’re so cute. I like you.

Tamaki Shintarō looked at Kojuri Chika, who was beaming with happiness just because of his small word of affirmation.

Seeing her like this made the gentle smile on his face deepen even further.

He was about to say something more to encourage her when he suddenly felt a sharp, wary gaze directed at him.

“What’s wrong, Koto?”

Tamaki Shintarō asked in confusion.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Tsukinoki Koto didn’t answer him immediately but instead shifted her gaze to Kojuri Chika, as if giving a kind reminder to a junior.

“Kojuri, you better not put too much faith in what the president says.

This guy sometimes can’t even remember the genre of the books he recommends.

He’s nice to people without even realizing it himself, and that makes it easy for others to misunderstand.”

She said it in a roundabout way, but the core meaning was laid bare instantly.

Tamaki Shintarō immediately understood what she meant, and his face revealed an expression of helpless amusement.

“Hey, hey, Koto, why did you bring books into this again?”

Tamaki Shintarō spread his hands helplessly.

“The SF novel I recommended is really interesting, okay?

And I was just trying to encourage a hardworking junior.

It’s not as complicated as you think.”

“Hmph.”

Tsukinoki Koto let out a small snort and moved her gaze away from them, glancing up at the clock on the wall.

“Anyway, someone’s SF taste is terrible.

Forget it, the meeting time for the club presidents is coming up soon.

Aren’t you going? If you’re late again, the student council people will nag you.”

“Ah! Oh no!”

Tamaki Shintarō slapped his forehead.

“I almost forgot! I’ll head over right now.”

He quickly walked toward the door, but before opening it, he turned back to Tsukinoki Koto.

“Koto, come with me? I can’t deal with the student council alone.”

“Alright, alright,” Tsukinoki Koto waved her hand.

Her face looked helpless, but the corners of her lips had already lifted, showing her true feelings clearly.

“Who told you to be the president? I guess I have no choice.”

The two of them ended their conversation with their unique rhythm and left the activity room.

As the wooden door gently closed, the room fell silent again.

Only this time, the silence carried a faint, pink, ambiguous atmosphere.

“P-P-president… said I’m cute… ehehe…”

Kojuri Chika seemed to float in the clouds, her face filled with a silly, blissful smile.

Imaizumi Keita looked at her and couldn’t help leaning toward Yanaimi Anna beside him, lowering his voice as he whispered:

“Did you see that, Yanaimi?”

“See what?”

Yanaimi Anna also lowered her voice, curious.

“That’s what a girl drowning in unrequited love looks like.”

Imaizumi Keita gestured at Kojuri Chika, who was still smiling foolishly.

“A single random comment from the other person can replay in her head the whole day, and she’ll just sit there giggling to herself.”

He paused, then looked at Yanaimi Anna with a probing gaze, curiosity on his face.

“Come to think of it… when you were facing Hakumada Sōsuke before, were you like this too?”

“Impossible!”

Yanaimi Anna instantly hit a sore spot.

She glared at Imaizumi Keita, her voice rising without her noticing.

“Sōsuke and I are childhood friends! Over ten years of history! We’re not like what you’re describing at all! Talking to him has never been awkward!”

Her rebuttal sounded confident and full of that last bit of pride belonging to the title “childhood friend.”

“Oh?”

Imaizumi Keita raised an eyebrow, blinking at her.

“Is that so? Since childhood friends are so confident, then…”

He suddenly turned toward her, closing the distance between them, his deep black eyes staring straight into hers.

“…What about when I compliment you?”

“Anna, you’re really cute. I like you.”

His voice was soft, but the impact instantly shattered Yanaimi Anna’s psychological defenses.

Their eyes met.

At such a close distance, Yanaimi Anna could clearly see her own reflection in his eyes—and feel the heat of his intensely serious gaze.

Thump, thump, thump…

Her heart began pounding uncontrollably, and a rush of heat exploded into her head.

Her cheeks grew hot and red at a speed she could not control.

“You—you—you—!”

“How can you just— just say something like that— so— directly—”

She stammered, trying to say something to break the suffocatingly romantic tension, but her mind was blank.

Seeing her flushed from cheek to ear, completely flustered, Imaizumi Keita finally let a satisfied smile appear on his lips.

“Pfft.”

He couldn’t hold back a laugh, then stepped away to give the overheating Anna some space.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”

“Wh-who’s being teased by you!”

Seeing the chance to escape, Yanaimi Anna immediately stood from her seat and quickly moved to sit beside Kojuri Chika.

She needed someone to talk to—anything to redirect her overheating brain.

“Uh—um, Kojuri!”

Yanaimi Anna tried her best to sound normal as she patted Kojuri, who was still lost in her own world.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Eh? Ah… Y-Yanaimi…?”

Kojuri Chika snapped back to reality, startled to find Anna suddenly sitting next to her.

Then she immediately recalled the terrifying look Anna had yesterday when she heard the words “childhood friend.”

Fear surged within her.

Her body shrank back, and the thought of running away almost surfaced—

“Do… do you know? Like… President Tamaki and Senpai Tsukinoki… the two of them… what exactly is their relationship now? Are they really not dating yet?”

The question exploded in Kojuri Chika’s mind.

And compared to her fear of Anna, a much stronger emotion instantly took over.

Her survival instinct transformed into her instinct to defend her territory.

Kojuri Chika pulled out her phone.

Her previously retreating body now leaned forward.

Her thumbs blurred over the screen, tapping intensely.

The next second, she shoved her brightly lit phone screen right in front of Yanaimi Anna.

Displayed in bold, enlarged text:

“They’re just childhood friends! They are NOT dating!”