Is teasing girls really this fun?

『They’re just childhood friends! They are NOT dating!』

The bold black text on the screen looked like it was about to jump out and slap Yanaimi Anna across the face.

However, Yanaimi Anna merely blinked and gave Kojuri, who was trembling slightly in agitation, a look one would give to someone being silly.

“Kojuri, of course I know that.”

There was a hint of helplessness in Yanaimi Anna’s voice.

“You already emphasized the same thing to me yesterday in the exact same way.”

She paused, then extended a finger to lightly tap the line of text on the screen, her tone taking on the patient guidance of someone who had “seen through everything.”

“But think about it carefully, Kojuri.”

Her gaze shifted toward the direction where the president and vice president had just left, and a meaningful smile appeared on her face.

“President Tamaki and Senpai Tsukinoki — do you really think they’re ‘just’ childhood friends?”

Yanaimi Anna deliberately emphasized the word “just.”

“The way they interact like no one else exists around them, the rhythm of conversation only the two of them understand, and that reaction from Senpai Tsukinoki just now — it was practically a declaration of ownership…”

She counted them off one by one using her fingers.

“I’ll bet anything that the next step is them officially announcing they’re together.”

This Imaizumi-style comment instantly pierced the self-defense bubble Kojuri Chika had wrapped around herself — the bubble named “childhood friends.”

The color drained rapidly from Kojuri Chika’s face, leaving her pale.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Because everything Yanaimi said was something she herself had noticed… but never dared examine too closely.

In the heavy silence, she could only tap out one last weak resistance on her phone.

『…B-but… they really… are just… childhood… friends…』

Even her typing looked powerless.

“Yes yes yes, just childhood friends.”

Yanaimi Anna responded perfunctorily, clearly unconvinced by Kojuri’s weak defense.

Then she leaned in close to Kojuri’s ear, like a tempting little devil, and whispered softly — almost seductively:

“So then… Kojuri.”

“If they’re just childhood friends… do you have a confession plan?”

Con… confession?

The word exploded in Kojuri Chika’s head.

Her entire body jolted stiff, frozen in place.

Her eyes, always timid and evasive, now filled with terror and panic.

“C-c-c… confession?! T-that kind of thing!”

Her voice shot up several octaves in sheer shock.

She jumped to her feet, flailing her arms wildly as if trying to swat the terrifying word out of the air.

“Wh-why would I… ever… do something like THAT?!”

Watching this extreme stress reaction, Yanaimi Anna suddenly felt a burst of mixed guilt… and pleasure.

The feeling was familiar.

It was the same feeling she had when Imaizumi used random twisted logic to fluster her until her face burned — the same teasing smile he always wore back then.

So it turns out bullying honest people…

No — teasing pure-hearted girls…

…is actually this fun?

The thought made Yanaimi Anna’s heart skip a beat.

She instinctively glanced sideways with the corner of her eye at the culprit — the one leaning against the table reading a book as if none of this concerned him.

Could it be that Imaizumi enjoys teasing others so much… that he simply can’t resist any chance to poke fun at her?

As if sensing her gaze, Imaizumi Keita slowly lifted his eyes from his book and looked over at her.

His expression said, “What trouble are you causing now?” — mixed with a little exasperation.

Being stared at like that made Yanaimi Anna instantly look away in guilt, and the mischief brewing in her heart vanished at once.

Forget it, teasing a girl like Kojuri really is too immoral.

“Ahem.”

Yanaimi Anna cleared her throat and forcibly reset her tone and expression to normal, dropping the earlier question entirely.

She pointed at the book Kojuri had been holding earlier, her face returning to a friendly smile.

“Speaking of which, Kojuri — what’s the book the president recommended to you? It sounded interesting. Can I take a look?”

This abrupt change of topic successfully pulled Kojuri Chika out of the panic spiral caused by the word “confession.”

“Ah… the book…”

Kojuri lowered her head, a faint blush still lingering on her cheeks, unable to meet Anna’s eyes.

She picked up the paperback she had flipped through countless times and stammered out an introduction.

“Th-this is… ‘My Oshi, Total Flame War’… it’s… a writer the president really likes…”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, as if just saying “the president” was enough to make her drift back into her own little world.

“T-the bookshelf… should still have… another copy…”

Kojuri Chika stood up, hugging the book to her chest, intending to fetch the other copy for Anna.

Perhaps because her emotions had fluctuated too much moments ago, or because she stood up too quickly, her steps were unsteady.

“Ah!”

A short cry escaped her.

Her foot caught on the table leg, and she lost her balance — her body pitching forward.

She was about to kiss the hard floor—

When a hand reached out from the side and caught her arm, gripping firmly and steadying her falling body.

“Be more careful.”

Imaizumi Keita’s voice came from above her, calm yet faintly helpless.

Kojuri Chika froze completely.

The warmth and strength of someone else’s hand wrapped around her arm… the faint clean scent of him lingering in the air…

This sudden physical contact wiped her overloaded brain entirely blank.

An even stronger wave of embarrassment and shame swept over her — far surpassing the “confession” question from earlier.

“S-s-s-sorry!!”

Kojuri practically screamed the apology.

She yanked herself free from his hold and sprinted back to her seat in a panic, using her book to completely cover her face.

The entire sequence was completed in one fluid motion.

Imaizumi Keita watched the small trembling figure hiding in the corner, steam practically rising from the top of her head, and sighed once more.

He turned and gave Yanaimi Anna a look that clearly said: “This is all your fault.”

Receiving the silent accusation, Yanaimi Anna stuck out her tongue and forced an embarrassed, apologetic smile.

Then she hurried over to Kojuri Chika to clean up the mess she herself had caused.

“Um… Kojuri, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…”

Seeing that Yanaimi was now soothing the thoroughly overwhelmed little creature, Imaizumi Keita stopped paying attention to them.

He walked to the window, pulled out a chair, sat down, and casually picked up an untouched hardcover literary novel, flipping open the cover.

He didn’t read a single word on the page.

He just needed something to occupy his eyes while his mind quietly sorted through thoughts about the upcoming summer break.