Yanami, Are You Taking Advantage of Me on Purpose?

Friday morning in the classroom was filled with a mix of casual chatter and the sound of pages being flipped.

Imaizumi Keita leaned back in his seat, unhurriedly taking the history textbook for first period out of his schoolbag.

At that moment, a lively figure swept over like a gust of wind and stopped beside his desk.

“Yo, Ima-kun, good morning!”

Imaizumi Keita turned his head at the voice, and what met his eyes was Shiobara Lemon’s bright, sunny smile.

She seemed to have just finished her morning practice, her short brown hair at her forehead still slightly damp with sweat, her whole body radiating a fresh and healthy energy.

She casually set her bag down on the still-empty seat in front of Imaizumi Keita, plopped herself down, and turned around to face him.

“Morning, Shiobara.” Imaizumi Keita nodded in reply.

Almost the instant Shiobara sat down, he felt a gaze directed at him from the other side of the classroom.

Without making it obvious, he glanced over with the corner of his eye.

Sure enough, Yanami Anna—who had been laughing and chatting with her friends just moments ago—was now craning her ears, staring straight in his direction, seemingly not hearing a word her friends were saying.

“Um, Ima-kun,”

Shiobara Lemon leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice, her face clearly showing anticipation and nervousness, “about what we talked about yesterday in the gym storage room…”

“Oh, you mean Ayano wanting to borrow a book?” Imaizumi Keita nodded knowingly.

“Yeah, yeah!” Shiobara Lemon nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.

“You said… that when he comes to the literature club, I can pretend to drop by for a visit, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what I suggested.”

“Then…” Shiobara Lemon’s cheeks flushed faintly, her voice turning shy.

“Will Koki… come today?

I—I was thinking that after school today, I could go with him…”

Seeing her pure, maidenly expression, Imaizumi Keita couldn’t help but sigh inwardly again.

On the field she was such a decisive, forceful person, yet the moment it came to romance, she became so hesitant.

“He probably will.” Imaizumi Keita nodded, giving a reassuring answer.

“I’ll talk to Ayano later and have him come straight to the literature club after school.

You can just come along then.”

“Really?!

That’s great!”

Shiobara Lemon’s eyes lit up instantly, her face filled with undisguised joy.

She clasped her hands together and smiled gratefully at Imaizumi Keita.

“Thank you, Ima-kun!

You’re such a good person!”

With that, she waved and returned to her own seat.

Imaizumi Keita watched her back, his heart calm and unruffled.

He simply turned his head again, looking toward Yanami’s direction.

Yanami was puffing out her cheeks slightly, her lips pursed, glaring at him with eyes full of grievance.

Seeing her expression, Imaizumi Keita smiled and couldn’t help but raise his hand, making a light knocking motion in the air toward her forehead.

Yanami Anna froze for a moment, then understood, and the displeasure on her face vanished instantly.

She scrunched her cute nose, made a face at him, then turned back around to continue chatting with her friends.

The upward curve of her lips, however, refused to go down.

…

The lunch bell rang right on time.

The familiar bench in the first-floor atrium of the school building.

Imaizumi Keita took a bite of the curry bread he’d bought at the convenience store, while beside him Yanami Anna was eating the rice balls she’d brought from home.

“Hey, Imaizumi-kun.”

After swallowing the rice in her mouth, Yanami Anna asked suspiciously,

“You don’t… kind of like Lemon, do you?”

“Huh?”

Imaizumi Keita’s thoughts were interrupted as he turned toward her in confusion.

“When did I ever say I liked her?”

“This morning!” Yanami Anna replied with a touch of righteous confidence.

“You were smiling so happily when you talked to her!

And you even agreed to help her create a chance to be alone with Ayano-kun!

If that’s not liking her, then what is?”

Hearing this utterly unreasonable accusation, Imaizumi Keita found it more amusing than anything.

“Listen, Yanami,” he said, setting his bread down and looking at her calmly.

“Do you think I’m like you?

Enduring your own pain while helping your crush and your rival be alone together, then putting on a fake smile and urging them to hurry up and get together…”

“Imaizumi!

You—”

Seeing Yanami start to crack, Imaizumi Keita reached out and pressed her nose lightly as he continued.

“And isn’t this jealousy a bit too fast?

Don’t forget, we’re just ‘pretending’ to be a couple.”

“So what if we are!” Yanami Anna puffed out her chest immediately and shot back fiercely.

“Even if it’s pretend, a boyfriend and girlfriend are still a boyfriend and girlfriend!

As the girlfriend, pretending to get jealous over your boyfriend’s close interactions with other girls is also part of the ‘act’!

That’s called professionalism, okay?!

Do you even understand that?”

She sounded so utterly confident that Imaizumi Keita couldn’t think of a proper rebuttal for a moment.

Looking at her smug expression that seemed to say “I’m absolutely right, praise me already,” he finally sighed helplessly.

Seriously, this woman…

Ever since that unspoken line had been crossed, her skin had only gotten thicker.

“All right, you’re right about everything.”

Imaizumi Keita nodded, playing along with her logic.

“Since ‘pretending to be jealous’ is part of the act…”

He paused, leaning forward slightly and drawing a little closer to Yanami’s face.

“Then, to make our relationship look more real, doing some more intimate ‘couple-style practice’ should also be perfectly reasonable, don’t you think?”

“Of course it is!”

Yanami Anna blurted out without hesitation, her face saying “Isn’t that obvious?”

But the moment the words left her mouth, she met Imaizumi Keita’s teasing, smiling eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat.

The next second, Imaizumi Keita’s gentle voice sounded right by her ear.

“In that case…” he asked softly.

“How about we practice kissing again?”

Yanami Anna’s cheeks heated up quickly, flushing red.

She’d thought she would hesitate at least a little.

Or, like usual, stubbornly argue back before half-heartedly agreeing.

But as she looked into his smiling eyes, her heart pounding wildly—

She nodded, answering briskly under Imaizumi Keita’s astonished gaze.

“Sure.”

Now it was Imaizumi Keita’s turn to freeze.

He blinked, hardly believing his ears.

“Wait… Yanami, are you serious?”

Looking at her sparkling eyes filled with expectation and a clear “Hurry up already,” he felt as though he’d fallen straight into Yanami’s trap.

Don’t tell me Yanami Anna brought up Shiobara Lemon on purpose just for this?!

“Hey,” he said.

“You’re not just taking advantage of me on purpose, are you?”