Lunch break was almost over.
Those soft-spoken words about "Sousuke's sister's call" still seemed to linger in the air of the courtyard corner.
Keita didn't respond immediately. He just quietly watched the girl beside him pack up her bento box.
The throbbing pain at his temples that had persisted for days was now completely gone again.
In its place was an unprecedented sense of peace and comfort.
Leaning back on the bench, his body was more relaxed than it had been in days.
All because of the girl beside him.
From her actively seeking his shelter, to being cornered by his words just now, her violently fluctuating emotions had effectively neutralized the out-of-control ability within him.
He looked at Yanami's stubborn yet weary profile, and her eyes that looked especially clear from crying.
Undeniably, Anna was beautiful.
And this beauty, up close, mixed with the faint scent of shampoo from her, could indeed inexplicably lift one's mood.
Since she could bring him such clear benefits, then helping her out had also become something he found... somewhat enjoyable.
Anna had finished her bento and was taking small sips of Barley tea from her water bottle, her movements quiet and restrained.
She seemed to be waiting for Keita's reaction, or perhaps she simply didn't know what to do next.
Keita decided to take the initiative to break the silence.
"What are your plans after school?"
Keita asked, his tone noticeably softer than when they first met in the courtyard.
The question made Anna's shoulders stiffen slightly.
Anna set down the water bottle. Her face, which had finally regained some calm, once again showed a troubled expression.
She turned her head, avoiding Keita's gaze, her hands unconsciously clutching the empty bento box.
"They... they said, after school... they want the three of us to go sing Karaoke together, to... celebrate."
Anna's voice was very low, telling Imaizumi about something she had to do but was unrelated to her.
Celebrate.
After that word left her mouth, Keita felt the negative emotions that had just subsided in the air show signs of flaring up again.
He didn't want the peace he'd just obtained to be destroyed so quickly.
Keita realized what Anna was about to experience...
A dim, narrow private room.
The whole room flashing with colorful, psychedelic lights.
Sousuke and Karen pressed close together, singing a sweet love duet, their eyes full of love oblivious to anyone else.
Anna, as the defeated "witness," could only sit alone on the corner sofa with a pair of maracas.
She would probably force a congratulatory smile onto her face and clap vigorously when their song ended.
A scene like that would only generate more of those useless "garbage emotions" within her.
Looking at Anna's appearance—someone who always responded better to toughness than kindness—Keita's heart stirred slightly.
"Sigh..."
Keita evaluated in a tone of exasperation, "Shouldn't you have refused something like that outright?"
"The pathetic way you look now is just laughable."
"You!"
Anna opened her mouth to retort, her brows tightly furrowed, her eyes filled with obvious resentment.
After this brief interaction, she seemed to have adapted to this man's sharp and cold personality.
That somewhat weakened sense of self-respect, originating from being a "main character," gave her the courage to adopt a 'in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-pound' attitude in the face of this mockery.
"Hey! Imaizumi."
"Are you only going to make fun of me?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it held much more strength than before.
"Can't you... just be kind and help me think of a solution? I don't want to go... I really don't want to..."
By the end, her voice inevitably carried a pleading tone.
This was exactly the sentence Keita had been waiting for.
A formal invitation that completely handed the initiative for solving the problem over to him.
Keita sat up a little straighter, his expression turning serious.
"A solution..."
He repeated the word, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee as if weighing the pros and cons for her.
"There are many excuses to directly refuse: sickness, family matters, going to cram school... but these can only be used once."
"With Karen's personality, next time she'll invite you again under the guise of 'we're good friends.' You can't always find excuses to avoid her; that will only make your situation in class more awkward."
Keita's analysis was spot-on, making Anna nod subconsciously, completely led by his line of thought.
"So," he continued, "you need a permanent reason that will completely draw a line between you and those two."
"A reason... that will prevent them from ever using the identity of a friend to bind you again."
Keita looked at Anna's puzzled eyes, step by step leading her to the answer he had already prepared.
The quality of energy obtained through verbal stimulation is ultimately limited.
To obtain higher quality energy such as shyness, panic, and trust, the most direct and effective method is to establish the most intimate relationship, and then have the most direct physical contact.
And the Anna in front of him just happened to have a need that would allow Keita to reasonably propose such an action.
"You need a private matter of your own with the highest priority. Something so important that even your best friends have no right to interfere."
Keita stopped typing, raised his eyes, and looked at Yanami's face, offering his suggestion.
"For example, you're going on a date with your new boyfriend."
"Eh... a new... boyfriend?"
Anna murmured the words, repeating them.
The expression on her face went from confusion to shock, and then to a hint of absurdity, all in just two short seconds.
She subconsciously wanted to retort, "Where would I get a new boyfriend?" but the words stopped on her tongue.
Her gaze uncontrollably fell upon the man in front of her who had proposed the plan.
This man who had just allowed her to stay by his side, who was the only one who knew all her secrets, who had stripped away her defenses with cold words, and who at this moment was analyzing her predicament with an incredibly serious attitude.
A thought, seemingly the only solution at hand, uncontrollably emerged from the depths of her heart.
She looked into Keita's beautiful eyes and asked softly, in a tentative tone:
"That... new boyfriend, wouldn't it be..."
She had only spoken half her sentence when she felt the idea was too absurd, and she herself felt guilty, so she quickly waved her hands, interrupting herself: "Haha, Imaizumi, your method won't work, it's too sudden..."
She tried to shift the awkward topic with a joke, quickly adding: "But, thank you for your kindness anyway, I'll figure something out myself..."
"Why not?"
Keita interrupted her self-negation, calmly retorting.
He looked at Anna's retreating demeanor, knowing that he had to take the most crucial step.
Such a good opportunity, if they missed it, it would be gone.
"It's exactly as you're thinking," Keita looked directly into her eyes, giving her no chance to escape, "Let me pretend to be your boyfriend."
"Eh?"
Anna's forced smile immediately froze.
She looked at Keita in surprise, her brain working rapidly, trying to discern the truth of his words from his emotionless face.
Finally, Anna, with a puzzled expression, asked Keita the reason for doing this, full of surprise.
"This... these aren't words Imaizumi, you would say, are they?!"