The bell after school became the rest note for the classroom's bustle.
The restlessness belonging to the day gradually settled in the air, replaced by a tranquility unique to dusk.
Imaizumi Keita unhurriedly stuffed the last textbook into his schoolbag, his movements calm and unhurried.
For him, this time waiting for the classroom to empty out had become an unspoken habit.
Just as he zipped up his schoolbag and prepared to leave, a familiar figure with a pleasant scent of shampoo stopped beside his desk.
"Um... Imaizumi-kun."
Yanami Anna was unconsciously twisting the hem of her school uniform shirt with one hand, her eyes deliberately drifting towards the window, and she spoke in a tone that seemed indifferent.
"I seem to have seen a girl with reddish-brown hair looking for you outside the classroom at noon? Is she from the class next door?"
Her tone sounded like casual gossip between friends, but Imaizumi Keita noticed that Yanami Anna didn't even dare to look him in the eye.
Imaizumi Keita stopped getting up, leaned back in his chair with a chuckle, and crossed his arms, staring at Yanami's furtive glances.
"What? We're only pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, and you're already keeping such a close watch on me?"
Imaizumi Keita's voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried a hint of obvious teasing.
"Yanami, that won't do."
"If your future boyfriend were to be interrogated like this by you over all sorts of things, he might get annoyed and leave you."
"Ha?! Th-that's not what I meant at all!"
Yanami Anna raised her voice as if she were a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and a shy, angry flush appeared on her face after having her inner thoughts exposed.
She stepped forward, placed her hands on Imaizumi Keita's desk, and leaned forward slightly, trying to overwhelm him with her presence.
"I'm just... just acting as a 'partner', and I have an obligation to care about your social situation!"
Yanami Anna turned her face away, forcing herself to find an excuse: "What if you have some strange misunderstanding with other girls, and all our previous efforts are wasted! Wouldn't I have..."
She tried hard to find a high-sounding excuse for her behavior, but the more she spoke, the more guilty she felt.
After all, the so-called cooperation between the two had no strict binding measures; it all depended on whether the other party kept their word.
"Alright, alright,"
Imaizumi Keita had no interest in watching her clumsy performance, so he waved his hand and gave the answer directly, "That was a classmate from the Literature Club. It seems the club has some temporary activity, and the president requested all registered members to go there."
"The Literature Club?"
Yanami Anna was stunned for a moment, and her body, which was leaning on the desk, straightened up.
She looked him up and down again with an incredulous look.
"Imaizumi, you... actually participated in club activities? I can't tell at all."
Her eyes were a mixture of surprise, confusion, and curiosity, as if asking, "A guy like you who keeps to himself actually has a group life?"
"...Even someone like me occasionally has club activities."
Imaizumi Keita responded speechlessly. He stood up, grabbed his schoolbag, and asked, "Anyway, aren't you going home today? Classmate Himemiya and the others should have left already."
Hearing this question, the aura Yanami Anna had carefully maintained suddenly collapsed, and an obvious look of embarrassment appeared on her face.
"It's because they've left that I don't want to go back now..."
Yanami Anna complained in a low voice, her tone full of annoyance, "If I go back now, I'll definitely run into the two of them on the way."
"Then that guy Karen will definitely drag me around and ask me all sorts of things, like 'How are you and Classmate Imaizumi?' or 'What stage is it at?'... I can't handle that."
After she finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly think of something; her eyes, which had been drooping, lit up, and an excited look appeared on her face.
"By the way! Imaizumi, aren't you going to participate in club activities?"
She leaned in again, her face full of anticipation, almost sticking to Imaizumi Keita's face.
"Can I... go with you?"
This sudden proposal made Imaizumi Keita raise his eyebrows.
Let Yanami Anna go with him to the Literature Club's Clubroom?
He instinctively calculated in his mind.
Now the "couple" status of the two had been initially established, but only in front of Sousuke and Karen.
If he could expand the influence of this relationship to other social circles, it would undoubtedly create more opportunities for him to have reasonable contact with her and gain "energy."
Even if he didn't expand their relationship, according to Koma Chihana, the Literature Club probably didn't have many people going there anyway...
Then, the quiet environment of the Literature Club was indeed very suitable for some... necessary "lover-style practice."
More importantly, seeing her take the initiative to ask to stick to him, this feeling of being needed was very pleasant.
"It's not impossible."
Imaizumi Keita thought for a moment and gave an ambiguous answer.
He looked at Yanami Anna's face, which looked shiny with anticipation, and then tentatively asked Yanami.
"What, are you interested in the Literature Club too, Yanami? Why not just join?"
"Eh?! Join?"
Yanami Anna obviously didn't expect him to make this suggestion, and the expression on her face instantly became a bit hesitant.
She knew nothing about literature, and letting her sit quietly reading and writing was worse than letting her risk gaining weight by eating a big meal.
However, the proposal of "participating in club activities with Imaizumi" was inexplicably attractive to her.
"I, I'm just a little curious!"
Yanami Anna answered evasively, her eyes drifting elsewhere, "Can't I... just take a look first? See what your Literature Club usually does."
"Sure."
Imaizumi Keita seeing that she didn't refuse immediately, knew that this was a done deal.
He picked up his schoolbag and walked towards the classroom door, "Then let's go."
"Okay!"
Yanami Anna immediately showed a bright smile, quickly put on her schoolbag, and followed him with light steps.
"By the way,"
Yanami Anna caught up with Imaizumi Keita and walked side by side with him, her face still wearing the uncontrollable curiosity from just now.
"What are the members of the Literature Club like? Are they easy to get along with?"
"I don't know."
"Eh?! Imaizumi, you don't even know and you invited me to join? That's too irresponsible!"
"Isn't I here? It's not like I'm going to quit the club after you join, so what are you afraid of?"
"That's true."
Yanami Anna nodded in approval as she listened to Imaizumi Keita's reasoning; there was nothing to worry about there...
Wait, to some extent, Classmate Imaizumi is the biggest trouble, isn't he...
An expression of conflict appeared on Yanami's face, and she would occasionally look at Imaizumi Keita, struggling with her inner thoughts.
The setting sun shone diagonally through the window at the end of the corridor, pulling their shadows long and overlapping them tightly.
Yanami Anna looked at the shadows on the ground and then secretly glanced at Imaizumi Keita's calm profile beside her. A feeling of anticipation, which she herself had not yet realized, slowly welled up in her heart.