Summer vacation usually meant supplementary classes, club activities, and squandering youth to one's heart's content for an ordinary high school student.
But after awakening another set of memories, Imaizumi Keita had a completely different plan for this upcoming long break.
He needed money.
Whether for future freedom or to deal with the unknown troubles this body might bring, money was the most reliable shield.
As a transmigrator with self-awareness, he knew very well that the fastest way to monetize the cultural treasure trove in his mind was the old path—plagiarism.
After school, Imaizumi Keita went straight back to his rented apartment.
He hung up his school bag and threw himself onto the bed in a spread-eagle position, beginning to quickly inventory the "assets" he could utilize.
Movies and games?
They required a huge team and startup capital. Impossible, ruled out immediately.
Music?
He only remembered the melodies and was completely ignorant of professional music theory and arrangement. He couldn't transform what was in his head into a sellable product.
After thinking it over, the only option suitable for him with a low barrier to entry was light novels.
And the "light novel" option was almost tailor-made for him.
Not only did it perfectly fit his identity as a "Literature Club member," but he could even report the writing as a club activity.
More importantly, the market in this world was large and mature enough.
The plan was set.
After reaching a conclusion, Imaizumi Keita leaped up from the bed and, without any hesitation, sat down at the desk and opened his laptop.
He created a new document and began to filter through the works in his memory.
The first work had to be safe enough, the audience broad enough, and the plot had to have a certain level of discussion potential.
A work that had caused a phenomenal level of discussion in his memory soon surfaced in his mind.
It was a work that blended school romance with the unique, twisted emotions of adolescence.
The exquisite plot structure and the stomach-aching character relationships were enough to grab the hearts of all readers.
This was the one.
Imaizumi Keita opened his eyes, which were filled with calm confidence.
He didn't start writing the main text directly. Instead, he first typed out a few keywords in the document and began to organize the overall story outline, character settings, and key foreshadowing for the first volume.
The sky outside, before he knew it, had been completely shrouded in night.
...
The next day, lunch break.
The same corner of the courtyard as always, the same bench as always, the same two people as always.
Imaizumi Keita quietly ate the yakisoba bread he bought from the convenience store, his mind still reviewing the outline he wrote last night, thinking if there were any details that could be polished to perfection.
And Yanami Anna, sitting next to him, ate the rice ball she brought in small bites, her gaze constantly drifting toward the man beside her who hadn't said a word since they sat down.
Today's Imaizumi-kun seems a bit absent-minded.
This thought popped into Yanami Anna's head uncontrollably.
For some reason, seeing him like this, immersed in his own world and completely ignoring her, Yanami suddenly felt an urge to break the silence.
So, she cleared her throat and spoke in a seemingly casual and nonchalant tone.
"Hey, Imaizumi-kun."
"Hmm?"
Imaizumi Keita's thoughts were interrupted, and he looked up in confusion.
"Before lunch today,"
Yanami Anna paused intentionally, observing his reaction before continuing.
"Karen and Sousuke invited me to go to Karen's house for a study session after school."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and pretended to focus on the rice ball in her hand, while actually stealing a glance at Imaizumi Keita's expression.
However, no emotional fluctuations she had anticipated appeared on Imaizumi Keita's face.
He just gave a faint "Oh" and prepared to lower his head again to continue his thinking.
This reaction caused a surge of inexplicable unwillingness and annoyance in Yanami Anna's heart.
Yanami Anna raised her head, her volume unconsciously increasing a bit.
"But, I refused!"
"...Um, and then?"
Imaizumi Keita's reaction was still flat, as if he were just listening to an insignificant triviality.
"And then," Yanami Anna looked at his unperturbed manner, steeled herself, and simply threw out the "bombshell" she had prepared.
"I told Karen that because I'm staying with Imaizumi-kun after school, I can't go over."
After saying this, she immediately lowered her head, her heart thumping uncontrollably.
She could feel her cheeks heating up at a visible rate.
This time, Imaizumi Keita finally had a reaction.
He slowly put down the yakisoba bread in his hand and looked at Yanami. After several seconds, he let out a long sigh.
That sigh was mixed with a kind of helplessness that Yanami Anna found both familiar and irritating.
"I say, Yanami,"
Imaizumi Keita's tone carried a hint of obvious teasing, "After you made such a decisive counterattack by refusing them,"
He paused, a curious smile appearing on his face.
"How does it feel? Do you have a sense of triumph like, 'Ah, I finally don't have to watch you guys show off your love anymore'?"
"Ac-actually, there is a little bit..."
Yanami Anna subconsciously admitted in a small voice.
That feeling certainly existed.
When she used "going on a date with my boyfriend" as a legitimate excuse to decline that Book Club meeting she didn't want to attend at all, a small, triumphant sense of joy welled up from deep within her heart.
"Oh? Just a little bit?"
Imaizumi Keita raised an eyebrow, looking at her cute expression—a mix of wanting credit and feeling a bit guilty—and finally couldn't help but chuckle.
He slowly reached out and, just as Yanami Anna expected, gently ruffled Yanami's hair.
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
Yanami Anna's body trembled involuntarily, but she didn't try to dodge; she only glared at him with eyes full of bashful annoyance.
"It seems our Anna,"
Imaizumi Keita withdrew his hand and leaned forward slightly, closing the distance before saying in a voice laced with amusement, "Your heart is still a little sour, isn't it?"
"You say you're refusing, but in your heart, you secretly want to go see what those two are doing, right?"
"I-I do not!"
Yanami Anna's cheeks flushed even redder as she turned her head away, stubbornly retorting.
"I just... I just think that kind of situation is awkward! Who would want to go see that!?"
This stubborn retort sounded weak; instead, it felt more like acting spoiled.
"Is that so?"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her profile, which was red all the way to her ears, and the curve of his lips widened a bit more unconsciously.
He didn't press her further with words, simply poking her puffed-out cheek with his finger.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you."
"Being able to take the initiative to refuse is already a great step forward. You deserve praise."
This sudden affirmation left Yanami Anna stunned.
She slowly turned her head and met his eyes, which held a sincere smile; the bashful annoyance she felt from being teased suddenly vanished into thin air.
In its place was a strange feeling—a mixture of peace of mind and a hint of sweetness.
So, he isn't always bullying me after all...
Just as she was lost in thought, Imaizumi Keita added another sentence.
"Though..." He looked at Yanami Anna, his eyes full of tenderness. "That slightly jealous look you had just now was actually quite cute."
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