She slowly raised her head, and when she saw it was Imaizumi Keita, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"...Yeah."
She mumbled a response, then lowered her head again to peel the broad bean pods.
"I thought starting a fire was easy... I didn't expect it to be so hard..."
"In the end, it was President and the others who came over and got the fire going."
"I feel... so useless..."
Shioyaki Lemon's voice grew softer and softer, thick with a nasal tone. "I offered to help, but I couldn't do anything right, only causing trouble for everyone..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but raise the back of her hand to wipe her eyes haphazardly, smearing the charcoal marks on her face even more.
Seeing her like this, Imaizumi Keita did not provoke her with harsh words, as he would when comforting Yanami.
He merely chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of obvious teasing.
"Starting a fire isn't a simple task to begin with. Especially with this kind of charcoal, it's really hard to light without some skill. Your sooty, disheveled appearance is very common for beginners."
"Then..."
Shioyaki Lemon sniffled, lifted her small face smudged with charcoal and tears, and retorted with a hint of indignation.
"Kin-chan, if you knew, why didn't you come help me just now? I... I might have been able to help with ingredient preparation..."
"Help you?" Imaizumi Keita shook his head and squatted down to be at eye level with her.
"If I had advised you from the beginning, or just come over to help you, then I wouldn't have seen you like this, would I?"
"Eh?"
"Although it looks a bit disheveled, however,"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her face, which had turned into a little cat, and said sincerely, "...it's also quite cute."
Shioyaki Lemon was stunned.
She had thought she would only be ridiculed for looking like this, but she hadn't expected...
Cute?
My current appearance... cute?
Her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she opened her mouth, wanting to complain about Imaizumi saying such things.
But when she remembered that Imaizumi was complimenting her, Shioyaki couldn't bear to respond to Imaizumi with a scolding tone.
Imaizumi Keita smiled at her stunned expression, then naturally picked up a nearby basin and joined her in peeling broad beans.
His fingers were long and nimble, and he was much more skilled at peeling bean pods than Shioyaki Lemon. In a short while, the bottom of the basin was covered with a layer of beans.
Seeing this, Shioyaki Lemon shook all the jumbled thoughts out of her mind and quietly finished peeling the remaining broad beans with him.
When the two returned to the barbecue grill with the basin of peeled broad beans, the air was already filled with the aroma of roasted meat.
Yanami Anna was holding tongs, enthusiastically flipping the meat and vegetable skewers on the grill, looking every bit like a professional chef.
"Oh! Imaizumi-kun, Lemon-chan! You've come at just the right time!"
Seeing the two approach, her eyes lit up. She immediately used the tongs to pick up a piece of pork belly, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, from the grill, her face beaming with a proud smile.
"Come, come! The first piece of meat I just grilled! Keita, quickly help me taste it and see how it is!"
"Alright."
Imaizumi Keita nodded and responded.
He was just about to turn around to get a clean plate and chopsticks from the nearby table...
Before his eyes, a pair of slender chopsticks held the still-steaming grilled meat and directly brought it to his mouth.
Yanami Anna had a natural expression on her face, her sparkling eyes full of anticipation, looking straight at him.
This sudden intimate feeding made Imaizumi Keita pause.
He instinctively wanted to refuse Yanami's action, as it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings for others.
But seeing Yanami looking at him with such gentle anticipation, Imaizumi Keita still gave up resisting.
Forget it, who told this girl to be the fake girlfriend he chose...
Since it's half-eaten, he might as well indulge Yanami a little and let her be somewhat satisfied.
With such a soft heart, Imaizumi Keita opened his mouth and ate the grilled meat.
The meat was tender, and the aroma of the fat mixed with the salty and sweet sauce burst in his mouth instantly. The taste was indeed good.
Yanami Anna seemed unaware of how bold her previous action was. She retracted her chopsticks and turned to Shioyaki Lemon, her face still beaming with an enthusiastic smile.
"Lemon-chan, do you want a piece too? I think I grilled this one super well!"
Shioyaki Lemon smiled and nodded, taking an empty plate from the table and handing it over.
"Alright! Then I won't be polite!"
After speaking, she shifted her gaze from Yanami's face and landed on Imaizumi, who was intently savoring the grilled meat.
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