On the third day of summer break, the weather was almost excessively clear.
Sunlight filtered through the glass window of the Family Restaurant, casting bright spots of light on the table.
"Waiter! Over here, one matcha ice cream and a Strawberry Daifuku!"
Yanami Anna raised her hand high and called out familiarly to the Waiter nearby.
She didn't even glance at the menu, ordering all the desserts she loved, and didn't seek Imaizumi Keita's opinion at all.
After all, the desserts Yanami Anna ordered were all for herself...
According to Yanami's logic, if she ordered Imaizumi's dessert too, the Waiter might think they were both big eaters...
She was still somewhat concerned about what others thought of her appetite...
Imaizumi Keita propped his chin on one hand, quietly watching Yanami.
Yanami Anna was stirring the ice water in her cup with a straw, the ice cubes making a "glug-glug" sound against the glass.
The Waiter soon brought the matcha ice cream, and Yanami accepted it with a face full of happiness, eager to dig in.
Everything was the same as before, yet it felt like everything had changed.
Since that unpleasant parting on the rooftop, this was the first time the two of them sat together like this as if it were natural.
Yanami no longer deliberately avoided him, nor did she speak to him in that flat tone full of distance.
But in truth, the thin ice called a "cold war" between the two had not yet been truly broken.
"Anna-chan."
Imaizumi Keita was the first to speak, breaking the tranquility that only Yanami was unilaterally enjoying. "How does it feel after cooling off for a few days? Have you reached any conclusion in your heart?"
Yanami Anna, who was focusing intently on the matcha ice cream, paused slightly in her scooping motion.
She raised her head and glanced at him, her eyes filled with resentment as if saying, "You're finally willing to ask."
"Anyway, no matter how calm I get, your thoughts won't change, right, Keita?"
She stuffed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and spoke indistinctly, her tone carrying a hint of pettiness.
Yanami swallowed the ice cream in her mouth and put down the spoon.
She propped her hands on the table, leaning forward slightly. Under the influence of gravity, her figure looked exceptionally good, and her eyes stared straight at him with unusual seriousness at this moment.
"Hey, Keita."
Her voice was much clearer and more solemn than before.
"The words I said on the rooftop that day... did you... actually understand them?"
Another question like this.
Imaizumi Keita looked at her, looking at her eyes that were pretending to be calm, and suddenly connected all the clues.
This woman, she wasn't throwing a tantrum at all.
She was just using her own way to make him face the problem he had been deliberately avoiding.
He fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Yeah, I understand."
He reached out, his palm crossing the table to rest gently on top of Yanami's head, rubbing it with moderate pressure.
Yanami's hair was soft and smooth, carrying that familiar, pleasant scent of her shampoo.
Imaizumi Keita quite liked this feeling...
"Anna-chan."
His voice was much gentler and more serious than before.
"No matter what, I will treat you well."
This answer made Yanami Anna's heart soften instantly.
Yanami Anna thought about the inner conflict she once had and her analysis of her feelings for Imaizumi Keita. Upon hearing these words from him, she suddenly felt an urge to cry.
Imaizumi Keita didn't say "I only like you," nor did he say "I'm willing to change for you."
He simply said he would treat her well.
Knowing full well he was an unfaithful bastard and that other pretty girls might appear around him at any time, he gave a promise that fit his personality but was also genuine.
Imaizumi Keita looked at her cute, somewhat flustered appearance and felt a sense of relief in his heart.
He knew that Yanami Anna was far smarter and braver than he had imagined.
She had probably long since seen through his "Scumbag theory" used to arm himself, and had faintly sensed the "abnormality" in him that was fatally attractive to her.
Knowing all this, she still said, "Do you want to try dating?"
This in itself meant she had already accepted everything that might happen in the future.
She was prepared, in her own way, to fairly engage in a "love war" with an unknown outcome.
And as for himself...
He didn't seem to dislike the feeling of being firmly chosen by someone.
Is this the change happening to me...
"Hmph."
Yanami Anna's cheeks were dyed a shade of crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She turned her face away and let out a tsundere-like snort from her nose.
"T-That's more like it."
Her voice still sounded a bit shaky, but her tone regained its usual vitality.
"Sooner or later, you'll realize just how many lifetimes of good luck it took to find a beautiful and tolerant girl like me as your girlfriend."
She paused, then as if remembering something, she looked back and glared at him, adding in a warning tone.
"And don't think you're so great just because you have that weird superpower. If you ever dare to do anything to betray me, I... I'll never forgive you!"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her acting tough while being weak inside and finally couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say."
He withdrew his hand and picked up his cup to take a sip of water.
Just as he was about to say something, Yanami Anna took the initiative to start another topic.
"Speaking of which, the two days before the break, you and Lemon were spending a lot of time together."
"Yeah, that's right."
Imaizumi Keita nodded and admitted it quite frankly.
"Hmph."
Yanami Anna wrinkled her nose, her tone full of resentment.
"I knew it. You really are someone who can't stand being lonely. I just said I'd keep my distance from you, and you immediately went to find another girl. Could it be that you've been eyeing Lemon-chan for a long time?"
Her sudden line of questioning made Imaizumi Keita find it a bit amusing.
He leaned back against the chair and spread his hands, his face full of frankness about his own fickleness; otherwise, he would have agreed to Yanami Anna long ago.
"Well, it can't be helped."
"Besides, Yakishio really is cute. Whether it's her straightforward personality or the way she sweats on the track, it's all very attractive. You can't entirely blame me for having designs on her."
"You—!"
Yanami Anna was rendered speechless by his shameless remarks, only able to glare at him huffily.
Looking at his self-righteous manner, that sour feeling welled up in her heart again.
But immediately after, a sense of relief surged up.
Fortunately... fortunately, she had taken the initiative to find him yesterday.
Otherwise, wouldn't this summer vacation have really turned into a dating holiday for him and Lemon?
Just thinking about that scene made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Seeing her cute expression of being angry but not daring to speak out, Imaizumi Keita's mood inexplicably became even better.
When the meals arrived, the two stopped talking and quietly ate their respective lunches.
After finishing the meal, the two walked out of the Family Restaurant side by side.
Yanami Anna walked beside Imaizumi Keita, holding a chocolate popsicle she had just bought, licking it in small bites.
"Hey, Keita."
She finished the last bite of the popsicle, threw the wooden stick into a roadside trash can, and then naturally tugged at his sleeve.
"Accompany me to the bookstore, will you?"
"The bookstore again?" Imaizumi Keita glanced at her with some surprise. "Haven't you finished your research? Does our 'genius author' have some new inspiration and need to look for materials again?"
"N-No, I don't!"
Yanami Anna's cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned her face away in embarrassment, her voice becoming much lower.
"I... I just... suddenly felt like browsing again."
Yanami Anna thought for a moment and immediately added, "Besides, didn't you promise to be my first reader, Keita? Isn't it normal to bring your exclusive reader along to find inspiration!"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her stubborn yet soft-hearted appearance and nodded, not pressing further.
"Sure."
A brilliant smile immediately appeared on Yanami Anna's face.
She stopped talking and simply reached out naturally, gently holding his hand.
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