She looked into Imaizumi Keita's eyes as if convincing herself, "Even if I locked you at home every day, you'd always find a way to attract other pretty girls to come onto you voluntarily."
"And," her tone took on a hint of teasing.
"Lemon-chan is so cute and has such a straightforward personality, even I like her. It seems... not that incomprehensible for you to be attracted to her, Keita."
Yanami Anna gave his chest a light punch and then stopped pursuing the topic.
She looked at Imaizumi Keita with sparkling eyes and proactively changed the subject.
"I'm hungry. What are we having for dinner?"
Imaizumi Keita looked at Yanami Anna, who had proactively changed the subject, and didn't immediately answer her question about dinner.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart; he really didn't expect Yanami Anna to act so calmly.
If it were said that Yanami Anna only acted this way because she didn't care about him...
Her usual behavior showed that such a thing was completely impossible.
This woman was starting to use her own way to digest the emotions that made her feel uneasy, finally putting on a magnanimous front.
Clearly, she still cared deep down.
She cared about him going out alone with another girl, and she cared about his body being tainted with a scent that didn't belong to her.
But she just wouldn't say it.
Imaizumi Keita had the softest heart for girls with this kind of attitude.
He couldn't help but reach out and pull her into his arms.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Yanami Anna made a symbolic struggle but soon settled down, letting him hold her. She just pressed her cheek against his chest and complained in a muffled voice.
"Suddenly hugging me like that... you gave me a start..."
"Anna-chan."
Imaizumi Keita's chin rested lightly on the top of her head, smelling the reassuring fragrance from her hair.
"Hmm?"
"Although saying this might make you think I'm even more of a bastard."
He paused, his voice much gentler than usual, "But, I really like the way you are right now."
"...Huh?"
Yanami Anna looked up, her face full of confusion, "The way I am now? What am I like now? Isn't it just a normal girlfriend's way of being?"
"No," Imaizumi Keita shook his head, his voice much gentler than usual, "It's a very special way."
It was something no other girl had—that mixture of possessiveness, tolerance, and a hint of perfectly-timed self-deception in a cute way.
The random praise made Yanami Anna's cheeks flush slightly.
She huffed and buried her head back into his chest, avoiding his eyes.
"Smooth-talker... always saying sweet things to coax me."
"So, what do you want for dinner?"
Imaizumi Keita brought the topic back, "There should still be ingredients left over from the last sukiyaki in the fridge. Should I make something simple?"
"No."
Yanami Anna refused without even thinking.
She looked up from his arms, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him with a cunning expression.
"I don't want to eat at home today. Let's go out."
"Eat out?"
"Yeah," she nodded as if it were obvious, "Just think of it as... a little compensation for your magnanimous girlfriend. I want yakiniku! The high-end kind!"
As she spoke, she pulled his hand and prepared to walk toward the door.
That impatient look seemed like she was afraid he would go back on his word.
Imaizumi Keita looked at her and felt it was a bit funny and a bit helpless.
Using the name of "compensation" to extort a yakiniku meal—only she could probably do something like this.
"I know, I know."
The two changed shoes and walked out of the apartment side by side.
Six chapters left.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"