Shioyaki Lemon emphasized again, stating decisively: "I only care about what I want to do and the person I like. As long as I can be with you, what does it matter if people talk?"
After a moment, she asked the question that had been hidden in her heart for a long time.
"But, Kin-chan... setting aside the fact that I can accept you having two girlfriends..."
Her gaze became serious, "What about Anna? Does she know too? Does she also accept... that you want to date two girls at the same time?"
Shioyaki Lemon was actually a bit nervous; she didn't really want to ruin the relationship between Kin-chan and Anna, nor did she want to ruin her own relationship with Anna.
If Anna accepted it too, then a happy ending could be achieved—a world where no one gets hurt...
If Yanami Anna didn't accept Kin-chan's unfaithfulness, wouldn't the promise Kin-chan made be useless?
Previously, she had been relying on guesses and deductions, believing that Anna must have some special reason for tolerating Keita's philandering.
But a guess is just a guess after all.
"From what you said before, it sounds like Anna has accepted it?"
She added a sentence, cheering herself up in her heart.
The smile on Imaizumi Keita's face faded a bit, and he also showed a serious expression.
"Yes, Anna accepts this kind of thing too."
Hearing this affirmative answer, Shioyaki Lemon's heart felt a bit more at ease.
"Since Lemon, you've requested equal rights with Anna, to be fair to both of you, I need to tell you a few things."
Shioyaki Lemon's heart began to throb.
What's with this déjà vu of a new world about to be revealed...
Is there anything else Kin-chan is hiding from her?
Could it be the reason why Anna accepted him having two girlfriends?
It couldn't be that Kin-chan is actually so capable that one person simply can't handle him...
"You... go ahead and say it, Kin-chan. I'm ready."
Shioyaki Lemon turned her face away, resting her cheek against Imaizumi Keita's chest as she spoke.
"First of all, Anna knows that you like me, Lemon..."
Although this news was a bit frightening and embarrassing, it was within Shioyaki Lemon's expectations.
"Is... is that so?"
Shioyaki Lemon's voice was a bit evasive, "I-I guess so. The feeling of liking someone is probably hard to hide... I can't control myself either..."
Imaizumi Keita nodded, not caring too much about Lemon's current reaction, and moved on to the next thing.
"Moreover, Anna also knows... knows that you confessed to me."
"I was just... at that time..."
Shioyaki Lemon instinctively wanted to open her mouth to explain something.
She wanted to say that the confession in front of the Station was an impulse of the moment, but she only got half her words out before nearly biting her tongue.
Wait, wait, wait, wait!
She suddenly sat up from Imaizumi Keita's arms, her eyes wide open, filled with shock and dullness.
Just now... what did Kin-chan say?
Anna... knows... I confessed to Kin-chan?
How could she?
When?
Why?
How did she find out?
Who told her?!!
Countless questions were swirling in Shioyaki Lemon's mind.
Finally, her mind focused on a more critical, or rather, more important question for the moment.
"When?"
"Eh?"
"When did she find out?"
Imaizumi Keita looked into Lemon's eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed and guilty.
He awkwardly averted his gaze, not daring to meet Lemon's eyes, and answered somewhat vaguely.
"Well... it was, not long after the confession..."
"Not long?"
Shioyaki Lemon looked at Imaizumi Keita's turned face; she had never seen Kin-chan look so embarrassed before, as he usually always seemed so composed...
A trace of realization gradually surfaced in her heart...
A sense of humiliation and the grievance of being kept in the dark slowly emerged...
"'Not long' is how long?" Shioyaki Lemon said a bit angrily: "Kin-chan, you... you didn't go back and immediately tell Anna about it right after I confessed, did you?!"
Imaizumi Keita could have lied, but after thinking about it, he chose silence.
"Ha... haha..."
Shioyaki Lemon let out a soft, dry laugh, her tone filled with disappointment and grievance.
She released her hold on Imaizumi Keita and broke free from his embrace.
The fact that she had gathered her courage to confess, prepared to be rejected, was actually told to Anna by Kin-chan...
Then what was all that for?
"Lemon, it's not what you think!"
Imaizumi Keita saw her reddened eyes, stepped forward to grab her hand again, and explained.
"Listen to me, the reason I told Anna so frankly was because... because when I first decided to pursue you, Anna already knew!"
Upon hearing this, Shioyaki Lemon's face turned even paler...
Then her romance felt too much like charity given to her by Anna in secret...
A sense of grievance suddenly flooded her heart.
Shioyaki Lemon felt her nose sting sharply, and Imaizumi Keita became blurred in her vision.
She tilted her head back, trying to force the tears back, but they disobediently flowed down her cheeks.
"Kin-chan, you bastard..."
"Lemon, you seem to have misunderstood..."
"Stop it! Kin-chan! I don't know if you're lying to me!"
"I'm not lying to you!"
"I also thought Kin-chan wasn't lying to me..."
"Fine."
Imaizumi Keita saw that Shioyaki Lemon's emotions were a bit out of control and thought of a solution in his mind.
"Since you don't believe me, Lemon, you should at least believe Anna, right?"
Shioyaki Lemon was stunned by the sudden solution he proposed, and she temporarily forgot to let her tears flow.
"Eh, eh, eh? Kin-chan, what are you saying?!"
Imaizumi Keita had a helpless expression as he stated his solution.
"I'll call Anna over right now, and you can communicate face-to-face. You should at least believe her words, right?"
"..."
The sadness and grievance on Shioyaki Lemon's face were suddenly frozen.
She stared blankly at Imaizumi Keita, finding what she just heard from Kin-chan even harder to believe than before.
Wait.
What did he... just say?
Call Anna over?
Here?
Now?
To let her and Anna communicate about "when did you find out I confessed to your boyfriend"?
The person they are both dating is the same boyfriend...
Even if, even if they each tacitly accepted the other's existence...
Are they going to start communicating now?
Is this right?!
In her ten-plus years of life, she had never heard of such an absurd, unconventional... and inhuman proposal.
Is this some new type of Shuraba that she completely fails to understand?
Shouldn't a normal person's thinking be to try every possible way to avoid such an awkward scene that makes one want to curl their toes?
How could Kin-chan... how dare he... say such a thing so naturally?
-------------------------
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!"