The two of them held hands quietly, enjoying the final moments of peace during their lunch break.
Yanami Anna suddenly turned her head and asked about the doubt in her heart with curiosity.
"By the way, Imaizumi-kun," she asked, "I've been meaning to ask, how did you and Lemon... get so close?"
"Lemon?"
Imaizumi Keita was stunned for a moment before realizing who she was talking about.
"I mean, you don't usually talk much in class, but she seems to talk to you so naturally. I saw you two at the classroom door yesterday."
Yanami Anna's tone sounded like casual gossip, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes.
"Oh, that."
Imaizumi Keita didn't really care and explained naturally, "I'm fairly close friends with Ayano from Class D because of Junior High and cram school. Shioyaki and Ayano are childhood sweethearts, so I guess it's a case of 'love me, love my dog'."
He shrugged and added flatly.
"Besides, Shioyaki is just that kind of person. She's friendly with everyone and hits it off quickly. I think even if I didn't know Ayano, she would have just come up to me directly if she wanted to talk."
"Is that so... I see."
Yanami Anna nodded, and that little knot in her heart was somewhat loosened.
But then, she remembered Shioyaki Lemon calling him "Kin-chan" with such familiarity at the classroom door yesterday.
Kin-chan...
That nickname made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
No way.
How could a name everyone uses show her own special status?
As his nominal 'fake' girlfriend, she should have an exclusive nickname of her own.
Once the thought appeared, she couldn't suppress it.
Yanami Anna took a deep breath, as if making a resolution.
She quietly tightened her grip on their joined hands, met his gaze directly, and spoke in a tentative yet solemn tone.
"Hey, Imaizumi-kun."
"Hmm?"
"Can I... call you 'Keita' from now on?"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her cautious expression, an amused look appearing on his face.
"I don't mind."
His answer was crisp and straightforward, with a hint of confusion.
"Speaking of which, didn't you already call me that at the KTV? Why bring it up again all of a sudden?"
"Th-that was different!"
Yanami Anna's cheeks flushed slightly as she explained urgently, "That time... that was because the atmosphere felt right, so I just said it subconsciously!"
"This time is different! This time... I want to have a name that belongs only to me!"
As she finished, her voice grew a bit weaker, but her eyes remained exceptionally firm.
"So that's how it is."
Imaizumi Keita finally understood her intention, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
Looking at her cute appearance—simultaneously trying to assert dominance while being shy—the mischievous urge to tease her bubbled up in his heart again.
He nodded and said slowly, "Hmm, that's actually a good idea. In that case..."
He deliberately drew out his words, and under Yanami Anna's expectant gaze, he unhurriedly threw back his own 'retort'.
"From now on, I'll just call you 'Anna-chan'."
"An-Anna-chan?!"
Yanami Anna's eyes widened instantly, her face filled with surprise.
This nickname sounded both childish and overly sweet, making her feel like her cheeks had suddenly burst into flames.
"W-wait a minute! I haven't decided if I'm giving you a special name yet! Wh-why did you give me a nickname without permission?!"
She protested indignantly, trying to pull her hand away from his, but he held it firmly.
"It's fine," Imaizumi Keita completely ignored her protest, a triumphant smile on his face. "You can take your time thinking."
He leaned in a little closer, looking at her with eyes full of amusement, and then, word by word, called her again by that name that made her so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Anyway, to me, you're already 'Anna-chan'."
Just then, the warning bell signaling the end of lunch break rang, successfully rescuing Yanami Anna, who was about to explode from embarrassment.
...
The Literature Club activity room after school was as quiet as ever.
Imaizumi Keita sat in his usual spot by the window, his notebook spread out before him, concentrating on revising his novel outline.
Sitting across from him, Yanami Anna was flipping through a light novel, her gaze occasionally drifting toward Imaizumi's profile.
At that moment, the slightly ajar door of the activity room was knocked on twice, neither too hard nor too soft.
"Excuse me."
Ayano Mitsuki from Class D appeared at the door, greeting everyone in the room, with Shioyaki Lemon following behind him.
"Yahoo! Kin-chan!"
Shioyaki Lemon poked half her body in and waved energetically at Imaizumi Keita.
"Ayano-san, Shioyaki-san."
Imaizumi Keita put down his pen and looked up to respond politely.
The moment Yanami Anna saw Shioyaki Lemon, she subconsciously sat up straighter, a hint of wariness appearing in her eyes.
"I'm here to borrow a book."
Ayano Mitsuki explained his purpose with a smile, his gaze scanning the room before landing on a specific spot on the bookshelf.
"I heard from a teacher that you have the complete works of Kobo Abe here, so I wanted to come and read them."
"Ah, they're over there."
Imaizumi Keita walked to the bookshelf, quickly found the well-preserved set of reference books, and handed them to him.
"Thank you."
Ayano Mitsuki took the books, his face showing sincere gratitude.
Meanwhile, Shioyaki Lemon, following behind him, looked around the small activity room curiously.
"Wow, so this is the Literature Club? It's completely different from our Track and Field Club..."
As she spoke, she naturally walked over to Imaizumi Keita's side and nudged him with her elbow.
"Speaking of which, Kin-chan, you're really full of surprises, joining a club with such a strong literary atmosphere."
"It's alright."
Imaizumi Keita's reply remained concise.
On the side, Tsukinoki Koto stood with her arms crossed, looking proud and very happy about the liveliness in the activity room today.
"No need to be polite. If you need anything else, you can borrow them all."
"That won't be necessary, Senior. These two are enough for me to read for a while."
Ayano Mitsuki shook his head, thanking Tsukinoki for her kindness, and reached out to pick a book: "Then I'll borrow the twelfth volume."
"Eh? Kouki, won't it be hard to understand if you start reading from the middle?"
Shioyaki Lemon stood behind Ayano Mitsuki, looking puzzled as she leaned in to look at the book in Ayano's hand.
"Oh, about that, it's fine. It won't be hard to understand because this set of books isn't one single story."
"Oh, I see. It's not like One Piece then..."
Watching the two of them start chatting, Tsukinoki Koto felt the atmosphere was perfect for recruiting new members.
"Ayano-san, since you're so interested in the collection, would you like to join our Literature Club?"
"If you do, it'll be even more convenient to borrow books in the future."
This sudden invitation caught Ayano Mitsuki off guard for a moment.
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