"Huh?! C-Can't compare to me?! No way!"
She retorted without thinking, "Anna is so cute, has such a great personality, and is so popular in class... I-I'm just a girl who's good at nothing but sports! Why would she think that?"
She had never even considered such a reason.
In her eyes, Yanami Anna was practically perfect.
Pretty, cheerful, and socially adept, she was always surrounded by friends—the kind of girl who was the sparkling center of any crowd.
...
While she herself... was nothing more than an unremarkable, ordinary person outside of the track.
She couldn't understand why someone like Anna would feel "uncharming" because of her.
She looked at Imaizumi Keita's calm profile, and a question bubbled up from her heart, slipping out uncontrollably.
"Um... Kin-chan..."
Her voice was much softer than usual, carrying a hint of testing that even she hadn't noticed.
"Then, in your heart... who do you think is more charming, Anna or me?"
Main Text: Chapter 56 - Shioyaki, You Look Very Cute
Hearing this, the flat expression on Imaizumi Keita's face flickered for a moment.
Looking at Shioyaki Lemon's evasive eyes, a sudden sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Ah... that expression, that question.
Back when Yanami Anna had completely let go of the past and started shifting her attention to him, she seemed to always ask similar questions.
They always instinctively sought a definitive answer, as if hearing "you're more charming" from him would provide a solid anchor for their newly budding and incredibly fragile self-confidence.
Honestly...
Imaizumi Keita smiled and subconsciously reached out to ruffle Shioyaki's short hair, which was a bit messy from the sea breeze.
The strands felt soft yet slightly damp from exercise, a sharp contrast to Yanami's well-groomed smoothness.
"Eh?!"
The sensation on her head made Shioyaki Lemon's body stiffen abruptly.
A strange mix of surprise and panic instantly surged from her scalp through her entire body.
She instinctively took a half-step back, creating distance from Imaizumi Keita. On her healthy, tanned cheeks, two suspicious blushes appeared at a visible rate.
"K-Kin-chan... W-What are you doing?!"
Her voice trembled slightly from nervousness, and her eyes began to wander uncontrollably.
Her heart raced uncontrollably, thumping loudly against her eardrums.
Her mind went blank, with only one thought circling repeatedly.
Did... did he just flirt with me?
H-How should I react?
Should I kick him or punch him?
If I kick him, where should I aim?!
Before Shioyaki Lemon could sort out her thoughts, Imaizumi Keita had already withdrawn his hand, a helpless, apologetic smile on his face.
"Sorry, sorry," his voice sounded much softer than before. "I did that out of habit. It was rude of me."
"Out of habit?"
"Yeah," Imaizumi Keita nodded, explaining bashfully. "Seeing you like that, I suddenly mistook you for Yanami. I'm very sorry!"
He paused, turning his gaze toward the figure not far away who was chatting happily with the seniors, and added another sentence.
"When she first became a loser, she was always like you—completely lacking in self-confidence."
This explanation caused the embarrassment and annoyance Shioyaki Lemon felt from being "flirted with" to mostly dissipate, replaced by a sense of bewildered understanding.
She froze for several seconds, tentatively processing the information, before an even greater doubt surfaced in her mind.
Shioyaki Lemon slowly turned her head and looked back at Imaizumi Keita, her face full of confusion.
"But... Kin-chan, didn't you just say that Anna is also insecure about her lack of charm now?"
"Is there a difference between the insecurity of just becoming a loser and her insecurity now?"
"Of course there is."
Imaizumi Keita's answer was crisp and direct.
He looked into Shioyaki Lemon's confused eyes and said something she couldn't understand but somehow felt was very profound.
"Her past insecurity stemmed from herself."
"But now," he paused, a flash of tenderness and possessiveness flickering in his eyes.
"It stems from me."
Having said that, Imaizumi Keita didn't give Shioyaki Lemon a chance to press further. He naturally steered the conversation back to the starting point, answering her previous question.
"As for whether you or Yanami is more charming..."
With his hands in his swim trunk pockets and his body leaning back slightly, he struck a pose as if he were seriously evaluating her, speaking leisurely.
"The two of you are completely different types with entirely different points of charm. It's hard to compare you."
"Yanami, as you can see, is a typical cheerful Outgoing Person. She's full of energy, socially adept, and quickly becomes the center of attention wherever she goes. That sparkling quality is a powerful charm in itself."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze back to Shioyaki Lemon, looking her up and down as he continued his evaluation.
"And you, Shioyaki, are the athletic, tomboyish type. You're frank, direct, and easygoing. You have a cool, refreshing vibe that even other girls find impressive."
Listening to his analysis, Shioyaki Lemon's expression shifted from her initial nervousness to confusion.
She could roughly understand that Imaizumi Keita was praising her, but...
"I can understand the charm of a cheerful Outgoing Person..."
Shioyaki Lemon scratched her short hair and asked uncertainly, "But an athletic, tomboyish girl... what kind of charm is that?"
Her voice held a hint of self-deprecation and loss, clearly thinking back to her failed romance.
"Kouki... maybe he never even saw me as a girl."
"That's why I'm saying you don't understand the charm of the 'tomboy' type at all."
Imaizumi Keita shook his head, wearing a "you're so naive" expression.
He looked at Shioyaki Lemon and began to explain things to her.
"The so-called 'tomboys,' or rather 'tomboyish beauties'—their greatest charm lies in the fact that they only need to show half of their feminine side to make everyone around them feel their cuteness."
"Eh?"
"Think about it," Imaizumi Keita guided her persuasively. "When everyone is used to your usual cool and frank demeanor, and you occasionally show a bit of a girl's shyness, vulnerability, or attentiveness to detail... the impact of that contrast is much stronger than those who are 'girly' all the time."
"And when they finally decide to completely ditch their usual neutral look and put on feminine clothes..."
He paused, seemingly imagining the scene, and then delivered his final conclusion in a tone full of admiration.
"...that Feminine power would probably go through the roof on the spot."
Imaizumi Keita's "professional" theoretical explanation left Shioyaki Lemon's brain in a state of complete deadlock.
Her head felt dizzy, as if the doors to a new world had been opened, yet she also felt like she hadn't understood anything at all.
She could only instinctively apply this theory to the problem she cared about most, asking back uncertainly:
"Then... do you mean that if I wear more... feminine clothes in the future, it would be... better?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized the subtext of her question.
That lingering hope in her heart that Ayano Mitsuki might change his mind was now exposed right in front of Imaizumi Keita.
Shioyaki Lemon's cheeks instantly flared up.
Imaizumi Keita didn't use words to point out her pitiful little thoughts.
Looking at Shioyaki's cute expression—a mix of expectation and guilt—he shook his head and gave his answer.
"No."
He said, "I think you're already very cute just the way you are."
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