This sudden, direct compliment from Imaizumi Keita caused Shioyaki Lemon's brain to crash instantly.
Cute...
Kin-chan said I'm... cute?
She felt her cheeks heating up uncontrollably, the warmth spreading from the base of her neck to her ears.
"Eh?!"
Shioyaki Lemon instinctively took a step back, widening the gap between them.
Her eyes darted around in panic, not daring to meet his gaze at all.
"K-Kin-chan... Y-You just..."
She stammered, trying to say something, but her mind was a blank, and she could only unconsciously repeat meaningless words.
"Why... did you suddenly... say something like that..."
Kouki had never complimented her like that.
The guys in the Track and Field Club would only say things like "Lemon, you're so cool" or "You're really fast."
It was the first time in her life that someone had evaluated her as "cute" in such a serious, direct, and straightforward manner.
The sound of her heartbeat became exceptionally clear amidst the noisy waves.
Seeing her flustered expression, Imaizumi Keita's eyes flashed with understanding.
"What, are you surprised?"
"Of course I'm surprised!"
Shioyaki Lemon instantly raised her voice, using it to cover her inner panic.
"I always thought Kin-chan, you were the type... you know... a bit dull and aloof..."
The more she spoke, the more she felt her description was inaccurate, and her voice trailed off.
"Like, you don't really care about anything, always quietly by yourself... I never expected you to... praise a girl so directly."
"Is that so?" Imaizumi Keita's face showed a somewhat amused expression upon hearing this. "So that's how I appear in your mind."
He didn't delve deeper into the question, but naturally changed the subject, as if he suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of which, Komari-san also asked me a very interesting question on the beach earlier."
"Komari-san?"
Shioyaki Lemon's attention was successfully diverted. She blinked curiously. "Koma actually initiated a conversation with Kin-chan? What did she ask you?"
Imaizumi Keita didn't answer immediately.
He turned his head, glanced at the sea not far away, and then slowly began to explain.
"She asked me if I liked Yanami."
Shioyaki Lemon's breathing hitched, and the scene in her mind of Kin-chan confessing to her gradually dissipated.
So, Kin-chan wasn't...
"And then?!"
And "I answered, yes."
She opened her mouth wide in surprise, her clear eyes filled with disbelief.
"So... so that means... Kin-chan and Anna, are already... already officially dating?!"
So, everything Anna said before, about "asking Imaizumi-kun for help to get rid of the entanglement," was all a lie?
Were they two actually already a real couple?
Looking at her cute, somewhat dazed expression due to shock, Imaizumi Keita shook his head.
"No."
His answer once again exceeded Shioyaki Lemon's expectations.
"We're not dating yet. I just told Koma that I like Yanami, that's all."
"Eh?"
A deep confusion once again appeared on Shioyaki Lemon's face.
Likes... but not dating?
What does that mean?
Anna's demeanor also seemed to indicate she liked Kin-chan, right?
Then why...
Their relationship was different from hers and Kouki's...
Imaizumi Keita looked at the bewildered expression on Shioyaki Lemon's face and finally realized a problem belatedly.
Shioyaki Lemon and Yanami Anna were fundamentally two completely different types.
Although Yanami could sometimes be silly, her thoughts were relatively delicate and sensitive. Many things, if hinted at, she could follow the logic of his words and imagine the outcome he desired.
Communicating with her was more like a game full of push and pull, and probing.
As for Shioyaki Lemon...
Her thought process, like her sprinting route on the track, was a straight line with no turns.
For girls of her type, those indirect hints and guide would not only be ineffective but would only plunge her mind into deeper confusion.
Some things are better pointed out directly.
Having understood this, Imaizumi Keita's expression also became serious.
"Shioyaki."
"Hmm?"
"This is where you fall short."
The sudden criticism made Shioyaki Lemon pause.
"Eh? I... what am I falling short on?"
"You keep a lot of things inside but are never willing to confide them proactively."
Imaizumi Keita's gaze seemed to easily penetrate all her disguises.
"You always habitually hand over the power of choice to others, and then helplessly watch things develop in a direction contrary to your wishes."
"This applies to both your feelings for Ayano-san and your reaction just now when I praised you."
Shioyaki opened her mouth to retort but found herself unable to utter a single word.
She seemed... to be just that kind of person.
She was afraid of being rejected, so she never dared to confess proactively.
She would think, "We're so close, he should understand," and thus comfortably stay in the "childhood sweetheart" safe zone for several years.
Until finally, she watched him being taken away by someone else, without even a position to question.
"I... I just..."
Shioyaki Lemon stammered, trying to defend herself, but her voice sounded pale and weak.
Imaizumi Keita did not expect her answer.
Ultimately, this was her own life, her own feelings; how to choose in the end could only be decided by her.
All he could do was to remind her in time when she was about to get stuck in a rut.
He looked at her pitiful, almost tearful appearance, and finally couldn't help but sigh, actively easing the atmosphere.
"Alright," he reached out and ruffled her soft short hair again, his tone becoming gentle. "Don't think about those troublesome things anymore."
"It's a rare day out today, so just enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
Shioyaki Lemon looked up at Imaizumi Keita's gentle smile, and the gloom accumulated in her heart from her defeat seemed to dissipate considerably.
This person...
He really was completely different from what she had thought before.
Shioyaki Lemon sniffled, forcefully suppressing the tears that were about to well up.
Then, a bright, sunny smile, characteristic of her, reappeared on her face.
"Hmph hmph~"
She crinkled her cute nose, mimicking Imaizumi Keita's earlier manner, and retorted with a hint of teasing:
"It's easy for you to say, but I saw that Kin-chan, you weren't very direct just now either."
"You said you liked Anna, but you didn't say it out loud, nor did you start dating. Isn't that also pushing things in a direction contrary to your own wishes?"
Before Imaizumi could think of how to respond, a warm, calloused hand firmly grabbed his wrist.
Shioyaki Lemon's face held a hint of mischievous triumph.
Without giving him any chance to speak, she pulled his wrist and ran towards the nearby snack stalls without a word.
"Let's go! Stop thinking!"
Her voice, in the midday sea breeze, sounded exceptionally cool and vibrant.
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