Imaizumi Keita thought somewhat self-deprecatingly, eventually giving up on the idea of arguing with them.
After all, arguing with two women who had reached a consensus about whether a man was a narcissist was a meaningless endeavor in itself.
He shook his head, pulled a notebook from his bag, and sat at his usual window seat to begin the tasks he needed to finish that evening.
Shioyaki Lemon's smile deepened as she watched him give up his resistance.
After exchanging a few words with Komari Chika, she also felt a bit bad about continuing to tease Kin-chan.
She took a sketchbook and colored pencils out of her bag and leaned over the table to start working on her picture diary.
In the corner, Komari Chika quietly breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that neither Imaizumi nor Yakishio would bother her for the time being.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the profile of Imaizumi Keita's face before she quickly looked away and buried herself behind her bunko book again.
Silence fell over the activity room once more.
Only the sound of cicadas outside and the friction of pen nibs against paper intertwined.
Time flowed by just like that.
...
Lunchtime the next day.
Imaizumi Keita walked down the corridor toward the courtyard carrying his bento, his mind still plotting how he should handle the "probing" Yanami would likely initiate that afternoon.
Based on what he knew of her, yesterday's one-sided cold shoulder was already the greatest concession she could make.
This noon, she would definitely find a way to come up with an excuse to get close to him again.
When that happened, should he continue to keep his distance, or just go with the flow and end this farce?
Just as he was thinking this, a small, sneaky figure entered his field of vision.
At the corner of the stairs not far away, Komari Chika was clutching a kraft paper bag, her body pressed against the wall, peeking out with half her head to cautiously observe the movement in the corridor.
After confirming that no one seemed to be around, she seemed to make a decision and hurried off in small steps in the opposite direction of the courtyard.
Imaizumi Keita's footsteps paused.
Looking at Komari Chika's cute, guilty-looking appearance and remembering it was lunchtime, he grew curious.
So, he followed her at a leisurely pace.
"Um... Classmate Komari."
Imaizumi Keita's voice wasn't loud, but in the empty corridor, it sounded exceptionally clear.
"Eek—!!"
Komari Chika shuddered at the sudden voice, nearly dropping the paper bag she was holding.
She turned around stiffly, and after seeing it was Imaizumi Keita, her body instinctively retreated several steps until her back hit the cold wall before she finally stopped.
"Im-Imaizumi... Classmate..."
Her voice trembled slightly from nervousness, and she didn't dare meet his eyes.
"Wh-why are you... here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
Imaizumi Keita walked up to her and asked curiously, "Where are you going, acting so sneakily?"
"I, I..." Komari Chika clutched the paper bag tighter and stuttered an explanation, "I, I was going... to, to eat..."
"To the activity room?"
"N-no!" Komari Chika immediately shook her head. "The St-Student Council... has a r-rule that... during l-lunch... you c-can't eat in the activity room."
"Oh? Then are you going somewhere else?"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her, then glanced in the direction she had been heading, looking confused.
"But, Komari, the way you were just going... if I remember correctly, the restrooms are that way, aren't they?"
This sentence made Komari's body freeze instantly, her eyes filled with terror and shame.
"I, I I I..."
She instinctively wanted to retreat, only to find the cold wall behind her; there was nowhere to run.
-------------------------
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!"