C-could Mitsuki really keep saying something like that to a girl?
Just imagining the scene made her feel incredibly embarrassed.
However, Ayano Mitsuki, who was in a state of infatuation, clearly didn't find this suggestion any more humiliating than the previous one.
Although he listened with some confusion, seeing Imaizumi Keita's confident expression, he eventually nodded, half-believing, half-doubting.
After all, it was about expressing his feelings to Chihaya, and he wasn't against it...
"I... I understand. Then I'll... go try it first."
With that, he made up his mind, silently reciting the confession as he walked away in the direction he came from, even forgetting to say goodbye to the two of them.
Watching Ayano Mitsuki's somewhat flustered back, Shioyaki Lemon turned her head to look at Imaizumi Keita beside her.
"Hey, Imai-chan."
"Hmm?"
"That method you taught Mitsuki... will it really work?" Her tone was full of doubt. "It feels... a bit unreliable."
"It's more than just useful." Imaizumi Keita's face was full of confidence when he heard this. "It's extremely useful."
He turned his head, looking at Shioyaki Lemon's confused expression, and slowly explained, "Lemon, you have to understand that linguistic suggestion can sometimes be far more potent than direct action."
"Suggestion?"
"Yes. When a person, especially someone of the opposite sex who already has a good impression of you, keeps saying ambiguous things in your ear, your brain will uncontrollably start to believe what they're saying."
Imaizumi Keita's voice was calm, yet it carried a peculiar persuasiveness.
"Over time, even if you didn't have those thoughts originally, you'll become happy because of those pleasingly ambiguous words."
He chuckled, looking at Shioyaki Lemon's half-comprehending expression.
"Let alone people who are already in love, even ordinary people with no romantic inclinations might not be able to defend against this kind of offensive."
"R-really that powerful...?"
Shioyaki Lemon still didn't quite believe it.
She always felt that a technique that sounded like it belonged in a romance novel shouldn't have such an exaggerated effect in reality.
Seeing the lingering doubt in Shioyaki Lemon's eyes, Imaizumi Keita paused.
Shioyaki Lemon, standing beside him, looked up at him with some confusion.
"Imai-chan?"
Inside the dimly lit underground exhibition hall, soft light cascaded from above, casting a hazy glow between the two of them.
Imaizumi Keita simply watched her quietly, his eyes holding a focused yet profound emotion.
Under his gaze, Shioyaki Lemon's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
She opened her mouth, about to ask him "What's wrong?", but then saw Imaizumi Keita's lips move.
A clear voice, devoid of any superfluous emotion, distinctly reached her ears.
"I like you."
Shioyaki Lemon's brain instantly crashed.
She looked at Imaizumi Keita, who appeared gentle under the exhibition hall lights, and felt an irresistible pull emanating from him.
Her initial thought of just being good friends with Imai-chan was shattered in that moment by Imaizumi Keita's confession-like words and gentle gaze.
After two seconds, Shioyaki Lemon, who had slightly broken free from the influence of Imaizumi Keita's Succubus Aura, finally understood what had happened.
"...Eh?"
She blinked, and it took her a long time to squeeze out that single syllable, her face full of bewilderment.
An illusion?
No, that's not right.
Did she mishear?
Or was Imai-chan... continuing the previous topic, giving her a demonstration?
Yes, that must be it!
Imai-chan wouldn't possibly take this opportunity to confess to her, right?
Not to mention how abrupt this confession was, Imai-chan also said he liked Anna...
Having found a reasonable explanation, Shioyaki Lemon was about to breathe a sigh of relief and jokingly tease him, "Don't make jokes like that."
But Imaizumi Keita, once again, repeated his words in the same calm tone.
"I like you, Lemon."
This time, Imaizumi Keita's voice included Shioyaki Lemon's name.
Those two incredibly familiar syllables instantly struck Yakishio's heart.
With a 'boom,' Shioyaki Lemon felt all the blood in her body rush to her head, her cheeks rapidly heating up and turning red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her earlobes and neck.
"K-Imai-chan, wh-wha-what are you saying?!"
She took a step back, widening the distance between them, her voice stammering from panic. "D-don't joke around! It's n-not funny at all!"
However, Imaizumi Keita seemed not to notice her flushed appearance, nor did he heed Yakishio's rebuttal.
He merely took another step forward, bringing the distance between them back to that unsettling range.
Then, for the third time.
"I like you."
This time, Imaizumi Keita's voice carried a gentle sigh.
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