The air in the yakiniku restaurant carried a rich aroma of fat, making everyone's mood a bit better.
"Keita, quick, this piece of meat is ready!"
Yanami Anna had an excited expression. She used tongs to pick up a grilled meat slice and put it into the dipping sauce dish in front of Imaizumi Keita without a word.
"Dip it in Lemon juice and salt, try it quickly!"
She rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward slightly, her sparkling eyes full of expectation as she watched him.
Looking at her, the helplessness in Imaizumi Keita's heart from Yanami Anna's sudden attack was instantly dispelled by her doting appearance.
He obediently picked up the meat slice, gave it a light dip in the seasoning, and then put it in his mouth.
The perfect amount of fat melted on his tongue instantly; the meat was tender and juicy, while the refreshing Lemon juice neutralized the greasiness of the grilled meat.
"Mmm, delicious."
Imaizumi Keita nodded and gave an honest evaluation.
"Right!"
Having received affirmation, the smile on Yanami Anna's face became even brighter.
She contentedly picked up another slice, this time putting it in her own bowl, and narrowed her eyes happily.
"So, when you're in a bad mood, you really should eat this kind of thing that can cheer you up."
She said indistinctly while chewing.
"I think your mood gets better no matter what you eat, Anna-chan."
Imaizumi Keita took a sip of oolong tea, expressing his understanding of her, "It doesn't seem to have much to do with the type of food."
"Hmph! Ritual! Do you understand the sense of ritual in yakiniku!"
Yanami Anna puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but soon she seemed to remember something, and curiosity appeared on her face.
She put down her chopsticks and, imitating Imaizumi Keita, sized him up with a scrutinizing gaze.
"But speaking of which, Keita."
"How was your morning practice with Lemon-chan today? What exactly did you do?"
The sudden questioning made Imaizumi Keita's movement of picking up meat pause for a moment.
Looking at Yanami Anna's 'confess already' expression, he knew that this compensatory yakiniku meal probably wouldn't be finished so easily.
"It was okay."
He placed the meat slice on the grill net and answered in a flat tone, "Just normal running and chatting, nothing special."
"Oh? Just normal chatting?"
Yanami Anna raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing this perfunctory answer.
She poked the dipping sauce in her bowl with her chopsticks and spoke faintly.
"How do I remember you saying before that you'd come home right after running, and it wouldn't take this long at all."
"..."
Imaizumi Keita fell silent.
Seeing his rare defeated expression, the bitterness in Yanami Anna's heart was instantly replaced by a sense of pleasure.
"Humph-humph~"
She gave a light snort from her nose, her face full of the pride of 'let's see how you'll make excuses now.'
"Keita, you guy really are..."
Seeing her like this, Imaizumi Keita didn't bother to defend himself anymore and put the freshly grilled meat slice from the grill net into her bowl.
"Here, My Queen, please enjoy."
Seeing Imaizumi Keita decisively show weakness to her, Yanami Anna just felt it was a bit funny and couldn't help but let her thoughts wander.
It seems like I've caught onto a little trick for dealing with Keita...
Keita is a very reasonable person...
So, as long as I don't cause trouble for no reason and just take advantage of the situation, Keita is still easy to handle...
"Hmph, smooth-talker."
She teased a bit and then contentedly picked up the meat and stuffed it into her mouth.
The two didn't continue this topic and began to focus on the food on the table.
After a while, the phone screen on the corner of the table lit up; Imaizumi Keita received a new message from the Literature Club group chat.
He picked up the phone to unlock it and clicked on the group chat interface, finding it was a message from Vice President Tsukinoki Koto.
"@Everyone, I've finished looking into the summer vacation activity report! This Friday night, there's a small Fireworks Festival at the Seaside Park in the neighboring city! Although the scale isn't large, I heard the atmosphere is great, and there are many food stalls! What does everyone think?"
At the end of the message was a photo of a previous Fireworks Festival, showing fireworks blooming in the night sky; it looked very attractive indeed.
Not long after Tsukinoki Koto's message was sent, the group became lively.
Shioyaki Lemon was the first to pop up: "Whoa! A Fireworks Festival! That's awesome! I'm definitely going!"
Tamaki Shintaro followed up: "Sounds good, I have no objection."
Komari Chika was slightly hesitant but also agreed: "Will there be a lot of people? If it's just a small one, it should be fine..."
Looking at the replies in the group, Imaizumi Keita turned his head and pointed the phone screen toward Yanami Anna beside him.
Yanami Anna was currently fully focused on observing the meat slices on the grill, gauging the grilling time so she could take them at the most appropriate moment.
"Anna-chan, the Summer Festival has been decided; it's the Fireworks Festival in the neighboring city."
"Eh? Really?!"
Yanami Anna leaned over, and after seeing the content on the screen clearly, her eyes lit up instantly.
"A Fireworks Festival! Great!"
She let out an excited cheer, then picked up her phone from the side to reply.
[I want to go too! Senpai! Can we wear yukatas then?! (▽)]
As soon as her message was sent, Tsukinoki Koto's reply popped up quickly.
[Of course! Girls wearing yukatas to watch fireworks together—now that's what summer feels like!]
[What about the boys? Should the President and Imaizumi-kun also wear Jinbei or yukatas? @Tamaki Shintaro @Imaizumi Keita]
Facing Tsukinoki Koto's inquiry, Tamaki Shintaro quickly gave his reply.
[Since you've said so, Koto, I'll naturally accompany you to the end.]
Now, the pressure was on the last person.
Imaizumi Keita looked at Yanami Anna and gave his answer with a smile.
[Got it.]
...
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