The midday sun was at its most intense; even with clear weather, it was enough to make the beach sand slightly hot.
Imaizumi Keita lay on his back in the center of the waterproof sheet, in the shadow cast by the parasol, feeling the temperature from the sand beneath him as he drifted off to sleep.
"Here, the juice is here!"
Yanami Anna's voice was full of joy. She walked over carrying a paper tray with five cups of juice and distributed them to everyone.
"Lemon, Koma, Senpai, President, and... yours, Keita."
She placed the last cup of orange juice next to Imaizumi and then very naturally sat down in the empty space beside him.
Before Imaizumi Keita could react to being called "Keita," he saw that Yanami had already taken a box of fried noodles out of a food bag and was winding up a large mouthful with a fork, sending it into her mouth with satisfaction.
"I say, Yanami..."
He sat up somewhat helplessly, looking at the girl whose cheeks were bulging because they were stuffed with food.
"Didn't you say you were going to wait until noon to eat?"
"Mmm... because I'm hungry,"
Yanami Anna answered indistinctly. Swallowing the noodles, she added, "Besides, eating something to line my stomach first will let me eat even more delicious things later!"
Imaizumi Keita was completely too lazy to refute this brand of twisted logic of hers.
"Alright, everyone must be hungry, right?"
Tsukinoki Koto stood before everyone after tidying up the play equipment, a gentle smile on her face. "What do you want for lunch? I'll go buy it."
"Me!"
Yanami Anna was the first to raise her hand. Her fork was still stuck in the half-eaten box of fried noodles, but her eyes were shining as she looked toward the vendor area in the distance.
"Senpai! I want to eat fried noodles!"
"Huh?" Imaizumi Keita looked at her, his face full of confusion. "Isn't what you're eating right now fried noodles?"
"This is different!"
Yanami immediately retorted, looking at the box of fried noodles in her hand with disdain.
"This is just something I bought randomly from a shop without a queue when I passed by earlier. The taste is just so-so! I saw it just now, that shop in the corner looks super delicious!"
"Is that so? The one with the long queue... it seems like there aren't that many people now."
Shioyaki Lemon had also come over at some point. She glanced in the direction Yanami was pointing and showed a bright smile.
"Then I'll go buy it! I happen to want to move my body a bit anyway!"
"Oh, that would be a big help." Tsukinoki Koto nodded appreciatively.
"Ah, Imaizumi," Tamaki Shintaro, who was nearby, also said casually, "In that case, you should accompany Shioyaki-san. It's a beach, after all. It wouldn't be good if a girl went alone and ran into some troublesome guys trying to pick her up."
The proposal was reasonable and fair; one couldn't find any fault with it.
"Eh?"
Yanami Anna instinctively wanted to speak up and refuse.
No way, she absolutely couldn't let Keita and Lemon go alone.
Who knows what they would talk about on the way!
What if—what if Lemon naturally shoved her phone at him again like she did this morning?
However, as the words reached her lips, she remembered what Imaizumi Keita had just said to her in the shallow area.
—Always getting jealous over such small things like this can be quite annoying, you know.
That guy... although his tone was teasing when he said it, his eyes were serious.
If she jumped out to object now, would it really make him feel that she was a troublesome and overly possessive woman?
A battle instantly broke out in Yanami Anna's heart.
She glanced at the calm Imaizumi Keita beside her, then at Shioyaki Lemon, who was enthusiastically preparing to set off.
...Fine.
It's just going to buy something together.
What's there to worry about?
Right, nothing to worry about.
I am Yanami Anna, not the kind of petty loser who gets scared to death just because her boyfriend says a few words to another girl!
She quickly completed her self-persuasion in her mind, then looked up, her face once again wearing a nonchalant smile, and even took the initiative to wave at Shioyaki Lemon.
"Then, Lemon, I'll leave it to you!"
"Leave it to me!"
Shioyaki Lemon gave an "OK" gesture and readily agreed.
Imaizumi Keita glanced at his "fake girlfriend" beside him with satisfaction before standing up and brushing the sand off his swim trunks.
"Let's go, Shioyaki."
"Yeah!"
And so, under the watchful eye of Yanami Anna's forced "understanding" smile, Imaizumi Keita and Shioyaki Lemon walked side-by-side toward the nearby vendor area.
People bustled about on the beach, the aroma of various foods mingling with the salty sea breeze, filling the air with the unique hustle and bustle of summer.
The two walked in silence for a short distance before Shioyaki Lemon suddenly turned her head and spoke in a low voice, her tone laced with curiosity and a hint of gossip.
"Hey, Kin-chan."
"Hmm?"
"Anna... she really keeps a close eye on you."
Shioyaki Lemon's tone sounded like she was joking, but there was a trace of seriousness in her eyes.
"Earlier, when the Club President asked you to come with me, I saw her expression. For a split second, it looked like her toy was being snatched away."
She paused, recalling the scene of them frolicking in the water, and added, "And before that, when I just wanted to pull you into the water to play, she immediately became wary."
Imaizumi Keita didn't stop walking, his gaze still fixed on the long line at the Yakisoba stall ahead as he responded flatly.
"That's just how she is."
This answer was clearly too dismissive, and Shioyaki Lemon nudged him lightly with her elbow in dissatisfaction.
"Is that all? I can't help but feel that Anna... is a bit too protective of you. I mean, it's not like you're the type of guy who would just hit on girls randomly, right?"
Hearing her words, Imaizumi Keita finally stopped, turned his head, and looked at her seriously.
"Shioyaki."
"W-What?"
Being looked at like that made Shioyaki Lemon feel a bit uneasy.
Imaizumi Keita sighed, a helpless smile appearing on his face as he spoke slowly:
"That's because, in Anna's heart, she feels that her own charm can't compare to yours."
"Eh?"
This unexpected answer made Shioyaki Lemon's eyes widen instantly, her face a picture of disbelief.
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