Fireworks exploding in the night sky illuminated every upturned face on the lawn.
A warm current, mixed with a sense of control and pleasure, once again flowed through his limbs.
The power of the "Succubus" within Imaizumi Keita was exulting because of this pure and fervent emotional energy.
"Hey, Keita."
Yanamami Anna, leaning on his left shoulder, stirred. Her warm breath brushed his ear, and her voice was full of possessiveness.
"That firework just now was golden."
"Yeah, I saw it."
Imaizumi Keita turned his head, responding to her intimacy.
"Then can you promise me,"
Yanamami Anna leaned her head even closer, stating her request.
"From now until the fireworks end, you can only look at me and the fireworks, no flirting with Lemon."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Shioyaki Lemon out of the corner of her eye.
Imaizumi Keita looked at her somewhat aggrieved expression and whispered in her ear with a touch of helplessness, "I wasn't flirting with Lemon."
"Besides, Lemon hasn't done anything out of line so far; she's kept her promise quite well..."
"That's exactly why I'm even angrier... Will you agree or not...?"
"Alright, alright... I get it... I agree..."
He raised his left hand, the one she wasn't holding, and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
The gentle and intimate gesture made Yanami Anna squint her eyes contentedly, leaning quietly into his embrace.
She fell silent and turned her attention back to the night sky.
However, she didn't notice that Shioyaki Lemon was making small movements in her blind spot.
Another firework whistled into the sky, exploding at its peak and scattering across the heavens.
Bursts of exclamation erupted from the crowd.
Under the cover of this momentary clamor, the fingers on Imaizumi Keita's back began to move again.
The strokes were clearer and more forceful this time.
Watashi no.
(Mine.)
The young girl's secret feelings slowly seeped into Imaizumi Keita's heart through her fingers, making him daze for a moment.
How on earth did he deserve such affection from a girl...
He was really worried that Lemon would explode if she saw him leaning against Anna-chan...
He turned his head and, while Yanami Anna was looking at the sky, casually glanced toward Shioyaki Lemon at the fireworks.
Shioyaki Lemon was looking up at the fireworks, the lines of her profile appearing exceptionally soft under the glow of the pyrotechnics, as if she really was just focused on enjoying the show.
When she noticed Imaizumi Keita's gaze returning to her, her eyes were filled with happiness and smiles.
Imaizumi Keita's heart felt as if it had been lightly scratched by something.
He calmly withdrew his gaze and looked back at the night sky, as if everything that just happened was an illusion.
However, his right hand, hidden by his wide sleeve, quietly reached out to the left.
Relying on muscle memory, his fingertips easily touched Shioyaki Lemon's hand resting on her knee.
Imaizumi Keita's fingers slid down, grabbing Shioyaki Lemon's palm and sliding his fingers in.
Their fingers intertwined.
Shioyaki Lemon clearly hadn't expected Imaizumi Keita to do such a thing...
Anna was leaning right on his shoulder, the two of them were so close...
Could it be that Kin-chan was a naturally unfaithful Scumbag? Otherwise, why was he so skilled at doing bad things...
Shioyaki Lemon's body suddenly stiffened, a shiver traveling from the back of her hand through her entire body.
Komari Chika was leaning on Shioyaki Lemon's shoulder watching the fireworks when she felt Shioyaki Lemon's body suddenly tremble.
She turned her head in confusion, looking at Shioyaki Lemon, and found that Shioyaki Lemon's body and expression were both a bit stiff...
"L-Lemon, what's... what's wrong...?"
Komari Chika asked tentatively with concern.
Noticing Komari Chika's reaction, Shioyaki Lemon's cheeks couldn't help but feel a bit hot, and she waved her hand to say it was nothing.
Komari Chika nodded, understanding that she shouldn't chat and ruin the atmosphere of everyone watching the fireworks.
However, she keenly sensed that something was slightly off...
Shioyaki Lemon's expression was so stiff, as if she had been caught doing something bad in secret...
Her breathing seemed to have grown heavier, and her chest rose and fell as if her heart was racing...
She wasn't afraid of the sound of the fireworks; it was more like she was... nervous?
Komari Chika looked up in confusion toward Shioyaki Lemon's side and saw Imaizumi Keita's hand pressing against the picnic mat.
There was nothing wrong with that movement...
However, given how he and Yanami Anna were leaning against each other, the posture looked more like he had just pulled his hand back from somewhere...
So...
Komari Chika, who had read all sorts of bunko books, immediately had a series of romance light novel plots flash through her mind...
Could it be...
As the relevant plots surfaced, Komari Chika's heart skipped a beat.
Does Lemon-chan also like Imaizumi-kun?
This discovery threw her brain into instant chaos...
B-But, aren't Imaizumi-kun and Yanami-san...
Just now... did Shioyaki Lemon's hand move to the right?
It seemed like... she poked... Imaizumi-kun's back?
And then, Imaizumi's hand... also to the left...
Komari Chika looked at the three people beside her who seemed to have such a complicated relationship.
She then looked at Senior Tsukinoki, who was leaning against President Tamaki watching the fireworks, and felt like her brain really couldn't handle this.
Why...
Why does everyone's relationship seem so complicated?
Is this an inevitable process after "liking" someone?
She remembered the palm that had rested on her head when Imaizumi Keita was comforting her before...
If...
If only she had been braver back then...
Could she also have...
"Bang—!!"
A roar louder than before interrupted Komari Chika's thoughts.
In the night sky, countless golden beams of light rose simultaneously.
They converged and exploded at the highest point, forming a Brocade Crown that seemed to envelop the entire night sky.
This was the final large-scale firework of the night, and the most magnificent one.
"Waaah—! So beautiful!"
Everyone on the lawn let out a heartfelt exclamation at that moment.
Yanami Anna was even more excited, tightening her grip on Imaizumi Keita's arm and rubbing against him in her excitement.
If it weren't for his sturdy build, he might have been pushed toward Shioyaki Lemon by Yanami Anna.
"Keita! Look! It's a Brocade Crown! A golden one!"
Imaizumi Keita looked at her face, which was full of pure joy, and nodded with a smile: "Yeah, it's beautiful!"
The brilliant fireworks eventually came to an end.
As the last spark faded into the night, Seaside Park returned to its original tranquility.
Only the sound of Taiko drums from afar and the noise of the dispersing crowd remained on the lawn.
"Ah... it's over."
Tamaki Shintaro stretched, still wanting more, and was the first to stand up from the picnic mat.
He brushed the grass clippings off the hem of his Jinbei and called back to the club members who were still immersed in the afterglow.
"Let's go, it's getting late, we should head back."
Imaizumi Keita noticed that the hand Shioyaki Lemon had secretly intertwined with his was released the moment the fireworks ended.
A sense of loss uncontrollably welled up in his heart.
Shioyaki Lemon moved quickly, finishing up almost in the interval before the streetlights fully lit up.
No one saw their small movements.
She stood up and naturally helped Komari Chika tidy up the grass clippings stuck to her Yukata.
Her face was full of a bright smile, as if she had simply watched a firework show.
On the other side.
Yanami Anna reluctantly released her hold on his arm and lifted her head from his shoulder.
She rubbed her slightly numb shoulder, her face still carrying an excited flush that hadn't quite faded after watching the fireworks.
"Are we going back already? I haven't had enough fun yet..."
Yanami Anna grumbled softly but obediently stood up and began helping to pack the snack wrappers on the picnic mat.
Imaizumi Keita also stood up and stretched his arm, which had gone a bit numb from Yanami Anna resting on it.
After packing up, the Literature Club group joined the crowd heading back.
The road from the lawn back to the station was even more crowded than when they arrived.
The Literature Club group was swallowed by the surging crowd, barely managing to stay together.
Yanami Anna leaned her whole body against Imaizumi Keita, her head resting on his shoulder.
While complaining that "there are too many people," she enjoyed the intimacy of being able to legitimately depend on him.
Shioyaki Lemon once again took on the role of a guardian.
Walking at the rear side of the group, she used her body to shield the somewhat bewildered Komari Chika on the inside, occasionally looking back to check on her.
Her gaze would occasionally cross through the crowd and meet Imaizumi Keita's eyes for a brief moment.
Tsukinoki Koto and Tamaki Shintaro up ahead also looked after Komari Chika to prevent her from being separated by the dense crowd.
Being protected by Shioyaki Lemon, Komari Chika felt much of the nervousness caused by the crowd dissipate.
But her heart was far more chaotic than her expression suggested.
Just now... she seemed to have seen it.
Because she had sensed something unusual, she had been paying closer attention to what Shioyaki Lemon was doing...
Before the streetlights came on after the fireworks ended, Lemon seemed to... quickly pull her hand back from Imaizumi-kun's side.
Although it was only for a split second, that unnatural haste was keenly captured by her.
So, Lemon-chan and Imaizumi-kun, right under Yanami-san's nose...
Komari Chika felt her brain turn into mush, feeling all dizzy...
She didn't know whether she should condemn Imaizumi Keita for being an unfaithful Scumbag or ask Shioyaki Lemon what she was thinking...
She looked at the two figures ahead leaning intimately against each other, then at Shioyaki Lemon, who was protecting her with a calm face, and her awe of "love" deepened even further.
Forget it.
It has nothing to do with me anyway...
However, Yanami and Lemon still seem to be good friends on the surface...
It's hard to tell that Lemon likes Imaizumi to the point of secretly making small moves...
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