"Th-this..."
Shioyaki Lemon's tongue instantly got tied.
She abruptly took a large step to the side, covering her burning face with one hand while pointing at him with the other, her voice full of shame and accusation.
"This is all your own problem, Kin-chan! It has nothing to do with me!"
This unreasonable, spoiled attitude left Imaizumi Keita somewhere between laughter and tears.
He closed the distance between them again, a hint of lazy helplessness in his tone, but his eyes were intensely aggressive.
"Oh? It has nothing to do with you, Lemon?"
His low voice was especially clear in the morning air.
"Who left evidence on my neck and wouldn't let go? Who, when I said'stop for a moment,' instead kissed me even harder? It was all you, wasn't it?"
"I..."
Shioyaki Lemon was momentarily speechless.
Kin-chan was right. Seeing the hickeys on his neck earlier, she had gotten carried away by her emotions and truly lost her reason.
That feeling of "why can Anna do it, but I can't"—the unwillingness and competitiveness—made her act purely on instinct, forgetting to pay attention to Kin-chan's state.
But what was infuriating was that while she couldn't handle this kind of situation, Anna probably could...
"I clearly told you to stop, Lemon."
Imaizumi Keita's voice was full of helplessness and restraint, "Right now, I'm really uncomfortable."
This sentence, tinged with a plea and vulnerability, inexplicably struck a chord with Shioyaki Lemon.
Why did she inexplicably feel a sense of security from being relied on...
Shioyaki Lemon instinctively wanted to find an excuse to retort, to say "who told you to react so easily," but the words died on her lips.
Anna... must have seen Kin-chan in an even more uncomfortable state.
And what about herself?
She was still feeling ashamed and flustered over something to this degree, even wanting to distance herself from it.
If things continued like this, the gap would only grow wider.
No, absolutely not.
The holiday was precisely the best time to overtake on the curve.
The unwillingness in her heart, along with the fact that Kin-chan had already seen her topless before, overwhelmed the girl's reserve.
A complex emotion flashed in Shioyaki Lemon's eyes—embarrassment, hesitation, but mostly a determination like burning her bridges.
She looked up, cautiously meeting Imaizumi Keita's gaze. Seeing his serious expression that didn't seem like a joke, her voice unconsciously softened considerably.
"...Kin-chan, are you really... that uncomfortable?"
"Yeah."
Imaizumi Keita hesitated for a moment, then nodded frankly.
It really was uncomfortable...
"Then... since you're so uncomfortable, Kin-chan... I, I'll help you a bit."
Shioyaki Lemon couldn't help but criticize herself: Why did I just blurt out what I was thinking...
At least discuss it with Kin-chan... He said being reserved was a good thing...
"Alright."
Imaizumi Keita didn't comment on anything; he was happy enough and agreed very readily.
"Th-then, here...?"
Shioyaki Lemon glanced around. Although the Playground was empty, the forbidden feeling of possibly being seen at any moment still made her heart pound.
"Let's change locations."
Imaizumi Keita shook his head and suggested. Naturally, he wouldn't let her first time "helping" happen in such an exposed place.
He looked around, his gaze settling on the area behind the Sports Equipment Room. There, a narrow dead-end formed between it and the School Building—a perfect hidden spot.
The next moment, amidst a short exclamation from Shioyaki Lemon, Imaizumi Keita picked her up by the waist.
"Eh?!"
The sudden feeling of weightlessness made her instinctively wrap her arms around his neck.
Without further explanation, he carried her quickly to that secluded corner, gently set her down on the ground, her back against the cold wall.
The narrow space forced the two closer together, their breaths clearly audible to each other.
Imaizumi Keita placed one hand on the wall, caging her between himself and the wall, while his other hand gently lifted her chin.
"Lemon, look at me."
Shioyaki Lemon involuntarily raised her head.
Without further words, Imaizumi Keita leaned down and kissed her lips.
Only when Shioyaki Lemon's breathing began to grow rapid did he rest his forehead against hers, feeling her body heat.
"Is this okay?"
Shioyaki Lemon nodded, both shy and resolute.
"I already promised you, of course I'll do it."
...
After it was over, Shioyaki Lemon only felt dizzy.
Imaizumi Keita, however, immediately noticed her unusual state and quickly patted her head.
After confirming there was no problem, he took her hand, intertwining their fingers.
"Let's go."
"Eh? Where to?"
Shioyaki Lemon was still a bit slow to react.
Imaizumi Keita turned his head to the side and gave her a brilliant smile, like the brightest summer sunlight.
"On a date."
"A-a date?! R-right now?"
Shioyaki Lemon asked somewhat shyly, clearly not having thought about what to do next.
Perhaps for Lemon, just being with Kin-chan was enough to make her happy...
"Why not?" Imaizumi Keita turned his head, looking at her nearly crimson face, the amusement in his eyes deepening.
"I can't just let Lemon-chan's first 'morning workout' end so abruptly, right? That would be too irresponsible."
He deliberately emphasized the words "morning workout," the teasing tone in his voice making Shioyaki Lemon so ashamed she wished she could dig a hole right there on the Playground and bury herself.
"Th-that was not a morning workout! Kin-chan, you idiot! Don't mention it again!"
She tried hard to pull her hand back, but he held it even more firmly with an unyielding grip.
"Okay, okay, I won't mention it."
Imaizumi Keita readily raised his hands in surrender, but the expression on his face clearly didn't take her protest seriously.
"But, going on a date looking like we do now is a bit of a problem."
He meaningfully glanced down at the two of them.
After the earlier events, their tracksuits were slightly stained, and a thin layer of sweat covered their bodies, the sticky feeling not being pleasant.
Shioyaki Lemon followed his gaze downwards and instantly understood the problem.
"Th-then... what should we do?"
She asked instinctively, feeling like she had lost her ability to think.
"It's simple."
Imaizumi Keita pulled her along and stepped forward, walking toward the school gate.
"We each go home, shower, and change. We'll meet at the Clock Plaza in front of the Station in an hour. Any problems, Athlete Lemon?"
"N-no problem!"
Shioyaki Lemon immediately agreed, nodding her head like a woodpecker.
On the way home, the two of them still kept their fingers tightly interlaced.
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