Waves surged onto the beach and receded one after another.
Imaizumi Keita walked barefoot, feeling the soft sand beneath his feet become firm after being soaked by the sea, as he headed toward the shallow water.
"Imaizumi-kun! Over here, over here!"
Yanami Anna was standing in knee-deep water, holding an orange water gun high, her face beaming with an unreserved, brilliant smile.
Shioyaki Lemon beside her also joined in, cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouting, "Kin-chan! Hurry up! If you don't come over soon, Anna's going to rush over and blast you with the water gun!"
Imaizumi Keita looked at them, especially at Yanami's undisguised excitement when she looked at him, and his expression couldn't help but show a hint of helplessness.
This girl Yanami must have been stealing glances over here from the corner of her eye this whole time.
Seeing that he and Koma had separated, her clearly relieved look was completely unconcealed.
As soon as he approached the two, Shioyaki Lemon couldn't resist batting the beach ball in his direction.
"Kin-chan! Catch!"
Her voice was full of the unique vitality and cheerfulness of an athletic girl.
Imaizumi Keita reacted quickly; his body instinctively took a step to the side, and he steadily reached out both hands, catching the beach ball easily in his arms.
"Oh—! Nice catch!"
Shioyaki Lemon let out a whistle and praised him unreservedly.
Holding the ball, Imaizumi Keita's gaze swept past Shioyaki and landed on Yanami Anna, who was looking at him with a face full of expectation.
He smiled, and with a flick of his wrist, he batted the soft beach ball toward her with moderate force.
It was a perfectly normal interaction, an invitation to keep the game going.
However, he clearly overestimated the motor skills of his "fake girlfriend."
"Eh?"
Watching the beach ball fly toward her, Yanami Anna's brain seemed to short-circuit for half a beat.
She instinctively reached out her hands to catch it, but her movements were more than just a little slow.
There was a soft *thwack*.
The beach ball hit her squarely on the cheek.
It didn't really hurt, but the soft texture and sudden impact still made her lean back, and the water gun in her hand fell into the water with a splash.
She stood there, completely stunned, blinking her eyes with a dazed and cute expression as if she hadn't figured out the situation at all.
"Pfft... Hahahahahaha!"
From the side came Shioyaki Lemon's merciless burst of laughter.
"Anna! You—you're way too lame! Hahaha! You actually got hit in the face by that!"
Shioyaki laughed so hard she doubled over, clutching her stomach and even splashing the water exaggeratedly, sending up a large spray.
Provoked by her laughter, Yanami Anna belatedly realized how embarrassing she had just been.
A rush of heat surged to her brain, and her cheeks flushed a deep red at a visible speed.
"Shut up! Shut up!"
She wanted to retort, but seeing Shioyaki laughing so hard she was about to convulse, she didn't know where to start.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop laughing at you."
Shioyaki Lemon finally stopped laughing. She bent down to pick up the water gun from the water, shoved the beach ball back into the hands of the still-dazed Yanami, and then waved her hand.
"Anna, I'm going to play with the President and the others first! You and Kin-chan have fun together!"
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"