A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

"October 26th is your birthday, right?"

"Eh! How did you know?" Hayakawa Keiko exclaimed in surprise.

“When we were talking about anime before, you mentioned that your birthday is exactly one month apart from the main character in ‘Himouto! Umaru-chan’, so that’s how I found out.”

Aoi Natsuki patted her pocket, then took out a small gift box and handed it to her: "Here, take this. Consider it a belated birthday present for you."

"This...this...this..."

Keiko Hayakawa suddenly panicked.

"But, but my birthday... it's been almost a month already..."

"Just kidding, why can't you have what she has? Take it." Aoi Natsuki's lips curled up.

At that moment, Hayakawa Keiko's face felt like it was on fire, burning hot. Her right hand gripped her collar tightly because she felt a tightness in her chest and her heart was beating faster and faster.

Oh dear...

When she noticed, her eyes were already veiled with tears.

Large tears slid down her cheeks and the corners of her eyes, and she immediately began to sob with emotion.

It was unstoppable.

With Aoi Natsuki right in front of her, if she felt suppressed, crying was the best option. Tomorrow would be another sunny day.

"Hayakawa Keiko is leveling up..."

"C-A".

"Hayakawa Keiko, Rank A, Affection Level: 65."

Before he could react, in his vision, the original yellowish-brown "C" rank letter above Hayakawa Keiko's head gradually changed shape, eventually shining with a dazzling red light...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I finally finished writing this during my lunch break and this afternoon's slacking off. My boss asked me to work overtime tonight, and I probably won't get back until 11 or 12 at night, so I decided to finish this chapter during the day. This is a combined chapter, a 5,000-word long chapter, so I didn't end up with a missing chapter. Also, I'm announcing something here: it's time to get really into it, guys!

Chapter 43 The weather is getting colder, take care to keep warm.

Aoi Natsuki was utterly shocked.

He just stared blankly at the new red "A" grade, this, this...

"Natsuki? What's wrong?" Hayakawa Keiko's voice came from inside.

Aoi Natsuki snapped out of her daze, but was still somewhat distracted. She glanced at her face again and said, "No, it's nothing. How are you feeling now? Are you feeling better?"

"Hmm... I'm much better now." Hayakawa Keiko pursed her upper lip, then suddenly remembered something and quickly waved her hand, saying, "Sorry, I made you see me like that just now. I... I was just too touched..."

"Is that so?" Aoi Natsuki's face gradually regained its composure. He handed the gift box to her, a smile returning to his lips. "Here you go, but for the sake of mystery, would you like to open it when we get back?"

Keiko Hayakawa chuckled, her body stiffening slightly, and her voice becoming even gentler: "Natsuki is such a gentle person."

“But these days, it seems that a gentle personality isn’t very popular. Look at me, I’ve never had any good luck,” Natsuki Aoi joked, pointing to herself.

"No, there's an old Chinese saying, 'After hardship comes happiness,' am I right? It means that after difficulties, good days will come."

"I see. Hayakawa, you've learned quite a lot." Aoi Natsuki said casually.

Hayakawa Keiko suddenly tensed up, her head slowly lowering. After a moment of silence, she spoke haltingly, her voice rising, "Natsuki, Natsuki, do you remember me? Do you remember when we first met? Back then, before you parted, you said something to me: 'You only need to care about those who care about you, and ignore those who dislike you. That's how you live a fulfilling life, so…'"

Aoi Natsuki tilted her head to look at her. Only a faint light came from the living room, and the blush on Hayakawa's face blended into the starry sky outside.

"so?"

"So Natsuki, your life will definitely get better from now on! I promise!"

Keiko Hayakawa even held up three fingers, which was incredibly funny.

Aoi Natsuki laughed and echoed, "Thank you so much. Well, it's getting chilly outside, we should probably go inside."

"Mmm!" After saying these words, Hayakawa Keiko felt increasingly shy, so shy that she just wanted to run away from there. When she heard him say "come in," she quickly ran to the balcony door, opened it, and went inside.

At this moment, only Aoi Natsuki remained on the balcony. He leaned against the railing, his gaze lingering on the doorway where Hayakawa had just left.

This was truly a path he had never imagined!

……

the next day.

It was a Saturday, and the birthday party last night went on very late. The senior citizens' association members, who were not expected to come, actually arrived around nine o'clock, and the whole place suddenly became lively.

Ultimately, no one knows who suggested it, but a group of people started dancing an elderly dance freely.

Ayano had received special training and taught the others simple steps to blend into the music and the overall atmosphere.

It's been a long time since it's been this lively. Although there was a bit of awkwardness, the elderly members of the senior citizens' association still presented their gifts.

A hand-knitted scarf.

The color is a bit old-fashioned, but it looks very warm.

Looking at them, Mito Takahashi blushed, a rare occurrence for her, and finally expressed her gratitude.

That's why the two sisters slept in late today, not waking up until almost noon.

The two entered the living room and, seeing the mess before them, felt a surge of helplessness as ribbons covered the floor.

"By the way, sister, shouldn't you open your presents? I already opened all my presents yesterday, hehe~ Look!"

Ayano took a postcard out of her pocket and showed it to her.

"This is a postcard personally signed by Yokozuna Hakuho! Ah, this is so valuable!"

The title of Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo wrestling, a very prestigious lifelong honor. Sumo holds a significant place in the hearts of the Japanese people and has a large following. As a result, many women dream of marrying a sumo wrestler. Hakuho Yokozuna is one of the most outstanding sumo wrestlers in recent years. Unlike other wrestlers who have an exceptionally high weight, he possesses astonishing explosive power, allowing him to defeat larger opponents. This is why he is known as the King of Sumo.

"Well, congratulations then." Takahashi Mito wasn't very interested in it, but Ayano's words made sense; she had been too busy last night and hadn't had time to open the gift.

But no matter what they give her, Takahashi Mi should be quite happy.

"Ah, I remember this was given to me by that boy, right? Let me think... Aoi Natsuki?"

Ayano has a pretty good memory.

Mito Takahashi focused her gaze on the light blue gift box that Ayano had pointed to. It didn't look very big. Could it contain some cosmetics or something?

That would be way too much like a straight man's approach!

Mito Takahashi first dismantled the other portions.

Hayakawa gave it to her... Hmm? It's a notebook.

She opened it and found it contained explanations of all the knowledge points for each subject, along with numerous analyses of incorrect answers marked with sticky notes. Only then did Takahashi Mitsu realize that the monthly exams were approaching, and Hayakawa…

"Wow, how thoughtful!" Ayano exclaimed from the side.

Mito Takahashi smiled and nodded slightly. Actually, she would like anything Hayakawa gave her, but this notebook was obviously more meaningful. She could imagine Hayakawa working hard day and night taking notes, and just thinking about it made her feel very warm.

The same as the next one.

Anne Sakurajima gave her a bracelet made of some kind of animal bone. It was quite unique in design, but... was it really meant for a girl?

However, considering it was Anne Sakurajima, Mito Takahashi wasn't surprised.

Next up was Rina, who gave me some cream cookies she had made herself. They smelled like they had cheese in them. Takahashi Mito took a bite and found them to be surprisingly good!

"I'll eat too..."

Mito Takahashi quickly and protectively pulled the biscuits into her arms.

The two sisters looked at each other.

"Stingy!"

In the end, only Aoi Natsuki's gift remained unopened.

Mito Takahashi stared at the unassuming, flat gift box. If it really contained cosmetics, then it was quite unthoughtful.

She unwrapped the gift and opened the box.

A picture frame immediately came into her view.

The photo in the frame is of an Akita dog sticking its tongue out at her.

This is a picture of Yoshi-chan!

And judging from the quality, it looks like it was taken at a pet photography studio.

She picked up the photo frame in surprise, looked at it for a long time, and then discovered that there were several other photos of Ji-chan from different angles under the frame.

Ayano Takahashi also likes dogs. She had heard her older sister talk about Ji-chan before, but she had never seen her. Now that she saw the photo, she is really cute! This is so thoughtful!

Mito Takahashi couldn't help but smile as she flipped through the photos, and the last one was a group photo of Yoshi, Rina, and Natsuki Aoi.

It has a strong sense of family atmosphere.

This atmosphere immediately affected the two people looking at the photos, and they fell silent instantly.

After a long while, Takahashi Mito finally turned to look at Ayano, and Ayano looked at her with the same expression.

"That's great. I'm starting to understand why you can be friends with him, sister. He may not seem like much, but he's really dedicated," Ayano said with emotion.

She also wanted to take back her initial prejudice against him; in fact, he did have some redeeming qualities.

Takahashi Mito fell silent, her gaze fixed on the photo album in front of her, her fingers stroking the frame. Her favorability rating increased once again.

At this point, the favorability rating has reached -8, which is not far from turning to zero.

Takahashi Mito also felt it was strange. She had hated this guy so much at first, but as they spent more time together, her disgust for him gradually decreased. She originally thought it was because her misogyny was improving, but when she was with other guys, that disgust was still there. That's when she was surprised to discover something.

Natsuki Aoi is no longer the boy she hates the most!

even……

Thinking of this, Mito Takahashi's breathing became hot. She licked her dry lips, shook her head, and tried hard not to think about it.

"Well... let's have lunch, at noon..."

When she turned around, her gaze fell once again on the messy scene.

what……

A sense of powerlessness and despondency washed over me again.