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

"How about another slice of watermelon?" Ayano asked with a smile, raising her hand.

But neither of the two people in front of her paid any attention to her, which left her a little confused: "Huh?"

The two walked into the living room one after the other and sat on the sofa on either side, and the air became very quiet again.

All I could faintly hear was the sound of potato strips coated in starch and egg being dropped into the oil.

After a long while, Keiko Hayakawa slowly turned her head and said softly, "I'm so happy..."

Mito Takahashi had expected a series of questions, but this sudden question interrupted her train of thought.

"Happy?"

"Hmm." Keiko Hayakawa pursed her upper lip. "But I will absolutely not lose to you!"

Takahashi Mito hadn't understood what she meant at first, but after hearing the second half of the sentence, she suddenly understood. Did Hayakawa misunderstand again, thinking she liked Aoi?! ​​Herself, herself…

Normally, given her personality, she would have firmly denied this viewpoint at this point, but instead, she remained silent.

Could it be that I actually like Aoi...?

Mitsu Takahashi glanced in the direction of the kitchen out of the corner of her eye, but Hayakawa also caught that glance, and Hayakawa became more and more convinced of this fact.

But she didn't feel sad; in fact, she felt it was only natural. It was perfectly normal for a guy like Xia Shu to be pursued by other girls. All she could do was work hard to improve herself and do her job well. If any girl wanted to compete with her, then let her have her way! This time, she would never back down again!

Hayakawa has changed.

In Mito Takahashi's eyes, Hayakawa, who was originally timid, now had a serious expression that far surpassed her own.

She was stunned.

When exactly did this begin...?

It feels like my entire life trajectory has started to change like taking a train; everyone around me, except myself, has undergone earth-shattering changes.

Hayakawa, who was originally plain-looking, of average build, and even had difficulty speaking, now radiated a dazzling light like the sun.

At that moment, Mito Takahashi suddenly remembered what Anne Sakurajima had said in the activity room not long ago.

Birthday party...

It seems that everything really changed starting from my birthday party.

What exactly happened...?

……

After lunch, Ayano rested for a while before taking Hayakawa upstairs to continue teaching him about manga.

While washing dishes in the kitchen, Aoi Natsuki opened the system panel and looked at Hayakawa's special skills section, but no new special skills were displayed.

It's not that simple after all.

You can't rush things; this can only be done slowly.

"Do you need any help?"

Mito Takahashi's voice came from behind.

Aoi Natsuki turned her head and saw that the other person was leaning against the frame of the sliding door, looking somewhat reserved.

He raised his right hand, which was holding the plate, shook it, and then put the last plate into the cupboard in front of her: "If you want to help, you can come earlier next time."

"Well, how could I possibly guess something like that?"

"You could have come in much earlier."

“But just now, just now…” Takahashi Mito glanced at the direction of the stairwell, then sighed and crossed her hands, saying, “Never mind, here you go.”

"What?" Aoi Natsuki wiped her hands with a tissue and leaned closer to take a look. It was a gift box tied with a ribbon, and the design was quite exquisite.

"what is this?"

"pen."

Why did you suddenly give me a fountain pen?

"A return gift!"

When is the return gift due?

"Are you some kind of know-it-all?! I'm giving you something, what are you whining about? Hold out your hand!"

Aoi Natsuki obediently spread her hands.

Then, Mito Takahashi placed the gift box in his hands: "This is a return gift for the present you gave me at the last birthday party. I am very particular about etiquette, so please don't ask any unnecessary questions. I won't answer you anyway!"

His tone was full of arrogance.

But this time, Natsuki Aoi wasn't angry. Having known her for a long time, she had come to understand her unique way of speaking. Takahashi was actually a tsundere; she said one thing but meant another.

He opened the gift box in front of her. Inside was a very high-end-looking fountain pen with smooth lines of gilded foil printing, which must have been quite expensive.

He took the pen out of the box, examined it carefully, and casually remarked, "You must have spent a long time choosing it..."

"How could that be! I just saw it in the cupboard when I passed by! Don't overthink it! It's just a simple return gift."

Mito Takahashi reacted strongly; it was clear that this was the first time she had given a gift to the same boy.

"Oh, thank you anyway." Aoi Natsuki smiled faintly, then closed the gift box and stuffed it into her jacket pocket.

"Favorability +2"

Aoi Natsuki noticed that at this time, Takahashi Mito's favorability rating also reached 60 points, a qualitative leap in just one month.

Ah... so the best way to deal with an arrogant character is to play hard to get. I was too stubborn before. It's true that you have to keep learning as long as you live.

Aoi Natsuki couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then turned to see Takahashi still standing there: "Is there anything else?"

"...About the zoo last time...it was my bad attitude, I'm sorry."

"Oh, I haven't thought about this for a long time, you don't need to worry about it."

He shook his hand, turned around, and walked out of the kitchen.

The two then stopped communicating.

Watching Aoi Natsuki's retreating figure as she went upstairs, Takahashi Mito felt as if her heart had been suddenly gripped by a pair of pincers. It was just a normal conversation, but she felt it was more painful than having a big argument with her.

She later discovered the reason behind it.

Because,

He doesn't care.

……

"Is that the sea? It's really not easy to see the sea in a big city like Tokyo."

"It's not far. I know a small path that we can sneak in. Let's choose that place for fishing."

Sakurajima Anne, along with Aoi Natsuki, Hayakawa, and Rina, traveled to Tokyo Bay by bus.

There was a three-day holiday for Lunar New Year's Eve. Aoi also received news that her parents would be returning from their business trip soon. The continuous stream of good news made her feel as if she had regained the world's favor.

The last time I had a video call with my mother, although her tone was a little serious, I could still feel the deep bond between us.

Indeed, some feelings can transcend the inherently negative affinity of this world.

With the wind blowing, Lina kept swinging her legs and pressing down her straw hat with her hand. She was also looking forward to today's fishing trip.

All the fishing gear was prepared by Sakurajima, a piece of information obtained by chance. Naturally, Aoi Natsuki wouldn't let go of such a good talent, letting Sakurajima An influence Hayakawa, which is equivalent to adding the talents of multiple S-class beauties to Hayakawa. He really is a little genius.

Ayano tutored Hayakawa for two days, and the two even kept in touch in the evenings. Since they both had a great interest in this hobby, the direction of becoming a manga artist's assistant was halfway settled.

Opening the system panel, Hayakawa's special skills section now includes words like "Manga", with a value of 2 points. Although it's not much, there's still considerable room for improvement!

"We've arrived. Let's head back now. There's a small fork in the road there. We'll go down that way. Don't worry, no one will find us."

Anne Sakurajima assured her.

Judging from her tone, she must have been here quite a few times.

I never expected her to have such a hobby.

Following Sakurajima down a hidden side path, we walked for ten minutes until we arrived at a dam.

"Okay, this is fine."

Because of the dam, it did look secluded, and there was no one around at all.

"Do you know what the principles of fishing are?"

"Hmm... a normal mindset?" Natsuki Aoi replied.

Anne Sakurajima shook her head.

"Patience?" Hayakawa replied immediately.

Sakurajima Anne shook her head again, extended her right index finger, and said to the group, "If you catch a fish, you should eat it. It's a gift from nature."

"This must be completely made up..."

"This is my fishing principle. Only when you have the desire to eat them will they want to come up and be eaten by you. It's all predetermined: big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp, and shrimp eat river mud." Sakurajima An said some incomprehensible things, and then gave the group a simple explanation of how to use the fishing gear.

Since Lily was too young, she was allowed to watch from the sidelines.

Natsuki Aoi touched the material of the fishing rod and then asked, "How much does a rod like this cost?"

"It's not expensive, only 120,000 yen."

"120,000!" Aoi and Hayakawa exclaimed in unison, while Rina, standing beside them, held up a whiteboard with an exclamation mark on it and exclaimed in surprise.

"This...is it that expensive..." Hayakawa Keiko suddenly felt a sense of awe towards the fishing rod in front of her. This fishing rod was worth more than her entire year's allowance. What if she broke it...

I can't even imagine!

Aoi Natsuki was equally shocked. No wonder it felt so good. He casually brought out a fishing rod of this level. Plus, the last time he met Sakurajima, he was driving a Kawasaki H2 worth six million. This guy might be the real hidden tycoon by his side!

Not only is she beautiful, but she's also from a wealthy family. Could she really be the chosen one?

"Okay, let's start talking about bait now. This is a soft lure, which looks like a small fish, but is made entirely of rubber. It's usually used to catch larger fish."

Sakurajima Anne shook the lure in her hand; the soft lure was shaped like a long, flat fish.

"If we can catch one today, then we'll have our dinner sorted out for tonight."

"Hmm, that set of hooks..."