What a twist! The loser heroine!

"Why are you acting like my friends lately, saying weird things without explaining them?" Ayano smiled, but didn't seem to mind too much.

[Maybe everyone enjoys teasing someone as oblivious as you.]

"I'm done here, Wen Shui, what about you?"

"I?"

"Yeah, and why did you come here? I never thought you'd go on a long trip on a Saturday."

What image do I have in your mind?

Wen Shui recalled how Ayano had mistaken her and Banami for a couple before. If Ayano reinforced this impression again, it might lead to some unpleasant consequences.

Although he didn't want to badmouth people behind their backs, if Ayano mistakenly thought he and Hanami were a couple, then Yashio would definitely misunderstand as well, and if that led to rumors in the class...

The thought of the terrible consequences made Wen Shui gasp.

He quickly said, "Um, actually I came here to buy books!"

Ayano scratched her face, somewhat puzzled: "Buying books? Didn't the midterm exams just end? Wen Shui, you don't need to study so hard, do you mean... you have to retake them?"

"No matter what, I haven't fallen to the point of having to retake the exam, and I also have books that aren't for academic purposes..."

While complaining, Wen Shui quickly came up with an excuse: "Well... it's like this, because the light novel I want to read is so popular that it's sold out in other bookstores in Toyohashi, so I decided to try my luck here."

"I see. In that case, after I help Auntie choose a gift, I'll go to the bookstore with you."

Ayano smiled and said, "I've recently become interested in novels, and I've heard that the bookstores here have a wide variety of books. I'd like to find some books on nutritional balance."

"There's really no need for that, you should go find it yourself—why are you looking so disappointed?"

Faintly, Wen Shui seemed to hear laughter that sounded completely inhuman not far away.

◇

After finally seeing off Ayano, whom she had run into by chance, and then gently shooing away a certain senior high school girl who was peeping from a corner to the bookstore, Wen Shui leaned wearily against the vending machine.

[So tiring. Socializing is really the most troublesome thing ever.]

He shook his head and turned his gaze back to the towering buildings on both sides of the street.

Catching up took a little time, but I had arrived early, so there was still some time before the agreed time. But in such a big place, finding someone was incredibly difficult.

Banami said they were going to meet at a dessert shop, but in a shopping mall of this size, there are probably more than ten dessert shops.

Thinking of this, Wen Shui took out her phone and sent a message to Banami.

"Um, where is that dessert shop you mentioned?" (Warm Water)

The news came a while later.

Yana-Chan: "You've arrived?"

"yes."

Where is Yana-Chan?

Wen Shui looked up and glanced at the shop name next to him, but its overly ornate and foreign-influenced katakana characters made him dizzy, so he simply took a picture and sent it over.

"Warm water - this shop on the main street."

Yana-Chan: "I remember! The dorayaki place next to it is especially delicious!"

Yana-Chan: "Wait for me a moment, I'll be right there to find you."

Having received a definite reply, Wen Shui put away her phone.

[Does this guy locate himself using food?]

He silently complained to himself as he followed Banami's recommendation and arrived at the dorayaki shop next door.

The aroma hits your nostrils.

"Excuse me, could you please give me two servings?"

"Um, no, please give me four servings of dorayaki."

~Ninth Defeat~ Expected, Yet Unexpected

I didn't expect that Banami would arrive early, but she's probably waiting for me at the dessert shop I mentioned before.

Eating so much every day, is your weight really not a problem...?

Holding a freshly baked dorayaki in her hand, Wenshui stood still, quietly waiting for Hanami's arrival.

He didn't quite understand why he would suddenly buy this dorayaki; according to his usual habits, he had no reason to do so.

Perhaps his interactions with others over the past few days have changed him slightly.

[If it were Princess Hime, what would she do when accompanying Hana to meet this friend?]

It seems that this thought popped into his mind, prompting him to do something that was completely out of character for him.

After waiting for a few minutes, Wenshui saw Banami appear on the street corner wearing a women's shirt with center-parted cuffs and a long skirt.

"Well, wearing this to the gym tomorrow wouldn't be bad...?"

As soon as she appeared, she walked towards the warm water without hesitation, her face full of surprise.

Of course, Wen Shui knew that her surprise was actually directed at the dorayaki in his hand, so she didn't overthink it.

"Oh! Mr. Wenshui, so you actually listened to my advice?! I told you this dorayaki was amazing."

That's indeed the case.

"Want some? I bought quite a lot."

He lifted the bag slightly.

"Really?! Thank you!!"

Why are you so surprised?

Watching Banami carefully examine the bag she had just taken, Onami felt the slightly warm snack in her hand.

[Even though I've said that desserts are for personal enjoyment, I don't seem to mind them now.]

He shook his head, took a small bite of the dorayaki, and, with the sweet red bean paste and honey flavor, said somewhat indistinctly, "So, which clothing store should we go to? I remember seeing on the map that the clothing stores were concentrated on the second floor—"

"Warm Water Guy, is this your first time here?"

"Of course."

Seeing the troubled look on Wen Shui's face, Banai smiled smugly.

"Hmph, I really can't do anything with you. I'll just have to show you around since I've been to Dream City several times already."

"Wait a minute, but aren't we just going to buy clothes today?" Wen Shui quickly reminded him.

"Warm Water, that's where your problem lies." Banami chewed on her dorayaki while giving him a disappointed look. "You made plans to go out with your friends on Saturday. With such a great opportunity, why don't you take the time to do some shopping? Are you just going to buy one piece of clothing and go home?"

“But I think it’s great!” he retorted softly. “And I also want to finish reading the third volume of ‘Who Killed the Demon King’…”

"The name sounds like something from a novel?" Banami blinked curiously.

"Yes."

"That's perfect! I heard there's a bookstore on the second floor. We can read there too, right?"

Banami wore a confident expression that said, "I knew it! Leave it all to me!"

It's quite unusual that a girl like Banami would be interested in books and such. Perhaps it's because she's a friend of Himegami and is exposed to them every day.

After thinking for a moment, Wen Shui nodded under the pressure of Banami's gaze: "Alright then, where should we go now?"

"First, let's go to the dessert shop and buy some drinks to perk ourselves up."

"Um, wait a minute, I remember that Banami just came from the dessert shop, right?" Wen Shui asked quickly.

"I only ordered a drink. If Wen Shui-kun hadn't suddenly come over, I would have already been enjoying ice cream."

"...It's only been a short time since lunch, is your weight really okay, Yanami-kun?"

"Don't worry, there is scientific evidence that this can promote digestion. If digestion is faster, food will be destroyed more quickly, so you will lose weight, hmm."

[Shouldn't it cause stomach upset? And where did the law of conservation of energy go??]

Still caught up in the recent review process, Wen Shui even took on a slightly academic tone when she complained.

"Okay, please throw away those dead fish eyes~ It's on me today, let's go!"

After swallowing the last bite of dorayaki, Hanami took the first step and walked back the way she came.

When exactly did she finish all three servings?

Wen Shui sighed and silently followed the steps of this girl who seemed to always be cheerful.

◇

The area, where dessert shops and cafes were clustered together, was bustling with people taking breaks. Banami was still carefully selecting the ice cream she wanted with the staff at the counter, while Onami finally managed to find a relatively secluded spot and quickly placed her small portion of pudding on the table.

He leaned back in his chair and took out the shopping center map he had just received for free from the exhibition hall from his pocket, and began to examine it carefully.

"So, why are there so many people...?"

After being asked by several passersby whether the seat opposite was occupied, Wen Shui, completely overwhelmed by the numerous social demands, collapsed onto her seat.

"After all, it's Saturday, and there are quite a few people from the nearby city who come to have fun."

Just as Wenshui's soul was about to slip out of her mouth, her savior, Hanami Anina, sat down in the seat opposite Wenshui, although this savior seemed to have arrived a little too late.

What exactly did she talk to the shop assistant about that took so long? Wen Shui couldn't help but look up curiously, and then she saw the large portion of matcha ice cream in her hands, decorated with chocolate chips and colorful frosting.

"Sigh, whatever makes you happy."

Wen Shui sighed and decided to give up on complaining about it. Anyway, the girl in front of her could always find strange reasons to prove that she wouldn't gain weight, so there was no need for her to trigger this kind of boss battle that she was bound to lose.

"I'm very happy!"

Bana glanced at Wen Shui, who looked troubled, with a puzzled expression, and then looked down at the shopping center map with him.

"So, do you have any thoughts?" she asked.

"You were the one who said you'd take me shopping," Wen Shui said, her eyes turning deadpan. She pointed to the clothing section on the second floor and said, "We'll end up here anyway. Do you have any other recommendations?"

"Oh! Of course." Banai said with a smile, "Warm Water, I heard you like coffee, right?"

"Yes, but how do you know? Did Princess Hime tell you?" he countered.

"Um...it's not her."

When Banai saw him, she gave him a strange look, glanced at him, and then shook her head.

She first left a large bite mark on the ice cream, then pointed to a shop on the first floor of the map: "Let's go there later."

"I also can."

He shrugged slightly.

A few minutes later, Onami, who was traveling with Banami to their destination, could no longer maintain that calm and composed expression.

"Hana-kun, isn't it a bit bad for your stomach to finish your ice cream so quickly?"

"Hmph, I've undergone special training when it comes to desserts that are at relatively low temperatures, so my stomach will definitely be fine."

"I'm so confident," said Hanami, hands on her hips, with a smile.

"I see. That sounds like a really tough test."

Wen Shui nodded with a sense of sympathy.

"This is a necessary step in order to taste more delicious food. Seeing how interested you are, do you want special training too?"

She laughed and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, I definitely won't hold anything back. The special training method starts with four glasses of iced cantaloupe salad to get your stomach used to it—"

"Please spare me this method that is too individualistic."

Upon hearing the first sentence, Wen Guo decisively chose to give up.

Ignoring the speechless expression on Banami's face, Wenshui turned her gaze to the shop sign in front of her.

The sign features a cartoon-style design with cat paws and a cute cat as its main elements. The cat's whiskers extend outwards and connect to form the shop's name in katakana.

[Great, I'm starting to suspect this shopping mall is run by foreigners.]

"So, this is where you planned to come."