What a twist! The loser heroine!

Under a clear sky, a boy and a girl sat side by side on the rooftop.

"To become friends, you at least need to understand each other..."

Wen Shui took a bite of the coconut bread, thought for a moment, and then spoke again: "Understanding the other person's preferences, understanding their personality... and so on."

"So what does Wen Shui like?" Himegami Karen asked directly upon hearing this.

"Uh, reading light novels... and things like that."

"Yes, yes, Wen Shui likes to read light novels, I'll remember that." Himegami Karen nodded with satisfaction.

"In exchange, I'd also like to share one of my hobbies with Wen Shui."

She opened the lunchbox, and the carefully prepared lunch immediately emitted a strong aroma. Upon closer inspection, the tamagoyaki, rice, sausage, and rapeseed flowers were neatly arranged together, making one's appetite increase just by looking at them.

"I really enjoy cooking. I made lunch. Would you like to try some, Wen Shui?"

She picked up a piece of sausage with her chopsticks and held it to her mouth with warm water.

"Why suddenly..."

"What's wrong? You have PE class this afternoon. You'll be hungry if you only eat one piece of bread, won't you?" She looked at Wen Shui's troubled profile and said with a smile, "Oh, are you shy because you were suddenly fed?"

"No, I was just startled..."

"Don't worry, I specially prepared enough for one more person, and I also brought an extra pair of chopsticks."

She put the sausage back, then took out a lunch and chopsticks from the bento box and placed them next to the warm water.

"Here you go, Wen Shui."

Wen Shui's face showed a conflicted expression, her gaze lingering between the bento box and Ji Gong, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

[It was just a chance encounter, and the two didn't really interact, so why was she so naturally friendly?]

What is it about me that makes her want to do this...?

“Because—” Himegami’s lips parted slightly.

The girl seemed to possess the ability to read minds, seeing through the boy's inner turmoil at a glance.

"Wen Shui is my second true friend."

"Ugh?"

"In that case, the reason is sufficient, isn't it?"

The boy's heart was slightly touched by Himegami. He stared blankly into Himegami's eyes, the amount of information conveyed in that short sentence was hard for him to process.

Himegami Karen, who had said those words, turned her face away from where the warm water couldn't see her. "Alright, hurry up and eat, or you won't have enough time for your lunch break, okay?"

"..."

What exactly does "a second true friend" mean?

Wen Shui paused for a moment, then reached for the chopsticks.

"I...I'm starting."

◇

"How is it, Wen Shui? Is it delicious?"

Himegami Karen carefully packed away the clean lunchbox and looked at Onami with anticipation.

"It was delicious." Wen Shui savored the lingering taste in her mouth. "I didn't expect Himegami-san to be such a good cook. Thank you for the treat..."

"Actually, no." She shook her head a little shyly: "My mom helped me a lot. She said that since it was my first time, she wanted to make a good impression on you."

"Haha, thank you very much, Auntie."

"Huh? You're only thanking my mom? That's a bit much, isn't it, Wen Shui?"

"Y-thank you too..."

"Hmm~ Hmm~, I have received Wen Shui's kind intentions."

She straightened her uniform, stood up, and looked up at the clear sky.

"Hey, Wen Shui, wanna play a game of friendship?"

"Friend games refer to...?"

"Huh? Don't you know, Wen Shui-kun?" Himegami said with a smile, "It's quite popular among high school students, you know."

I'm really sorry I've never made any friends.

"That's true... Well then, let me give a brief introduction. If Wen Shui answers one of my questions, in return, I'll answer one of your questions."

"The first person asked the question has the right to refuse to answer, but if they do answer, they cannot refuse the second question in exchange."

Then, without waiting for Wen Shui's consent, Ji Gong continued speaking.

"So, Wen Shui, what do you usually do after school?"

"I go to tutoring classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and usually go to the arts club the rest of the time," Wen Shui answered honestly. Then he said, "Well, I also have a question..."

"You're really good at this, Wen Shui. You've grasped the key to the game of friends so quickly."

"So, I'd like to know, what does 'a second true friend' mean?"

This was a question that couldn't be refused, and Kazuhiko Nukumi wanted to understand it.

“Literally.”

Himegami Karen answered immediately, as if she already knew what he was going to ask.

"How is that possible! Himegami-san, you're so popular, you must have a lot of friends, right?"

The girl put her index finger to her lips as a gesture to be quiet.

"Wen Shui, that's another question. And it's the kind of question I'm not too keen on answering." Her eyes were downcast, her gaze unfathomable, making Wen Shui unable to decipher her.

The girl clasped her hands together, marking the end of the lunch break.

"I'm so happy this afternoon, Wen Shui." She winked playfully at Wen Shui, "I feel like we've gotten a lot closer."

“That’s true…” Wen Shui stammered.

"I'll be going now. Wen Shui, you can go back to the classroom later." She picked up her lunchbox and said considerately, "Wen Shui, you'll be very upset if others see us going back together, won't you?"

She can think of everything...

Himegami Karen left just like that.

Hearing the sound of the escape ladder colliding with the indoor shoes, Wen Shuihe let out a long breath.

I was completely led by her rhythm throughout the entire lunch break; she truly deserves to be called the ultimate sassy beauty.

"Hime-kun, you're really hard to handle..."

Gazing at the water tower not far away, the boy muttered to himself, somewhat lost in thought: "She seems to really want to be friends with me, but establishing a friendship so soon after meeting seems a bit too casual."

"I can't ignore her kindness, that would be too much..."

Thinking about it, Wen Shui scratched her hair in frustration: "Ugh, this is so troublesome. Why on earth did that kind of leading lady girl get involved with me?!"

On the rooftop where he was all alone, the boy vented his emotions freely.

But he didn't know that Himegami Karen hadn't gone far.

The girl, clutching the still-warm lunchbox, leaned gently against the railing, memorizing every word the boy uttered.

"It's really not easy to become friends with you, Wen Shui."

With that thought in mind, she quietly went downstairs.

We need to work even harder.

◇

After waiting on the rooftop for about ten minutes, Wen Shui walked back to the classroom along the same route she had come from.

But to his surprise, a person he had never met before was waiting for him at the classroom door.

"Hanami-kun?"

"Ah, Numizu-kun, could I borrow a moment? Come with me." Saying this, Yanami Anna turned around and walked in front of Numizu.

【Wait, what's going on? Have I become a magnet for attention-seeking guys lately? Why are all the attention-seeking guys in my class coming to me one after another?】

Following behind Anna Hanami, Onami thought helplessly.

While walking, Wenshui recalled information about Banami in her mind.

To be honest, before Karen Himegami transferred to our school, Anzu Hachimi was undoubtedly the class beauty, or even the school beauty.

Her delicate and lovely youthful face, coupled with her lively and cheerful outgoing personality, made her famously popular in her grade, with friends in almost every class.

However, in terms of cuteness, Himegami and Hanami might be neck and neck. But Himegami possesses a unique, gentle, and feminine aura that transcends that of Hanami, placing them on a completely different level.

To use a television as an analogy, it's like we thought 4K TVs were already pretty impressive, but then an even more advanced 8K TV appeared.

Furthermore, although it is difficult to specify exactly which part it refers to, the size has been increased to an astonishing 100 inches.

Lost in thought, Wen Shui followed Banami to a secluded corner at the turn of the stairs.

Banami stopped and turned to look at Wenshui.

"What are you thinking about, Wen Shui?"

"There's nothing there, 4K—oh no, I mean, Yanami-kun."

"4K?" Seeing her classmate raise her eyebrows, Banai tilted her head. "Well, although I don't know what 4K is, anyway, Wenshui, please listen to me first."

She began by saying, "This afternoon, Kusuke might ask you to do something. Please be sure to refuse his request."

"Hakamada asked me to do this?" Wen Shui was a little confused.

"Yes, based on what I know of him, he will definitely do that. So, whatever he intends to do in return, please refuse him directly."

Anna clasped her hands together and said, "Please, I'll treat you to dinner this weekend after it's done."

“I understand, so basically I’m rejecting his request, right…” Wen Shuihe scratched his head: “Although I don’t know what happened between you two, I can help with this little thing. I hope it won’t bother him too much.”

"Don't worry, don't worry, Kusuke isn't that kind of person. I'll leave it to you, Nukumizu."

After saying that, Banami bowed slightly to Wenshui and then walked straight towards Class C's classroom without lingering.

"What? She came all the way here to say this, she must be afraid that Kusuke will hear it."

Did this couple have a fight? Why am I being dragged into this? This feels so troublesome...

The lukewarm water that remained in place frowned.

◇

When Wen Shui returned to the classroom at a later time, as expected, she was surrounded by curious classmates. She was chatting happily with others, and the aura emanating from her was so strong that it seemed to be visible even through the crowd.

"What did you have for lunch, Hime-miya?" "I shared the food I made with my friends." "Hime-miya can cook?" "Yes, my mom taught me."

"Where did you buy Himegami-san's hair clip?" "There's a jewelry store over in the shopping district that still sells them." "Oh? How about we go together this weekend?" "I might not be free this weekend, sorry..."

"Himemiya-san, do you usually read manga?" "Yes, I do..."

"Himemiya-san..." "Himemiya-san..."

[You're really popular, Himegami-san!]

But that's normal. After all, how could a super beautiful girl with a bright and sunny disposition, who suddenly transferred to the class, not touch the hearts of boys and girls?

Wen Shui made a large circle and entered the classroom through the door far from her seat.

He glanced at his seat, which was unsurprisingly occupied; he hadn't escaped it.

So Wen Shui returned to his old job as a notice reader, staring intently at the various information on the classroom bulletin board while carefully observing the movements in the classroom.

Thanks to Himegami Karen's early return, her classmates, who were instantly captivated by the beautiful girl with slanted eyes, didn't notice anything amiss.

[But if Himegami-san keeps coming to me, someone will find out sooner or later.]

Sigh, let's just take it one step at a time. As long as no strange rumors come out, that'll be fine.

After he had read through all the announcements from the past month three times, the bell finally rang for the first class in the afternoon.

"Oh dear, class has started, how about we talk during break?" Himegami, who was surrounded by people because she was so popular, said while clapping her hands from her seat.

"Good~"