What a twist! The loser heroine!

Without hesitation, Wen Shui said, "I'm sorry, but it sounds too complicated, so I have to decline."

"Hmm...actually, I could have guessed you would do this."

Banami put the last piece of biscuit into her mouth.

"After all, Wen Shui, you must be very afraid of socializing."

"That's true, but..."

Wen Shui tried to analyze the situation: "You see, it's a fact that Himegami-san has transferred to our school. It's absolutely impossible to completely avoid contact between the two of them."

"If we keep restricting Hakamada's movements, even his childhood friend will mind."

Seeing that Banami was deep in thought, Wenshui decided to use the knowledge she had learned from romantic comedy light novels.

"Were Hanami and Hakamada already dating before?"

"Huh?" Banami's face suddenly turned red. She quickly pressed her cheeks and waved her hand shyly, saying, "W-why are you suddenly bringing this up? Everyone's always said we're a perfect match since we were little..."

[As expected, it didn't pass...]

Wen Shui's eye twitched slightly, but she continued speaking anyway.

“But when I was chatting with Hakamada yesterday, he said that you two are not actually a couple.”

Banami's expression froze instantly.

"If you're not a couple, then cheating doesn't really count, right?"

"Uh, this, I..."

He thought for a moment, then tentatively suggested, "How about... you confess to Hakamada first? If you're worried about Hakamada being snatched away, at least you should become her girlfriend first, right?"

"Uh... this..." Seeing that she seemed to have something difficult to say, Banai hesitated for a moment before lowering her head and saying, "I need to prepare myself mentally..."

Seeing Banami's reaction, Onami was somewhat troubled.

Why is it that every childhood friend is like this?

"What I'm about to say might be a little cruel. Yanami-kun, did you know? There's a rule in the world of anime and manga that seems to apply to you."

"Childhood sweethearts can't beat the newcomer."

"What kind of bullshit law is that?! I'm going to overturn it!"

Banami's eyes suddenly turned dangerous.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down her face, and she quickly explained, "There's a reason for that. You and Hakamada have known each other for 12 years, right, Yanami-kun?"

“Hmm…when I was four or five, their family moved next door.” Banami tried to retort, “But you know! When I was little, Kusuke put a ring on my finger and said he wanted to marry me…”

"That was when I was four or five years old, wasn't it?" Wen Shui said helplessly.

"That's true..."

“This kind of affection, cultivated from childhood to adulthood, is often easily misunderstood as familial love based on companionship,” Wen Shui He Yan said earnestly. “In addition, since the two people are already very familiar with each other, it is difficult to create the spark of romance.”

"And next, that's where the advantage of the Skyfall system comes in."

Banami pricked up her ears and listened attentively.

"The so-called 'sudden arrival' type is characterized by the word 'new'." Wen Shui took a sip of cantaloupe soda to moisten her throat. "After living in the same room for a long time, you always want to change to a new environment. At this time, the long-standing familiarity between childhood friends becomes a weakness."

"I see. It's like eating too much cream cake and getting greasy, so you need to eat some salty food to cleanse your palate."

[That's a very distinctive metaphor...]

"Sure enough, men are all fickle and easily bored."

"Women can do that too! And it's no use seeing my classmates glaring at me, since I don't even have the 'old' part of 'disliking the old'," Wen Shui said with a wry smile.

"Feel sorry……"

Seeing Wen Shui suddenly start to reopen old wounds, Banami looked away and whispered, "Although I don't want to admit it... these situations do match up with me."

“I’m afraid that Kusuke will be taken away by Himegami. But I don’t know what to do, so I want them to stay away from each other… Sorry, maybe you think I’m a bit too possessive.”

[That's not necessarily true, after all, Princess Hime has been pestering me the whole time.]

【Huh? When did I start thinking of Himegami-san so intimately?】

"Well, I can understand how you feel." Wen Shui pulled herself out of her strange thoughts. It was more important to comfort Banami right now: "If your childhood friend of 12 years suddenly leaves you, you'll definitely feel very lost."

"Based on my own considerations and opinions, I don't think Princess Himegami would be a philanderer, but of course, this is just my opinion."

He said, "Since you don't want to confess to Hakamada for the time being, let's start with Himegami."

"Ugh?"

Banami didn't quite understand what "warm water" meant.

"It's better to guide than to block. Why not try to become friends with Himegami first, get to know her, and then consider a strategy?" Wen Shui stroked his chin. "I've talked to her. Actually, she's a very nice person. Besides, she doesn't seem to be interested in Hakamada at all."

“In that case, Kusuke will also have a relationship with her—” Hanami stopped speaking, as if she suddenly realized something.

She lowered her head and murmured to herself.

"That's true, I can't keep him indefinitely."

Banami put the last piece of chocolate cake into her mouth.

"thanks for treatment……"

She stood up, walked to the counter, paid for the warm water as well, and then the two of them walked out of the dessert shop one after the other.

On the way to the platform, Banami was eating small bites of dorayaki she bought from a roadside stall, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Wen Shui broke the silence by speaking first: "Um... it seems like Banami-kun has been eating the whole time. Is your allowance really enough?"

"Don't worry about money," Banai said with a smile. "I made some money from stocks before, so I have my own little stash."

Wen Shui exclaimed in surprise, "Stocks... I didn't expect that Banami-kun is a financial expert."

"No, it's just that sometimes I buy a stock because I feel it will go up." Banami tilted her head slightly and said, "It's probably... a kind of intuition."

"The instinct to make money is already a superpower!"

"It's not that scary." Banami paused for a moment, then continued, "Warm Water, thank you for spending so much time chatting with me this afternoon."

"I hope you don't take it too hard, after all, I'm just an outsider." Wen Shui scratched his head.

"No, on the contrary, it makes a lot of sense." Banai said with a smile, "Next week, I plan to try to become friends with Himegami-san. Could Nukumi-san help me out a little?"

"Hime-san shouldn't refuse you, but if there's anything you need help with, just ask."

Hanami Anzu gazed at the distant sunrise, her eyes revealing a complex emotion.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it."

She swallowed the last piece of dorayaki.

~Fifteenth defeat~ Nagoya on Sunday (Part 1)

Sunday, May 4, 2021, sunny

"Yoshiki, I'm going out."

"Brother, have a safe journey."

Wearing the clothes Yoshiki had chosen for her, Onami bid farewell to her younger sister and walked out of the gate of her house.

With her hand outstretched to shield her eyes from the eight o'clock morning sun, and filled with anticipation, Wenshui boarded the tram bound for Toyohashi Station.

Opening Line, I saw the three-person group that Himegami had created, where she had already listed out all the schedules last night.

Hime no Koi: "Everyone, have you all booked your round-trip tickets to Nagoya?"

Hime no Koi: "Let's go to the ramen shop after we arrive, have lunch, and then go to the publishing house!"

Hime's Love【Store Link】

Clicking the link reveals a steaming hot picture of ramen from the seller, with cooked beef and rich broth that looks incredibly appetizing.

Little Rabbit looks delicious (drooling emoji).

Hime no Koi: "Hehe, I've been wanting to go back ever since I ate there once before. This time it's on me."

"I couldn't possibly accept that..." (Warm water)

Hime no Koi: "Don't be so polite between friends. By the way, if you have time after going to the publishing house this afternoon, you could also take a stroll around the TV tower, okay?"

"I'm really looking forward to it." (Warm water)

Little Rabbit: "Mmm, mmm."

Upon seeing this, Wen Shui chuckled softly.

Komari didn't say anything, but she's probably really happy to be going to Nagoya.

The bus doors slowly closed, and Wen Shui leaned back in her seat, quietly enjoying the feeling of being pushed against the seat.

He recalled what his classmate, Banami, had said to him yesterday.

[Hime-miya is the kind of woman who steals Kusuke's affections.]

Intuition...?

He shook his head. What was he thinking? That was probably just Hanami's own opinion. Himegami didn't care about Hakamada at all...

He logged onto the internet and started browsing some interesting places to visit in Nagoya. Before he knew it, the bus had arrived at the next stop.

"Warm water?"

A familiar voice came from nearby, and before the warm water could react, someone sat down in the seat next to me.

Following the refreshing scent of jasmine and citrus, Wen Shui looked up and met the gaze of the smiling Himegami Karen.

【Huh? You want Princess Hime-no-miya here?!】

"Hime-kun?!" Wen Shui exclaimed in surprise, "What a coincidence!"

"I never expected to ride in the same car as Wen Shui, hehe." Ji Gong said with a smile.

Today, Himegami Karen wore light makeup, a light gray jacket, a light blue pleated skirt, brown ankle boots, and a white beanie, exuding youthful energy. Her impressive figure pushed up her white shirt, causing Onami to blush and look away.

"Where did Wen Shui get on the bus?" Ji Gong asked, leaning closer to Wen Shui.

The scent of jasmine grew stronger as the Princess Palace approached, and Wen Shui immediately replied, "Rei, Rei Bridge Station."

"Huh?! Those are the first two stops, aren't they?" Himegami exclaimed in surprise, "So our house is this close!"

“Really? What a coincidence,” Wen Shui replied.

[Is she planning to come to my house?!]

As Wen Shui watched Himegami seemingly plotting something, an ominous premonition arose in her mind.

He remembered that Yoshiki didn't seem to be very interested in Himegami...

Wait, this is the same bus I usually take to school... it's just on the wrong route, could it be—

Wen Shui was lost in thought, completely unaware that Ji Gong was watching her intently with a faint smile.

"Here, warm water."

"Ok?"

Princess Ji chuckled softly.

"You look handsome today!"

【——! 】

"Um, well, this..." Wen Shui, who had never heard such words from anyone else before, was at a loss for words.

"Hehe, Wen Shui must be really looking forward to today's trip, that's why she dressed up so nicely." Himeko kindly offered a way out.

"Well, um, that's how it is." Wen Shui blushed slightly.

"So, what does Wen Shui think of me today?"

"I think, well, Himegami is also very beautiful."

Wen Shui delivered this compliment almost as if squeezing toothpaste.

"Thank you, I'm very happy." Himegami's face flushed slightly.