What a twist! The loser heroine!

"I've been asking you for help ever since I met you. Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?"

"After all, his mind has never been on him..."

Himegami's voice trembled: "After I complete this process..."

"Sometimes I even wonder if I shouldn't have—"

The sound of the wind filled the gaps in the girl's words.

Himegami Karen, who is usually carefree and always smiling, started to cry quietly on the phone.

After considering it for a moment, Wen Shui said, "How about... we call Hakamada again now and explain?"

To his surprise, Himegami Karen laughed on the phone with a sob in her voice.

"Hakamada and stuff... so it's just that Warm Water isn't a good place here."

"Why are you starting to mimic Hanami's speech again...?"

Could it be that they want to learn from the victorious heroine? Wen Shui was somewhat speechless.

"I lost, Nukumizu-san," Himegami said, sobbing. "As a 'comrade-in-arms' who fought alongside me, is that all Nukumizu-san has to say?"

The boy didn't know, or rather, didn't want to think about the answer or deeper meaning of this question.

So they fell silent.

"I'm leaving."

Himegami suddenly spoke.

"Ugh?"

Upon hearing this sound, Wen Shui froze in place.

“My parents went to England, tried... but failed. I’m left alone in Japan. Is there really no point in staying here?”

So, this is what Cao Jie meant by goodbye (さようなら)?

"That……"

He hesitated for a long time, but the words of pleas for him to stay stuck in his throat.

"Am I, who am not in that position, really have the right to try to keep them?" The boy, who was unconsciously running away, thought to himself.

Silence fell over the communication, so the girl spoke up first.

"Well, Wen Shui, since it's no longer necessary, let's cancel our previous agreement?"

"Huh? What...what agreement?"

Wen Shui dared not admit it, stammering as she buried that memory deep inside—

We're friends, right? So this shouldn't be a problem, right?!

【I'm just an advisor right now, Hime-miya. Besides, this is a crucial time, so it's best not to cause any misunderstandings.】

Hmm... that's where the problem with the warm water comes from!

So, stop trying to talk like Yanagi...

impossible……

That kind of girl who's like a leading lady...

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes?"

Pretending not to hear Wen Shui's retreat and avoidance, Himegami Karen hung up the phone after uttering her last words in a tearful voice.

"I've had a great time these past two months, Staff Officer Kazuhiko."

"See you later (またね)."

◇

Seven out of ten high school couples break up within six months of starting a relationship. If you include breakups after graduation for various reasons, it's practically a total failure.

Irrational love leads nowhere; it leaves young men and women bewildered, causing them to either cry or laugh.

Even knowing that it will eventually fall apart, young men and women still yearn for a love and become immersed in it.

There is a difference between romantic comedies in reality and those in novels and comics, and Kazuhiko Nukumi is very clear about this distinction.

He didn't have any extra expectations for this brief interaction.

But sometimes, even lukewarm water thinks—

If he could be like the protagonist of a romance light novel, facing a heroine who would shed tears for him alone, then...

What will he think?

◇

Ah, so... I've been using Hakamada-kun as an excuse all along.

Wen Shuihe stared blankly at his phone, which had already turned off. The crying and voice of Himegami Karen kept rising and falling in his mind, creating waves and surging up again.

Looking up at Hakamada Sosuke, who was still being controlled by the boss's throwing technique, an inexplicable force propelled the boy to his feet.

Without a word, he stumbled and rushed toward the restaurant door, not even noticing that the light novel he had just bought was soaked by the spilled cola.

"Extra-large fries are here! Oh? Customer..."

[How pathetic, Kazuhiko Nukumizu. He just keeps avoiding the issue, playing dumb on his own.]

The crying female protagonist is one of them in this restaurant—Hana Mi Anna. Doesn't she already have a male protagonist?

What about the other female protagonist who is crying?

The boy, who considered himself to be naive, dared not presume to fathom the subtle thoughts hidden in the words of a teenage girl.

Perhaps the female protagonist wasn't really crying for him, but the little things that had happened over the past two months made it impossible for Wen Shui to avoid them.

He knew what he had to do for someone like Himegami Karen.

[Even though she already...]

He hesitated before putting the key into the bicycle lock, then straddled it and resolutely rode towards the train station.

"I am Kazuhiko Nukumizu. As an advisor and a friend, I think I am qualified to bear the pain of this parting."

"Please, Mr. Train, please be delayed..."

With that thought in mind, the boy pedaled his bicycle with all his might, chasing after the departing sunset.

That resolute figure gradually shrank in the eyes of Hakamada Sosuke and Yanami Anna, who had chased after him.

Hakamada Sosuke remained silent. He knew which route Nuku had chosen to reach the train platform, and he also knew the significance of Nuku's trip.

In the end, the hope in his eyes turned into desolation.

Hanami Anzu stood beside her childhood friend, clutching the light novel tightly in her hand.

She looked down at the cover, which was mostly stained with cola, but the title of the light novel was still clearly visible.

—Confess your love before you part ways

Hanami Anzu suddenly smiled and took a bite out of half of the freshly baked crepe.

"Oh my god? Wen Shui has actually started reading light novels? Has he suddenly become enlightened?"

"Well, I'll return the book tomorrow and let him off this time."

As she thought this, she looked at her childhood sweetheart, who had furrowed brows but still stayed by her side.

"After all, I won now, right?"

"Stealing cat."

~Second Mistake~ Be extremely careful when visiting shrines during the New Year.

Let's rewind to January 1, 2021, the Lunar New Year.

At the largest shrine in Toyohashi City, crowds flocked to offer New Year's prayers, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Wearing a cotton-padded coat, Wen Shui and Yan straightened up after washing their hands and mouths with warm water and took a handkerchief that happened to appear in front of them.

"Thank you, Yoshiki, you've been a great help."

He smiled, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and then handed it back to the girl next to him.

"Brother, can you rely on me a little more?"

The seemingly quiet and lovely girl took the handkerchief, tidied it up carefully, and put it into her bag.

"Last year, it seems like I was relying on Jiashu the whole time?"

"I didn't realize my elder brother was so self-aware."

She turned to face Wen Shui, her long, straight black hair swaying gently in the cold wind. Her bright brown eyes followed Wen Shui's every move, as if trying to imprint her brother's image onto her face forever.

This is Kazuhiko Nukumizu's younger sister, Yoshiki Nukumizu, who is two years younger than him.

"Brother, Father and Mother are waiting for us. Let's go pay our respects together."

With a slight pout, Yoshiki turned and walked towards the shrine. In the distance, on the approach to the shrine, Onamizu's parents were waving to the two of them, their breath creating a misty haze that was clearly visible in the air.

"Before we knew it, the new year had arrived..." Wen Shui sighed as she followed her sister, looking at the red torii gate that had just been carefully painted.

Yoshiki didn't respond. After a pause, she slowly said, "This year... my brother will be going to a new school, right?"

The year she spent in the same school as her older brother went by so quickly... The girl kept these words to herself.

Following behind Yoshiki, Wenshui couldn't see her sister's expression: "Yeah, I hope she can get a high score on the entrance exam. After all, she's been attending cram schools for so long, and her score on the last mock final exam was also very good."

"Sigh~ My brother is really going to great lengths. It seems he still wants to go to Ishiro High School." Yoshiki said with a smile.

"Ah, that's right. After all, Shilu High School is not far from Taoyuan Junior High School, and the routes to school are not much different."

"If I went to another school that was far away, I might have to catch the tram, or I might even have to rent a place to live."

Wen Shui looked at her younger sister with tenderness.

Furthermore, Yoshiki, you... also have a longing for Ishiba, right?

◇

In memory.

【—Is there any high school in Yoshiki that she'd like to apply to?】

Hearing his elder brother ask this question so suddenly, Yoshiki blinked his round eyes.

Yes! It's the high school my older brother attended!

Yoshiki, this concerns your future; you need to think carefully about your future education.

"Hmm~ But Yoshiki is only a first-year student. He hasn't decided what direction he wants to go in yet."

As I walked silently, I suddenly heard Yoshiki murmuring softly.

[...I do have a bit of a longing for Shilu.]

— Jia Shu harbored longing for Shi Lu.

Wen Shui learned about this when she was in her third year of junior high school.

He, being somewhat of a siscon, knew that if he went to another high school, Yoshiki would abandon Ishibashi High School and come after him.

That's why he insisted on choosing Shilu as his target.

◇

"I see~" Yoshiki turned around and smiled, his face flushed slightly from the cold weather, his expression full of affection that didn't match his age: "Oh dear, is it because my elder brother can't live without Yoshiki?"

"I just think it would be troublesome if the environment around me changed drastically, so please don't make me sound like some kind of useless shut-in..." Wen Shui protested helplessly.

"Hmph~" The little devil Yoshiki let out a triumphant laugh.

"Speaking of which, elder brother."

"Ok?"

"Does my elder brother know of the divine gaze upon him?"