What a twist! The loser heroine!

Princess Ji immediately raised her eyebrows.

"Knowledge comes from Google too!"

"That's absolutely right..."

Taking advantage of the conversation about light novels, Himegami shared her thoughts on the two isekai light novels she had borrowed a few days ago, and after Komari chimed in with interest, she took the opportunity to chat with Komari about isekai settings.

Seeing Himeko and Komari chatting happily, Wen Shui nodded.

[Ju Jingyi shouldn't be nervous anymore, right?]

I hope today's visit to the publishing house will end successfully.

The hour-long drive passed slowly, and once Ji Gong started talking, it was hard to stop. So when Xiao Ju was struggling to keep up, Wen Shui changed the subject and handed Ji Gong a bottle of mineral water to soothe her throat when she got excited.

Finally, exhausted, Komari gently leaned against Himegami and drifted off to sleep, her shoulders rising and falling slightly like a kitten.

"Komari looks a little tired," Himegami said softly, reaching out to smooth Komari's hair.

"I've been excited since the day before yesterday," Wen Shui said softly, resting her chin on her hand. "If my novel could be published and sold in physical form, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep all night."

"That's right."

Himegami gently adjusted Komari's position to make her more comfortable while sleeping.

◇

By the time the train arrived in Nagoya, it was already 12:30 PM. The sun was high in the sky, and there wasn't a cloud in the clouds. Fortunately, the May sunshine wasn't unbearably hot.

As it was the weekend, Nagoya Station, a major transportation hub in the metropolitan area, was naturally packed with people.

Komari and Onami followed Himegami out of Nagoya Station. The exit was crowded with people, and Komari held Onami's wrist, barely managing to stand still in the crowd.

"After more than half a year, you're finally back." Princess Hime leaned against the huge pillar and turned back to ask with concern, "Kiri, how did you sleep?"

"Very good, thank you," Xiao Ju replied with a smile.

"You both look very energetic! But it's already noon, you must be a little hungry by now, right?"

"I am indeed a bit hungry."

Himegami smiled, took out her phone, checked the location information displayed on the map, and then compared it with her memory.

"Then let's not delay any longer, let's go to that ramen shop we mentioned before!"

As she spoke, Princess Himegami led the two to the intersection in front of the train station.

Looking up, Wen Shui was surrounded by tall steel buildings. Nagoya, as the capital of Aichi Prefecture, was far more prosperous than Toyohashi. The dense crowds spread out before him, making the boy, who had never seen such a sight before, feel uncomfortable.

I guess I'm better suited to staying in Toyohashi after all...

Needless to say, Xiao Ju's hands, gripping his wrists, trembled and tightened their grip, clearly indicating that she was completely unprepared.

Seeing this, Wen Shui could only pat Xiao Ju's hand and give her a reassuring look to encourage her.

"Wow... there are so many people on Sunday." Himegami looked at the crowd on the street and exclaimed, "I hope that store isn't too full. It's such a rare opportunity."

The green light came on, and the crowd moved. After finally crossing the intersection, the three of them followed their planned route through the alleys of Nagoya and finally arrived at the entrance of a ramen shop hidden deep in the alley.

Lifting the noren (shade curtain) that served as a barrier, the three members of the Himegami family entered the shop together. The warm-toned decor was reassuring, and the aroma wafting through the air was incredibly enticing.

"Looks like we're not full yet, that's great."

Himegami observed the situation in the shop.

"The tonkotsu ramen broth at this shop is excellent, and the price is reasonable." Himegami turned around and explained why she chose this place: "My mother brought me here once before, and I've never forgotten the taste."

"Oh, it's a regular customer." A middle-aged man in a uniform with a towel draped over his shoulders immediately greeted them, smiling as he asked, "Three people?"

"Correct."

"There are still seats upstairs, the noodles will be ready in a little while." After saying that, the uncle went into the kitchen and began to call out to the employees in his thick accent.

"Xiao Ju, you go up first." Wen Shui glanced at Xiao Ju. "The stairs are a bit steep, be careful."

"Mm." Xiao Ju let go of Wen Shui's hand that she had been holding and followed Ji Gong upstairs, while Wen Shui followed behind them to prevent any accidental falls.

After taking their seats on the second floor, Himegami went to prepare the side dishes for the ramen, while Komari took out her phone, seemingly chatting with someone on Line. Wen Shui glanced at it before looking away; he had no habit of eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

Just as he closed his eyes, quietly waiting for the ramen to arrive, footsteps came from behind him. Wen Shui opened his eyes and saw two people wearing trench coats, sunglasses, and masks covering themselves completely, walking mysteriously to the seats next to him and sitting down.

Judging by his physique... he looks a bit like a middle school student... whose kid secretly ran away from home without their parents' knowledge?

Wen Shui raised an eyebrow, decided not to meddle in other people's family affairs, and closed her eyes to rest again.

The ramen shop was very efficient; it seemed like the broth was prepared in advance. Before long, the ramen, emitting a rich aroma, was served.

"Wow, this is truly amazing..."

Wen Shui looked at the bowl of ramen in front of her in surprise.

The jade-white bone broth gives the ramen noodles, which are soaked in the broth, a pure white sheen. Large chunks of char siu and soft-boiled eggs are garnished with scallions, and the aroma, along with the steam, fills the nostrils, making one's appetite soar.

"Hehe, didn't I tell you?" Himegami said with a smile, placing a small bowl containing carrots, seaweed, and other side dishes in front of the two of them. "This shop has been open for more than ten years in the prime location of Nagoya, so their skills are definitely top-notch."

"I...I'm starting."

Xiao Ju seemed to be quite hungry due to the long journey and early morning, and couldn't wait to start eating.

Upon seeing this, Wen Shui and Ji Gong exchanged a smile.

"I'm starting." x2

~Seventeenth defeat~ Nagoya on Sunday

"Take care, sir, and welcome back next time!"

Amidst a rough greeting sung in a local dialect, Wen Shui, feeling quite full, walked out of the ramen shop.

"Sure enough, small workshops use really high-quality materials..."

Recalling the rich aroma of bone broth that had just lingered on her tongue, Wen Shui opened her phone and added the shop to her favorites on the map.

Wen Shui turned to look at Xiao Ju beside her. The girl was clutching her stomach while wearing a happy smile, clearly still immersed in the ramen she had just eaten.

So he smiled and said to Princess Ji, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

“Let’s not talk about these things between friends,” Himegami said with a smile. “Besides, it’s not actually that expensive. In Nagoya, this price is quite reasonable.”

She glanced at her phone, then, as if remembering something, turned to look at Xiao Ju.

"By the way! Xiao Ju, what time can we go to the publishing house this afternoon? It's only 1 p.m., are they still closed for the day?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ju quickly snapped out of her reverie.

She held up her phone and showed Wen Shui and Ji Gong their chat history from before dinner.

Wen Shui silently read the chat history aloud.

"Ah... the regional manager of the publishing house is currently attending to someone, so it won't be until around 2 o'clock..."

[Huh? For the regional manager of Kadokawa Shoten to personally receive me, could it be a high-ranking leader?]

Wen Shui was somewhat surprised, but after thinking for a moment, she still opened the map on her phone.

“It takes about forty minutes to walk from here to the publishing house, so we should be able to get there by now,” Wen Shui suggested. “We’ll also pass through a pedestrian street along the way, so we might be able to buy some souvenirs to take back.”

“Good, good idea.” Xiao Ju chimed in, nodding, “My mom said it would be best to buy something for the publishing house’s leaders…”

"I meant bringing back Nagoya specialties for relatives and friends." Wen Shui said helplessly, "High school students shouldn't be thinking about social connections all the time. Anyway, Xiao Ju, your physical book sales contract has already been signed, so the book signing is just a natural progression."

"I...I understand." Xiao Ju nodded to indicate that she understood.

Himegami nudged Wen Shui with her shoulder: "Hmph~? I didn't expect Wen Shui to know so much. Talking about interpersonal relationships and all that, it sounds so mature..."

"If you, Hime-miya, also had a father who would criticize Japanese interpersonal relationships to the point of being utterly incomprehensible during every family meeting, you would probably understand these things too." Wen Shui said helplessly, "Alright, alright, let's skip these sensitive topics and get going?"

Without saying a word, Himegami became excited: "Oh~! Pedestrian street, pedestrian street!"

Wen Shui smiled and shook her head, then turned around and said, "Xiao Ju, there might be a lot of people later, so be careful not to get separated."

"okay……"

Xiao Ju reached out and naturally grasped Wen Shui's wrist.

"...Here?"

"Warm water? You don't want it?"

"That's not true... Well, whatever you want."

◇

As Japan's capital city, Nagoya seems to have a significantly increased number of people on the streets during the lunch break of office workers.

Following the map navigation, the three of them crossed two main roads. Fortunately, they managed to leave the surging crowd before Xiao Ju's legs went weak.

"I...I will never leave Toyohashi again. There are just too many people."

Hiding in the shadow of a building next to the pedestrian street, Komari Chika was on the verge of tears.

"To become a bestselling author, you have to travel around a lot. Xiao Ju, you will face many more situations like this in the future. There's no way to escape them."

As Wen Shui said this, she handed a bottle of mineral water to Xiao Ju.

"Writer, author, and traveling around—they sound like completely different words..." Xiao Ju took a sip of mineral water and complained helplessly.

"Click."

The sound of a camera shutter came from behind. Wen Shui looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ji Gong had taken out his phone and taken a group photo of the three people in the shadows.

"W-Why are you suddenly taking pictures..." Xiao Ju didn't seem to want to be photographed, especially at a time like this.

"Actually, we had already taken quite a few photos before, but you guys didn't notice."

Yes, after all, Himegami is the ultimate sassy character, how could she not take photos while traveling? But...

"Could you please not take pictures of me?"

Xiao Ju helped Wen Shui express their shared feelings.

"Don't worry, don't worry, it won't be uploaded to the internet. Xiao Ju, you're my Facebook friend, feel free to verify me~" Ji Gong said as she started sending the photos taken today to the three of them in their Line group.

[Ah, Facebook, I remember that's an app used by social media influencers... So Ju Jingyi uses it too.]

The continuous LINE notifications from her phone forced Wen Shui to take it out.

Upon opening the group chat, I discovered that Himegami was using the photos taken today to launch a carpet bombing campaign.

"Wow, so many photos of waiting for the train, eating ramen... Wen Shui flipped through them one by one."

"Ooh!" Xiao Ju suddenly let out a cute little cry.

"Why, why did you take pictures of me sleeping?!"

"Hehe, because it's cute."

"Quick, delete it..."

"I won't upload it!"

[They are indeed quite cute.]

Of course, Wen Shui wouldn't say such slightly offensive things to someone's face.

However, the more photos he looked through, the more he discovered facts that sent chills down his spine.

Wait a minute, why are there two seemingly familiar figures in these photos, or a long-haired woman sneaking around hiding?!

My spine feels cold.

Wen Shui immediately looked around, but did not find anyone suspicious.

Wait, that long-haired woman must be Ms. Kobata, right?! And those two who look like middle school students... could it be...?

Looking up at Himegami and Komari, who were still arguing about whether to delete the photos, Wen Shui sighed heavily.

To ensure a successful end to today's trip, it's best to keep these thoughts to yourself.

"Well, I'll say it."

Wen Shui said, forcing a smile, "Let's go for a walk on the pedestrian street first."

◇

"Wow, I didn't expect to be able to buy this kind of dessert here."