What a twist! The loser heroine!

Page 36

However, there are always some oddballs at Shilu High School.

Wen Shui's phone vibrated and made a notification sound. When he opened it, he saw that it was a message from Xiao Ju Zhihua.

Are you free during lunch break today?

Upon seeing the message, Wen Shui immediately turned to look at Ji Gong, causing her to tilt her head and show a puzzled expression.

Wen Shui, who didn't know why she turned back, smiled awkwardly and then turned her body back.

"I'm free."

Just like before Himegami transferred schools, when he accepted Komari's invitation to take a nap together, Wen Shui sent out this message.

"Then, see you at the usual place."

Use warm water to turn off the phone screen.

He picked up the lunchbox, stood up, and pretended to walk past Himegami Karen as if nothing had happened, saying softly.

"I won't be taking a lunch break in the classroom."

After saying that, he walked out of the classroom.

Himegami Karen did not respond. She took out her lunchbox from her bag, and after casually responding to a few classmates who came to talk to her, she silently focused her gaze on Wen Shui's seat.

"Hime-miya-san, would you like to have lunch together?"

Anzu's voice suddenly rang out beside her, which was probably a common occurrence during every lunch break.

Without saying a word, the lovely girl sat down in the empty seat at Wenshui and extended an invitation to Himegami Karen with a smile.

Himegami's gaze darkened slightly, and her hands unconsciously tightened their grip on the lunchbox.

She forced a smile: "Hana-mi-kun, although the weather isn't good today, but—"

"Can you come with me somewhere?"

◇

Sitting on the fire escape ladder of the old school building, holding a lunchbox filled with warm water, I looked up at the thick dark clouds and sighed softly.

"It still looks like it might rain..." he said softly.

"No, it's okay."

Sitting next to Wen Shui, Xiao Ju Zhihua, who had invited him to spend his lunch break there, comforted him, saying, "Editor Kihara said that although it's an open-air booth, the publisher will provide a rain shelter, so there's no need to worry about rain."

"But foot traffic will be affected by the rain." Wen Shui poked at the air with her chopsticks a couple of times. "And the footage being filmed by the TV station will probably be affected too—"

"I... I don't care about those things." Xiao Ju slightly tightened her grip on the pork floss bread in her hand: "Anyway, all the physical books in the bookstores have already arrived. The book signing is just a publicity stunt."

"You're very confident in your work."

"After all, I've already received the silver award." Xiao Ju smiled foolishly.

The two were chatting about the book signing when they suddenly heard voices coming from downstairs. The voices were getting closer and closer, clearly indicating that they were coming upstairs.

"I didn't expect Wen Shui to participate in this event. I thought he was the kind of person who didn't like to go out on weekends."

The voice sounded familiar; Wen Shui immediately recognized it as Anna Hachimi's voice, since she had been trying to talk to Karen Himegami from behind for the past two days. However—

Why is Yanami talking about me?

"Well, Wen Shui is also a member of the Literature Club. This time, the student council asked him to participate."

"Sigh~ Are Himegami and Nukumi in the same club?"

【Hmm? Princess Hime is here too?】

He raised an eyebrow, but before he could react, Xiao Ju suddenly reached out her right hand and tightly gripped his wrist, looking very nervous.

"Hmm? Xiao Ju? What's wrong?"

"Warm, warm water, when did you meet Anzu... oh no, I mean, when you met your classmate, Bana?"

"Hana-chan, just last Friday...?" Wen Shui pondered for a moment.

"Why did it suddenly come so much earlier—" Xiao Ju pursed her lips, and her right hand unconsciously increased the pressure.

"Hey, Xiaoju, it hurts a little."

Wen Shui helplessly pointed to her increasingly forceful right hand.

"Ah... I'm sorry..." Xiao Ju slowly let go of her hand.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Ju, did you know Banami-kun before?" Wen Shui asked curiously, "You just called out his name directly."

"Um, uh, this, that..."

Just as Komari was trying to come up with an excuse to brush off the question, Banami and Himegami, carrying bento boxes, also climbed up to their section of the stairs.

Himegami Karen looked up and saw Komari and Onami sitting on the same step. A subtle expression flashed across her face before she put on a smile again.

"Ah! Wen Shui and Xiao Ju are here! Good afternoon~"

Ji Gong quickened her pace and ran up to Wen Shui and the other person in a few steps, waving and greeting them: "Why didn't you invite me to lunch break? Wen Shui is being a bit inconsiderate."

"Good afternoon." Wen Shui smiled at Ji Gong: "I saw you chatting happily with Hanami-kun at noon, so I..."

"Ah, Wenshui-kun, you know this place too?" Banami walked up at this moment: "I thought no one had ever been here before, I didn't expect it to have become a popular tourist attraction."

Wen Shui looked at Xiao Ju: "Ah, Xiao Ju invited me before—Guwa! Xiao Ju, why did you pinch me!"

"Warm water, warm water. Consider the atmosphere before you speak." Xiao Ju silently withdrew her hand again.

What's the atmosphere like...?

Himegami glanced at Komari, then smiled and said, "What a coincidence! All four of us have joined the event. In that case, let's talk about the autograph session during lunch break!"

After saying that, she took the lunchbox and sat down with Banami on a step that was one step higher than the two of them, Wenshui.

"Hime-kun made fried chicken today!" Hanami exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Hime-kun's bento box. "I really want some... but all I can trade is a vegetable salad..."

"Huh? Is this all that Yanami-kun eats?!"

It seems that Princess Hime also knows how amazing a certain girl's appetite is.

"Well, due to some special reasons..." Banami pouted, revealing an extremely unwilling expression: "Anyway, I'll have to eat less recently."

"Do you still want the fried chicken?"

"want!"

With an "I knew it" look on her face, Himegami picked up a piece of fried chicken and put it into Banami's lunchbox. Then she turned to ask, "By the way, I remember that in yesterday's mobilization meeting, the preparations for Saturday in Onami were assigned to the logistics team, right?"

Wen Shui nodded: "Oh yeah, I don't know what we'll be doing. But we have to meet at school tomorrow, Saturday, the student council should explain then. What about you, Himegami?"

"I was assigned to the props group, and they said we were going to make some small decorations for the exhibition booth." Himegami recalled, "Then, last night, Shikiya-senpai informed me via Line that I would be in charge of the reception group on Sunday."

Upon hearing this, Hanami stopped chewing her fried chicken and turned to look at Himegami.

"Ah... Himegami, are you going to the reception team too?"

Her voice trembled involuntarily.

"also?"

Upon hearing this, Himegami said, somewhat puzzled, "Oh, right? I remember that Banami-kun is also in the hospitality team, isn't that perfect? We can help each other out on Sundays."

“Ah, yes, that’s right,” Banami nodded, poked the vegetable leaves in her bento box a couple of times with her chopsticks, and then laughed awkwardly, “Ahaha, that’s true, Himegami-san is so cute, it’s impossible for her not to be in the hospitality team…”

After hearing what Banami said, Wenshui recalled the definition of the reception team. He remembered that the student council's explanation stated that the reception team consisted of students who stood at the entrance of the autograph session and convention, serving as the face of the event and welcoming visitors.

Since these students are often featured in television broadcasts, the students pay close attention to those with outstanding appearances during the interviews.

[I see. It seems the hospitality team is full of handsome men and beautiful women.]

Wen Shui nodded.

During the rest of the afternoon, for some reason, Hanami Anna, who was known as the class's outgoing girl, suddenly became sullen. She only gave a few perfunctory responses to the topics that Himegami Karen brought up.

Karen Himegami, who is very good at reading the room, decided to take care of her friends' feelings and started chatting with Komari and Numizu instead.

As a result, Himegami became sullen after hearing that Onami would be spending Sunday mornings with Komari.

Both Yangjiao fell silent simultaneously, and Wenshui and Xiaoju couldn't possibly start a conversation under these circumstances, so the atmosphere on the escape stairs suddenly plummeted to freezing point. This awkward situation continued until Banami and Himegami finished their lunch and decided to leave.

"Then we'll go first."

"Okay, see you in the classroom."

As the glow emanating from the 12K combo faded into the distance on the fire escape, Wen Shui He Yan looked at the few remaining lunchboxes in his arms. He stood up, intending to finish the rest of his lunch on the way to the water tank.

But to my surprise, as soon as I stood up, Xiao Ju pulled me back to where I was.

"Xiao Ju...?"

Under a sky shrouded in dark clouds, Xiaoju Zhihua's right hand, which was gripping the hem of Wenshui's clothes, trembled slightly from the excessive force.

"Stay with me a little longer..."

The girl made a soft request.

"Also... tell me how you met Anzu... Hanami-kun."

◇

To appease the little rabbit who had suddenly become agitated, Wen Shui honestly told her how she met Banami.

Although she didn't know why Xiao Ju suddenly cared about this matter, Wen Shui didn't say much when she saw her anxious look.

"In short, that's how it is now."

Standing in front of the tap, the warm water rinsed the lunchbox clean, and then I turned to look at Xiao Ju, who was deep in thought.

"Xiaoju?"

Komari Chika did not answer.

She doesn't even know what she wants to say right now.

Feeling confused, Himegami Karen's intrusion disrupted the development of everything she remembered. It turned out that Hanami Anna, whom she considered her greatest danger, had actually known Nukumi for almost two months prior.

What to do? One princess is already difficult to deal with, what if Anza—

No, Anzu should still be focused on her childhood friend, and on the space...

Think carefully, Xiaoju Zhihua, think carefully, in the month since school started, what memories do you have that can bring you closer?

Or rather, is there any way to deal with Kazuhiko?

Her eyes suddenly opened wide.

"Warm, warm water!" she suddenly raised her voice.

"Huh? What? What?!" Wen Shui was startled.

Komari pursed her lips and took a step closer to the warm water.

Now it was Wen Shui's turn to panic.

"Um, Xiao Ju???"

"I, I—" Xiao Ju seemed to be preparing some words.

Wen Shui wanted to back away, but there was a wall behind him, and he had nowhere to go.