What a twist! The loser heroine!

"My name is Nonomura."

"Oh, I'm Kazuhiko Nukumizu, your classmate—"

Wen Shui tried hard to recall information about the girl named Nonomura, but found that she seemed to have vanished from the classroom after her self-introduction at the beginning of the semester, with a very weak presence.

But as someone who yearns for and pursues solitude, Wen Shui clearly understands that the so-called sense of existence is nothing more than a superficial reflection of a person's choices in social interactions.

By deliberately avoiding communication with others, deliberately hiding one's presence, and deliberately avoiding any potential troublesome events, one can artificially reduce one's presence to an extremely low level.

He looked at the classmate named Nonomura.

I see, so she and I are the same kind.

So he didn't say anything else, just nodded, and sat down in the area that belonged to the logistics team.

Nonomura paused slightly, then smiled silently. She pushed several pieces of cardstock, scissors, and a preview pattern onto the table in front of Awami, who naturally picked up the cardstock and began cutting out the patterns.

Nonomura glanced curiously at Wen Shui's focused profile. She hadn't even had a chance to explain the job to him yet, but he had already figured it out on his own.

Is it really the unspoken understanding between people of the same kind? She thought to herself as she folded the cardstock in her hand into a new star.

The morning passed quietly amidst the noise of the small auditorium. Thanks to a senior from the craft club leading the team, the props group made very rapid progress, completing most of the expected decorations in just a few hours.

Wen Shui's logistics team also served as temporary helpers, significantly speeding up the preparation work.

However, it seems that some problems have been encountered. When Wen Shui handed over some ghost stickers that she had helped make to the props team, she saw that the senior from the craft club was discussing something with the former president of the Fang Hu Yuan Association.

"Okay, I understand." Fang Huyuan Yun Que nodded to the senior: "Let's finish what we can first, and I'll find someone to arrange the rest."

After saying that, she walked directly to Wen Shui's side and said, "Wen Shui, the props team is currently experiencing a shortage of some raw materials."

"But weren't all the materials prepared yesterday?"

"After obtaining the school committee's approval, the decoration team added some new requirements. According to the props team's progress, it is still in time, but there is a problem of insufficient materials."

The president patted him on the shoulder: "After lunch break, your logistics team should get ready and go to the mall to buy some supplies. I'll have Secretary Shikiya give you a list."

"What about funding?"

“Of course, the school committee is in charge,” said Hibari Hara with a smile.

~Thirty-first defeat~ Banami's unease

Since the preparations are expected to last all day, the students participating in the event will take a lunch break in the small auditorium. The school committee has also provided free lunch for the students.

After lunch and a short rest, the logistics team consisting of Onami, Banami, and Nonomura received their procurement funds from Hiroto Sakurai. They then took a bus to a nearby department store.

At the supermarket entrance, Wen Shui took out the inventory list that Shiki-ya had given them, which listed the types and quantities of items that the props team urgently needed.

“You two, the items on these lists are all different. The senior student in the student council probably wants each of us to be responsible for purchasing a part of it. I think it would be better if we split up here, and then go back to school after we’ve finished purchasing. That would also improve efficiency.”

Standing next to her, Nonomura held her own list and rattled off her words in one breath: "You two should both have been to this mall before and know where the items on the list are, right?"

When Wen Shui and Banai nodded at the same time, she bowed to them as if confirming the operation's code: "Then without further ado, I'll be going now."

After saying this, she turned and walked into the supermarket.

After listening to Nonomura's concise, practical, and information-rich speech, Wen Shui felt a sense of relief. As expected of someone of his kind, even his quick and decisive approach to things was similar to hers. Having someone like him to accompany her on outings was a truly divine experience.

He turned to look at Anna Hanami.

But here...

Hanami was staring blankly at the sign of the department store. She seemed to have been a little listless since yesterday afternoon. When she was helping other groups this morning, she almost pricked her hand with a sewing needle because she was distracted.

What exactly happened?

Out of concern for someone she knew, and worried about whether Banami could complete the procurement task in her mental state, Nuku decided to help her.

"Hanami-kun? Hanami-kun?"

He walked up to Hanami and waved gently.

Hanami seemed to snap out of her reverie. She laughed awkwardly, "Ah, sorry, I was just thinking about something..."

She picked up the list, glanced at it without looking at it, and said, "Is this for buying snacks to be distributed at the book signing event?"

"No..." Wen Shui covered her face in distress: "There's no plan for a snack sharing session at the book signing event."

Only then did Banami place the list in front of her and read it carefully: "Um... two pairs of scissors, one utility knife, four bottles of glue—"

After reading it, she put down the list: "There's no snacks in it..."

Why be so disappointed about this?

"However, the daily necessities section and the food section are not far apart, so I can buy some flatbread while I'm there."

Mentioning food seemed to lift Banami's spirits a little. She turned to look at Wenshui: "Wenshui-kun, what are you going to buy?"

"Black curtains and some hooks or something hanging on the wall."

"Huh? These are all everyday items. We're just passing by."

“It seems so.”

◇

After wandering around the maze of luxury and jewelry stores on the first floor for a while, Wenshui and Banami boarded the escalator leading to the daily necessities section on the second floor.

Hanami Anina gently squeezed the elevator handrail, her lowered and wandering eyes showing a hint of absent-mindedness.

Wen Shui had been paying attention to her, so she immediately asked, "Um, is something on your mind, Bana-chan?"

Upon hearing this, Banami immediately patted her face in a panic, trying to cover something up, and said, "Uh, no, nothing's wrong."

"But you've looked listless since yesterday afternoon."

"It's...it's that obvious." Banami's voice lowered.

She pursed her lips slightly and glanced at the warm water with some hesitation.

It seems that Kusuke already knows about my trip to the dessert shop with Wenshui last Saturday, but he doesn't seem to mind. I've already told Wenshui about my "intuition" regarding Himegami Karen, and although he didn't accept my request in the end, it was still a useful suggestion.

After getting to know Karen Himegami and becoming friends, Kusuke didn't try to contact Himegami again, and Himegami didn't seem to be interested in Kusuke either.

She was secretly pleased, thinking that this might help her avoid the ending her intuition told her.

But then—

She looked up and glanced at Wen Shui, who had a puzzled expression on her face.

She had never dared to talk to her family and friends about her intuition, let alone about matters of the heart.

If it were Wen Shui, she would probably keep my secret, right...?

After all, he hadn't told Himegami about their last conversation. Otherwise, Himegami wouldn't have become friends with someone like him who secretly called her a philanderer.

Thinking of this, she spoke up: "It's about Himegami-kun."

"Hmm?" Wen Shui was a little confused: "About Himegami-san?"

Banami whispered, "Yesterday, Himegami-san said she was assigned to the reception group, right?"

"Uh, that's right, but wasn't Banami-kun also assigned to the reception team?"

As the escalator slowly ascended, Onami seemed to realize something, and he turned his body to face Banami.

“It has nothing to do with me…” Banami lowered her eyes, her expression somewhat gloomy: “The important thing is that Kusuke has also been assigned to the reception team.”

The lukewarm water immediately revealed the truth.

Last Saturday, Anzu Hachimi was preoccupied with what she had intuitively glimpsed, and it seems that a week has passed and she still hasn't been able to get out of her previous thoughts.

"As I said before, it's impossible to stop Hakamada and Himemiya's relationship."

Wen Shui said, "Didn't you let Hakamada apologize to Himegami on Monday? You should be able to tell that there's no progress between them, right?"

"This time, the three of you are in the same reception group, and you've also gotten closer to Princess Hime—"

"It was only through getting closer to Hime-miya that I gradually came to understand how real those intuitive images were."

Banami abruptly interrupted Wenshui, her emotions running high, her lips turning pale, and her eyes filled with struggle and unease.

The escalator had reached the top floor. She stepped onto the second floor first, head down, and walked towards a takoyaki shop in the food section.

Wen Shui quickly followed in her footsteps, while carefully pondering the meaning of her words.

Banami took out some change from her wallet, then grabbed two skewers of takoyaki and sat down on a chair at the shop entrance. Ignoring the scalding temperature, she popped them into her mouth.

The food seemed to offer her a sense of comfort, and she began to speak:

"Eee wah ah wu wu wu ah wu wah a hu ha."

"Eat your food before you talk..."

Banami swallowed the takoyaki in her mouth.

"Wow, it's so hot..." she stuck out her tongue.

I knew this would happen.

Wen Shui had no choice but to take the initiative and ask, "So, what did you mean by that sentence earlier?"

Upon hearing this, Banami bit her lip: "In order to understand Himegami, I followed your suggestion and befriended Himegami. However, the deeper my relationship with Himegami becomes, the more I realize the gap between us."

"Gentle and considerate, understanding, from an outstanding family, good-looking, and with a figure that doesn't look like a high school student at all. And hey, Wen Shui, do you know how big her bust is?!"

Banai sprang to her feet and shouted at Wenshui, her tone ambiguous, whether it was envy or jealousy.

Why are we suddenly bringing this up...?

He waved his hands awkwardly, saying, "I really don't know, and I don't want to know. Please don't shout like that..."

"Uh, sorry." Banami shrank back into her seat. "Anyway, the more I get to know Himegami these past few days since we became friends, the more I realize the gap between us—"

She gripped the takoyaki skewer tightly in her hand.

After a moment, he finally managed to utter the rest of his words.

"We can't win," the girl sighed softly.

“I can’t be a girl like Himegami-san.” Hana smiled and praised her friend’s strengths again: “She’s so kind that she can tolerate all her classmates, she can read the room and notice all kinds of details. How did a girl with such high feminine strength appear in this world? And her breasts are really big.”

Can we please not talk about this anymore...?

As Banami spoke, her voice gradually weakened.

"I don't want that intuition, or rather, that premonition, to come true," she said, sounding very conflicted. "After all, Himegami-san is really my good friend now, but... but..."

"Although I tried to subtly hint at it several times, she didn't show any interest in Kusuke."

"What if one day, Kusuke really falls for Himegami-san and starts pursuing her? What should I do then—?"

Wen Shui suddenly froze.

After a long while, he finally looked at the girl in front of him who was already trapped in her own mindset.

He spoke, his voice trembling slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of.

"In that case, why not go—"

"Confess to Sosuke... right?" Banami pursed her lips and said the rest in advance: "Before, for some reason, I said I didn't dare to do it."

She opened her mouth.

"because……"

Ultimately, she couldn't reveal the reason.

"..."

The words tangled in the girl's mouth, eventually turning into a sigh.

"Sigh, anyway, if I'm going to confess to Kusuke, I'll need to prepare a lot..."

Anna took a small bite of her takoyaki: "Just like you said before, in his eyes, I might really only have a familial relationship with him. Breaking the image he's maintained in his mind for twelve years won't be easy..."

She laughed self-deprecatingly and threw the bamboo skewer into the trash can.

"Ah, I've said so much without realizing it, and I feel much better now. Thank you, Wen Shui, for listening to me ramble on like this."

"We can't waste any more time; we need to hurry and buy everything—"

Seeing the slightly lonely expression on Hanami's face, Wenshui suddenly remembered the movie tickets that he had asked him to pass on to Ayano Mitsuki a few days ago.