What a twist! The loser heroine!

Like a spotlight on a stage, sunlight streamed through the skylight of the small auditorium. Himegami Karen stood quietly in that beam of light, her hands behind her back.

The sunlight gilded her long pink hair with a magnificent gold, making her unique aura even more dazzling.

Ji Gong gave Wen Shui a serene smile without saying a word, but Wen Shui already knew what she wanted to express.

It wasn't until the girl quietly left, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers, that Wen Shui Kazuhiko realized what had happened.

Oh, the weather has cleared up.

The boy picked up his phone, navigated through the maze formed by his classmates, and headed towards the exit of the small auditorium.

After walking through the lush, tree-lined path and saying goodbye to the student council accountant I had met by chance, I stood in front of the school gate and watched the van full of people drive away.

On a quiet Saturday, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of jasmine prompted him to turn around at the crossroads.

Sunlight filtered through the layers of branches, casting dappled golden shadows on the road.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the girl extended her finger and tapped the boy's forehead with a hint of displeasure.

"so slow!"

Himegami Karen said angrily.

"I rushed over here without stopping..." Wen Shui protested.

"That won't do! Being late is being late." Himegami Karen crossed her arms, pretending to be angry.

"As punishment for Wen Shui's lateness this time—"

She took something out of her school uniform pocket and placed it in her warm hands.

Wen Shui looked down.

It was a movie ticket.

"You should be free this afternoon, right?"

Himegami Karen slightly averted her gaze, pursed her lips, and twisted her long hair behind her back with her hands, her leather shoes rubbing slightly uneasily against the ground.

"This is a movie ticket I won in a supermarket raffle. It will expire if I don't use it today."

So...do you want to go see it together?

After saying that, she looked at the warm water with expectant eyes.

[Huh? What's going on here? My first time going to the movies with a girl is about to end like this—]

Wen Shui nervously made a swallowing reflex, and after a slight hesitation, he nodded in the face of Ji Gong's gaze.

"I'm free."

Himegami's eyes instantly brightened, and the light around her became even more dazzling, causing Onami to involuntarily look away.

Under the shade of the trees, the girl smiled and took the boy's wrist.

"Hime-no-miya, wait—!!"

"We can't wait any longer! Let's get going! The movie's about to start!"

As she spoke, Himegami Karen hummed a tune that Onamizu had never heard before, leading him as they ran along the sun-dappled, golden road.

◇

"Wow, thank goodness I made it in time..."

Himegami and Nukumi stopped the bus almost at the last second before it was about to leave the station.

She sat down next to Wen Shui, placing her left hand on her chest, which rose and fell slightly with her breathing, as if trying to calm her somewhat erratic breathing. Then she turned to Wen Shui, who was still panting, and said with a smile, "Wen Shui, it seems you still need to practice more."

"I will..."

While adjusting her breathing, Wen Shui said, "I just didn't expect you to run so fast. Several times I thought I was going to fall."

“If you don’t run fast, you’ll miss this train,” Himegami said matter-of-factly.

"That movie shouldn't be showing that early, right?"

"Once we finish the preparations, there won't be much time left."

"Huh?" someone who had only ever watched movies with family asked in surprise, "Is there any preparation needed for watching a movie?"

Karen Himegami nodded, counting on her fingers, "Yes, like buying popcorn, taking photos, posing with posters, and choosing seats with friends..."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up this topic that only those with a positive outlook can understand."

After finishing her explanation, Wen Shui glanced at Ji Gong out of the corner of her eye and cautiously asked, "And—"

"Now that we're on the bus, you can let go of my hand, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Gong tightened her grip on Wen Shui's wrist slightly with her right hand.

She pursed her lips, hesitated for a while, and then spoke.

"If Xiaoju can do it... then why can't I?"

Wen Shui paused for a second, slightly stunned.

[Yes, why didn't I feel uncomfortable even though Xiao Ju grabbed my wrist so many times?]

In the month since the start of the semester, we've been quietly getting closer, subtly testing the waters, maintaining the perfect distance, and using light novels as a starting point to spark shared topics of conversation in our private lives—

After Himegami reminded her, Nukumi realized that a certain little creature in the Literature Club, who also had a darker side, seemed to understand her very well.

But I had never known her before, so what was this natural feeling of closeness?

After thinking for a long time, Wen Shui still couldn't come up with any possible answers.

If that's the case, then—

Reflecting on the past week.

Thus, in Himegami's eyes, which darkened slightly by his silence.

Warm water responded.

"Don't...don't use too much force."

he said softly.

Himegami Karen's crimson eyes instantly filled with light.

The corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

"Ah."

She gently grasped the arm of the woman with warm water.

She didn't let go until she got off the bus.

~Thirty-third defeat~ Miss Rabbit

The sunset painted the sky. The shopping street was bustling with people on Saturday. Wen Shui and Ji Gong walked side-by-side on their way to the movie theater.

"Warm water, here you go."

Himegami Karen handed her a strawberry milkshake.

"Huh? When did you buy it?"

"Just now."

Wen Shui held the milkshake in her hand, took out her phone and glanced at the time: "It's almost five o'clock, when does the movie start?"

Himegami thought for a moment: "I remember it was 5:30."

"It's 5:30... I'm afraid I won't make it in time for dinner after watching the movie."

"Then let's find a restaurant to eat together."

"Ugh--"

Are you busy tonight?

"Not really..."

Wen Shui thought for a moment, then sent a message to her parents and Jia Shu in the family group chat on Line, indicating that she might be home a little late tonight and that they didn't need to wait for her.

The parents quickly replied that they understood, but Yoshiki's reaction made Wenshui a little concerned.

Yoshiki, who usually adds a blessing to his message, just like his parents, sent a simple "I understand" and then fell silent.

Have I made her angry recently?

Wen Shui scratched his head and stared at his phone screen, lost in thought.

Seeing that Wen Shui's gaze never left his phone, Ji Gong gently poked his shoulder and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Warm-Water classmate, when you're shopping with a girl, it's best not to keep looking at your phone."

"Ah, I was just notifying my family." Wen Shui put her phone back in her pocket.

"Sorry, I'll focus on the important things next time, right?"

"Sorry, I'll focus more on the important things from now on—"

"You missed the time."

"What game are we playing...?"

Wen Shui smiled and shook her head, then took a sip of the strawberry milkshake: "Wow, it tastes so sweet."

"Hehe, isn't it delicious? I order this every time I come here, after all, strawberry flavor is the best flavor in the world." Himegami said with a smile, "Although Hanami-kun doesn't quite agree with that."

"Hana-chan doesn't like strawberry flavor?" Wen Shui planned to continue the conversation along the lines of Himegami.

However, he did not expect that these words would elicit a meaningful look from Ji Gong.

"Aren't Wen Shui and Banami quite close? Didn't she tell you any of this?"

"Huh? I'm close to Banami-kun?"

Wen Shui looked at Ji Gong with some surprise.

Himegami put down another strawberry milkshake in her hand and said softly, "When I chat with Hanami lately, she sometimes talks about warm water."

[Huh? They're talking about me? ? Could it be the test that Banami mentioned before...?]

Seeing the puzzled look on Wen Shui's face, Ji Gong continued, "And... the two of you went to the supermarket together today..."

"Go to the supermarket?"

Wen Shui quickly explained, "Oh, that was a task the student council president asked us to buy things. And actually, there was another person, Nonomura, who is in our class. You should know Himegami."

"Hmm? Nonomura? I've never heard of that name before..."

"She was a female classmate who was very inconspicuous in the class, and I couldn't remember her name."

"Another one?!" Princess Himeko said angrily.

What's so surprising about that?

Wen Shui could only explain, "I'm just a regular classmate with them. We don't even talk to each other normally."

Himeko looked at him silently for a while, then reached out and grabbed Wen Shui's wrist, pulling him toward the movie theater.

"What happened so suddenly—!"

The warm water instantly felt the surging tide of gazes from passersby.

After all, a girl with outstanding looks will always be the center of attention, especially when it's two high school students in the same uniform walking side by side on the street and engaging in seemingly intimate behavior...

"Hey, look at those two—" "Wow, what a pretty girl, but the guy is..."

"Um... normal?" "Yeah, it feels a bit like that."

"I think it's alright." "Really?!"

The conversation between passersby reached Himegami Karen's ears perfectly, and she immediately turned around to check on Onami's reaction.

Wen Shui looked surprised, even somewhat delighted.

[Huh? Is the evaluation of me just average? It's surprisingly high.] He thought to himself.

Looking at the lukewarm water, Ji Gong paused for a moment, then chuckled.

"Huh?" Wen Shui took a sip of her milkshake. "What's so funny?"