What a twist! The loser heroine!

Suppressed gasps of surprise instantly rose and fell along the road. Knowing full well the lethality of her appearance, Himegami Karen quickly lowered her head, hoping to reduce the attention others would pay to her so as not to attract Awakizumi's attention, but it seemed to have little effect.

"What a blunder! I didn't wear a mask today. I thought I wouldn't have to get out of the car..." She glanced somewhat flusteredly in the direction of Wen Shui's family, only to find that they had already entered the school gate.

Phew... thankfully, I wasn't discovered.

If Wen Shui-jun is coming today, it must be about school admissions. Does that mean we're the same age?! Could it be...?

Go for it, Hua Lian! We absolutely need to find out which high school Wen Shui Jun got into!

Secretly relieved, Himegami Karen clenched her little fists and cheered herself up in her heart. Her adorable action once again charmed a group of passersby.

And so, a stunningly beautiful girl with a tall figure appeared at the gate of Taoyuan Junior High School.

However, the way this girl was peeking into the school while clinging to the school gate was so suggestive that it made some boys who wanted to chat her up hesitate.

"oiiii!!! Mitsuki!"

The loud sound immediately attracted the attention of Himegami, who was secretly observing. She turned her head, but her gaze did not linger on the running girl.

Because she saw that on the other side of the school gate, there was another girl clinging to the gate, looking into the school with a strange expression.

Although the girl was petite, she had a delicate face and a well-proportioned figure. Her high head-to-body ratio and upright posture gave her the air of a ballerina.

She seemed to notice Himegami's gaze, turned her head, and her forehead, peeking out from between her center-parted bangs, shone brightly for a moment as it reflected the sunlight.

"Wow! It's so bright! What's that forehead? Is it a mirror?!"

Himegami cried out in pain as the bright light pierced her eyes.

Taking advantage of the moment when Himegami was stunned by the flashbang, the girl rushed over to Himegami's side and stood there.

"Could it be...you..." She stared at Himegami's face and spoke first, giving Himegami no time to react: "You are also a competitor..."

"Huh? A competitor?"

The girl didn't answer, but instead gave a look to the bespectacled boy standing at the school gate.

Himegami followed the girl's gaze and saw that Wen Shui in the distance seemed to have turned back to look at her position, so she quickly shrank back behind the school gate.

"As expected..." Seeing Himegami's expression, the girl's face darkened, and she almost gritted her teeth as she said, "You also have feelings for Ayano..."

"Huh? Ayano?"

"Uh……"

Half a minute later.

"I'm so sorry!" The petite girl bowed deeply to Himegami.

Princess Ji waved her hands repeatedly, "It's nothing, it's all a misunderstanding."

The girl straightened up, calmed herself down, and said, "Um... my name is Asahi Chihaya. I'm really sorry for mistaking you for that kind of person."

"So it's nothing..." Himegami flashed a bright smile, which even Asahi couldn't quite handle. "My name is Himegami Karen, and I'm no match for you~"

Chaoyun patted her chest, seemingly relieved: "That's great... To be honest, if I really had to compete with you, I would feel a lot of pressure..."

"Ah ha ha……"

Himegami Karen took this as a compliment and let it slide.

As the two girls were talking, Ayano Mitsuki also said goodbye to Yakitori Shiozaki and walked to the school gate. A flash of reflected light caught Ayano's eye, and she immediately spotted Asagumo Chihaya with her unique forehead in the crowd.

"Oh, isn't this Chaoyun? Good morning. I heard you've been accepted into Shilu Junior High School. What brings you to Taoyuan Junior High School?" He walked up to her and greeted her with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chihaya Asahi immediately gripped Karen Himegami's arm tightly and nervously said, "Good...good morning, Ayano-san."

"Chaoyun is very worried about you. How did it go? Did you pass the exam for Shilu?" Seeing Chaoyun's demeanor, Ji Gong naturally answered the question for her.

"Oh, my grades? I got into Ishibu High School as the third-ranked student in my grade. May I ask who you are?" Ayano looked at Himegami with admiration.

Himegami introduced herself generously: "Nice to meet you. I am Himegami Karen, a friend of Asahimo-san. I look forward to meeting you."

◇

After saying goodbye to Ayano Mitsuki, Himegami and Asahi walked into the gates of Momozono Junior High School together. She asked with some curiosity, "Asahi-kun isn't a student at Momozono, is she? Why are you coming in?"

"To scout the enemy's situation." A concise and to-the-point answer, with a dangerous glint in Asahi Chihaya's eyes.

"Hime-miya-san, you saw her too, right? That girl with darker skin."

"Ah...is it her?"

Himegami Karen glanced at the athletic girl walking alongside her mother ahead, and a realization dawned on her. So that's it, Asagumo-san has a crush on Ayano-san, and then…

"Hmm, her name is Salted Lemon." Asahi Chihaya calmly analyzed, "The ace of the track and field team, a girl who is very popular with the opposite sex, and she and Ayano are childhood friends."

"Childhood sweethearts..."

It seems that Asahi is under a lot of competitive pressure. Himegami kept the last sentence to herself.

"It's said that although her grades weren't very good, she tried to get into Shilu High School through the selection of civil servants," said Asahi Chihaya. "Hmm... I'm not the kind of bad guy who curses others to fail to get into good high schools, but I still need to confirm her academic progress."

"By the way, Himegami-san, you're not from Momoyuan Junior High, are you? What brings you here today?"

"Yes, I attended an all-girls middle school. As for coming here, it's to find..."

As Himegami Karen spoke, she looked around, searching for Onamizu Kazuhiko's figure, only to find that because of the little incident with Asahi and Ayano, the target she was following had disappeared from sight.

"Huh?? Where's Wen Shui Jun?!" Ji Gong exclaimed in shock.

“Warm water? Warm water and Hirohiko?” Chihaya Asagumo responded upon hearing the name.

"Does Chaoyun also know Wen Shui Jun?"

“I studied in the same cram school for college entrance exams as Ayano and Nukumizu, and we also interacted with each other occasionally.”

Chihaya Asahi looked at Karen Himegami with some surprise and asked, "Himegami-san, are you here to see Nukumizu-san?"

"Yes, but he's gone far away..."

Upon hearing this, Asahi Chihaya immediately became interested. She gave Himegami a confident smile, raised her thumb, and said, "If it's about finding someone, then leave it to me!"

She extended her left hand and pointed at Himegami, making a small joke: "I'll help you! Hehehe."

"You're really reliable, Chaoyun! By the way, what's Wen Shui like at the cram school?"

On the tree-lined path strewn with flower petals, the two girls searched for Wen Shui's whereabouts while sharing information about him.

"Wen Shui doesn't usually talk to anyone at the tutoring class. During breaks, he usually just reads novels by himself. He doesn't seem to have much of a social life."

"Hmm... Could it be that Wen Shui-jun is socially awkward?"

"No, that's not it." Asahi Chihaya tried hard to recall in her mind, and then said, "If you try to talk to him, he might be a little troubled at first, but he will still communicate well with people later."

"For example, Ayano sometimes asks him for help at the cram school, and although Nukumizu seems a little embarrassed, he will eventually lend a hand."

"The saying 'cold on the outside but warm on the inside' probably applies to Wen Shui-kun," Asahi concluded.

"Hey, wait a minute, Himegami-san, why are you taking out your notebook? Is this some important information?!"

"Yes! You've been a great help, Asahi-san!" Himegami Karen solemnly wrote down the contents of the conversation in her notebook, and then gave Asahi Chihaya a bright smile from the bottom of her heart.

"Whoa! So flashy! What is that smiling face? Is it the sun?!" Asahi Chihaya, whose face was also covered in a flashbang, cried out in distress.

She looked at Himegami Karen's lovely face, which was filled with an expectant and satisfied smile, and was momentarily taken aback.

Huh? Himegami-san and Nukumizu-san...

One is an ultimate positive angle, and the other is a pseudo negative angle?

No, no, no, that can't be...

◇

After lunch.

Lying on the soft, large bed, wrapped in a blanket, Himegami Karen took out her phone and sent a thank-you message to Asagumo Chihaya, whom she had just added on Line.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Xiao Lian, Mom has something to say to you. Is now a good time?"

"Okay, Mom." Himegami tidied her disheveled hair and sat up on the bed.

Princess Himeko's mother pushed open the door and came in, sitting down next to her daughter.

"While we were eating, Hua Lian said she wanted to go to Shi Lu. Is that true?"

"Yes, Mom."

"To be honest, Mom was a little frightened." Himegami's mother stroked her daughter's soft, long pink hair. "You know what the original plan was, Karen, right?"

"Yes, I'm going to England with my parents to attend a local girls' high school...but..."

As she spoke, Himegami Karen lowered her head.

How could a mother who has been with her child for so many years not see through her daughter's thoughts?

"There must be a reason to go to Shilu, right?"

Princess Hime asked with a smile.

“For example…” She paused, observing her daughter’s reaction, “…something I encountered during a shrine visit…”

"Huh?! No, no, it's not because of Wen Shui-kun...!"

"Hehehe, but Mom hasn't said anything yet?"

"Gurgle... Mom tricked me..."

"Oh my, my daughter just graduated from an all-girls school and she's already found her sweetheart. Youth is truly wonderful..."

"So! That's not how it is!"

Having her thoughts exposed, Himegami Karen blushed and hurriedly nudged her mother.

Seeing this, the mother did not continue her attack. She simply touched her lips with her finger, thought for a moment, and then looked intently into her daughter's eyes.

"Shilu High School, right?"

"Um……"

“I’ll talk to your father about it. Our company is a partner of Shilu. If we wait a while, we might be able to reserve a transfer spot for you.”

"thanks Mom!"

Princess Hime's mother lovingly embraced her daughter, who was cheering and jumping for joy.

"Xiao Lian?"

"Yes, I'm listening!"

"Your mom and dad also want Xiaolian to have a stable life in Japan. But we are very busy with work and often travel for work, leaving you alone at home... Now that you are about to start high school, it would be too much of a burden for you to keep traveling around with us."

"You must have suffered a lot during your three years of junior high school, right? Your parents have always felt sorry for Xiaolian."

"I'm alright..." Himegami Karen's eyes gradually filled with tears, and she reached out and hugged her mother's waist.

"If Xiaolian finds someone she can rely on, someone who can alleviate the loneliness of living alone, then go for it."

"Huh? Huh?! Wait—" Himeko blushed: "I just wanted to be friends with him!"

"That child is in Shilu, right? Wenshui, Wenshui, it's indeed a good name. I must formally meet him then." Pretending not to hear her daughter's words, Ji Gong's mother continued to mutter to herself.

"Take care of each other's feelings, gradually bring your hearts closer, learn to make choices and be tolerant. Only in this way can you achieve lasting success."

"Yes, I understand, Mom."

Himegami looked at her mother with a hint of helplessness. Whenever the topic of romance came up, her mother would become completely deaf to anything she said…

"Well then, Kokoro, you'd better put in a lot more effort this spring break, okay?" Himegami's mother got up from the bed, her eyes shining, and said with great enthusiasm.

"What your mother wants to teach you is not just simple theories about love!"

"oh oh……"

~Fourth Defeat~ Shilu High School, Class 1-C

March 29, 2021, the second day after enrollment.

Inside the classroom of Class C, Year 1 at Shilu High School.

Having just finished spring break, Wen Shui and Yan Yan, still not quite ready to adjust to their newfound mindset, slumped listlessly on the table.