What a twist! The loser heroine!

Wen Shui wanted to say something more, but Ji Gong had already happily squatted down and hugged Jia Shu tightly: "Really?! That's great! What does Jia Shu like to eat? Mom and I will make it for you!"

"Hmm, Yoshiki likes stuffed green peppers, potato curry rice, seaweed salad..."

[Hey, wait a minute, Yoshiki, why are you only talking about the things I like to eat?]

"I can make all of these!" Himeko looked up at Wen Shui: "So?! Do you like these, Wen Shui?"

Realizing that she probably didn't have the right to decide whether to keep the appointment, Wen Shui glanced at her younger sister who was smiling at her.

"I like the things my sister likes too."

Looks like I really have to visit Princess Hime's house, even though I didn't have time to buy any souvenirs...

"Okay, I got it. Well, Wenshui and Yoshiki, wait here for a bit." Himegami said with a smile, "President Tamaki and Hakamada will be here soon."

“Um…Himemiya, Hakamada is…” Hanami, who had been standing to the side without saying a word, suddenly spoke up.

"Of course it's your childhood sweetheart." Hime turned to her friend: "The school committee just gave a prize to the student who saved the person."

She pulled a 5000 yen bill from her pocket, and Higuchi Ichiyo's portrait swayed slightly in the wind.

"Huh? They're just giving us the money directly??" Wen Shui was surprised by the school committee's practicality.

"After all, the incident happened suddenly, and the school committee hadn't prepared any rewards in advance, so they had to use the simplest method."

Himegami shrugged: "I ran out early after receiving the reward, since Wen Shui hadn't replied in the group chat and I was worried I'd miss it, but luckily I made it in time."

After saying that, she looked at Hanami and said, "By the way, Hanami, would you like to come along too?"

Seeing that Anja was slightly taken aback, Bana said softly, "Uh... I, I won't go. I'm a little tired today, haha."

"Really? But I just heard from Hakamada that he sent you a message."

"Well, if you're tired, then let's just forget about it."

Himegami Karen's unintentional words made Hanami's breathing quicken slightly.

She quickly took out her phone and scrolled through the message history with trembling fingers.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "...Himeko, you also invited Kusuke...?"

"Yes, when I was discussing what to eat with Tsukinoki-senpai, Hakamada-kun overheard us." Himegami looked up and smiled as she replied, "He said he wanted to get together with everyone, as a way of celebrating the successful conclusion of the autograph session. I even specifically asked Hakamada-kun if he wanted to invite you along, since you..."

At this point, Princess Hime gave her friend a meaningful smile and didn't continue.

Banami took a deep breath, then raised her face and glanced at the warm water that was silently watching her.

She smiled and said to Himegami, "In that case, I'll have to come along. After all, Kusuke is a bit rude, and if I don't keep an eye on him, he might break something in your house."

"It's alright, it's alright. Hakamada is definitely more obedient than my cat, right? That kid just knocked over three teacups yesterday and is being locked up by his mom. But if Hana-chan is willing to come, I think Mom will be very happy."

Himegami Karen smiled brightly.

Several figures walked over from the school building. Himegami seemed to have been keeping an eye on the situation there and immediately said, "Ah! It's Komari and the seniors. I'll go meet them! Wen Shui, don't run away!"

"Who would run away!"

“That’s true, after all, he’s Mr. Turtle, hehe.” Himegami playfully stuck out her tongue.

[Is this some new trendy meme? Using it too many times will get boring, Himegami-san.]

Himegami stood up and quietly gave Hanami a thumbs-up: "Good luck!"

Banami responded with a forced smile in silence.

After Himegami walked away, Wen Shui looked at the somewhat lost and dejected Hanami. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

He lowered his head and looked into his sister's eyes as if they were telepathically connected.

Yoshiki winked at him, then mouthed, "Go help her."

[Huh? What do you mean? You want me to comfort Bana as she meets her classmate? Wasn't this Yoshiki's first meeting with her? Are they already that close?]

Wen Shui paused for a moment, but still coughed twice and asked, "Are you alright, Yana-kun?"

"Don't worry... I'm fine."

Banami lowered her eyes, moved her feet slightly, and buried herself in the shadows of the trees.

Since the signing event started in the morning, Banami has been in a low mood.

She and Kusuke were separated by the queue waiting for autographs, and she couldn't stay by Himegami's side. She could only watch as her childhood friend and Himegami carried a stretcher towards the exit of the venue.

She knew, of course, that Himegami-san had no feelings for Kusuke, but the recurring fragments of intuition that kept replaying in her mind still made her feel a little cold.

There is a time lag between when a person acquires a certain emotion and when they become aware that they possess that emotion. I read about this psychological state in one of my previous books.

"I need to do something," Hanami thought to herself.

What should I do to keep Kusuke here? Help me, my gut feeling—

But her intuition, which she had always regarded as her guide, was unusually silent this time, only giving her the urge to get along with Wen Shui.

It's kind of funny. Why would getting along well with Wen Shui's sister be related to his childhood sweetheart?

It helped me so much before, but it left me at the most crucial moment. This intuition is really mischievous...

Although Banami felt uneasy, she forced herself to stay calm and followed her intuition, becoming friends with Yoshiki upon their first meeting.

Is that all...?

She looked at Yoshiki Onamizu, who was talking to her brother, and gently twirled her hair.

"Oh! Warm Water, Warm Water Sister, Anzu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Hakamada Sosuke followed behind President Tamaki and started greeting him from a distance, looking like he was in a very good mood.

"Hey, Anzu, you're acting a bit strange today. Is it because the school isn't giving us enough lunch?"

He had already approached and looked at Banami with a concerned expression.

Banami took another deep breath and stepped out from under the tree.

"Nothing."

She smiled at her childhood sweetheart and took out some gummy candy from her pocket.

"But I am indeed a little hungry."

◇

The buses in Toyohashi City are rarely full. Even on weekends, it would be more than enough to squeeze in all five members of the literature club, plus Yoshiki, Hanami, and Hakamada.

This bus is the most frequently used mode of transportation for Wenshui to and from school, and of course, it is also the most frequently used by Himegami.

Wen Shui, familiar with the place, sat down with Jia Shu and chatted with the two presidents in the front row, while Xiao Ju in the back row would occasionally chime in.

The journey wasn't long, about twenty minutes. Along the way, several members of Yangjiao engaged in a lively discussion about the autograph session. Even Banami, who was clearly not in a good mood, joined in, attracting frequent glances from passersby on the bus.

After getting off the train at the station, Karen Himegami led everyone across the railway tracks and through the residential area, finally arriving at a two-story detached house that appeared rather spacious.

This is a residential area built by Toyohashi Real Estate in recent years. Most of the buildings are large, multi-story detached houses with courtyards, specifically targeting the wealthy. The cars parked on the road are mostly high-end vehicles with reputable brands.

“This is my home,” Princess Himegami said, pointing to the house.

"Wow, what a big house!" Xiao Ju exclaimed in surprise.

“I wish it were smaller,” Himeko said softly. “Unfortunately, it was Father’s idea.”

Just then, President Tamaki, who was next to Wenshui, suddenly became excited. He walked to a car parked in front of the Himegami family's house and asked, "Um... Himegami-senpai, is this car yours?"

Suddenly asked this question, Himegami glanced at Wen Shui for no apparent reason, then nodded and said, "Yes, my father usually uses this car to get to work."

"However, because of the route, Uncle Inosuke is too busy to take me to school in the morning."

Princess Hime added, for reasons unknown.

"Uncle Inosuke is...?"

"He was the driver who picked up and dropped off my dad."

"I see. So how does this car feel to ride in?" President Tamaki said, scratching his head. "My dad has been thinking about buying this model recently, so I wanted to ask for some information."

"I highly recommend it! The seats are very comfortable and you won't feel uncomfortable even when there are bumps... Wow!"

Himegami interrupted her user experience presentation with a gasp of surprise.

"Hmm? Himegami, what's wrong with this car?"

President Tamaki was somewhat puzzled.

"No, it's nothing, haha, those experiences were just told to me by my father! I would still recommend it if you want to buy it."

Himegami suddenly changed the subject: "Since we're all here, let's not keep talking about cars. My mom has been waiting for everyone!"

After saying that, she took out her key, unlocked the courtyard gate, and went inside first.

"Brother?"

Yoshiki looked up and glanced at Wen Shui, who was slightly dazed.

"Brother, everyone has already gone inside?"

"Ah, ah." Wen Shui put her hands in her pockets and rummaged around for a while before saying repeatedly as if she had just woken up, "Um, let's go together, Yoshiki."

"Ah."

Wen Shui smiled, but the scene from just now was still replaying in her mind.

[I didn't expect Himegami-san's keychain to be the same style!]

[Nagoya's specialty products don't seem to be very diverse.]

~42nd Loss~ Beginning (7k2)

"Ding dong."

Princess Hime rang the doorbell.

She turned around, smiled at everyone, and said, "Although I could have just opened the door, my mother said it would be more formal for her to greet us."

A few minutes later, the sound of the door being pushed open was heard.

A beautiful woman dressed in casual home clothes, her pink hair piled high, emerged from behind the door. She bore a resemblance to Himegami Karen, and must have been quite charming in her youth. Perhaps due to excellent skincare, time had left no trace on her face.

"Greetings, everyone. I am Karen's mother. You can call me Himegami Kaoru."

She bowed slightly to Wen Shui and his group with great solemnity.

"Mom! Don't do that! Everyone will feel pressured." Hime-miya quickly reminded her.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I accidentally fell into my old habit..." Mrs. Himegami said with a smile, "Everyone here is Kokoro's friend, and they have helped her a lot at school. I am very grateful."

"It's windy outside, please come in."

She made way for Wen Shui at the doorway, and she could immediately see the brand-new slippers neatly arranged in the entryway.

"Excuse me~"

Wen Shui and Jia Shu changed their shoes in the entryway.

Although it was a visit to someone else's home, seeing everyone in their school uniforms made it feel no different from their daily arts and club activities at school, which made Wen Shui, who was visiting a classmate's home for the first time, feel a little at ease.

The house looks large from the outside, but feels even more spacious inside.

It's much bigger than my own house.

The spacious living room is filled with various pieces of furniture arranged in a pleasing manner. No matter where you look, there will always be a flower or potted plant that catches your eye. These plants have clearly been well cared for, and the fragrance of flowers wafting through the air is the best proof of that.

The brightly colored walls are covered with posters of outfits worn by famous models of the season, and the clothes racks are filled with all kinds of fashionable clothing.

Wen Shui recalled that Ji Gong had mentioned that her family was actually in the clothing industry. Perhaps it was because of her parents' work that these eye-catching fabrics appeared in the living room. After all, she had never seen anyone put such a large wardrobe in their living room.

The group sat down in the living room, and all seemed a little nervous as they were newcomers.

Himegami's mother placed the fruit platter on the coffee table, then clapped her hands: "I've invited everyone here today for a get-together. Please make yourselves at home and feel at ease."

Himegami's mother said with a smile, "There's a dedicated entertainment room on the second floor, and there are game consoles in the living room. You can play whenever you want."

"Huh? Does Himegami-san really like playing games?"

"No, my dad bought it." Himegami suddenly remembered something and immediately stood up from the sofa. "I heard that Dad recently brought home a board game. Let's all try it out!"

After saying that, without waiting for anyone's reaction, Himegami Karen went straight upstairs.

"Little Love, remember to change your clothes~" Himegami's mother reminded her.