What a twist! The loser heroine!

What exactly is the purpose of cooking red bean rice to celebrate?

Wen Shui helplessly covered her forehead.

Aunt Yamei had already taken out her phone and shared the videos of the autograph session that she had collected with Wenshui.

"Speaking of which, there are quite a few handsome guys and beautiful girls at the school you go to, Kazuhiko?" She pointed to the students in the reception group in the video and said to Wenshui with a smile, "Although Kazuhiko is just as good-looking."

"Haha, after all, they are all students specially interviewed by the school, so their appearance is definitely not a problem."

Wen Shui pretended not to hear her aunt's praise and quickly explained, "And they even hired a stylist to do your makeup, so the result is bound to be great."

She nodded: "That's true, but I do know a little about this. Look, these girls are beautiful even without makeup, aren't they?"

She pointed to several girls, including Hanami, Tsukinoki-senpai, and Shiki-senpai, all of whom were acquaintances of Onami. Auntie certainly had a good eye.

"and……"

As Aunt Yamei said this, she opened another video for Wenshui to watch.

The image that appeared on the phone screen was Himegami Karen, who was supporting an unconscious reader. The perfect camera angle highlighted the girl's delicate features, and with the filter and background music specially selected by the video creator, the number of views for this video reached an astonishing level.

"Even in a school uniform, he has such charm. This kid definitely has the potential to become a star. He might even run into four talent scouts within half an hour of going out."

She was indeed approached in Nagoya.

Before Wen Shui could reply, Wen Shui's mother brought a fruit platter to the sofa.

"Oh dear, Yamei, you're having another professional bout?" Mom poked a piece of apple with a toothpick: "Here, have some fruit."

"After all, I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow to do makeup for those girls who play in bands. This is kind of a warm-up before work."

Aunt Yamei smiled as she took the toothpick, popped the apple into her mouth, and continued her previous conversation while chewing: "Oh, I wish I could know her..."

"Does Auntie want Himegami to become a star?" Wen Shui asked curiously.

"Of course! Our agency boss has been making countless phone calls these past few days just to find out that Himegami has already signed with another agency—"

Aunt Yamei nodded and ate the apple, then belatedly widened her eyes in surprise.

"Huh? Kazuhiko, do you know Himegami... Himegami Karen?"

"Yes, after all, we're classmates."

"Oh, she's a classmate... She must be quite popular."

Wen Shui nodded and said in a somewhat exaggerated way, "She caused a sensation on her first day after transferring schools, and for the next few days after the autograph session, our class was almost completely surrounded by people. Her popularity is really frightening."

Wen Shui's mother curiously poked her son's face.

Wen Shui turned her head and looked at her mother, who sometimes acted like a child, with some confusion.

"Uh, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

He touched the spot where his mother had just poked him.

"Hehe, it's nothing. I just suddenly realized that Kazuhiko is also paying attention to girls now, and I'm quite happy about that." Mom nodded with satisfaction: "You've grown up, Kazuhiko."

What kind of image did I have in my mom's eyes before...?

Wen Shui quickly tried to explain herself: "I haven't been paying attention to Himegami-san, we just have more contact with each other than usual."

He should have kept quiet, because as soon as he said that, his mother and Aunt Yamei's expressions suddenly changed, their eyes becoming as sharp as eagles spotting rabbits.

The two women exchanged a glance, and then the interrogation was initiated by Wen Shui's mother.

"Kazuhiko? [We've had more contact]—what does that mean?"

"Uh, Himegami-san's seat is behind mine, and... she also joined the literature club, so she'll get together with everyone to read and stuff..."

"A girl like that would join the arts club?!" Aunt Yamei exclaimed in surprise. "Shouldn't she join a dance club or something?"

"Hmm...she did mention that she used to dance," Wen Shui said. "But maybe she really enjoys reading?"

Hearing this, Aunt Yamei gave Wenshui a deep look.

She turned to Wen Shui's mother and said, "Oh, Xiao Wei, could I borrow your time for a little while?"

"Huh? Oh, okay."

The two ladies gracefully departed.

Wen Shui watched their retreating figures, then used a toothpick that no one else had touched to pick up a piece of apple and put it in his mouth. The sweet and sour taste cheered him up.

Listening to her mother and Aunt Yamei's conversation, which was deliberately kept low to the level but still occasionally contained words like "popularity with the opposite sex" and "girls," Wen Shui scratched her head in confusion.

What exactly are they talking about?

~Fifty-eighth defeat~ Showing off

The following day, Thursday, cloudy.

During the break between the second and third periods in the afternoon, Wen Shui threw the wet tissue into the trash can and went to the notice board in the first-floor corridor.

Two notices regarding the call for submissions to the literary society's journal and the Saturday review reading group have been posted on the bulletin boards on each floor of the school building, which is surprising in terms of the student council's efficiency.

Looking around, the first-year students weren't very enthusiastic about discussing these two things. They were mostly more concerned about the strange billiards party that the billiards club was going to hold on the weekend, which gave Wen Shui the opportunity to observe the notices up close.

Recently, I've discovered the old school building as a safe haven, which has made me gradually less concerned about tasting the tap water.

Because of its proximity to Himegami, Wenshui's seat was always a popular gathering place for classmates during breaks. Although she would always considerately move the small groups chatting further away from Wenshui beforehand—

However, when it's time to leave the classroom, one still has to go.

Having already anticipated that his seat would be completely occupied, Wen Shuiheyan naturally wouldn't rush back to the classroom with only five minutes left.

Rather than having to read those class announcements that he'd already read a dozen times without any changes, he'd rather look for something different on the school bulletin board.

Hmm... the craft club recently launched a repair service? I remember there are a few old books in the club office whose covers are almost falling off, should we...?

"What are you looking at?"

"Huh?!"

The sudden sound from behind Wen Shui startled him.

Wen Shui quickly moved aside and looked back to see Banami stepping forward to where she had just been standing, and beginning to carefully read the announcement.

Why is Hanami here? She's usually chatting with her classmates in the classroom, right?

Some people, unaware of the situation, decided to get away from there as soon as possible.

Although his intuition might not be as outrageous as the blue-haired girl in front of him, he could still vaguely sense that something not good might happen next.

So he imagined himself as an ancient statue moving away from Banami, keeping his expression and posture unchanged, and slowly moving his feet backward.

[Great, the distance is right, now's the time.]

He turned around with a calm expression, preparing to head towards his favorite sink.

Thank you so much for helping me regain my interest in tasting tap water, Hanami-kun.

"Ignoring me?"

However, the very next second, the person he was thanking immediately caught up with him.

"What did you think of those sporty outfits I showed you yesterday?" Banami asked, following behind Wenshui.

Having realized that this guy had come specifically to find his warm water, he immediately abandoned his idea of ​​going to the sink.

He turned and walked up the stairs to the second floor, then nodded and said, "Yes, it looks great."

After waiting for a second, Banami still didn't say anything.

As the two walked past the corner of the stairs, Wen Shui looked at Banami with some curiosity, only to find that Banami was staring at her face with a puzzled and somewhat displeased expression.

"Hanami-kun?"

"Warm Water, is 'very good-looking' all you want to say?"

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment, "The weather is going to get warm soon, and these clothes seem very seasonal, they're all short sleeves and stuff."

Banami sighed deeply.

"Warm Water, when a girl talks to you about clothes, she usually wants to ask you, 'How do I feel wearing this?'"

"But the photos you sent me were all of models wearing them, weren't they?"

"Then let's use our imagination and picture what I'll look like when I try it on? I can't exactly put it on for you in person, can I?"

Wen Shui's eye twitched slightly as he imagined...

"No, no, that's too rude!" He quickly interrupted his imagination.

"Huh? What are you imagining?" Banami looked at Nukumi with a strange gaze: "Well... it's a little disgusting, Nukumi-kun."

"Please don't say that about me, I'm serious."

He suddenly realized something and quickly asked, "Speaking of which, why didn't you talk to your female friends about this? They probably wouldn't think about fashion-related issues in a romantic way, right?"

"Uh……"

The words stuck in her throat, and she suddenly froze on the spot, her right hand resting on the armrest trembling slightly.

Wenshui, who had already reached the last step of the stairs and was about to receive another round of Banami's teasing, turned around with some confusion after noticing that she hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Hanami-kun?"

She didn't answer for a long time.

It wasn't until two second-grade boys ran past each other on the stairs, playfully fighting, that Banami seemed to regain her senses and said, "Ah, um, I see."

Huh? Have I lost my memory?

Did I just skip a scene? What happened in my life?

Wen Shui was also stunned, and then he saw Banami jump over the last few steps and follow him to the second floor.

She looked at Wen Shui curiously: "By the way! Himegami told me before that Wen Shui also joined the Literature Club, right?"

[What an awkward change of topic!]

Wen Shui couldn't understand the girl's erratic thoughts, so she could only go along with her and say, "Yes, is there something you need?"

"So, you'll be attending the study session on Saturday too?"

"Hmm...maybe. But participation isn't mandatory this time, so if something comes up at home—"

“That means I’ll participate,” Banai said with a smile. “I’m also preparing to study, so I plan to join the book club.”

"Is Hakamada going to the climbing team on Saturday? Shouldn't you see him off?"

"He said he was going to stay home and study, and the climbing team has already asked for leave."

"Then why not go with him? Since you're childhood sweethearts and neighbors, there's nothing wrong with visiting each other's homes, right?" Wen Shui said matter-of-factly, "This is a good opportunity to deepen your relationship."

Unexpectedly, Banami glared at him directly: "Warm Water, you need to understand the importance of the word 'seclusion.' It's definitely not something as simple as canned peaches." (Original note: "缶诘" means both "canned food" and "seclusion, isolation.")

"Since you've said so, it must be very important." Wen Shui nodded to herself.

“Ever since elementary school, whenever that word comes up, he locks himself in his room, and I can't get him to open the door. But you know, when a boy locks himself in his room and draws the curtains, isn't that a pretty obvious sign—”

Banami's cheeks flushed slightly, and she felt a little uncomfortable with the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.

Wen Shui had no choice but to change the subject herself: "Hanami-kun, let's talk about something else."

"Oh, oh, um, you're right, haha." She quickly seized the opportunity: "Speaking of seclusion, the reading group should be similar, right? In that case, I might need you, Wen Shui, to help me answer some questions."

"My grades are only average."

"But I always felt that your grades were pretty good, and aren't you attending tutoring classes?"

"What's with this inexplicable trust in me?" Wen Shui raised an eyebrow. "And how did you know I attend tutoring classes?"

"Hime told me."

[It seems we need to establish a confidentiality agreement with Princess Hime. Hmm, let's do that.]

Wen Shui shook his head helplessly.

"Even if I attend tutoring classes, it doesn't mean I'm a top student."

After pondering for a moment, Wen Shui clapped her hands with her fist as if suddenly realizing something: "However, it seems quite a few people have already signed up for the special advancement class. You should be able to talk to Banami-kun—"

Banami made a "stop" gesture: "In that case, I'll go find Himegami to be my study partner. Hmm, let's leave this topic at that."