What a twist! The loser heroine!

Himeko smiled and gave him a wink, then lowered her head, seemingly doing something.

Just as Wen Shui was wondering what was going on, her phone, which was already on silent in her pocket, started vibrating.

Himegami took out her phone and sent herself a message on Line.

"Studying is so tiring."

Why don't you just say what you want to say?

Wen Shui glanced at Ji Gong speechlessly, then looked down and typed on her phone.

"If you're tired, take a short rest."

"Want to go for a walk?"

Wen Shui's fingers paused for a moment, and he finally realized where the previous awkwardness came from.

Xiao Ju seemed to notice the commotion on Wen Shui's side and chuckled softly, "Hmph, you're still talking about me, but you're clearly playing on your phone yourself too."

"I'm replying to messages."

Wen Shui explained in a low voice.

"sure."

He finished typing, put his phone back in his pocket, and then stood up.

The reading group does not require students to stay in the study room all the time. If you want to relax, you can go to the first floor to read or go for a walk. If you have to leave, you can leave early.

In fact, during that period of time, quite a few first and second graders who came just to join in the fun had already sneaked away.

Standing under a tree not far from the library entrance, watching a student leave with their backpack, Wen Shui glanced at the time: "It's already three o'clock without me realizing it... I've spent so much time on this. Physics is definitely not my strong suit."

"It's not my strong suit either." A familiar voice came from behind.

Himegami gently patted Onami's shoulder: "Sorry to keep you waiting. It's not easy to get Anja to give up snacks. It took a little while."

"That's really not easy." Wen Shui nodded in empathy.

【Huh? They've already started calling each other by their first names.】

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Let's just wander around. We're just out here to relax, we'll be going back soon anyway."

"it is good."

So the two of them wandered aimlessly around the campus.

As she passed the playground, Princess Hime suddenly stopped.

She began by saying, "When I was passing by here with Xingcai just now, I thought we were going to run into the salt-making business."

“I heard from Ayano that Yashio does come to school to practice running on Saturdays.” Wenshui stared at the white lines on the track: “But she’s going to participate in the city competition soon, so the coach will probably have her practice at a professional venue.”

"I see... Yashio-san works very hard too." Himegami said softly, "Whether it's sports or romance, she's always one step ahead."

Wen Shui was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Yes."

"Chaoyun looks quite energetic today. I bet you did something, Wenshui, right?" Jigong said with a smile.

"I just gave her that pack of tissues."

Wen Shui said softly, but Ji Gong could understand what he meant.

"Thank you, warm water."

Ji Gong said in a low voice, "Chao Yun is very considerate of the relationships between people, so she always hides her emotions in front of me, her friend."

[So that's how it is. That's why you can vent freely in front of me.]

Wen Shui chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Although I helped Chao Yun once, it will probably take some time for her to truly recover. We'll need your help then."

"Heh heh, don't worry about that." Himeko smiled mysteriously: "After the book club ends, I'll take her out shopping."

"Um, shopping?"

"Spending money is a great way for girls to relieve stress, especially when friends will pay the bill."

Himegami held up a finger, looking just like Hanami, who was giving her opinion on food. It seems friends really do influence each other.

"I see, but does it really work...?"

Upon hearing this, Himegami immediately said, "There's factual basis for this. Anja wasn't in a good mood today, but after I took her out for a barbecue buffet at noon, she immediately cheered up."

"That probably only works on Hanami-kun..."

Ji Gong was somewhat exasperated by Wen Shui's teasing. She sighed softly, "I understand without you saying it. Only Chao Yun can solve her own problems. All we can do is let her relax as much as possible."

"That's true." Wen Shui nodded. "Hopefully, it won't affect her midterm exams."

"It should be fine, after all, she was just teaching you physics problems."

Himegami seemed to speak faster when this was mentioned: "By the way, did you just see you teaching Komari and Masato a problem?"

"It's about learning from each other. When I help them with science problems, I also reinforce my own knowledge."

"I see. Wen Shui, you're really good at science."

"If I were truly good at it, I wouldn't have asked Asahi for help."

Wen Shui honestly admitted his shortcomings.

"So you're really good at humanities?"

"Why make such a arbitrary judgment?" Wen Shui said helplessly, "Although I am indeed quite good at Mandarin."

"Then, come and teach me about history when the time comes."

As if she had thought of something, Himegami added, "And help Anza out too, she seems a bit lacking in that area as well."

Seeing the expectant look on Himegami's face, Wen Shui nodded.

"I will handle it."

~Sixty-fifth Defeat~ Book Club End

"Well then, it's time to go back."

Wen Shui took a can of extra-strong coffee from the vending machine next to the playground, then sat on a bench and slowly closed her eyes.

The bitterness of coffee helped him regain his energy, or at least that's what he thought.

Princess Ji has already returned ahead of me, and I'll need to help her solve her problems later, so I can't afford to be lazy.

He pulled the tab, took a sip of coffee, savored the bitter taste, and nodded slightly.

Recalling what Ayano had famously said when she visited Class C: "If you keep studying, you'll become an idiot."

At the time, Wen Shui thought they were just flirting, so he didn't pay much attention, but now he can understand.

Although he attends tutoring classes, this is the first time he has faced such a high-intensity challenge with difficult problems. Constantly pondering these challenging physics problems almost caused his brain to suffer mechanical wear and tear.

"It's true that you need to balance work and rest when it comes to studying."

He sighed sincerely, then threw the coffee can into the trash can. Just as he was about to go back, he ran into another classmate who was balancing work and rest next to the vending machine.

"Ah, Wen Shui, what a coincidence."

Banami stood next to the vending machine, holding a wallet in her hand, taking out coins from it.

Why is Hanami-kun here?

"Because I wanted to eat snacks, my classmate Ma Ti very seriously kicked me out," she explained.

What is this guy saying so seriously?

"Um, what about the snacks..."

"I've finished eating." She nodded with a smile.

Don't display your confidence in such an odd place.

"Besides, I heard that the cream bread here is delicious, but it's so popular that it's always sold out as soon as it's restocked. It's like a secret menu item, so I came here specifically to check it out on Saturday."

After she finished speaking, she peered into the vending machine.

"Ah! There really is one! I have to buy it now."

"Because on weekends, the school's vending machines have dedicated staff who come to restock," Wen Shui explained.

"Huh? How do you know all this so well, Wen Shui?"

Hanami asked curiously as she put the coin into the vending machine.

"Hmph, don't underestimate me. Besides knowing the taste of the tap water in each sink, I also know exactly when each vending machine refreshes," Wen Shui said confidently. "This is experience I've accumulated over many breaks between classes."

Banami paused for a moment, then blankly pressed the button on the vending machine, causing it to emit a "beep" sound.

"Uh, Wen Shui's hobbies are... kind of weird, haha."

[After all, it's a skill honed to escape social awkwardness. Hey, don't look at me like that.]

It seemed that the vending machine was a bit old, and it took a long time before Banami heard the sound of the items falling. She quickly put the few pieces of cream bread in ordinary packaging into her pocket.

Turning around, she was about to say something when she realized that Wen Shui had already walked away alone.

"Uh……"

She looked down at the bread in her hand and sighed softly.

Sitting on the bench, Banami tore open the packaging and put the bread in her mouth.

With just a slight chew, the smooth texture and sweet aroma of the cream fill your mouth.

She squinted her eyes, savoring this rare delicacy, a happy smile on her face.

"Wow, the rumors were true, the hidden menu is the best."

She chuckled and muttered to herself, "I really wanted to give everyone a sample, but it seems like no one really likes sweets. So I'll just enjoy them all by myself!"

As she said this, she tore open the second packaging bag.

Today, although Hanami had a tough battle at the all-you-can-eat barbecue lunch, she still enjoyed her meal very much.

◇

Meanwhile, Kazuhiko Onami returned to the library along the same path he had taken.

As for why he didn't bother with Hanami and chose to leave alone, it was because he didn't think Hanami would encounter any danger in an empty school. Himegami had returned earlier, hadn't she?

Although I am now the so-called love advisor to Banami, I am essentially just an acquaintance.

If he were to presumptuously wait for her to finish shopping and then return together under the guise of protecting her, it would be too much of a betrayal. Wen Shui, who has always been good at protecting herself, naturally understood this.

With these thoughts in mind, Wen Shui pushed open the library door.

Heading up the stairs to the second-floor study area, I noticed that some students had already left, perhaps to rest or simply to go home. At my table, apart from Banami, who was still wandering around the school, everyone else was still seated, though their positions had shifted slightly.

Chaoyun sat down next to Nonomura, seemingly explaining chemistry to her, while Tianaixing sat down next to Wenshui, looking at her workbook with a troubled expression.

[They've probably come to ask me a question.]

With that thought in mind, Wen Shui sat back down in her seat.

Xiao Ju on the right immediately poked his shoulder: "Wen, Wen Shui, where did you go just now?"

"I was a little tired, so I went out to rest for a bit."

"To...to meet with Yasuna?"

"No, not really, but we bumped into each other on the way. What, Xiao Ju, are you looking for her?"

"Uh... no, that's not it."

Wen Shui glanced at Xiao Ju, who had an embarrassed expression, with a slightly strange look.

[This guy acts strangely whenever Hanami is mentioned.]

Before he could think about it, Tian Aixing next to him coughed lightly, seemingly on purpose.

"Ahem, um... Wen Shui, could you help me take a look at the questions?"

She seemed a little embarrassed, placed her math workbook directly in front of the warm water, and then stopped talking.

Wen Shui's lips twitched slightly. He looked at the densely packed exercises and notes in front of him and felt a little dizzy.