What a twist! The loser heroine!

Before he finished speaking, the elevator doors on the second floor opened.

The girls I'd met at the subway station walked in, laughing and chatting.

"Oh dear, I knew it would turn out like this, since some people always eat so much."

"Kasumi! I've been trying my best to restrain myself this time!" A voice that sounded very angry echoed throughout the observation deck.

[Huh? That voice sounds familiar...?]

Wen Shui was about to turn around and look.

"Hmph, Xingcai always says that, but she always eats more than last time."

He was struck dumb, and his body trembled twice.

Apricot... apricot? ?

Although there are probably many people named Anna, considering the voice just now...

Why is Hanami here too? Toyohashi is so small!

For some reason, he suddenly had an urge to leave as soon as possible.

He glanced quickly at Tian Aixing, who had just moved away from the telescope and was looking at him with a puzzled expression, and said in a somewhat dry voice, "Um, Ma Ti, let's leave here first."

"I'm fine with either, but why?"

Tenaihoshi doesn't seem to have noticed Banami's presence yet.

As Wen Shui heard the girls' voices getting closer, she quickly said, "I'll explain the reason later."

"Ah—well, okay then."

She glanced at the binoculars with some reluctance, then nodded and followed Wen Shui.

So Wen Shui led Tian Aixing past the girls and overheard some of their conversation in the gradually closing elevator doors.

"Oh! There's a telescope here!"

"Of course! You can even see the Ferris wheel in the distance, and maybe even catch a couple kissing!"

"Oh dear, Aiko, your hobby is really strange."

"What's wrong with that! Kasumi, don't you want to see it?"

"Of course we want to see... Hey~ Anja? Anja! Why are you standing there frozen? If you don't come soon, we'll all be taking up all the binoculars."

"Ah! They're here! Really! Don't try to sneak away!"

◇

Walking along the tree-lined path leading to the amusement park, Tian Aixing asked, "So, why did Wen Shui seem so panicked just now?"

"Because we ran into someone we know, if she sees the two of us, something bad might happen," Wen Shui explained somewhat embarrassedly. "So... I'm sorry."

"We're not on a date, it's just normal socializing within the school rules!" Tian Aixing quickly said, "Even if there are rumors, it's not a big deal, is it?!"

"It's not that I'm worried about the rumors..."

Wen Shui trusted Banami quite a bit, after all, Banami had said that she had "complete trust" in her. Judging from Banami's personality, she wasn't the type of girl to spread rumors behind people's backs, so Wen Shui wasn't worried about that.

However, given her close relationship with Himegami's friend, if she were to bring this up as a topic of conversation between her best friends with Himegami, her days in class might become much more difficult.

Perhaps this is what I just sensed was something ominous.

Thinking of this, Wen Shui turned to look at Tian Aixing and continued, "I was just worried that some trouble might arise, and I'm really sorry to have interrupted your enjoyment..."

Upon hearing this, Tian Aixing smiled and shook her head: "Not at all. Actually, I was already planning to leave. There's a football match at your company this afternoon, and my whole family is going to watch it."

"I see. I wish your brother the best of luck in the afternoon's match."

"Hehe, thank you."

Wen Shui turned her gaze back to the outlines of the various stalls not far away: "I was just about to leave anyway, so I'll take you there—"

A glint flashed in Wen Shui's eyes, and he stood there stunned, his words abruptly cut off.

"Warm Water classmate?"

Tian Aixing noticed that Wen Shui had stopped walking. She turned around and looked at Wen Shui's shocked face with some confusion.

Wen Shui mechanically turned his head stiffly, forcing an extremely awkward smile: "Sorry... I might have to stay here a while longer..."

"Ugh?"

Tian Aixing looked extremely puzzled. She paused for a moment, then followed Wen Shui's gaze, but found nothing.

However, seeing Wen Shui's surprised expression, she was very understanding and didn't delve too deeply into it.

"Alright then, Wen Shui, I'll be going now." She took the bag full of packed food from Wen Shui's hand and said softly, "Thank you for coming today."

"Ah... um, goodbye." Wen Shui's thoughts had obviously already flown to the ends of the earth, and he said goodbye to Tian Ai Xing almost reflexively.

"See you."

Tian Aixing's voice contained a hint of inexplicable emotion, but unfortunately, Wen Shui didn't notice it at the moment.

After watching Tian Aixing leave for a distance, he immediately turned his head to look at the square.

The petite figure I had seen earlier had vanished without a trace.

Wen Shui He Yan hurriedly started running towards the amusement park.

[Why did you go there even though you knew Yashio and Ayano were on a date?]

Knowing full well that meeting them would be incredibly awkward, why did you still go and do it anyway?

He gritted his teeth.

You should know the answers to these questions better than I do.

【Asakumo-kun!】

~Sixty-ninth defeat~ Observer

Warm Water stood panting beside an ice cream stand.

Ignoring the shouts of the vendors around him, he quickly searched for Chaoyun's figure in the bustling crowd.

"It was just here a moment ago..."

He knew he was wrong, terribly wrong.

"Chaoyun is very considerate of interpersonal relationships."

Himegami Karen's friend's evaluation echoed in his mind like a warning.

He underestimated how much Chaoyun valued relationships.

After Chaoyun showed suppressed emotions, it was simply assumed that the distress was something that could be resolved by a few heart-to-heart talks between friends and a thorough venting.

it's not true.

He frowned; finding a petite girl in such a large amusement park wouldn't be easy.

Although it's unclear how Asahi found out the location of their date, the fact that Asahi would come here on the Sunday before the midterm exams suggests it was because of Ayano and Yashio's date.

It's unclear what she's planning to do...

Is it to sabotage the date, or is it something else...?

Wen Shui didn't dare to think about it too much. Her top priority right now was to find Chao Yun and get some answers.

Since Asahi came here by following them, she will definitely stick close to Ayano and the other person. In other words, as long as we keep up with Ayano and the other person, we will eventually have a chance to find Asahi.

"You must stay calm... Asahi-kun."

He muttered to himself, glancing at Ayano and Yaki Shio, who were walking side-by-side into the rotating teacup area.

After waiting for a while, I still didn't see Chaoyun.

Wen Shui raised her head and looked at the Ferris wheel spinning not far away. She guessed that the two of them would probably go there in a little while.

He shook his head helplessly, bought a cup of hot tea from a nearby stall, and waited by himself.

Watching a teacup suddenly spin rapidly, and hearing the terrified scream that clearly came from Ayano-san, Wenshui secretly felt a pang of worry for the bespectacled top student.

However, Asahi might be drawn out by Ayano's panic, so he hid in the shadows and searched around with bated breath.

Just as he was concentrating on searching for Chaoyun's distinctive large forehead in the crowd, he suddenly heard the sound of running and panting behind him.

Wen Shui quickly turned around and saw that Banami, who had almost passed by her, was running towards her. Today she was wearing a seasonal long dress and a beige shirt, and her fanny pack was bobbing up and down with her running.

The moment she saw herself, her eyes lit up with a bright light.

"Warm water, it really is you!"

She ran to the warm water and stood still, calming her breathing as she said, "Just now, uh, I didn't dare to recognize it at the observation deck."

No, this guy definitely recognized him.

Wen Shui knew very well that she hadn't disguised herself or tried to hide herself, so she had definitely been recognized in the elevator.

However, judging from Hanami's words, she probably didn't intend to talk about this matter. He understood, so he followed up with, "Yes, what a coincidence! Were you just playing with your friends, Hanami?"

"Ah, um...yes." Banami stammered for some reason, "It was some friends from junior high school, we made plans to hang out."

"Then why did you suddenly run here?" Wen Shui looked behind her; the girls didn't seem to be chasing after her.

"Well... well, this..."

She glanced at the warm water with some embarrassment.

Wen Shui thought for a moment and said, "I know, it's intuition again, right?"

"Um...yes..." She nodded, her tone not particularly enthusiastic: "I told my friend and then came to find you."

"Why would my intuition lead you to come find me?" Wen Shui asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Well... I don't know either." She pursed her lips and then said, "When I saw you and Ma Ti at the observation deck just now, I had a very strange feeling..."

"Even though you and she are dating, my intuition tells me—"

"Wait a minute! I'm not dating Ma Ti!" Wen Shui immediately and very seriously clarified: "She just wanted to repay me for my previous help, so she treated me to a meal."

"Huh? Aren't you dating?"

"Absolutely not!"

It seemed that the resolute voice of the warm water startled Banami, and she quickly said, "Then I was wrong. I was actually going to help you out."

"Give me a hand?" Wen Shui asked, somewhat puzzled.

Banami gently nudged Wenshui's wrist with her elbow and said matter-of-factly, "Oh, Wenshui, you've been my advisor, so shouldn't I do my part to help with your love life?"

She said with a smile, "Wen Shui, girls generally don't take the initiative to ask boys out. I think Ma Ti might be a good opportunity."

Wen Shui gave Banami a disapproving look. Banami clearly needed help with her own love life, yet she was trying to help others; she was far too confident.

Moreover, was there really any hint of ambiguity in the dinner he had with Tian Aixing just now? He thought about it for a moment and then came to a negative answer.

"I'm not that presumptuous," Wen Shui denied helplessly. "Banai-kun, you'd better go back and play with your friends. I have other things to do."

"But I've already told my classmates I'm leaving, it would be too awkward to go back now..." Banami said softly, "Speaking of which, since the beginning, Nukumi-kun, you've been looking around, what are you looking at?"

"Huh? Is it that obvious?"

"Of course! I've been shaking my head like a rattle drum."

She followed the gaze of the warm water and saw Shao Shio and Ayano stepping off the spinning teacup. The boy was dizzy and the girl was laughing heartily, looking very harmonious and intimate.

"Wow! Isn't that Lemon and Ayano?!"

What the heck is "that" Ayano?

Hanami was overjoyed, like Columbus discovering a new continent: "Are they on a date?!"

"Hmm...that's true..."

Wen Shui nodded.

"Hmph, I understand, I completely understand." Banai said softly, making an expression that indicated she fully understood.

"Huh? You understand what?" Wen Shui was a little confused.

"Warm Water did a lot of work on Yashio and Ayano's relationship, didn't you?" Hanami stared intently at the two in the plaza, holding up one finger as she spoke confidently.