What a twist! The loser heroine!

"Here, be careful, it's hot."

"Thank you."

"Speaking of which, there's something that's been bothering me lately."

Wen Shui stared at the white steam rising from the freshly brewed coffee and spoke.

"Hmm? What's going on?"

Princess Hime popped a piece of candy into her mouth and relaxed on the table, her unguarded posture subtly transforming the area covered by her close-fitting wool sweater into a masterpiece of art.

Wen Shui didn't think his appreciation level had reached that level, so he could only keep staring at the white steam, guessing whether the coffee was ready to drink.

"Well... um, when we were at Asahi's house before, you seemed to be quite familiar with her mother."

"Of course, I've been to Chihaya's house many times before."

"Oh...I see."

"That's how it is. It's normal for friends to visit each other, right?" Himegami said, glancing at Wen Shui intentionally or unintentionally.

Well, that makes sense.

Don't treat me differently.

Princess Himeko seemed to be in a good mood, and she smiled as she picked up the coffee, which had reached a comfortable drinking temperature.

"It's so bitter!!!!!!!!!"

"That explains why we didn't add sugar before."

Wen Shui frowned and quickly braced herself against the table, wanting to add more sugar for her.

"Ah! No need! I'll get used to it!"

"Adaptation doesn't happen this way. Don't force yourself. How much do you want?"

"...just two small spoonfuls will do."

Half a minute later.

Princess Hime held the coffee, which had been re-sweetened, took a small sip, and smiled with satisfaction.

Seeing that she had recovered, Wen Shuihe decided to bring up the previous topic again: "So, since you were already so familiar with her mother, why did you say those kinds of things at the end?"

"That sentence you said to Auntie not to blame Chihaya?"

"Hmm, judging from Aunt Chaoyun's appearance, she's not a strict person."

"Of course you can't tell from the surface. But I once heard Chihaya say that her family has very strict rules."

"Is that so?"

"After all, Chihaya's father is a mechanical engineer and her mother is a retired chemistry professor."

"A family of intellectuals..."

Wen Shui nodded. No wonder Chao Yun's science grades were so good; it seems that the influence of her family environment also played a role.

"Yes, I was a little worried that her sneaking out would upset her parents, so I said those things at the end, hoping it would help Chihaya."

As she said this, Princess Hime picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth: "Ah, what's with this cookie? It's so delicious."

"Jiashu and I made it together last night. We were planning to give it to my dad to eat on the road, but he had a gathering with his old classmates this morning, so we didn't have time to give it to him."

"Sigh~ Is Wen Shui's dad going out?"

Himegami seemed very interested in the topic. She blinked her crimson eyes and stared at Wen Shui's face with great curiosity.

"Yes, he has to go on a business trip for a week, and he's leaving for Kyoto tonight."

"Sounds very busy..."

"After all, it's a foreign company, and it's the most important translation work."

"But speaking of which, if we're leaving tonight, why isn't your father at home making preparations?"

【Huh? 】

That makes sense. Dad didn't pack his bags last night; he took a shower and went straight to sleep. Why did he leave early this morning and still not come back?

He quickly opened his phone and saw a line of small text below his father's strange all-black profile picture in the unread message section of LINE.

"Hey Kazuhiko, Dad went to a class reunion today. Remember to help me pack my luggage when you get back. I should be back around 3:30."

The email was sent around noon, and I think I was still in the restaurant at that time, which explains why I didn't notice it.

But speaking of which, what time is it now?

The moment this question surfaced in her mind, Wen Shui suddenly felt an extremely ominous premonition.

"Click."

The familiar sound of mechanical transmission set off alarm bells in Wen Shui's heart.

"I'm back, huh? —"

"Kazuhiko? We have guests at home?"

~Seventy-fifth defeat~ Wen Shui Huiming

"Kazuhiko? We have guests at home?"

Something is going to happen.

Upon hearing his father's voice as he returned home, this was the first thought that came to He Yan's mind.

So much has happened this afternoon that I haven't had a chance to check my phone at all.

If I had known in advance that my father would be coming back, I would never have let Princess Hime into the house.

But now that Father is back, let Himeko handle things properly—

Thinking of this, he quickly said towards the entrance, "Welcome back, we have some classmates visiting."

"Oh! You've finally made some friends."

"...Dad, you overestimate me."

Turning his head, Kazuhiko wanted to give Himegami a wink, but found that she had already quietly run into the kitchen during that short time, put on an apron, and was doing something.

Wait a minute, that apron is the one I wore before.

He sighed, stood up from the dining table, and prepared to greet his father.

Because he was going to a class reunion, Wen Shui's father did not wear his suit today.

Upon seeing his son appear, Wen Shui's father smiled and asked, "Where is she?"

"what?"

"You guessed right! That's impressive. The first person you brought home in high school was a girl."

Why would this person cheat their own son?

"...She's in the living room now."

Kazuhiko had no choice but to answer truthfully, then took a light sniff of the air: "Wow... you've been drinking?"

"It was a class reunion, I had a few drinks, but I'm still sober," Dad said, hanging his hat on the coat rack and then putting his hands together in a pleading gesture: "It's rare for you to squeeze in some time, don't tell your mom."

"I will."

The old man patted his son on the shoulder with satisfaction, then coughed lightly and strode into the living room.

"Welcome, young man. My son, He Yan, apologizes for any shortcomings in our hospitality—"

The old man's speech, which sounded like a business speech, caught in his throat the moment he walked into the living room and saw the pink-haired figure busy in the kitchen.

He gave his son a stern look: "How can you let guests cook?"

"Ah, this-"

"Y-I wanted to use your kitchen myself, Uncle!" Upon hearing the noise, Himegami quickly turned around at the kitchen counter and said, "Nice to meet you! I'm Karen Himegami, a classmate of Awamizu."

Upon hearing this, the old man turned to look at Himegami Karen, who was bowing slightly, and then froze for two seconds.

Seemingly unable to believe that his son could bring home such a beautiful girl, he touched his face in shock, and even sobered up considerably.

"Ah, it's alright, feel free to use it, it's all fine. I am Kazuhiko's father, Teruaki Numizu."

With a broad smile on his face, the father carefully examined Himeko and patted his son's shoulder several times with great force: "My son Kazuhiko has been taken care of by you at school."

This time, the person didn't dare to refute.

Himegami chuckled softly, "Classmates should take care of each other."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and got back to work.

Seeing this, the father took the opportunity to lean close to his son's ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Dad, have I gotten in your way?"

【……?What?】

Kazuhiko was taken aback.

Seeing his expression, his father gave him a strange smile, like someone who'd been there all along: "Oh dear, don't be shy, tell me, how far have things progressed?"

"Don't be like my mom..." Kazuhiko said somewhat embarrassedly, "They're just acquaintances."

The old man was stunned when he heard this.

Which high school acquaintance would so naturally go to a member of the opposite sex's house, and even wear your personal apron into the kitchen?

"You're just being stubborn. I clearly taught you last time. If you keep this up, someone else might beat you to it."

The father poked his son's forehead with his finger in an annoyed tone. After discovering that his son, unusually, did not refute him, he showed a thoughtful expression.

"Uncle, you just said you drank alcohol, right?" Himegami's voice came from the kitchen at that moment.

"Huh? Oh, right."

"I just saw some leftover lemons in the fridge, so I made some lemon tea without permission. It's a bit out of season, but the timing is just right."

As she spoke, Princess Himegami turned on the tap, washed the filter in her hand, and hung it back on the wall. Then she picked up two glasses filled with lemon tea and walked to the table.

"My mother said this can help with hangovers, so please enjoy it."

"Oh dear, this... I can't accept this."

Princess Hime smiled and said, "I was originally going to make coffee, but then I thought it wasn't quite right, so I changed it to lemon tea instead. Uncle, don't you like tea?"

"No, that's not it." Wen Shui's father stared at the glass on the table, pondered for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Thank you for your help, you're clearly a guest..."

He walked to the table and sat down, then turned to his son and said, "Heyan, if there's nothing else, go and help me pack my luggage."

"it is good……"

The person, who was already embarrassed and didn't know what to say, immediately felt like he had been granted a pardon. He nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and then hurriedly went upstairs to his father's room.

Wen Shui's father watched his son's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

Then he turned to look at the somewhat nervous Himegami Karen: "Himegami-san, right? Don't be nervous, just make yourself at home."

"Huh?! My... own home...?!?"

Himegami's eyes instantly turned into mosquito coils, her face slightly flushed, and she nodded with her lips pursed.

Taking off her apron, Himegami took a deep breath and then sat upright opposite her father, Wenshui, with a serious expression as if she were having a job interview.

As a middle-aged corporate slave working in a foreign company, the old man was quite adept at reading people's expressions. Upon seeing Ji Gong's expression, he immediately had a clue.

He took a sip of lemon tea, and the sweet and sour taste made him nod to himself: "I vaguely remember Himegami-kun, hmm... wasn't it at the autograph session not long ago?"

He thought for a moment, then said with appreciation, "It's really kind of you to lend a helping hand in that situation."

"It's just applying what I've learned before, nothing special."

"That's still quite an achievement." Dad seemed to have entered praise mode: "Back then, the whole of Aichi Prefecture was probably talking about you, right?"

"While its popularity has indeed increased considerably, it's still a bit too much for the whole of Aichi Prefecture..." Himegami picked up her lemon tea, seemingly trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hehe, with such good natural attributes, it's normal for Himegami-kun to turn out this way," the old man said with a smile. "You must have had quite a few admirers at school, right?"

"Huh?! This..." She pursed her lips, first glancing slightly upwards towards the second floor, then nodded gently and said softly, "Since transferring here, I've actually often..."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shui's father sighed, pressed his temples with some distress, and said, "I'm sorry, my child's personality is a bit eccentric... I'm trying my best to help him correct it."