What a twist! The loser heroine!

"Huh?! This..." Himegami was completely flustered by Yoshiki's sudden praise.

She had expected Yoshiki to say something like, "Can you leave my brother's side?" and had even prepared various responses in her mind, but who knew...

"Ahaha, I see." Himegami Karen smoothed the ends of her long pink hair a little embarrassedly, then laughed awkwardly, as if she didn't know how high her charm and social skills were.

Seeing this, Wen Shui Jia Shu chuckled and changed the subject:

"Is your older brother's personality causing some trouble for Sister Himegami?"

"Hmm, no, not that one—"

"No need for formalities, it's alright since your brother isn't here right now."

Yoshiki smiled and said, "Yoshiki knows perfectly well that his elder brother has always been a bit stubborn. He tends to be self-centered and sometimes deliberately avoids other people's good intentions, almost as if he has locked himself in a small room."

"Hime-senpai and her brother have been together for so long, she should know this by now."

"...That's true to some extent."

Himegami Karen remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.

Seeing Himegami's expression, Yoshiki pursed his lips and said, "I'm afraid that my brother's personality gradually developed in order to protect himself from getting hurt."

"That's why my older brother didn't make any good friends throughout junior high school, and Yoshiki is very worried about him."

Seeing Himegami lost in thought, Yoshiki decided to bring up the most crucial question of the day: "So... Himegami-senpai, facing an older brother like that, even knowing you won't get a positive response, even though you're popular and have other, better options..."

"Why do you keep... um..."

Yoshiki was very kind-hearted, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything too hurtful. After considering for a moment, she whispered, "Why choose my older brother? Could it be intentional—"

Upon hearing this, Himegami Karen immediately raised her head, her beautiful crimson eyes instantly sparkling.

She instantly understood Yoshiki's purpose in talking to her, and then said, "I'm not the kind of person who deceives other people's feelings."

"Huh?" Yoshiki quickly shook his head: "This... I didn't mean that—"

"Hehe, they just don't want to say it out loud, I understand."

Himegami smiled and regained control: "Yoshiki, you keep calling me 'elder brother,' so you really like him, don't you?"

Yoshiki paused for several seconds before lowering his head somewhat embarrassedly and nodding gently, "Mm."

“After all, we’re family. Even though I’m an only child, I can feel your affection for your brother.” Himeko looked at the coffee in front of her and said softly, “That’s why you’re worried that I might hurt his feelings.”

"It's...like this—"

Yoshiki nodded. Since Himegami understood her meaning, she decided to be more explicit: "In that case, I'll just be direct. Why did Himegami-senpai suddenly approach my brother during the New Year's shrine visit?"

"Because I want to be friends with him."

"But... it was just a small favor—"

"Hehe, Sister Jiashu, in this world, most encounters between people are actually made up of all sorts of coincidences." Himegami seemed to be recalling memories of the New Year, and a smile flashed across her face.

With a somewhat mysterious expression, she spoke softly, "What might seem like a small favor to others could not have been so to me at the time."

Yoshiki frowned slightly; she couldn't understand the meaning behind Himegami's words.

"I plan to talk to Wen Shui about this when I have the chance in the future. Until then, I'll keep it a secret."

She placed her hands on the table, her crimson eyes fixed on Yoshiki, who bore a resemblance to Kazuhiko:

"Besides, Wen Shui... is actually the same kind of person as me."

"How can this be?!"

Upon hearing Himegami Karen's words, Yoshiki was greatly alarmed.

"People change, you know, hehe." Himegami seemed quite pleased with Yoshiki's surprised expression. She grinned mischievously and explained:

"When I first entered that girls' junior high school in Nagoya, I was actually no different from my classmate Nukumizu. We both deliberately kept people at arm's length and acted extremely cold on the surface."

"It's like a hedgehog, sticking its quills up and pointing at others, as if saying, 'Don't come any closer, or I'll hurt you.'"

As she spoke, a hint of nostalgia appeared on her face: "Looking back now, I was actually quite adorable back then."

“Is that so…” Yoshiki murmured.

"Hehe, I forgot to show you and Wen Shui our junior high school graduation album last time. Actually, I was a really gloomy girl in junior high."

As Himegami spoke, the aura and radiance of a leading lady, absent for a long time, seemed to gradually reappear. Her current dazzling appearance made it difficult for Yoshiki to connect her with the plain-looking girl he had described.

"It's truly unbelievable," Yoshiki said truthfully, voicing his thoughts.

"After all, I've met a benefactor who can help me change things," Ji Gong said with a smile, and then stopped talking.

Seeing that Yoshiki was deep in thought, she continued, "Anyway, I just want to be friends with Wenshui, that's all."

Seeing that Yoshiki seemed about to say something, Himegami added softly:

"I will absolutely not make your brother sad. You can rest assured about that, Yoshiki."

Himegami Karen gave Yoshiki, who was slightly stunned, a very sincere and warm smile, and the light emanating from her side almost solidified.

Yoshiki thought for a long time before softly saying, "I understand..."

"Well, so—" Himegami looked at Yoshiki with anticipation, but at this moment, she herself became nervous.

"I'm sorry for misunderstanding you before, thinking you approached my brother with ill intentions." Yoshiki bowed slightly to Himegami apologetically, "After all... you transferred here and immediately started making bento boxes, and even went to Nagoya and stuff..."

"No need to apologize! I understand how Yoshiki feels!"

Seeing Yoshiki's attitude, Himegami breathed a sigh of relief and quickly continued, "Actually, I also have a problem. When I first transferred here, I used a bit too much force for some reason, which may have startled Nukumi-san."

"So, um... I'll just let things take their course from now on."

Himegami Karen made a promise in a low voice.

"That's good."

Yoshiki nodded slightly.

"My older brother has always been a bit introverted, but he's been getting better lately. Not only are his weekends full of club activities, but he's also become friends with Senior Sister Xiaoju."

"Oh oh oh~"

Himegami Karen smiled meaningfully: "I really envy Komari for being able to be friends with Nukumi-san."

Yoshiki stared at Himegami's slightly intimidating smile, pondered for a moment, and then spoke again: "I'm happy that you've made friends, brother. But I hope you can make even more friends, so... I hope Himegami-senpai can lend you a hand."

"But I'm not even a friend of warm water yet, I can't do those things."

"Hehe, Himegami-senpai is being modest again. For you, being friends is probably just a matter of waiting for an opportunity to speak up, right?"

As if her secret had been exposed, Princess Ji fell silent, her hands nervously twisting together on her lap.

Seeing the atmosphere grow cold, Yoshiki began to think as he sized up Himegami.

Now that Himegami-senpai has confirmed through her conversation that she has no ill intentions and no intention of harming her brother, she can lower her guard for safety reasons.

Moreover, she had already met her father, and Yoshiki had learned from her father that he had a very good impression of her...

Although Yoshiki still supports Komari-senpai, she can't cruelly dismiss Himegami-senpai's feelings entirely. Even though she might be difficult to control, Yoshiki decides to take a step back and observe first.

not to mention--

I haven't had a chance to ask my brother what he thinks about the senior student who invited him out to dinner today.

What's the story behind the conversation in the room last night, where my older brother keeps mentioning Senior Sister Chaoyun?

As my older brother gradually got to know other people, his responsible personality proved to be very popular with girls.

I still need to do more preparation and help my older brother make the right choice.

Thinking this through, Yoshiki's eyes gleamed with an air of complete understanding of the situation. She whispered to Himegami:

"As Himegami-senpai just said, most encounters between people in this world are actually made up of various coincidences. Yoshiki really likes this saying. So, Yoshiki also hopes that his older brother can enjoy the bonds brought about by these coincidences."

"Jia Shu—"

Princess Hime murmured softly.

As if hearing Himegami's thoughts, Yoshiki stood up and said very seriously, "I just hope that in the future, Himegami-senpai will not hinder my brother's interpersonal interactions with others too much, that's all."

After speaking, she looked at Himegami Karen with a nervous expression.

Himegami Karen paused for several seconds upon hearing this request before letting out a soft laugh.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Jia Shu, I won't let Wen Shui be sad. Besides, we're not even friends yet, and you're already thinking about doing things that only friends should do. That's going too far."

After she finished speaking, she stood up, a confident smile on her face:

"However... that's what I'm saying, but I don't know what Wen Shui will actually do in the end."

Yoshiki gently pursed her lips.

Himegami Karen is indeed a difficult girl to deal with.

◇

Standing at the intersection of the residential area, I leaned against the wall with a plastic bag of warm water, watching the roof of my house turn red in the sunset.

Yoshiki's words were meant to distract him, a fact that Numizu Kazuhiko, who had spent 13 years with his sister, was well aware of.

My dear sister, you've come up with a rather hasty excuse. We still have more than half a bottle of soy sauce and enough salt for several days.

However, since Himegami had something to say to Yoshiki, and his younger sister had never really liked Himegami, he decided to take this opportunity to let the two of them be alone for a while.

I've been waiting for almost ten minutes longer than usual; they should be done talking by now...

Wen Shui looked down at her watch and sighed softly.

If any conflict arises, I'll mediate.

Although given her sister's and Himegami's personalities, this situation shouldn't happen, Wenshui was still prepared.

Standing in front of his own door, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door as a reminder to the two girls inside.

He then used the key to open the door.

"I am back."

He changed his shoes in the entryway, keeping an eye on what was happening in the living room.

"Brother, welcome back."

Hearing her sister's voice, Wen Shui immediately felt relieved. It seemed things hadn't gotten much worse yet—

He walked into the living room and was immediately stunned.

Himegami and Yoshiki were sitting side by side on the sofa. Himegami was intently fixing Yoshiki's hair, while Yoshiki waited obediently for the final result.

Yoshiki's long, jet-black hair, carefully maintained, was being gradually braided into a complex long braid hairstyle that was very popular these days, under Himegami's incredibly skillful hands.

"When did your relationship become so good?"

Wen Shui placed the soy sauce and salt he had just bought on the table, then turned around and asked with a smile.

"Just now."

Hidden behind Yoshiki's back, out of sight, Himegami made a cute face at Onami, as if to say that she and Yoshiki had cleared up their misunderstanding. At the same time, her hands didn't stop moving; after completing the last few steps, she cheered softly and took a mirror from her waist pouch.

"It's done! How does Jia Shu feel?"

"Thank you, Himegami-senpai."

Yoshiki looked in the mirror, turned his head left and right, first examining his new hairstyle, then looked uncertainly at his older brother who was busy in the kitchen: "What do you think, brother?"

"She's quite pretty." Wen Shui looked at her younger sister, who seemed completely different from usual, and said with a smile, "She seems more quiet and gentle now, I like it very much."

"I'm glad you're happy, brother."

Yoshiki lowered her head shyly, her adorable appearance causing Himegami, a girl with absolutely no resistance, to completely lose her composure.

"Oh my gosh~~ Jia Shu is so cute! Let me hug her!"

"Um...don't do that."

That's enough, Princess Hime. Don't bore my little sister.

Wen Shui looked at the two cute girls playing around on the sofa and shook his head helplessly.

◇

It was around 5 p.m.

Himegami Karen stayed at the Wenshui house for a while longer before taking the initiative to leave.