"I told you not to learn common sense from manga books." Sora couldn't help but complain.
"Even if it really worked, I should be the one scaring you, not you scaring me, right?"
"Eh?"
The flush on Yamada Elf's face quietly deepened:
"S-Servant wants to kiss me?"
"I said 'scare you', not 'kiss you'." Sora was very speechless. "Your selective hearing is way too severe."
"Anyway, it's very effective." Yamada Elf crossed her arms over her chest, proudly lifting her chin.
"I don't have the urge to sneeze at all anymore."
"..."
As they spoke, Angel-sama, who had gone to the restroom, quietly returned.
Although Yamada Elf was bold enough to launch sneak attacks, she cared a lot about her face in front of acquaintances. Blushing, she hurriedly got up and returned to her seat.
"What was Elf doing just now?"
Mahiru sat down, looking curiously at the blonde loli.
"..."
Sora suddenly felt a bit guilty.
He clearly hadn't done anything, but for some reason, an inexplicable sense of guilt welled up inside him.
"It's nothing..." Yamada Elf stammered, speaking in a low voice. "I just suddenly remembered a funny joke and wanted to tell Sora. Hurry up and eat."
"..."
Mahiru gently pursed her pink, moist lips and didn't press the matter. She just cast a glance at Sora, then continued grilling meat.
After finishing lunch, it was almost 1:00 PM.
The three paid the bill, left the restaurant, hopped on their bicycles, and began the journey back.
After a wobbly ride, the three successfully returned home.
"I'm back."
Sora pushed the door open and entered the entryway.
"Nii-san, welcome back."
Sagiri, who was lying on the sofa playing on her phone out of boredom, heard the noise and quickly got up, trotting over.
"Here, this is for you." Sora handed over the raccoon plushie he got from the stamp rally. "Zoo exclusive limited edition."
"Thank you, Nii-san."
Sagiri happily took the plushie. Then she stood on her tiptoes and sniffed Sora up and down. The smile on her face quickly vanished:
"Nii-san is covered in the scent of bad women..."
I princess-carried her for so long. It's perfectly normal to be covered in Angel-sama's scent, alright!
"The scent is actually that strong..." Sagiri's cheeks puffed up high.
"I thought you went to the zoo to play. Was Nii-san actually kissing and hugging bad women at the zoo?"
You actually guessed it right on the first try. Are you a master detective?
"Sagiri, listen to my explanation." Sora downplayed the heavy parts, speaking mysteriously in a low voice.
"While playing at the zoo this morning, we happened to encounter someone falling into the gorilla enclosure. It was super dangerous..."
"Eh?"
Sagiri's attention was instantly diverted. Although she was a shut-in, she still had a heart for gossip.
"Anyway, that's what happened, which is why I have Mahiru's scent on me." Sora explained the situation in a low voice.
"Elf was there too, you can ask Elf if you don't believe me."
Sagiri was still unhappy. She lightly stepped on Sora's foot: "Nii-san, hurry up and go take a shower and change clothes."
"..."
After washing up.
Sora returned to his room and continued working on the game.
Plant Girls vs. Monsters wasn't a AAA title, so it was actually quite fast to produce. After nearly a month of hard work, it was basically nearing completion, with only the final details left to polish.
"The demo version will be finished soon. Next is considering how to market and distribute it..."
Looking at the familiar game interface on his computer, Sora was full of confidence.
Gold will always shine. It won't gather dust just because it changed worlds.
The 'Plants vs. Zombies' that was once suitable for all ages and swept the globe will inevitably be hugely popular.
The night passed without words.
The next day.
Monday.
Sora opened his eyes right on time to the sound of his alarm. He got up, washed, quickly prepared breakfast, said goodbye to Sagiri, and then headed out to school.
"Good morning, Sora-kun."
Arriving at the train station, Angel-sama was already waiting quietly in the corner.
"Good morning."
Sora stepped over to Angel-sama's side.
The morning breeze was refreshing, gently fluttering Angel-sama's skirt and hair. The girl's snow-white skin seemed to glow with a hazy holy light under the sun. In short, she was super cute.
"Sora-kun, did you have any nightmares last night?"
Angel-sama looked up and asked softly.
"If Mahiru hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten." Sora responded in a low voice.
"I had many dreams last night, including scenes of us playing together at the zoo, but I didn't have any nightmares."
"That's good..."
The train wobbled its way into the station.
Sora and Mahiru boarded the train together, traveling all the way to the station in front of their school.
Just as they stepped off the train, a girl's crisp, bright, and energetic shout reached Sora's ears:
"Sora, over here, over here!"
Sora followed the sound and saw a cute blue-haired girl with a bright, radiant smile.
It was none other than Anna, who had gone on a trip with her parents for Golden Week and whom he hadn't seen for several days.
"Good morning, Mahiru-chan."
Anna's gaze shifted, and she looked at Angel-sama, happily waving hello. Her radiant smile could clearly rival the sunlight.
"Good morning." Sora walked over curiously.
"Is Anna waiting for someone at the train station?"
"I wanted to give you guys the souvenirs as soon as possible." As she spoke, Anna opened her backpack. The girl's choppy blue hair fluttered gently in the breeze.
"I originally planned to give them to you yesterday, but by the time my parents and I got home, it was already dark, and taking the train all day was so tiring... Here, here."
Anna quickly took out two souvenirs, handing one to Sora and the other to Mahiru.
"Thank you, Anna." Mahiru softly expressed her thanks.
Sora reached out to take the souvenir:
"Couldn't you have just given them to us in the classroom?"
"No way." Anna's pretty face turned serious, her slender jade finger gently wagging in the air.
"I have a lot of souvenirs in my schoolbag to give to my friends. If I waited until the classroom, I might mix them up."
That was a lie.
Although Anna had prepared many souvenirs, they were basically all the same—mostly local specialty snacks—so mixing them up wouldn't matter at all.
The reason she made a special trip to the train station was very simple.
After waking up this morning, the Losing Heroine Diary had updated with new content.
[When you read this sentence, you are already destined to die alone...]
[On the first day after Golden Week, your fated rival finally appears.]
[While waiting at the school gate for the disciplinary committee's inspection, your fated rival coincidentally bumps into Sora, and the gears of fate begin to turn from there.]
[After graduating from university, Izumi Sora marries your fated rival.]
[Evaluation: 4K ultimately cannot defeat 8K.]
"Fated rival... appears again!"
After reading the diary early in the morning, Anna felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
While playing outside during Golden Week, she naturally took the Losing Heroine Diary with her. Every morning she would read about various losing heroine lives. There was even a losing heroine future where she formed a band with Sora, participated in a national rock competition, and was ultimately stolen away by someone else.
Some of the girls mentioned in the diary she knew, some she didn't, but only today did the special symbol [Fated Rival] appear.
Although she hadn't met her yet, Anna was already on maximum alert.
A fated rival is definitely not an ordinary girl, right?
And what do 4K and 8K mean?