I Won't Be a Loser

Eriri insisted on following him, and Haruto didn't turn her away. He opened the door and stepped inside his apartment, with Eriri trailing behind. As she entered, she closed the door behind her. Inside the apartment, Haruto casually poured her a cup of tea.

"Where's that little girlfriend of yours?"

Glancing around the living room, Eriri's gaze settled on Haruto, her tone laced with curiosity as she abruptly brought up Setsuna. Haruto wasn't quite sure what was going through her mind—why she had suddenly chosen to mention Setsuna.

Setting the tea down on the table in front of her, he answered nonchalantly.

"She has school, just like you."

"She looks so young... You really don't have any reservations about that?"

Haruto didn't argue. At a glance, Setsuna did indeed appear far younger than she actually was. Even though she was already a high school student, most people on the street would likely mistake her for a middle schooler—perhaps even younger.

In today's society, with improved nutrition, many children matured quickly and looked much older than their actual age, making it difficult to determine age at a glance. But for someone like Setsuna, who was already older but still looked so childlike, it was a rarity.

Every time he interacted with her, there was a fleeting moment of hesitation in his heart. But Haruto knew better. Setsuna wasn't as young as she appeared, so he never let that thought linger.

"She's not a child."

He glanced at Eriri beside him, feeling the need to at least defend himself, even if his words lacked conviction.

Eriri, however, didn't dwell on the subject. She had only mentioned it in passing. Seeing Haruto's indifferent reaction, she realized she might have chosen the wrong topic.

She took a seat, picking up the tea and taking a small sip. Her gaze once again landed on Haruto.

"So, about your mother… What do you plan to do? She seems to have misunderstood some things, and from what I can tell, she doesn't remember you clearly or have any strong emotions toward you."

The conversation shifted back to Sayuri. Upon hearing Eriri's words, Haruto slowly walked to the window, looking out over the scenery beyond. His eyes instinctively sought out the familiar direction of the Sawamura household—a place he had visited many times before. It felt anything but unfamiliar.

The image of Sayuri from earlier surfaced in his mind. His lips curled slightly in reminiscence, only for his smile to fade into something more bitter. She had forgotten everything from the past.

Turning back toward the living room, he met Eriri's gaze before stepping forward and sitting beside her.

"If she's already forgotten, then that's for the best. There's no need for history to repeat itself. Even if she does remember… would you really support me being with Sayuri?"

As his words fell, Haruto saw the shift in Eriri's expression. Clearly, the thought was something she still found difficult to accept.

His gaze lingered on her face for only a moment before he withdrew it, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. Silence settled between them.

Eriri bit her lip, struggling to suppress the strong sense of discomfort and anger rising within her. Just imagining Haruto and her mother together again was unbearable. Yet, she also felt powerless to stop it. She didn't want the same tragedy to repeat.

Her only course of action now was to prevent Haruto from approaching Sayuri. As for what happened beyond that… she wouldn't interfere.

As the two sat in silence, deep in their own thoughts, the doorbell suddenly chimed.

Ding-dong—

The soft chime echoed in the quiet room. Eriri turned to Haruto, who in turn glanced back at her.

"It's probably Setsuna, back from school. What do you plan to do?"

Feeling that there was little left to discuss with Haruto, Eriri stood up. As Haruto made his way to the door, she followed behind him.

Expecting to see only Setsuna outside, Haruto was surprised when he opened the door to find three girls standing there.

Similarly, the trio hadn't expected to see someone else in Haruto's apartment. Sekai's eyes flickered with confusion and intrigue, while Kotonoha blinked, her gaze shifting suspiciously to Haruto.

Setsuna's mood darkened the moment she saw the blonde girl standing behind Haruto. Without a word, she fixed her gaze on Eriri.

"You've got quite a few visitors today. I'll be heading home. Remember what you said—neither you nor I want history to repeat itself."

Eriri offered a small smile before slipping on her shoes and leaving, not even looking back. Watching her retreating figure, Sekai leaned in close to Setsuna and whispered.

"You're just letting her leave?"

Setsuna ignored her and stepped into the apartment. Haruto greeted her with his usual gentle smile, but today, Setsuna's expression remained muted. Without returning the smile, she simply looked at him deeply before walking past him and into the living room.

Sekai and Kotonoha exchanged glances before following her inside.

As the girls took their seats in the living room, Haruto closed the door and walked over to prepare tea. Meanwhile, Setsuna's gaze wandered around the room.

The bed was neatly made, the floor spotless, and the desk free of any signs of disturbance. Though Eriri's lingering scent still faintly clung to the air, it was only in the spot she had sat in.

Haruto placed the tea on the table before taking a seat himself. Across from him, Setsuna fixed him with a serious stare.

"What was she doing here?"

"Eriri? Nothing much. She just stopped by to talk."

Haruto knew Setsuna would mind, but explaining the details wasn't easy. Instead, he kept his response vague. Noticing that Setsuna wasn't satisfied, and that Sekai was watching him with a knowing smirk, he quickly added:

"She lives nearby. On her way home from school, she happened to run into her mother, and there was a bit of a misunderstanding. She just needed a place to hide for a while."

"..."

Setsuna held his gaze for a moment longer before looking away. The name 'Sawamura Eriri' sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place why. Had she seen her before?

Sekai studied Haruto, thinking back to the golden-haired girl. She did seem somewhat familiar, though they had never spoken before.

Meanwhile, Kotonoha kept her head lowered, staring into her teacup. She recalled a recent encounter on the street where Haruto had been with someone else. Not this girl—someone different.

She glanced at Haruto with mixed emotions, debating whether to tell Setsuna.

The room fell into a short silence before Sekai broke it with a playful smile.

"So quiet. It's getting a little awkward. Miyamizu-kun, you know, you really shouldn't be bringing girls home so casually. Even someone as kind as Setsuna can be sensitive about these things."

Raising a delicate finger, she playfully scolded him. The quiet atmosphere dissipated as she laid everything bare, making things feel much more normal.

Three pairs of eyes turned toward Haruto. Being under their scrutinizing gazes, he immediately understood that Sekai was offering him an easy way out. So, he quickly went along with it, promising that he'd be more careful in the future and wouldn't casually bring other girls into his apartment.

"Setsuna, you shouldn't overthink it," Sekai continued. "If you can't trust anyone else, surely you can trust Miyamizu-kun, right? After all, he even—"

She smiled and trailed off, her eyes flickering toward Haruto.

Setsuna glanced at Sekai, then silently shifted her gaze back to Haruto. In her mind, she compared her to Eriri Spencer Sawamura, the blonde twin-tailed girl who was often on her mind.

There wasn't exactly no comparison to be made, but if she had to be honest, Eriri did have the upper hand.

Still, she kept these thoughts to herself. She remained seated quietly, saying nothing.

Sekai had already teased her like this—what else could she say? Besides, Haruto had always been kind to her, looking after her with care. Someone like that… she really had no reason to doubt him.

With that, she accepted the situation without any further protest.

Kotonoha, however, cast a slightly surprised look at Sekai. She now had a deeper understanding of the bond between Sekai and Setsuna.

Once everything was out in the open, the atmosphere naturally lightened. The four of them fell into their usual routine—chatting idly, discussing their schoolwork, and working together on assignments. With their combined efforts, they finished their homework with ease.

"It's still early," Sekai remarked. "Even if we go home now, there's not much to do. Kotonoha, do you have any plans for tonight?"

"Eh? Oh… No, nothing in particular."

"Then why don't you stay over at Miyamizu-kun's place tonight?"

"Huh?! N-No… I mean, what are you even saying? T-That's—"

Kotonoha instantly panicked, her face flushing red.

Sekai laughed mischievously, while Setsuna shot her a sharp, piercing glare—the kind that could be called a "death stare."

Feeling the intensity of her gaze, Sekai quickly shut her mouth and bowed her head in apology.

"I'm very sorry!"

Despite her apology, she glanced outside at the bright sky, then suddenly changed the topic.

"Hey, have you guys ever heard of the Fox Spirit Game?"

"Oh, the one where the coin moves across the paper?"

Haruto had some vague recollection of it. He'd heard rumors—urban legends, really—about this so-called game. No one really knew who invented it, but over time, it had transformed from a mere pastime into an eerie occult ritual.

Kotonoha, who had never really had friends before, was unfamiliar with such things. Meanwhile, Setsuna, having spent a lot of time around Sekai—a notorious chatterbox—had picked up bits and pieces about it.

"Yeah, yeah! That's the one!" Sekai said excitedly. "It's done late at night, in a dark and quiet place. Two people place their fingers on a coin and slide it over a special paper while chanting a spell. If done correctly, the Fox Spirit will answer their questions."

She looked around mysteriously, trying to build suspense.

Haruto, however, was unimpressed.

Setsuna merely cast a sidelong glance at Sekai and ignored her.

Kotonoha, on the other hand, was intrigued. It wasn't that she had any burning questions to ask; she was simply curious about something she'd never heard of before.

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course! But sometimes… strange and terrifying things happen, too~"

"Something scary?" Kotonoha blinked.

Sekai was just about to launch into a ghost story when Haruto cut in.

"I don't understand," he said. "If people have questions, why don't they just go to a proper shrine and pray for guidance from the gods? Why rely on some shady Fox Spirit instead? Are gods like Tenjin or Inari somehow less reliable?"

At his words, Sekai fell silent.

Setsuna sighed, looking at him with mild exasperation.

Kotonoha, however, seemed to ponder his words seriously, nodding as if she found them reasonable.