I Won't Be a Loser

The moment Mai stepped into the house, she immediately sensed that something was off. Unlike the usual silence, today's atmosphere felt heavy—almost oppressive. Her gaze instinctively landed on Haruto, noting the somber expression on his face.

Then, she looked at her daughter. As always, Setsuna's face was unreadable, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"What's wrong? The mood today feels strange. Haruto… did you do something?"

Hearing Mai's question, Haruto sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected her to bring up such a sensitive topic the moment she walked in. Because Setsuna had been by his side the entire time, he hadn't had the chance to contact Mai and warn her to be careful.

At the dining table, Setsuna remained silent as ever. But after hearing her mother's words, she glanced at Mai before calmly shaking her head.

"No, nothing happened. Dinner is ready—we should eat first."

"..."

Mai looked at Setsuna, then shifted her gaze back to Haruto, hoping for some sort of explanation. But when she met his eyes, all he did was shake his head slightly.

With no useful information to go on, Mai could only sigh and take her seat at the dining table. She watched as Haruto stood up, bringing the food over. Soon, the three of them were seated together, quietly eating dinner.

"…Alright then, let's eat."

Still feeling lost, Mai picked up her chopsticks and started eating. Haruto, watching her, also felt uncertain. He glanced at Setsuna's calm demeanor and realized that perhaps he had overreacted.

Closing his eyes briefly, he steadied himself and decided not to overthink things. Silently, he joined in the meal.

The three of them sat together in the same room, eating as if nothing had happened. The quiet stretched on, uninterrupted, until dinner was over.

Afterward, Haruto took it upon himself to handle the cleanup, carrying the dishes to the sink and washing them alone. Meanwhile, Mai turned her attention to Setsuna.

"Setsuna… is something wrong? Did something happen today?"

"No, nothing happened."

Setsuna paused for a moment, then added in a seemingly casual tone, "But… last night, Mom slept very soundly."

Mai's expression stiffened.

She looked at her daughter, and for a moment, her gaze wavered, as if uncertain where to land. But then, as if forcing herself to stay composed, she met Setsuna's eyes again. Even so, her gaze lowered slightly, avoiding direct eye contact.

"…Did I? Maybe I was just exhausted from work. That's probably why I slept so deeply."

"I see. Mom works so hard all the time."

Setsuna's expression softened slightly. She withdrew her gaze from Mai and didn't press the matter further, remaining seated quietly.

At the sink, Haruto continued washing the dishes, listening to the conversation in the living room. He felt that the atmosphere had eased somewhat, so he glanced up, observing the mother and daughter facing each other.

His eyes darkened with complexity.

After thinking it over, he had originally believed that as long as they were careful, nothing would go wrong.

Haruto hadn't expected it, but in the end, Setsuna still found out. It reminded him of the time when his relationship with Sayuri had been exposed to Eriri. However, unlike Eriri's fiery personality, Setsuna's reaction was far more subdued.

After clearing the dishes, Haruto returned to the living room, only for Setsuna to suddenly speak up.

"Mom, could you head home for now? I have something to discuss with Haruto."

Mai blinked in surprise. "Is this something even I need to avoid?"

Setsuna nodded calmly.

Mai sighed, a trace of resignation in her expression. She felt a little left out but didn't push the matter. Instead, she stood up and said gently, "Alright then, I'll head home. Setsuna, don't stay out too late."

"Mm."

Without another word, Mai quietly left the apartment. Now, only Haruto and Setsuna remained, sitting silently across from each other.

Haruto was the first to break the silence. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Are you mad?" Haruto asked.

Haruto turned his gaze to her, unfazed. He felt a little guilty, sure, but it wasn't enough to make him feel anxious.

Looking at the delicate girl beside him, her doll-like face as expressionless as ever, Haruto realized that he rarely saw emotions play out on Setsuna's features. Even now, when she had every right to be upset, she merely asked him that question in her usual calm tone.

"A little."

"A little?"

Haruto had expected her to be much angrier. He studied her carefully, wondering if she was just hiding her true feelings. But from her demeanor and expression, she didn't seem all that upset.

"I'm mad because you lied to me," Setsuna admitted plainly.

Her voice was neutral, but Haruto could sense the weight of her words. She should be angrier—both he and Mai had hidden the truth from her. But when she considered who they were to her—her mother, who had raised her since childhood, and the boy she had feelings for—resentment felt impossible. Instead, all she felt was helplessness.

"…Mom was the one who initiated it, wasn't she?"

Haruto hesitated.

Setsuna sighed. "I thought so."

She seemed unsurprised.

"You're decisive when it comes to rejecting Sekai, but the moment someone pushes back even a little, you waver. Why?"

"…Do I?"

Haruto frowned slightly, not realizing this about himself.

Setsuna stared at him in silence before letting out a soft sigh.

"I've never truly known you, Haruto," she said quietly. "Because you've never really looked at me."

Then, she stood up and left the room.

Haruto sat still, staring at the closed door. After a long moment, he sighed and collapsed onto his bed.

"…Never truly looked at you, huh?"

He couldn't deny it.

Mai returned home and immediately went to take a bath. When she emerged from the bathroom, she spotted Setsuna entering the house.

On her daughter's face, she saw something she almost never did—loneliness.

"Setsuna…"

"I'm tired. I'm going to rest."

Without another word, Setsuna turned and walked to her room. But just before she closed the door, her gaze lingered on Mai for a moment, sweeping over her figure before she shut herself in.

Haruto lay on his bed, pressing his face into the pillow as if trying to smother himself. Of course, it was futile. After a while, he turned his head and stared at the ceiling, his eyes dry and unfocused.

"…I still need to take a bath," he muttered.

Just as he was about to head to the bathroom—

Bzzz— Bzzz Bzzz—

His phone vibrated.

Haruto glanced at the screen in mild surprise before picking it up.

"…Father?"

A steady male voice came through the receiver. "Haruto, you've been in Tokyo for some time now. How are you adjusting?"

It was his father—Miyamizu Toshiki. Once a folklore researcher, now the mayor of Hida City.

Originally, the Mikoguchi family was a prestigious household, but his father had abandoned his surname, his research career, and even an arranged marriage to be with his mother, Miyamizu Futaba. Eventually, he was elected mayor of Itomori.

Perhaps because of that, after learning Toshiki had a son, the estranged Mikoguchi family softened their stance. Though they had distanced themselves for years, they occasionally visited Itomori to see Haruto.

"It's completely different from Itomori," Haruto replied, "but I'm getting used to it."

"Good. A big city has many temptations. Don't lose sight of your purpose. You went to Tokyo to study and get into a good university. Once you have that, you can obtain anything you want. There's no need to dwell on fleeting emotions. Love at your age is just hormones."

Haruto remained silent.

His father's words gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.

Then, he remembered his last conversation with Mitsuha.

Since then, she hadn't contacted him once.

His thoughts clicked into place, and he instantly understood why his father had suddenly called him.

"…Did Mitsuha say something?"

"Hm? No, I just heard from your mother that you seem to have… gotten a girlfriend in Tokyo?"

The first image that surfaced in Haruto's mind was Sayuri, the girl he once loved. But almost immediately, that image was replaced by Setsuna. He fell silent for a moment, his emotions slightly complicated. Thinking back to how his father had once opposed his choices, he let out a soft sigh.

"…Yeah, she's a year younger than me, but she's also a high school student."

"No matter what kind of girl she is, now is not the time for romance. Don't let a girl make you lose sight of yourself."

Sitting in his office, Miyamizu Toshiki spoke in a steady tone, offering his son some fatherly advice.

When he had first heard about Haruto's relationship from his wife, his initial reaction had been anger. But that was quickly followed by hesitation. He knew his own past well. Haruto also understood what had happened between him and his mother. Because of this, Toshiki worried about the kind of example he had set for his son.

After much deliberation, he had decided that a warning was necessary.

"I understand."

Haruto's response was brief, but as he reflected on his life in Tokyo, he realized something. Both times he had come to this city, he had quickly been swept away by a woman's warmth. His purpose…

His father's words made him regain a bit of clarity.

"As long as you can keep up with your studies, I won't be too strict with you. Unlike Mitsuha, you've always been a steady person. You know what you should do."

"…I understand."

"Take care of yourself."

"I will."

A long silence followed.

Toshiki wasn't sure what else to say to his son. Even when they had lived in the same house, they hadn't talked much. Now, with the distance between them, it was even harder to find a topic of conversation.

"…Do you have enough money for living expenses?"

Haruto, who had been considering ending the call, perked up slightly at the mention of money.

However, after a brief pause, he pursed his lips and shook his head. "It's enough. I don't need more."

"…Alright. You have school tomorrow, don't you? Get some rest."

"You too."

"…Mm."

The call ended.

Haruto exhaled deeply, holding his phone in his hand. Hearing his father's voice again, reconnecting in this way after returning to his youth, was strangely grounding.

Placing his phone back on his desk, he sat in silence for a long time before finally getting up and heading to the bathroom.

—

That night, Haruto had a strange dream.

A pure white fox appeared in his vision. Without thinking, he reached out to stroke its fur. The fox's face, soft and enchanting, revealed an expression of pleasure, almost… human-like. It even snuggled into his arms.

"…So cute."

Haruto murmured in admiration as he held the fox in his arms.

But then—

The fox's body slowly changed. It grew slender limbs, and its delicate, fur-covered hands reached out, gently pushing him down onto the ground…

—

Morning came.

Haruto woke up to find sunlight streaming through his window.

"…It's already morning?"

He sat up, rubbing his chin as he tried to recall his dream. Something about it had been strange, but the details were already fading from his memory.

Shaking off the lingering drowsiness, he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.

But the moment he stepped inside, he noticed something.

His dream. That white fox…

Realization hit him, and he fell silent. Looking down at himself, he sighed.

Quietly, he changed into a fresh pair of underwear, soaking the soiled one in hot water with a generous amount of disinfectant. Then, as if nothing had happened, he left the bathroom and began preparing breakfast.

He wasn't too bothered. A young body, full of energy—this sort of thing wasn't unusual.

After finishing his meal alone, he grabbed his schoolbag and left his apartment.

—

On his way to school, Haruto glanced toward the Kiyoura household and spotted Saionji Sekai standing at her usual spot.

Their eyes met.

Haruto gave her a slight nod and a small smile before turning and continuing on his way.

Behind him, Sekai tightened her grip on her bag, watching his retreating figure in silence.