I Won't Be a Loser

Staying in the classroom, hoping to catch the so-called "Underwear Hermit" in action and have a face-to-face talk, Haruto never expected that instead of meeting the culprit, he would run into Kiryu Yuzuki instead.

The homeroom teacher of Haruto's class was Fukuhara Shin, while Kiryu Yuzuki was the homeroom teacher of the neighboring class. However, since she also taught Haruto foreign languages, she naturally had some impression of him as one of her students.

Although Haruto wasn't in her homeroom, a clean-cut, handsome young man like him would inevitably draw more attention than an average student.

"Is it your duty day today, Kiryu-sensei?"

"Yeah, I didn't have much to do, so I decided to check the classrooms. Everyone else has already left, and you're the only one still here. Were you reading?"

Before entering the classroom, Kiryu Yuzuki had already noticed the book in Haruto's hands. As he closed it and placed it on the desk, she caught a glimpse of the title—My Man.

That… was a rather suggestive book title. It made her pause for a moment before she turned her gaze back to the young man in front of her.

"I was reading, but I stayed here for another reason. Still, since I've waited this long and the person I was expecting hasn't shown up, I guess it's safe to say they won't be coming. It's about time I head home anyway—thank you for the reminder, Kiryu-sensei."

Haruto offered a polite nod of gratitude to the young teacher, who had only recently graduated from university and was still somewhat inexperienced in her role. He then picked up his book and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"I won't keep you from your duties any longer. I'll be going now. See you."

"Alright. Take care on your way home."

Kiryu Yuzuki had originally left the teachers' office because she was feeling a little bored and restless, deciding to take a walk through the school while fulfilling her duty as the teacher on call.

She hadn't expected to run into Haruto, the only student left in the classroom. Hoping for a bit of casual conversation to pass the time, she had approached him, only for him to immediately pack up and leave, catching her off guard.

For some reason, that left her feeling a little disappointed.

Then again, maybe it was because of her position as a teacher. Perhaps he felt a sense of distance or even reverence toward her?

Watching Haruto's figure disappear through the classroom door, Kiryu Yuzuki nodded to herself in thought.

If that was truly the case, then maybe she was already doing a decent job as a teacher.

"...Still, I'd like to be a bit more popular with my students."

Muttering to herself, she glanced at the seat Haruto had just vacated before sitting down there, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed out the window at the clear blue sky. Memories of her own school days surfaced in her mind.

Clutching a book in one hand and his school bag in the other, Haruto slowly made his way out of the school building.

As he passed by the sports field, he caught sight of various clubs still practicing—track and field, baseball, tennis...

None of them were to his liking. Haruto had never been interested in sports-related clubs.

With a quiet sigh, he turned his gaze away and continued walking toward the school gates.

Before stepping outside, he paused for a moment, glancing back at the school.

Whoever was behind all this… what exactly was their goal?

"So annoying..."

He let out a sigh of frustration before heading toward home.

During a recent promotional sale at the shopping district, Haruto had ended up buying a lot of groceries, thanks to a discount coupon from Ryuuji. But now, after several days, most of the perishables in his fridge had been used up.

For a single person, the amount of food he had bought was indeed excessive. However, since the Kiyoura mother and daughter often shared meals with him, the supplies had been consumed rather quickly.

Only some long-lasting ingredients remained in his fridge.

"I should restock on some fresh groceries."

Adjusting his route slightly, Haruto headed toward the shopping district, which was conveniently located along the way home.

After returning to his apartment with bags full of groceries, Haruto glanced toward the neighboring unit.

It seemed quiet.

Looks like Setsuna isn't home yet.

Setting the groceries down, he walked over to the window and slid it open slightly. The laundry he had hung outside was still there, and judging by the weather, they should be dry by now.

Using a laundry pole, he carefully retrieved his clothes. But just as he was about to put them away, a strange sense of unease crept up on him.

Something... seemed to be missing.

"...It can't be, right?"

His heartbeat quickened as a bad premonition formed in his mind.

He scanned the laundry rack carefully.

Shirt? Check.

Pants? Check.

Socks? Check.

Towel? Check.

"..."

Falling silent, Haruto did another thorough check.

He pursed his lips and put down the laundry pole, stepping onto the balcony. He looked up at the rack, down at the floor, and even glanced outside the apartment complex.

Nothing.

"...This is going too far."

A headache began to form as he pressed a hand against his forehead in exasperation.

He never imagined he'd experience something like this himself.

"I only own three pairs, and someone actually stole one of them?"

Cases of stolen underwear weren't uncommon in the news. However, the victims were usually women. Now that it had happened to him, Haruto found it difficult to process.

Who the hell would be so bored as to steal his underwear?

After a moment of silence, he walked back inside, leaving the window open but drawing the curtains.

Then, from his bag, he retrieved today's "surprise."

White + Lace.

There was no doubt—it was a pair of women's underwear.

Haruto's gaze shifted toward the balcony before looking back down at the delicate garment in his hands.

There were no suspicious stains or signs of dirtiness. In fact, it was incredibly clean and even had a faint floral scent, suggesting it had been recently washed.

Frowning, he stared at the underwear before an unsettling thought crossed his mind. A chill ran down his spine.

"Don't tell me… the thief is planning to steal all of my underwear and expects me to wear this instead?!"

A disgusted expression immediately took over his face.

An even worse possibility surfaced in his mind.

What if the culprit was a cross-dressing guy looking for a 'cross-dressing fetish' and was trying to force him into it?

Just imagining it made Haruto shudder.

He let go, watching as the white lace underwear fell to the floor, before grimacing at his own hands as if they had been contaminated.

"...I should call the police."

He muttered under his breath, already making up his mind.

Still, there was no rush.

Tonight, he would talk to the Kiyoura mother and daughter about the situation and see their reaction. If they had any good suggestions, he could consider them. If not, reporting it would be his only option.

With that thought in mind, he walked toward the bathroom and washed his hands thoroughly before drying them.

Then, using a tissue, he carefully picked up the white lace underwear and placed it on a few more tissues on his desk.

Sitting down in the living room, Haruto remained silent, deep in thought, too drained to even prepare dinner.

It wasn't until the doorbell rang that his thoughts were interrupted.

Opening the door, he was met with Setsuna, still in her school uniform, holding her bag.

"You haven't gone home yet?" Haruto asked, slightly surprised.

"I spent some time with Sekai and Kotonoha after school, but I wanted to see you first."

At the sight of the girl standing before him, the frustration from earlier eased slightly.

Haruto silently stepped aside, letting her in.

As she walked in, stepping out of her shoes and slipping into indoor slippers, he watched her delicate legs wrapped in knee-high black stockings before closing the door behind her.

Setsuna had planned to spend more time with Haruto before her mother returned home, but the moment she stepped into the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to something white on the desk.

Against the wooden surface, the bright white fabric stood out starkly, seizing her full attention.

She glanced back at Haruto, who had just closed the door behind him and was now walking into the room. Then, moving forward, she slowly approached the desk, staring at the white object. As she looked closer, something about it felt… off.

Her gaze lowered, locking entirely onto the piece of fabric.

Haruto, having followed her line of sight, let out a soft sigh as he came to stand beside her.

"Haruto … what is this?"

"Yesterday, Mai-san was asking me about a love letter, remember? Well, I didn't receive a confession letter… but I did receive this."

He gestured toward the white lace garment on the desk and then turned to look at Setsuna.

At first, he had considered keeping it a secret, but given the circumstances, there was no point in hiding it anymore. He was already planning to report the incident to the police, and once that happened, the truth would come out regardless.

It was better to be upfront with Setsuna and her mother, Mai, before then. Who knows? They might even have some advice for him.

"...Is this… underwear?"

"Yeah."

"Did a girl give it to you?"

"I didn't see who left it."

Shaking his head, Haruto sat down beside the desk. Setsuna followed suit, taking a seat next to him. However, her eyes remained fixed on the piece of white fabric, her mind going blank for a moment. After a long silence, she finally turned to look at Haruto.

"This… is women's underwear, right?"

Haruto simply nodded his head.

"I have no idea. This morning, when I got to school and put my books in my desk, I felt something inside. When I looked, this was there. To avoid causing a scene, I put it in my bag and brought it home."

"There was no note or anything?"

"Nothing. No clues at all. Also… my own underwear is missing."

Setsuna, who had initially been trying to guess what kind of woman might have taken an interest in Haruto, suddenly tensed. Her eyes sharpened as she turned to look at him, frowning deeply and pressing her lips together.

"Haruto … your underwear?"

"Yeah. When I got home, I noticed that everything I hung out to dry was still there—except for my underwear. It was gone. I'm guessing someone stole it."

"A pervert?"

Haruto pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Without a doubt, this is the work of a pervert."

"So… what are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking about reporting it to the police, but honestly, I doubt it'll do much good."

Unless the culprit was caught red-handed or there was security footage capturing their face, the police likely wouldn't be able to do much. At best, they'd patrol the area more often during the day.

"Do you have any suspects?"

Haruto glanced at Setsuna before shaking his head again.

"I've only been in Tokyo for a little over a week. I don't know many people, and I haven't interacted with that many either. Most of the people around me are strangers. There's no one I can point to."

"Haruto ..."

Setsuna fell silent. She was just a high school girl—if something like this had happened to her, what would she even do?

After thinking it over, she couldn't come up with any real solution.

In the end, all she could do was what Haruto had already decided: report it.

Rubbing his forehead, Haruto reached out and gently ruffled Setsuna's silky hair.

"But don't worry too much. I'm a guy, after all. It's not like this is going to break me. I'll do what I can to figure out who's behind this myself."

"Do you need help?"

"No, Setsuna. Just focus on keeping yourself safe."

Haruto gave her a reassuring smile before glancing at the clock. The sun was beginning to set, and it was about time to start making dinner.

"For now, let's leave this aside. We can talk about it again when Mai-san gets home. Right now, we should get dinner ready."

"...Okay."

Nodding, Setsuna finally tore her gaze away from the white underwear on the desk and joined Haruto in preparing the meal.

It was a little after six when Mai returned home.

As usual, her apartment was dark.

Glancing at Haruto's window, where the lights were on, she naturally made her way toward his apartment.

After stepping inside and joining them, Mai soon noticed the white lace underwear on the desk. Upon hearing the explanation from her daughter, she blinked in surprise.

'So… aside from me and Setsuna, some other woman is after Haruto?!'

Given Haruto's charm, this was inevitable.

Still… to think someone would go to such extremes!

Even she hadn't gotten a whiff of Haruto's —!

"Are there any more pairs?"

After her brief shock, Mai instinctively blurted out the question.

The moment she spoke, she was met with Haruto's bewildered expression… and the sharp, murderous glare of her daughter.