I Won't Be a Loser

"Do you have a girl you like?"

"Hmm? Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Yeah... I guess you could say so. But I'll have to keep her identity a secret for now."

Haruto smiled slightly at Hinami Aoi. He didn't have a bad impression of her—on the contrary, her bright and cheerful personality made her quite popular in class. She maintained good relationships with almost everyone, excelling in both academics and sports. She was, without a doubt, someone who stood out.

"Is she from your hometown?"

"My hometown…? No, she's not from Itomori. She's someone I met after coming to Tokyo."

Hinami blinked in surprise at his answer, her expressive eyes studying Haruto's face carefully before she broke into a small smile.

"If the girls in our class hear about this, I bet they'll be pretty disappointed. Ever since the first day of school, quite a few girls seem to have taken a liking to you, Miyamizu-kun."

"Including you?"

Hinami looked at him, her name coming from his lips in such a calm, unreadable tone. She was briefly taken aback but quickly let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.

"No. Miyamizu-kun is definitely handsome, but you're not my type—at least, not for now."

"I see. So you value personality more than looks?"

"You could say that. Which means… maybe one day I will like you."

Haruto couldn't help but admire how skillfully she handled the conversation. Even while rejecting him, she left room for possibility. It was a very her kind of response. Smiling faintly, he lowered his gaze back to his book, and Hinami, seeing that their conversation had naturally ended, returned to her seat.

Though they had arrived at school relatively early, it wasn't that early. After just a few minutes of conversation, other students began to trickle in.

Inside the classroom, Haruto sat alone, engrossed in his book, while Hinami busied herself with organizing something. As more students arrived, the room grew livelier. Most of the girls flocked to Hinami, chatting with her after setting down their bags. The boys, meanwhile, sat at their desks, waiting for their friends to arrive before engaging in quiet conversations of their own.

As the once-quiet classroom gradually filled with energy, Haruto remained indifferent, his left hand holding his book while his right occasionally tapped on the page. He was completely absorbed, unfazed by the noise around him.

"Hey, what are you reading?"

A light tap on his shoulder made him turn around. Standing there was Ichika Nakano.

"A book."

Haruto casually tilted the book toward her to show the cover before sliding a bookmark between the pages and sitting up properly to face her.

"When did you get to school?"

"Just now. I walked in and saw you reading so intently, and I got curious. Hope I'm not bothering you~"

Ichika's playful tone matched the mischievous glint in her eyes. Haruto blinked, tilting his head slightly to glance at the blue sky outside. The fatigue in his eyes lingered, but looking away for a moment helped. Closing his eyes briefly, he turned back to her.

"No, actually, I was just about to take a break. I'm glad you came over to chat."

"That was such a formal response," Ichika teased, her gaze narrowing slightly. "You're acting different from usual. And… you've got dark circles under your eyes. Did something happen?"

She leaned in closer, blinking as she studied his face.

Now that she was so near, Haruto could faintly catch the scent of her perfume. His gaze involuntarily dropped for a fraction of a second, catching a glimpse of the deep valley beneath her crisp white shirt collar. Immediately, he looked away. But in that brief moment, Ichika's teasing smile grew.

"You looked, didn't you? Haruto, you're such a perv~"

She playfully tapped her finger against the corner of her lips, her tone a mix of accusation and flirtation. Haruto rolled his eyes.

"I didn't see anything."

"Oh? Then what do you want to see? If it's you, I wouldn't mind showing~"

Ichika playfully tugged at her collar and leaned in even closer, her face now just inches from his. Her warm breath brushed against his skin as she gazed at him with a knowing smirk.

Haruto calmly raised a finger and pressed it against her forehead, stopping her from getting any closer.

"I appreciate the offer, but you should be more careful. We are in a classroom. And quite a few people are staring at us."

At the edge of his vision, Haruto had already noticed that the lively classroom had suddenly gone quiet. Countless eyes were now sneaking glances in their direction, watching the two of them with a mix of curiosity and shock. Ichika, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious.

"We are being watched?" she mused, still grinning. "Then next time, let's find somewhere quieter. How about… the sports equipment room?"

"You've definitely watched too many weird shows."

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.

Haruto sighed at her antics, but his attention soon shifted to the reactions around him. Many of the girls in class had flushed cheeks, some whispering to each other in hushed voices. Even Hinami Aoi was watching them with wide, surprised eyes.

And then, there was her.

Letting Ichika pull back to a more appropriate distance, Haruto's gaze drifted to Eriri Sawamura. She had been watching too. But unlike the others, her expression remained unnervingly calm.

Her hands, however—clenched tightly in her lap, gripping the hem of her skirt—betrayed her. The way her fingers trembled slightly, turning pale from pressure, did not go unnoticed by him.

Just as Haruto took a longer look at her, Eriri's grip loosened slightly.

"…."

The school bell rang, signaling the start of class. Ichika finally left his side and returned to her seat. However, the lingering stares from their classmates persisted. Even after settling into his desk, Haruto could still feel the occasional piercing glare from behind him, as if someone was trying to decide where best to stab him.

Still, he remained unbothered.

Flipping open his textbook, he focused on the lesson.

But his mind drifted back to something from yesterday.

The words that Ichika's younger sister, Nino Nakano, had said to him.

And the uneasy feeling that maybe—just maybe—he would have to face Eriri sooner or later.