I Won't Be a Loser

Leaving the house, Sayuri strolled through the streets, exchanging friendly greetings with neighbors she happened to pass by. Without even realizing it, she found herself walking toward a place that felt both unfamiliar and yet strangely familiar.

Stopping at the street corner, Sayuri gazed across at the apartment building in the distance. Her eyes lingered on a half-open window, flickering with uncertainty. She slowly unfolded her folding fan and raised it in front of her face, her emotions sinking into quiet contemplation.

"Here again…?"

She had never been to this place before, yet over the past two days, whenever she went out for a walk, she would unknowingly, almost instinctively, be drawn to this spot.

"Why… do I keep coming here?"

As she stared at the apartment across from her, a fleeting shadow passed by the window. A petite girl stood up inside the room.

—The apartment's resident?

But then, a moment later, a taller figure rose to his feet—a young man with delicate, handsome features. He opened his arms and pulled the girl into an embrace.

The instant Sayuri saw his face, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck through her mind. In the brief blankness that followed, memories came rushing forth in waves.

"Har… Haruto?"

The name escaped her lips before she could stop it. That figure, so perfectly matching the one from her dreams, made Sayuri instinctively want to rush into the apartment, to knock on the door, to face him directly.

But as the curtains were drawn shut, she pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and forced herself to steady her emotions. Biting down gently on her lower lip, she clenched the handle of her fan, her fingers turning slightly pale from the pressure. In the end, she withdrew her gaze and turned back toward home, walking away with slow, deliberate steps.

—

Eriri sat at her desk, her fingers wrapped around her stylus. After some time alone, she had finally adjusted her mood. Lowering her head, she resumed her unfinished drawing.

"Hmm… let's go with this—two people in a room, while the mother can only eavesdrop helplessly from outside. She's restless, overwhelmed, yet all she can do is cover her mouth, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling with frustration…"

A smirk curled at the corner of her lips as she vented her dissatisfaction onto the canvas.

Her stylus moved swiftly across the tablet, sketching out rough lines with ease. Given her natural talent and professional training, drawing this kind of scene was effortless for her.

In the silent room, Eriri let out a mischievous chuckle as her hand worked tirelessly. But just as she was immersed in her work, a sudden knock on the door shattered the stillness.

Her entire body stiffened, the smile on her face freezing before gradually fading. Pressing her lips together, she slowly turned toward the door.

It creaked open. Sayuri stepped inside, her gaze falling upon her daughter, who remained seated at her desk. Without saying much, she placed a shopping bag on Eriri's desk.

"Weren't you going for a walk? You're back already?"

Eriri was a bit surprised—her mother had been gone for less than an hour. Reaching for the shopping bag, she pulled out a can of coffee.

"Yeah… I went out for a bit, but after seeing something, a few thoughts crossed my mind, so I decided to come home early."

"What is it?"

Twisting open the cap of her coffee, Eriri took a small sip before casually asking her mother.

"That boy who helped you at school last time—his name was Miyamizu Haruto, right?"

Hearing Haruto's name suddenly come from Sayuri's lips, Eriri's hand momentarily froze on the bottle cap. She hesitated, then slowly raised her head to look at her mother.

"That was a long time ago, wasn't it? Why bring it up now?"

"His home… it should be somewhere around this area, right?"

"…I don't know."

In her memory, she did have Haruto's address. But up until now, she had never once gone there. If those future memories were correct, then yes, his house was indeed somewhere nearby.

"You don't know? Hmm… I took a walk around today and ended up near an unfamiliar apartment complex. There, I saw a boy who looked strikingly similar to the one you mentioned 'Miyamizu-kun.'"

"You've never even met him before. You probably just mistook someone else for him."

Pressing her lips together, Eriri wasn't sure why her mother would suddenly connect some random boy to Haruto. But thinking about her own situation, she couldn't shake the unease creeping into her heart. Especially after that conversation she had with Sayuri before she had fully remembered everything—could her mother be experiencing the same thing as her?

"Mistaken identity, huh? Maybe. But I did see that boy in the apartment… hugging a girl."

Snap.

Just as Eriri picked up her stylus, intending to use her drawing as an excuse to shut down the conversation, her grip tightened—

Crack.

The tip of the stylus snapped off in her hand, leaving a deep fracture on the surface of the tablet.

Sayuri blinked in surprise.

Unlike most people, she was well aware of just how sturdy a drawing tablet and stylus were. They weren't something that could be broken so easily—certainly not as effortlessly as snapping a cheap pen or pencil in half. And yet, in that brief moment, Eriri had pressed down with enough force to shatter it…

"Eriri?"

"…No, it's nothing. I guess I've been using it for too long. It must've worn out. I'll need to buy a new one."

Keeping her head lowered, Eriri spoke in a quiet, muted tone. She silently set aside the broken tablet and stylus, pulling out the stylus tip and inspecting it. The exterior seemed fine, but whether the inside was damaged, she couldn't tell. Not that it mattered to her right now. She had no interest in her drawing tools at this moment. Without a word, she placed the stylus down beside her.

"Did Mom say something just now?"

"…"

Sayuri had always thought of her daughter as a refined and elegant girl, aside from her slightly eccentric interests. But now, she was starting to feel like she might have misjudged her all this time.

"Nothing. Hmm, do you have any suggestions for dinner?"

"Not really."

"Alright, I'll go prepare something, then."

Sayuri glanced at her daughter before letting out a soft chuckle. She lifted her folding fan to cover her face and gracefully stepped out of the room.

Left alone, Eriri sat in silence, staring at the shattered remnants of her tablet. Even if she tried using it again, it probably wouldn't be responsive anymore. She quietly detached the damaged part and set it aside.

Then, shifting in her chair, she gradually pulled up her knees, resting her feet on the seat. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she sank into a long, brooding silence.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally stretched out her right hand, gripping the mouse. Her other hand hovered over the keyboard.

In the search bar, she slowly typed out one sentence—

"How to steal a man from another woman."