I Won't Be a Loser

"But she hasn't completely remembered her past with you yet. As long as you don't see her again in the future, there shouldn't be any problems."

Eriri's words lingered briefly in the air as she gazed at the young man in front of her. Her tone was calm, but her words made him let out a weary chuckle.

It wasn't that he didn't want to avoid Sayuri—it was that avoiding her had become impossible. She already knew where he lived. How was he supposed to escape now?

"I'd love to avoid her, but she already knows where I live. What else can I do?"

"Move."

"..."

For a moment, he stared at her, unable to tell if she had been planning this all along. The way she suggested it so decisively made him wonder if she had been waiting for an opportunity to convince him to leave the neighborhood.

"I still have some savings," she added.

"..."

Eriri's unwavering attitude left him speechless. She was even willing to use her own money to help him move.

After a moment of silence, he let out a sigh.

"Moving isn't an option, so don't count on it."

"Then aren't you worried? Living there, running into my mom all the time? If she sees you with your little girlfriend and it triggers her memories, don't you think..."

She trailed off, but he understood exactly what she was implying. She didn't need to spell it out. He knew full well what could happen if Sayuri regained her memories.

In the best-case scenario, she would simply pretend nothing happened, return home, and cut ties with him completely. But in the worst-case scenario...

Eriri watched him, reading the hesitation on his face. She stepped forward and reached out, gently placing her cool hand against his cheek.

He instinctively pulled back.

"There's actually another way," she said.

He looked at her warily.

"What?"

"We could just tell my mom we're dating."

"...You're joking."

"As long as she believes it, that's enough. Even if she does remember, she won't try to contact you if I'm in the way."

It was a logical plan. But as he looked at her, his expression became complicated. He remained silent for a moment before simply walking away, back toward the classroom.

Eriri watched his retreating figure, pressing her lips together before slowly relaxing them again. Then, she followed after him.

At lunchtime, Haruto found himself sitting with two of his classmates, Yuji Sakamoto and Akihisa Yoshii.

"You and Sawamura, huh? You two seem... a little too close," Yuji commented, giving him a knowing look.

Haruto had just unwrapped his sandwich when the question caught him off guard.

It wasn't just Yuji—Akihisa was also looking at him curiously. It wasn't a secret that Haruto often spent time with both Eiri and Ichika Nakano, and the class was buzzing with speculation.

"She and I just got to know each other well because of something that happened before. Kind of like new neighbors who moved in next to each other, that kind of relationship," Haruto replied.

"That's... a pretty vague way to put it," Yuji remarked. "So, you're not dating Sawamura?"

"No."

"What about Nakano? Ichika Nakano?"

Akihisa's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"No, we're just friends."

"Friends as in dating friends?"

"No. Just friends."

Akihisa eyed him suspiciously but, seeing that Haruto wasn't budging, gave up and returned to his meal. Soon, the conversation shifted to video games, and the topic was dropped.

The rest of the school day passed uneventfully.

After sitting through all his classes, Haruto just wanted to go home and get some rest. His body was still exhausted from the previous night's "interrogation."

As he left the classroom and walked toward the school gates, he suddenly noticed someone walking beside him.

Eriri.

He turned to look at her.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. This is the way home."

Haruto glanced at her, realizing there wasn't much he could say to that. He sighed and continued walking.

Their silent companionship didn't go unnoticed.

Students heading home from Toyosaki Academy couldn't help but sneak glances at them.

It had only been two weeks since the school year started, but Eriri's golden hair had already made her one of the most recognizable figures on campus. She was beautiful, eye-catching, and unmistakable.

Seeing her walking side by side with a boy naturally attracted attention.

Not that Haruto particularly cared.

After a while, when they reached the shopping district, he abruptly turned and walked in.

"Hm?"

Eriri hesitated for a moment before following him inside.

"I thought you were heading home," Haruto said, glancing at her. "Why are you following me?"

"You can come here, but I can't?" she shot back.

He sighed. There was no arguing with her.

Ignoring her presence, he started shopping for groceries while she trailed beside him.

"Hey, Haruto! Back for more veggies?" one of the shopkeepers called out. Then, his gaze shifted to Eriri. "Oh? And who's this? Your girlfriend? What a cute young lady! Here, take these on the house—you two lovebirds can share them."

"Wow, you got yourself a girlfriend already?" another vendor chimed in. "Lucky guy! Be sure to treat her well."

"Young love is a beautiful thing," an elderly lady added with a smile.

As shopkeepers eagerly handed out freebies, Haruto couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Meanwhile, Eriri took a bite of the taiyaki 1she had been given, eyeing him curiously.

"You seem to know a lot of people here."

"I come by often to buy ingredients, so I got to know them."

"I see."

They finished shopping and started heading home. Normally, this would be where Eriri and Haruto would part ways.

But, unsurprisingly, she kept following him.

Haruto glanced at her.

"This isn't your way home."

"Mm."

"So... shouldn't you be going back now?"

"I don't really feel like going home yet. Besides, I need to check if my mom is hanging around your apartment. If she is, I'll take her home."

"..."

That was actually a pretty good excuse.

Since he couldn't argue against it, he stayed quiet and kept walking.

They continued in silence, side by side, until suddenly, Haruto stopped in his tracks.

"Wh—"

Eriri was about to ask why he had stopped when she followed his gaze forward—and immediately pressed her lips together.

It was almost eerie, the way mother and daughter seemed to have some kind of telepathic connection.

Not too far ahead, Sayuri was standing near Haruto's apartment. As if sensing their presence, she turned around.

And there they were—her daughter, and the boy from her past.

"Eriri?" she blinked, then her gaze shifted to Haruto. "And... Miyamizu-kun?"

Eriri's mood plummeted.

She had hoped, even expected, that she was the only one aware of the truth. But now, standing here, face to face with her mother, she realized the illusion was crumbling.

Frowning, she took a step forward, placing herself in front of Haruto as she faced her mother.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just out for a walk. The house is so quiet when you're at school," Sayuri replied, smiling gently. "Is something wrong?"

Eriri fell silent.

A walk? Sure. But why did she always seem to end up here?

And then, Sayuri's eyes flicked between her and Haruto.

"You and Miyamizu-kun... are you two dating?"

"No."

Haruto denied it immediately.

Eriri, who hadn't even processed what Sayuri had just said, barely had time to react before his firm answer crushed the fleeting thought she hadn't even realized she had.

"Huh? You're not dating?" Sayuri blinked in surprise. "But you two always go home together, and last time, Eriri even asked me to make lunch for two—wasn't that for Miyamizu-kun?"

"..."

Haruto glanced at Eriri but still shook his head.

"We're not dating, I—"

"We're not dating," Eriri interrupted before he could say anything that might trigger her mother. "We're just close friends. So, Mom, you can head home now."

Before Haruto could continue, Eriri swiftly cut him off, making sure to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Oh my, Eriri, are you already pushing your mother away?" Sayuri clutched her chest in exaggerated heartbreak. "If you get married someday, am I going to be left all alone? Oh, how sad, how lonely~"

Eriri fell silent.

But Sayuri, noticing the subtle change in both her daughter and Haruto's expressions, straightened up slightly. Her teasing smile softened as she looked at Eriri. Then, without another word, she slowly walked past her.

"Well then, I'll be heading home first. Eriri, don't stay out too late."

With those parting words, Sayuri's figure gradually faded into the distance.

Eriri stood there in silence, watching her mother's retreating back.

As for Haruto, he let out a long breath, tilting his head up to look at the vast blue sky overhead. It stretched endlessly, deep and boundless. He closed his eyes.

Then, without another word, he began walking toward his apartment.

Eriri hesitated, glancing between Haruto's back and the direction her mother had left. After a brief moment of indecision, she followed after him.

_ _ _ _

"Why don't we go visit Miyamizu-kun's place today?"

Sekai suddenly suggested, catching Setsuna off guard.

It was after school, and the girls had been idly wondering what to do when Sekai came up with the idea of dropping by Haruto's apartment.

"Think about it—he lives alone, right? He must get lonely sometimes. If the three of us visit, we can keep him company," she reasoned. "Besides, last time we had a study session at his place, didn't we? It wasn't a waste of time, and he seemed really happy about it."

Setsuna remained silent.

Seeing her lack of response, Sekai leaned in closer, her voice playful yet oddly persuasive.

"And," she added, "this way, you can spend more time with him, Setsuna. If you don't, who knows? Some other girl might take advantage of the opportunity and steal him away."

"..."

Hearing Sekai's words, Kotonoha Katsura looked at her, unsure how to feel about the comment. Then, she glanced at Setsuna—only to notice that she seemed... tempted?