I Won't Be a Loser

Sometimes, girls aren't ones to talk about science and logic. Instead of visiting the readily available shrines scattered everywhere, they seem to prefer divination games like "Kokkuri-san."1 It's said that such games can summon low-level spirits, and "Kokkuri" itself is even referred to as an angel.

Haruto had no idea what this had to do with angels, but games like this had already been popular since the 1870s. Even now, they remained a common pastime among middle and high school students.

Glancing at Sekai sitting beside him and Setsuna across from him, he thought, Well, high school girls were basically just older middle schoolers. Makes sense.

"I want to try it too," Setsuna said calmly, her gaze fixed on Haruto.

Like him, she didn't believe in things like fox spirits. But she was still curious enough to give it a try.

"That makes two of us!"

Sekai turned her gaze toward Kotonoha, who sat silently beside Haruto, then at Haruto himself. Her eyes held a certain pressure, urging the two of them to join.

Haruto sat quietly, sipping his tea, unfazed.

Kotonoha, on the other hand, hesitated. She glanced at Sekai, who was brimming with excitement, then at the ever-silent Setsuna. Finally, she raised her small hand.

"T-Then... I'll join too."

"Great! That makes three votes! Now, Miyamizu-kun, are you still going to hold out?"

Sekai tilted her head slightly, leaning toward Haruto with a sly smile.

Haruto, who had little interest in such games, let out a soft sigh before giving a small nod.

"Since everyone wants to try, I'll join as well. But… isn't this the wrong time for it?"

He glanced outside. The sun was still high in the sky.

If the stories were true, spirits wouldn't show up in broad daylight.

Though Haruto wasn't particularly superstitious, he was at least aware of the basics.

"Yeah, it's usually done at night, especially in quiet, dark places. That's when it's supposed to be most effective. But since we're just playing for fun, it doesn't really matter. Let's wait until dusk. After all, twilight is called the 'hour of meeting demons.'"

Seeing Sekai's growing enthusiasm, Haruto remained indifferent, lowering his gaze back to his tea.

But in his peripheral vision, he noticed something—Kotonoha was sneaking glances at him.

When he turned his head slightly to look at her, she quickly averted her gaze, lowering her head.

Her hesitant expression and evasive eyes caught Haruto's attention.

They hadn't interacted much, so why was she acting so strangely?

Perplexed, Haruto studied her for a moment before shifting his gaze away.

Across from him, Setsuna furrowed her brows slightly. If he kept staring at Kotonoha any longer, she might actually get annoyed.

The room fell silent, each of them simply waiting for twilight to arrive.

Sekai, in the meantime, started explaining the rules and precautions of the fox spirit game to Setsuna and Kotonoha, who weren't familiar with it.

Watching Kotonoha nod along, saying "I see," while Sekai smirked mischievously, Haruto had a feeling Sekai wasn't acting out of pure goodwill—she likely had some ulterior motive.

Springtime meant the sun set quickly. Unlike summer, when daylight lingered until seven or eight in the evening, in spring, the sky darkened around five.

The girls, who had been waiting in the room for quite some time, now sat around a freshly cleared table.

A white sheet of paper lay before them, marked with "yes" and "no," numbers, and hiragana1 characters. A single coin rested at the center.

They sat in the dim twilight, without turning on any lights. Each person extended a single index finger, lightly touching the edge of the coin. The coin was small, leaving barely any space for all four fingers.

"Alright, let's begin. First, we ask," Sekai said, glancing at the others before starting the game.

"Fox spirit, fox spirit, have you arrived?"

The coin trembled slightly.

Haruto barely applied any pressure, watching as Sekai subtly nudged it toward "yes." He didn't interfere and let it happen.

Setsuna, noticing the trick, lost much of her interest. Instead, her gaze shifted toward Haruto.

Kotonoha, on the other hand, seemed puzzled. She alternated her gaze between the coin and Sekai.

Sekai, pretending not to notice Kotonoha's stare, pressed on.

"The fox spirit is here. Now, we can ask it questions."

"Fox spirit, fox spirit, who does Sekai Saionji like?"

"...."

As soon as Sekai finished speaking, Setsuna moved the coin toward the hiragana section.

Sekai, caught off guard, could only watch as Setsuna deliberately placed the coin on the character "は" (ha).

By the time Sekai reacted and tried to push it elsewhere, it was too late. The coin had already landed.

Her lips tightened as she looked at Setsuna—expressionless.

Then she turned to Haruto—calm as ever.

"...."

Realizing she was the only one feeling flustered, a bitter feeling spread through her chest.

She turned to Kotonoha.

"Since Setsuna and I have asked questions, it's your turn, Kotonoha."

"Uh… um… Fox spirit, fox spirit, what I saw… was it really what I think it was?"

A strange question.

The others let the coin drift freely.

Setsuna didn't care. Sekai was indifferent.

Haruto had no idea what she meant—but instinct told him that moving the coin to "no" would be the right call.

The coin floated around before landing on "no."

Kotonoha slowly raised her head, her gaze settling on Haruto.

Seeing that he didn't react or even look at her, she let out a quiet breath of relief. But when she turned to Setsuna, their eyes met—

Setsuna studied Kotonoha's expression, uncertain about the significance of her question.

But she had a vague feeling it involved Haruto.

With Sekai still there, Setsuna kept her thoughts to herself.

After Kotonoha's odd question, Sekai turned to Haruto.

"Now, Miyamizu-kun, your turn."

"Fox spirit, fox spirit, who will I marry?"

Without much thought, Haruto immediately tried to push the coin toward the "背" (Se) section—Setsuna's character.

But just as he began, he realized the coin wouldn't budge.

"...."

Kotonoha was pressing down.

Setsuna, however, was pushing toward "背."

Sekai…

She resisted.

Out of all the questions, this was the one she refused to let go of.

Her playful demeanor faded.

She bit her lip, struggling to move the coin toward "さ" (sa1) instead.

Setsuna glanced at Sekai, then at Haruto.

After a moment of hesitation, Haruto applied more pressure—

The coin shot off the paper, landing on the floor with a sharp sound.

Sekai's face went pale.

She clenched her lips, staring at the fallen coin.

"…Sekai."

Haruto's gaze shifted from the scratched-up paper to the coin, then finally to Sekai beside him.

Without a word, Sekai stood up, picked up the coin, and without looking at anyone—Setsuna, Kotonoha, or Haruto—she silently walked toward the door.

The creak of the door opening.

Then, a quiet click as it closed behind her.

And just like that, only three remained in the room.

Kotonoha, having an idea of why Sekai left, hesitated. She glanced at the fading light outside the window, then slowly stood up.

"Um… it's getting late. I should go too."

"…Yeah."

The air was thick with an awkward tension.

Haruto gave Kotonoha a small smile. She returned it with a polite nod, bid them farewell, and turned toward the door.

As he watched her leave, Haruto's gaze eventually landed on Setsuna.

"Saionji… she…"

"I've known for a long time, so it's not a surprise. I just didn't expect her to react so strongly," Setsuna said calmly. "I'm not mad."

Her voice was composed as always. But after a brief pause, she lowered her gaze before lifting it again, meeting Haruto's eyes.

"Earlier, when Kotonoha said she saw something… was it about you?"

"…Huh?"

The sudden question caught him off guard. He shook his head.

"I don't know. I really have no idea."

Setsuna pulled out her wallet, retrieved a coin, and placed it on the worn-out paper. Though the sheet was covered in scratches from the earlier struggle, the letters and numbers were still clearly visible.

"Let's continue."

"The fox spirit game?"

"Yeah."

She placed her finger lightly on the coin, then looked at Haruto expectantly.

He hesitated for a moment before sighing and pressing his fingertip to the other side of the coin.

"Fox spirit, fox spirit, was what Kotonoha saw really related to Haruto?"

The coin began to move.

Haruto didn't apply any force, yet it slowly slid toward "Yes."

"Fox spirit, fox spirit, does Haruto really not know anything about it?"

This time, Haruto pressed slightly, guiding the coin toward "Yes."

As the coin reached its destination, Setsuna glanced at him.

"…Fox spirit, fox spirit, does Haruto really like me?"

The coin wavered.

Setsuna tried to push it toward "No."

But Haruto —Haruto pressed back, steering it toward "Yes."

Even with Setsuna resisting, the final result was inevitable.

"…Then, one last question."

Setsuna's gaze lingered on him, as if assessing his answer.

"Fox spirit, fox spirit… what is the relationship between Haruto and my mother, Kiyoura Mai?"

Haruto's fingers twitched.

He sat in silence, staring at Setsuna with an expression that was both confused and wary.

The coin didn't move.

Setsuna didn't push it.

She simply watched him.

Then, she withdrew her hand from the board, shifting her gaze toward the refrigerator.

"It's getting late. My mom should be coming home soon. Let's prepare dinner."

"…Yeah."

Haruto stood up, following her to the fridge. He wasn't sure what she was thinking.

Had she noticed something? Or was she choosing not to ask?

His mind was a mess, but in the end, he remained silent.

They worked together to prepare dinner, saying nothing to each other.

In the quiet of the kitchen, the tension lingered.

By the time they had finished cooking, another thirty minutes had passed.

And then, right on cue—Mai stepped into the apartment.

She immediately noticed it.

The strange, almost suffocating atmosphere that was unlike any other day.