I Won't Be a Loser

Mai Kiyoura looked at her daughter, who was sitting across from her, staring down at the breakfast in front of her.

Half an hour had passed since they woke up. During that time, neither of them had said a word. Mai couldn't figure out how to break the awkward silence.

They sat quietly at the dining table, eating breakfast. Mai guessed her daughter's feelings at the moment and wondered how to ease the strange atmosphere between them.

"Isn't it almost time? If you don't hurry, you'll be late for work."

Just as Mai was brainstorming how to explain things to her daughter without causing misunderstandings, Setsuna's voice broke through her thoughts. Looking at the clock on the wall, it was almost time to leave.

Mai quickly stood up and began gathering her things to prepare for work.

"I'm going to work now. I'll leave the cleaning up to you."

She gave the task to her daughter and hurried toward the door. Just before she left, she looked back at Setsuna, who was still eating breakfast at a leisurely pace.

"Mom's looking forward to some good news from you and Haruto."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the door closed behind her, and Setsuna, left alone in the living room, stared at the table. Mai had already disappeared.

Setsuna sighed softly to herself.

It might be because of Seika's earlier actions, but she was now suspicious of everyone—even her own mother. Despite Mai's obvious support for her relationship, Setsuna couldn't shake off the doubts.

"It's all Seika's fault."

She whispered under her breath, took another sip of her miso soup, then set down the bowl and silently began cleaning up the table...

"Setsuna~ I'm here~"

Setsuna, who had been preparing to go find Haruto, was surprised to see her friend standing at the door. Looking at the blocked doorway, her eyes flickered.

"School's starting soon, Seika. Don't you need to prepare for anything?"

"School is school, but it's still vacation time! I'm going to enjoy it. By the way, Setsuna, how's it going with Miyamizu-kun?"

At Seika's question, Setsuna's face turned slightly red, and her expression became a bit awkward.

"What? No, it's nothing... just normal..."

"I saw it, though. You two kissed each other goodbye last night, didn't you?"

As Setsuna, blushing deeply, stood there, Seika stepped into the room, leaned in close, and whispered softly in her ear.

With her face flushed, Setsuna looked at her friend in silence.

"Why?"

"I was just bored, looking out the window. But then, out of curiosity, I glanced outside and saw you. You were standing at Haruto's door, and I didn't think much of it until I saw what was going on between you two. Looks like things have progressed a lot already."

"No, it's just... I confessed and he accepted."

Seeing her shy friend, World felt a complex mix of emotions. She reached out and hugged Setsuna tightly, nuzzling against her.

"Hey, hey, have you told him about me and you?"

"Yeah, Haruto knows."

"Well then, let's go visit him! Let's introduce him to me, your dear friend who's made such a big sacrifice for you!"

"..."

As the days passed, the start of school grew closer. Tomorrow would be the last day of vacation, and the day after, they would all go to the school for the opening ceremony. Sitting in his room, Haruto reflected on the time he had spent at school. His feelings were mixed.

"Eriri... huh?"

Thinking about it, nothing had really happened between them yet, and they didn't know each other at all. Once school started, he just had to avoid interacting with her, and everything would be fine.

Just keep a distance.

That's all he had to do.

Sitting at his desk, he opened the book he had started reading. He'd only gotten through a little less than half of it, but he planned to finish it before school started. After reading just three pages, he heard the doorbell.

"Setsuna...?"

Glancing at the book in his hand, he closed it with a bookmark and went to answer the door.

"Good morning, Setsuna... and Saionji san."

Standing at the door wasn't just Setsuna, as Haruto had expected, but also another girl—Sekai. She had come with Setsuna to visit him.

"Good morning, Haruto."

"Good morning."

Haruto greeted the two girls as they stepped inside his apartment.

It was World's first time entering Haruto's place, and she curiously looked around. This was the first time she had actually entered his room. The last time, when she had come to visit, he had been busy with something else, so she hadn't had the chance to see the inside.

Now, standing in the tidy room, she was surprised.

Having the common belief that a boy's room would be messy, Sekai hadn't expected much from Haruto's. But looking at the neatness of the room, she was pleasantly surprised.

Her eyes turned to Haruto, noticing how he carried himself with polite, composed manners. His room was so orderly and clean, and that seemed to fit his calm demeanor. Was this really that surprising? In fact, it seemed like it should be expected, right?

Walking in behind Sekai, Setsuna's eyes never left her friend. She had noticed Sekai's gaze was constantly on Haruto, and while she didn't show any outward reaction, inside, her guard was up. She was ready to defend herself, to keep an eye on her friend in case she made a move on Haruto behind her back...