I Won't Be a Loser

"You're being this nice to me?"

Rather than happily accepting the gift, Mitsuha's face tensed with suspicion. She stared at her older brother, warily—as if doubting his motives. Her instincts were screaming: something about this sudden kindness felt... off.

Haruto raised his right hand and flicked her forehead with his finger. A red mark appeared on her pale skin as she winced and backed up, clutching the phone box in one arm while rubbing her forehead with the other. Her eyes stayed alert.

"There are a few more things. Take them to your room too," Haruto said casually. "Some are for you, some are for Yotsuha. You'll understand once you look. These socks are for Yotsuha—the rest are yours."

"Socks?"

Something about that word made Mitsuha pause. Haruto pulled a crumpled black paper bag from his suitcase and handed it to her. Holding the phone box tightly under one arm, she cautiously reached out and peeked into the bag. Inside were several unopened pairs of socks.

Getting a gift should've made her happy—but receiving socks from her brother just felt... weird. Who gives socks as a gift to their little sister?

"Why socks?"

"Well, you wear them every day, right? They're practical. Just thought I'd get you some backups."

"No, but seriously—who gives socks as a present?"

Mitsuha's common sense kicked in hard. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Haruto looked like he hadn't given it a second thought, but that only made it more suspicious.

"Then next time... I'll buy you some underwear?" Haruto teased.

"Pervert!!"

Mitsuha glared at him like she was staring down some slimy, revolting insect. Her whole body shuddered in disgust before she stormed out of the room—but not without taking the paper bag of socks. Haruto wasn't sure whether that counted as a rejection or if it was just classic tsundere behavior.

With a tired sigh, he crouched down and began cleaning up the scattered clothes, folding them neatly and placing them back into his suitcase.

"Now that I think about it, Mitsuha never really wears socks at home in the summer—she's always running around barefoot. And in winter, she wears thick pants. She's usually at school during the day anyway... so when would I even see her wear these?"

Haruto felt a bit disappointed, though he didn't dwell on it. Once everything was packed, he headed back to the living room. Yotsuha had already finished washing the vegetables and was peeling potatoes. Haruto joined her, helping out without a word.

"Where's Mitsuha?" she asked.

"She went back to her room. Probably checking out the gift you gave her," Haruto said with a smile. "You should go too—some of that stuff is meant for you."

"What is it?"

"Some books you picked out... and some snacks from Tokyo, and—"

Before he could finish, Yotsuha dropped the potato and bolted toward her room. Haruto blinked in surprise, watching her back as she dashed away.

"She's still just a kid after all..."

Shaking his head with a faint smile, he went back to peeling.

As the sky darkened, Futaba and Haruto finished preparing dinner. Grandma Hitoha put away her weaving materials and came out from her room, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar sight: two unknown girls, freshly bathed, chatting on the sofa with Mitsuha and Yotsuha.

The moment Hitoha laid eyes on the girls, she adjusted her glasses slightly, her gaze drifting over to Haruto—who was setting the table beside his mother.

She stared at her grandson for a long moment, then silently walked into the living room and sat down.

The sudden presence of a respected elder quieted the conversation in the room. Mitsuha and Yotsuha stopped bickering, and Setsuna and Sekai shifted uncomfortably, clearly unsure how to act. Sekai, especially, could feel the older woman's eyes occasionally flicking toward her, and it made her skin prickle.

"Not going to the living room to sit with them?" Futaba asked.

"They'll have to get used to it sooner or later. Might as well start now."

"Have you really thought this marriage thing through?"

Her eyes were on Haruto. Back in Tokyo, he had already mentioned wanting to marry Setsuna after graduating high school. Futaba hadn't objected—the girl seemed quiet but decent. But still...

There were things only she knew. Things her son was entirely unaware of. And the weight of those secrets made her heart feel heavy.

To tell him would be unfair to Setsuna. But to keep silent would be unfair to the other mother and daughter.

"It might sound sudden, but by graduation, I think we'll be ready. Marrying early isn't a bad thing. At least it'll stop the family from worrying. And with Setsuna, I feel more... free."

Free, huh?

Futaba glanced at her son, then over at the girls in the living room. A pensive look settled on her face.

Once dinner was ready, Mitsuha and Yotsuha helped bring the dishes to the large table—rarely used except on occasions like this. Normally, when Haruto was away, the family just used a small low table.

But now, with guests and family reunited, the big table finally had a purpose.

Dinner was... quiet. Uncomfortably so. No one seemed willing to start a conversation.

Mitsuha kept glancing at Haruto from across the table. Beneath it, she kept kicking his leg, trying to annoy him until Futaba caught her in the act with a sharp stare, at which point she finally stopped.

After dinner, cleaning up was left to Mitsuha, while Haruto walked Setsuna and Sekai back to their room.

"Sorry, that room doesn't have air conditioning yet. You can wait in my room for now."

"Are you sure? Won't we be bothering you?" Setsuna asked.

"I haven't been home in a long time. I'm not even sure if my room's the same anymore."

He wasn't sure whether Mitsuha had used it occasionally—after all, when they were little, they'd shared the room for a while. Later, Mitsuha had moved in with Yotsuha.

"My room has a fan too, so I'll grab that while we're there."

The room was sweltering, and at Haruto's suggestion, both girls exchanged a glance before agreeing.

"Alright, we'll bother you for just a little while, then," Setsuna smiled.

Despite Mitsuha's earlier rampage, Haruto had already cleaned up. His room was tidy—minimal furniture, just a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a few wooden storage boxes.

"Ahh... it's so cool in here. Totally different from the other rooms," Sekai said with a relaxed sigh.

A breeze from the newly-installed air conditioner greeted them. Haruto had gotten it before summer break using his manuscript royalties, remembering how hot it got back home.

Setsuna and Sekai began wandering the room, now full of energy again.

Originally, he'd planned for Setsuna to sleep in his room—hence the AC—but Sekai had unexpectedly joined the trip, and having three people share one room was just asking for family drama.

Especially since no one at home knew about Sekai's connection to him.

"You two can sleep here tonight," Haruto said. "Bring your things over. I'll take the guest room."

The girls were dressed in cool loungewear after their baths—short-sleeved T-shirts and shorts, showing lots of pale skin. Haruto couldn't help glancing twice.

Setsuna blinked at him. "We can't sleep together?"

"I mean... I want to, but it'd be complicated. The fan I bought will arrive in a few days, so until then, just use my room."

Complicated was an understatement. Sleeping with both girls in his room would invite far too many assumptions—many of which weren't exactly wrong.

Sekai sighed, her voice soft. "It's fine if Setsuna stays here. Everyone knows she's your girlfriend. It's only natural. And this is your room—you should be the one sleeping here. I'll manage with the fan, it's not that hot..."

Haruto raised an eyebrow. She was soaked with sweat earlier, but now she was pretending otherwise?

"I can stay with Mitsuha," Haruto added. "It's only a few days."

"No," Setsuna said firmly.

Haruto was stunned by her sudden insistence. She grabbed his arm, hugging it tightly.

"Eh?"

"It's fine. You and Sekai stay here. I'll explain everything if needed."

Even Sekai was surprised by Setsuna's assertiveness. She turned toward Haruto, waiting for his reaction.

"Alright... for now, let's do that. We'll figure things out as we go."

Haruto couldn't help wondering if Setsuna was still thinking about what she saw on his computer. Maybe she still didn't fully trust him.

After all, not many normal people would look at that kind of material. Especially people with sisters. Anyone would be suspicious... probably.

"That box—are those all your things?" Sekai asked, pointing toward the wooden boxes stacked neatly beside the wardrobe. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Yeah. Stuff from when I was a kid. Old keepsakes and clothes, I think."

"Your childhood clothes?"

"They've been in there forever. Who knows what's inside anymore? Better not open them—probably full of dust."

The Miyamizu family had served as local shrine keepers for generations. It wasn't strange that they kept heirlooms stored away in old wooden chests.

"I wanted to see your baby clothes though..." Sekai muttered playfully.

Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of her mom and grandma, Mitsuha had finished cleaning the table until it sparkled. Just as she left the kitchen and headed back to her room, she heard female voices coming from Haruto's room.

With two other girls currently staying in the house, her curiosity flared to maximum. She crept silently to her brother's door, pressing her eye to the gap in the sliding door.

Let's see what you're up to, big bro...

Inside, she saw Haruto standing with his hand on his waist, chatting and explaining things to the girls. Mitsuha frowned. She'd hoped to catch something more interesting. This was boring.

"Hey, Haruto—what's that pink thing over there?" Setsuna's voice suddenly rang out.

Just as Mitsuha began to turn away, she froze.

Pink...?

What pink? she thought, eyes darting back toward the room.

There's something pink in my brother's room...? I've slept in there before. I don't remember—

"Huh?! HUUUH?!!"

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