I Won't Be a Loser

After pouring tea and handing it to the three girls, Haruto didn't sit with them. Instead, he walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazed at the clear sky outside, and quietly pulled back the sheer curtains. He opened the window just a crack to let some fresh air in.

Glancing back at the three girls in the room, Haruto was contemplating whether he should step aside and give them some space. Just then, Setsuna lightly patted the seat beside her, signaling for him to sit down next to her.

Haruto looked at Setsuna, then at Kotonoha and Sekai, who didn't seem to mind. So, he walked over and sat beside his girlfriend.

Kotonoha, who had been keeping her head slightly down, shifted her gaze subtly toward Sekai, sitting next to her. She noticed that Sekai remained unfazed by Setsuna's affectionate gesture toward Haruto. This confused Kotonoha slightly. In the next moment, her gaze landed on Haruto.

She still couldn't understand why this one boy had managed to capture the hearts of her two new high school friends.

As her eyes settled on Haruto, she was startled to find him looking back at her, as if he had noticed her staring. Their eyes met, and her face immediately flushed red. Getting caught peeking at him filled her with embarrassment.

Haruto, surprised that Kotonoha had been observing him, turned his gaze toward her. But when he saw her quickly look away, her face turning red, he simply withdrew his eyes, choosing not to dwell on it.

Across from him, Sekai appeared to be focused on her teacup. But in reality, she was using her peripheral vision to take in the entire room's atmosphere.

She had also noticed the little exchange between Haruto and Kotonoha. Glancing at Setsuna, she saw that the girl was calmly sipping her tea, seemingly unaffected. However, as she sensed the atmosphere subtly shifting, she decided to break the silence.

"I feel like we kind of dropped by unexpectedly today. I hope we're not disturbing you, Miyamizu-kun. Sorry about that."

Haruto had been wondering if his presence was preventing the girls from talking freely. He was considering making an excuse to leave the room for a while when Sekai's words pulled him out of his thoughts. Seeing her apologetic expression, he shook his head.

"Of course not. If anything, you can probably tell there's not much entertainment here. I was actually wondering what to do to pass the time. You all coming over made the place feel livelier."

"Wondering what to do, huh?"

Sekai's gaze drifted toward Setsuna for a moment before lowering to her own chest.

Yet, even with Haruto expressing his boredom, he hadn't made any sort of move on her. She fell silent for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of defeat and sinking into a quiet self-pity.

The abrupt silence, especially after what seemed like a teasing remark from Sekai, left Haruto confused. He observed her for a moment before turning toward Setsuna, hoping she could provide some insight.

But Setsuna merely sipped her tea, looking completely unbothered.

Knowing Sekai's personality, Haruto figured she wouldn't stay down for long, so he decided to let it go. Instead, he turned to Kotonoha.

"Katsura-san, you have a younger sister, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. She's ten years old. Her name is Kokoro. Is there… something wrong?"

Kotonoha wasn't sure why Setsuna's boyfriend had suddenly brought up her sister. She answered truthfully, but her gaze held a hint of confusion.

"Is she home alone?"

"No, my mom doesn't have too much work these days, so she's taking care of her. I think today they went to the aquarium together."

A brief silence followed. The other three in the room fell quiet after Kotonoha finished speaking.

Sekai, snapping out of her thoughts, glanced at Kotonoha before shifting her focus to Haruto. She chuckled lightly and redirected the conversation back to him.

"Miyamizu-kun, you suddenly asked about Kotonoha's sister. Are you interested in her?"

At her words, Setsuna turned to look at Sekai. She knew Sekai was joking, but still, something about it made her slightly uncomfortable. Her gaze then shifted to Haruto, waiting for his response.

"Hmm? Maybe a little. She's four years older than Yotsuha. I was just curious if, when Yotsuha moves to Tokyo, she'd get along with Katsura-san's sister."

"…Oh."

Sekai was momentarily at a loss for words. She hadn't expected Haruto to be thinking about his younger sister.

"Friends, huh…"

Kotonoha was also surprised. She hadn't thought Haruto would be considering something like that. But after reflecting on it, she thought about how different her sister's personality was—much more open and cheerful.

"They'd probably get along well."

"That'd be great."

As the topic opened up, Sekai started saying she wished she had a little sister. Then she turned to Setsuna and said she thought of her as one.

But Setsuna didn't seem to appreciate the idea. She gave Sekai a calm but firm look before saying plainly:

"I wouldn't want a sister like you."

"Uwaah—"

Sekai clutched her chest dramatically, pretending to be wounded. Haruto's eyes were inevitably drawn to her hands—struggling to contain a generous figure.

But just as he noticed, he felt Setsuna's gaze shift toward him. He quickly withdrew his eyes and lowered his head, focusing on his tea. The reflection of his face rippled in the liquid.

Even though he wanted to control himself, sometimes instincts took over. It had only been a few seconds, but that was enough. Unless he had mentally prepared himself in advance, he couldn't fully suppress those natural reactions.

Haruto kept his eyes on his tea, avoiding looking at Sekai again. Only when he sensed Setsuna turning away did he feel relieved. But her quiet glance at Sekai and Kotonoha carried a hint of something else—something like disappointment.

'So he does prefer… bigger ones?'

Even though Haruto had told her before that he didn't care about such things, his subconscious reactions suggested otherwise.

She looked at Sekai and Kotonoha, both more developed than her, and felt a faint sense of gloom.

"By the way, do you guys have a lot of homework?"

Suddenly, Haruto broke the silence, shifting the topic to schoolwork. Normally, no one wanted to talk about homework after school. But Haruto wasn't exactly normal.

Sekai gave him a weird look. She hadn't expected this turn in conversation, but since it was Haruto asking, she answered sincerely.

"It's manageable. There's some, but I usually finish it before bed. Maybe because it's still early in the school year, it's not too bad yet."

Haruto nodded, contemplating. He was hoping to find someone to tutor him, given that he was aiming for Waseda University.

After about an hour of casual conversation, Kotonoha suddenly stood up.

"I think it's about time for me to head home."

Sekai looked up, assuming Kotonoha had something urgent. Seeing that Setsuna was also standing up, she followed suit.

"Yeah, it's getting late. I'll head home too. I wouldn't want to interrupt your alone time."

With a teasing smile, Sekai said her goodbyes and left with Kotonoha.

Now alone in the apartment, Setsuna turned to Haruto.

"You were looking at Sekai."

"…Huh?"

"Her chest."

"Oh… yeah, I guess that happened."

With no one else around, Setsuna's clear eyes held a hint of sadness.

"So… you do prefer bigger ones?"

Haruto sighed, rubbing his temple. Thinking for a moment, he gave an honest answer.

"I do like them. But it's not just about size—I like yours too, Setsuna. Just now, when I looked at Sekai, it was just a momentary reaction, driven by instinct. Like when you see a cute cat or dog—you can't help but look. It doesn't mean I have any feelings for her."

"…Sorry, Haruto. Mine… isn't big."

Setsuna lowered her head, her voice laced with disappointment. Seeing her like this gave Haruto a headache.

Without hesitation, he stood up, moved closer to Setsuna, and suddenly pressed her down onto the floor.

Setsuna blinked in surprise, staring up at him in shock. Haruto met her gaze, his expression serious.

"But my girlfriend is you, Setsuna."

"H-Haruto …"

For Setsuna's sake, Haruto didn't take things any further. He simply held her there until she stopped overthinking. Then, he released her.

However, as soon as he let go, Setsuna clung tightly to him, wrapping her arms around his body. Her sudden embrace made it difficult for him to move.

After soothing her, Haruto brought up dinner, hoping to shift the mood.

"I'm going to make dinner. You can rest in the living room for a bit."

"I can help."

"No need. I'm just making something simple tonight."

Leaving Setsuna in the living room, Haruto walked over to the fridge and checked the available ingredients before starting on dinner.

Meanwhile, Setsuna sat quietly, watching him work with eyes full of affection.

When you love someone, just looking at them fills your heart with warmth.

Haruto noticed her gaze but didn't say anything, simply focusing on cooking.

As before, he didn't just prepare food for himself and Setsuna—he also made an extra portion for Mai, just in case she returned in time to join them for dinner.

Gazing out the window at the golden hues of the evening sunset, Haruto thought, Mai -san should be home soon, right?

"She should be getting off work around this time," he mused aloud.

Having finished preparing dinner and leaving it to simmer gently on low heat, Haruto dried his hands and walked into the living room. He glanced at Setsuna and asked about Mai's usual schedule.

"She normally gets off at five," Setsuna replied after checking the clock in the living room. "So she should be finishing up right about now."

Haruto sat down beside her and gently pulled her into his arms. Holding her slender, delicate body, he let his hands rest around her waist, feeling the soft warmth beneath his fingertips. The sensation was soothing, filling his heart with quiet contentment.

"Then let's wait for her and have dinner together."

"Mm."

Haruto closed his eyes, his mind shifting to another concern—after dinner, how should he bring up the topic with Mai? How could he convince her to become his guarantor…?