I Won't Be a Loser

Some things simply cannot be avoided.

Though he looked young on the outside, Haruto's mind was already that of an adult—perhaps even approaching middle age. The reason he had kept his distance from Eriri all this time was to prevent a tragedy from unfolding.

But now, things seemed to be heading in an unexpected direction, gradually straying from his original plan. He had thought that by not engaging with Eriri, everything would proceed normally.

Holding his pen, he occasionally jotted down notes in his pristine notebook, though his mind was elsewhere—drawn to the blonde-haired girl sitting in front of him. His gaze would drift toward her from time to time, only to be quickly withdrawn. Yet, in an unintentional moment, when he looked up again, their eyes met—

Pure, sky-blue eyes.

Under her clear gaze, Haruto felt his inner restlessness inexplicably washed away. Eriri's face immediately turned a deep shade of red, her expression momentarily stunned before she quickly turned her head, breaking eye contact.

Seeing her flustered reaction, Haruto was briefly caught off guard. Memories of their past moments together resurfaced in his mind, and a faint smile played on his lips. The idea of reconnecting with her no longer seemed so difficult to accept.

The short break between classes didn't provide much opportunity to talk to Eriri—not to mention, there were two others watching him closely. In the morning, there hadn't been a chance to speak, but as soon as the next break arrived, his desk was quickly surrounded.

An interrogation had begun.

Well… not exactly an interrogation—more like Yoshii Akihisa firing off questions while Sakamoto Yuuji remained largely indifferent.

"What exactly is going on?"

"Hmm?"

"You and… um, one of the Nakano sisters… Wait, who was it again?"

Akihisa had been about to ask about Ichika, but as soon as he tried to say her name, he realized he couldn't quite remember. The five sisters were simply too similar, and since he usually just referred to them as "Nakano-san," he was now completely lost.

"Ichika."

"Eh? That's her name? I always thought she was Nino."

"You're going to get punched for that."

"Huh?"

Akihisa looked at Haruto in confusion, only to follow his gaze toward a certain someone nearby. Having just overheard her name, Nino Nakano was now glaring at him, eyebrows furrowed in clear displeasure.

"..."

"Ahem."

Akihisa quickly cleared his throat, trying to pretend he hadn't noticed the impending doom.

Akihisa cleared his throat lightly, then casually looked down at Haruto, who was still seated at his desk.

"So, what's the deal between you and Ichika? The school year just started, and it's only been…"

"Not even a week, and you're already together? Impressive, Haruto."

As Akihisa started counting on his fingers, Yuuji simply pressed down on his head, pushing him aside to make room for himself next to Haruto. With a teasing grin, he joined in on the conversation.

"No, we're not together. We're just good friends. You guys are misunderstanding our relationship."

"But the entire class thinks you two are involved in something more."

Faced with Yuuji's slowly raised pinky finger, Haruto sighed in exasperation and covered it with his own hand.

"That's just your own wild imagination. My relationship with Ichika is completely clean—cleaner than the waters of the Ganges."

"Oh-ho."

Yuuji chuckled but didn't say anything more. He glanced over at Akihisa, who was still sulking after being scolded, and casually raised his fist as a signal. Akihisa immediately shut his mouth.

"Well, do your best. And if you ever get a girlfriend, make sure to introduce us to some nice girls too."

Dragging Akihisa back to their seats, Yuuji left Haruto watching their banter with a small smile. His gaze briefly drifted toward Ichika Nakano. He chuckled softly before shaking his head.

Haruto had a good impression of Ichika, but since he had already confirmed his relationship with Setsuna, he wasn't about to get involved with anyone else.

Lunchtime

As usual, the classroom emptied out for lunch. Having not prepared a bento again today, Haruto made his way to the cafeteria. As he walked, a presence appeared beside him.

"Still eating alone today?"

"Not joining your sisters?"

"You could always eat with us. Nino seems to have taken a liking to you—maybe you should consider making a move on her?"

Ichika, completely unconcerned about her role as an older sister, was actually encouraging Haruto to pursue one of her younger siblings. It was quite an eye-opening moment for him—he hadn't expected to meet an older sister like this.

"Sounds tempting, but I'll pass. I just started high school—I don't want to be labeled a 'player' so soon."

"Oh-ho, so maybe you won't mind in the future?"

"I never said that."

They walked into the cafeteria together, picked up their trays, and sat down just like the previous day. But unlike yesterday, this time, they weren't alone.

"Mind if we join?"

"Hope you don't mind us sitting here."

"..."

"I'll take this seat."

Before Haruto and Ichika could even settle in properly, four more figures followed closely behind, sitting at the same table without hesitation.

All eyes turned to Haruto.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, he glanced at the four girls who looked almost identical to Ichika. Only Miku avoided his gaze, while the other three smiled at him.

"..."

This was shaping up to be a rather awkward lunch. Under their constant stares, Haruto found himself unable to maintain the usual ease he had when it was just him and Ichika. He also had to be mindful of his image—flirting in front of so many other girls wasn't exactly an option.

After hurriedly eating a few bites to satisfy his hunger, he remembered he had something to take care of. Standing up first, he said a quick goodbye to Ichika before leaving the cafeteria.

"He's gone," Yotsuba remarked, watching Haruto's retreating figure with a small sigh of disappointment. She then turned her attention to Ichika.

"That was a bit much," Miku muttered, frowning slightly at Nino.

"If he's really going to be with Ichika, he'll have to get used to us sooner or later," Nino replied nonchalantly, her eyes shifting toward Ichika. She noticed that her sister seemed a little down.

"So, what's the deal with you two now?" she asked.

"We're just classmates," Ichika sighed. "I was hoping to get closer to him over lunch, but now it feels like I just pushed him further away."

She reached up and rubbed her temples in frustration. Lunch had seemed like the perfect chance to close the distance between them, but Nino and the others had sat down so abruptly that she hadn't even known how to talk to him properly.

Rather than bringing them closer, the meal had only added to the distance.

Nino pursed her lips. She felt a little guilty but wasn't about to admit it. Silently, she continued eating.

Meanwhile, Haruto had returned to the classroom. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on a blonde-haired girl sitting at her desk.

He walked straight over to Eriri.

"Got a moment?"