I Won't Be a Loser

Haruto didn't want to talk about it, and neither Setsuna nor Mai pressed him for answers. They simply kept their thoughts to themselves, their gazes lingering on Haruto for a moment before quietly returning to their dinner.

After the meal, Setsuna and Mai went home together, leaving Haruto alone in his room, lost in thought.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of things. He had no idea why Sayuri had appeared nearby or why Mai had taken notice of her. But if she was around, it meant she had likely noticed him too.

"Is it the same as Eriri's situation?"

Sitting silently in his room, Haruto couldn't figure out what was going on. If Sayuri's circumstances were really the same as Eriri's, then things were about to get complicated.

A strange mix of emotions welled up in his heart. A part of him wanted Sayuri to remember and seek him out, but another part resisted the idea of disrupting the peace he had chosen.

Lowering his head, he absentmindedly glanced at his desk and pulled open a drawer.

"..."

Inside lay a thick stack of manuscript paper. He stared at it for a moment before shutting the drawer again. He wasn't in the mood to write anything.

His eyes flicked toward the clock on his desk. It was still early. Even if he went to bed now, he doubted he'd be able to sleep.

"Maybe I'll take a walk."

Grabbing his wallet and turning off the lights, Haruto stepped out into the night.

Without a particular destination in mind, he walked aimlessly until he found himself in front of a convenience store. As the familiar chime of the store's entrance bell rang, he stepped inside, casting a glance toward the counter.

The cashier was the same one he had encountered twice before. She noticed him as well, her eyes widening slightly in surprise before her cheeks flushed red. Quickly, she lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

"..."

Haruto found her reaction a bit odd but didn't dwell on it. He wandered through the aisles, casually browsing.

Stopping by the magazine section, his gaze lingered momentarily on a few swimsuit photobooks. He picked one up, flipping through the pages. The models posed seductively, but aside from that, there wasn't much novelty.

Since he had little interest in swimsuits, he never really understood why so many people were drawn to these kinds of photobooks. The models had nice figures, sure, but nothing particularly extraordinary.

Honestly, instead of spending money on this, he felt he'd rather find a quiet café and enjoy watching high school girls pass by on the street—it would probably be more relaxing.

After flipping through a few pages, he put the book back and picked up a weekly manga magazine instead. He recalled Nozaki Umetarou's pen name—"Yumeno Sakiko"—but he had no idea which magazine he was serialized in.

"Hmm… I forgot to ask him last time."

He only knew Nozaki wrote shoujo manga but had no clue which publication featured his work.

Still, the manga in his hands looked interesting, so he decided to buy it. As he made up his mind, a familiar voice called out to him from behind.

"Ah! Miyamizu-kun, you're here too?"

Turning around, he saw Saionji Sekai. She was dressed in a simple gray pajama set, apparently out to pick up something from the store as well.

Haruto hadn't expected to run into someone he knew. He gave her a small nod.

"Good evening."

"Is Setsuna already asleep?"

"She should be home resting by now. This is usually around her bedtime."

Sekai slowly approached him. In truth, she had been lying in bed unable to sleep. After some hesitation, she had picked up her telescope and glanced toward Haruto's apartment—only to see him heading out.

Without thinking, she had quickly thrown on some clothes and followed his path, eventually finding him here, flipping through photobooks in the store.

At first, she wasn't sure how to approach him—especially after seeing how intently he was looking at those pictures. It felt awkward to interrupt.

So, she had waited for a bit. When she saw him pick up a manga instead, she finally worked up the courage to speak.

"Miyamizu-kun, are you here to buy manga?"

"Not really. I just didn't feel like staying home, so I came out for a walk. I happened to find something interesting, so I figured I'd grab a copy. What about you?"

"Me? I couldn't sleep, so I came to buy some milk. I didn't expect to run into you."

From behind the counter, the store clerk observed their conversation.

She had noticed Sekai's behavior from the moment she entered—how she hesitated before approaching, how she had clearly been paying attention to the boy.

The cashier's eyes drifted toward Haruto, who was now at the counter purchasing his magazine. She glanced at what he was buying—particularly the largest-size product he had picked up earlier.

So… he had a girlfriend, or at least someone close to him? But that girl and him didn't seem to have a particularly intimate relationship. And Haruto himself… well, he didn't seem to be using those products for himself either.

The cashier silently lowered her head, deciding it was best not to get involved in pointless gossip.

"Well then, buy your milk and head home soon," Haruto said after confirming Sekai's reason for being there. "It's dangerous for a girl to be out alone at night."

Having said that, he smiled faintly, picked up his manga, and headed for the register.

Watching his calm demeanor and the way he kept his distance, Sekai bit her lip lightly. Slowly, she turned toward the dairy section.

The cashier scanned his purchase.

"420 yen."

Haruto pulled out his wallet, placed the money on the counter, and took his manga, absentmindedly pocketing the receipt. As he turned to leave, he caught sight of Sekai emerging from the area where milk was.

"Alright, I'll be off. Get home safely, and don't forget to rest."

"…Yeah."

She forced a smile, though her heart felt unsettled.

She watched as Haruto's figure faded into the night, swallowed by the darkness.

The cashier hesitated for a moment, glancing at the girl in front of her. She wanted to say something—to remind her that the boy she was interested in might already have a girlfriend. But after thinking it over, she realized there was no real reason to bring it up. Besides…

She scanned the milk, took the girl's payment, and watched as she left the convenience store alone. In the quiet store, the cashier let out a soft sigh.

Back home, Haruto didn't spend much time on the manga. He flipped through it absentmindedly, finished reading in about an hour, then set it aside on his desk. After a quick wash, he went to bed.

"Haruto, this is our daughter."

Little Sayuri held the baby in her arms, her expression full of tenderness. Haruto looked down at the infant, noticing how her delicate features bore a slight resemblance to his own. A gentle smile spread across his face as he reached out, brushing his index finger lightly against the baby's tiny hand.

"Our daughter…"

As he watched Sayuri, radiating a mother's warmth and love, Haruto felt deeply moved.

"You've been through so much, Sayuri."

"No… just knowing that she's our child makes all the hardships worth it. Right now, all I feel is happiness. We'll always be together, Haruto."

"Yes… we'll always…"

Just as he was about to promise her a future together, everything around him turned black. The warm scene disappeared into an abyss of darkness.

A stark white sheet filled his vision. Beside it, a swollen, bloodless hand lay motionless.

Haruto opened his mouth, but no words came out. His body trembled as he forced himself forward, his steps slow and unsteady. Kneeling beside the lifeless form covered by the sheet, his gaze fell upon the familiar ring on that pale, unmoving hand.

"…Ah… Ah… Ahh…"

Once again… had he lost everything once again?

"…Ah… Hah… Hahaha… Ah…"

A deep, suffocating despair crashed over him. It felt as if even his heartbeat had ceased. A hollow emptiness spread through him, numbing his mind.

Everything around him blurred into a lifeless gray. The sound of birds chirping faintly reached his ears as his damp eyelids slowly fluttered open.

"…A dream?"

He lifted a hand to wipe his eyes. The tears hadn't yet dried. Tilting his head slightly, he felt a dampness on his cheek. Sitting up, he reached for his pillow—completely soaked with tears.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady himself. Lifting the blanket, he got out of bed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Grabbing the pillow roughly, he yanked off the pillowcase and headed to the washing machine, throwing it in without care. Then, he stepped into the bathroom.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he took in his reddened eyes and pale complexion. He turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on his face. After taking a moment to regulate his breathing, he looked a little better.

"…Just hearing about Sayuri once was enough to shake me this badly?"

His head ached. Pressing his fingers to his temples, he sighed before stepping out of the bathroom. He quietly prepared breakfast, but when he sat down to eat, he found that every bite was difficult to swallow.

Forcing himself to finish, he left the dishes behind and packed his bag. Without much thought, he left the apartment early.

Looking toward the Kiyoura household, he wondered if Setsuna had woken up yet.

Not wanting to meet her right now, he kept his pace slow, walking toward school with a heavy expression. He arrived in the classroom and slumped into his seat.

"You don't look so good today. Did you have a nightmare?"

During a break, Ichika approached his desk, noticing his distracted demeanor.

"…Yeah, a really bad one. You locked me in a basement and tied me to a bed. Then I woke up."

"Eh? A dream like that? Hmm… but why would you have that kind of dream? Are you secretly hoping for that kind of development?"

"If that were the case, I'd be smiling right now instead of looking like this."

"So, would you prefer it if Sawamura tied you up instead?"

"…Hah?"

Haruto glanced at Ichika, who was smiling playfully. But her eyes held a sharp glint, as if analyzing his reaction.

He sighed, clenching his fist and pressing it against his forehead, taking a deep breath.

"My reaction… would probably be even worse."

"Oh~"

Ichika's eyes gleamed with amusement, her expression unreadable.

At lunchtime, Haruto left the classroom alone. Sitting quietly in the courtyard, he soon noticed a familiar figure in a white lab coat—just like before, she was there again.

"Futaba, we meet again. Eating alone today?"

"Aren't you alone too?"

Futaba Rio pursed her lips slightly, a bit shy, but she still gathered her courage and sat down beside him.

Stealing a glance at him, she quickly noticed his pale complexion. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"…You don't look well."

"I had a pretty bad dream."

"Must've been serious if it's affecting you this much."

She studied his face. Normally, nightmares faded from memory upon waking. But whatever he had seen in his dream clearly wasn't ordinary.

"Yeah… it was something really awful. But it's already in the past. I have to keep moving forward, right?"

"…Yeah."

She watched him carefully. His forced smile didn't seem like the expression of someone who had truly moved on. But since they hadn't known each other for long, she wasn't sure how to comfort him.

So, she simply stayed by his side in silence.

Looking up, Haruto gazed at the sunlight filtering through the leaves, warming his face. He closed his eyes.

After school, Haruto approached Eriri's desk, knocking lightly on it.

"Are you free after school?"

"…No."

"It's about Sayuri."

"…Didn't you already say you didn't want to be involved anymore?"

Yesterday's conversation still weighed on Eriri's mind. Now, seeing Haruto standing before her, bringing up Sayuri again, she didn't want to give in so easily.

"Then I'll go find Sayuri myself."

"…Let's go."

Grabbing her bag with a scowl, Eriri didn't hesitate anymore. Just hearing Haruto say he'd go to her mother directly was enough to make her drop her resistance. Without another word, she stormed out of the classroom.

Under the curious gazes of their classmates, Haruto silently followed her out.