I Won't Be a Loser

When they exited the store, Haruto's hands were full of shopping bags. Rio didn't know how to describe her feelings—she had kind of expected this, but still didn't think he would actually go this far.

"You really bought all three outfits I tried on… Turns out you're richer than I thought."

"I haven't really given you any proper gifts before. Besides, weren't those outfits meant for me to see anyway?"

"..."

Rio had something to say, but after hearing his reasoning… it did make a strange kind of sense. So she stayed silent for a moment—then wordlessly reached out her hand toward him.

"What?"

"The receipt."

"What do you need that for?"

Confused but compliant, he shifted the bags in his hands and, using his free hand, fished out the receipt from one of the bags and handed it to her.

Rio took the receipt without looking at it, stuffed it in her pocket, and strode off. Haruto, still not quite sure what the receipt was for, followed her out of the store and into the next.

"I'm just browsing, okay? Don't go buying stuff again. I'm only a little curious—not looking to shop more."

They had entered a cosmetics store. Rio glanced at a few products before putting them back and turning seriously to him to emphasize her warning.

"I don't really understand makeup anyway, so I won't go buying anything without asking. Besides…" Haruto looked at her and smiled.

"I think you're already really cute without makeup. Using makeup might ruin that refreshing vibe you've got."

"No girl hates makeup. And—didn't you notice? I am wearing makeup today."

She didn't seem particularly moved by his compliment and gave no hint of being pleased. Instead, she calmly refuted his statement, making him lean in closer, scrutinizing her face.

He was so suddenly close—eyes locked on hers—that it startled Rio. She noticed a few other shoppers glancing their way, and the attention made her feel a bit shy. She reached out and pressed a hand against his face, pushing him aside.

"Don't just suddenly get that close, idiot."

"I was just curious. I couldn't tell at all. Mascara? Eyeliner?"

Haruto's curiosity was relentless, and though Rio didn't bother answering, she turned and continued browsing quietly before heading out of the store.

"Let's go. There's nothing I want here."

"Okay, let's check out the next one."

The LUMINE complex had six floors dedicated to women's shopping. Above that were restaurants. Haruto, unfamiliar with the layout, let Rio take the lead, following her as they browsed all over the mall.

From the basement level all the way up to the restaurants, they wandered for nearly three hours. It might've taken even longer, if not for Haruto constantly asking things like:

"Interested in this?"

"Want to try that?"

The pressure was a little much, so Rio hastened the pace and brought their shopping to a close. Near the end of lunch hours, the two sat down at a restaurant on the top floor.

"Do you come here often?"

"Sometimes."

"Then you pick the food. Order something you like—just grab something for me too. I don't really know much about this place."

He handed the menu to Rio. It surprised her—she had assumed he'd be really into food. From what she knew, Haruto had a keen interest in cooking.

"You're not interested in the food here?"

"Hmm? This is a pretty standard Japanese restaurant, right? The flavors are kinda expected. Nothing too exciting. If it were a ramen shop though, I'd be more interested."

"You like noodles?"

"Ramen specifically. Though I don't mind pasta either."

Rio looked through the menu. She wasn't entirely sure of his preferences, but she did know he liked meat and vegetables, wasn't picky, and leaned toward stronger flavors.

After scanning for a bit, she made her selections and called over the waiter. Once the order was placed, her gaze settled on the boy across from her.

"So, what are your plans for summer break?"

"I'm heading back to Itomori for a while. Are you interested?"

"Won't your girlfriend mind?"

"She probably won't object."

Rio locked eyes with Haruto. He smiled calmly, meeting her gaze without flinching. His honesty threw her off.

He wasn't joking—he really believed his girlfriend wouldn't object.

But...

"Not objecting doesn't mean she approves, you know."

"Maybe."

"I don't get it."

"Honestly, I don't quite get her either. Our relationship is… complicated. It's not like a typical couple. It's more like a wife who knows her husband's cheating, but chooses to turn a blind eye."

That comparison—husband and wife—made Rio visibly uncomfortable. Her brows furrowed.

"Let's talk about this afternoon instead. We're not going to keep shopping, right? Got a plan?"

"Not really."

"Well, I do. If you're free, come with me."

"…"

She didn't object.

Going straight home after lunch wasn't part of her plan. Besides, what would she even do at home?

Haruto had accompanied her all morning. Now that it was his turn to lead, she figured it would only be fair to go along.

"Where to?"

"Somewhere near Kanda Myojin. I saw a video online—looked interesting."

"…"

Rio had heard of Kanda Myojin. It was a famous shrine in Tokyo, especially known for the Kanda Matsuri, one of the city's most prominent festivals.

And near Kanda Myojin…

Wasn't that Akihabara?

She glanced at Haruto, surprised. For all the time she'd known him, he never showed any signs of being an otaku.

"Kanda Myojin?"

"Yeah, somewhere in Soto-Kanda. I saw it online. Looked fun. I could go alone, but since you're here, I thought it'd be better if we went together."

"Akihabara?"

"Probably near there. Not sure if it's in Akihabara, though."

He wasn't familiar with the area and only had a vague memory of a video he saw. Whether they'd even find the place was still a mystery.

Rio eyed him skeptically. She couldn't figure out what kind of place he was talking about, but her curiosity grew.

After finishing lunch and taking a short break, the two hopped on the train from Shinjuku to Chiyoda's Akihabara.

Whatever this mystery spot Haruto mentioned was, Rio still had no clue. She just quietly followed him as they stepped into the streets of Akihabara.

"I've never been here before, but… it looks normal?"

She had heard plenty about Akihabara—Japan's "otaku holy land," a place often demonized among regular students.

The origins of the area were rooted in electronics, but now it was synonymous with dark, creepy, and pervy stereotypes—otaku, maid cafes, and the like.

Most normal students avoided it altogether.

"Huh?"

Haruto blinked at Rio's comment, unsure what she meant by "normal."

"No, it's nothing."

As they walked, the people around looked pretty… ordinary. Not the grotesque caricatures she'd expected. That eased her nerves a little.

Unlike fashionable Shinjuku, Akihabara's crowd looked more average. Ironically, it was Rio who stood out more—her stylish appearance next to Haruto drew attention.

"Do I… look weird here?"

"Not at all. Totally normal."

"Really?"

Rio didn't quite believe it. She glanced at him again.

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet. But—hey, look, a mahjong parlor. Brings back memories. I kind of want to try a game."

"Mahjong?"

"Kokushi Musou, Suu Ankou Tanki, Chuuren Poutou… I'm in the mood for big hands."

"...We're not here for that, are we?"

"Nah. That's for another day. Today's destination is an ear-cleaning salon."

"...Ear cleaning?"

Rio gave him a weird look. He hadn't told her the destination till now—and this was it?

She frowned.

Wasn't that something you could do yourself?

"You'll understand when we get there."

He smiled and led the way. After wandering for quite a while, they finally arrived at a small shop he had been searching for.

They took the elevator up. At the entrance, they were greeted by a young girl dressed in Meiji-era-style maid attire.

Haruto whispered something to her, and the maid led them into a dimly lit room.

The lighting was low and warm, giving Rio a strange vibe. She glanced at Haruto—but he was already sitting down.

"Here?"

"Yep, this is the place."

Just then, the door opened, and two more girls in elegant kimono-like maid uniforms entered. They knelt gracefully on the tatami and bowed to them, then moved to Haruto and Rio.

Once seated, the girls spread their long skirts neatly and invited them to lie down—on their laps.

Rio's sharp gaze turned to Haruto.

But Haruto just calmly rested his head on the maid's lap.

The maid attending to Haruto noticed Rio's stare and felt a little awkward. Why would someone bring their girlfriend to a place like this?

Still, she pretended not to notice, smoothed Haruto's hair, clipped it gently aside, and began cleaning his ears.

Rio didn't know what to say.

But when her own attendant smiled kindly at her, Rio let out a sigh, and—perhaps out of resignation—quietly lay down as well.

As her hair was gently pinned up, the ear-cleaning began...

At first, Rio felt a bit uncomfortable.

But as time went on, and under the gentle care of the two maid girls, the tension on Rio's face gradually softened. Feeling the gentle, soothing motions in her ears, she stopped paying attention to whatever Haruto was doing altogether.

It was hard to describe the sensation. Resting his head on the maid's lap, having his ears carefully cleaned—Haruto soon let his mind go completely blank, simply surrendering to the comfort...

When it ended, there was still a lingering sense of satisfaction.But after seeing the price, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Do you go to places like that often?"

Rio suddenly asked as they walked side by side, having just exited the store. The question had been lingering in her mind since they left.

"Hmm? Nah, if I did, I wouldn't have gotten so lost trying to find it earlier."

"..."

"It's okay to go to a place like that once in a while. But going regularly wouldn't be great for your ears either."

"That place must've been expensive."

"Not really. For both of us, it was 6,400 yen."

"That's not expensive?"

"Thirty minutes, 3,200 yen each. Yeah, it's not cheap... but it was pretty relaxing, right?"

Was that really relaxing...?

Rio glanced sideways at Haruto—then decided it wasn't worth breaking the illusion for him.

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