I Won't Be a Loser

Summer always brings a kind of restless heat. Even after returning early to his apartment and sitting down, Haruto couldn't settle his mind. He stared blankly at the screen in front of him for what felt like forever, but the unease wouldn't fade.

"No wonder animals choose this season to reproduce... I can't even focus just sitting here."

Looking at the blinking cursor on the open document, he felt no motivation to write. Instead, his thoughts kept drifting back to Itomori and how he was eager to return.

Setsuna had just finished her final exams today, which meant there were no more classes. With her grades, there was no need for extra sessions or make-up tests—she was free. Technically, they could leave for Itomori as early as tomorrow.

"But... it still feels a bit too soon."

Though there was nothing stopping him from going back, rushing off immediately somehow didn't feel quite right either.

As he sat at his desk, quietly sulking, the doorbell rang. He leaned back in his chair and glanced toward the entrance. With a soft sigh, he stood up and walked over.

When he opened the door, Setsuna stood there in her school uniform, her face slightly flushed and damp with sweat. Her bangs clung to her forehead—clearly, she'd rushed straight over.

"You're all sweaty. No need to hurry like that after school," he said as he let her in.

Setsuna took off her shoes and slipped into the house slippers that were always left out just for her. Her petite feet, wrapped in soft white socks, padded lightly across the floor. She loosened her tie, closed her eyes for a moment to take in the cool air, and finally opened them to glance at the glass of chilled tea Haruto had already poured.

"Exams are over. Starting tomorrow, no more school."

"Yeah. We can start prepping for Itomori. Maybe head out in a couple of days."

Haruto's reaction was calm, perhaps too calm. Something inside Setsuna tensed. She bit her lip, then suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Surprised, he looked down at the girl clinging to him. Her eyes were filled with unfiltered emotion and quiet longing. Slowly, he returned the hug, resting his hands gently on her back.

Maybe it was the long period of restraint before the exams, or maybe the fact that vacation had officially started—but Setsuna was unusually passionate. The moment their lips met, it was like a dam broke.

From five in the afternoon—when the sun still blazed—through twilight and into the deep hours of the night, neither of them showed any signs of stopping.

At one point, they even answered a call from Mai. Haruto gave a simple "okay," then completely forgot about it as they continued their feverish embrace, right up until nearly midnight. By the time they finally collapsed into bed, they were thoroughly drained.

When he woke up, Setsuna was straddling him. He groaned, rubbing his forehead and cheeks to loosen his stiff expression.

"Let me at least grab a glass of water."

"Mm."

He sat up and glanced around. Tissues lay scattered across the floor. A few used pink wrappers had missed the trash bin. Even with incense burning in the corner, the air was thick.

Throwing on a shirt, he made his way to the kitchen. The water was cool and refreshing—exactly what he needed. He walked over to the window, cracked it open just a bit, and drew the curtain back in place.

Returning to the bedroom, he gave Setsuna's pale shoulder a light pat.

"We skipped dinner yesterday. Time to get up."

"Mmh..."

"It's... wow, it's already ten."

He scratched his head. Originally, he'd thought to make breakfast, but it was already closer to lunchtime.

"I'll go make lunch. You go shower. Oh, and your clothes..."

He glanced toward the mess of clothing on the floor. Some were stained. Others—particularly undergarments—were clearly too far gone. He'd have to cut them up before tossing them in the garbage, just to be safe.

"Yeah... I'll deal with it."

"Ugh... okay."

Still exhausted from the night before, Setsuna barely had the strength to move. Even getting out of bed felt like a monumental task.

"It hurts... down there. You were too rough."

Haruto blinked. "Huh?"

She didn't respond beyond that, but the memories of the night came rushing back. Honestly, he had wanted to stop several times. It was Setsuna who kept pulling him in with an almost inhuman grip.

"I really need to hydrate more," he muttered.

"Alright. Leave the ruined stuff where it is. Toss the wearable stuff in the washer. I'll take care of the sheets later."

"Mmkay..."

Dragging her tired body out of bed, Setsuna quietly followed instructions—sorting the clothes, tossing the salvageable ones into the washer, and disappearing into the bathroom.

Haruto checked the fridge. There were just enough ingredients to make a decent lunch for two.

By the time Setsuna returned from her shower, he was finishing up in the kitchen.

"Ten more minutes. Go get dressed. There are still some of your clothes in the closet. As for the sheets... I'll handle them."

With her height, hanging the sheets would be a bit difficult anyway.

When she sat down at the table, Setsuna saw a light meal laid out—mostly vegetables, no meat. She was thankful for that. Just thinking about meat made her stomach turn right now.

"Did Mom say anything?"

"Huh? Not really. I think she figured out what was going on and just... chose not to comment."

He grabbed his phone from beside the bed. One unread message from Mai:

"Try to show some restraint."

Setsuna didn't respond. She quietly picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.

Later, after hanging the sheets out to dry on the balcony he'd had to adjust the DIY rack a bit, he sat at his desk while Setsuna sat curled in his lap. With nothing else to do, they started watching random online videos together.

Titles like:

• "Pranking My Sleeping Sister"

• "I Asked My Sister If I Could See Her OO"

• "If the class is full of girls wearing swimsuits, will the test scores go up or down?"

• "Creating a Sauna Using 800 Heat Packs"

After a few videos, Setsuna tilted her head up and stared at him silently.

Haruto raised his hands in surrender. "No hidden meaning. I was just curious about the reactions. I wanted to see what kind of girl the guy's sister was."

Setsuna didn't say anything. She turned her gaze back to the screen. To someone without a sister, those videos were probably entertaining. But Haruto had a little sister—Mitsuha—and just imagining doing those things to her made him flinch. He'd probably get punched before he even finished a sentence.

Compared to Mitsuha, the girls in the videos were far more... cooperative. Probably because they were on camera.

Eventually, Setsuna lost interest in the video selection. Haruto handed her the mouse, letting her browse instead.

Unlike him, she didn't go for silly pranks or outrageous challenges. She clicked on more lifestyle-themed videos:

• "Top 10 Tokyo Destinations"

• "Must-See Spots for Couples"

• "Most Spiritually Effective Shrines for Love"

All her choices had potential real-life value—possible date spots or meaningful experiences. She wasn't watching for laughs. She was watching for plans.

Haruto watched attentively, learning about parts of Tokyo he'd never paid attention to.

"Honestly, I'm more curious about Tokyo's luxury apartments. Like, one of the titles said a place went for 590,000 yen a month. That's insane."

"That's way too expensive."

"Yeah... at my current pace, I couldn't afford it even in a year. I guess I still haven't worked hard enough."

Setsuna looked at him quietly. His face was calm, sincere. He genuinely believed he wasn't working hard enough.

In just a few months—less than half a year—he had earned more than many adults made in a whole year. From a high schooler's perspective, that was already astonishing. And yet, here he was, saying it wasn't enough...

She couldn't help but feel amazed—and a little overwhelmed.

She'd also been shocked to learn there were apartments in Tokyo that cost over half a million yen per month. That kind of rent was only for the ultra-wealthy—company presidents, investors, or bankers.

She wanted to comfort him somehow, but seeing the determination burning in his eyes, Setsuna wasn't sure what to say. So she stayed silent.

"To settle in Bunkyō Ward, you'd need assets of at least 30 million yen," Haruto said. "I'll need to work hard. Probably write ten more novels that sell like this one. That should cover it."

"Ten books in three months each... That's thirty months. So... around three years?"

Setsuna tried to do the math in her head. It didn't feel long. In fact, three years seemed too short. By the time he graduated high school, Haruto might really pull it off.

"Three years is the ideal," Haruto said. "But if things don't go well, it might take ten. I got lucky this time. I don't know if I'll be this lucky again."

He didn't let the current success cloud his judgment. He knew his work wasn't perfect. Without Matsuko's recommendation and the lucky street interview, even hitting 6,000 initial sales might have been difficult. And even now, he'd only just passed five figures.

Setsuna didn't know the exact royalty breakdown, but she'd assumed he made a few hundred thousand yen. Turns out it was over three million yen—a number that left her quietly stunned.

Sitting in his lap, the girl quietly made up her mind.

She wanted to be someone who could walk beside him—no matter how far he went.