I Won't Be a Loser

As they left the apartment, Haruto walked alongside Sekai, accompanying her home. On the way, they passed by a small park. At Sekai's suggestion, the two decided to take a short break there.

She headed straight for the swings, smoothing down the back of her dress as she sat. With a gentle push, she began to sway, the hem of her skirt fluttering with the movement. Haruto, following behind, found his gaze naturally drawn to her radiant smile.

Of course, the fair skin peeking out from beneath her skirt was eye-catching as well—but he only allowed himself a quick glance. Just two glances.

"You come to this park often, Saionji-san?" he asked, searching for a topic of conversation.

"Not really," Sekai replied, swinging gently. "I stop by every now and then if I'm passing through, but I usually just stay home. I don't go out much."

She had noticed his fleeting glances. Though it made her a little shy, it also gave her a boost of confidence. At the very least, she knew he wasn't entirely indifferent to her. Even if it was just physical attraction, that was still better than nothing.

"Tomorrow afternoon starts the weekend break. Have you made any plans for a date with Setsuna?" she asked casually.

Haruto considered her question seriously.

Until now, he hadn't thought much about it, but since they were dating, he figured he should at least plan something. The problem was that he hadn't received his royalties yet, meaning his wallet was feeling a little light. Besides, he and Setsuna had already made plans for the weekend—so there didn't seem to be any real need for an extra outing.

"Not really. But I do have plans with Setsuna already, so I won't be going anywhere this weekend."

Hearing this, Sekai's mood sank slightly. She recalled the conversation she had overheard at the restaurant earlier. Keeping her expression neutral, she gave a small nod.

"I see… so you already have plans with her. That means I won't be able to invite Setsuna out this weekend." She sighed lightly, then continued, "I was thinking of organizing a little outing to help everyone in class get to know each other better. We've only just started high school, after all. It'd be nice to bond with our classmates. Even Katsura is free this weekend."

Haruto remained silent, lost in thought.

Sekai seized the moment to press on.

"Everyone in our class is still pretty unfamiliar with each other. If we don't start socializing now, things might get awkward later, don't you think?" She sighed again, giving him a wistful glance. "It'd be great if we could have a girls' gathering or something—just to build some friendships…"

Haruto looked at her, then frowned slightly.

For some reason, it felt like she was subtly trying to push him into canceling his plans with Setsuna so she could attend this girls' gathering instead.

Still, he had to admit, she had a point.

It wasn't that he was reluctant to give up his time alone with Setsuna. He just wasn't sure how to bring up the idea of her joining a girls' event. In truth, he wasn't in a rush to take that final step in their relationship. Even though his body was young and his energy high, he wasn't that desperate.

He wanted to be considerate of Setsuna's future.

Making friends early in high school was important. If she missed this chance because of him, it might make things difficult for her later on…

Seeing him seriously contemplating the idea, Sekai felt a twinge of jealousy.

She hadn't expected Haruto to be so thoughtful about Setsuna's well-being. She pursed her lips, her gaze wavering.

"But if Setsuna can't come, then I suppose we'll just have to—"

"It's fine," Haruto interrupted. "Setsuna can go to the girls' gathering. It's just a daytime event, right?"

"You don't mind? Even though you'd be missing time alone with her?"

Haruto smiled faintly, his expression calm.

"Just because we're dating doesn't mean we have to be together every moment. We have plenty of time ahead of us. Besides, even if we're apart during the day, we'll see each other at night."

Sekai's smile froze.

She had carefully set up this plan to delay their relationship from progressing further—only to realize she had overlooked one crucial detail.

They lived so close to each other.

Even if she kept them apart during the day, they could just meet up at night. There was nothing she could do to stop that.

"Something wrong?" Haruto asked, noticing the change in her expression.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sekai quickly forced a smile.

"No, it's nothing. I was just surprised by how much you care about Setsuna. If you didn't truly like her, you wouldn't think about her this much." She paused, then asked, "Have you ever thought about marrying her?"

Haruto blinked.

That was a sudden jump in conversation.

"Uh… no, not really. I mean, we're only 16. Setsuna is only 15. It's not something we need to think about yet. At the very least, we'd have to wait two more years before even considering it."

"Two years, huh?"

Sekai's eyes glimmered, as if she had just seen a new possibility.

"Yeah," Haruto nodded. "At the moment, Mai-san doesn't seem to oppose me dating Setsuna, but my parents back in Itomori might have stricter opinions. My mom will probably be okay with it, but my dad… he might be a little more difficult."

He sighed.

"If they don't approve, I might have to stay in Tokyo permanently."

Sekai tilted her head, a little puzzled.

"Why would their disapproval mean you have to stay in Tokyo?"

As someone who had lived in Tokyo her whole life, she couldn't quite grasp Haruto's attachment to his hometown in Itomori.