I Won't Be a Loser

After inviting Mai into his home and letting her settle down in his room, Haruto reheated the remaining broth in his pot. He carefully prepared another bowl of udon and, moments later, placed it in front of her.

"Thank you."

Mai expressed her gratitude before picking up her chopsticks and taking a bite.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the udon Haruto had made tasted almost identical to the ones she had eaten at various restaurants in the past.

"Does it suit your taste?"

Haruto poured a cup of tea and set it beside her as he asked for her thoughts.

"It's delicious. It tastes just like what you'd get in a restaurant. Did you learn how to make udon from someone, Miyamizu-kun?"

"As long as it suits your taste, Mai-san."

He smiled lightly at her compliment and took a seat across from her.

Looking at the gentle and mature woman sitting before him, Haruto suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he was seeing Sayuri from the past. His gaze softened, drifting into nostalgia.

Noticing his dazed expression, Mai instinctively tensed. That absentminded look in his eyes… It made her heart waver for reasons she couldn't quite understand.

She quickly lowered her head, continuing to eat her udon in silence. Yet, inside, her thoughts were a tangled mess.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Haruto remained lost in his memories, while Mai, unsure how to break the tense atmosphere, simply focused on her meal.

It wasn't until she placed her chopsticks down with a soft clink, signaling that she had finished eating, that Haruto finally snapped back to reality.

"I'll take care of the dishes. Mai-san, you can rest for a bit."

"Oh… Well, I appreciate it, Miyamizu-kun."

Haruto gathered the dishes and brought them to the sink, washing them carefully before placing them in the cupboard.

Meanwhile, Mai sat quietly in the room, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings.

This was the third time she had been in his room. Yet, each visit felt slightly different from the last.

A young man's room.

Her daughter's boyfriend's room.

As those thoughts ran through her mind, she closed her eyes, taking a slow, deliberate breath, letting the faint scent of the space settle around her. When she opened her eyes again, Haruto had already finished cleaning up and returned to his seat across from her.

"What do you usually do when you're alone, Miyamizu-kun?" she asked.

"Hmm? When I'm alone?" Haruto thought for a moment. "I usually just read. There's not much else to do."

He had an old feature phone with internet access, but using it felt like navigating an ancient relic. He had no real interest in browsing online with it. He was simply waiting until he had enough savings to buy a proper smartphone.

As someone who had reincarnated twice, Haruto regretted not having any special knowledge of advanced technology or remembering any winning lottery numbers. Unlike the ambitious protagonists in stories, he was just… normal.

Even a basic skill like photographic memory was beyond his reach. However, he did possess an undeniably supernatural ability—turning back time—though he had no idea how many times he could trigger it or if he even had another chance left.

"Books?"

Hearing Haruto's response, Mai turned her gaze toward his desk. Indeed, two books were neatly placed on top of it.

Reading the titles along the spines, she saw that one was Literary Theory and the other was Being and Time.

She hadn't read either before, but just seeing their titles gave her an inexplicable sense of awe.

"Before you started dating Setsuna, you mentioned that you were planning to take university entrance exams. Have you already decided on your goal?"

Mai found herself at a loss for conversation upon seeing those seemingly complex books, so she shifted her focus away from them and sought a new topic.

Haruto had initially wanted to talk about Literary Theory and Being and Time with her, but upon hearing her question, he let out a slight sigh of regret and nodded.

"My first choice is Waseda University's Literature Department. But with an entrance Passing score requirement of around 70, it's quite challenging. I plan to work toward it over the next three years of high school. My second option is Gakushuin University's Philosophy Department, which has a Passing score requirement of about 60, making it somewhat easier."

He spoke openly about his plans, and Mai couldn't help but be impressed.

"Waseda and Gakushuin? Both are very prestigious universities."

"Yes, they're quite well-known, which makes them ambitious targets. I'll need to work hard during high school. I'm also considering where I might find a suitable cram school."

"You're planning to attend a cram school?"

Mai was slightly surprised, though at the same time, she found it to be an entirely reasonable decision. Yet, deep down, a complex mix of emotions stirred within her.

For students aiming to get into top universities, attending cram school after regular classes for extra lessons was common sense. Almost everyone who set their sights on elite schools did it. Even geniuses couldn't rely solely on their high schools to pass the entrance exams.

Especially in this era of "relaxed education," most schools had become far less rigorous. Regular classes no longer placed much academic pressure on students—only a handful of cram schools with a strong focus on university admissions maintained strict educational standards.

Sakakino Academy had a relatively high pasing score, meaning most of its students were already preparing for university entrance exams. Similarly, Toyosaki Private Academy wasn't far behind.

However, for those aspiring to attend elite universities, the best option was enrolling in specialized cram schools that targeted top institutions—such as Todai Cram School, Kyodai Cram School, Waseda Cram School, Keio Cram School, or Medical Advancement Cram School, among others.

Once students entered these cram schools, especially the ones designed for prestigious universities, they would spend at least six days a week attending extra classes, often studying late into the night or even early morning.

The heavy workload, along with endless assignments, meant that Haruto would have significantly less time to spend with Setsuna…