I Won't Be a Loser

The playful banter between Ichika and Haruto continued to linger in the air, the tension between them evident despite their lighthearted words.

Ichika's teasing had caught Haruto off guard, but he remained composed, offering her a response that was both calm and nonchalant.

Still, there was a subtle spark of curiosity between them, one that neither could fully ignore.

Such a bold idea, even if a boy has such a fantasy in his heart, he would never say it out loud casually. But it was simply said by the girl next to him. Haruto had to admire Ichika's boldness.

However, he did had this thought before.

At this original point in time, he was just an ordinary high school boy who had just arrived in Tokyo and had no feelings for Sayuri. After entering a new environment, meeting new classmates, and getting to know the Nakano sisters, it was normal for him to have some fantasies, right?

You could say he was vulgar, but at that time, he did wonder if dating one of the five sisters would trigger some special side story, leading to a 'Harem' ending like 'Five Lovers'.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. When he was planning to date a random girl in the class, he inexplicably fell in love with the mother of the girl in the class, which led to a "bad" ending.

"That sounds good."

Haruto looked at Ichika beside him and expressed his opinion on her guess.

"Oh wow, how daring."

Ichika was momentarily stunned, looking at the boy before her. She couldn't help but smirk—she hadn't expected someone to respond to her teasing so directly.

She had used similar words to tease others before, but they always responded with either an embarrassed silence or a quick "No way! or a simple blushing silence."

But here was this boy, giving her an answer without hesitation. Was it because he wasn't worried about causing any strange rumors, or was he simply naive?

"But I already have a girlfriend, so forget it."

Ichika blinked, looking at the boy with a confused expression, tilting her head slightly.

"Did I hear that right?"

"She's very cute child," she said, still trying to make sense of it.

"child... Excuse me, how old is your girlfriend?"

At first, Ichika thought she must've misheard, but after hearing the boy's comments about his girlfriend, her eyes widened. It was as if something wasn't quite right, and she almost felt ready to call the authorities.

"We're both first-year high school students, attending the nearby Sakakino Academy."

Ichika began to feel like something was off. She recalled what little she knew about the boy—he was from Gifu, having just arrived in Tokyo after the spring break. Did that mean he had gotten a girlfriend during that short time?

"Um… Haruto, you've never been to Tokyo before, right?"

"I just arrived a week ago."

Looking at Haruto's calm smile, Ichika realized she had misjudged him. She had assumed he was a shy, innocent boy from a small town, but now she saw him as something else—someone who'd managed to get a girlfriend in just one week.

Ichika stared blankly at him, unsure of how to respond.

"In just one week, you got a girlfriend?"

Haruto understood her shock, even without needing to say much.

Most high school students were still relatively conservative, especially those who were just entering high school. Even a month of getting to know someone before starting a relationship was considered normal for many. But getting into a relationship in just a week? That was hard for Ichika to wrap her head around.

"No, it was only two or three days. We live nearby, so she confessed to me after getting to know me. It was a bit of a surprise, but after getting her mother's approval, we started dating."

Parental consent.

Ichika was completely silent, her mind racing. She didn't know what to say, so she raised her hand and gave him a thumbs-up.

"How's it going? Did you succeed?"

Nino, with a faint smile on her lips, glanced at her sister, who seemed lost in thought. She couldn't understand what had thrown Ichika off so much, given how energetic her sister usually was.

Hearing Nino's voice, Ichika looked at her, resting her chin in her hand, a slight glint returning to her eyes. She narrowed her gaze at her sister, a sly smile forming on her lips.

"It's a pity he doesn't like girls like me. But it's impressive that he recognized all five of us sisters after just one introduction."

"Recognized all five of us?" Nino asked, surprised.

"I had him identify us just now. He didn't make any mistakes. He even understood our characteristics clearly. When I asked if he was interested in any of us, he said he was more interested in you, Nino."

Ichika couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.

Earlier, when she had asked him about his interest in the five sisters, he had shown some curiosity. Now, telling Nino that he was particularly interested in her—was there any harm in that?

But there was something odd about it.

Ichika's gaze shifted toward Haruto, who was staring out the window, seemingly unaware of their conversation. He must've caught Ichika's sly grin, and now she wondered if he'd take her words seriously.

"You're lying to me," Nino muttered.

"No, no. he is really am interested in you. If you don't believe me, just ask him."

"…."

Nino didn't believe it, but she didn't pursue it further. She simply ignored Ichika. Meanwhile, Ichika returned to her seat with a playful grin.

Surely, a little prank on her sister couldn't hurt, right?

Perhaps.

As the school day came to a close, Haruto had gotten to know most of his classmates to some extent, even if only at the surface level. Sitting behind him, Umetaro Nozaki hadn't had much direct interaction with him, but Haruto had learned enough to understand his personality and profession. He didn't care too much.

As the school bell rang and the students filed out, Haruto didn't see Setsuna anywhere.

"Didn't your girlfriend come to see you?" Ichika asked suddenly, appearing behind him with a mischievous smile.

"She's already started school. Since our schools are far apart, we probably won't run into each other on the way to or from school," Haruto replied.

"That's a shame. If you feel lonely, you can ask me to keep you company," Ichika teased, making a scissors hand gesture.

Haruto stared at her for a while, then nodded slowly.

"I'll think about it."

With that, he started to walk away. Ichika watched him leave, deep in thought.

"He won't take it seriously, will he?"