I Won't Be a Loser

After parting ways with Ryuuji, Haruto returned to his apartment. He set down his bag and immediately began sorting the vegetables and meat he had bought, preparing to store them properly. Some went into the fridge for preservation, while a portion was set aside for tonight's dinner.

Because of the ongoing sales, many of the vegetables were incredibly cheap. He hadn't been able to control himself and ended up buying more than he originally planned.

Handling all these ingredients alone would be a bit much.

To avoid wasting them, Haruto decided to prepare enough food for three people. He would send a portion to the Kiyoura household so that Kiyoura Mai, who worked all day, wouldn't have to worry about dinner when she got home.

About an hour after he got back, the doorbell rang. Haruto, who was handling meat at the moment, glanced at his hands covered in egg wash and ground meat. He quickly rinsed them off before heading to the door.

When he opened it, he found Setsuna standing outside.

She was still in her dark school uniform, having not yet changed out of it. Seeing the girl at his doorstep, Haruto smiled and welcomed his girlfriend inside.

"You're making dinner?" Setsuna asked as she stepped in.

"Yeah," Haruto nodded, walking back to the kitchen and continuing to prepare the meal. "On my way home, I saw there was a sale at the shopping district, so I bought some ingredients. But I ended up buying too much, so I'm making extra to bring to your house."

"Meat?"

"Fresh meat. I'm making hamburger steaks."

Setsuna nodded and joined him at the kitchen counter. Because the space was a bit cramped, their bodies were practically pressed together. She watched curiously as Haruto mixed the egg and meat together by hand, thoroughly blending the ingredients.

"You're really good at cooking," she said, admiration clear in her voice.

"Well, I helped out at home a lot when I was younger. I think I mentioned it before?"

"You did, but I still think it's impressive," Setsuna said. "It's like you can do everything, even though we're almost the same age."

Haruto was actually a year older than her. Back in Itomori, students in the same grade were usually around the same age. Some were a year older, and the younger ones were about two years younger than him.

Itomori had very few young people, which led to a slight disparity in age among classmates. But after moving to Tokyo, Haruto found that almost all his classmates were younger than him.

"Life in Itomori was too quiet," Haruto said while kneading the meat. "There wasn't much to do, so I spent my time reading or helping out at home. The town didn't even have a proper supermarket—you had to take a two-hour bus ride just to go shopping."

As he spoke, memories of his life in Itomori resurfaced.

Since moving to Tokyo and finishing high school, he had only returned to Itomori three or four times. The last time had been with Sayuri, when they had gone back to face his parents.

His eyes held a hint of nostalgia. He understood his parents' perspective, but his father's strong opposition had triggered his rebellious streak. Even as an adult, it was hard to stay rational all the time.

Sayuri had tried to mediate, but for Haruto's father, it was difficult to accept a daughter-in-law who was almost the same age as his wife.

That visit had ended in an argument. Afterward, Haruto and Sayuri left Itomori and continued living in Tokyo. Then came his confession to Eriri, and…

What had started as a simple recollection of life in Itomori had led his thoughts astray. He fell into silence, mechanically kneading the meat, unintentionally ignoring Setsuna beside him.

Feeling a little left out, Setsuna poked his waist with her slender fingers.

Snapped out of his thoughts, Haruto turned to look at her.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked. Her clear, water-like eyes studied his face as if trying to peer into his heart.

But his heart was locked up tight.

Haruto gave her a small smile. "Just thinking about my family in Itomori. I miss my little sister."

Achoo!

Far away in Itomori, Miyamizu Mitsuha sneezed while holding a large package that had just arrived from Tokyo. She wrinkled her nose and turned to her younger sister.

"Yotsuha, were you talking about me behind my back?"

"Huh?" Yotsuha looked up at her, puzzled. "You're way too sensitive. Sure, I think you can be clumsy and a bit of an airhead sometimes, but I wouldn't actually badmouth you."

"…"

Mitsuha narrowed her eyes at Yotsuha. That was a pretty harsh thing to say. But if Yotsuha denied it, then it must be someone else.

"Could it be that jerk Haruto?"

After a moment of thought, Mitsuha was convinced.

"That guy must be talking about me in Tokyo. Hmph!"

"What did he send us, anyway?" Yotsuha ignored her sister's accusation and curiously peeked at the large package in Mitsuha's arms. Even though she hadn't asked for anything, she still felt a sense of excitement and anticipation.

"It's probably filled with his own weird interests," Mitsuha muttered. "Like books. Or more books. And maybe…"

She had only asked Haruto to send some Tokyo souvenirs, but based on his usual personality and interests, she could already guess what was inside. She glanced at the box in her arms, wondering if she should just throw it away before even opening it.

"Knowing him, there's a huge chance it's all study materials. Especially for you, Yotsuha. Since you just started school, he probably bought you a whole stack of—"

"Brother would never do something like that!"

Yotsuha puffed up her cheeks in protest, glaring at Mitsuha for even suggesting such a thing.

"Who knows?" Mitsuha teased, grinning mischievously. It wasn't often that her usually mature little sister reacted like this.

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Haruto remained blissfully unaware of the things being said about him in Itomori.

He continued cooking, teaching Setsuna how to prepare the meal as well. After more than an hour, he finished making extra portions of food, which Setsuna then carried home.

That evening, when Kiyoura Mai returned home, she found her daughter waiting for her in the living room, with the table already set.

"Did you cook dinner today?" she asked.

"Haruto thought you might be tired from work, so he made extra food and told me to bring some home," Setsuna explained.

"…Haruto?"

Mai's emotions were complicated. She walked to the dining table and tasted the food.

It was just as delicious as the meal she'd had at Haruto's place last time.

She had already convinced herself not to dwell on it any longer, but now, her heart wavered again…