I Won't Be a Loser

"Tomorrow—or no, the day after—I want to go on a trip."

Late in the evening, after Yoko returned home, her daughter Sekai, who had been waiting patiently on the sofa, couldn't hold back any longer. The moment her mother stepped into the living room, Sekai quickly brought up her desire to go away for a while.

Yoko had just gotten back from a dinner out and hadn't even had time to relax when her daughter's unexpected statement caught her attention. She turned to face the sofa with a curious expression.

"That's a bit sudden… Going on a trip, huh? Are you going with Setsuna? Do you already know where you're headed?"

Even though Yoko often didn't have much time to spend with her daughter, that didn't mean she was indifferent to Sekai's affairs. In fact, it was quite the opposite—she cared deeply.

"I guess you could say that. It'll be with Setsuna and Haruto... we're going to his hometown in Gifu Prefecture. The place is called Hida—Itomori. It's a bit far from Tokyo, so we'll probably be staying there for a while."

"Haruto's hometown? And it'll be the three of you?"

"Yeah."

Yoko relaxed a little upon hearing that her daughter wouldn't be going alone.

"Well, if you're not traveling by yourself, then it's fine. Three people should be enough to look after each other, and it's unlikely anything will go wrong. But the day after tomorrow—isn't that a little rushed?"

"Yeah…"

Sekai wasn't sure how to explain it. She hadn't originally been part of the travel plans—she'd only been included because…

She remembered how it had happened and felt a tangle of emotions rise within her. She didn't even know how to face Setsuna. According to Haruto, Setsuna had simply been worried about her being alone in Tokyo and had invited her along out of concern.

"I understand. Just make sure to message me once you leave. And when you arrive, don't forget to send me an email. I'm a little curious about the place where that boy grew up."

"I'll contact you once I get there. For now, I need to get ready. I'll pack up what I need tomorrow, and we'll head out the morning after."

"If you run low on money, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Okay."

"Well then, I'll go prepare dinner."

After talking with her daughter, Yoko found herself entertaining various thoughts—but as quickly as they surfaced, she dismissed them. She shook her head gently and went off to make dinner.

Sekai, still seated on the sofa, watched her mother's retreating back before slowly lowering her head. She began thinking about how she should face the coming trip.

Haruto has two younger sisters, doesn't he...? I wonder what they're like. Are they anything like him?

The unexpected invitation had caught her completely off guard. Now, her heart stirred with uncertainty as she mentally started preparing for the days ahead.

Meanwhile, Setsuna, who had also returned home, showed no change in demeanor as she greeted her own mother, Mai. She didn't bring up anything about Sekai or the invitation. Quiet as ever, Setsuna passed through her mother's gaze and returned to her room.

Mai stood at the kitchen counter, preparing dinner. She glanced silently at her daughter, but didn't speak.

It wasn't uncommon for couples to stay over at each other's homes, but being informed and then left to eat dinner alone still left Mai feeling a bit lonely—and somewhat irritated.

She stared at her daughter's closed door and sighed quietly.

"Maybe it's just youth… being young really is different, huh?"

Knowing that her daughter would soon leave Tokyo with Haruto to visit his hometown made Mai feel even more conflicted.

Should I take time off?

She had already said she wouldn't go. But now she was reconsidering. If she did take leave, she'd have to face Haruto's family. From what she remembered, his grandmother lived with him as well. The idea made her feel even more reluctant.

"…No, I'll leave it to the young ones."

With that quiet resolution, Mai lowered her head again and continued working on dinner.

Later that evening, Haruto stopped by the Kiyoura household to talk with Mai. He informed her that he and Setsuna would be leaving Tokyo for Itomori the day after tomorrow.

"The day after tomorrow? That soon?" Mai asked, surprised.

"I've been in Tokyo for such a long time now... This will be my first time going somewhere far away. I thought it might be good to go back and see how things are at home."

Truthfully, it hadn't just been a few months. When he really thought about it, it had already been several years. Haruto had deliberately stayed in Tokyo for a long time, mainly to avoid running into that man.

The idea of returning and possibly seeing him again stirred a complex storm of emotions in his chest—bitter, uncertain, and hard to define.

"So... tomorrow? No, the day after tomorrow—you'll be leaving then?"

"Um"

Setsuna was the one who answered this time. She glanced briefly at her mother before lowering her gaze again.

Mai, hearing the confirmation, let out a quiet sigh. Still, she didn't say much else and calmly began eating dinner. It wasn't until they had finished that she spoke again, asking Haruto to help clear the table. Setsuna, meanwhile, quietly slipped away into her room.

"How long will you be gone? About two weeks?"

"Roughly that, yeah. Maybe a bit shorter, but definitely no more than two weeks. My younger sister might even come to Tokyo afterward to stay for a little while."

"So, about half a month… Is that really okay? Won't your family have something to say about that?"

Even though she had already met Haruto's mother once, now that the departure was so close, Mai found herself suddenly concerned about his family's opinion.

"It should be fine. Life in Itomori is peaceful. Everyone has a gentle personality, so I don't expect any trouble."

Looking at the composed and sincere boy across from her, Mai decided to trust his words. Her daughter was no longer a child—if anything happened, she'd have to learn to face it on her own and grow through it.

"You plan to live in Tokyo in the future, right?"

"Mm. We talked about that before, didn't we? If I had enough saved up already, I'd have bought a place here in Bunkyō Ward by now."

"I… I have some savings. Haruto, if you'd—"

Haruto frowned at Mai's sudden offer of financial help.

"Mai."

"Haruto…"

"Setsuna and I are still just high school students. There's no need to rush the future. Maybe by next year, I'll be able to do what I can't right now. So please… don't say things like that again."

Looking at the boy in front of her—serious, sincere, with a firm crease between his brows—Mai found herself blushing slightly. She didn't even know why she'd said something like that in the first place.

Why am I in such a hurry? Why do I want to see them settled already...?

"Sorry… that was a bit strange of me to say."

"Itomori's honestly kind of dull. I wonder if Setsuna will find it too boring. If that's the case, we might come back after just a week."

"There must be cute girls where you're from, though, right?"

"There are girls, yeah. But girls my age? Not many. There's only one who's about the same age as Mitsuha and Yotsuha. The rest are either younger or guys."

"I see…"

They let the previous topic slip away, no one bringing it back up. Once the table was cleared and the evening began to wind down, Haruto said his goodbyes and returned to his apartment.

Watching him leave, Mai sighed deeply, then quietly untied her apron and retreated to her room. When she returned to the living room later, she glanced toward Setsuna's bedroom.

"Setsuna, I'm going to take a bath. Want to join me?"

"No."

"Well, I'll go ahead, then. I'll call you if you change your mind."

With no response, Mai headed toward the bathroom.

Back in his own apartment, Haruto didn't have much to do. Sitting at his desk under the soft hum of the air conditioner, he stared blankly at his computer screen. After typing out a page, he found himself unsure how to continue. Eventually, he crawled into bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep early.

The next day was their final one in Tokyo. Knowing he'd be returning to Itomori tomorrow, he headed out in the morning to visit some specialty shops. He picked up a few souvenirs that would keep well in the summer heat, along with some basic household necessities.

Originally, he'd planned to go shopping with Setsuna, but after thinking it over, he decided to go alone that morning. It wasn't until the afternoon that he called Setsuna and Sekai to accompany him to the mall for the remaining errands.

"Toothbrushes—one for each of us. One toothpaste should be enough. We'll need separate towels too. What about body wash?"

"There's a bathroom?" Sekai asked, visibly surprised.

From what she'd heard, Haruto's home was an old family estate steeped in tradition. She had expected something a bit more rustic.

"There wasn't one at first," Haruto explained, "but when I was little, the house was renovated. Now we've got a full bathroom, and a pretty big tub. Back when I was a kid, Mitsuha, Yotsuha, and I used to bathe together."

Sekai gave him a strange look. Even Setsuna glanced at Haruto out of the corner of her eye before quietly returning her attention to the shelves.

"Back in elementary school, Mitsuha and Yotsuha would go in first. I was always last."

There were technically two men in the household, but Haruto's father, Miyamizu Toshiki , was rarely home. He was constantly attending events or meetings, and once he became the mayor of Hida during Haruto's middle school years, he bought a house there and spent even less time in Itomori.

Only during holidays or low workload periods would he return home briefly.

Haruto's grandmother, Hitoha, and his mother, Futaba, had once gotten along well with Toshiki—but after he entered politics, disagreements over various issues had strained their relationship considerably.

As the mediator, Futaba mostly stayed home, caring for her daughters and Hitoha. Occasionally, she'd head to Hida to tidy up Toshiki's house.

"As the only boy in the family, I never got any 'eldest son' privileges. In fact, because the Miyamizu family passes traditions down through the women, my role in the house is… let's say, complicated."

"If you're the heir to the shrine, wouldn't you become the head priest?" Setsuna asked.

"Yeah. That would mean going to a seminary or training in traditional Shinto practices."

"That's… complicated, huh?"

"Nothing too serious. You'll see what I mean once we get to Itomori."

Haruto smiled as he replied vaguely, then turned back to examining the shelves.

After picking up the basic toiletries, the group headed to a pharmacy to buy insect bite ointment and a few mosquito-repellent items. Once done, they parted ways to return home.

"Will there be bugs?" Sekai asked cautiously.

"You can't really avoid it in the countryside. Mosquitoes, spiders, even some bugs I don't know the names of—you'll definitely see them. Not many indoors, but outside? Definitely."

Setsuna didn't seem too concerned. Even Tokyo had insects. But then—

"Snakes?"

That gave her pause. Her voice lowered, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"You'd see them now and then when I was little," Haruto admitted. "But it's rare these days. Unless you go deep into the mountains or really damp areas, it's unlikely. Well, maybe during heavy rain."

"…"

"Scared?"

He noticed Setsuna slow her pace and her face turn a little pale. Despite saying nothing, her body language betrayed her nervousness.

"No."

Seeing that Setsuna was obviously scared but still forcing himself to do it, Haruto found it a little cute.