I Won't Be a Loser

Mai felt slightly awkward as she looked at her daughter sitting next to her. She carefully glanced back at Haruto, who was pouring tea, and it seemed that he hadn't noticed their conversation.

Setsuna had spoken softly earlier, and since Haruto was in the living room, it was likely he hadn't overheard anything.

"Setsuna, this morning... I had a dream about the future and thought that you and Miyamizu-kun were already married, so I referred to him by his first name as his mother-in-law. You should understand, as a mother, the kind of expectations I have for the next generation."

Trying to hold back her embarrassment, Mai adjusted her mood and expression before explaining seriously to her daughter.

Setsuna glanced at her mother, and just as Mai was about to continue explaining, Setsuna looked away and lifted the lid of the pot in front of her, scooping some food to taste. She seemed satisfied with the flavor, placing the spoon aside.

"Leave the rest to Mom."

With that, Setsuna walked towards the living room. Mai felt a wave of relief wash over her; it seemed her daughter wasn't concerned about what had happened earlier.

As someone who had raised Setsuna for many years, Mai knew her daughter's temperament well. As the pressure lifted from her heart, she quietly began to serve the stew from the pot, placing a bowl for the dish beside her. She didn't need to worry about finding the proper utensils.

Sitting at the table, looking at Kiyoura Mai and Setsuna on his sides, his eyes fell on the dining table in front of him. There was a whole pot of tofu and stewed meat, with some pickled radishes and miso soup on the side. It was more than enough for the three of them.

Originally, Haruto had planned to prepare dinner as a thank-you to Setsuna for bringing her meals recently, but she hadn't expected to have both Kiyoura Mai and her daughter have dinner at his house.

The food was sufficient, but there was an odd sense of tension in the air.

"Sorry, am I causing any trouble for you, Miyamizu-kun?"

Noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Mai took the initiative to speak up, looking at Haruto, who was sitting silently and staring down at his plate.

With Mai's question, the mood lightened slightly, and Haruto turned to her, shaking his head.

"No, it's not a problem at all. I'm really glad to have both you and Setsuna here for dinner. It's much better than eating alone."

"How about, in the future, Miyamizu-kun just comes over to our house for dinner? It's always just Setsuna and me, so having you join us would make things a lot livelier. What do you think, Setsuna?"

Upon hearing Haruto's words, Mai thought of an excuse to invite him to their home more often, glancing at her daughter to gauge her reaction.

Setsuna remained silent but looked expectantly at Haruto.

"Wouldn't it... be too much of a bother?" Haruto asked.

"No, it feels empty when it's just Setsuna and me at home. If Miyamizu-kun is willing, that would be wonderful!" Mai responded enthusiastically.

Seeing Mai's warm invitation, Haruto glanced at Setsuna, who was sitting beside him, and nodded in agreement.

"I understand. I'll be happy to come by more often, if you don't mind, Setsuna, Mai-San."

With Haruto's agreement, Mai felt a sense of satisfaction. She looked at her daughter, wondering if this would eventually lead to something more.

As her thoughts wandered, she quietly continued eating dinner.

During the meal, Haruot seemed particularly composed, behaving with more attention than when he was alone. Meanwhile, Mai and Setsuna both acted more reserved than usual.

The three of them ate in silence, not discussing anything further until the meal was finished.

Although Mai and Setsuna had intended to help clean up, Haruto politely declined, because the space was too small, and insisted on doing it himself. This left the mother and daughter sitting in the living room, facing each other.

Setsuna, usually a well-behaved and sweet daughter, now seemed to create an inexplicable sense of pressure. Mai, feeling the weight of her daughter's gaze, remained calm outwardly, but inside, she felt uneasy.

'Why is Setsuna staring at me so much? Did she figure something out?'

'No, I didn't say anything strange besides calling Haruto's name this morning…'

With her thoughts in disarray, Mai couldn't think of what to say to her daughter. After a while, she finally spoke.

"So, Setsuna, don't you start school tomorrow?"

"Mm."

"Shouldn't you get some rest soon to prepare for tomorrow's ceremony?"

"It's not urgent. Besides, tonight, I'm staying here to sleep with Haruto."

Mai's voice faltered as she heard this, and she stared at her daughter, speechless.

"Setsuna?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"You just said... you're going to sleep... with whom?"

Mai tried to keep her expression neutral, but it was hard to conceal her shock. She needed to confirm whether she had misunderstood.

Setsuna, sitting across from Mai, remained completely calm, as if it were a trivial matter, and repeated her statement.

"Tonight, I'm staying here to sleep with Haruto."

"With... Miyamizu-kun?"

Mai struggled to maintain her smile, but it was forced. Her daughter's words left her uncertain of how to respond. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked seriously at Setsuna.

"Setsuna, do you understand what you're saying?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what 'sleeping together' means?"

"Yes."

"Then, Setsuna, even though you and Haruto are dating, you can't rush things like that. It takes time, you have to go slow…"

Trying to reason with her daughter, Mai noticed Haruto, who had been quietly tidying up in the kitchen, glance at them.

"Miyamizu-kun, you didn't agree to this, did you?"

At the kitchen counter, Haruto, who had hoped to remain unnoticed, looked up when he heard Mai's question, glancing at Setsuna before shaking his head.

"I didn't agree to anything. What are you staying overnight for?"

Setsuna, however, turned her gaze toward Haruto as well, asking her own question.

"But when we talked about it earlier, Haruto didn't refuse."

Faced with Mai's objection, Setsuna remained calm and gave her response.

The obedient and well-behaved child that Mai had always known was now starting to go against her wishes. This sudden change made Mai feel irritated, and she furrowed her brow as she looked at her daughter.

"Setsuna!"

Haruto, who noticed that Mai seemed to be getting upset, also thought that Setsuna staying over at his place wasn't really appropriate. Not wanting to cause any tension between the mother and daughter, he was about to speak up and help Mai persuade Setsuna when—

Against the angry Mai, Setsuna calmly responded.

"If Mom is so worried, why don't you just stay here too?"

The clear, soft voice of the young girl echoed in the room, and the whole space fell into silence.

Haruto, who had originally intended to intervene, blinked and stared at Setsuna, sitting in the living room. He hadn't expected her to rebut Mai in this way. Haruto was at a loss for words, expecting Mai to be angry. But when he glanced at her, instead of looking furious, Mai appeared deep in thought, as though she were hesitating or struggling with something.