I Won't Be a Loser

The Morning After

It was the 25th of the month, with the start of the new school term drawing near.

Haruto woke up early, completed his morning routine, and reheated the leftover miso soup from the night before for breakfast. Sitting in his room afterward, he found himself lost in thought about what to do next.

"I thought about writing an award-winning novel, but it's not like that's something I can just whip up easily."

He had submitted a manuscript to a magazine earlier but knew their response wouldn't arrive for at least three days, given the usual pace of editorial work. The magazine published weekly, so he figured it would take at least a week to hear back.

Glancing at his calendar, Haruto realized it was Tuesday. Sitting idly in his room, he found himself reminiscing about his past life as an adult.

Even during his most aimless days back then, he could freely wander into rental shops or adult sections in bookstores without hesitation, purchasing magazines or DVDs to pass the time at home.

"Even if I tried writing that kind of story now, no one would accept it. Besides, I'd have to wait four years until I'm legally an adult again..."

Four years seemed like an eternity. By then, whatever stories he wrote might just gather dust and mold in his room.

"I wonder what Sayuri is doing these days," he murmured.

_ _ _

Meanwhile, at the Sawamura Residence

Sawamura Sayuri had noticed something odd about her daughter recently. Eiri had been spending more time alone in her room, lost in thought. When Sayuri went to call her for meals, she often found her staring blankly at a peculiar drawing.

As she approached her daughter's desk one day, she glanced at the drawing and was relieved to find it wasn't anything inappropriate. Instead, the picture was dark and gruesome, depicting a blood-soaked scene.

A man lay motionless in a pool of blood within the shadows of a dimly lit room.

"Is this your latest work?" Sayuri asked gently, her voice breaking through Eiri's trance.

Startled, Eriri woke up, turned around to look at her mother, her mind went blank for a moment, and she hurriedly prepared to close the painting in front of her, but when she was about to click the 'X', she remembered that her mother had entered the room at some point and probably saw everything clearly, so she gave up such a useless action.

"A revenge story?" Sayuri mused. "Is it about an innocent girl being manipulated by this man, and after a period of degradation, she repents and takes revenge with a knife?"

From the drawing, Sayuri could vaguely make out the silhouette of a girl holding a knife. The figure seemed uncannily similar to her own daughter.

"It's not like that..."

Eriri sighed in resignation at her mother's words, her gaze still fixed on the drawing in front of her.

"Recently, I keep dreaming about this image every night. I'm not sure what it means. I haven't gone out lately, but for some reason, I keep dreaming about this strange man... and I..."

Eriri found it difficult to utter the word 'kill.' For her, it felt too heavy and extreme, so she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

Sayuri, who had originally just wanted to check in on her daughter, froze slightly as she listened to Eriri's words. A strange expression crossed her face, as if something had crossed her mind. Her gaze flickered for a moment as she stared at her confused daughter.

"You're dreaming about a stranger?" Sayuri asked. "Maybe it's just a coincidence. You've probably been thinking too much. You've been exposed to all these dark, heavy works lately, and it's causing you to think these thoughts. Just relax, and I'm sure it'll be fine... Do you want me to take you to see a psychologist?"

"Psychologist?!"

Eriri, who had been planning to argue that her dreams weren't just a coincidence—since they had been happening for several days—immediately reconsidered when she heard the word 'psychologist.' Her mother's suggestion seemed reasonable.

"I think you're right. I probably just need some rest."

"The lunch is ready, so you can eat whenever you want. I'll go downstairs first, so don't let it get cold," Sayuri said with a smile as she left the room.

After leaving her daughter's room, Sayuri placed a hand over her chest. The words Eriri had said made her think of the dreams she herself had been having lately.

Unlike her daughter, whose dreams seemed to be recurring, Sayuri's dreams were more like fragmented scenes—visions of herself interacting with a strange young man.

To be honest, Sayuri had considered remarrying after Eriri's father passed away when Eriri was still a child. However, she hesitated, worried that Eriri wouldn't accept it.

The happy scenes in her dreams, she had written off as mere fantasies—simple wishful thinking to fill the emptiness inside her.

But now, hearing her daughter's words, it seemed those dreams might not be entirely normal...

"His name... what was it... in the dream, I think it was... Haruto?"

As Sayuri thought about the name of the man in her dream, Haruto himself was...

"...umm"

_ _ _

"Haruto."

"Mm?"

Looking down, Haruto saw Setsuna sitting in his lap. Initially, he had wanted her to sit elsewhere, but when he moved to sit at the desk, she had directly come over and settled in his lap.

"Do you like reading?" he asked.

"Well... there's not much else to do. Books are the only thing I can read," she answered, her voice soft. "Also... is it okay for us to be this close?"

"It's fine. After all, my mom already agreed to us dating," Haruto said.

Setsuna lifted her head, her face flushed with a soft pink hue. Happiness and contentment shone on her face, and for a moment, Haruto couldn't voice the confusion that had been building up inside him.

When Mai had left yesterday, she had told Setsuna to think about the matter carefully and hadn't expressed full support for her dating Haruto. Her serious expression had made Haruto certain that she wouldn't approve of him being with her daughter.

But now, from Setsuna's own words, it seemed he had received a completely different answer.

"Did... did Mai-san really agree?"

"Mai-san? Did my mom tell you to call her that?" Setsuna asked, surprised as she looked into Haruto's eyes.

"At first, I called her Mrs. Kiyoura, but she said it made her sound old, so she asked me to call her Mai-san instead."

"I see..."

Setsuna nodded. As she sat in Haruto's lap, her body trembled slightly, the proximity causing a rush of emotions. Haruto, now fully aware of his own youthful vitality, nearly lost control of his own feelings...