I Won't Be a Loser

Another workday had come to an end.

Unlike her usual routine, Kiyoura Mai didn't head straight home, nor did she go to Haruto's apartment as she had the day before. Instead, after wrapping up some tasks at the office and enduring the long hours until the end of the day, she finally felt the weight lift off her shoulders. She picked up her bag, bid farewell to her colleagues, and made her way to a restaurant she rarely visited.

The family restaurant 'Radish' was an establishment inherited by Saionji Yoko, the second daughter of the Inōu family, and part of the legacy left behind by their grandfather.

Mai stood in front of the familiar sign, recognizing it immediately. Her own mother, Inōu Kagura, ran a similar restaurant.

The family's history, however, was tainted by the infamous Tomaru Sawagoe, a man who embodied recklessness and ruin. His mismanagement of the family's businesses, combined with blind support from Mai's mother and grandmother, had plunged the family into a period of overwhelming debt and hardship.

During those dark days, Mai's childhood had been anything but easy—shrouded in struggle and shadow.

Though the family eventually overcame their difficulties, relying on the remaining inheritance left by Inou Jou, their once-mighty fortune had dwindled, leaving behind only a few family restaurants as remnants of their former glory.

That grim history had shaped Mai's decision to leave her family's business as soon as she could live independently. She now lived away from the restaurants with her daughter, Kiyoura Setsuna.

Among the sprawling branches of the Inou family, Mai maintained occasional contact only with Yoko, primarily due to their children and shared connections from the past. This led to the pair forming an unusual friendship, with rare meetings and phone calls to catch up.

Today, Mai found herself at 'Radish' because of a particular issue with her daughter. Unsure how to face Setsuna at home, she chose instead to seek out Yoko, her mother's sister and someone who was technically her equal in age.

By familial terms, Mai should have addressed Yoko as "Aunt," but their bloodlines were far more tangled.

Tomaru Sawagoe, father to both Yoko and Mai's mother Kagura, had not only fathered Kagura but had later fathered Mai with Kagura herself. This labyrinthine lineage blurred familial boundaries, leading the two women to forgo conventional titles and treat each other as friends rather than relatives.

As Yoko, dressed in her usual work attire, observed her staff and the flow of customers, she noticed Mai entering the restaurant.

"Yoko," Mai greeted as she walked in, catching her friend's attention.

"Mai, what brings you here today?"

"There's something I want to talk to you about. Do you have a moment?"

The restaurant was relatively quiet, as it was just past the end of the workday. With only a quarter of the seats occupied, there wasn't much for Yoko to supervise.

Since it was rare for Mai to visit, Yoko naturally chose to handle the matter personally.

"Of course. Come with me."

Leading Mai to a quieter, more secluded corner of the restaurant, Yoko brought over two cups of coffee. She placed one in front of Mai and the other in front of herself, studying Mai curiously.

"Did something happen?"

"That man—has he been in contact with you recently?"

"That man" was Mai's way of referring to her former lover, the father of Saionji Sekai and Kiyoura Setsuna, and Yoko half-brother: Shun Hazama.

"Contact... We haven't been in touch, but recently he was seen near the restaurant. He even came inside and said he wanted to work here..."

Saionji Yoko was rubbing her face in frustration.

She had long since lost interest in that man. She felt that rather than waste time on such a fickle man, it would be better to find a younger, cuter guy and dive into a passionate romance.

"The restaurant?"

Mai's expression immediately turned cold as she glanced around the room.

"Don't worry. I turned him down. He still stays here on his own, though. He only shows up on weekends, and he's not here today."

Seeing Mai's reaction, Yoko quickly reassured her.

Hearing those words from Yoko, Mai began to calm down. She sighed, looking down at the coffee in front of her.

"You didn't come here just to talk about that man, did you?"

"Of course not. It's just... I'm not sure how to bring this up..."

"Oh? Does it have to do with love?"

Seeing the troubled expression on her friend's face, Yoko's curiosity was piqued. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the table, and looked at Mai with interest.

"Actually, there's a new tenant in the apartment across from mine. A young boy."

"A young boy?"

Yoko's eyes flashed with interest. She had spent years raising her own daughter, and now that her daughter had grown up, Yoko's loneliness over the past decade or more had started to resurface. She longed to share her thoughts with someone, and the mention of a young boy immediately caught her attention.

"What kind of boy is he?"

Thinking about Haruto, Mai's face flushed slightly, her expression soft and youthful, yet filled with a hint of tenderness and shyness of a girl.

This made Yoko even more intrigued by the boy.

"He's a graceful and clean-looking young man. He has a sense of composure that most people his age don't, almost like a mix of youth and maturity, which makes you feel safe around him."

"And then?"

"Setsuna confessed to him."

"..."

Yoko fell silent for a moment, then took a small sip from her coffee, thinking deeply.

"At first, he rejected Setsuna's confession, but I'm not sure if it was her persistence or what... he said that if I approved, he would date Setsuna."

"Did you oppose it, or did you agree?"

"I agreed."

At this point, Yoko, having noticed the underlying feelings Mai had for the boy, could already tell that this story was turning tragic.

"So your daughter... and the boy you like—no, your neighbor—are now dating?"

"...Yes."

Mai glanced at Yoko, pausing for a moment before nodding silently.

"You want to ask me how to make them break up?"

"No, no, that's not it. I have another question for you."

"What's the question?"

With a slight flush on her face, Mai clenched her fist lightly, then coughed softly. She seemed embarrassed as she slowly spoke.

"I have a friend..."

"That 'friend' isn't you, is it?"

"Of course... it's not."

Looking at the reddened cheeks and her friend's flustered gaze, Yoko smiled wryly, knowing that Mai wasn't the best at lying. She sighed, accepting that it was indeed about Mai herself.

"So, what happened to this 'friend' of yours?"

"Well, she talked in her sleep one night."

"What did she say?"

"She... she called out her daughter's boyfriend's name."

"How does she know that she called out her daughter's boyfriend's name while asleep?"

"U-uh... because her daughter heard her?"

Yoko fell into a long silence, staring at Mai with a look of sympathy for the 'friend' she was talking about. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the complicated situation.