That’s Right—I’m a Losing Heroine Too

Pushing open the glass door of the family restaurant, a familiar scent mixed with sizzling hamburger patties and cool air-conditioning rushed toward them.

He led the two girls and, with practiced ease, found a four-seat booth by the window.

The lighting there was perfect—neither too glaring nor too dim—making it an ideal place to talk.

“You sit on the inside.”

Yanami Anna took the initiative to pull out the inner seat, signaling for Shioyaki Lemon to sit first, then sat right beside her, forming a protective posture.

Imaizumi Keita sat down across from them and almost immediately raised his hand to call over a waiter.

“One hamburger steak set.

Also, one chocolate sundae and two strawberry waffles.”

He didn’t even look at the menu, ordering smoothly from memory.

“Oh, and please bring a pack of tissues and three glasses of water too, thanks.”

The waiter wrote it down and soon brought over the water and tissues.

Imaizumi Keita pushed the glasses and tissues toward the other side, then leaned back against the seat, saying nothing more.

Across from him, Shioyaki Lemon clearly hadn’t yet recovered from her sudden defeat.

She kept her head lowered, her gaze fixed on a small stain on the tabletop, both hands holding her water cup.

The long straw stirred absentmindedly under her fingers, forming a small whirlpool in the cup.

The food was served quickly.

The hamburger steak sizzled, releasing an enticing aroma, and was placed in front of Imaizumi Keita.

The two strawberry-topped waffles were set in front of Yanami and Shioyaki.

Yanami Anna gently pushed the steaming waffle toward Shioyaki Lemon and whispered a reminder.

“Lemon, eat something sweet first.

It’ll make you feel a bit better.”

“…Mm.”

Shioyaki Lemon replied dully.

She picked up her fork, but only poked aimlessly at the waffle.

“I just… can’t quite understand it.”

She looked at the waffle she’d poked into a mess and spoke haltingly.

“There weren’t many girls around Mitsuki, so most of the time he stayed with me.

I thought we’d always be like that…”

“I thought… the two of us… would end up together somehow…”

Yanami Anna didn’t rush to comfort her.

She waited until Lemon finished speaking, then confirmed gently.

“So because Ayano mostly stayed with you, you thought he’d be with you, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“And then, when he suddenly said right in front of you, ‘I already have a girlfriend,’”

Yanami continued,

“it felt like everything you’d believed in all this time suddenly… collapsed, didn’t it?”

Shioyaki Lemon suddenly looked up.

Her eyes were filled with shock as she stared at Yanami.

“…Yes.

That’s exactly how it felt.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“Anna… how did you…?”

How could you understand so well?

She didn’t voice the rest of the question, but the confusion in her eyes said it all.

Yanami Anna looked at her and gave a smile that was mixed with bitterness and relief.

She took a deep breath and finally spoke the identity she had long been unwilling to mention again.

“Because…”

“I’m a losing heroine too.”

That sentence left Shioyaki Lemon completely stunned.

After several seconds, she finally asked,

“You… too?

Eh?

A childhood friend?

Anna, did you like Hakamada before?”

“That’s right.

My childhood friend—Sōsuke.”

Yanami Anna’s tone was calm.

“And compared to you, Lemon, I had it even worse.

I not only watched him choose Karen right in front of me, but was even invited by the two of them to join their date.”

Hearing this, Shioyaki Lemon’s eyes filled with urgent empathy.

“Eh… so that’s what your feelings were like, Anna?”

But then she realized that recently, Yanami hadn’t looked particularly pained.

Her eyes lit up as she asked,

“Then… later on, how did you… let go?”

“Let go…”

Yanami Anna thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“I don’t think ‘letting go’ is quite the right word.

Those feelings were real.

The time and effort I put into them were real too.

You can’t just delete them like a file and be done with it.”

She didn’t give a direct answer, instead offering her own approach.

“I just… found a way to make it hurt less.”

“First—and most importantly,”

she raised one finger,

“force yourself to reduce chances of being alone with that person, and also cut down on how often you check their updates.

If you don’t see it and don’t hear it, it’s naturally harder to overthink.”

“Then,”

she raised a second finger,

“take all the time and energy you used to spend on him and redirect it to something else.

It can be club activities, or any other interests.”

“And also, set some short-term goals you can accomplish quickly.

For example, moving up a few ranks in the next exam, or learning to cook a new dish.

Every time you complete one, reward yourself properly.

It gives you a sense of achievement and lets you feel, ‘Even without him, I’m doing just fine.’”

“Lastly,”

she paused and glanced across the table at Imaizumi before continuing,

“find one… or a few people you can trust to stay by your side.

Don’t force yourself to endure it alone.

Especially when your emotions keep swinging back and forth, having someone there to pull you back helps a lot.”

Her words were structured and clear, all practical and actionable steps.

Shioyaki Lemon listened in a daze, nodding unconsciously.

“What Yanami says is right.”

Imaizumi Keita, who had been quietly cutting his hamburger steak, finally spoke.

He speared a piece of meat with his fork and added,

“The literature club has a training camp this weekend.

Shioyaki, you can join us—consider it a change of scenery.

As for finding new interests…”

He glanced at the barely touched waffle in front of Shioyaki Lemon, then at Yanami Anna beside him, who was listening especially intently.

“I’ve noticed Yanami’s appetite has been getting bigger lately.

Maybe ‘exploring good food’ is also a decent option.”

“Imaizumi-kun!”

Yanami Anna immediately puffed out her cheeks in protest, her eyes filled with resentment that clearly said why bring that up again.

This sudden bit of everyday bickering instantly lightened the heavy atmosphere.

Watching the natural familiarity between the two of them, the sadness on Shioyaki Lemon’s face faded a little, replaced by a belated curiosity.

She connected Yanami’s words from earlier with the scene before her, and a clear chain of logic formed in her mind.

Anna is a losing heroine.

It seems like she only became this close with Imaizumi-kun after her loss.

So then…

Shioyaki Lemon slowly turned her head and looked at the man who was giving Yanami a helpless look.

In a cautious tone, tinged with the probing of a fellow sufferer, she asked softly,

“Um… Ima-kun…”

“You… got dumped too?”

The moment the words left her mouth, the expression on Imaizumi Keita’s face visibly stiffened.

He slowly set down his knife and fork, metal clinking lightly against the plate.

Then he lifted his head, shot a glare at the gloating Yanami beside him, and said firmly,

“No.”

“I’m just accompanying Yanami because she asked me to help her deal with her problems.”