Previously on To Lose Something:

Kimi "You aren't going to hit me?"

Kuroki "I see no reason to hit the person who tried to stop it."

Hisao "Muffin?"

Kuroki "Yes."

TK "...Do you love me?"

Kuroki "Don't try to put me in the same boat as Makoto."

Kazuki "How come I didn't get a line?"

Kuroki "You did, but you wasted it already."

17:40

Hanako "That's everything."

We walk up to the register and deposit the items onto the counter. As the clerk starts bagging items, I notice a familiar face in line behind me.

Kuroki "Yorito?"

BGM: Student Council

Yorito "Well, if it isn't Kuroki. How have you been?"

This is my therapist Ichijo Yorito. He's a well-built grey-haired man in his fifties with a small amount of stubble on his jaw.

Kuroki "First week in Yamaku. So far everything's been alright."

Yorito "Good. Do you want me to go ahead and move your appointment back an hour to give you more time with your..."

He notices Hanako, and seems to recognize her.

Yorito "Ikezawa-san?"

She turns and meets his gaze.

Hanako "Oh. Hello Yorito-san."

Kuroki "You two know eachother?"

Hanako "This is my therapist..."

Kuroki "What a coincidence. He's my therapist too."

Yorito looks from me to Hanako, and then back to me.

Kuroki "...If you say anything suggestive, I'm going to get angry."

Hanako giggles.

Yorito "Sorry. I was thinking about it."

He grins as I pay the clerk and take my change. We grab our things and walk outside while chatting.

Still, I didn't expect Yorito to be Hanako's therapist as well. Small town, I guess.

17:50

Yorito "Right. Have a seat."

He beckons me to a plush recliner. Hanako is in the opposite room reading Black Key with renewed vigor.

Kuroki "Will do."

I sit and boldly prop my feet up on the coffee table. With an un-amused smile at my poor etiquette, he starts his usual routine.

Yorito "So? Have you thought about what I asked you last week?"

Kuroki "I have."

BGM: Off

18:00

Last week

Yorito "Other than reading or writing, is there anything you actually like doing that could become a career?"

Kuroki "I've dabbled in art, but I'm not very good."

Yorito "Anything else?"

Kuroki "Nothing comes to mind."

17:50

Present

Kuroki "Maybe I'll be a Psychiatrist."

BGM: Afternoon

He raises a bushy grey eyebrow at this. Maybe that's actually not such a good idea. I have a habit of being brutally honest, or so I've been told.

Yorito "That's not such a bad idea. It's something. Besides, I heard that you're a successful writer now, so you could probably stick with that."

Kuroki "Yeah, I guess I could do that. I'm still working on a fictional sequel for the first book."

Yorito "And... there's also the family business."

Kuroki "...Yeah. I could do that too."

Machina Mechatronics. A company that makes advanced and unconventional AIs and robots. It would explain why I got a tutor for programming.

Kuroki "They all sound good, but I don't want to just pick one."

Yorito "It's a job, not a woman. You can have more than one."

Kuroki "Well, legally, you can have more than one wife. Although I never saw the point of having more than one."

Yorito "Well having more than one job is more ethical than having more than one woman..."

Dead silence.

Kuroki "...Mind explaining how we got on this topic?"

Yorito "I don't know. But since we're here, why don't we have another go at your love life?"

I tense up slightly.

Yorito "Have you recovered from losing Miyamoto-san?"

Kuroki "Almost. It's going to take a while, but I can recall memories of her without getting depressed."

Yorito "Excellent. Your mother called me a while ago to inform me that you are now taking some medicine to help."

Kuroki "Word travels fast."

Yorito "It's a small town."

Kuroki "That's not always a good thing."

Yorito "Back to the topic... Have you... found anyone else?"

I pause for a moment and think.

Ikezawa Hanako. A shy bookworm and chess hobbyist that I accidentally spooked during my first day at school. She was seemingly uncomfortable with me during the first two day I knew her, but recently she seems to have gotten more confident in herself. I can tell by looking at her that she has feelings for me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in her as well.

Aizawa Akane. Open with her feelings, smart, and kind. I remember the look on her face when she made her confession. She said those words while barely familiar with me at all, so I would be a bit skeptical if she said she loved me. She didn't say she loved me, though. Instead, she said she was interested. She was so honest about it, I almost considered accepting on the spot.

Satou Akira. She's someone I've known since my father remarried and started training me. She was tomboyish, always dressing in suits and occasionally even a bowler hat. She's like a family member to me. But recently it's felt like the bond called 'family' is slowly blurring and turning into something else. What it's turning into, I don't know. I do know that she's one of the most important people on the planet to me.

These three girls are the only people that come to mind.

Kuroki "I... honestly don't know... I think I found someone..."

He smile kindly.

Yorito "Well, if you're having trouble with deciding, just close your eyes and name the first person that you see standing by you."

Kuroki "Right now?"

Yorito "Yeah! Go ahead!"

I close my eyes as he says.

A person I treasure the most. The person I want to protect the most.

The first thing that comes to mind is-

[Long purple hair and purple eyes]

[Silky white hair and sky blue eyes]

[Short blonde hair and scarlet eyes]

Alright, this is when the paths split. Don't actually PM or review about the choice. It's already been made. :P

Sorry this one is so damn short, I just wanted to end ACT II and get to writing.

I've decided that I'll release the arc in one go, meaning I'll write a full arc and release it once I'm finished, then move to a different arc.

Also, I've written a chapter for another fanfiction, but that will get uploaded later.

It'll take some time, so forgive me if it takes a month.