Without giving Gojo Satoru a chance to respond, Ichinose Honami directly wrapped her arms around him.
"I wanted to see you.
"No matter the circumstances, I wanted to be alone with you, Satoru... Someone like me must disgust you... right?"
"Why would you think that?"
Gojo Satoru neither pushed her away nor returned her embrace. He merely asked calmly.
"Why... Meeting a boy who has a girlfriend like this...
"It's just like why you left before..."
Ichinose Honami's voice grew softer and softer until it stopped altogether.
Her thoughts could not help but drift back to the past.
I grew up in a single-parent household with only my mother, who had to raise both my younger sister and me.
But I worked hard and earned excellent grades at school. I also applied for student aid, allowing my mother to ease some of her burden.
My younger sister was well-behaved too. She never threw tantrums, ate whatever we had at home, and used whatever was available. She never went through a rebellious phase.
So even though life was difficult, with our family's efforts and mutual understanding, things carried on as normal.
But when I was in my second year of middle school, my sister's birthday was approaching. She said she wanted a hair clip endorsed by a celebrity she liked.
The hair clip itself was not expensive, but because it was a celebrity-endorsed product, it cost several times more than an ordinary hair clip.
Our family was already poor—so poor that we could barely afford food, let alone clothing. How could Mom possibly agree to buy such a luxury item?
But unlike usual, my sister did not obediently accept it this time. Instead, she argued with Mom, crying and making a scene before eventually locking herself in her room.
Mom