In Chiba Prefecture, at a café not far from Sobu High School.
"Leaving aside the fact that students should focus on their studies instead of worrying about financial independence, running away from home is absolutely wrong!" While waiting for her older sister to arrive, Yukino Yukinoshita remained adamant that running away from home was wrong.
"I heard you rent an apartment on your own, Miss Yukino?" Doma Sougo asked in response.
"So?"
"Then is that apartment your home? You're not staying with the Yukinoshita Family, either. Doesn't that count as running away from home?" Doma Sougo continued.
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "..."
Yukino Yukinoshita: (⊙⊙)
They both thought at the same time: Could this guy have some kind of misunderstanding about running away from home?
"How is that the same thing? Besides, my father helped me rent the apartment, and I keep in touch with my family!"
"Hmm!" Doma Sougo stroked his chin. "So does that mean I can't move out of the Doma Family and into a house I bought myself? Do I have to get the old man to buy me a house first? And as for keeping in touch, I wouldn't say it's often, but I do call them now and then. It's just a pain that they cut off my allowance..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "..."
He said it! As an outcast with a bounty on his head from his family, he still kept in touch with them from time to time. The Doma Family really was playing a grand game. Could Haruno really get out of it?
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Doma Sougo, that doesn't count as running away from home at all!"
"Then what do you call it? I did move out of the Doma Family, after all!"
"That's just living on your own. Running away from home means cutting