Hachiman's Meritocracy Classroom

Was there something wrong with the steak?

Oh no.

Only then did Ichinose realize that she had been holding his hand the whole time, so Hachiman couldn't hold his fork at all.

She hurriedly let go, her face flushing faintly.

"Um—"

At that moment, Ichinose's younger sister finally seemed to break the awkward silence. "I'm sorry, Sis."

She said it.

The apology came suddenly, but all four people at the table knew what she was apologizing for.

Two years ago, for her birthday, she had wanted a hair clip identical to one worn by a washed-up celebrity. She cried over it, and in the end, Ichinose did something she shouldn't have—she stole.

She stole a hair clip from a convenience store for her.

At the time, she hadn't known it was stolen. By the time she found out, her sister had already shut herself away. Only then did she finally understand how excessive and immature her request had been.

"It's okay," Ichinose said.

She loved her younger sister dearly, and she knew that her sister had only gotten emotional and wanted the hair clip because she had always been well-behaved, restrained herself, and never spent money carelessly. Their mother had also promised to buy her that gift.

But then their mother fell ill, and the gift she had been looking forward to vanished as well. That was why she had lost control of her emotions.

Ichinose understood.

But.

Ichinose's mother looked at Hachiman as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Hachiman immediately said, "I already know about it. What she did back then was certainly wrong, but it won't lower my opinion of Ichinose. I accept both the Ichinose of the past and the Ichinose she is now."

"Whether it was then or now, I've never thought she