Shikime Natsu didn't rush to say something cliché like "Do you trust me that much?"
After all, Ichinose Honami's expression at this moment already explained everything. She had obviously made up her mind about something to open her heart to him at this time and place.
At a time like this, saying such things would be a bit unable to read the atmosphere. Furthermore... it would be a huge blow to the courage the girl had managed to muster with such difficulty.
He looked around slightly to confirm that the area surrounding this secluded bench was indeed empty. Words of this secretive nature were, as expected, not suitable for too many people to be present.
Fortunately, the place Ichinose Honami chose was basically deserted at this time point.
The total number of students in the entire school was less than four hundred and eighty. Given how large the school grounds were, naturally, there wouldn't be people in every location at all times.
Ichinose Honami didn't speak immediately.
She seemed to still be trying hard to adjust her mood, but the expression on her face had become quite unsightly. Her brows were tightly locked, and her eyes revealed a deep pain and struggle, as if she were engaged in a fierce battle with some demon deep within her heart.
Seeing the girl's painful appearance, Shikime Natsu sighed slightly in his heart.
He gently parted his lips and used the God of Song talent ability.
"If it's really difficult to say, there's no need to force yourself."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a strange penetrating power. Gentle and mellow, it was like a soft spring breeze, slowly brushing over Ichinose Honami's anxious heart.
Although the God of Song talent was generally used for singing, sound itself could influence human emotions. Listening to happy songs makes people unconsciously happy, and listening to sad songs makes people feel somewhat sentimental.
Of course, this isn't absolute, but it is particularly effective in specific situations, such as listening to sad songs after a heartbreak.
Hearing Shikime Natsu's voice, Ichinose Honami felt her originally taut nerves seem to relax slightly. That suffocating sense of oppression also lessened considerably, though the expression on her face remained very strained.
"It's okay..."
She took a deep breath, trying hard to squeeze out a somewhat forced smile.
"Please, Shikime-san, you must hear me out.
"Actually, I hesitated for a long time about whether to say this... but, I feel that Shikime-san is a trustworthy person."
He hadn't even obtained many CGs yet, and he had already received a 'Good Person Card'. Of course, Shikime Natsu had long since gotten used to others issuing him Good Person Cards.
"This kind of thing... originally, I didn't intend to say it inside this school."
Ichinose Honami's voice trembled somewhat, as if every word was being squeezed out from between her teeth.
"However, it is like a thorn, deeply stuck in my heart, reminding me every moment... that actually, I am not at all as bright and dazzling as everyone sees me.
"Actually... I am a very bad girl."
Speaking up to here, she raised her head, her eyes filled with self-mockery and pain.
"I came to this school because I wanted to start over here.
"Although everyone in the class is a good person and trusts me very much... this trust has instead made me feel immense pressure.
"I'm afraid... afraid that one day they will discover my true colors and show expressions of disappointment or even disgust."
"So... I also always had the thought of finding someone to confide in.
"But, I am the leader of Class B, everyone's pillar. I simply cannot speak of this kind of thing to the classmates."
Ichinose Honami looked at Shikime Natsu, her gaze gradually becoming a bit softer.
"But Shikime-san is different.
"You are a good person, sunny, confident, and... that day, you even stopped me when I was momentarily influenced by Nagumo-senpai's words and, in a rush of emotion, thought about spitting out my secret.
"Shikime-san is a very gentle person. Even after knowing I had some unspeakable secret, you didn't choose to pry into it."
Shikime Natsu didn't interrupt her. He just sat there quietly, silently acting as a perfect emotional trash can.
Ichinose Honami took another deep breath, as if to empty all the turbid air from her lungs.
Then, she finally mustered the courage to speak of the past that had been tormenting her.
"I lived together with my mother and younger sister.
"Although the family wasn't wealthy, and could even be said to be somewhat hard-pressed... we lived very happily.
"My mother worked very hard. To let us two sisters live a normal life, she gave so much.
"So I was the same. To not add to the family's burden, and to get a scholarship for higher education, I always desperately worked hard aiming to be an honor student."
Shikime Natsu nodded.
He didn't doubt this point. After all, Ichinose Honami's entrance exam score was first in the entire grade; she was indeed impeccably excellent.
"But... in the summer of my third year of middle school, Mom suddenly fell ill."
Ichinose Honami's voice began to choke with sobs.
"It was to buy a birthday present for my sister. Mom secretly increased her working hours, and as a result, she collapsed on the job.
"On the hospital bed, Mom kept crying, kept apologizing... She said it was the first time my sister had actively asked for a gift, but she couldn't even satisfy this small wish...
"Seeing Mom like that, I was really so sad, and so unreconciled.
"So... I wanted to buy that hair clip for my sister through my own efforts.
"But... no shop would hire a middle school student.
"No matter how hard I tried, no matter what methods I thought of, I couldn't gather enough money in a short time.
"Until the last batch of that hair clip was about to sell out, I still hadn't raised the money..."
At this point, Ichinose Honami's body began to tremble violently, recalling what she had done that day.
"So... I chose to steal."
The moment these words were spoken, the girl seemed to be drained of all her strength.
"I stole that hair clip, gave it to my sister, and lied to her... saying a friend gave it to me."
Ichinose Honami's face was full of a bitter smile, a smile filled with self-loathing and fear.
She turned her head away, not daring to look into Shikime Natsu's eyes.
She felt she must look very ugly right now, right?
In Shikime Natsu's eyes, that bright and dazzling image of the Class B leader must have completely collapsed, right?
However, she had already prepared herself for this mentally.
It was just that...
Shikime Natsu didn't say anything. Neither words criticizing her nor comforting words came out.
It was as if he was waiting for Ichinose Honami to continue speaking.
Ichinose Honami bit her lip, and the pain that had slightly dissipated from her face surfaced once again.
"The day Mom was discharged, my sister and I went to pick her up together.
"My sister happily showed the hair clip to Mom. Seeing her happy look, I simply couldn't say the words to make her keep it a secret. Looking at my expression then, even though I didn't say it, Mom knew.
"She knew it was stolen.
"Then, she slapped me hard."
Speaking of this, Ichinose Honami subconsciously touched her cheek, as if the pain of that slap still lingered there.
"That slap woke me up.
"Only at that moment did I realize what a stupid thing I had done.
"Then, she took me to the store and apologized to the clerk in front of everyone.
"After returning home, looking at my mother who kept crying, I felt my whole self being swallowed by guilt.
"Although the shop didn't hand me over to the police... I had no way to forgive myself.
"I shut myself away. For a full half-year, I didn't take a single step out of that room.
"But... even so, Mom still said to me... she hoped I could grab hold of my own happiness.
"So... I chose this school. I wanted to start over here, to regain the trust of my mom and sister."
Having finished saying all this, Ichinose Honami finally raised her head to look at Shikime Natsu.
By now, her face was covered in tears. That face, originally brimming with vitality, was written full of helplessness and fragility.
As she dug out all the sins of her past, the guilt originally hidden in the girl's heart submerged Ichinose Honami again like a tidal wave.
[Ding~]
[CG41: I Bear Sin (Ichinose Honami)]
[I am a sinful person]
[Congratulations Host on acquiring Skill Card: Guilt (Designate any target, causing any person to feel guilt regarding a certain matter. Duration: 20 hours. Cooldown: One week)]
Shikime Natsu took a pack of tissues from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Ichinose Honami.
"Wipe your tears first."
His voice remained very gentle, his tone having undergone no change whatsoever. The feeling it gave Ichinose Honami was that even after knowing, Shikime Natsu's attitude wouldn't change in the slightest.
"To avoid someone passing by and thinking I'm bullying you."
Watching the girl tremblingly accept the tissue, Shikime Natsu lamented secretly in his heart.
This kind of deep, heavy guilt—probably only someone with an extremely strong moral sense like Ichinose Honami would have it, right?
That sin was like a shackle, locking her from middle school until now. If not unlocked, it might truly accompany her for her entire life.
This kind of thing might sound somewhat absurd. After all, it was just stealing a hair clip; was it necessary to push oneself to this extent?
But for someone like Ichinose Honami, even a tiny stain was enough to dye her entire life black.
In comparison, his cute deskmate Kamuro Masumi was different.
Also stealing, Kamuro Masumi would also be afraid of being discovered and worry about expulsion, but... the guilt she felt was completely different.
She would absolutely not be like Ichinose Honami, tortured by guilt to the point of wishing for death, even affecting her current life. No, rather, a normal person wouldn't carry guilt for a lifetime because of a single theft.
Some people, even if they did many excessive things, could directly ignore them, throw them to the back of their minds, and live their days happily.
Of course, the act of stealing is undoubtedly wrong.
So Shikime Natsu didn't say things like "You aren't wrong" or "It's excusable" to absolve her.
He just looked quietly at Ichinose Honami and asked back:
"Didn't you plan to start over?"
"Yes... that's right."
Ichinose Honami wiped her tears, her voice choking.
"But... the current me has started to doubt.
"Does a criminal with a stain like me... really have the qualification to start over? Do I really deserve everyone's trust?"
At this moment, she was as fragile as a delicate porcelain doll; a slight touch would shatter her.
"Of course you have the qualification."
Shikime Natsu spoke quite seriously, his pale golden eyes looking straight at Ichinose Honami, meeting those tear-filled azure eyes.
"Ichinose-san, think about the mindset you came here with. Since you intend to start over, then properly start over, instead of being wrapped up in past guilt and unable to move forward.
"The shop didn't choose to hand you over to the police and accepted your apology, which means they already forgave you and gave you a chance to turn over a new leaf.
"And you also said, during the time you shut yourself away, your mother also told you not to give up on yourself and to strive to grab your future. That also counts as forgiving you.
"Living in this world, who doesn't make mistakes?
"Since everyone chose to give you a chance, why are you the only one unwilling to let yourself off?
"The current guilt is just something you, Ichinose-san, are forcibly imposing on yourself. There is only one thing you need to do, and that is to remember it, and not commit it again, rather than using this matter to torture yourself.
"From now on, put down the past and pick up your life again."
Shikime Natsu spoke, serving chicken soup for the soul one spoon after another. He could basically say these words off the top of his head, but for Ichinose Honami, these words still carried a certain weight.
After listening, Ichinose Honami looked at Shikime Natsu in a daze.
After a long while, she silently nodded and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes again.
"Thank you... Shikime-san."
Although her voice still carried a trace of crying, it was obviously much more relaxed than just now.
"After saying these words, I feel my whole self is much lighter.
"It's fine."
Shikime Natsu smiled and stood up.
"However, as a friend, I still have to remind you of one thing.
"You must never casually tell this kind of thing to others again.
"For someone as kind as you, if someone with bad intentions grabs hold of this handle, it will be very terrible.
"So, let's treat today's conversation as a secret between the two of us."
Shikime Natsu chuckled lightly. Ichinose Honami was even more fragile than he had imagined; there was a big gap from the image she had displayed before.
Of course, Shikime Natsu had known this matter long ago, but only now did he truly understand it.
Regarding Ichinose Honami, Shikime Natsu didn't wish for a person who was essentially kind at heart to be maliciously targeted.
If that smug brat Sakayanagi Arisu knew this news...
Shikime Natsu thought about it briefly; she would definitely use tactics like rumors to make Ichinose Honami collapse.
After all, just being known by one person made Ichinose Honami's expression this pained. If it were known by the Class B crowd she loved, it would probably be unacceptable for the girl.
"In this school, although we are competitors, before being competitors, I am first Ichinose-san's friend. If you have any troubles, feel free to confide in me.
"I consider myself quite good at pouring chicken soup for the soul."
____
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