Chapter 60 The host stepped on a landmine
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"Thank you for your help~" Ichinose Honami said with a bright smile, not hesitating to hand over the bag to Rin Matsuoka, who helped her carry the heavy plastic bag.
With Rin sharing the weight, Ichinose suddenly felt much more relaxed as they walked together toward the first-year teaching building.
Along the way, Ichinose tilted her head and looked at Rin. "I didn't expect that you'd have such an interesting encounter on your first day at school, Rin-san."
"Other than what happened with the chairman, have you come across anything else interesting?" Ichinose asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Other interesting things..." Rin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He wondered for a moment if it would be amusing to talk about blackmailing the seniors from Nagumo. No, best not bring up something that might scare her off.
Suddenly, Rin remembered something peculiar worth mentioning.
"Well, maybe not anything exciting, but I did meet someone pretty strange."
"Really? What was strange about them?" Ichinose asked, intrigued.
"She was counting items in the store, but she stole something—of all things, it was beer. And the strangest part? She doesn't even like drinking," Rin said, raising his eyebrows. "Isn't that weird, Ichinose?"
At Rin's words, the smile on Ichinose's face froze momentarily. Her bright expression dimmed, as fear and guilt clouded her eyes.
Ichinose Honami had a past that she could not bear to recall.
She came from a single-parent family, and her mother had raised both her and her younger sister on her own.
When her sister's birthday was approaching, Ichinose wanted to gift her a hairpin—an accessory worn by a famous artist. However, their mother suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized, making it impossible for her to work.
In that situation, buying the hairpin was out of the question. Even maintaining their daily lives became a struggle.
Ichinose's sister had always been mature for her age and had never asked for anything, so Ichinose felt determined to fulfill her sister's rare wish.
She thought about getting a part-time job to earn some money, but no local businesses were willing to hire junior high school students. They required at least high school students.
Feeling hopeless, Ichinose learned that the hairpin she wanted was going to be discontinued soon.
Desperation pushed her to make a choice that went against her conscience. Ichinose secretly stole the hairpin, hoping she wouldn't get caught, and gave it to her sister as a birthday present.
Everything seemed fine until her sister showed off the hairpin to their mother during a hospital visit. Their mother, knowing that Ichinose couldn't have bought it, confronted her, and Ichinose was forced to confess her theft.
Afterward, their mother took Ichinose to the store to return the stolen item and confess her crime.
Although the store owner forgave her, the incident left a deep scar on Ichinose's heart.
Since then, Ichinose had locked herself in her room, overcome with guilt. It wasn't until she enrolled in this school that she began to recover from the psychological trauma.
Now, whenever Ichinose heard the word "stealing," she was reminded of her past mistakes and felt overwhelmed with guilt.
[Host, you just stepped on a landmine.]
Huh?
The prompt from the narration system made Rin Matsuoka look surprised. He glanced at Ichinose Honami, who had suddenly stopped walking.
Rin noticed that Ichinose's expression had turned pale, filled with fear and shame. Recalling the hint from the narration earlier, he grew thoughtful.
When he had mentioned stealing, the narrator pointed out that he had "stepped on a landmine," and now Ichinose Honami was acting unusually.
"Could it be that Ichinose herself stole something? Or perhaps someone close to her, like a family member or best friend?" Rin mused internally.
That would certainly explain her strong reaction.
"Then..." Ichinose Honami paused before softly asking, "What happened to the girl who stole the items?"
"I didn't confront her right away," Rin responded casually. "I followed her and stopped her in a secluded area. After a 'friendly and cordial' conversation, I 'convinced' her to return what she had taken."
"Is that so? That's good..." Ichinose whispered softly, then resumed walking. Rin, seeing her move ahead, followed her.
The atmosphere between them had noticeably shifted—it was no longer the warm, harmonious mood from earlier. Instead, it felt awkward and distant.
As they approached the first-year teaching building, Ichinose bit her lip and hesitated before asking, "About thieves... Rin-san, what do you think of people who steal things?"
"You want to know my thoughts on thieves?"
"Yeah," Ichinose murmured, her voice low.
"As the saying goes, no one is perfect. It's natural for people to get confused or make mistakes in life, even in work or studies," Rin began, his tone calm and thoughtful. "But I believe that after someone makes a mistake, they must sincerely acknowledge it and make a real effort to correct it."
Ichinose listened attentively to Rin's words, her face softening. The confusion and unease that had been clouding her earlier expression seemed to melt away.
Lowering her eyes, Ichinose whispered under her breath, "Yes... I've realized my mistakes... and I've seriously reflected on them for months..."
"Huh? What was that, Ichinose? I couldn't quite hear you." Rin, who had actually heard her perfectly, pretended not to.
"Nothing~" Ichinose responded quickly, her tone suddenly bright and cheerful again.
[Host, you've successfully avoided a landmine, and Ichinose Honami's favorability toward you has skyrocketed!]
[Congratulations, Host! You're one step closer to the goal of 'even if you're paralyzed, someone will take care of you.']
Rin frowned at the narration's odd commentary. Did the system have no filter? What kind of "congratulations" was that? And what did it mean by "even if you're paralyzed"? Wasn't that practically cursing him?
After their brief conversation about thieves, Ichinose Honami became noticeably more cheerful toward Rin. Her expression had lightened considerably, her eyebrows relaxing as her face blossomed into a smile. It was as if the tense cloud had lifted, and she now resembled a girl happily walking with a boy she liked.
After climbing the stairs, Rin and Ichinose finally arrived at the floor where Class B was located. From the classroom ahead, lively chatter could be heard, indicating that the students inside were socializing.
"Well, this is Class B, so I guess it's time for me to leave," Rin said, turning to Ichinose Honami.
"Wait, Rin-san, don't go just yet! Come in with me. I still haven't properly thanked you for helping me," Ichinose said warmly, extending an invitation to him.
Whether it was helping her carry the drinks or offering his words of comfort earlier, Ichinose Honami clearly wanted to express her gratitude to Rin.