No matter how many times she told herself it was all in the past, her body still trembled.
Her stiff muscles seemed to have lost all strength to move, and she could hear her own heartbeat clearly.
A chill spread through her entire body, making Ichinose Honami instinctively hug her arms tightly, as if doing so could help her desperately avoid recalling those scenes.
Yet some memories were destined to remain etched deep in her soul, clinging like maggots to bone—agonizing to the point of making her feel nauseous and dizzy.
Her stomach churned, a sour taste filled her mouth, her fingers turned icy, and even her fingertips shook.
Facing Nagumo Miyabi's indifferent expression, Ichinose Honami instinctively wanted to flee, but her legs inexplicably gave out.
Her face paled slightly.
She knew what she was afraid of.
She knew she had done wrong.
She knew she couldn't forgive herself.
She knew she had unresolved guilt.
And she knew, most of all, that she lacked the confidence to confront the choices she had made back then.
The store clerk had forgiven her.
After hitting her, her mother had cried and apologized, saying she shouldn't have fallen ill and been hospitalized, that it was her fault Ichinose had turned out this way.
During her leave from school, her younger sister had knocked on her door and apologized too.
Sometimes, she wondered if she should just let it go—after all, it seemed like no one else held it against her.
But whenever she thought that, a deafening roar would suddenly jolt Ichinose Honami awake.
Was she trying to deny her own mistakes?
No, that wasn't it.
She just wanted to be stronger.
She just wanted to face her mistakes head-on and, in the end, bravely overcome them.
It was like standing on a glass bridge high in the air.
Logically, she knew she wouldn't fall, yet she couldn't help but look down at the empty space beneath her feet, overwhelmed by fear—unable to move forward, yet equally unable to retreat.
The memories she thought had been buried now surged back, and Ichinose Honami felt as though her chest were being constricted, making it hard to breathe.
Self-loathing filled her mind.
"Heh, I'd love for others to see this expression of yours. The beloved Ichinose—a thief. I wonder what they'd think," Nagumo Miyabi said, tilting his chin up as he leaned back against the sofa, watching her expression with satisfaction, a pleased smile playing on his lips.
"...Are you threatening me?"
"Just a friendly reminder. Honestly, I'm even more curious now—how did you manage to deal with Mitoma? He knows you're a thief too, doesn't he?"
"That's none of your business."
"Is that so?" Nagumo Miyabi glanced at her chest with a somewhat ambiguous gaze.
"I thought you might have used some underhanded methods to make Mitoma comply, given that he seems like a lecherous guy."
In an instant, Ichinose Honami shot him an extremely sharp look.
"Please don't make jokes like that, Nagumo-senpai."
"Alright, alright, I get it." Nagumo endured her piercing stare, raising the opposite eyebrow with a smirk.
"But what are you going to do now?"
Ichinose's breathing grew rapid. She had made another mistake—assuming everyone could be trusted.
In reality, some people had no bottom line at all.
"Do as I say." Nagumo's voice turned icy. "Either everyone finds out about your past crimes and you return to your old life, or you lead your currently trusting classmates to climb to Class A."
Seemingly two choices, but in truth, there was only one path to follow.
Honestly, Nagumo couldn't understand Ichinose's mindset.
He wasn't forcing her to do anything bad—this was mutually beneficial. Why refuse?
How ridiculous.
Did she truly believe in a fair and honorable showdown?
In a life-or-death struggle, even the dirtiest tricks from childhood fights were fair game.
Anything to win.
He believed Ichinose would make the right choice because, in the end, only people like that survived.
"I..." Ichinose's lips trembled slightly, her shoulders shaking as if bearing immense pain.
"...I want to change myself."
Nagumo frowned.
What kind of answer was this? That wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Even if I run or ignore it, I know my past mistakes won't disappear. Not because I must constantly repent or condemn my sins..."
As she spoke, tears welled up in the girl's eyes, as if she might break down crying any second.
"I... I have to face the truth. I have to accept who I am. I must always remember I'm not perfect." She looked at her right hand, slowly placing it over her heart.
"A mistake is a mistake. Hiding it won't make it vanish. I'm someone who once stole, and I'll remember that firmly as I move forward—because someone will accept me. Someone won't care about my sins."
Instantly, Nagumo's expression darkened.
"Heh. You think someone will forgive you? That your crimes will just fade away?"
"I don't want to run anymore. Fear won't solve anything—it'll only drag me deeper." Ichinose paused.
"And... I don't want to make another mistake with you."
Nagumo felt a vein throbbing in his forehead, his teeth grinding as he spat out a near-hiss.
"I don't understand you at all. How could this entry form possibly harm you?"
"Undeniably, it might be the walkthrough for this sports festival, but—" Ichinose took a deep breath,
"I don't want to become like you people. Doing anything for victory in a single exam... I don't want my relationships to turn into life-or-death rivalries."
"Fine, fine, just wait and see, Ichinose. Clinging to such naive thoughts, you and your class will eventually drown in this ridiculous dream!"
Nagumo Miyabi could barely contain himself.
He couldn't understand why this girl wasn't afraid of her crimes being exposed, why she could reject him so easily.
"Thank you, senpai. I'll be going now." Ichinose Honami gave him a slight nod before walking out of the office door.
Bang—
After she left, Nagumo kicked the desk in front of him, his face dark with anger.
What should have been a straightforward matter had turned out like this—where exactly had things gone wrong?
He couldn't comprehend why dealing with a first-year junior could be so troublesome.
After a long while, Nagumo finally calmed down and regained his usual composure.
He picked up his phone and sent a message to Ryuuen Kakeru.
If Class 1-B wouldn't cooperate, it didn't matter.
He still had Ryuuen's Class 1-C.
Either way, he could make Kaoru Mitoma's life miserable.
Seeing Ryuuen's reply improved Nagumo's mood considerably.
This was the power he was supposed to wield—he didn't even need to step in himself, as there were always people willing to handle his dirty work.
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