Words once spoken can't be taken back, and things already done are hard to make up for.
Since Asakusa Toru had absolutely no intention of apologizing or making amends, then wasn't it only natural that she, the one who took the money, would have to apologize in his place?
The time bought with that ten thousand yen was probably meant to be used like this.
She stepped in front of Asakusa Toru and bowed deeply, apologizing in a subdued voice, hoping to calm Mr. Natsuki's emotions.
From behind her, Asakusa Toru craned his neck and continued enthusiastically describing Mr. Natsuki's son's "simp diary."
Meanwhile, standing opposite them, Mr. Natsuki took this opportunity to vent at the unfamiliar young man before him—pouring out all the anxiety, guilt, and restlessness he'd been bottling up over this past stretch of time.
Probably because Mr. Natsuki had reopened the door, Asakusa Toru finally put down the megaphone. Relying purely on lung capacity, he tried to overpower Mr. Natsuki's voice directly, which only made her apologies sound even more insignificant amid the shouting.
Asakusa Toru talked about the royal capital, then about the mansion, then about the royal selection, then the White Whale, then… the Sanctuary.
As the voices rose and fell back and forth, Ichinose Honami suddenly felt like she might understand why Asakusa Toru was doing all this.
From the moment the door had first opened, it was obvious that Mr. Natsuki's mental state was poor.
Messy hair. Crooked glasses. Bloodshot eyes. A drained expression. A lifeless aura.
His son was missing.
From the words he poured out, she could clearly hear the regret eating away at him.
If only he had spent more time with his child—maybe he wouldn't have disappeared.
If only he had been more careful—maybe this wouldn't have happened.
If only he had searched harder—maybe his son would have come back.
Emotions buried deep in the heart, pressed down for too long, needed an outlet.
At this moment, Asakusa Toru willingly became that outlet.
…No, calling it an outlet might not be quite right.
At first, he had bluntly said that Mr. Natsuki's missing son was "being a simp," but the more he spoke, the more the contents of that "simp diary" began to sound strangely coherent.
It was like he was telling a story—like he was recounting a vividly real journey through another world.
The more she listened, the more it almost felt like… maybe someone really had been taken to another world.
…Of course, she knew that was impossible.
But if Mr. Natsuki's son truly couldn't be found—if he truly would never come back—
Then even a story like this, if it could help him accept it…
"'When entering a house, you take off your shoes—but when stepping into someone else's heart, barging in with your shoes on is the Natsuki family tradition.'"
Those words were like a bucket of icy water dumped straight over Mr. Natsuki's head.
The noisy shouting stopped abruptly.
Asakusa Toru also fell silent at once.
The only sound left echoing in the corridor was Ichinose Honami's repeated "I'm sorry," spoken while bent deeply at the waist.
At that moment, a brown-haired woman returned.
It was Mrs. Natsuki.
"—Ken, I heard someone was causing trouble here. I already called the police. They'll be here soon!"
Reaching this point in the story, Ichinose Honami let out a bell-like laugh.
"I really didn't expect Mrs. Natsuki to call the police," she said.
"At the time, the moment I heard the police were coming, I was so nervous."
"I almost grabbed Asakusa-kun's hand and ran."
"Thankfully, even though the police did come later, Mr. Natsuki chose not to pursue it further. Mom and my sister were worried for a while because I didn't come home that day, but since everything turned out okay in the end, it's fine."
No matter how you looked at it, shouting with a megaphone outside someone's house was way too much. Even if they'd been taken to the police station, there wouldn't have been any room for complaint.
"At the police station, Mr. Natsuki asked Asakusa-kun why he did all that, right?" she said.
"What Asakusa-kun said back then was the same as what he says today."
'Just pure self-satisfaction.'
Because I wanted to do it, so I did it.
As for how you interpret it—that's your problem.
Asakusa Toru: "..."
…You really remember everything clearly, huh.
"I'm grateful to Asakusa-kun," Ichinose Honami continued.
"And at the same time, I admire how Asakusa-kun can do exactly what he wants, whenever he wants."
"If only I could be like Asakusa-kun," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"I can't help but think that sometimes."
But unfortunately, she and Asakusa Toru were ultimately different.
The things Asakusa Toru could do were probably things she would never be able to do in her entire life.
So admiration would remain just that—admiration.
Ichinose Honami could only ever become Ichinose Honami.
"To me, Asakusa-kun is actually really important."
That was why she had felt so lost when she thought he might have given up on enrolling.
That was why her heart had skipped a beat when she saw him standing with C Class's homeroom teacher.
But thankfully, he hadn't given up on enrolling—and he hadn't forgotten her.
"This is just my own monologue," she said.
"But if possible, I want you to see a version of me that's different from before."
Ichinose Honami didn't know whether this counted as growth, or whether she had truly grown at all.
But if she could, she wanted Asakusa Toru to witness her change.
The confused version of herself belonged to the past.
The new high school life she was beginning needed a witness.
"..."
To be honest, after hearing all that, Asakusa Toru's mood was… complicated.
This wasn't the first time someone had come looking for him. After all, doing things on impulse as often as he did, it was inevitable.
Sometimes it was a beautiful girl.
Sometimes a boy.
Sometimes a middle-aged man.
Sometimes a delinquent.
But someone like Ichinose Honami—who had learned his core technique and started monologuing on her own—was honestly pretty rare.
Ah… this is really a pain.
Maybe he should just transfer classes.
…Just kidding.
Those twenty million points were much better saved as a revival item. Transferring classes would be a waste.
Besides, even though Ichinose did have some yandere potential, at least for now she was still pretty normal.
But… being a witness, huh…
"Since it's come to this, let's eat first," he said quietly.
After all, Ichinose had already said from the start that this was just her own monologue.
If that was the case, then even if he acted like he hadn't heard any of it, that should be fine, right?
"..."
…Man, my hands are itching.
It's not even halfway through the day yet, and I'm already starting to want to write my diary and draw rewards.
Enjoyed these chapters? Access advanced chapters and exclusive content by visiting my Patreon. https://patreon.com/WillOFD129?