I have a life simulator.

But now, it means bringing back her sister's smile.

Honami Ichinose reached out her hand towards one of them, but the sudden voices around her made her pull her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.

She quickly lowered her head and left, lingering around the counters, as lingering too long would arouse suspicion.

Even at this moment, Honami Ichinose was still engaging in rational thinking, which made her feel nauseous with disgust.

She mingled among the chaotic crowd. Back in school, Ichinose Honami had confidently stood tall and delivered speeches countless times in front of hundreds or even thousands of students. But now, she instinctively longed to have the ability to become invisible, to minimize her presence little by little.

In those few short minutes, it seemed as if any casual conversation by others was thunderous in Ichinose Honami's ears. If someone even glanced at her, Ichinose Honami would scrutinize herself from head to toe with trepidation.

For every single moment of the past fifteen years, Honami Ichinose has never associated herself with the word "criminal."

She wasn't committing a crime; she was doing it for her sister.

This thought suddenly popped into my head at some point.

It's no big deal to do bad things for your sister. There are so many bad people in the world, and compared to them, you are the one who deserves the most forgiveness.

This thought occupied her mind, and Ichinose Honami's hand suddenly became much steadier, a strange and wonderful sense of relief slowly arising from the depths of her soul.

Honami Ichinose needed this vague self-comfort, as if doing so would prevent her actions from seeming too shameless.

She grasped the hair clip with the most natural of postures; no one would suspect a young girl like her standing in front of the counter selecting items.

The younger sister's smile had solidified into the small hair clip that Ichinose Honami held firmly in her hand. Her beautiful figure seemed to suddenly become steady, as if dozens of kilograms of weight had been added to her body, and her two feet were almost hammered into the smooth, brand-new floor tiles.

Honami Ichinose's heart froze in mid-air, but her hand involuntarily slipped the hair clip into the lining of the bag she was holding in her right hand.

She turned around with difficulty and walked into the nearby restroom almost without looking back.

In the bathroom stall, in an effort to reduce its size, Honami Ichinose somewhat awkwardly or roughly tore open the outer packaging of the little thing. After flushing the outer casing down the toilet, she discreetly placed the tiny hair clip into her inner pocket.

Of course, carrying the stolen goods on her person made Honami Ichinose feel ashamed and guilty, but more than anything, she was weighed down by her feelings for him.

As she walked out of the restroom and headed towards the exit, Honami Ichinose felt something was missing from her heart, like a bite taken out of the full moon by a mythical tengu. Every step she took felt like a needle piercing her heart. While desperately enduring this torment, Honami Ichinose, as if atoning for her sins, picked out a type of chewing gum at the checkout counter that she would never normally even glance at.

Honami Ichinose's physical body was still there, smiling as she handed over money to the shop assistant, but her soul seemed to be swaying and about to leave. It wasn't until she stood on the street again, under the blazing sun, that she finally came to her senses.

Ichinose Honoki.

They committed theft.

She stood blankly under the shade of the tree for a while. Sunlight slanted down from above Ichinose Honami's head through the crisscrossing branches and leaves, casting a long shadow over her. Then, dragging this long shadow, she walked home with uneven steps, as if she had just come from some battlefield.

Honami Ichinose walked blankly for a long time on her way home, so long that she herself found it strange.

So she raised her head for the first time in a long time and looked around. The road to her right was still bustling with traffic, and the glass window of the clothing store to her left reflected a blurry shadow of her.

Although she had just walked a long way, it seemed that Ichinose Honami had only just realized what she had done. It was as if the effects of some kind of anesthetic had suddenly worn off, as if she had suddenly woken up from a nightmare. Ichinose Honami stared at the blurry reflection in the glass window and suddenly felt a burning pain.

She reached out and touched the glass.

To passersby, the young girl probably admired the gorgeous dress that was displayed high in the closet.

Honami Ichinose grabbed her own neck. In her vision, the person in the mirror was not herself, but a nightmare from a past nightmare that had suddenly emerged clearly from the darkness, making her momentarily dazed and frightened.

For a fleeting moment, the thought of returning the hair clip crossed her mind.

But then Ichinose thought of her sister and mother. She imagined herself handing the hair clip to her sister, and a huge sense of pride suddenly welled up in her heart. All the blood in her body rushed to her head, and she fell into a brief and illusory pleasure.

In this dreamlike state, Honami Ichinose quickened her pace.

It was as if they had fled a murder scene.

Under the blindingly blue sky, the girl ran home.

Chapter Four: The Guilty Ones (Part Two)

The door to the Kitagawa family across the street was wide open. Kitagawa Ryo leaned lazily against the wall outside the door. The white cat on his shoulder slightly opened its eyes, its pure and brilliant fluorite color possessing ultimate beauty, but it closed its eyes as if it had no interest and curled up into a soft white ball.

"good afternoon."

Kitagawa Ryo looked at Ichinose Honami, who was panting slightly.

"You seem to be in some trouble, Ichinose-san."

Ryo Kitagawa, a rather strange neighbor who moved in at the beginning of this month.

Honami Ichinose doesn't like labeling people, but she can only make such a definition for Ryo Kitagawa on her own.

Aside from the initial polite visit and casual encounters and customary greetings in daily life, this boy, who was only a year older than Ichinose Honami, always seemed to keep to himself. Ichinose Honami's conversations with him were limited to the very beginning.

"Thank you for your concern, Kitagawa-kun. Nothing's wrong."

Without much thought, Ichinose Honami instinctively rejected the other person's question.

She awkwardly pulled out her key. Ever since her younger sister and mother had argued, Ichinose Maki had been locking herself in her room. It was alright now that it was summer vacation, but Ichinose Honami was more worried that her sister would stay sullen until school started.

Therefore, she had to quickly hand the hair clip to Ichinose Maki as a belated birthday present.

"Um, Ichinose's younger sister is in my living room right now. She just fell asleep after playing with Hotaru."

Kitagawa Ryo turned to the side, and Ichinose, who was standing outside the door, peeked in. He quickly saw his younger sister sleeping soundly on the large sofa in the other's living room, covered with a thin air conditioning blanket.

Honami Ichinose was well aware that her younger sister liked Kitagawa Ryo's white cat named "Hotaru." It seemed that her sister had been spending more time with Hotaru since she was in a bad mood these past few days, and whenever Ichinose Maki went over to pet the cat, Kitagawa Ryo would open the door wide without any hesitation.

"Excuse me..."

Honami Ichinose composed herself, her previously rapid breathing gradually returning to normal, and bowed to apologize to Ryo Kitagawa.

"fine."

Kitagawa Ryo silently shook his head. When they first met, he seemed like the aloof type. Although Ichinose Maki said that "Kitagawa Ryo is a very kind older brother," Ichinose Honami was relieved to hear that he didn't seem to blame her.

"Ichinose-kun's younger sister has been acting strangely these past few days. I apologize for being so forward, but could you please tell me what happened?"

Her emotions, which had just calmed down, suddenly surged up again, and Ichinose spoke almost instinctively:

"No, nothing's wrong."

Because of her overly direct tone, Ichinose Honami quickly apologized with a wry smile:

"Thank you, Kitagawa-kun, for taking care of Maki during this time. Anyway, I will handle it as soon as possible."

Since the other party had already gone this far, Kitagawa Ryo didn't press further. Ichinose Honami thanked him softly and then woke up her sister. The two sisters said goodbye to Kitagawa Ryo together before closing the door.

Because she still had to deliver food to her mother, Ichinose Honami was also hurriedly preparing the ingredients. Ichinose Maki, yawning, didn't seem to want to talk to her sister and went straight back to her room.

After placing the prepared dinner on the table and leaving a note for her younger sister, Honami Ichinose packed her mother's portion in a bento box and returned to the hospital.

Before leaving, Honami Ichinose clipped the hair clip into her textbook, planning to surprise her sister when she returned that evening.

She stopped thinking about the origin of the hair clip. Ichinose Honami had already decided to bury this matter deep in her heart. Her steps became inexplicably lighter, and her mood became more cheerful.

On her way to the hospital, Honami Ichinose looked up and saw the setting sun, which hung heavily on the branches like a blood-red fruit. The irises in the green belt were bright as spring and seemed to be laughing at her.

Honami Ichinose was having dinner with her mother. Her mother was sitting on the bed, and although she was feeling a bit better, she kept insisting on being discharged from the hospital. Honami could only coax her like a child. She knew the reason for her mother's illness, so she sat on the edge of the bed, held her mother's hand, and said:

"Maki... she'll be fine in a couple of days."

It sounded like a comforting word, or a promise, but coming from Honami Ichinose's mouth, it became an unshakeable fact.

So the mother finally felt relieved. She believed in her daughter, a trust that had been built up over the past fifteen years.

They then began to eat with smiles on their faces. The mother and daughter ate bite by bite, and the two silhouettes cast by the light on the glass window repeated the same actions, making it seem like a feast for four.

The mother noticed that Ichinose Honami's lips were greasy, so she gently wiped them clean with a handkerchief.

"Like a little kid."

Honami Ichinose's face was a little red. She lowered her head and poked the corner of her mouth with the tip of her right finger, as if afraid that there was still oil on it.

When Honami Ichinose walked out of the hospital, the silvery moonlight had already bathed the earth. The streets at night were just as lively as during the day. Several groups of office workers, who seemed to have come from some izakaya, were drunk and shouting noisily. On the side of the road, a Shibuya-style woman in high heels and heavy makeup was smoking and waiting for someone. Couples of similar age were whispering to each other with their heads close together.

But her heart seemed to quiet down. Ichinose Honami followed the moonlight along the path toward home without any hindrance.

Several hours had passed, and there had been no news of anything being stolen. When Ichinose Honami passed by the department store, it was still brightly lit, and the huge flow of people was no less than during the day, weaving back and forth between the shelves.

Honami Ichinose was just a tiny member of them, and that hair clip was just one of many items among them.

Right?

Honami Ichinose held a flyer she had just received in her hand; the summer fireworks festival was about to be held at the end of the month.

She looked up, standing among the crowd on the street, waiting for the fireworks to rise into the night sky under the bright moon and few stars.

When Honami Ichinose returned home, her younger sister had already turned off the lights, and the plates on the table were gone. Honami opened the cupboard, and there they were, washed and stacked. It seemed that her younger sister had washed the dishes as usual after finishing her meal.

She was once again convinced that her younger sister was not a bad child.

The mother is not wrong, and the younger sister is not wrong either. Their reconciliation only needed a small trigger. The current cold war is just children throwing a tantrum.

Feeling the heat of the water from the lotus seedpod touching her skin, Honami Ichinose first shivered involuntarily, then quietly closed her eyes and felt the hot water washing over her.

If I give the hair clip to my sister tomorrow morning, she'll be happy, and then it'll be natural to suggest that she visit our mother...

With this thought in mind, Honami Ichinose looked up at the white ceiling, her wet hair plastered to her face. She stood up and pushed aside the shower gel on the shelf next to her.

-------------------------------------

The morning dew is lifted up by the leaves. In that instant, it is so beautiful, crystal clear, reflecting the sun's brilliance, as if it is shining with golden light itself. The proud dew gradually becomes fuller, and the heavy dew bends the leaves.

Until the very next moment after being shattered to pieces.

Honami Ichinose knelt blankly in front of her mother's sickbed. The woman in front of her had stopped crying, but it seemed as if her cries still echoed in her ears. Those cries were like dust floating in the air, like fish swimming in the air, drilling into her ears and into her brain, where they lingered for a long time.

An hour ago, Honami Ichinose witnessed her family's happiest moments; the joy emanating from their hearts was like a gentle spring breeze, almost washing away her guilt. But now, an hour later, she faces her family's most furious side.

Ichinose Maki naturally had no idea that the hair clip was something her older sister had stolen. Just as Ichinose Honami had predicted, she agreed to visit her mother after receiving the hair clip, even though Honami had just promised her to keep the secret.

But the younger sister clearly didn't care; right now, she probably wanted to show that hair clip to the whole world.

Except for one person.

The mother bit her lip and stared at Ichinose Honami, the hair clip lying on the bedside table beside her. Her face suddenly hardened.

"Where did it come from?"

"...I took it from the mall."

Where did the money come from?

Whether she wanted to struggle a little longer with the truth, or simply couldn't believe her daughter would steal, the mother asked a completely unnecessary question with trembling lips.

"I stole the hair clip."

Honami Ichinose spoke frankly, closing her eyes as she awaited judgment.

Her mother had never hit her or Maki. Even when Maki threw a tantrum and cursed her with the most unreasonable words, her mother only apologized desperately.

But this time, Honami Ichinose really got a hard slap in the face.

Not knowing where her mother got the strength, or whether she had already given up control of her body, Ichinose Honami trembled and fell to the ground.

The entire ward was unusually quiet, as if time had stopped at that moment. Ichinose Honami sat on the floor in the position she had fallen for a long time, and it was her mother, with a somber face, who pulled her up from the bed.

Despite being ill, her mother suddenly exuded an undeniable aura as she grabbed Ichinose Honami's hand and pulled her outside.

Honami Ichinose knew what her mother wanted to do, and she understood her mother's parenting style, but she didn't have the courage to speak up, nor did she have any reason to refuse.

She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff, suspended in mid-air. For the first time, the all-powerful Ichinose Honami showed a helpless look in her eyes, but this met her mother's gaze, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

Honami Ichinose committed theft, which contradicted her life philosophy of the past fifteen years.

Her mother wanted her to burn everything from the past fifteen years.

The obsessive mother dragged Ichinose Honami to the department store, where a similarly obsessive girl had been yesterday.

The mother publicly exposed her daughter's crimes, believing that only such a painful consequence could make Ichinose truly repent.

Honami Ichinose knelt on the ground in a dogeza posture, with her mother kneeling beside her.

Among the onlookers were well-dressed business people, students from the same junior high school as Ichinose wearing uniforms, and mostly housewives out shopping.

Honami Ichinose suddenly realized that the "Honami Ichinose" persona she had built up over the past few years was burning. All the memories, events, and relationships were like piles of firewood, and she had done an exceptionally good job of building them up.

Therefore, the fire burned fiercely and crackled loudly, and the thing called trust turned to ashes and disappeared.

Honami Ichinose was being observed like a sculpture, the gazes of the onlookers like knives, slowly tearing away all dignity, their lips like grinding stones, tearing the truth apart in a sticky mess before whispering it to another circle of people who had gathered around.

Honami Ichinose is a strong and brave girl. Although the above things made her heart waver, she knew that she had committed a sin, so she pursed her lips and endured it.

What truly destroyed her was her mother, who knelt beside Ichinose Honami immediately afterward.

Perhaps this was the punishment the mother felt was for her poor parenting.