2

School life in elementary school and junior high school was smooth. Whether a boy or a girl, the cheerful and generous Honami Ichinose made many friends.

Although there are some areas where I am not good at sports, but following the policy that things will change if I work hard, this shortcoming, which is not a shortcoming, is steadily improving little by little.

In the third grade of junior high school, Ichinose Honami became the student council president of her dreams, so she could stand on a larger platform and reach out to all those in need, just like the clouds granting help to mortals. Blessed angel.

But every time the bell rang after class and she returned to her home called home, after her classmates, teachers, and study all dispersed, a harsher and sharper reality appeared, stuck in her throat like a fish bone. Here, there is a problem that she cannot solve.

On the campus of junior high school, when everyone wears the same uniform, eats the same food, and the world they know is just a small area centered on themselves, people and people...students and students The difference is more about simpler things such as the quality of grades, the speed of running, and the number of friends.

These are things that Honami Ichinose can achieve through hard study, hard training, and gentle treatment of others.

But the wealth and poverty of a family cannot be achieved overnight, not even the most perfect Honami Ichinose can achieve it.

All she can do is to do the work that her daughter and sister should do, and work hard to win special admissions to private high schools, just to reduce the high tuition fees to reduce the burden on her mother.

In Ichinose Honami's original plan, she wanted to give up her studies and start working after graduating from junior high school, but her mother stopped her.

Ichinose Honami remembered clearly that her mother smiled faintly at that time. It was a smile she had not seen for a long time. The slight wrinkles squeezed her and made her realize the fact that her mother was getting older:

"Fanbo, you still don't understand now. Because you still have a long unknown life ahead of you, so you dare to make decisions boldly. You will work hard for what you think is right and will not consider your own future."

"Continuing to go to school or work... This should be regarded as the first point of disagreement in your life, just like the first crossroads you go to."

She stroked Ichinose Honami's hand, and her somewhat rough palm felt warm.

"But I don't have that future anymore. My life is not going to change anymore. I've passed several points of divergence before I got here, so there's just a straight track ahead."

"If there is any point of difference in my life."

She answered with a tired but gentle expression:

"That's you."

The reason why the mother works so hard is just that she doesn't want her two children to repeat her life in the future.

After realizing this, Ichinose Honami gave up that idea.

Now she was a little annoyed that time passed too slowly. She knew very well that every day of campus life she and her sister spent now was based on the labor of her mother. This feeling made her feel like she was gradually drowning. Suffocated, she wished she could fold the three years of junior high school and three years of high school into four days. Maybe there would be college later, but that didn't matter anymore. If she became an adult, she could at least help her mother to share some of the burden.

Honami Ichinose is still a top student who is willing to help others and is kind at school. At home, she is still a model sister and daughter who takes care of her younger sister and considers her mother. Honami Ichinose is a smart girl. Since she can't change the status quo for a while, then... Just wait.

Put your heart in a cage and wait patiently like a bear in hibernation.

What Ichinose Honami didn't expect was that the person who finally drove her into the ice and snow was her sister who was two years younger than him.

If Honami Ichinose is an overly sensible child, then her sister Maki Ichinose is an ordinary and sensible child.

Perhaps we shouldn't demand her with the same harsh attitude we treated Ichinose Honami. After all, for a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl who is still a child, she can understand her family situation and work hard not to cause trouble to her mother. It has completely reached the standard of being sensible.

What she can't compare to her sister is a peaceful mind.

Ichinose Maki chose to hand over all her expectations and dreams to the artists on the stage. Watching her favorite person dazzle everyone under the spotlight, it was as if she had also flown to heaven. Under the flashing neon lights, Ichinose Maki stopped and looked at the idol on the big screen on the street.

The hairpin on the other person's head is glowing.

For the first time she felt a strong desire for something.

That style of hairpin quickly became the most popular style of the year when other girls gathered around to comment on it. Ichinose Maki was sitting in her seat and it was the most popular style of the year. When her classmates showed off during class, she held up the textbook and read it word by word. Look, every word seems to be unfamiliar. She is as serious as a first-grade student who has just learned the fifty tones. She has not turned a page during the entire class.

Ichinose Honami never cared about her birthday. Every time she heard the saying "Birthdays only come once a year" from her friends, she would always complain silently in her heart, "Isn't every day a birthday?" Is it once a year?"

But she will pay attention to her sister's birthday. Only on her birthday will Ichinose Maki act a little coquettishly in line with her age. It is almost a coquettish act, and her mother and Ichinose Honami will be as satisfied as possible every time. she.

But when she noticed her sister's recent preference, she was a little confused for the first time. As the most popular style at the moment, that hairpin was not cheap. It didn't mean that her family would not be able to afford the money, but if she spent that kind of money, If the amount is just for one card...

During the summer vacation of Honami Ichinose's second year in junior high school, on her sister's birthday, she and her sister walked a long tree-lined road on the street. The two of them passed by the door of the department store countless times, and the hairpin showed through Glass cabinet windows are proudly displayed as the best-selling items nowadays.

Ichinose Honami held Ichinose Maki's hand. The sun fell on the ground through the mottled leaves, creating light spots on the ground. The shadows of the two of them were also cut into pieces. Ichinose Honami I don't know whether I want the other party to tell me that I want that hairpin or whether I want my sister to be as... sensible as ever.

"elder sister."

She was almost startled, Maki Ichinose looked up at her:

"For my birthday this year, I want to eat two, no, three ice creams."

"...It's easy to get a bad stomach."

"Birthdays only come once a year."

Ichinose Maki didn't go too far like this.

But she actually had a little hope in her heart. Ichinose glanced at the hairpin secretly, and she sighed softly, as if she was making a wish on the candles on a cake that didn't exist:

Next year, the price of this card issuer should come down a bit.

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

Three important things happened in Ichinose Honami's third year of junior high school.

Apart from the aforementioned incident of her becoming the student council president, the second incident was that a new neighbor suddenly moved in across the door.

It was early July, when summer vacation had just begun.

It was a strange combination of a boy about his age and a cat.

The opportunity for her to meet him was that pure white cat.

They had just moved in at that time and were still arranging the furniture. They kept the door open for convenience. The white cat lying lazily on the container immediately attracted the attention of the Ichinose sisters, especially the younger one. Se Maki has little resistance to this cute furry creature. She is usually timid, but this time she dared to get closer, as if she wanted to reach out and touch him.

"Meow."

The white cat had no intention of avoiding it, and let its little hand touch its round head.

"Hello, sorry for disturbing you, it will be over in about half an hour."

As if Ichinose was troubled by the containers stacked in the corridor, the boy who walked out of the room stepped forward and apologized.

"Ah...it's okay. I am Honami Ichinose who lives next door. This is my sister Maki Ichinose. My mother is not at home."

Honami Ichinose is not afraid of strangers, and his etiquette is impeccable.

"I will pay a formal visit later."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, as if he saw the two people's love for the white cat, and said with a smile:

"This is my cat, very well behaved."

"I'm Kitagawa Ryo, please give me some advice."

The boy is nearly 1.8 meters tall and is almost a head taller than Ichinose. He is wearing a loose hoodie and black jeans. He has a strong and well-proportioned figure. His back is straight. He is holding a bag full of groceries in his right hand. The cardboard box looks effortless, the dark forehead hair is slightly longer, slightly covering the eyebrows, and the handsome facial features have a somewhat cold and hard look. The most eye-catching one is the pair of deep pupils, like a pool of deep water. , making people unable to figure out what the other person is thinking.

"Beichuan...Ryo, right?"

"I am Honami Ichinose who lives next door, so please take good care of me in the future!"

Ichinose Honami stretched out his hand towards Kitagawa Ryo with his usual enthusiastic smile.

"oh."

"Please take care of me."

The windows that had not yet been installed with curtains were wide open, and the early summer sky was a bit dazzling in the dry hot wind.

For some reason, Ichinose Honami's mind suddenly drifted to his sister's birthday this year, and he thought of his mother who suddenly started working overtime in the past two days.

Beichuan Liang lowered his eyes and stretched out his hand.

Out of the corner of his vision, he caught a glimpse of the stupid cat playing happily with the little girl, and he murmured in a low voice:

"Ichinose...?"

Ichinose Honami's Summer Returns: Chapter 3: The Guilty (Part 2)

The conflict between mother and sister broke out on the second day of Ichinose Honami's sister's birthday.

She had just followed the doctor's instructions to take the medicine. The corridor of the hospital, no, the overall color of the hospital was pale. There were not many people in the corridor, and everyone kept their voices down as much as possible. Their timidity and uneasiness about their loved ones made them The expressions on their faces look surprisingly similar, as if they are wearing masks of different sizes but the same shape, masks composed of fear, solemnity, and a wisp of visible expectation.

But the presence of Honami Ichinose made the place where she was suddenly brighter. I don't know if it was because of the brilliant hair color or the energetic figure, or both.

The air-conditioning in the hospital is turned on just right. You can clearly feel the heat waves from the scorching sun outside the window through the glass windows, but you can only feel cool when you are indoors. But when you think that you came here because your mother is sick, you can feel the heat. Kunise Honami's mood gradually dropped again.

Before entering the ward, Ichinose used the reflection of the glass on the side to slightly smooth the wrinkles at the neckline, and checked it again from top to bottom. The girl took a deep breath and gently held her hands with her hands. He slapped his cheeks, the appropriate force causing a slight stinging sensation, and the most perfect smile that had been shown countless times bloomed on his pure and lovely face.

She didn't want her mother and sister to worry, she couldn't let her mother and sister worry.

Ichinose Honami put his right hand on the door handle of the ward. It was a pale handle that matched the color of the hospital.

There were quarrels coming from inside, roars that were so hoarse that they almost released all the suppressed energy.

The younger sister, who had just begun to change her voice, had an unprecedented sharp voice. She was like an eagle-like bird, using its sharp beak to peck open the mother in front of her layer by layer until she could see the bloody nerves in the flesh.

The daughter was cursing her mother.

She couldn't compare with girls of the same age in terms of food, clothing, parents, and love. Nothing could satisfy her heart, not even a little bit of vanity.

Ichinose Maki told her grievances. Things that might be scorned by adults would be the end of the world for her.

Children are irrational.

Elementary school students often complain about things that adults cannot understand. For example, a friend made another friend, accidentally knocked over the lunch box today, and the whole class laughed. They will also participate in After finishing the cram school, I put down my schoolbag and shouted, "I'm so tired."

Ichinose Maki is such a child. For the past year, she has been yearning for that hairpin. Even though the popular trend in the class has changed several times, she is still paranoid and almost unreasonable. .

It was as if as long as she could wear that hairpin, she would be able to endure the past year.

The mother was apologizing desperately, and her words seemed intermittent amid the continuous coughing. She seemed to want to stand up and hold her daughter's hand, but in the end she could only barely stand up half straight, and the sunlight filtered in from the window. A thin silhouette was reflected on the wall.

The shadow looked fragile, helpless, and a little old.

She finally covered her face with her hands and cried.

And Ichinose Maki's voice also broke into pieces of words and symbols. Big tears rolled down her face. She didn't dare to look at the person on the bed, but there was something in her mouth. Still mumbling to himself.

From lunch boxes to stationery, from not being able to take out her mobile phone when exchanging contact information, to not being able to go out to parties with her classmates, to that hairpin she wanted.

Maki Ichinose talked more and more like she was doing it on purpose. There were some things that she had been holding back in her heart. She dug them out bit by bit in front of her mother, from the deepest well.

She showed all her past emotions and memories, throwing them in pieces on the floor with no intention of cleaning them up. Ichinose Maki just stood there numbly and tiredly, watching the fragments of feelings scattered everywhere, Dark and twisted, snaking.

Ichinose Honami's hand was still on the doorknob, and the warm palm was tightly bonded with the metal shell, as if he was trying to grasp the doorknob into his palm.

For the first time, she felt the cold, lifeless chill that seemed to suck all the warmth out of her body.

The touch that makes one's hair stand on end travels along the fingertips and spreads through the nerve center of the brain to the whole body. It seems that the part in contact begins to wither. It is expressed through the temperature difference and touch, and is reflected in Ichinose Honami's brain. , forming distinct pictures and scenes.

Honami Ichinose felt dizzy and spinning. For the first time, he felt that the air conditioner in the hospital was turned on too low.

What made Ichinose Honami even more frightened was that she clearly felt that her sister's words were too much, but she did not have the courage to reprimand her sister.

In other words, she felt from the bottom of her heart that she was not qualified.

Ichinose Hanami felt that she should do something, but at this moment, her legs seemed to have suddenly lost strength, or she didn't know what the use of them was. She bit her lower lip lightly. The bite was so hard that she almost turned white. She dragged her legs to the end of the corridor, squatted down little by little, hugged her knees, and shed tears one by one.

When he came back to his senses and walked into the ward, everything inside was in a mess, and all that was left were the crying mother and the horrific wreckage of the Ichinose family.

The originally barren heart seemed to grow dense weeds in an instant, and messy thoughts filled his mind. Ichinose Honami couldn't help but ask himself over and over again:

As long as I get...that hairpin, my sister will laugh again, and everything will be fine again.

From that moment on, Ichinose Hanami seemed to clearly see a dark and shameful part of himself, which was something completely different from Ichinose Hanami's appearance.

Is that her? Is it Honami Ichinose?

If not her, who is it?

Ichinose Honami did not dare to continue to pry into her heart. She just numbly continued to repeat the two points and lines between the hospital and her home.

There is a sister who has lost her smile at home, and a mother who is bedridden in the hospital.

Ichinose Honami was sandwiched between two walls, and the two walls were approaching, compressing the breathable air inch by inch.

It was still a scorching sunny day, and the midsummer sky was thrillingly blue.

Ichinose Honami walked towards the department store. Irises were blooming sporadically in the green belt beside the road. The wind in the air was sticky and warm. Ichinose Honami swam in like a ghost. the crowd.

She stared blankly at the flow of people in front of her, and passed between them expressionlessly. These old people, young people, and children seemed to have all turned into the black and white garbled characters on the screen before the TV program started airing in her childhood. There is no life at all.

Ichinose Honami walked to the card-issuing counter. It was no longer the grand scene that was highly publicized a year ago. Dozens of neatly packaged small boxes lay there quietly, like ingredients not far away. The fruits and vegetables she often visited in the area.

But the five-digit price of the small decorations showed their difference. Ichinose Honami unconsciously calculated how many days this number could support their family's expenses, but she was very disappointed. I feel ashamed again for this subconscious behavior.

The value of this thing is not determined by the price. In the final analysis, it is just a hairpin. In terms of practicality, it is not fundamentally different from those cheap hairpins.

But now, it means restoring my sister's smile.

Ichinose Honami reached out to one of them, but the sudden sound of voices around her made her retract her hand as if she was electrocuted.