V2Ch1: Fate Part 6

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Translator: Soafp

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“…He really was a good guy…”

After Sho left, Haru sat on the living room sofa and muttered to herself.

Come to think of it, it felt like the first time in ages she'd talked with someone for so long.

And maybe… the first time she'd laughed from the heart.

“…Man, I thought I was done dealing with people for good…”

Ever since the day her mother killed herself, she had believed no one would ever help her again, that there was no one left she could rely on.

But tonight, when she was in danger, Sho had stepped in. He had reached out his hand.

“Most people… as soon as they hear ‘daughter of a criminal,' they just walk away. It's been a long time since someone came at me that directly…”

‘I'm the daughter of a criminal.‘

Whenever people found out, they would leave her. Sometimes, she even used that fact herself as a way to push others away.

When she met someone who seemed too kindhearted, too good-natured—someone who would only get hurt by being involved with her—she would confess it herself.

“It doesn't matter,” they would say at first.

But in the end, things always turned the same way. Little by little, they would drift away. Stop calling, stop showing up. It was the easiest kind of farewell for Haru.

No cruel words, no declaration of hate. Just a slow, natural parting, leaving behind only faint memories. A way of saying goodbye without hurting either side.

At some point, Haru had grown used to partings like that.

“…I wonder what he'll do. Now that I think about it, we didn't even exchange contacts…”

Maybe Sho thought the same thing as all the others before. Maybe he didn't ask because he didn't intend to get involved any further.

“Well… whatever.”

She was used to that kind of treatment.

Haru told herself it was the usual thing, pulled a blanket from the corner of the living room, and stretched out on the sofa.

She always took a nap in the living room until after two in the morning. Until then, her neighbors wouldn't be fully asleep, and sometimes they would still harass her.

In recent years, as neighborhood ties had grown weaker, people breaking into her home or shouting insults directly had decreased.

But in exchange, incidents like dumping garbage or dangerous objects onto her property happened more often.

Even though ten years had passed since her father's arrest, the harassment hadn't died down.

“They say gossip only lasts seventy-five days…” she thought bitterly.

By now, Haru had resigned herself to the fact that things wouldn't quiet down until she left this place for good.

That night, luck was on her side. No major harassment came before two, and soon the neighbors' lights went out.

After confirming that, Haru finally slipped into her bedroom and crawled into bed…