When her senpai had arrived, they had walked to her house together.

The walk from the train station to the Nishimiya residence took about fifteen minutes. During that short walk, Nishimiya had already been feeling overwhelmed with guilt.

But she didn't dare show it too openly she knew all too well that her senpai didn't like this self-pitying side of her.

Sometimes, Nishimiya even hated how painfully sensitive she could be about such things.

She had always felt as though she was cursed at birth a jinx, a bringer of misfortune. A monster born with the original sin of causing pain, dragging those around her into a darkness she could never escape.

Yet in that dusky twilight where day melted into night, Nishimiya Shoko thought she saw just for a fleeting instant a glimmer of light.

But it truly was fleeting.

"Shoko, you have my contact. If anything ever comes up, don't hesitate to reach out."

Yukinoshita paused briefly before continuing, "Even I sometimes need to ask others for help. So there's no need for you to feel embarrassed about it."

With those words, this senior who, despite her quiet and aloof demeanor, turned out to be unexpectedly warm-hearted nodded slightly and walked off down the street.

There, waiting at the curb, was a sleek black luxury car.

Back when they were eating at home earlier, the car had already been parked silently outside one Nishimiya had only ever seen on TV.

And so, the girl who just moments ago had been mistaken for another deaf girl and walked the same humble road as her... now returned to her rightful place as a dazzling heiress.

Nishimiya couldn't help but think: people like her senpai were never meant to walk this earth they belonged in the sky. And just being lucky enough to catch a glimpse of such brilliance falling momentarily to the ground... was already a blessing beyond compare.

When she got home, her little sister peeked behind her.

"Shoko, is that senpai gone?"

"Mm-hmm."

Only then did her sister let out a huge sigh of relief. Hugging her camera tightly, she dashed over, her steps light and quick. "Finally! She's gone..."

Shoko chuckled as she began tidying up the things left on the sofa and sat down. "Yuzuru, do you not like senpai?"

"Not really…" Yuzuru scratched her head. "It's just… she's so unusual. The moment she stepped into our house, it felt like the whole place lit up or something. Being around her is kind of fun, but also kinda stressful."

Though Yuzuru's words tumbled out in no particular order, Shoko still understood her meaning.

She pressed her lips together, finished tidying up the kitchen, and walked over to her mother, kneeling down to massage her shoulders. "Feeling any better, Mom?"

Mrs. Nishimiya smiled faintly. "Your cooking's really getting good."

As a single mother raising two daughters on her own, Mrs. Nishimiya worked two jobs one at a pharmacy during the day, and another at a late-night diner.

Today, she had swapped shifts with a coworker because of Shoko's message. On most nights, she wouldn't be home until after 1 a.m.

She patted Shoko's hand gently. "As long as you girls grow up strong and capable, I can endure anything."

Then, as if something in her memories stirred, her expression darkened slightly, tinged with years of unspoken resentment.

"You'll show that heartless man. Even without him, we can still be better than anyone."

Shoko's hand paused for a moment before she murmured a quiet "Mm."

Mrs. Nishimiya massaged her own calf, then after a moment of hesitation, said, "Shoko…"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Have you… run into anything like what happened in elementary school, at your new school?"

Shoko thought of what her senpai had said to her before and answered in a soft voice, "No… and I won't, ever again."

Her mother held her hand, smiling with relief. "I knew it. Our Shoko can be just as good as anyone."

When Shoko was little, she had been constantly ill. Around the age of two or three, she was diagnosed with severe congenital hearing loss. Her illness had brought endless worry and hardship to the family.

Later, when she was still too young to remember anything clearly, her father divorced her mother and left. From then on, she and her baby sister were raised by their mother alone.

All those years of hardship and lonely struggle had accumulated into a quiet, bone-deep hatred that had never lessened over time.

Shoko herself didn't harbor much resentment toward her father. Life in this world was hard enough already; running away from pain was, in a way, normal. What her mother did gritting her teeth and refusing to abandon them that was the truly rare thing.

Just then, her phone buzzed gently.

Shoko glanced at the screen it was a message from Yukinoshita-senpai. Attached were several files detailing the history of the Sobu High Photography Club: past achievements, award-winning works, and alumni who had become successful photographers.

Everything was perfectly organized and thorough.

Senpai…

Her mother had clung to her out of love, yes, but also out of stubbornness and pain that refused to let go.

But what about her senpai?

What had driven her to reach out?

Later that evening, Yuzuru finished her homework and brought it over for Shoko to check.

Though Shoko's grades at Sobu High were average, helping a middle schooler like her sister was still well within her ability.

"Yuzuru, have you been slacking off again?"

"I have not!"

"You messed up such a basic question. I bet you weren't paying attention in class."

Yuzuru pouted but didn't argue back.

It was only then that she realized something when that senpai had helped her with her homework earlier, even though she'd felt both embarrassed and annoyed, she had also found herself growing closer to her faster than she'd expected.

And she wasn't someone who warmed up to others easily.

If even she could think that senpai was genuinely nice, then what about her big sister who always saw the best in everyone?

After checking the homework, the sisters took their baths and got ready for bed.

They shared the same bedroom, divided only by a curtain. But that night, Yuzuru left the curtain open.

"Shoko?"

"Hmm?"

"That senpai... she's probably really popular at school, right?"

Yukinoshita-senpai... yeah, she probably was.

Shoko hadn't been at Sobu High for very long, but she had already overheard her classmates talking about Yukinoshita from time to time mostly about her looks or her family background.

As for anything deeper, Shoko hadn't had the chance to learn yet.

Yuzuru's voice dropped low, almost like a whisper. "Since you have someone like her around… don't talk to that rat ever again, okay?"

Shoko, who had been making her bed, blinked in confusion. "Rat?"

"That guy who bullied you when you were little."

She turned away, her tone sharp with disgust and anger.

"You ran into him again yesterday, didn't you?"

"How could he smile like that, like he was meeting an old friend or something?"

"Seriously what a disgusting rat."

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