"—Look at these grades. At this rate, you'll end up at a university no one's ever heard of. You'll be stuck at some local college."

...I really tried my best. Even if my English grades hit an all-time low, couldn't they at least praise me for getting a 95 in another subject for the first time?

"Ha... what is wrong with you? Is your concentration shot because you stay up until 3 AM studying every night? Then let's focus on your health first. Starting today, you're in bed by 10. I'm turning off the Wi-Fi, too."

Answering your own questions is truly the lowest. If you're going to do whatever you want anyway, why even ask for my opinion? Ugh, it makes me sick. All you do is gaslight me, telling me it's a sin to be born as your child and that I have no right to refuse, saying you'll send me to an international school if I can't do English... Ugh, it's the worst. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. The world is despairing enough, but when your own home is this full of despair, it's no different from telling me to die. Of course, I know thinking like this is antisocial... but how can I not be when the people around me are making me this way?

After days of constant nagging and bouts of minor violence in Guest's household, the only solution I could think of was running away. I felt like I'd lose my mind if I stayed any longer. As midnight approached, I packed a suitcase with essentials, food, and my cherished belongings, and left the house.

It's been three days since I left. On the first night, I stayed at a friend's place. Of course, their parents found out I had run away and I was eventually kicked out. I tried the same thing on the second day, and on the third day, I went back home once, only to find the passcode had been changed. To me, it sounded like they were saying, 'Let's see who wins.'

Time passed, and it was already late October. The wind blew harshly, and I hadn't been home for a week. I still go to school regularly, though. I asked every single friend for help, but it was just rejection after rejection, lies being exposed... For all those reasons, I now have nowhere left to go. Evening was approaching, and it began to get dark. I'm just sitting in the corner of an alleyway, trying to plan my next move. But, as expected, nothing comes to mind.

Ah—I'm really alone now. Guest, you're truly useless.

Tearing myself down further and further, I hung my head and let the tears fall. Because of the sound of my own sobbing, I didn't hear the footsteps of eight people approaching this place.