“Why is family so important to you?”
Hinami bit her lip, looking down at her lap sadly. “My dad used to be my best friend. He always had the best book recommendations, and we would play cards together even though I was never any good. He died when I was 13.
Now my mom is all I have, and I know better than to take her for granted. She’s really busy working trying to take care of both of us, but we bake cookies together sometimes. And when I got upset over seeing Gigi at the shelter, she went back and got her for me. And nothing compares to the taste of her takoyaki.” At the memory, Hinami was smiling again, albeit not as brightly as she normally did.
“I don’t know; I guess I just know what it’s like to have people who are close to you taken away.”
