A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

Seeing Takeuchi-sensei's expression darken, Ishida Shouya quickly sat back down in his seat without another word. Meanwhile, Akira, standing at the front of the class, felt it wasn't the right time to make things worse—Shouya had technically spoken up for him earlier. He decided to leave it be, for now. There'd be another chance to teach the guy how to behave.

"Miyamura, continue," Takeuchi-sensei said, forcing a polite smile while gesturing for him to proceed.

Akira nodded and kept it simple:

"Hello everyone, my name is Miyamura Akira. I hope we can all get along this year."

With that, he stepped down from the front of the class.

"He's Miyamura Akira? He's actually really handsome!"

"Wait, wait—that's Miyamura Akira!?"

"Why did that spiky-head call him a sissy then?"

"Naoka, Naoka! Look quick! That's Miyamura Akira!"

"I see him, I see him! Stop shaking me already!" Ueno Naoka rolled her eyes, trying to shake off Kawai Miki's excited grip.

But even as she spoke, her eyes were locked on Akira's face. Quietly in her heart, she made a comparison between him and a certain other boy—one that left the other boy thoroughly defeated.

"Alright! Quiet down. Next!" Takeuchi-sensei barked from the podium, unable to tolerate the growing buzz of whispers below.

"I'll deal with you later," Shouko said with a wrinkled nose as Akira returned to his seat. She stood and made her way calmly to the front, leaving him blinking in confusion.

She had grown a lot since first grade. Gone was the timid little girl. Now, she walked confidently up to the podium and addressed the class:

"Hello everyone. My name is Nishimiya Shouko. I'd like to become friends with everyone, and I hope to make many new ones this year."

She paused for a moment, brushing the hair behind her ear and revealing her flesh-toned hearing aid. Then she added warmly:

"I have a hearing impairment, but I can communicate just fine. You don't need to write anything down or use sign language—"

"Ahhh!! Then~ are~ you~ deaf~?"

The same obnoxious voice cut her off.

All eyes in the classroom snapped to Ishida Shouya, who stood again, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting like a clown.

A few classmates stared in shock. Others turned curiously to look at the hearing aid by Shouko's ear.

Takeuchi-sensei had reached his limit. This kid really knew how to pick his targets—first the president's son, now the president's wife's goddaughter!?

His face turned dark with fury. He opened his mouth to scold—

CLANG!!

A loud, metallic sound rang out. Something had slammed against the back wall before hitting the floor.

The sharp curse words that had been on the tip of Takeuchi-sensei's tongue were instantly swallowed. He glanced at Shouya and saw the boy frozen, wide-eyed in his seat like a statue.

There was no longer any need to scold him.

Shouko, still standing at the front, had watched the entire scene unfold—her gaze fixed not on Shouya, but on Akira.

"Takeuchi-sensei, I dropped my thermos. Can I go pick it up?"

Akira's calm voice echoed in the stunned silence.

Ishida Shouya practically collapsed into his chair.

All eyes now turned to Akira, who sat as if nothing had happened.

"Takeuchi-sensei?"

"Huh? Ah… oh, right. Go ahead, Miyamura," Takeuchi-sensei replied, snapping out of it. He coughed once and added quickly, "But don't throw things again. It's the teacher's job to handle unruly students."

'If that thing had hit him, I might've had to call an ambulance…' he thought.

"Okay, it won't happen again," Akira replied like an obedient student.

He rose, walked calmly to the back of the room under everyone's gaze, and bent down to pick up a black thermos from the floor. He gave it a careful shake, then nodded and said nonchalantly:

"Mom's thermos is pretty high quality. Didn't spill a drop."

As he turned to walk back, he paused next to Shouya's desk, casually patting his shoulder.

"Keep your mouth cleaner next time," he said quietly. Then, just before returning to his seat, he gave Shimada Ikki a meaningful glance.

"Ahem!"

Takeuchi-sensei cleared his throat again and called out, "Alright, Nishimiya, you can return to your seat. Next!"

As for writing a report about Akira's actions? What actions? All Takeuchi-sensei saw was a boy picking up his water bottle. And if Ishida's parents ever showed up to complain? He'd just say their son had disrupted class.

"Okay." Shouko nodded softly and returned to her seat. But as soon as she sat down, she started scolding the boy beside her in a low voice, her eyes turning slightly red.

Akira quickly panicked and tried to soothe her.

"I get it, I get it! I'll never do that again, okay? Please don't cry. I wasn't even hurt."

Some of the classmates watching from nearby exchanged glances in disbelief.

But Shouko's mood, as usual, shifted like the wind. After calming down a bit, she suddenly remembered something and turned her attention back to him:

"By the way—how can you be so good-looking!?"

"…Huh?"

Akira was completely thrown off. One second she was crying, now she was interrogating him about his looks? If anyone was to blame, it was the Miyamura genes.

Clap clap!

Takeuchi-sensei clapped loudly to quiet the room again.

"Alright, now that introductions are done, a few boys come with me to collect the new textbooks."

A few bored boys stood up quickly, glad for something to do.

Takeuchi-sensei turned toward the class. "The rest of you, stay quiet!"

"Now… back to our topic."

As soon as the teacher left, Shouko spun around in her seat and gave Akira a sharp look. He could only smile sheepishly, trying not to let her see through him.

"Shouya, are you okay?"

At the back of the room, the plump black-haired boy beside Ishida—Hirose Keisuke—asked gently.

Shouya didn't answer. He simply shook his head.

Keisuke was about to press further when a teasing voice cut in.

"Alright, alright. Give him a break, Keisuke," said Shimada Ikki, smirking. "He's just scared."

"I am not! Don't underestimate me!" Shouya snapped. "I just don't feel well and don't want to talk, that's all!"

"Really? Really?" Shimada's grin widened. "I was gonna comfort you. Guess you're not scared, huh?"

"I'm not!" Shouya shot back, clearly trying to save face. "It was just a water bottle! He got lucky! Next time I get the chance, I'll teach him a lesson. He can't do that to me and get away with it."

He was clearly still rattled. But since the thermos didn't actually hit him, it didn't hurt—so his ego was still intact. And now, fueled by embarrassment and provocation, his grudge against Akira only deepened.

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POWER STONE!!!

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