A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

"Shouko, mom should be here too, right?" Akira gently reached out and rubbed her soft cheek.

"Mm~" Shouko blushed, lightly patting away his wandering hand. She gave him a small glare and replied softly, "Mm-hmm. Auntie should be right behind me."

Knock knock…

Just as she finished speaking, a knock came from the door, drawing the attention of everyone in the office.

Miyamura Shizuka stepped up to the door, her memory guiding her through the familiar hallway. After spotting the teachers and students inside, she gave a polite nod and said, "Excuse me."

"Akira, you're not hurt, are you?" she asked immediately, walking over and placing a gentle hand on her son's head. A quick glance at Shouko—who looked neither panicked nor teary-eyed—gave her reassurance that things were under control.

"Nope." Akira shook his head, calm as ever.

Satisfied with his answer, Miyamura Shizuka withdrew her hand and cast a brief look at the spiky-haired boy nearby. He sat in silence, eyes closed, showing no signs of injury or distress. Still, something about him seemed oddly familiar—she was sure she'd seen that hair somewhere before.

Takeuchi-sensei stood up and fixed his glasses, trying to regain authority. "Mrs. Miyamura, please rest assured. Miyamura-kun isn't hurt."

Shizuka turned to him with a polite smile. "Hello. You must be Akira's new homeroom teacher—Takeuchi-sensei, was it?"

After a quick exchange of pleasantries, Takeuchi-sensei gestured toward the sofa. "Please, have a seat. We can speak further once the other parent arrives."

"It's alright. The kids and I can stand for now." Shizuka declined politely, guessing that the other parent would arrive any moment.

Knock knock…

Another knock echoed through the room, and everyone instinctively turned toward the door.

Akira immediately recognized the woman standing outside. She hadn't changed much since third grade—aside from dyeing the top of her mostly-blonde hair black. It was Ishida Miyako, mother of Ishida Shouya.

"I'm Ishida Shouya's mother," she announced, stepping into the room. From the moment the teacher had called, she knew it had to be Shouya who caused trouble again.

Ishida Shouya opened his eyes upon hearing her voice. Meanwhile, the other teachers, seeing it didn't concern them, went back to their business.

Unlike Shizuka earlier, Ishida Miyako rushed to her son's side, squatting down and immediately fussing over him. "Shouya, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Ugh, annoying! What are you doing?" Shouya frowned and slapped her hand away, uncomfortable under the stares. When she persisted, he forcefully shoved her aside.

"Auntie, careful!" Akira reacted quickly and steadied Miyako before she could fall.

"Thank you." She turned and finally saw Akira clearly. To her surprise, the student her son had a conflict with was Miyamura Tsunayoshi. She gave him a grateful smile and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Such a polite boy."

Cough cough. Takeuchi-sensei cleared his throat to reclaim the spotlight. Once both mothers were paying attention, he began recounting the full story.

After hearing the whole explanation, Ishida Miyako turned to her son. "Shouya, why would you try to tear up Miyamura's textbook?"

Shouya shrugged dismissively. "Why would there be a reason?"

Of course he couldn't say it was because he got scared and wanted to save face by acting tough in front of the class.

"Shouya!" his mother scolded, voice sharp.

Feeling cornered and embarrassed, Shouya suddenly shouted, "I just don't like him! A guy hanging out with girls all day, and he can't even take a joke!" Then he stormed out of the room.

"Sho—" Ishida Miyako called after him, but it was too late. She let out a sigh. She couldn't leave right away—there were still apologies to make.

"I'm truly sorry. This was ultimately my son's fault." She bowed deeply to Miyamura Shizuka.

Surprised by the sudden formality, Shizuka quickly bowed back. "No, no, my son also made mistakes." Even if she didn't believe Akira was wrong, it was best to keep things cordial.

Then Ishida Miyako bowed again to Takeuchi-sensei. "I apologize for the trouble. It's the first day of school, and he's already causing problems. I'll take him home and talk to him properly."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and hurried out of the office.

"Thank you for your patience today, Takeuchi-sensei," Shizuka said. "I'll take Akira and Shouko home now as well."

"Mm, of course," Takeuchi-sensei nodded. There were only self-study sessions left anyway, and frankly, he didn't feel like teaching anything more today.

As they stepped out of the office, Akira gently tugged his hand free from his mom's.

"Mom, Shouko and I will go back to the classroom first and clean up a bit."

"Alright," Shizuka nodded. "I'll wait for you both at the gate."

She gave Shouko's hand a squeeze and headed down the stairs.

"Let's go, Shouko." Akira held out his hand.

"Hmph." Shouko let out a little huff, ignoring his hand and walking off on her own.

Back in the classroom…

"Um, hey—about the umbrella. I can replace it if you want," Akira said gently, stopping beside the girl's desk.

"Oh no, no, it's totally fine!" she waved her hands frantically. "It's not broken or anything."

Akira still apologized, leaving a small amount of money on her desk. Then he walked quietly back to his seat.

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POWER STONE!!!

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