A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

"Mhm mhm!" Shouko nodded playfully. She was about to say she wanted to buy a time capsule too, but then realized that carrying it around while playing hide-and-seek might be inconvenient, and if she left it on a bench, someone could mistake it for lost property.

She quickly changed her mind and told the Staff Member, "Um, onee-san, I'll come back to buy it later when I'm heading home. It's a bit hard to carry while playing."

The female Staff Member chuckled and waved her hand. "No rush, I'll be here all day." Then, with a smile, she reached out to ruffle Shoko's hair—only to pause when she noticed the silent warning gaze from the boy standing beside her.

Kazama, who had been watching quietly, spoke up, "Let's go. We'll wait for Shin-chan and the others at the usual spot."

Initially, he and Nini just planned to take a quick look. He still felt spending 500 yen on a capsule was a waste—better to buy a few manga volumes.

"Okay," Shoko nodded, and the group left the booth and headed for their usual bench in the park.

Not long after they settled in, Daiki and Shinnosuke finally arrived. Once everyone had rested for a bit, they began playing hide-and-seek.

Akira had clearly said he would just watch from the bench. It felt a little childish for him to join in. But Shoko wouldn't stop with the pouting and pleading, and eventually he gave in.

Later, when it was Yuzuru's turn to be the oni (seeker), she began protesting.

"You saw Hachiko first! That means Hachiko should be the oni, not me!" she argued with folded arms. "His tail was sticking out, right?"

Akira blinked, speechless. But before he could say no, she added dramatically, "So he's the one who should count!"

With a sigh, Akira gave in once again. And so, for the first time in the history of the park, the role of oni was given to a dog.

"Hachiko, stand right here. Don't move," Yuzuru instructed seriously. "Bark thirty times, and then come find us. If you see someone, bark once, okay?"

"Woof!" Hachiko barked obediently, tail wagging.

Once Yuzuru finished explaining the rules, everyone scattered to hide, leaving Akira frozen on the spot.

What am I even doing with my life?

Still, curiosity took over. Could Hachiko really play hide-and-seek?

To everyone's surprise, Hachiko barked exactly thirty times, paused, looked around, spotted Akira—and promptly ignored him. Then, it darted off, nose twitching, and within two or three minutes, had found everyone one by one.

Yuzuru, having been discovered way too early for her liking, pouted all the way back to the bench. "Hachiko, you traitor! We were so close, and you still found me first! You just wanted me to be the oni, didn't you!?"

"Woof!"

"I'm mad at you. I'm not playing with you anymore," she grumbled, stomping ahead.

Hachiko barked twice, confused.

But the moment she returned to the bench and saw everyone else wasn't back yet, she quickly hugged the dog. "I knew it, you're the best! I love you the most!"

Hachiko: For my honor... for my existence...

Eventually, everyone grew tired, and the group parted ways at the park entrance. Akira, Shoko, Yuzuru, and Hachiko strolled back home together.

That Afternoon

Akira was sprawled on the sofa like a Ghibli dad, aimlessly watching TV. Nearby, his mother Shizuka chatted away with his dad, Daiki Most of the conversation was just her sharing local gossip, with Daiki nodding and smiling along, clearly just playing the part.

Akira glanced at them and sighed inwardly. How does Mom not see through his act?

Then—click—the sound of a key turning at the front door echoed through the living room.

No need to guess. It was Shouko. She was the only one with a spare key to their house… and vice versa.

"Akira! Akira!" her voice called out even before she stepped into view.

She quickly changed shoes and ran to the living room entrance, where she was met by three pairs of eyes.

"Good afternoon, Uncle and Auntie..." she said, slightly breathless.

"Good afternoon," Daiki replied with a chuckle, peeling an orange and handing her a piece like it was habit.

Shizuka tilted her head curiously. "What's wrong, Shouko? You sounded like you were in a rush."

"Oh—oh, it's nothing!" she waved her hands, a little flustered. "I just forgot to buy the time capsule from that onee-san at the park earlier." She then gave a full rundown of what had happened.

After hearing the whole story, she added, "She's probably still waiting for me to come back. So I came to find Akira."

Shizuka leaned back with a nostalgic sigh. "A time capsule, huh… can't believe people still do those."

Shouko took the orange Daiki handed her and asked, "Auntie, you know about time capsules?"

Before she could answer, Akira interrupted, smirking, "Shouko, Mom's not some ancient relic. Of course she knows."

Shoko blinked, then panicked slightly. "Ah—sorry, Auntie! I didn't mean it like that!"

Shizuka laughed and waved it off. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean anything bad." Then she turned and gave Daiki a playful slap on the arm before glaring at Akira across the room.

"Let's go, Akira. Let's see if that onee-san is still there," Shouko urged, tugging on his arm.

"Alright, alright. Don't rush. Didn't she say she'd be there all day?" Akira stretched and got up from the sofa, brushing off imaginary dust from his clothes.

"Be careful on the road."

"Take care of Shouko, alright?"

"Okay."

"Don't worry, Mom."

Once the door closed, Shizuka leaned lazily on the coffee table again and muttered to herself.

"Time capsule, huh…"

Daiki glanced over. "What's up?"