A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

That night, after dinner, the Miyamura family gathered in the living room to watch TV. Akira took the chance to ask Daiki Miyamura about those light novels again, hoping for a different answer—but received the same response Shizuka had given earlier.

At this point, he was certain. If he wanted to, he could pass off Japanese-style healing essays as his own. But it'd be smarter to wait until high school. Elementary and middle school would require parental consent for contracts—and worse, he'd have to explain where all his ideas came from. After all, he didn't even own a mobile phone. He couldn't exactly say, "I saw it on TV."

Time flew by, and soon, the summer break was drawing to a close.

Using some connections, Daiki Miyamura managed to get Akira and Shouko transferred into the same class. When Shizuka Miyamura brought them to register, the teacher recommended placing them together after learning about Shouko's hearing impairment. Though initially worried about safety and whether it was the right choice, Shizuka ended up asking Daiki to make it happen.

One afternoon in the park, while watching the kids play house, Akira sat on a bench, clearly bored. Turning to Shin-chan, he asked casually,

"Hey, what elementary school are you going to?"

At that moment, Toru Kazama—who was currently playing the role of a flush toilet and therefore had no speaking rights in the game—was the first to respond.

"My mom enrolled me in Guitō Elementary. I'll be living in the dorms."

After Kazama answered, the rest of the group chimed in one after another, listing the schools they were headed to. Turns out, Akira and Shouko were the only ones attending the same school. Everyone else had been enrolled elsewhere. Sakurada Nini was even going to an all-girls school.

When they'd finally tired themselves out, the group sat side by side on a park bench and watched the sunset. They didn't head home until Sato Masao's mother came to call him in for dinner, prompting the others to leave one by one.

"We're back!" Akira announced as he opened the front door, and Shouko echoed cheerfully into the living room. Sometimes, Akira didn't quite understand why she always shouted like that, but it was part of her charm.

"Look! Yaeko and I went shopping today and picked these out just for you two!" Shizuka said excitedly, holding up two brand-new school bags.

"Wow! Thank you, Aunt Shizuka!" Shouko stepped forward, grabbing the magenta backpack with a magical girl design and planting a happy kiss on Shizuka's cheek.

"Mom... doesn't the school provide uniforms and backpacks?" Akira asked as he took the smaller black bag with an Ultraman print. He acted like he liked it, but honestly, he found it a bit childish.

Still grinning from Shouko's kiss, Shizuka sighed when she heard Akira's question.

"What are you thinking? Suimon Elementary doesn't have standard-issue uniforms or backpacks."

"Huh? Seriously?" Akira frowned. He remembered clearly that the tuition for Suimon Elementary was around 200,000 yen a year—and it was a public school. (Roughly ¥10,000 RMB.)

He'd asked his dad about it too. Turns out, mid-tier private elementary schools in Japan could cost more than 6 million yen over six years. In comparison, Suimon Elementary was considered affordable. (About ¥300,000 RMB.)

"You'll wear your regular clothes, that's all," Shizuka said, not paying much mind to Akira's surprise. She added, "Oh right, tomorrow I'm taking you both to school to check your class assignments."

"Auntie, aren't Akira and I already in the same class? Do we still have to check?" Shouko asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Unable to resist, Shizuka scooped her up and gave her a loving squeeze, rubbing Shouko's cheeks. "First-year students always go in advance with a parent. Once you're older, you'll find out your class on the first day."

"Oh…" Shouko nodded, her baby voice soft and sweet.

As Shizuka continued to dote on her, Akira quietly turned on the TV, already used to his mom's antics.

The next day, Shizuka Miyamura took both children to visit Suimon Elementary. It wasn't far, so they walked—good practice for when they'd eventually go on their own.

It was Akira's second visit to the school, and it looked like any other elementary school: two modest three-story buildings, a gym to the right, a swimming pool to the left, and a wide grassy playground in the middle. There was also a guard booth next to the gate, which had the school's name engraved on it.

They entered and waited in the central school building, where a few other parents and students had already gathered.

"Wait here for me," Shizuka said, placing Shouko's hand in Akira's. "I'll check your class assignments."

Akira spotted a large wall nearby with a building layout diagram. Curious, he said,

"Hey, Shouko. Want to check that out?"

"But... Auntie said…" Shouko hesitated, following his gaze to the map.

"Never mind," Akira sighed. His mom would freak if she came back and they were gone. He didn't have a phone either, and everything at his age came with limits. He let the thought go with a silent sigh.

A moment later, Shizuka returned.

"You two are in Class 1-A. School starts next week."

"Let's go," she said with a smile, gently pulling their hands apart to hold them herself.

"Mom, I want to look at that wall over there," Akira pointed again.

"I wanna go too!" Shouko chimed in.

Shizuka laughed and nodded, letting them walk over to examine the campus map.

The setup was pretty simple: two classroom buildings, a gym, a pool, and a field. That was it. Akira glanced at Shizuka and Shouko—neither seemed too interested. There wasn't much worth remembering anyway.

Back home, they relaxed in the living room again. Akira noticed Hachiko wasn't around, and he was now certain the dog had been taken by Yuzuru Nishimiya.

Thinking about the upcoming school year, Akira turned to his mom, who was peeling an orange beside him.

"Mom, can I get a phone?"

"No," Shizuka replied flatly, as if she'd predicted he'd ask.

She split the orange in half and handed a piece to each of them. "You're still too young," she added, patting his head.

Akira didn't argue or act disappointed. He was just testing the waters. He hadn't even started first grade—what kid his age had a phone? Maybe by sixth grade, if he was lucky.

"I'll get you a phone watch when the time comes," Shizuka added thoughtfully. "One that can only make calls—so you can contact me if something happens at school."

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POWER STONE!!!

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