The new school year at Suimon Elementary School began as scheduled. Unfortunately, Yaeko Nishimiya couldn't take the day off to escort Naoko to school, so she entrusted the task to Shizuka Miyamura. Shizuka reassured her that it was no trouble at all—as long as Naoko understood the situation clearly, she wouldn't feel hurt.
On the first day, only first-years had a half-day: find their classroom, pick a seat, introduce themselves, then head home. They arrived later than the upperclassmen.
Shizuka walked into the schoolyard holding hands with two adorable children—Akira and Shouko—and saw that most of the people around were other new students and their parents. The older students had already returned to their classrooms, with only a few stragglers left outside.
As they passed the school building marked with signs for the class assignments, Akira noticed a boy with spiky hair standing with a woman—likely his mother. He only glanced briefly before turning his attention back to the direction of Class 1-A. Luckily, first and second graders were all on the ground floor—no stairs needed, which Akira appreciated.
Outside Class 1-A, they could already see that most of the students were inside.
"Mom, are you heading home now or waiting outside?" Akira looked up at Shizuka.
"Do you know the way back? If so, I'll head home and prepare lunch," Shizuka replied softly, crouching down to speak at eye level.
Akira nodded confidently. Shizuka gently stroked their heads and reminded them, "Call me if anything happens."
"Okay," Akira replied as he reached for Shouko's hand. A few days ago, Shizuka had bought him a child-safe smartwatch that could make calls and tell time.
"Let's go, Shouko," Akira said with a smile.
"Yeah!" Shouko chirped. She was visibly excited to meet new friends.
The classroom had two empty seats left in the back by the window. The rest had already been partially filled. Each desk was spaced apart—about half a meter front-to-back and a meter side-to-side—with no connected seating.
"Pick first," Akira told Shouko gently. She chose the front seat, saying it didn't matter as long as Akira was behind her.
While they chatted, a tall woman with a sharp voice entered the classroom—wearing a navy-blue suit, black-rimmed glasses, and her hair tied in a high ponytail. She walked to the front and rapped loudly on the chalkboard.
"Shouko, the teacher's here," Akira whispered, seeing she hadn't noticed.
The teacher stood at attention. "Everyone, sit down. My name is Junko Minagawa, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. You can just call me Ms. Minagawa!"
Her presence was commanding. Akira thought she seemed like a strict and decisive person. He noticed her glance linger briefly on him and Shouko.
After silence fell across the room, Ms. Minagawa declared, "From left to right, one at a time—come up and introduce yourselves." She stepped aside and stood by the door, arms folded.
One by one, students introduced themselves. A girl with twin ponytails, wearing a yellow shirt and orange skirt, marched up to the podium.
"My name is Matsuoka Miu! Please take care of me!" she declared cheerfully, bowing.
Next came a more reserved girl with a single ponytail, dressed in a blue shirt and shorts.
"I'm Ito Chika... please take care of me," she said shyly, bowing quickly.
Then it was Shouko's turn. Akira gave her a reassuring nod. She hesitated but eventually walked to the front of the class.
"My name is Nishimiya Shouko. Please take care of me. I want to be friends with everyone!" she said all in one breath, her voice trembling slightly. Just as she was about to bow—
"Why do you have a red thing on your ear?" a boy in the front row asked bluntly.
"Eh?" Naoko didn't catch what he said.
"Shouko, he asked about the red thing on your ear," Akira stood up and said clearly so she wouldn't feel lost in front of everyone.
Better to step in now, Akira thought, than to let her flounder under all those stares.
Shouko gave him a grateful look. She reached up to touch the device, then took a breath and said firmly, "This? It's a hearing aid. I have a hearing impairment. Without it, I can't hear clearly. But with it, I can hear your voices—and be friends with everyone."
Just as the boy was about to ask something else, Ms. Minagawa interrupted with a sharp tone, "Save your questions for after class." Then, more gently, she turned to Naoko: "Shouko, that was very brave. You did wonderfully. Please go back to your seat."
Akira whispered words of encouragement as she returned.
When it was Akira's turn, he simply stated, "I'm Akira Miyamura," and returned to his seat without bowing. Some kids thought he was rude; others thought he was cool.
When everyone finished, Akira counted: there were thirty-six students in Class 1-A—eighteen boys and sixteen girls. There were six classes in the grade.
Ms. Minagawa clapped her hands. "Now, everyone head outside. We're going to adjust seats!"
A flurry of chairs scraped the floor as the class emptied. Ms. Minagawa had two older boys help rearrange the desks into pairs. As they waited outside, several girls gathered around Shouko, including Miu and Chika, eager to talk. But no boys approached Akira.
"Okay! Line up in two rows by height—shortest to tallest!" Ms. Minagawa called after a few minutes.
Akira peeked through the classroom window and saw that the desks had been paired. He wasn't worried. He was sure Ms. Minagawa would place him and Shouko together.
But Shouko, standing near the front of the line due to her height, was quietly panicking. She had heard from other students that seating would be based on height—if Akira was far behind, they might not be paired.
What she didn't know was that Daiki Miyamura, Akira's father, had pulled a few strings—quietly ensuring Akira and Shouko would be in the same class and sit together.
Meanwhile, standing further back, Akira smiled calmly. Whatever came next, they'd face it together.
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POWER STONE!!!?
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