Akira glanced at Shouko's adorable face and let out a small sigh. With a face like that, she didn't look intimidating at all. If trouble ever ca their way, it would probably be disard by her sweetness alone—or just leave out of sheer confusion.
"Alright, let's finish folding these," Akira said gently, steering their focus back to the class activity.
"Heh!" Shouko puffed her cheeks like a little tsundere, pointed at the paper cranes on the desk, and said proudly, "While you were spacing out, I already folded most of them!"
Akira was about to praise her when a familiar voice rang out across the classroom.
"Alright, quiet down. I've got a few announcents," said Mr. Minagawa as he returned to the room. He had stepped out earlier after being called to the principal's office.
His gaze swept across the room before landing on Miu Matsuoka, who was waving her hand with exaggerated urgency.
"Matsuoka, what is it?" he asked with a raised brow.
Miu stood dramatically and locked eyes with him. "Mr. Minagawa, please don't say it. My sixth sense tells this is bad news."
"Nope. Sit down," Mr. Minagawa replied, smiling in that calm but slightly threatening teacher way.
He cleared his throat. "Ahem! This Friday, there will be a parent-teacher eting."
"Ehh!?"
"Seriously?! Why now?!" The classroom erupted in groans.
Even Akira was taken aback. They hadn't done this in first or second grade—why now? He muttered to himself, Why do we even have this kind of thing…? Not that he was worried—his grades were always perfect.
Smack! Smack!
Mr. Minagawa clapped the podium to get everyone's attention again. Miu raised her hand.
"Yes, Matsuoka?"
"Can you not tell our parents everything?"
"Nope."
"Then… can Akira's grades count as mine?"
"Nope."
"Then… can we just not tell them at all?"
"If no one shows up, I'll be calling to ask why."
"Then—"
"Go stand at the back."
At last, Mr. Minagawa had enough and sent her to the back of the room. At least he didn't make her stand in the hallway.
"But whyyyy…" Miu pouted as she trudged to the back wall.
"Anyway," Mr. Minagawa continued, "the eting will be Friday morning. Only one guardian needs to attend. If no one's available, your family must call in advance."
"You don't need to bring lunch that day. After the eting ends, you can go ho early."
"Understood?"
The students nodded in reluctant unison.
"Good. Back to folding."
He glanced at his watch. Seeing class was nearly over, he added, "Matsuoka, you can sit down."
"Oh, okay!" Miu cheerfully returned to her seat.
The class resud folding origami while Mr. Minagawa skimd over the next day's lesson materials.
"Akira, did you hear that? The eting's on Friday," Shouko whispered once it was clear there were no more announcents.
Akira nodded. "Yeah. Aunt Yaeko should be free… I think." Though in truth, he wasn't sure. If she really was getting that promotion, she might be even busier than usual.
Shouko smiled at him, a little grateful. Even if she could tell he was just trying to reassure her, it still ant a lot.
Just then, Mr. Minagawa stood up and said, "That's all. Head ho safely."
He picked up his textbook and left before the bell even rang.
Ding… dong… ding… dong…
The bell chid the mont he walked out.
"Let's go too, Shouko," Akira said as he began packing his notebooks.
"Akiraaaa~!" Miu called from behind just as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "How about we… exchange test papers at the eting?"
Before he could respond, Chika Itō cut in with her usual bluntness. "Miu, everyone here knows you're not the perfect-score type."
"Ito, you traitor! I—I was gonna say I was… I was…" Miu stamred, struggling to finish her sentence.
Akira calmly finished it for her. "You were going to say you were secretly a genius, hiding your full power until the ti was right."
Miu's face lit up. "Exactly! That's it! Akira, you always know what I an!" She gave him a hearty slap on the back, which he dodged without a word.
"But, Miu," Shouko said gently, "Mr. Minagawa will still be there."
"Then we'll have to… eliminate him…" Miu whispered dramatically, tracing a finger across her neck like a cartoon villain.
Akira instinctively grabbed Shouko's hand and backed away from her slowly.
Later that evening…
"I'm ho, Aunt Shizuka!" Shouko called as they entered the house.
"Welco back," Shizuka replied from the living room.
"Mom, there's going to be a parent-teacher eting on Friday," Akira added as they dropped off their bags.
"Friday?" Shizuka paused, an orange slice halfway to her mouth.
Shouko noticed. "What's wrong, Aunt Shizuka?"
"When I picked up Yuzuru earlier, Ms. Yoshinaga ntioned that their kindergarten graduation performance is the sa day…"
A brief silence filled the room.
"Then mom should go to Yuzuru's instead," Shouko said, trying to sound casual—though her voice carried a trace of disappointnt.
Akira quietly peeled an orange at the coffee table, thinking: Aunt Yaeko might not make it either...
"It's okay, Shouko. You've got ," Shizuka said warmly, wrapping an arm around her.
Shouko didn't even consider asking her grandmother to go—not with three flights of stairs to climb. And if soone had to choose between attending a graduation and a school eting, of course she'd want them to choose Yuzuru.
But even so… deep down, she still hoped soone would co.
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POWER STONE!!!
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