Ishida Shouya stepped into the classroom.
The mont he crossed the threshold, the murmuring of his classmates abruptly ceased, and all eyes turned to him.
Just monts ago, his body ached all over, but now, under the weight of their gazes, the pain seed to fade.
Instead, an unbearable discomfort spread through him, like an army of ants crawling over his skin, making him itch with unease.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the back row.
To his shock, Ueno Naoka was chatting and laughing with Hojou Kyousuke and Nishimiya Shouko.
'What?! Ueno—weren't you the one who hated Nishimiya Shouko?'
'How could you change so quickly?'
Shouya couldn't accept it.
Everything he had done earlier, even if just a little, was ant to vent Ueno's frustrations, to stand up for her.
And yet, she had turned her back on him so easily?
Lowering his head, he quickened his pace toward his seat.
As soon as he sat down, he buried his face in his arms on the desk, unable to hold back the tears.
Before, Ueno, who sat closest to him, would have noticed his faint sobs.
But now, she was too preoccupied, tapping her forehead in frustration.
"I told you, it's 'ka,' not 'kaaa'..."
She and Kyousuke had divided up the work.
Kyousuke picked out sentences from Monster's Ballad that closely matched the fifty-sound phonetics he had already taught, while Ueno took on the task of teaching Nishimiya to sing them.
Not only would this thod help with morization, but Kyousuke had also overheard Ueno grumbling during music class about how Nishimiya's presence would ruin their choir performance.
If she cared that much, then why not make her responsible for teaching Shouko to sing?
That way, she might let go of her resentnt, and Shouko could integrate more easily into the class.
Besides, Kyousuke himself was hopeless at singing.
Well... actually, he was completely tone-deaf.
He could only hide within the chorus to avoid standing out as the "other Nishimiya Shouko."
'Huh. Why doesn't Shouko just do what I do? If she just moves her lips without making a sound, no one would know she can't sing.'
Then again, it's better if she keeps her kind heart intact.
anwhile, sandwiched between her two "teachers," Nishimiya Shouko no longer mumbled endless apologies like she used to.
Instead, she wore an apologetic smile and carefully repeated the lyrics after Ueno.
"Alright, class is starting."
Their teacher, Takeuchi, finally arrived late as usual, continuing his routine of slacking off.
Kyousuke didn't imdiately dive into his usual drills.
Instead, he turned to observe Shouya, lost in thought.
'He really doesn't give up, huh?'
'I already embarrassed him last ti, yet here he is, trying to stir up trouble again.'
'Brats like him are the worst, you can never tell what's going on in their heads.'
'Should I deal with him like I did with that chubby kid before?'
As if sensing a chill down his spine, Shouya shuddered at his desk.
'...Forget it. He hasn't done anything serious to Shouko...yet. and I'll keep an eye on him.'
'As long as I'm watching, he won't get away with anything.'
Shaking his head, Kyousuke lowered his gaze and flipped open his workbook.
Even though he had gone through university in his past life, he didn't dare take the elentary-to-middle school entrance process lightly.
There were always prodigies in this world.
He once saw a video where a thirteen-year-old pulled off moves he could never dream of.
That was when he realized natural talent is an insurmountable barrier for ordinary people.
The elite Higashi Middle School, the one Hojou Mikiko had set her sights on, only admitted 300 students a year.
Unlike other schools, Higashi didn't have hidden rules favoring students based on their parents' wealth or status.
Admission was purely based on rit, a simple yet brutal selection process.
Kyousuke had no doubt he could get in.
But ranking high in the entrance exam would make his middle school life much smoother.
So at a place known as the "University of Tokyo Prep Factory," academics would be even more crucial.
He diligently worked through his problems, and though ti had eroded so of his previous life knowledge, he could easily relearn it just by glancing at the answers.
anwhile, Nishimiya Shouko, sitting in front of him, quietly watched Shouya, who was still sobbing into his desk.
She clenched her small fists, holding them close to her chest, deep in thought.
———————————————————————
Afternoon—Gym Class
"Kyousuke!"
As soon as Kyousuke reached the indoor gymnasium, a loud voice echoed through the space, drawing everyone's attention toward him.
"Geez, this idiot..."
"What is it? Don't you need to check in with your class?"
Kyousuke turned to see Yamauchi Sakura, her ponytail bouncing as she sprinted toward him.
"It's fine! Class hasn't started yet."
Sakura had been running too fast, so she grabbed onto Kyousuke's arm to stop herself from falling.
That's when she noticed the small girl standing behind him.
"Huh? Kyousuke, is this your new friend? I don't think I've t her before."
"Oh, like you know all my friends?"
"Of course I do! There's only one—!"
Kyousuke was montarily at a loss for words. She wasn't wrong.
"This is Nishimiya Shouko. She transferred to our class yesterday."
Hearing her na, Shouko quickly stepped out from behind Kyousuke.
"Hello, I'm Nishimiya Shouko."
Since it was gym class, she didn't have her notebook with her, so she carefully pronounced each syllable as Kyousuke had taught her.
It sounded slightly awkward, but at least it was understandable.
"Nice to et you! I'm Yamauchi Sakura, this guy's childhood friend."
"If you're Kyousuke's friend, then you're my friend too!"
Sakura briefly hesitated at the way Shouko spoke but quickly regained her cheerful deanor.
'How nice, childhood friends... As expected of Kyousuke-kun's friend, she must be a good person, too.'
Shouko felt warmth spread through her chest.
"I have hearing problems, so I struggle with speaking."
Although Sakura hadn't asked, Shouko decided to explain anyway.
"I see. But did you catch what I just said?"
"Mostly. Before we ca down from the classroom, Kyousuke-kun told that a girl nad Yamauchi Sakura would co looking for him."
"He also said we could beco a good friends."
"Ha! As if Kyousuke would be that nice! He probably said sothing like, 'A noisy girl is coming just bear with it.'"
Shouko giggled, her large, brown eyes curving into crescent moons.
"That's exactly what he said! You two are so close."
"Of course! I know him better than anyone, we're childhood friends."
"Alright, class is starting soon. You two should head back."
"Oh no, are you ditching your childhood friend for your new one? How tragic!"
Kyousuke remained indifferent, but Shouko panicked and waved her hands.
"Haha, I'm just joking! Want to co to our class, Kyousuke?"
"Are you an idiot? That's impossible."
"Then see you later!"
"Yeah."
Kyousuke knew she ant the free ti after group activities.
"See you later, Shouko-chan!"
"Mm!"
Shouko nodded excitedly. Kyousuke was great, but she also wanted to spend ti with other girls her age.
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