A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

Akira turned his head toward the girl, just as curious as Shouko.

He searched his memory and was pretty sure he'd never seen her before.

"I don't know her," the girl said calmly, shaking her head. Then, without missing a beat, she added with a smile, "But that doesn't mean we can't get to know each other now, right?"

"My name is Takagi Sana. What about you?"

"Huh?" Shouko blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. For a moment, she thought her hearing aid was acting up again.

"Oh! Right!" she finally responded, after Akira gave her a small nudge. "I'm Nishimiya Shouko!"

Takagi Sana nodded, then turned her gaze toward Akira—but before he could say anything, a certain someone jumped in:

"His name is Miyamura Tsunayoshi! We've been childhood friends since we were one year old!"

Takagi raised an eyebrow at Shouko's flustered and slightly possessive tone, but instead of commenting, her lips curved into a subtle smile.

"Nishimiya-san, you misunderstand," Takagi replied smoothly. "I wasn't asking for his name—I was just being polite."

Shouko looked momentarily confused again. Normally, introductions followed a simple pattern. Her interjection had been… out of sync.

Still, Takagi went on with her gentle, composed tone. "But it's nice to meet you too, Miyamura-san."

She watched Akira for a reaction, but he remained expressionless, simply giving a polite nod. "Nice to meet you."

Inwardly, though, Akira felt a strange pang of regret for sitting near this girl. He couldn't tell yet whether Takagi Sana would be a good influence—or a handful.

From then until the bell rang, Akira barely spoke. It was mostly Shouko chatting with Takagi. They talked about which elementary schools they attended, summer vacation memories, and random things like favorite food.

Dong... dong... dong...

Akira yawned quietly as he stared at the classroom door. The chime signaling the start of the school day had just rung.

That's when a woman stepped into the classroom: dressed in a dark suit, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, and with neatly trimmed black shoulder-length hair.

Her presence was sharp and composed—strict, even.

"Shouko, teacher's here. Let's talk later," Akira whispered.

"Oh! Takagi-san, we'll talk more after class," Shouko said quickly, turning to face forward as their homeroom teacher walked in.

Takagi gave a small nod in response, still wearing her soft smile.

The woman at the front of the room clapped her hands twice to get everyone's attention. "Settle down, everyone."

She glanced at her watch. "It's now 8:30. At around 10:30, we'll head to the gym for the principal's welcome speech. Until then, we'll use this time for introductions and handing out class materials."

She was just about to continue when a hesitant voice interrupted from the door:

"Um… sorry! I'm late!"

Everyone turned to look.

Akira had already noticed the boy leaning against the hallway wall earlier, clearly hesitating before mustering the courage to speak.

Now the boy—messy black hair, white shirt slightly wrinkled—stood awkwardly at the door, bowing in apology.

"Come in," the teacher said with a neutral tone. Since it was the first day, she let it slide without further comment.

The boy quickly scanned the room for an open seat and found just one—behind Akira. He walked over quietly, nodding at Akira as he passed.

Akira returned the nod.

Knock knock.

"Eyes up here, please," the teacher said once more. "Let me be clear: when I'm speaking, I expect no interruptions. Got it?"

"Got it..." echoed throughout the room.

She seemed satisfied. Taking a piece of chalk from the tray, she snapped it in half, turned around, and wrote her name on the board in smooth strokes:

Nobita

"My surname is Nobita," she said. "You can call me Nobe. Barring any surprises, we'll be spending the next three years together."

She tossed the chalk onto the tray and pointed toward the first student on the right. "Let's start with introductions. You—go ahead."

"Akira, it's your turn," Shouko whispered, lightly poking his arm as the last student stepped down from the front.

"Relax, I know," Akira said calmly, then stood up and walked toward the front.

As he approached the platform, a small group of girls whispered behind their hands:

"That's the guy I noticed this morning. Not bad, right? Think I've got a chance?"

The other girls exchanged side-eyes.

"He's good-looking, sure. Fair skin, too. But no clue about his personality yet."

"I saw him come in with a girl. Think they're dating?"

"No way. That can't be his girlfriend."

Meanwhile, Akira ignored the background chatter and stepped forward with a quiet confidence.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Miyamura Akira. I hope we can enjoy our next three years together."

That was all. No hobbies. No personal quirks. No jokes.

Just clean, direct, and done.

He stepped down, ignoring the mild stir among some of the girls.

"So cold…"

"Does he think being distant makes him cool?"

"He kind of is, though…"

"Please. Stop simping."

"I'm just saying the truth…"

"Then quietly think it, maybe?"

Clap! Clap!

"All right, quiet down," Nobe clapped again. "Next student, please."

"Good luck, Shouko. You'll be great," Akira whispered as he returned to his seat.

Shouko nodded nervously. With Nobe calling her name, she took a breath, stood up, and walked forward.

"Okay! I'm going now."

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