Both the parents in attendance and Ms. Ue'o, standing at the front of the room, couldn't help but feel impressed. The child introducing himself on stage—Akira—came across as bright, mature, and composed.
Most of the other kids had shrunk under the attention of so many strangers. Some stammered their names nervously, while others hid behind their parents altogether, too shy to speak.
But when Akira finished his introduction, Ms. Ue'o led the applause, and the parents followed suit.
On the very first day, two things left a deep impression on everyone: Akira's confident introduction and Nishimiya Shouko quietly clinging to his side.
After a while, when it was clear Shouko had no intention of stepping forward to speak, Nishimiya Yaeko made her way onto the stage. She gently took Akira's hand and guided him toward the seats in the back—most of the front seats were already full.
Akira and Shouko ended up sharing a chair, while Nishimiya Yaeko took the seat next to them and began chatting with a nearby parent.
Only then did Akira finally take in his surroundings. The desks were small, yellow, and square, with soft padding on the corners for safety. There was a hollow compartment beneath each one for storing personal items.
The chairs were simple wooden ones with backrests, spaced about a meter apart from one another. The classroom floors and walls were lined with white tiles, which looked like they'd easily show dirt. Above the blackboard hung a large, round wall clock—probably for keeping track of class time.
Just then, the door slid open again. Akira looked toward the entrance as Ms. Ue'o led another child and their parent inside.
Following the same routine, she introduced the new student to the room and invited them to step up and introduce themselves.
The child stood on the podium and nervously introduced their name. Akira politely applauded along with everyone else.
He glanced at the clock. It was nearly time. Looking down at Shouko, who still clung to him tightly, he spoke in a soft, coaxing voice:
"Shouko, would you let go of me for a bit? After school, how about we go buy some snacks?"
Shouko looked up at him but stubbornly shook her head.
Seeing that didn't work, Akira leaned in and added gently, "You can get anything you want. And tonight, we'll skip pronunciation practice, okay?"
"Mm… mm!" Shouko looked a bit hesitant after the first offer, but once she heard they'd be skipping pronunciation drills, she let go immediately.
In her head, she thought: Every time Akira teaches me how to speak, it's so boring. I have to repeat a word over and over, sometimes dozens of times, just to get it right. Then he asks again the next day, and if I mess up, we start all over again. If I get to skip that tonight, I can play all I want. Totally worth it!
As soon as she let go, Akira gave her a gentle pat on the head, then turned to Nishimiya Yaeko.
"Aunt Yaeko, I'm heading back to the Sunflower Class now."
Nishimiya Yaeko, still deep in conversation, turned around in surprise. She hadn't expected Shouko to let go so easily.
"Wait, Akira, are you sure you know the way?" she asked, concerned.
He quickly waved his hand and smiled. "Don't worry, Aunt Yaeko, you can see the Sunflower classroom as soon as you step outside."
He stroked Shouko's head again and said with a calm smile, "I'm off then, Aunt Yaeko. See you later."
Before she could respond, Akira pulled open the classroom door and stepped outside.
Shouko watched him leave with a hint of reluctance, inching closer to her mom.
Some parents nearby, having noticed the exchange, looked at Akira with curiosity.
He walked down the hallway and paused at the door to the Sunflower classroom. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the doorknob and gently pulled it open.
Inside, Teacher Yoshinaga was on the podium, introducing a student to the rest of the class and the gathered parents.
Everyone turned toward the door as Akira entered. The boy standing beside Teacher Yoshinaga let out a sigh of relief now that attention had shifted away from him, then turned to see who had walked in.
Teacher Yoshinaga's eyes lit up as soon as she recognized the child at the door. She remembered the name immediately—Miyamura Akira. His earlier introduction had left quite the impression.
Smiling, she waved him over. "Akira, come on up! You're the last one—we're just waiting on you."
The boy beside her practically ran off the stage, grabbing his parent's hand and hurrying to a seat below, clearly afraid he'd be asked to perform next.
Akira stepped up to the center of the podium. He took a moment to scan the room. Just like the Sakura Class—same desks, same chairs, same wall clock above the blackboard.
He spotted his "cheap Mom," Miyamura Shizuka, holding up her phone and recording him without a hint of shame.
Clearing his throat, Akira spoke smoothly, "Hello everyone, my name is Miyamura Akira, but you can also call me Akira. That's my self-introduction."
The second time was easier than the first. Without Shouko clinging to him, his delivery felt more relaxed and natural.
Teacher Yoshinaga clapped in support, and the parents and children followed. Miyamura Shizuka, however, just gave a faint smile and didn't clap—too busy holding her phone steady.
Teacher Yoshinaga nodded. "Alright, Akira, you can go take your seat. I have a few more things to share with the parents."
Akira gave a polite nod and walked over to where Miyamura Shizuka sat. She was still filming as he approached.
Stopping in the aisle, he glanced at the phone nearly in his face and muttered, a bit annoyed, "Shizuka-chin, that's enough already."
Without missing a beat, Shizuka pulled him into her lap, rubbing his head vigorously as she spoke through clenched teeth:
"You little rascal. You only call me 'Mom' when you want something. When you don't, it's always 'Shizuka-chin,' huh?"
Akira was unfazed—he was used to this. But the sudden gesture startled Teacher Yoshinaga, who paused mid-sentence.
The rest of the class followed her gaze. All eyes were on the mother and son.
Realizing they'd drawn attention, Shizuka chuckled awkwardly, quickly setting Akira back in his seat.
"Sorry, Teacher Yoshinaga! Please go on, pretend we're not here," she said cheerfully.
Teacher Yoshinaga let out a light chuckle herself. She was already starting to get a sense of their dynamic—a sharp, mature little boy and his playful, doting mother.
She clapped her hands to bring everyone's attention back and continued explaining the school's basic routines.
There would be naptime during the day, and parents needed to prepare packed lunches for their children each morning.
After confirming that everyone understood the schedule, she dismissed the parents.
Since today was just orientation, pickup would be at 10:30 AM. Starting tomorrow, drop-off would be between 8:30 and 9:30 AM, and school would end at 3:00 PM.
A perfectly ordinary day.