Just as Haruya had expected, the rest of the week was not kind to Ishida Shouya.
His gym shoes were missing, his books were crumpled, and his desk was once again vandalized.
At first, Ishida had been very fierce with it.
Losing his temper each time, he immediately went towards the culprits he suspected the most.
His best friends, or should I say, previous best friends.
Kazuki and Keisuke.
He argued and argued, with Kazuki repeatedly denying it, claiming that he had done nothing and was not responsible for any of what Ishida accused them of.
However, Ishida, who seemed to be very convinced it was them, did not let it go so easily.
Finally cracking, he attacked Kazuki and Keisuke, leading to a scuffle between the three.
They were soon separated by the angry Takuomi, and were quickly sent to the Principal's Office with each of their parents called.
Even after another round of arguments in the Principal's Office, however, despite having the parents even called, Ishida was still not held in favor due to his previous cases of mischief and bullying, and lack of conclusive evidence against Kazuki and Keisuke.
Unfortunately, this seem to have slowly killed Ishida's resistance in his own experience of bullying.
A case where no one believed, or helped.
Ishida's mother, Miyako Ishida, of course tried to help cheer up her son.
But there was little she could inside the school itself.
For Ishida, the following days had been hell.
...
Friday afternoon sunlight shone on the school.
The faint chatter of students already fading from inside the hallway.
The school week was finally over, and most had already gone home.
Nagisa, Hazuki, Yuma, and Tamao had all left earlier for their own reasons, leaving Haruya behind with Shouko Nishimiya.
Beside her lay a notebook, a mirror, and a bottle of water Haruya had bought from the vending machine earlier.
He stood across from her, his expression focused but encouraging.
"Okay, Nishimiya," he said gently, placing the mirror upright so she could see her reflection. "Let's start with something simple again. The vowel sounds, just like yesterday. Watch my mouth."
He exaggerated the shape of each vowel slowly "a, i, u, e, o" then pointed to his lips so Shouko would mimic.
She leaned in, her eyes narrowed with concentration, before attempting the sounds herself.
Her "a" came out shaky, too sharp, while the "i" was stretched awkwardly. By the time she reached "u," she giggled softly at her own mistake. Haruya smiled.
"That's fine. It's not about being perfect, it's about control," he reassured her.
He had planned his method carefully of using repetition, mirror practice, and breaking sounds into the smallest parts so she could form them more clearly.
Each success was celebrated, each mistake treated as progress.
"Alright, Nishimiya," Haruya said, meeting her eyes carefully. "I know it's not easy, but let's practice with small sounds first. Don't worry about getting it right. Just try to match me little by little."
Shouko tilted her head, her eyes blinking curiously as she followed the shape of his lips. Haruya pressed a hand to his throat and exaggerated the first sound.
"A. Like this—ahhh."
Shouko mimicked him, though the sound came out muffled and a bit garbled. She quickly lowered her head, embarrassed, but Haruya gently raised a hand.
"Not bad," he said with a small grin. "I mean it. You're trying, and that's what matters. Let's try again, slower this time."
They went on like this for some minutes.
Haruya showed her how to shape her mouth, sometimes repeating the same sound multiple times.
When she managed to get close enough, he would nod in encouragement, writing the letter down in big strokes so she could connect it with what she was saying.
Minutes passed, filled with repeated syllables and the occasional laugh when Shouko fumbled.
Finally, her voice grew tired, and Haruya handed her the water bottle. "That's enough practice for now, you can rest a bit. You're doing great."
Over the past week, Shouko had slowly grown used to Haruya and the others.
Her laughter, though soft, had begun to bloom around their group.
Haruya could see she wanted to belong, and he wanted to help her feel like she truly could.
The playground, empty and quiet now, gave them the space to practice without the stares of classmates.
Haruya felt that was important.
Shouko deserved to learn without eyes judging her every attempt.
As they were repeating another syllable, footsteps approached from the school gate.
Both of them turned their heads to see an little old woman walking steadily toward them, carrying a handbag and wearing a warm but slightly tired expression.
Shouko perked up, her eyes widening in recognition, and she immediately signed a quick greeting before trying to speak aloud. "G..G...grand...ma," she said, her voice faint but understandable.
The old lady, Ito Nishimiya, smiled warmly, reaching over to pat her granddaughter's cheek. "You've been practicing," she said softly, then looked at Haruya with curiosity. "And this young man, who might you be?"
Before Haruya could answer, Shouko hurriedly signed and tried to speak, though her words came out fragmented. "H-Ha…ru…ya… frien…d... s-school."
Haruya quickly understood what she was trying to say and gave Ito a polite nod. "My name's Haruya Sumeragi. I'm one of Nishimiya's classmates. The rest of our friends went home earlier, so I just stayed with her for a while. We were practicing some speaking before she left."
Ito's eyes softened. "So that's it. I'm her grandmother, Ito Nishimiya. Shouko has told me all about you and your friends." She chuckled lightly and gave Haruya a long, approving look. "You're a good boy for staying by her side. Thank you."
Haruya scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed, but nodded. "It's nothing, really. I just thought it'd be nice to help."
Ito gave her granddaughter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Let's go now, Shouko. Your mother couldn't make it today. She was caught up at work. That's why I came instead."
Shouko nodded, smiling faintly, and turned back to Haruya to give a small wave. Haruya waved back. "See you on Monday, Nishimiya. Keep practicing, alright?"
With that, Ito and Shouko walked off together, chatting in their own mix of signs and gentle words until they disappeared down the street.
Haruya stretched a little, preparing to leave himself, but then paused.
At the corner of the courtyard, by the school fountain, three figures caught his attention.
Ishida Shouya stood with his head lowered, his posture slumped in defeat. In front of him were Kazuki and Keisuke. Kazuki's tone was sharp, his voice carrying across the empty space.
Kazuki mocked him. "This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't screwed up back then, none of us would be in this mess."
Ishida muttered something weakly, but Kazuki cut him off. "Don't bother. Remember when you tried to pick on Nishimiya in class? You already got humiliated."
Kazuki continued. "And don't think I've forgotten what you told the Principal and that four eyes. You snitched, said it was my idea. Nobody believed you, and now everyone thinks you're the ringleader. That's what you get."
Keisuke shifted uncomfortably but didn't intervene. Kazuki pressed harder. "Face it. No one's ever gonna believe you. You should just let yourself get picked on and stop whining, Ishida."
With that, Kazuki shoved Ishida hard. He stumbled backward into the fountain, water splashing everywhere. Kazuki laughed and tossed Ishida's books into the water, pages soaking instantly.
That was enough.
"Oi." Haruya's voice cut through the tension in the air.
The three turned. Haruya walked up, his expression cold. "So it really was your idea, Kazuki. I should've guessed."
Before Kazuki could retort, Haruya's fist connected with his face, dropping him to the ground.
Keisuke lunged forward but was immediately kicked aside, sprawling onto the pavement.
In Haruya's eyes, this guy Kazuki always seemed to be the brains of their group.
Everytime he spoke, it was always aimed to instigate the mischievous Ishida, controlling him like a puppet.
"You're pathetic," Haruya spat. "Making someone else take the blame while you sit back and laugh. And you," he glared at Keisuke, "following him like a coward."
He stepped into the fountain, reaching down to pull Ishida up. The boy was drenched, his hands trembling as Haruya pressed his wet books back into them.
"Why…" Ishida's voice cracked, water dripping from his bangs. "Why are you helping me? After what I did to Nishimiya…"
"Because you've already had your punishment," Haruya said firmly.
"Your so-called friends turned on you, your classmates treat you like trash. Now you know exactly how she's felt most of her life." He stared into Ishida's eyes. "So go home. Don't get sick standing around like this. And think about what you've done."
Ishida lowered his gaze, silent. Then he nodded once, clutching his ruined books tightly before hurrying off.
As he disappeared, Haruya noticed his shoulders shaking slightly, tears dripping down hidden from view.
Turning back, Haruya faced Kazuki and Keisuke, both sprawled on the ground.
His glare was icy. "Listen well. Stay away from me, my friends, and Ishida. If I hear you've been planning to or picking on anyone again..." he leaned forward, his tone ruthless, "I won't be this forgiving."
The fear in their eyes told him they understood.
Without another word, Haruya slung his bag higher and walked off, leaving the two cowards trembling by the fountain.