The warm April sunlight slipped through the window and into the room. It fell on Hiratsuka Ryosuke's ink-black, spiky hair, where a faint golden shimmer was barely visible.
He pushed open the window, and the air was filled with the fragrance of blooming cherry blossoms.
"Shizuka, wake up and eat breakfast."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke looked back to see a woman lying on the bed like a dead pig. A hint of helplessness appeared on his youthful face, which already showed a handsome outline. He walked over and gently pushed her.
The woman, with her delicate features, her eyelashes fluttering. Then she used her round, slender legs to clamp the blanket and rolled over.
This was none other than Hiratsuka Shizuka, a woman known in the fighting world as the "Imperial Fierce Tigress," who created the legend of the "Iron Fist of Destruction" in the high school delinquent world, and was the eldest daughter of the yakuza organization, the Hiratsuka-gumi.
"Ryo-chan, let me sleep a little longer, mmm..."
Her pretty face, buried in a soft pillow, let out a dreamy murmur that sounded like a spoiled child's plea.
"Whoa!" Hiratsuka Shizuka felt her body go cold, and she suddenly opened her eyes with a startled scream.
"Isn't today your first day at your new school? I told you not to drink so much last night," Hiratsuka Ryosuke said blandly to his sister, feeling no guilt for pulling off the blanket. "Breakfast and your lunch bento are already made."
"Alright, alright, hah~" Hiratsuka Shizuka slowly sat up, stretched, and yawned, muttering in slight dissatisfaction. With that, she walked into the bathroom, and the sound of running water could be heard.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke was a transmigrator and had been in this world for twelve years. He didn't have a system, which every transmigrator seemed to have, nor did he have a cute, sweet little sister. All he had was a violent older sister who hadn't even had a boyfriend despite starting work.
Five years ago, Hiratsuka Shizuka entered her rebellious phase. After spending some money to buy an entire apartment building, she drove away in her Aston Martin sports car, taking her younger brother, who had just started first grade, with her.
To be fair, his older sister was a great beauty. But knowing her true nature, Hiratsuka Ryosuke had no desire to enjoy the sound of her showering with his breakfast. Fortunately, his father had asked a martial artist friend to occasionally look after the siblings.
Although his older sister sometimes acted like a child and liked to threaten people with force, as an orphan in his previous life, he cherished her immensely.
He planned to study hard in middle school, go to a good high school, and if possible, enjoy his youth, get into Tokyo University to improve his social standing, and then inherit the Hiratsuka-gumi business. Modern yakuza organizations weren't just street thugs who only knew how to fight; they had their own businesses.
He was very satisfied with his current life. He hoped it could continue this way forever.
"I'm leaving."
After putting on his shoes, he walked to the elementary school not far from his home. Starting next year, he would be a middle schooler.
He hoped it would be another peaceful year.
...
Inside the classroom of 6th grade, class 2.
In the back row by the window.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke was staring blankly out the window at the blooming cherry blossoms. His slender eyes held a sharp glint, and his thin lips were pressed together. His angular face gave him a cold and aloof demeanor.
"Everyone, return to your seats."
The speaker was a man in a dark blue tracksuit with black-rimmed glasses, who was Hiratsuka Ryosuke's elementary school teacher.
A moment later, he added, "Starting today, we have a new classmate joining us."
The moment the teacher's words fell, a strange silence came over the classroom, followed by a low murmur of discussion.
"Shida, a transfer student is coming!"
"I heard it's a cute girl."
The voice came from next to Hiratsuka Ryosuke, a small girl with long black hair and bluish-purple eyes. It was Naoka Ueno. Her appearance was cute, but her personality left much to be desired. In the six years they had been classmates, Hiratsuka Ryosuke had not spoken to her much.
She poked another boy with a spiky hairstyle and whispered.
"Oh, I'm not interested."
Shoya Ishida, who was playing with his mechanical pencil with droopy eyelids, replied impatiently.
"Come in."
The teacher turned to the door and gestured for the girl to enter.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke followed the teacher's gaze.
A girl carrying a large red school bag and wearing a pink T-shirt walked in. Her head was slightly bowed, and her fluffy, light brown hair covered her ears. Her large eyes looked a little timid, her head was round, and her face still had a bit of baby fat. On the yellow name tag on her chest, the name "Nishimiya" was written vertically.
"Alright? First, please introduce yourself."
The teacher said to the girl next to him.
Without waiting for the girl's self-introduction, the students below craned their necks, looking curious. The eerie silence in the classroom also caught Hiratsuka Ryosuke's attention.
Is this kid just shy?
The girl on the podium ignored the teacher's words, just standing there with her head bowed. It wasn't until the teacher gently patted her on the shoulder that she flinched, as if waking from a dream.
She looked up with a small smile, as if apologizing for having "forgotten" to speak just now. She began to rummage gently through her large red school bag. She took out a small notebook.
"For writing."
She held the notebook horizontally in front of her chest and opened the cover.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Shoko Nishimiya."
The first page of the notebook had these words written in large letters.
Shoko Nishimiya's self-introduction made no sound, causing the students below to widen their eyes.
A speech impediment? Hiratsuka Ryosuke thought to himself as he watched the girl's actions.
Shoko Nishimiya's tender hands continued to flip through the notebook.
"I want to make friends with everyone through this notebook."
"Please write in this notebook when you want to talk to me."
She slowly turned another page, holding the notebook higher.
"I can't hear sounds."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke understood the reason why the girl didn't speak. Her hearing impairment caused her language system to be paralyzed.
Lucky people are all the same, but the unlucky have their own misfortunes. Compared to this girl, he was incredibly fortunate.
Is this the cruelty of the Creator? Giving Shoko Nishimiya a face that was cute enough to envy, yet mercilessly taking away her right to hear.
At that moment, the eerie silence in the classroom was broken. The elementary school students below began to whisper to each other like buzzing mosquitoes.
"Huh? Is that for real?"
"She's lying, isn't she?"
Shoko Nishimiya just stood there quietly, holding the notebook and smiling, as if she was already used to this kind of scene.
"This is bad!"
Shoya Ishida's spiky hair stood up as if it had been shocked, and he let out a strange yelp.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke gave Shoya Ishida a cold glance. Then he looked at Shoko Nishimiya on the podium.
He could already predict the fate of this little girl named Shoko Nishimiya. With a hearing impairment, a weak personality, and no friends from being a new transfer student, she was a prime target for Japanese-style school bullying. In Japan, school bullying was the norm.
Even Hiratsuka Ryosuke had been targeted in his early years because of his aloof and unsociable personality.
The strong swing their swords at the strong, while the weak always prefer to swing their fists at the weaker.
And in this class, who was most likely to bully a little girl like Shoko?
Without a doubt, it was Shoya Ishida and his group of kids, who spent all their time looking for thrills and creating "courage tests" just to feel a sense of existence.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke liked a peaceful life, but this small incident might just make his life less peaceful.