"Yuzuru! It's one thing that you don't go to school, but now you're coming home late, too? How much more do you want me to worry?!" Nishimiya Yaeko said, her brows tightly furrowed.
Her two daughters were like two extremes. One was docile and compliant, listening to everything she said without any opinions of her own. The other was rebellious from a young age, impossible to discipline. It was tearing her apart.
Nishimiya Yuzuru was used to this. She took off her outdoor shoes and went silently to her room, locking the door behind her.
Nishimiya Shoko stood awkwardly in the entryway. She looked at the room she shared with her sister, then at her mother, who was standing on the balcony, quietly sobbing. If only Hiratsuka-kun were here. For some reason, she subconsciously thought of her classmate from the day before, who seemed cold as ice on the outside but was gentle on the inside.
"Mom..." She tiptoed to Nishimiya Yaeko's back and lightly patted her.
Yaeko turned her head without a word, avoiding Shoko's gaze. She quickly wiped away her tears, not wanting her daughter to see her like this.
"Shoko will be good. And I'll go ask Yuzuru what happened," Shoko said meekly. She didn't know where she got the courage.
Yaeko turned back, her tired, bloodshot eyes looking at her daughter, who was speaking with a lisp. This time, Shoko hadn't hidden. Instead, she had come to comfort her mother.
Yaeko's nose stung. The pressure she had carried for years suddenly burst. She took a step forward and hugged her daughter tightly, as if to absorb her into her own body. "Shoko..." she whispered.
The night wind was strong on the balcony, blowing Shoko's fluffy, light brown hair. Shoko didn't say anything. She just smiled gently and hugged her mother back, patting her softly on the back.
The night passed without another word.
The next day.
Knock, knock, knock!
Hiratsuka Ryosuke held two puddings in one hand and knocked on the neighbor's door.
Thump, thump~
Footsteps, audible even through the door, came from far away and grew closer.
Click!
The lock turned, and a girl full of youthful energy appeared. A look of surprise lit up Nibutani Shinka's pure, adorable face. Her sparkling, watery eyes blinked sweetly as she looked at Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke! You came!" she said playfully, smoothing her hair.
Ryosuke handed her the puddings, which she accepted without a moment's hesitation, beginning to eat them. Her cheeks puffed out as she mumbled, "As expected from a pudding made by my knight! It's so jiggly and soft and delicious!"
After Nibutani Shinka finished her pudding, Ryosuke glimpsed a woman's head peeking out from inside the house. He nodded to the woman. "Mrs. Nibutani, we're off."
"Oh, thanks for taking care of my little Shinka!" Nibutani's mother said, stepping out of the house. She held a hand to her face and her eyes narrowed into a playful smile.
As Ryosuke was about to turn and leave, Shinka grabbed his sleeve.
"My knight, I have a treasure to show you," she said secretively. She reached into her backpack, rummaged around, and pulled out a thick notebook.
Ta-da!
She held the notebook high in the air, then lowered it to show Ryosuke, like a great treasure. The black cover was decorated with strange stickers—moons, stars, frogs, ribbons, and more. In the center of the cover were some weird letters: "Mabinogion (Dark Grimoire)."
Ryosuke's brow furrowed. From what he knew of his childhood friend, he sensed that this was going to be complicated. But he played along. "Shinka, what is this?"
"Ahem~"
She cleared her throat, her face turning solemn and pious. She opened the first page and began to read in a voice as clear as a mountain stream.
"My name is 'Mori Summer.' I am a true mage who has lived for over 400 years."
"When the whispers of the spirits and the memories of light and water are transmitted to my heart, a white world will be opened."
"After watching this world for 400 years, I have come to realize that what this world needs most is love!"
"Oh, my knight, come with me and save this world on the verge of destruction! Let us spread love to every corner of the world."
She held the thick notebook in one hand and extended the other to Ryosuke, inviting him to join her.
Ryosuke responded by extending two fingers and pressing them firmly against her fair forehead.
"Ah!" Shinka yelped. She brought the book over her head and crouched down, holding her hands to her temples.
Ryosuke looked down at her with a blank stare. "Are you an idiot?" he asked coldly.
Shinka looked up at him, sneaking a glance. When she saw he wasn't going to do anything else, she rubbed her forehead. "Hmph, you idiot, Ryosuke!" she said in a fake tone of anger. "I'm not talking to you anymore!" She shoved the thick notebook back into her backpack, puffed out her cheeks like a blowfish, and stomped away.
As she walked, she grumbled under her breath, "Hmph, idiot Ryosuke, moron Ryosuke. 'Mori Summer' will spread the truths of the Dark Grimoire and save this world all by herself!"
Ryosuke watched her walk ahead, said goodbye to her mother, and followed her. Young Hiratsuka Ryosuke had no idea how loud the name "Mori Summer" would one day ring among middle schoolers, thanks to her future followers.
Nibutani's mother watched the two of them interact with a knowing smile. She was already imagining them walking down the aisle, with her daughter wearing a pure white wedding dress, her face full of happiness. Should I go buy a bridal veil for Shinka now? She's so cute. A veil would look so good on her.
"How wonderful. Childhood sweethearts."
After smoothing things over with Nibutani Shinka on the way to school, Hiratsuka Ryosuke changed into his indoor shoes and walked down the hallway alone. As the top student for many consecutive years and with a cold expression, most people would automatically make way for him. Japan was a country that admired strength, and no one found it embarrassing to give way to the top student. In fact, they felt lucky to see the academic genius up close.
Even though Ryosuke's usual expression was as cold as the ice on a snow-covered mountain, it didn't deter some girls who were just starting to fall in love from filling his shoe locker with love letters. His high grades and handsome face made him the "white knight" in many young girls' hearts.
Ryosuke entered his classroom and sat down. He saw Nishimiya Shoko next to him, scribbling in her notebook. Her fluffy short hair covered her ears, and her fair, slightly chubby face was like a freshly peeled lychee—you couldn't help but want to take a bite.
Shoko had noticed Ryosuke the moment he entered the room, but she pretended not to. Only after he was seated did she raise her communication notebook and smile as she greeted him.
「Good morning, Hiratsuka-kun.」
"Good morning, Nishimiya-san."
Ryosuke gave a slight nod and, just like yesterday, pushed his textbook over to her.
He responded to me? Shoko thought. She hadn't expected him to respond, but she was happy. Hiratsuka-kun is a gentle person after all.
She bit her lip to hide her joy, but the smile on her face only grew wider.
Shoko's blissful expression was not lost on some of the girls in the class. It was impossible to know what they were thinking, but perhaps they believed that Shoko was a "bitch" pretending to be pure and weak just to get Ryosuke's attention.
A female teacher with short hair and the homeroom teacher, who was wearing a tracksuit, walked into the classroom and beckoned to Shoko. The female teacher walked to the front of the class, then patted Shoko's shoulder, motioning for her to stand beside the podium. When Shoko was in place, she turned and wrote two characters on the blackboard.
「手语」 (Sign Language).
After writing, she turned back and introduced herself to the students. "I'm Kita, a teacher from the Listening Support Class. Do any of you know sign language?"
"Sign language is a way of communicating with your hands. It's wonderful, isn't it?" She smiled and walked over to Shoko, placing both hands on her shoulders. "To help you all communicate more with Nishimiya-san, let's spend three minutes of our morning meeting every day learning sign language together!"
At first, the students in the class looked excited. Children are full of curiosity and are always eager to learn new things. But that curiosity is also fleeting. It wasn't long before their initial enthusiasm faded, and many of them started to look impatient. Why should the whole class have to learn sign language just to accommodate Nishimiya Shoko's hearing impairment?
"Teacher," a pretty girl with long black hair stood up and spoke.
"Yes, Ueno-san?" the teacher asked gently.
Ueno Naoka was outspoken. With a look of dissatisfaction, she asked her question. "Can't we just write in a notebook?"
Kita-sensei looked a little awkward. She glanced at the homeroom teacher standing by the door before turning back to the class. She hadn't expected a student to ask a question like this. But as a teacher, she patiently explained to the students. "It's easier for Nishimiya-san to communicate using sign language."
"But it's easier for me to write things down than to learn sign language," Ueno Naoka replied even more sharply. She didn't want to accommodate anyone else and gave voice to what most of the students were thinking, causing a brief silence to fall over the classroom.