10 Let the World Hear Your Voice

Lying in bed, Kyosuke Hojo stared at the ceiling, beginning to reflect on the day. His greatest gain, of course, was meeting Shoko Nishimiya. Now, how could he fulfill her wish or change her fate?

A wish...

To make friends?

Recalling the scene after class when Shoko Nishimiya carried her notebook, trying to befriend everyone, Kyosuke guessed this might be the case.

No, it couldn't be that simple; otherwise, it would have been accomplished today.

Learning to speak? That seemed more plausible and practical.

Based on his observations and inquiries today, Kyosuke knew Shoko could hear sounds at normal volumes, but the speech had to be slower because she relied on lip-reading and was unfamiliar with certain tones.

For example, dialects and standard language share many similar sounds, but differ in intonation. When spoken slowly, one can barely understand, but if spoken quickly and hurriedly, comprehension fails.

Therefore, if Shoko learned to speak, her hearing issues might naturally be resolved.

Also, after returning home, Kyosuke asked his mother to consult a doctor friend about whether medical treatment—such as cochlear implants—could improve Shoko’s condition.

Though unaware of her exact situation, hearing she was already in sixth grade still using a hearing aid, the doctor’s initial verdict was that cochlear implants were not an option. Further judgment required more details.

Kyosuke had already thought about how to teach Shoko to speak during the day. From his observations, she could clearly pronounce simple words like “thank you” and “goodbye,” which further confirmed the feasibility.

His initial plan was to start from the basics, the fifty sounds chart, regardless of how others had tried teaching her before. He would treat it as if she were learning a foreign language from scratch.

As for Shoko’s inability to accurately gauge her own pronunciation, Kyosuke intended to have her watch the placement of his tongue and touch his mouth to feel the vibrations when he spoke.

He did not believe that if every detail was identical, two people would produce different sounds. If that happened, he would find another method.

Based on what he had noticed about her hearing, this approach seemed doable.

Regarding why Shoko’s family hadn’t taught her properly, Kyosuke had some preliminary guesses from her notebook.

Perhaps they tried but not enough, or because of her hearing impairment, her family gave up teaching her to speak verbally and communicated through sign language or writing instead.

Another possibility was that her family lacked the time to patiently teach her, as raising a hearing-impaired child was no simple matter—not something to treat like learning a foreign language, as Kyosuke had thought.

In any case, starting tomorrow, he would teach her to speak!

First, set a small goal: help Shoko sing “The Monster’s Ballad” well.

As for changing her fate, Kyosuke had speculated at school that perhaps her original destiny was to suffer bullying, with the tormentors being Masaya Ishida and his clique.

On this point, Kyosuke was confident that with him around, such a thing would never happen.

Because Masaya Ishida wasn’t truly a bad kid; he just lacked proper guidance. Kyosuke believed firmly he could make Ishida and the other two ruffians understand that bullying was wrong.

Ah, speaking of which, besides running, maybe he should learn some skills to boost his fighting ability.

Whether facing off against Ishida and Kazuki Shimada, Keisuke Hirose, or dealing with some future killer targeting Shoko—or convincing his mother he could protect himself—he needed adequate strength.

So, what to learn?

Boxing? No, karate was too risky; better to wield a steel pipe.

Then traditional Japanese kendo? That seemed promising; he’d go learn it.

The night passed without incident.

As usual, Kyosuke went jogging with Sakura Yamauchi, who chatted energetically the whole way.

“Kyosuke, we have PE today. Let’s have some fun.”

“Didn’t you forget? Our PE classes are at the same time.”

“Ha ha, I know, but I was afraid you might forget!”

Sakura was as cute as ever, wearing a blue knitted sweater that just covered her thighs, with a white T-shirt underneath, gray shorts, and rounded leather shoes.

It was already the second semester of sixth grade, and for the Kanto region’s weather, this attire was just right. By midday, when it warmed up, she’d take off the sweater; Kyosuke dressed similarly.

“See you at PE, Kyosuke.”

At the classroom door, Sakura waved cheerfully at Kyosuke.

“Are you an idiot? I told you not to shout where there are many people.”

“What’s the harm? It’s like telling your family when you get home. When I shout, everyone knows I’m here, right, Kyoko?”

She hugged a small girl who had just approached her.

Kyoko Takimoto, a girl with short brown hair and a tear-shaped mole, had been Sakura’s companion since third grade and her best female friend.

“Kyosuke, don’t be so strict with Sakura. And Sakura, pay more attention, will you?”

Kyoko almost fell when Sakura suddenly hugged her, but she quickly spoke up for her.

“If you’re happy, I’m heading back to class. See you at PE, Kyoko, Sakura.”

“Hey, why does my name come after Kyoko? It sounds like I’m an extra.”

Kyosuke didn’t respond to Sakura’s complaint, just waved casually. He knew if he answered, she’d spout endless nonsense and make him late.

Entering the classroom, Kyosuke glanced around; most classmates had arrived.

“Good morning, Hojo-kun!”

A notebook was placed in front of him.

Looking up, Shoko Nishimiya, standing in the front row, beamed with joy.

She had written this phrase last night and had been eagerly anticipating today’s school life since dinner.

This was a feeling she’d never had before. At her previous school, there was no one to help or protect her from bullying, no friends—only pranks, missing indoor shoes, and cruel words on her desk.

But now it was different. At school, there was Hojo-kun, who neither bullied her nor let others do so. And of course, there was also Sahara, sitting in front, a new friend.

As for others, though some had tried to get to know her yesterday, Shoko sensed they weren’t truly interested in befriending her but were driven by curiosity or other reasons.

Like Miki Kawai—she seemed kind, but Shoko felt something off.

“Good morning, Nishimiya-san. You can just call me Kyosuke from now on.”

Instead of taking the notebook to write back, Kyosuke spoke slowly and clearly.

He wanted to start training Shoko’s listening and speaking skills. Few people had ever spoken slowly and distinctly with her, which explained her poor ability. She needed much practice.

“Really? Kyosuke-kun?”

Shoko understood him perfectly and immediately expressed excitement.

“Speak slowly, Shoko. Being anxious won’t help. Aren’t we already friends? Calling each other by name is normal, right?”

Kyosuke continued speaking slowly, enunciating every syllable.

“Okay!”

Shoko smiled happily.

Before class started, Kyosuke planned to discuss teaching her to speak since no matter how well he planned, it was useless if she wasn’t willing.

“Shoko, has your family never taught you to speak?”

He realized the question was ambiguous and quickly clarified.

“I don’t mean language skills, just making sounds with your voice.”

“Yes, my grandmother has always been teaching me.”

Shoko communicated through the notebook.

“Then why is it still... difficult to communicate normally?”

“Grandma tries hard, but she also has to take care of me and my sister and learn sign language herself. She doesn’t have much time.”

“What about your parents?”

Kyosuke had sensed something but needed confirmation.

“My parents divorced when I was little. Mom works late every day. Grandma takes care of me and my sister.”

The little girl wore a serene smile, without a trace of complaint or dissatisfaction.

Kyosuke was silent for a moment; indeed, the protagonist’s expression carried weight.

“I see. I want to ask your opinion on something.”

“What is it? I’ll help no matter what!”

“I want you to learn to speak with me.”

“What? Did I hear wrong? Kyosuke, could you please say that again?”

Shoko wrote in her notebook, her face a mix of shock and confusion.

“I said, I want you to learn to speak with me.”

“...”

Why was Kyosuke so kind to her? Not only willing to be her friend and protect her, but now also teach her to speak?

Shoko covered her mouth, her wide eyes full of disbelief.

“What, you don’t want to? If not, at least let me teach you to sing ‘The Monster’s Ballad.’”

“I want to! I want to!”

In her excitement, Shoko’s words became unintelligible to Kyosuke, but her expression showed she was eager.

“In that case, we’ll start today. I’ll teach you after every class.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Shoko nodded enthusiastically, her big eyes serious.

The first class was math, taught by Takeuchi as usual. Kyosuke slept through it as customary.

At the break, Shoko gently nudged Kyosuke’s arm as he rested his head, her touch so light it was unclear if she wanted to wake him or not.

“Oh, class is over. Sorry, Shoko, I wasted a bit of time. Next time, wake me up with more force.”

“No problem. If you still want to sleep, keep at it. I took notes—do you want to borrow them?”

“No thanks, I already know what Takeuchi taught.”

“Kyosuke is amazing,” Shoko wrote, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

“Ha ha, let’s start learning. We’ll begin with the fifty sounds.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Shoko nodded vigorously, her expression full of determination.

“First... watch my tongue. Place it exactly the same way.

When pronouncing, the tongue should touch the lower front teeth...

Exhale like coughing...”

Kyosuke carefully taught step by step according to plan. Since Shoko had a solid foundation and was familiar with hiragana and katakana, progress was promising—she learned two sounds in one break.

His plan was to teach ten sounds a day, finishing in about a week, then moving on to vocabulary, which would be easier since Shoko could write but not read.

Saying she couldn’t read wasn’t entirely accurate; she could write the corresponding romanized sounds but simply couldn’t pronounce them or did so incorrectly.

When the class bell rang, Kyosuke put away his impromptu lesson notes.

“We’ll continue later. You can review during class, and I’ll help catch you up on anything you miss.”

“Thank you, Kyosuke.”

Shoko packed away her densely written notes, having recorded nearly every word he said.

Kyosuke didn’t nap during this class. No matter how good he was at sleeping, he couldn’t now. Instead, he worked on a workbook based on the entrance exam syllabus for Tojo Junior High.

Tojo Junior High, affiliated with Tojo High—ranked among Tokyo’s top three high schools—was among the top ten junior highs in Tokyo and offered boarding.

This was the goal Kyosuke’s mother set for him this morning: if he could get in, he could stay alone in Tokyo, albeit in the dorm.

Kyosuke hadn’t cared much about which junior high he attended; after all, with his system, he could easily secure university admission once he earned a useful reward.

But now that his mother had spoken, there was no choice. He didn’t want to return to Hokkaido. With his limited anime knowledge, he confirmed Tokyo was the “main character’s” frequent haunt, so he had to stay.

While Kyosuke and Shoko studied, Naoka Ueno sat nearby, troubled.

“Men really can’t resist quiet, pitiful girls.”

Just after class, watching Kyosuke seriously teach Shoko to speak and letting her touch his face, Naoka nearly snapped her pencil in half.

Damn it, I want that too! Maybe I should bring some homework and ask Kyosuke for help? But would he refuse? Would he think I’m troublesome?

Her frustration turned to confusion. Ugh, it’s all that Shoko’s fault for stealing my Kyosuke.

Unbeknownst to Naoka, her fierce glare at Shoko was observed by Masaya Ishida at the neighboring desk.

Seeing his close friend Naoka’s dislike for Shoko, and recalling his mother’s scolding last night, Masaya began brewing a plan for revenge.