The teacher's gaze swept back and forth between the three students in front of him, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke, the top of his class and the son of the head of the Hiratsuka-gumi. A few years ago, a prank by some kids—hiding Ryosuke's shoes—resulted in a group of burly men showing up the same day, forcing the school to take serious action against those kids. He was not to be messed with.
Shoko Nishimiya, a person with a disability and a new transfer student. If not handled well, it could lead to bad publicity.
His gaze finally settled on the last person.
Shoya Ishida, from a single-parent family, living off his mother who ran a barbershop. He often caused trouble in class by acting out, and his grades weren't great either.
The choice of who to approach first was obvious.
"Ishida, apologize to Nishimiya," the teacher said seriously, without his usual perfunctory manner.
Shoya Ishida didn't notice the difference in the teacher's attitude and nonchalantly put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry." For him, coming to the teacher's office to apologize to other classmates was a common occurrence, and he found it equally boring.
"Is that your idea of an apology? Is that how your family raised you?" Hiratsuka Ryosuke stared at Shoya Ishida and said coldly.
Shoya Ishida felt Hiratsuka Ryosuke's words hit a nerve. He dropped his hands, clenching them into fists, and retorted loudly, "Hey, Hiratsuka, you're being a busybody today!" He didn't understand why Hiratsuka Ryosuke, who usually never interacted with anyone, would pick a fight with him for a brand new transfer student.
Shoko Nishimiya, standing in the middle, was scared to see her desk mate Hiratsuka Ryosuke and the other boy at odds. She timidly looked at the teacher, then her gaze kept shifting between Hiratsuka Ryosuke and Shoya Ishida. She pursed her lips and finally lowered her head.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke noticed her small movements. As if he understood something, he reached out his hand to Shoko Nishimiya and beckoned.
Shoko Nishimiya turned to look at Hiratsuka Ryosuke, understood his gesture, and handed him the notebook she was holding against her chest.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke found an empty desk and began to write the entire story of the incident in the notebook.
"The End."
Shoko Nishimiya's brown eyes widened as she read the dense words. Her small mouth slightly opened, and her jaw trembled. She took the notebook from Hiratsuka Ryosuke's hand. She gently bit her lip, and large tears began to soak the notebook.
"Tha... thank you," Shoko Nishimiya said, her voice choked with sobs. She rarely used her voice, but she managed to say what she had been wanting to say. She had never imagined that she, who had lost most of her hearing since childhood and had always lived in a harsh winter, could feel the warmth of the sun.
Because she couldn't hear people, she had been bullied since she was a child, transferred, was bullied again, transferred again, a cycle that never ended. This experience had taught her that no matter who she faced, she should first show a kind smile. That way, maybe people wouldn't have the heart to bully her. Unfortunately, kindness didn't always get kindness in return. Most of the time, it just made her seem easy to bully, and the abuse would escalate.
But why... why was it that when someone was helping her, when she was so happy, she couldn't smile?
Shoko Nishimiya looked up at Hiratsuka Ryosuke through her blurry, tearful eyes. Her voice was broken and a bit slurred, but she said very seriously, "Thank you... so, so much."
It was just a small, insignificant act of kindness, but for her, living in a world of darkness, Hiratsuka Ryosuke's small act was like a single ray of light tearing through the darkness, filling her entire small world.
"When you speak slowly, I can still hear you just fine," Hiratsuka Ryosuke's voice was still calm. Though there wasn't much emotion, it was completely different from the coldness he showed toward Shoya Ishida.
Shoya Ishida looked at the crying Shoko Nishimiya, feeling instantly bored. He prepared to leave.
"I apologized, I'm going back now."
Just as he turned, he felt pressure on his shoulder. It was so tight that it made his shoulder ache, forcing him to stop. He looked back and saw that at some point, Hiratsuka Ryosuke had moved behind him.
Facing Ryosuke's persistence, he was genuinely getting angry.
"Hey! I already apologized! What else do you want! Let go of me, you bastard!"
The teacher, seeing the pain on Shoya Ishida's face, quickly tried to intervene.
"Hiratsuka, let go! And Ishida, apologize seriously!"
Hiratsuka Ryosuke paid no mind and slowly pressed down on Shoya Ishida's shoulder.
Thump.
Shoya Ishida's knees couldn't bear the pressure, and he fell to the ground. Now, not only Shoko Nishimiya but even the teacher was scared by Hiratsuka Ryosuke's sudden action, stopping in his tracks.
Shoya Ishida looked up at Hiratsuka Ryosuke towering over him, his eyes looking down on him as if he were nothing. His usually thick skin finally gave way. Uncontrollable tears poured from his eyes. He knelt on the ground and cried out loudly, "Nishimiya-san, I'm sorry! Waaah..."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke let go of Shoya Ishida's shoulder the moment he said those words, but at that moment, Ishida's spirit seemed to have been completely broken. He remained on his knees, his upper body supported by his arms, sobbing with his head down.
A while later, Shoya Ishida regained his strength, jumped up from the ground, and ran out of the office as if fleeing. The teacher let out a long sigh and waved his hand, saying wearily to the two remaining students, "Hiratsuka, Nishimiya, you two can go back to class now."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke didn't expect a person like Shoya Ishida to apologize sincerely. He actually disliked using violence on others, because violence couldn't solve all problems. But in many cases, only violence could effectively solve a problem.
To truly solve the problem of Shoko Nishimiya being bullied, he needed to start with Shoko Nishimiya herself. Only by making her seem like a normal person would others treat her normally.
Helping someone halfway was worse than not helping at all. It was like suddenly letting go when you were just about to pull someone out of a deep abyss, giving them a glimpse of hope before they fell into an even deeper despair.
That was why the trouble-averse Hiratsuka Ryosuke rarely offered to help. If he wasn't going to help, he wouldn't. But since he had already stepped in, he would see it through to the end for Shoko Nishimiya.
"Let's go, Nishimiya," he said, turning to walk toward the door.
He had only taken a step when he felt something pulling at him from behind. He paused. He looked back to see Shoko Nishimiya still with her head bowed, her fluffy short hair covering her face. One of her hands was clutching her notebook, while the other was holding onto the hem of Hiratsuka Ryosuke's shirt, like a person on the verge of drowning grabbing onto a lifeline.
Shoko Nishimiya's hand had grasped her lifeline. She followed behind the boy, one step at a time.
Just as they stepped out of the teacher's office, Hiratsuka Ryosuke heard a clear, ethereal voice coming from the hallway behind him.
"My Guardian Knight, has destiny's guidance finally brought you before me today?"
Hiratsuka Ryosuke wanted very much to pretend he didn't know her and just leave. But he thought it might lead to even bigger trouble, so he chose to turn back.
With a hint of helplessness, he turned to face the girl who had called out to him. He couldn't muster his cold, distant expression. He spoke slowly.
"It's Shinka. You're as energetic as ever."