A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

Ms. Ueo quickly spoke up, trying to quiet the class. "Alright everyone, please settle down and let the reporter continue."

"So, which kid would like to volunteer to introduce themselves first?" the female reporter asked with a warm smile.

Several brave children raised their left hands. The reporter picked from them, asking each to stand up, face the camera, and introduce themselves. From her seat, Shouko watched them calmly, her eyes shining with interest. She looked eager to try as well.

"Akira, can we go together?" Shouko asked softly, a little nervous as she tugged at Akira's sleeve.

Akira didn't think much of it and nodded. "Sure."

Seeing Akira agree, Shouko happily raised her hand. The reporter immediately noticed her. When she first entered the Sakura Class, she had spotted the cute little girl but hadn't approached her since she didn't raise her hand at first. Now that she volunteered, the reporter was more than happy to go over.

The reporter walked up with her microphone, followed by the camerawoman. Shouko stood up, clearly nervous, but quietly cheered herself on inside.

"You're so adorable! Why don't you start by introducing yourself?" the reporter encouraged kindly.

Shouko's earlier shyness had lessened thanks to Akira's support. But when the beautiful reporter complimented her, she grew bashful again. Still, she managed to say timidly:

"My name is Nishimiya Shouko. I'm a student in the Sakura Class at Futaba Kindergarten."

After saying this, Shouko hesitated. She glanced at Akira beside her, unsure of what else to say, clearly asking him for help with her eyes.

"Shouko-chan, your pronunciation is excellent. Can you tell us how you practiced speaking so clearly?"

After hearing all the other children speak, the reporter was genuinely surprised by how fluent Shouko was. Had it not been for the hearing aids in her ears, she might've assumed Shouko was a fully hearing child.

"I… I…" Shouko stammered.

"Shouko, believe in yourself. You can do it," Akira said quickly, encouraging her.

The camera lens shifted to Akira, and the reporter also turned her attention to the boy standing confidently next to Shouko.

"Because Akira's been with me for three years. He's always taught me how to speak and corrected my pronunciation. That's why I speak more clearly than the other kids." Shouko spoke slowly, but her words were heartfelt—though still shy, they impressed everyone watching.

"I see! Shouko-chan has a very good friend. Is Akira-kun in the same class too?" the reporter asked gently.

She had guessed Akira was the boy Shouko was referring to, but asked to be sure.

"Yes! This is Akira! His full name is Miyamura Akira!" Shouko exclaimed happily, running over to grab Akira's arm and present him proudly.

"Oh? Akira-kun is very cute too! Can you introduce yourself?" the reporter asked, watching the two children's closeness with a soft smile. She suddenly felt the sting of being single herself.

Shouko let go of Akira's arm as he stepped forward, but she stayed beside him to encourage him if he got nervous.

"My name is Miyamura Akira. I'm a senior student in the Sakura Class at Futaba Kindergarten," he said clearly, but stopped after that, unsure what else to say.

The reporter smoothly followed up. "Akira-kun, I noticed you're the only one in the class not wearing hearing aids. Why are you in the Sakura Class?"

"Because I want to be with Shouko. I'm afraid she'll get bullied," Akira replied confidently, thinking there was nothing wrong with his honest answer.

Ms. Ueo, holding Shin-chan up on the podium, heard the kids' sweet words and unknowingly hugged the boy even tighter, overwhelmed by emotion.

"Ms. Ueo, Ms. Ueo! Please let go! I'm not gonna go chasing any girls!" Shin-chan gasped, struggling for breath.

The female reporter blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Akira to answer so bluntly in front of a live camera. Most kindergarteners were as shy as Shouko had been. But his boldness sparked another idea.

She smiled and gently moved the microphone from Akira back to Shouko. "Since Akira's so kind to Shouko-chan, how do you think you can repay him?"

Shouko looked down, thinking hard. Akira could already tell her little mind wouldn't be able to find a good answer on her own. This wasn't exactly a kindergarten-level question, and he was about to step in to help—

But before he could, Shouko looked up at the camera with bright, determined eyes and declared:

"I want to marry Akira and be his bride! And I want to have lots of cute babies with him!"

Back at home, Shizuka Miyamura sat on the living room couch, watching the live broadcast on Futaba Channel. The moment she heard those bold words from Shouko, she slammed the coffee table in frustration.

I wish I was there!!

The female reporter was stunned for a moment, then laughed. She had gotten exactly the kind of moment that made great television. Even if these were just the innocent dreams of a child, they were pure and sincere.

"Ms. Ueo! Ms. Ueo! I'm dying! I'm really dying!" Shin-chan cried out dramatically again. Ms. Ueo finally snapped out of her daze, quickly loosened her grip, and apologized.

Akira, now faced with Shouko's bold declaration and her determined eyes, blushed deeply.

The reporter noticed his reddening face out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but tease him a little. She moved the microphone back toward him.

"Akira-kun, would you like to marry Shouko-chan in the future?"

Akira froze. The camera was staring right at him. Somewhere out there, probably thousands of people were watching. He also felt that intense gaze coming from the direction of home. If he dared to say no, he could already feel the wrath of Shizuka Miyamura.

"I… I would… I would…" he stammered.

Ms. Ueo on stage and Shizuka watching at home both chuckled at the rare sight of Akira being flustered.

Even Shouko, who had always seen Akira as calm and dependable, was surprised. Seeing him shy for the first time stirred a strange but warm feeling in her heart.

The reporter smiled, letting the two sit down, then moved on to ask other kids to introduce themselves.

After a few more rounds of questions, the reporter thanked Ms. Ueo and waved goodbye to the children. Shin-chan trailed behind the film crew as they left.

Once the door of the classroom closed, Ms. Ueo clapped her hands loudly.

"Alright, kids! You'll get to see yourselves on TV when you go home this afternoon!"

She had already contacted each parent the night before and asked them to record the show.

The children nodded enthusiastically, chattering about how nervous they'd been just now.

"Akira, Akira! I want to go home right now!" Shouko said excitedly from her seat, barely able to contain herself.

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