A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

After saying that, Shouko ran off. Akira stared at her in surprise. It was hard to chase her down in slippers, so he assumed she was just joking. After all, he hadn't done anything… right?

"You're standing there zoning out. Did something catch your eye?" his mother, Shizuka Miyamura, teased as she appeared behind him.

"No, I was just thinking…" Akira replied, closing the door and heading toward the dining room. It was about time for dinner.

Shizuka, leaning casually against the living room wall, smiled but said nothing more.

The next morning, Shizuka stood by Akira's bed and touched his forehead. "You're burning up," she muttered, then rushed downstairs to grab a thermometer.

When she came back, Daiki Miyamura followed close behind. Shizuka handed Akira the thermometer and instructed, "Under your tongue."

"I told you to give him a cold shower last night, and instead you sprayed him with a water gun!" she scolded Daiki, slapping his arm. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but one sharp glare from her shut him up.

About five minutes later, Shizuka checked the reading. "38 degrees." Daiki, seeing the number too, quickly ran downstairs to make some cold medicine.

"Mom, it's just a mild cold. I'll be fine after a nap. Just make sure to call the school and let them know I'll be out."

Akira had already woken up when his mom hit Daiki. He had no intention of stopping her—after all, Daiki had taken advantage of his adult strength and completely demolished him with that water stick, barely letting him breathe.

"Alright. Take your medicine and go back to sleep. When you wake up around noon, your fever should be down," Shizuka said gently. She wasn't too worried—it was only a minor cold—so she didn't take him to the hospital.

Soon, Daiki came back with the medicine. Shizuka stirred it into a glass of warm water and told him, "Don't worry about it. When Shouko gets here, you take her to kindergarten. I'll stay home with Akira."

Daiki nodded. He knew Akira would be fine with Shizuka watching over him, so he headed downstairs to finish breakfast.

"Want Mommy to feed you?" Shizuka asked sweetly, sitting on the edge of his bed.

Akira shook his head, sat up, took the glass, and downed it in one go.

"Such a man," she said with a chuckle.

Akira handed her the empty glass, then praised her with a tone that tried (and failed) to sound childlike: "Thanks, Shizuka dear."

Shizuka raised her hand and rubbed his head. "If you don't know how to compliment someone, just don't." Still, seeing him act cheeky even with a fever reassured her. She let him lie down again and promised to check on him later.

Just as she reached the first floor, there was a knock at the door.

"That must be Shouko," she said to Daiki. "Keep eating. I'll get it."

"Good morning, Auntie Miyamura!" Shouko greeted brightly as the door opened.

"Have you had breakfast, Shouko?" Shizuka asked, unable to resist squatting down and patting her head. "Come on in."

"Sweetie, Akira's got a cold today, so he won't be walking you to school. Uncle Daiki will take you instead," Shizuka said, turning back toward the hallway.

Shouko, halfway through changing her shoes, froze. "Is it serious?" she asked, eyes wide with concern.

Shizuka chuckled at her reaction. "It's nothing to worry about. He just needs to rest. But don't go up to his room—he might pass it on to you."

Shouko stood still, eyes full of worry. Her mind drifted. She remembered when she caught a cold and Akira insisted on staying by her side. Why couldn't she do the same for him now?

Then she thought of a drama she watched—about a husband with a terminal illness. His family kept it a secret. He died pretending to be strong, and only afterward did the wife find out.

Shouko had been playing "house" a lot lately with Nini, and her imagination ran wild. She'd cast herself as the wife, Akira as the husband. She remembered yesterday's talk about having his baby, and now he was sick… What if Auntie was hiding the truth? Her eyes turned red with tears.

"Shouko?" Shizuka asked, alarmed at her expression. She quickly knelt beside her. "What's wrong?"

Shouko, fighting tears, finally burst out, "Is Akira going to die?!"

"Wha—?!" Shizuka was caught completely off guard. Though she adored Shouko, she couldn't help being a bit exasperated. "Why would you say that?"

"Because… because you won't let me see him! Is he really sick with something terrible?!"

Shizuka sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "No, sweetheart. I'm just worried he might give you his cold."

After a pause, she relented. "Alright, I'll get you a child-size mask, and you can go see him. But just for a little while, okay?"

Once Shouko had her mask on, Shizuka brought her upstairs.

The moment the door opened and Shouko saw Akira in bed, tears welled up again. She ran to him, eyes brimming.

Akira opened his eyes, startled. "Hey, don't cry. I'm okay—"

"Akira… if you die, what'll happen to the baby in my belly?!" she sobbed.

"HUH?!" x2

Both Akira and Shizuka were stunned.

Shizuka remembered the ridiculous explanation she'd given last night about how babies were made. She hadn't expected them to take it seriously—much less act on it!

"Mom, I didn't do anything!" Akira shouted, panic-stricken. "I swear!"

"It's my fault," Shouko sniffled. "I accidentally kissed the corner of your mouth… the other day…"

"WHA—?!" x2

Akira was shocked to learn that she'd kissed him. And worse—she actually believed it made her pregnant.

Shizuka stared, stunned at how bold Shouko had become.

"It's Auntie's fault," Shizuka said with a sigh. She knelt down, wiping Shouko's tears again. "I shouldn't have lied to you…"

"It's true!" Shouko insisted. "Yesterday, after lunch, my stomach felt all bloated. That's never happened before. The baby must've hated the broccoli and kicked me!"

Akira groaned weakly from the bed. "You drank so much water before eating… and broccoli didn't do anything wrong."

"Children can't get pregnant," Shizuka said with a chuckle, looking over at her son who was too tired to argue.

She gently explained what bloating was and reminded Shouko to drink water after meals and not before. She also emphasized how healthy broccoli was and that she should eat more of it.

Realizing her mistake, Shouko turned red with embarrassment and lowered her head, too ashamed to meet Akira's eyes. But when Shizuka mentioned broccoli, she shook her head furiously.

Meanwhile, Akira just lay there, staring at the ceiling, still stuck on the fact that Shouko had kissed him.

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POWER STONE!!??

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