A Silent Voice: My First Kiss Was with Nishimiya Shouko

Yume Oyama stood at the entrance, dressed in a light blue short-sleeved shirt and moon-white trousers. A white camera bag was slung over her shoulder. She quietly stepped into the genkan, slipping into the indoor slippers laid out neatly by the door.

"Hello! I'm Yume Oyama from Barracuda Photo Studio. I called yesterday."

Following Akira to the entrance of the living room, Yume saw Mrs. Miyamura chatting with a woman she didn't recognize. A man was seated on the sofa, reading. She quickly bowed politely and introduced herself.

"Please have a seat. We're just about to get ready." Shizuka Miyamura nodded warmly and stood up with Yaeko Nishimiya beside her. The two women headed off to apply some light makeup before the photoshoot.

Akira watched as Yume sat down at the coffee table, looking a bit nervous, her hands folded in her lap and eyes lowered. He poured her a glass of water from the dining area.

Just as he placed the cup in front of her, a loud voice echoed from outside.

"Akira! You home?!"

Yume looked up just as the voice rang out. It was one she hadn't heard in a while, but immediately recognized.

Knock knock knock…! The front door shook with urgency.

"I'm coming," Akira called, hurrying to open the door.

Outside stood the full gang—five kids and a dog. Everyone was there.

Akira blinked in surprise. "Why are you all here?"

"Of course we came to play with you and Shouko," said Sato Masao, standing at the end of the group, rubbing the back of his head. "We don't even know if we'll be going to the same elementary school."

"Yeah…" Toru Kazama echoed solemnly.

Sakurada Nini chimed in next. "This might be the last time we play Super-Realistic House…"

The others quickly chorused, faces awkward: "It's okay if we don't play…"

Akira winced. He wasn't a fan of Nini's overly surreal roleplays. Only Shouko seemed to genuinely enjoy them, so he often played along. Sometimes, he worried Nini would get too carried away and start influencing Shouko in strange ways.

"Actually, it's perfect timing!" Akira said quickly, spotting Nini's reddening cheeks. "We're going to take graduation photos this afternoon. Let's do it together."

"Come in, come in." Realizing there was no point blocking the entrance, Akira led them in. He hadn't prepared enough slippers, so he just let them pad around in socks.

As the group shuffled in, Shinnosuke suddenly stopped in the living room. "Wait… Yume? Why are you here?"

Yume Oyama brightened, clearly relieved to see a familiar face. She stood up and spoke more confidently now. "I'm the photographer for today! I'll be taking pictures of Akira and the rest of you."

"You!?" Shin-chan looked doubtful.

"What's with that look, Shin-chan?!" Yume snapped playfully, glaring at him.

"Hello, sir!" Toru Kazama, ignoring the banter, bowed politely to Miyamura Daiki, who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper. The rest quickly followed suit. Yume also stopped bickering with Shin-chan—she had nearly forgotten Mr. Miyamura was there.

"Heh… Don't be so formal, kids," Daiki said, lowering the newspaper with a chuckle. He had seen these children a few times over the past few years. Akira didn't have many friends, so even though he didn't know them well, their faces were familiar.

Woof woof! In the meantime, Hachiko barked excitedly at the sight of his canine friend, Xiaobai, who had raced into the house. The dogs yapped back and forth, tails wagging wildly. But Hachiko didn't run—he had a passenger today.

Nishimiya Yuzuru lay draped across his back, eyes half-closed.

Over the past year, both families had gotten used to seeing Yuzuru riding Hachiko like a horse. At first, Yaeko Nishimiya had warned her countless times not to ride the dog—she was worried her daughter might fall.

After more than ten warnings and a couple of half-hearted interventions, she gave up. "Let her fall once," she had thought. "She'll learn."

But it never happened.

Yuzuru never fell off. She and Hachiko had developed a silent understanding. When Hachiko wanted to run, he would bark, prompting Yuzuru to hold on tight. When he moved slowly, she just lounged like royalty. Sometimes, Akira wondered if the dog was closer to her than him.

"Shouko, wake up. It's time to take pictures." Akira gently shook Shouko, who had come downstairs earlier and fallen asleep again.

"Mmm…" Shouko murmured, rubbing her eyes.

Shizuka Miyamura and Yaeko Nishimiya returned from the bedroom, both with fresh makeup. Normally, Yaeko wore light makeup only for work, and Shizuka rarely wore any at all—unless it was for something truly special.

Everyone assembled in front of the Miyamura house for the photo. The adults stood in the back: Shizuka at the center, with Yaeko beside her. Ms. Ueo, Ms. Yoshinaga, and the stern-faced Director Takakura stood near them—invited by Shizuka for a celebratory dinner afterward.

The children lined up in front. Akira stood in the center, Shouko on his left and Shin-chan on his right. Why wasn't Yuzuru beside him? Because she stubbornly refused to get off Hachiko, insisting that she be photographed just like that. The two dogs stood on either side of the children.

"All right! Everyone ready?" Yume Oyama called out as she adjusted her camera a few feet away.

"I'll count to three. On three, shout 'Cheese!' okay?"

She held up three fingers. "In Japan, we say 'Chiizu' when taking pictures. Or 'Nasu' if we're taking a picture of eggplant," she added, jokingly. "(If you think I'm wrong, then… maybe you're right.)"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One—!"

"Cheese!"

Click.

The flash went off.

And in that moment, time seemed to freeze:

Shouko turned and boldly kissed Akira on the cheek.

Akira's eyes widened in shock.

Shin-chan dropped his pants and began the first step of the Butt Dance.

Shizuka Miyamura, standing behind Akira, looked down in stunned disbelief.

Yuzuru spread her arms wide atop Hachiko and flashed a double peace sign.

Hachiko wagged his tail furiously, barking in delight.

The rest of the group just raised their hands with awkward but earnest smiles, all caught in the flash.

After the photoshoot, Shizuka insisted they print the first photo and frame it on the spot. Later, she and Daiki drove everyone to a nearby family restaurant with great reviews for a celebratory dinner.

That night, after taking her bath, Shouko returned to her room and pulled out a small cardboard box from under her bed. She carefully opened it and stared at the contents: the first paper crane Akira had taught her to fold, tiny toys he had given her, and the little cat plush he'd handed her on the first day of kindergarten—three years ago.

A soft smile formed on her lips.

She added the new group photo to the box, gently closed it, and slid it back under the bed. Then she lay down, staring at the ceiling, memories of kindergarten flooding her mind.

Across the house, Akira sat on his bed, absentmindedly holding the protective charm Shouko had made for him. His name, "Miyamura Akira," was stitched on the front. Inside, she had sewn her own name:

"Nishimiya Shouko."

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POWER STONE!!!

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