allendalepharm Page 8
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……
Besides sign language, notebooks remain the most important communication bridge between them.
Yuto Itsuka would write down interesting things he saw at school, or some wild ideas, and show them to Shoko.
Shoko would also record her feelings in her notebook.
Today, my classmate Yoshida, who sits in front of me, asked me a math question. I explained the solution to her in writing, and she thanked me.
[Yuto-kun, the kitten you drew last time was so cute, could you draw another one?]
Mom said the new hearing aid will arrive next week.
As Yuto read Shoko's sincere words, he could clearly sense the changes in her heart.
She no longer kept her head down as before, and her eyes now had a brighter look.
She began to try to smile at classmates who showed her kindness, a different kind of ingratiating smile than before.
This feeling of being completely trusted and relied upon filled Yuto Itsuka with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
He knew this was part of the system's mission to experience "sweet romance".
But he knew even more clearly that what was driving him at this moment was not just the needs of the mission.
He sincerely hoped that this kind and sensitive girl could be happy.
……
That day, the two went to the park together after school as usual.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the grass, casting dappled shadows.
Shoko sat on the swing, and Yuto gently pushed her.
"A little higher?" Yuto Itsuka asked in sign language.
Shoko nodded with a smile.
He increased his strength slightly, and the swing swung higher and higher, with Shoko's short hair flying in the air like a happy little bird.
After playing for a while, the two sat side by side on a park bench to rest.
Shoko took out her notebook and pen from her schoolbag and began writing something earnestly.
Yuto Itsuka, meanwhile, watched the pigeons and pondered the future plot of his light novel in the real world.
The experience of simulating the world did bring him some vague inspiration, but it seemed that something was still missing before he could actually put pen to paper.
Shoko gently tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Yuto snapped out of his daze and looked at her.
Shoko handed him the notebook, on which was written a line of words in delicate handwriting, with a small, somewhat shy heart symbol drawn next to it.
【Yuto-kun, I…】
She didn't finish writing. Instead, she looked up into Yuto's eyes and slowly, somewhat awkwardly, made a few hand gestures.
Yuto understood.
The gestures together mean "like".
He slightly raised his head (three) zero nine.:? flag umbrella si stunned.
Can this be punished?
This probably isn't a criminal offense, is it?
It must be because of her dependence on and closeness to the older brother next door who has always protected her, right?
He himself had experienced this feeling to some extent.
In my past life, when I grew up in the countryside, there was a big sister next door who I played with. Whenever she went to school in town, I would feel reluctant to part with her and miss her.
Glass should be this type too, right?
Thinking of this, he didn't respond immediately, but simply reached out and ruffled Shoko's soft hair, a warm smile appearing on his face.
"Mm." He nodded slightly in response.
Shoko's cheeks flushed a lovely rosy hue in the sunset, and though she lowered her head, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
Volume 1: Chapter 10: NTR is simply turning someone else's crush into your own. [Please continue reading!]
Since the playground incident, Naoka Ueno has been keeping a close eye on Yuto Itsuka.
Always.
She noticed that he had excellent grades and always took notes very diligently in class.
She noticed that he would share his lunch with Nishimiya Shoko during his lunch break, his face showing a tenderness she had never seen before.
She also noticed that he seemed to ignore the advances of other girls, but he was incredibly patient with Nishimiya Shoko.
A strange emotion began to ferment in Naoka Ueno's heart.
She wanted to get Yuto Itsuka's attention, and wanted him to look at her with that kind of gaze.
She began to imitate what she thought "good girls" should be like.
She was no longer as loud and boisterous as before, and her voice became softer.
She even started to proactively help the teacher with some things, hoping to leave a good impression on Yuto Itsuka.
However, Yuto Itsuka seemed completely unaware of these changes.
His gaze remained fixed on the girl named Nishimiya Shoko.
Naoka Ueno secretly made up her mind: I will make you see me! I will definitely be better than Shoko Nishimiya!
……
Elementary school life flowed peacefully day by day, under the strong protection of Yuto Itsuka and with Shoko's increasingly cheerful smile.
Ishida Shoya's clique completely disbanded, and he himself became taciturn, almost invisible in the class, and occasionally ostracized by other classmates.
Yuto was aware of this, but he did not interfere; in fact, he was happy to see it happen.
The inseparable bond between Yuto and Shoko has become a unique sight in Class 6-3 and even the entire grade.
Some boys felt that Youdou was "a disabled person who doesn't play with us, which is really boring," and began to isolate him intentionally or unintentionally.
Yuto Itsuka didn't care about any of this.
He wasn't the type of person who was enthusiastic about socializing like elementary school students.
His goal was clear—to protect Shoko and, incidentally, complete the system's dating simulation mission.
What do other people's opinions have to do with him?
……
As the days went by, sixth grade came to an end.
During this period, the homeroom teacher, Ms. Takeuchi, also came up with some strange and unusual practices in order to promote class cohesion.
One of these measures is to mandate three minutes of sign language learning time each day.
"Classmates, Nishimiya has a hearing impairment, which makes it difficult for her to communicate with you."
"To help her better integrate into our class, starting today, we will spend three minutes each day learning some simple sign language."
Professor Takeuchi said this while standing on the podium.
Most of the students found it novel and responded sporadically.
Yuto Itsuka rolled his eyes inwardly.
He knew that Takeuchi-sensei had no bad intentions, and might even have thought that his actions were noble, showing care for disabled students.
However, this approach undoubtedly puts Shoko back in the spotlight, making her already special situation even more special.
Sure enough, Shoko seemed uneasy as soon as the sign language learning session began.
She lowered her head, her cheeks flushed red, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
Some mischievous boys took the opportunity to make a fuss, imitating the strange gestures the teacher taught them and laughing.
Yuto Itsuka frowned, but did not react immediately.
He quietly walked up to Shoko after class and wrote in her notebook:
Don't mind them, they just thought it was funny, they meant no harm. Besides, the sign language you taught me is much more standard than what the teacher taught.
Shoko looked up and saw the encouraging smile on Yuto's face, which calmed her anxiety a little.
She nodded vigorously and replied in her notebook: 【Mm!】
Another thing Takeuchi-sensei did was to include Nishimiya Shoko in the choir during rehearsals for the school choir competition, treating her the same as everyone else.
“Although Nishimiya can’t hear, she can still follow the instructions and feel the atmosphere of the group! That’s a form of participation!” Takeuchi explained.
The result can be imagined.
Shoko couldn't hear the melody or keep up with the rhythm at all, and her participation disrupted the harmony of the entire choir.
After several rehearsals, the music teacher in charge of guiding the choir looked increasingly grim, and the other members began to whisper among themselves, complaining loudly.
"It's all Nishimiya Shoko's fault, our class will definitely not get a ranking."
"Yeah, she can't sing at all, but she insists on standing here."
"Takeuchi-sensei, really, isn't this just making things worse?"
These trivial complaints pierced my heart like needles.
She stood in the line, at a loss, her eyes reddening, trying hard not to let the tears fall.
Yuto Itsuka saw this and sighed inwardly.
It's hard to say whether Takeuchi-sensei meant well but did something wrong, or whether he simply didn't care about such things at all.
He felt that if things continued to develop normally, the bullying that Shoko suffered must have been partly due to Takeuchi-sensei's outrageous actions.
He walked over to Shoko, said nothing much, simply squeezed her hand gently, then turned to the music teacher and calmly said:
“Teacher, you are aware of Shoko’s situation. Letting her continue participating in choir rehearsals may not be the best choice for her or the entire choir.”
"Why not let her cheer everyone on from the sidelines, or do some logistical work that she can manage? What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the music teacher felt as if she had been granted a pardon and hurriedly agreed: "Ah, Itsuka-kun is right! Then... Nishimiya-kun, you can be in charge of distributing sheet music and tidying up costumes and props for everyone."
Shoko felt a little disappointed, but more than that, she felt relieved.
She glanced gratefully at Yuto and whispered indistinctly, "Crab... crab..."
【You are welcome】
Yuto wrote in her palm.
Choir singing isn't for people like us who make a living through talent.
Shoko burst out laughing at his joke, and the gloom in her eyes dissipated considerably.
……
Naoka Ueno saw all of this, and her jealousy grew wildly like vines in her heart.
She found it incredibly irritating to see Yuto Itsuka taking such good care of Shoko Nishimiya and to see the smile that Shoko Nishimiya showed because of Yuto Itsuka.
What she really wanted was for Itsuka Yuto to treat her the way he treated Nishimiya Shoko.
She began to make a more deliberate effort to present herself in front of Yuto.
She would proactively help the teacher wipe the blackboard, answer questions loudly, and even try her best to run ahead in PE class, hoping that Yuto would notice her excellence.
She even mustered up the courage to stop Yuto on his way home from school, as he was about to leave with Shoko.
“Itsuka-kun!” Naoka Ueno’s voice trembled slightly, and her cheeks were flushed.
"I...I don't understand some math problems. Could you...could you teach me?"
Yuto Itsuka glanced at her, then at Shoko who looked completely bewildered beside him, and said calmly, "Sorry, I made plans to go home with Shoko."
"As for the questions, you can take them to school tomorrow and ask me, or ask other classmates."