Chapter 22: Class Transfer and the Arrival of Winter Break

BONUS CHAPTER

In the end, since their sons were the first to start the fight, Takeo Matsuura's and Riku Takanashi's parents jointly compensated Yaeko Nishimiya 50,000 yen. Daiki Miyamura also accepted the private settlement agreement they signed. After greeting Teachers Yoshinaga and Ueo, he accompanied the two parents to a nearby bank, completed a 500,000 yen transfer, and returned to the office.

Once everything was settled, and the time ticked past 1 PM, Shizuka Miyamura turned to the teachers with a gentle smile. "Teacher Ueo, Teacher Yoshinaga, I'll be taking my two children home for the day."

Ms. Ueo, who had been playing with Yuzuru Nishimiya in Yaeko's arms, turned and chuckled. "Of course."

Ms. Yoshinaga nodded in agreement.

Akira helped Shouko down from the infirmary bed and looked toward Ms. Yoshinaga. "Sensei, I want to transfer to the Sakura Class."

Yoshinaga blinked in surprise, assuming Akira was scared to return to class after what had happened. She said gently, "Don't worry, Akira. I'll explain everything to your classmates. They won't exclude you."

Akira tilted his head, momentarily confused. But he quickly understood the misunderstanding and shook his head. "That's not it. I want to join the Sakura Class so I can stay with Shouko. Running back and forth every time is kind of a pain."

"Pah pah pah…" Shizuka clapped her hands in support. "Good idea. I completely agree." She turned to Ueo. "Teacher Ueo, will it cost extra for Akira to move into Sakura Class?"

Seeing both parents on board, Ms. Yoshinaga sighed and gave up trying to talk them out of it. So long as Akira didn't have to withdraw from kindergarten entirely, she was happy.

Ms. Ueo "I'll have to confirm with Director Takakura. But… since Akira doesn't need any special care or sign language support, I doubt there will be any extra fees."

Shizuka nodded and smiled. "Alright. Let me know if anything comes up." Then, linking arms with Yaeko, she bid the teachers farewell and headed off.

At the door, Yaeko paused and turned to Akira, who was carefully holding Shouko's hand behind her. "Akira, thank you for thinking of Shouko."

She hadn't said anything earlier but agreed wholeheartedly with the idea. Even if she had objected, Shizuka would've found a way to make it happen. Smiling to herself at the thought, Yaeko chuckled quietly.

Shizuka noticed and glanced back. "What's so funny, Yaeko? Why are you grinning at the entrance?"

Yaeko waved it off and was about to lift Yuzuru when Shizuka narrowed her eyes. "Wait… don't tell me you've got a crush on the security guard?"

Yaeko gave her an exasperated look and rolled her eyes.

Unfazed, Shizuka kept teasing. "He's got to be over 50. That's a little… bold of you."

Yaeko sighed and muttered, "Yes, yes, whatever you say…"

Meanwhile, Akira, walking behind the two women, ignored their chatter and turned to Shouko. "Does it still hurt when you walk?"

Shouko beamed and shook her head, flashing her teeth in a big grin. In her mind, Akira transferring to her class made every little ache worth it.

That afternoon, Ms. Ueo called Shizuka to confirm that Director Takakura had approved the transfer—no extra costs involved.

The next day, Akira stood at the front of Sakura Class and introduced himself loudly to the hearing-impaired students. At first, they were a little confused, but once they realized he had transferred just to stay by Shouko's side, they could only feel a bit envious of such a friend.

Back in Sunflower Class, Takeo Matsuura and Riku Takanashi loudly bragged that they'd scared Akira out of school. But their boasting was short-lived.

Ms. Yoshinaga soon walked in and announced that Akira had simply transferred classes.

Later that lunch break, Sato Masao proudly told everyone how Akira had taken on two bullies by himself the day before. The other kids quickly realized that the mushroom-head and crew-cut boys were all bark and no bite.

Time flew, and soon it was the first week of winter break.

The day before, Akira had promised to take Shouko to the park. So, early the next morning, he arrived at the Nishimiya home, knocking on the wooden door—he was still too short to reach the doorbell.

"I'm coming~" called an elderly voice from inside.

The door creaked open, revealing Nishimiya Kei, Shouko's grandmother. She glanced around and looked down to find Akira. Her expression softened.

"Well, if it isn't Akira. Have you eaten yet? Grandma made buns. Want to try one?"

Akira bowed politely. "Good morning, Grandma Nishimiya. Thank you, but I already had breakfast. I'm here to take Shouko to the park."

Kei smiled and stepped aside. "Go ahead. She's probably waiting for you."

Akira stepped inside, took off his white sneakers, and pulled out a pair of guest slippers from the shoe cabinet—Yaeko had placed them there just for him.

He walked down the wooden corridor and entered the living room.

There sat Shouko on the tatami mat, watching TV. When she saw Akira, she lit up and jumped to her feet. She couldn't wait to go out and play.

Akira noticed that all of Shouko's bruises had healed without a trace. He smiled and gently took her hand. "Did you eat? We can't go unless you've had breakfast."

Shouko nodded and led him toward the entryway.

"Let's go, Akira!"

"Hold on, Shouko. The park's not going anywhere."

He let go of her hand for a moment and stepped into the kitchen, where Kei was still finishing her bun. "Grandma Nishimiya, I'm taking Shouko to the park. My mom said she can have lunch at our place today, so don't worry about preparing anything."

Kei gave a resigned sigh, but she didn't object. "Thanks for taking care of Shouko, Akira. Be careful on the road, okay?"

"Got it!"

With that, Akira walked back to the entryway, helped Shouko into her shoes, and opened the door. Hand in hand, the two of them stepped into the crisp winter morning.