Akira didn't pay much attention to the gazes of the parents and children around him. He quietly pulled the wooden classroom door shut behind him, hiding the small cat plushie in his left hand, and walked straight toward a seat in the back row.
Ms. Ue'o stood at the front of the room, watching him walk in. She clapped her hands to regain everyone's attention before continuing to explain the remaining orientation points.
Nishimiya Yaeko, sitting beside Shouko, offered Akira a gentle, understanding smile and then turned her attention back to Ms. Ue'o, who was now speaking about special considerations for children with hearing impairments.
Akira greeted Yaeko with a small nod before shifting his gaze to Shouko.
Shouko hadn't taken her eyes off Akira since he walked in. The moment their eyes met, she instinctively scooted over, offering him half of her seat.
Without hesitation, Akira moved the plushie to where she couldn't see and sat down beside her.
Just as he settled in, before he could even take the toy out, Ms. Ue'o clapped again to signal the end of the session. "That's all for today. Please return tomorrow," she announced with a smile.
"Oh, one more thing!" she added, just as the parents were beginning to stand up.
The room paused, everyone turning toward her.
Ms. Ue'o picked up a piece of chalk and turned to the blackboard behind her. As she wrote a string of numbers, she said, "This is my contact information. Please save it. If you have any questions, feel free to call me."
The parents took out their phones and either wrote it down or snapped a photo. One by one, they began to take their children's hands, thank Ms. Ue'o, and head for the door.
Nishimiya Yaeko did the same—recording the contact info, putting her phone away, and then reaching out to take both Akira's and Shouko's hands so they could leave.
But before that could happen, Akira quickly passed the hidden cat plushie to Shouko. Wanting to make sure she understood, he leaned in close to her ear—where her hearing aid was—and spoke slowly and clearly:
"Shouko, the kindergarten gave me this toy today. I want you to have it."
As soon as he brought out the plushie, Shouko's eyes lit up. She eagerly reached out, taking the little gray cat into her hands and holding it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Akira smiled as he watched her. She didn't say anything, but her reaction made it clear—she loved it.
Still holding the plushie tightly, Shouko then freed her right hand, reached into the cubby beneath the desk, and pulled out a small gray dog plushie of her own. Without hesitation, she placed it in Akira's lap.
Akira blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that. But holding the soft little dog, he found... he kind of liked it too.
Nishimiya Yaeko leaned back in her chair, watching the two of them with a serene smile. She didn't say anything—just sat there enjoying the rare, peaceful moment.
Then—
Click!
The unexpected sound snapped them out of the moment.
Akira instantly knew who it was. He turned his head along with Nishimiya Yaeko, and—sure enough—there stood his mother, Miyamura Shizuka, holding her phone in one hand, covering her mouth with the other as she stifled laughter.
Japanese phone cameras always made that shutter sound. There was no way to mute it.
Catching their eyes, Shizuka waved with her free hand. "Don't mind me! Just pretend I'm not here!" she said cheerfully, before pressing the shutter again.
Click! Click!
Shouko couldn't hear the sound, but she noticed everyone staring in the same direction. She followed Akira's gaze and saw Miyamura-san aiming her phone at them.
Her face immediately flushed. She was certain Miyamura-san had taken a bunch of unflattering photos of her.
Akira sighed and called out, "Shizuka-chin, when did you even get here?"
Surprisingly, his mom didn't mind him calling her by name this time—maybe because she thought he was just trying to act cool in front of Shouko.
With a grin, she replied, "Since when? Probably since you gave Shouko that adorable little cat plushie."
Then, in mock dramatics, she pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "Honestly, Akira… you had such a cute toy, and you gave it away. And not to me!"
Akira and Yaeko exchanged a glance. They both knew what she was doing.
But Shizuka had deliberately slowed her speech to dramatize her lines—which meant Shouko caught the tail end of it.
The moment Shouko realized Miyamura-san sounded sad, she panicked. She stood up, hesitated for only a second, then walked over with the cat plushie in hand. Looking down at it reluctantly, she bit her lip—and then held it out to Shizuka.
"Ah... Auntie… this… for you… don't… be… sad…"
Shouko's words were soft and slurred, but heartfelt.
Before she could finish handing it over, Shizuka placed her hand gently on Shouko's head and began to pat it.
Not satisfied with just that, she put away her phone, crouched down, and started rubbing both of Shouko's cheeks.
Too cute! Way cuter than my own brat, she thought.
Shouko stood frozen, clutching the cat plushie as Shizuka continued kneading her cheeks like mochi. There was nothing she could do.
Akira finally stepped in. "Mom, that's enough. You're going to make her cheeks raw."
Shizuka stopped, narrowed her eyes at her son, and leaned in to check Shouko's face. Seeing only a bit of redness, she gave in to temptation—and planted a playful bite on her cheek.
Shouko's face turned beet red in an instant, steam practically rising from her head.
Even Shizuka was surprised.
Yaeko finally stepped forward and gently scolded them. "Alright, enough. Ms. Ue'o's still waiting at the front. Let's not keep her here."
Hearing that, Akira and Shizuka both turned to look at the podium.
Ms. Ue'o waved at them with a smile, signaling she didn't mind. She'd been quietly watching their interaction the whole time and found their families... charming, in a way.
Seeing it was getting late, Shizuka stood up, took Shouko's hand, and walked over to the teacher to say goodbye. Then she waited by the door for the others.
Yaeko also stepped up, took Akira's hand, exchanged a few words with Ms. Ue'o, and walked out together with Shizuka.
Once they were outside the kindergarten gates, Shizuka stretched and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"I'll go get the car. Wait for me here," she said. Then, seeing Akira holding the small dog plushie in one hand and Shouko's hand in the other, she frowned.
Without asking, she snatched the plushie from him and gently guided Shouko's small hand more firmly into Akira's.
"I'll trade you, alright?" she said with a smirk, waving the toy teasingly at Akira.
Akira just looked at her, completely at a loss for words.
Yaeko chuckled softly as she watched the exchange. Holding Akira's other hand, she didn't say anything—she just smiled quietly.
In that moment, everything felt light.
Everything felt… right.