dmims Page 13
Page 13
Because of her, her mother lost her husband.
Because of her, Yuzuru lost his father.
Now, Yuto-kun... such a good Yuto-kun, is also suffering from criticism and pointing fingers from his classmates at school because of her.
"That Itsuka from Class A is really a weirdo."
"Yes, they're always hanging around that earless woman."
"What a pity, he's so handsome."
These words tore at her heart day and night.
It's all her fault.
Everything is her fault.
If only she didn't exist.
If she disappeared, Yuto wouldn't be talked about anymore, and his mother and Yuzuru might be able to live an easier life.
Once this thought took root, it spread through her mind like wild grass.
The inner defenses, built up day by day with self-blame and despair, completely collapsed.
"Glass!"
Shouts came from behind.
Ignoring everything else, Yuto Itsuka mustered all his strength and rushed toward the center of the bridge.
However, Glass did not hear it.
She had already taken off the hearing aid she always wore and placed it on the bridge.
She herself severed the last connection with this world.
Under Yuto Itsuka's terrified gaze, she spread her arms, leaped into the river, and plunged in.
"Glass——"
Yuto Itsuka let out a shout; before he could even think, his body had already reacted before his consciousness could.
Without hesitation, he climbed over the railing and plunged into the river.
The icy river water instantly enveloped him, the current crashing against his body.
Whether in his past life, the real world, or the simulated world, Yuto Itsuka is not good at swimming, especially in a river with such a rapid current.
But he disregarded the danger.
He choked on several mouthfuls of water as the river water rushed in, causing him to feel suffocated.
He struggled to swim, but he didn't flinch. He had only one thought in mind—to find Shoko! To save her!
He frantically paddled, searching desperately for that petite figure in the swift current.
Finally, just as he was about to be swept away by the water, his fingertips touched a soft piece of fabric.
It's glass!
He suddenly grabbed Shoko's wrist with all his might.
He held her tightly in his arms, and then, with all his might, pushed her toward the shore not far away.
"Well……"
The icy river water stimulated Shoko's senses, and her survival instinct made her instinctively struggle.
Perhaps it was sensing Yuto's desperate, all-or-nothing spirit, or perhaps the warm embrace awakened her deep-seated desire for life.
She stopped struggling and, using the force that Yuto Itsuka had used to propel her, swam towards the shore with all her might.
Once, twice...
Finally, her hand touched the solid riverbank.
She climbed up with all her might, collapsed onto the cold mud, and gasped for breath.
saved……
She instinctively looked back into the river, trying to find the person who had pushed her up.
However, the river was turbulent, and there was no sign of Wuhe Youdou anywhere.
He...he was swept away by the merciless torrent because he was exhausted.
"Ah... Ahhh—!"
Nishimiya Shoko froze, and then a shrill, desperate cry burst from the depths of her throat.
The heart-wrenching sound echoed throughout the entire riverbank.
She desperately reached out, grabbing wildly in the direction of the surging river.
But she couldn't grasp anything.
Volume 1: Chapter 17: The Room Without Lights [Please vote!]
[Mom, I'm going to school now. Yuto-kun is still waiting for me at the gate.]
After finishing breakfast, Nishimiya Shoko wrote this sentence in her notebook.
Upon seeing this, her mother, Yaeko, skillfully responded in sign language: "Shoko, try to make more friends at your new school and adapt to the environment well."
[Okay, Mom]
A bright smile spread across Shoko's face before she put away her notebook.
At the dining table, Yuzuru Nishimiya, who was taking small bites of her fried egg, stared blankly at her older sister, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something.
When Yaeko noticed, she stopped him with a look, and Yuzuru immediately lowered his head, sipped his milk, and remained silent.
Shoko slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, waved to her mother and sister, and turned to walk towards the entrance.
At the entrance, a slender young man stood quietly.
Shoko walked to his side, looked up, and habitually gave him a slight smile. Then she wrote in her notebook: [Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuto-kun. Let's go.]
……
……
The early autumn wind carried a hint of coolness, ruffling Shoko's long, flaxen hair.
She followed closely beside Itsuka Yuto, exchanging information using her notebook.
【My mom enrolled me in the Ogaki Municipal School for the Deaf, and today is my first day!】
I heard that everyone there has had the same experience as me.
My mom told me to make more friends at school, and I think... I can definitely do it this time.
Everyone must feel the same way I do, right? Wanting to make friends, wanting to be perceptive, wanting to be more popular.
[How wonderful to have a school like this...]
After she finished writing a paragraph, she held up her notebook to show it to Yuto Itsuka next to her.
The other person would stop and read it carefully, then smile and nod at her. Sometimes they would raise their hand and gently pat her head, the movement as soft as a feather falling.
Upon arriving at the gate of the school for the deaf, Shoko stopped and wrote in her notebook:
【Yuto-kun, you can drop me off here.】
She paused, then added:
Don't worry about me, I'll get along well with my classmates.
Finally, she wrote: [Goodbye]
Before the ink was even dry, she quickly crossed out the words and rewrote them next to it: "See you after school."
After doing all this, she looked up and gave Yuuto a big smile.
Yuto smiled and waved to her, signaling her to go inside quickly.
Shoko took a deep breath, turned around, and stepped into the school gate.
……
After school, Shoko returned home.
My younger sister, Yuzuru, was wearing an apron and helping her mother in the kitchen, washing and preparing vegetables.
At dinner time, the family of three sat around the small dining table.
The television was playing a popular variety show, making a lively noise, but to Shoko, the sound was just a blurry background noise.
After dinner, the mother and her two daughters, having eaten and drunk their fill, sat comfortably on the sofa in the living room to rest.
Shoko's mother used sign language to ask her, "Shoko, has your head still been hurting lately...?"
Yuzuru sat beside her sister, her body close together, and also cast her gaze over, her eyes filled with worry.
Shoko quickly wrote in her notebook on her lap: "No, it got much better after summer vacation ended."
[I probably felt too much pressure before, but I feel very relaxed at the new school now, so Mom doesn't need to worry about me too much.]
After she finished writing, she hesitated for a moment, then picked up the ball again. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)
"Mom, Aunt Kotori and Uncle Itsuka...did they move away? I think I saw them packing a lot of luggage during summer vacation."
The air in the living room seemed to freeze for a moment as comedians on TV competed in haiku, eliciting bursts of laughter from the audience.
Nishimiya Yaeko remained silent for a moment, her expression somewhat complicated.
She took the notebook and slowly wrote below the question Shoko had written: "[Yes, Kotori... she was transferred to another city for work, so she moved there with your Uncle Itsuka.]"
"Ah, so Yuto-kun lives alone at home, right? Won't he be lonely all by himself?" Shoko asked with some concern.
Yaeko looked into her daughter's worried eyes and fell silent again.
Nishimiya Yuzuru suddenly raised her head, her lips moving as if to say, "Sister, you..."
"Yuzuru!" Yaeko suddenly interrupted, giving Yuzuru a warning look.
Yuzuru's voice abruptly stopped. She bit her lower lip in frustration, her eyes slightly reddening, and finally turned her head away. (Yue/Yi (|One) Lingyiqi$俬伍咎罒久 8)
Shoko didn't quite hear what the two were saying and tilted her head in confusion.
Yaeko took a deep breath and rewrote in her notebook: [Don't worry about Yuto, he's great, always has been. He'll take good care of himself.]
The handwriting is somewhat messy.
[Really? Okay, I understand, Mom.]
Shoko looked at the words her mother had written, then at her sister's reaction, feeling a little strange, but still nodded.
I'm going back to my room now.
She closed her notebook, got up, and left the living room.
……
Shoko returned to her room but did not immediately take out her textbooks.
She took out a pink diary with a small lock from the bottom drawer of her desk; it was her little secret.
She opened her diary and, by the light of the desk lamp, began to record everything that had happened that day.
September 1st, Sunny
This morning, Yuto-kun accompanied me to school. Since it was the first day of school and I was going to a new school, I was a little nervous. Yuto-kun noticed and said to me, "Shoko is so cute, she'll definitely make lots and lots of friends."
Honestly, Yuto-kun always says that, but hearing him say it makes me feel at ease.
The new classmates are all very kind, probably because we all have the same illness.
The teacher said that most of the students in our class have some degree of hearing impairment, so we seem to understand each other better.
I tried communicating with them using sign language and my notebook, and they responded to me very patiently. My friend even complimented my hair clip.
I like my new school; I feel like I can finally make friends.