[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): But are you really able to accept such an outcome?]
[Echidna (Level 3, Stage 9): No...]
Of course Echidna couldn't accept that outcome. Her goal, from the very beginning, had always been to make the world a better place.
She wanted demi-humans and humans to understand one another and abandon their long-standing cycle of oppression and conflict. She hoped that nations could understand each other and avoid brutal wars. That individuals could understand one another and no longer quarrel.
But the method Eriri proposed merely turned all living beings into puppets. That wasn't a truly beautiful world at all.
[Ruri Gokou (Level 7, Stage 2): That's why you should give up on such an unrealistic wish. Or at the very least, lower your expectations a bit.]
[Ruri Gokou (Level 7, Stage 2): For example, you don't need everyone to understand each other. It's enough if people live in prosperity and there's no more war.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Exactly. That's a far more realistic goal than your previous one.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Your previous wish was simply impossible. But what Ruri suggested—you can accomplish that with some effort. You don't need Eriri to make your wish come true.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): That's right. The reason you can't bring peace to the world right now ultimately comes down to your lack of personal power. If you could suppress the entire world by yourself, then any changes you wanted to make would be up to you.]
[Echidna (Level 3, Stage 9): I see now. I understand!]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): As long as you stay in the chat group, it's easy to get stronger.]
[Echidna (Level 3, Stage 9): Yes. Thank you all for enlightening me. You've helped me find the right direction to work toward.]
[Echidna (Level 3, Stage 9): Also, I'm really curious about the worlds you're all from. If possible, I'd love to visit them.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Of course, that's not a problem. I'll come to your world in a few days to build a World Gate. Then you can travel freely to other worlds without having to buy Cross-Realm Talismans in the chat group.]
[Echidna (Level 3, Stage 9): Really? Thank you so much!]
[Kyoko (Level 2, Stage 7): I want a World Gate too, Eriri-senpai. Please build one in our world as well~]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Don't worry, I'll do that even if you don't ask. Connecting all the group members' worlds is already part of the plan.]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Alright then, to welcome our new members, it's time to hand out some benefits. Get ready to grab some red packets.]
[Alice Nakiri (Level 7, Stage 1): If there are red packets, of course I'm in. I'm definitely going to snatch more points this time!]
[Kyoko (Level 2, Stage 7): Eh? There are newcomer benefits too?]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): That's right. If you're lucky, it might just send you flying~]
[Echidna (Level 3, Stage 9): I hope my luck is good then!]
As the number of chat group members increased, the amount Eriri gave out in red packets also kept growing. This time, she directly sent out 100 million points.
If evenly distributed, every member could receive several million points.
But since Eriri sent a "luck-based" red packet, how much each person received depended entirely on their own luck.
...
In the world of A Silent Voice, Suimon Elementary School, Class 6-2.
Now that her hearing had been restored, Shouko Nishimiya sat cheerfully at her desk, eager to go home and share the good news with her mother, grandmother, and younger sister.
Aside from that, she also wanted to tell her mother, grandmother, and little sister about the chat group and Eriri, and share the joy bubbling up from her heart.
Unfortunately, she still had to finish the final class of the day before she could go home.
But before going home, she planned to tell her classmates that she could now hear—especially Ueno Naoka and the others who had helped her over the past few days.
She wanted to be able to be friends with them normally, instead of just quietly standing aside while they chatted happily.
Just as Shouko stood up, preparing to walk over to Ueno Naoka's desk, the school bell suddenly rang.
It was the first time she had ever heard the bell so clearly. Before, she could only hear faint sounds with the help of her hearing aid.
For other students who disliked studying, the bell was like a death knell—but to Shouko, it was incredibly pleasant to hear.
With the bell's ring, the students who had been playing around quickly returned to their seats.
At the same time, Shouko had to stop her steps toward Ueno Naoka and sit back down, deciding to wait until after school to share her joy with Ueno and the others.
At that moment, she suddenly heard two voices conversing behind her.
"Ugh, I'm so bored. Another class already."
"Just hang in there a little longer. It's the last period. Once it's over, we're free."
These two voices were unfamiliar to Shouko, but she knew they belonged to Ueno Naoka and Shouya Ishida, since they sat right behind her.
Hearing someone else's conversation so clearly for the first time was incredibly novel to Shouko.
It was different from using sign language or writing in notebooks—now she finally understood how joyful it was to communicate with sound.
Shouko didn't turn around to interrupt Ueno Naoka and Shouya Ishida's chat. She simply listened quietly from the front, hoping to learn about their interests through their conversation.
However, when she heard what they said next, the hopeful look on her face instantly dimmed.
...
"I was such an idiot, thinking of helping Nishimiya with notes. I ended up missing so much myself—it was totally not worth it," Ueno Naoka grumbled, lying on her desk with clear irritation.
Shouya Ishida laughed mockingly. "Haha, that's what you get for suddenly growing a conscience. That Nishimiya girl can't even hear—what's she going to learn? Taking notes for her is a waste of energy. She might drop out in a few days."
"That would be ideal. Her being in this class is just a hassle. She's seriously got no self-awareness. If she's deaf and mute, she should just go to a special school for people like her!"
"Tell me about it."
Ueno Naoka and Shouya Ishida kept their voices relatively low—only students seated nearby could hear them.
But they didn't realize that Shouko Nishimiya, sitting right in front of them, could now hear—and far better than the average person. She clearly heard every word they said.
Even after hearing their blunt and cruel conversation, Shouko didn't grow to hate them. Instead, she blamed herself, sinking into a state of self-loathing.
She now realized that maybe her earlier thoughts had been a bit presumptuous. She had assumed Ueno Naoka was treating her kindly as a friend—but reality proved to be far more brutal.
After those few sentences, both Ueno and Ishida fell silent again. The teacher for this class had apparently been delayed and hadn't arrived yet.
Lying on her desk, Ueno Naoka glanced at Shouya Ishida to her right, then at Nishimiya sitting upright in front of her. Unconsciously, she recalled the scenes from the memory projection.
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Suddenly, she turned to Ishida and asked, "Hey, Ishida, do you think you might fall for Nishimiya someday?"
Shocked by the question, Ishida—who had been zoning out—instantly snapped up as if startled and shouted:
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Why would I like that weird girl?!"
His loud voice drew everyone's attention, but once they saw it was just Ishida, they merely chuckled and went back to their own business.
"Hey, Ueno, don't joke like that again. It's seriously disgusting," Ishida said, clearly annoyed and unconcerned by the class's reaction.
"Sorry, sorry, I won't say that again," Ueno said with her hands together as if apologizing, but her face wore a smug smile. Clearly, Ishida's outburst had pleased her.
"You better not. I don't want to be associated with that girl."
At that moment, Ishida noticed Nishimiya had turned to look at him along with the others. His expression instantly twisted into one of disgust.
He extended his right foot beneath the desk and gave the chair Nishimiya sat on a hard kick. The sudden jolt caused her to stumble forward. If she hadn't caught her desk in time, she might've fallen to the ground.
The commotion immediately drew attention. A girl with long ash-blonde hair seated in front of Nishimiya stood up and asked with concern:
"Ah, Nishimiya, are you okay?"
Despite her seemingly caring words, she made no move to help Nishimiya.
"Hey, you freak, why are you looking at me? Or are you saying you can hear me? Were you just pretending before?" Ishida glared at Nishimiya and spat out his words.
Naoka's earlier question had already made him feel humiliated, and now his temper had flared. His attitude toward Nishimiya became downright hostile.
"S-sorry… I didn't mean to…" Nishimiya said softly, her head lowered, her words slurred.
"What the hell are you even saying? Speaking monster language now? If you can't talk properly, then shut up. You're just annoying. Why am I even bothering with a deaf girl?"
Scratching his head, Ishida muttered angrily, "Ugh, so annoying."
Just then, the teacher finally arrived in the classroom. Whatever Nishimiya had wanted to say was left unsaid as she turned back to face the front.
This teacher, Takeuchi, who wore glasses, had actually arrived at the classroom door more than a minute earlier. He had witnessed everything Ishida did to Nishimiya.
But he made no move to intervene. When he entered, he simply acted as if nothing had happened and began the lesson as usual.
None of the students thought to report the incident to the principal either.
...
The forty-five-minute class passed quickly, and it was now 3:30 in the afternoon.
As school officially let out, the students of Class 6-2 packed up to go home—Nishimiya among them.
However, instead of rushing off, Nishimiya decided to try apologizing to Shouya Ishida.
Even though she had done nothing wrong, she instinctively took the blame on herself.
With her backpack on, she approached Ishida's seat—but he immediately bumped her with his shoulder, nearly knocking her over again.
Without sparing her a glance, Ishida walked straight out of the classroom with two other students.
Seeing her apology plan fail, Nishimiya turned to Ueno Naoka, who was still gathering her things.
Knowing her speech was far from clear, Nishimiya had written what she wanted to say in her notebook before class.
She took out the notebook, flipped to the right page, and held it out in front of Ueno Naoka.
Originally, Ueno planned to grab the notebook and toss it in the trash.
But when she saw what was written inside, she paused.
"Hello Ueno, thank you for your help these past few days. I'm really sorry for troubling you. I can now hear your voice—so, would you be willing to be friends with me?"
Reading this line, Ueno's brows furrowed, then she laughed.
"Haha, unbelievable. I can't believe you made up such a lie just to win us over. Classic Nishimiya. I've got to hand it to you."
With a face full of mockery, Ueno added:
"Well, since you can't hear me anyway, I'll tell you something..."
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