"Nishimiya, you know, not long ago I joined this weird chat group—and from there, I learned about our future."
The moment Ueno Naoka spoke her first sentence, Shouko froze.
Hearing the mention of a chat group immediately made her think of the one she had joined, so she instinctively assumed it was the same group Ueno was talking about.
But she also had doubts—she hadn't seen Ueno Naoka in the group, nor had any other members mentioned her.
While Shouko stood there in a daze, Ueno's voice continued, oblivious to the fact that Shouko could hear every word.
"It's honestly ridiculous. Just because you acted all pitiful and fished for sympathy, everyone in that chat group turned on me. It's too much. Neither you nor those people are any good."
"To be honest, I only talked to you in the beginning because Shouya wanted to figure out if you were actually deaf or just faking it."
"Same with taking notes for you. If the teacher hadn't assigned us to the same group and told me to look after you, I wouldn't have bothered."
"At times, I did feel a little sorry for you, but after seeing what happens in the future, I realized you're not worth it."
"You not only stole Shouya from me, but you also ruined him—always playing the tragic heroine."
"So why don't you just die already? Why'd you have to transfer into our class and disgust us?"
After hearing Ueno's words, the eagerness in Shouko's heart completely faded.
Although she had already learned through the chat group that there were future memory records available, she hadn't watched them yet, so she didn't know what her future looked like.
But after hearing Ueno's last two sentences, she couldn't help but wonder if she had done something terrible in the future to make Ueno hate her so much.
This filled her with unease and made her desperate to know what really happened.
Still, before anything else, she wanted to try explaining things to Ueno, so she hurriedly pulled a pen from her bag, intending to write in her notebook.
But before she could flip to a blank page, Ueno snatched the notebook out of her hands.
"Oh, right. Since you say you can hear now, that means you don't need this notebook anymore, right? In that case, let me help you get rid of it."
Without a hint of hesitation, Ueno tore the notebook to shreds and stuffed the pieces into Shouko's backpack.
"No need to thank me. I'm just that helpful~"
With a fake cheery tone, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and casually walked out of the classroom.
Staring at the corner where Ueno disappeared, then down at the shredded remains of her notebook inside her bag, Shouko's heart sank.
In the original story, Shouko continued to greet Shouya and the others with a kind smile even after being bullied. That was largely because of the communication challenges she had faced growing up—she had developed a conflict-avoidant personality to keep from creating tension with others.
But that didn't mean she never felt negative emotions.
Now that she could hear clearly and understand the true intent behind others' words, it was impossible not to feel the malice.
After being bullied by both Shouya and Ueno, a deep dissatisfaction inevitably welled up inside her.
Calming herself, Shouko hoisted her backpack and left the school.
...
The next day arrived quickly.
After breakfast, unlike usual, Eriri didn't go to school with Arifureta and the others. Instead, she planned to head to the world of A Silent Voice to resolve the issue concerning Shouko Nishimiya.
Shouko's hearing had already been restored the day before. The only unresolved issue was the bullying she would soon face from Shouya Ishida and the others.
But before Eriri could open a World Gate, she received a message from Little Skirt saying Shouko was calling her in the chat group.
[Shouko Nishimiya (Level 1, Stage 9): Eriri-nee, do you have time soon? My mom said she'd like to meet you. @Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9)]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Of course I do! In fact, I was just about to visit your world.]
[Shouko Nishimiya (Level 1, Stage 9): That's great! When will you come?]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): Right now.]
[Shouko Nishimiya (Level 1, Stage 9): Eh? Right now? But my mom already left for work…]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): That's fine! I can spend time with you first. We can meet your mom after she gets home.]
[Shouko Nishimiya (Level 1, Stage 9): You're really going to spend time with me? I'm so happy!]
[Shouko Nishimiya (Level 1, Stage 9): But I still have to go to school today…]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): That's an easy fix. Just take the day off—I'll take care of it.]
[Shouko Nishimiya (Level 1, Stage 9): Okay, I'll wait for you, Neechan~ Hehe.]
[Yoshino Himekawa (Level 1, Stage 9): Um… Eriri-nee, my mom wants to meet you too…]
[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9): No problem, Yoshino-chan. I'll come visit you in a few days~]
[Yoshino Himekawa (Level 1, Stage 9): Mm, thank you Eriri-nee.]
After promising Yoshino, Eriri exited the chat group and opened a World Gate to the world of A Silent Voice.
...
Since it wasn't the weekend, Shouko and her younger sister Yuzuru were walking to school like usual.
However, Shouko had transferred to Suimon Elementary recently, while Yuzuru still attended their old school. So they split up at an intersection along the way.
Shouko had sent her chat message shortly after parting ways with Yuzuru.
Knowing Eriri was coming, she stopped in her tracks and waited by the sidewalk.
Before long, a strange circular portal appeared before her, and from it stepped out a stunningly beautiful blonde girl.
Seeing the goddess-like woman, Shouko stood in place, stunned.
Though she was on a busy pedestrian street, with cars and people constantly passing by, no one else noticed Eriri's arrival or the portal. Only Shouko could see it.
Once the World Gate disappeared, the passersby saw Eriri—but it felt perfectly natural, as if she had always been there.
Noticing Shouko staring straight at her, Eriri smiled and walked over.
"Hello there, Shouko-chan."
"Are you Eriri-nee?!"
Hearing her voice snapped Shouko out of her daze, and she instantly realized who it was. Her face filled with shock.
She had always seen Eriri as a goddess who saved her, but now that she was seeing her in person, she realized Eriri was far more beautiful than she had imagined.
Though Shouko's pronunciation was still imperfect, Eriri immediately understood what she meant.
"That's right. Are you happy to see me?" Eriri asked with a smile, gently placing her hand on Shouko's head and patting her.
Shouko quickly nodded. "Mmhm, I'm happy!"
Feeling the warmth of Eriri's touch, Shouko's face lit up with the brightest smile.
Ever since Shouko had told her mother, Yaeko Nishimiya, about regaining her hearing yesterday, Yaeko had started giving her speech training.
Under her mother's strict instructions, Shouko was no longer allowed to use her notebook to communicate with others.
Regardless of how clear her pronunciation was, she had to speak out loud as practice.
Shouko didn't resist at all—in fact, she welcomed it. She was enjoying the process of slowly learning how to speak.
Sneaking a few glances at Eriri, Shouko couldn't help but say, "Eriri-nee, you're so pretty!"
"Thanks for the compliment. You're super cute too, Shouko-chan."
Eriri smiled and gently pinched Shouko's cheek before taking her left hand.
"Alright then, Shouko-chan. Let's go have some fun. We'll head back to your house once school lets out."
"Huh? Aren't we going to school to ask for leave first?"
"No need to go through the trouble. Don't worry, when you go to school tomorrow, no one will even know you skipped today."
"Okay."
Since Eriri said so, Shouko stopped worrying about it.
She trusted Eriri almost completely—after all, Eriri had saved her—so she didn't doubt her words in the slightest.
After teaching Shouko how to use the chat group's storage system to stow her backpack, Eriri took her out for a fun day.
Since they only had half a day, Eriri didn't take Shouko to too many places. They went to the zoo and a shopping mall.
Eriri had taken her to the mall mainly to buy her some cute outfits.
Shouko's father had abandoned the family after she was diagnosed with hearing loss at age three, leaving Yaeko as the sole provider.
Raising Shouko and Yuzuru while paying for expensive hearing aids meant their household was always financially strained.
Though Yaeko had never let her daughters go without food or shelter, she couldn't afford to buy them new clothes multiple times a year like most families.
Shouko initially refused Eriri's offer to buy her clothes, but after some convincing—and Eriri's insistence—she gratefully accepted the gift.
While picking out clothes for Shouko, Eriri also bought several outfits for her younger sister, Yuzuru, whom she hadn't met yet.
To celebrate Shouko's restored hearing, they watched a movie together after lunch.
By the time the movie ended, it was already past 3 PM.
On the way home, Eriri held Shouko's left hand while Shouko held an ice cream cone in her right, happily licking it with a bright smile on her face.
From the moment she met Eriri that morning, Shouko hadn't stopped smiling.
...
When Eriri and Shouko returned to the Nishimiya home, it was already past 4 PM.
"Grandma, Yuzuru, I'm back!" Shouko called loudly as they stepped into the entryway.
"Welcome back, sis!"
A youthful voice rang from inside the house, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Soon, a young girl with short black hair appeared.
This was Yuzuru Nishimiya, three years younger than Shouko.
Not long ago, both sisters had long hair. But before Shouko transferred schools, their mother had taken her for a haircut to help her toughen up.
Yuzuru, not wanting her sister to feel alone, followed her lead and cut her hair short as well.
Upon reaching the entryway, the first person Yuzuru noticed wasn't her sister taking off her shoes—but the blonde girl standing beside her.
Just like Shouko that morning, Yuzuru was momentarily stunned by Eriri's beauty.
She didn't come back to her senses until Eriri spoke.
"Hi there! You must be Shouko's little sister, Yuzuru, right?" Eriri said cheerfully.
"Ah, hello! I'm Yuzuru Nishimiya. Um… who are you? Why did you come home with my sister?"
Yuzuru looked at Eriri somewhat shyly, her eyes full of curiosity.
"I'm Eriri. Have you heard that name before, Yuzuru-chan?"
Yuzuru was initially puzzled, but then recalled what Shouko had told them the night before.
Eriri—the person her sister had mentioned the most.
Her mom had also asked Shouko to invite Eriri over so she could thank her.
Realizing this, Yuzuru suddenly grew excited.
"I remember now! You're the one who cured my sister—Eriri-nee!"
Overcome with emotion, Yuzuru rushed in front of Eriri and gave her a deep bow.
"Eriri-nee, thank you so much for healing my sister's ears. I'm truly grateful!"
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