Today was a special case since it was the first day of school. Parents only needed to pick up their children at 10:30 AM. From tomorrow onward, drop-off would be between 8:30 and 9:30 AM, with dismissal at 3 PM.
A perfectly ordinary day.
Yoshinaga-sensei finished explaining a few things and dismissed the parents.
Shizuka Miyamura, after listening to Yoshinaga-sensei's instructions, reached out and ruffled Kazuya's hair, her eyes tinged with reluctance.
"Mom's heading home now. Be good, okay?" She paused mid-sentence before continuing, "I'll come pick you up at noon. Sound good?"
The same scene played out across the Sunflower Class—parents reassuring their children, promising they weren't abandoning them.
Kazuya stared directly at Shizuka's face when she finished speaking. Internally, he sighed, but his expression remained neutral.
"Your acting's terrible, Shizuka-chan. But don't worry, Mom. I'll behave."
Shizuka blinked, momentarily stunned that Kazuya had seen through her act. Before she could react, he'd already called her by name again—but she didn't get mad. Not after hearing the second half of his sentence.
She didn't say anything else. Kazuya had always been dependable, even as a child.
With a light pat on his head, she stood and made her way to the classroom door.
Kazuya sat at his desk, hands neatly folded, watching as Shizuka turned back at the doorway to wave goodbye. He smiled as she slid the wooden door shut behind her.
Yoshinaga-sensei observed the scene from the podium without much reaction. This happened every year.
Then the crying started.
One child's wails set off a chain reaction. Yoshinaga-sensei hurried to comfort the nearest one, then moved on to the next.
Kazuya stayed seated, wondering if Shoko had burst into tears after Yaeko left. The thought worried him.
But before long, the cacophony of sobs became unbearable even for him.
He stood and walked over to the boy crying the hardest—snot and tears streaming down his face in a frankly ridiculous display.
The boy's mother, noticing Kazuya's approach, glanced around for his guardian. Finding none, she was surprised by his composure and assumed he'd come to help.
Just as she was about to thank him, she noticed the snot about to drip into her son's mouth and frantically pulled out a tissue.
Once the crisis was averted, she pointed at Kazuya. "Look, Eiri! This big brother's so brave! He didn't cry at all!"
When the boy paused to stare, she pressed on, "Right? Don't you want to be brave too? If you wait until Mommy picks you up at noon, you'll be a real hero!"
"I—I wanna… be a hero too!" the boy hiccuped, wiping his face with his sleeve in a messy display of determination.
Kazuya barely suppressed the urge to say, "Your mom's not coming back." He took a deep breath and held it in.
Ten minutes later, after Yoshinaga-sensei and Kazuya's combined efforts, the parents finally left.
Kazuya returned to his seat near the back.
Yoshinaga-sensei wiped her forehead with a tissue, pushing back her sweat-damp bangs. She clapped her hands to regain the children's attention.
"Everyone, settle down. Did you notice the toys inside your desks?"
Most of the kids immediately peered under their tables. A few had already found theirs earlier.
Kazuya pulled out a small, fluffy cat plush. He examined it for a moment before tossing it back inside. Cute, but boring.
Then it hit him—Shoko would love this. He carefully retrieved it, checking for damage from his earlier rough handling.
Yoshinaga-sensei watched with amusement as the children excitedly played with their toys or traded with friends.
Her gaze lingered on Kazuya—the usually mature boy now cradling the plush protectively, even swatting away a girl who tried to touch it. Adorable.
Then, from the far left, another wail erupted. Yoshinaga-sensei rushed over.
The boy sobbed that he wanted someone else's toy, but they wouldn't share.
Kazuya facepalmed. This kid's probably used to getting whatever he wants by crying. Tough luck.
Yoshinaga-sensei, however, remained calm. This was routine for her.
Once resolved, she returned to the podium and had the children introduce themselves. Afterward, she told them a story.
Noon arrived quickly. Yoshinaga-sensei instructed the children to wait for their parents.
Kazuya raised his hand.
"What is it, Kazuya?"
"Yoshinaga-sensei, may I wait in the Sakura Class with my friend?"
She recalled the little girl from earlier and nodded.
Kazuya grabbed the cat plush and left without another word.
Yoshinaga-sensei watched him go from the doorway.
The other children didn't question why he got to leave early. To some of the boys, Kazuya was already their unofficial leader. Whatever the boss does must make sense.
At the Sakura Class door, Kazuya knocked.
"Come in," Ageo-sensei called.
He slid the door open and bowed slightly. "Pardon the intrusion, Ageo-sensei. I'm here for Shoko."
Ageo-sensei smiled and waved him in.
Only then did Kazuya realize—unlike his class, the parents here hadn't left. All eyes were on him.
Kazuya ignored the stares, hiding the plush behind his back as he marched to the back row.
Ageo-sensei clapped to refocus the room and resumed her announcements.
Yaeko, sitting beside Shoko, gave Kazuya a knowing smile before turning her attention back to the lecture on hearing-impaired education.
Shoko hadn't taken her eyes off Kazuya since he entered. When their gazes met, she wordlessly scooted over to make space.
Kazuya sat without ceremony, keeping the plush out of sight.
Before he could present it, Ageo-sensei finished speaking and dismissed everyone.
"Oh, one more thing!" She quickly wrote her contact number on the blackboard. "Call me if you have any concerns."
Parents noted it down, said their goodbyes, and left with their children.
Yaeko tucked her phone away and reached for Kazuya and Shoko's hands.
Kazuya hurriedly presented the plush, leaning close to Shoko's hearing aid. "Shoko, this is a gift from school. For you."
Shoko's eyes sparkled as she accepted the gray cat, clutching it with visible delight.
Kazuya watched fondly. She didn't need words to express her happiness.
Then, to his surprise, Shoko dug into her own desk and thrust a matching dog plush into his arms.
Kazuya blinked. Huh. Maybe I like these things more than I thought.
Yaeko observed their exchange with a soft smile, basking in the peaceful moment—
"Click!"
Kazuya and Yaeko snapped their heads toward the sound.
Of course. Shizuka stood there, phone in hand, grinning like an idiot. Japanese phones couldn't mute the shutter sound.
"Just ignore me~" she singsonged, snapping more photos.
Shoko, oblivious to the noise, followed their gazes. Spotting Shizuka, she flushed—Did she take embarrassing pictures of me?
"Shizuka-chan," Kazuya deadpanned, "how long have you been here?"
Shizuka ignored the nickname this time, too busy reveling in his "embarrassment."
"Hmm? Since you gave Shoko-chan the plushie~" She fake-wiped tears. "So mean, Kazuya! Giving cute things to other girls instead of your own mother!"
Kazuya and Yaeko knew her antics well, but Shoko—having caught the last part—panicked.
She hurried over and reluctantly offered the plush to Shizuka, struggling to enunciate: "A-Auntie… here. D-Don't… cry."
Shizuka's eyes lit up. She patted Shoko's head, then couldn't resist pinching her cheeks.
So much cuter than my brat!
Shoko stood frozen, enduring the assault.
Kazuya intervened. "Mom, you're gonna peel her skin off."
Shizuka glared at him, then—for reasons known only to her—bit Shoko's cheek.
Shoko's face turned scarlet, steam practically rising from her head.
Yaeko finally stepped in. "We should go. Ageo-sensei's waiting to lock up."
Ageo-sensei, still at the podium, waved dismissively. She'd been enjoying the show.
Outside, Shizuka announced she'd fetch the car. She tried to pass Shoko's hand to Kazuya, but paused when she saw the dog plush in his grip.
With a smirk, she snatched it and replaced it with Shoko's hand. "We'll trade~"
Kazuya stared blankly as she pranced off.
Yaeko simply chuckled. Moments like these were rare and precious.
Back home, Kazuya helped Shoko out of the car while Yaeko took her time unbuckling.
Shizuka double-checked the vehicle before joining them, then turned to Yaeko.
"I'll park in the garage. Wait here."
As she walked off, Kazuya sighed. Just another day with my ridiculous family.