"No no...if you swipe to the sides you just end up spreading it, do it like this"

'...'

"In circles, see?"

'...'

"Shouko…"

'...'

"Why are you doing this?"

Choir practice goes as usual, though I could tell that Shouko was getting better. Though 'better' is a subjective term, and I don't think our classmates share the same opinion as me.

"C'mon kids! One more time!"

It seems that Kita-sensei could read the atmosphere and tried to keep the kids from being on edge, even so...her efforts are in vain.

By the end of the class Shouko's mood is through the floor, her face fallen. I could tell that tears were bordering the corners of her eyes. These children, being the cruel existence that they are, start badmouthing her as soon as the teacher gets out of the room.

"We will lose at this rate" "It's all her fault" "She thinks that because she's deaf she has the right to ruin everything" "Teacher's pet"

They're really forthcoming with their opinion when they know their victim can't listen to them, though when Shouko interacts with them, they put on this fake smile and treat her with 'kindness'.

It makes me sick. So sick that I want to barf.

Yet, I can tell. Shouko knows. She may be deaf, but she has this ninja skill where she can read their lips, of course she doesn't get everything they say, but if she can get just a few words and by the look on their faces, she probably gets the idea of what is going on. It would not surprise me, considering what Ito-san told me about her previous experiences in other schools.

"Stay strong, Shouko" that's the only thing I could say as she put a smile that didn't reach her eyes when talking to the others in the classroom.

'Do you have today's lesson?'

The room was empty and we were the only ones left. As it's our routine, Shouko asks for my notebook and copies anything that she didn't get in class while I clean my 's this peace and quiet that develops around us. The only sounds in the room are the swiping on my side and Shouko's pencil scratching the paper on her side. We remain like that for a few minutes until I finish, then I get a chair and sit beside her. She's pretending she didn't feel me but, the slight jump from her shoulders gives her away, and that's when she can't take it anymore.

Her shoulders start shaking and muted subs come out of her lips, little salty droplets rain down the paper while her lips tremble. I'm not the best at this kind of situation, so I go for my brotherly instincts and pat her head. She doesn't recoil to my touch —which is something I was afraid would happen— and leans in to me. Her tiny hands make a fist while grabbing my shirt and head leans on my shoulder.

"Guh, uhh...fuh"

She's a mess, but I'm not one to judge. I can't do much for her either. To think that the only thing that this crying girl wanted was to be friends with everybody, yet this is the result of that effort. It's frustrating, it's unfair and it's heart wrenching...but such is life, and Shouko is learning.

I really didn't want her to learn.

The wetness of my shoulder thickens and the muffled mumbles of the tiny bundle of kindness resound and bounce around. I peer around her table and see what she has written until now. It was a math lesson, though in the middle of a paragraph the words start to become messy, wetted in parts from tears —I think— and little after begin to become a repetitive sentence that's displayed over and over.

'It's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault it's my fault'

All poorly written and in trembling lines.

"You were holding in until now, heh?"

But Shouko is strong in the weirdest way. If I wasn't here, if I didn't come next to her and offered my shoulder to cry on...she would have probably kept quiet, even at her home. She would bottle it all up in hopes that it would come to pass, even though she has already lived through something like this before. She still holds close into that tiny thread, that slippery dream in which everything is alright and everybody is her friend.

That's a really toxic way of coping with it, Shou-chan

But what else could she do? I know my way of dealing with the things thrown at me is not the best, it's kinda twisted in its own way...and it's definitely something I would not wish Shouko to learn.

Normally, children of our age would consult with an adult, but I think Shouko has the same mentality as me when it comes to her mother—She doesn't wanna bother her—even so, I could tell, through the few times I interacted with the woman, that her mother cares deeply about her, not to mention Ito-san and her little sister.

You got a bunch of people that would give everything to see you smile, yet...here you are. Crying.

The world really is a sick place if someone like Shouko is crying at the end of the day.

Another day, another trial.

In the background I could hear the shivering sound of Shouko's vocal cords. Komachi was beside her, telling her with a few hand gestures to change her tone slowly. After a while, she gave a thumbs up sign, so that meant that Shouko should hold the note as long as she could, then she will have to start over again, and again and again and again...until she can get the note in one go.

To the side, I'm sitting on the table, drinking tea with Ito-san who is opposite of me across the table with a pleasant smile on her lips and Yuzuru glaring holes in my head right next to me.

"You're really are scum, Hachiman"

"Whatever would you mean?"

Her brow ticks while her mouth twitches upwards.

"Weren't you the one who was supposed to help my sister?"

"Are you saying that Komachi isn't doing a good job? Wow...how cold of you, Yuzuru-chan"

"What a scummy answer"

Is it really? I always thought that if someone else can do a better job than you could, then it's better for everybody to leave the job to say person. To insist otherwise would be egotistical and self serving. So, having found out that Komachi had a divine ear to notice when you hit certain notes right —as expected of an S-rank imouto— I left her with the job of helping Shouko. And it's not like they're complaining or anything, if anything, Shouko really enjoys Komachi's company, as any logical and normal human would. Though, Yuzuru seems to have a word or two about the subject, but...if I put my opinion into a word…

"Are you jealous, perhaps?"

"Wha-what are you sayin?! Idiot!"

Ah, so that's it? S-rank tomboy imouto —alias Yuzuru— feels threatened by SS-rank feminine imouto —alias Komachi.

"You will always be Shou-chan best Imouto, you don't have anything to worry~" I try to reassure her while giving a cool vibe with a thumbs up!

But for some reason Yuzu-chan glares at me as if I'm a cockroach that just won't die! I'm hurt —deeply— really. "I preferred when you were shy and antisocial, go die in a hole"

"Do you wish for my unhappiness?!"

It is what it is.

It's been three weeks since we started coming to the Nishimiya residence. At first we were bothered and shy, since it wasn't our house and we weren't used to the family —It was mostly me, actually. Komachi made herself at home as a fish in the water— but as we (I) got used to coming here, it became nice.

Ito-san is always welcoming, if you sit with her for at least two minutes she will start to prepare tea.

Yuzuru has all the attributes of a tomboy-ish little sister down to the tee, she will glare at you and say hurting words, but you could tell that she was doing it because she felt comfortable with you. I saw her interacting with other people, the mailman who came to drop some stuff, her neighbors, etc. and she is very quiet and keeps her words and opinions tied to her mouth...I really don't wanna know what kind of inner monologues said girl is having in her mind at those moments.

And finally, Yaeko-san...not the most talkative person you will find, but I caught her a few times looking at Shouko sing —Is it singing?— from the semi open door that leads to her room. I'm sure Ito-san caught her too. Though I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that had noticed the ghost of a smile adorning her face when Shouko received her with a bright smile when she arrived home a few days ago.

Like this, we kept coming here unannounced (I think...though I wouldn't put it past Komachi to be in talks with Ito-san in secret) until the stupid choir competition came to be.

"You think nee-chan is gonna be fine?"

"We can only hope"

And then all went to shit.

Long time no see! Like...one or two weeks? Well, anyway—I've been working on this chapter for a while, not really feeling it (By that I mean that I didn't know how to progress the story) Luckily for me my style of writing adapts itself to really slow paced story-telling. Funnily enough, I really hate slow paced stories (I became a monster!).

That's it for now, see you around!