With a slap!

Akira turned his head to look at Shouko in utter confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly slapped him out of the blue.

Though the slap felt more like a soft tap or tickle, it was baffling nonetheless.

He quickly scanned his memory for anything that might've upset her recently.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with anything—he had been perfectly well-behaved lately. Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the homework notebook that Shouko had pressed her hand against, and he hesitantly asked:

"Is it… because of the homework that you hit me?"

Shouko ignored the question, put down the pen in her right hand, and reached out with both hands to pinch his cheeks.

"From now on," she signed with a small pout, "you can only wear glasses when I see you."

Akira was a bit stunned, but he quickly caught on. The corner of his mouth curled into a mischievous smile. "Alright, I promise. But in return, shouldn't you promise me something too?"

"No problem!" Shouko agreed without hesitation. After all, she trusted him not to tease her too much.

"Then I want a lap pillow. For ten... no, five minutes." He raised five fingers and wiggled them at her like a child bargaining candy.

He removed her hands gently and leaned back, stating his request with a playful grin.

Shouko blinked. "What's a lap pillow?"

Akira raised an eyebrow. She genuinely didn't know. Trying not to laugh, he explained, "It's just me lying down with my head on your lap. That's it. For five minutes."

"Oh. Okay." She nodded after hearing the simple explanation. To her, it didn't sound like a big deal. After all, when they were younger, she had cradled him to sleep plenty of times—so often, she could hardly count.

They hadn't done anything like that since third grade, sure, but still—it was just the two of them now, and nobody would see.

"Then help me finish my homework first," Akira said with a straight face. "I'm not a lolicon—I have priorities."

Shouko rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. She finished his homework within four minutes, then walked to his bed, sat down, and patted her thigh softly.

"Come on."

Without hesitation, Akira climbed onto the bed and prepared to lay down. But as he glanced at Shouko's calm face, he asked:

"You sure? If I lie down, you can't take it back, alright?"

"Mhm. Just five minutes," she said, a little impatient now that he was hesitating.

Satisfied, he rested his head on her lap.

Honestly? He was a little disappointed. In all those light novels, the lap pillow was described as magical—a dreamlike sensation. But in reality, it was just... nice. Like a pillow, but a bit firmer. Warm. Comforting. And he could smell Shouko's soft, clean scent—which he was used to anyway.

What was different was the angle—he could now confirm Shouko definitely didn't have a double chin.

No "view" or anything exciting. She was still just his sixth-grade Shouko.

But Shouko was feeling very different.

As soon as he lay down, something strange fluttered inside her chest. A kind of warmth. It tickled her heart in a way that made her shift slightly, unsure whether to run or stay still.

She felt the room growing warmer. Her face too. Maybe she was wearing too many layers?

She stared at him peacefully resting, wanting to reach out and stroke his hair—but she held back, afraid to wake him.

-----------

"Shouko and I are heading out first! Dad, Mom—don't be late!" Akira called out as he and Shouko stood in the entryway, shoes already on.

Shizuka Miyamura stood in the hallway, teasing from behind her tea mug, "Got it. If your dad's not there, the principal might be too embarrassed to even start the show!"

"Be careful, okay?" added Daiki, poking his head out from the kitchen.

"Mm-hmm!"

"I'm heading out!"

As for Yuzuru, she was still passed out in bed. Today was the singing competition, and only the sixth graders had to go early. The rest could arrive later.

As soon as Akira and Shouko entered Class B and sat down, Sahara Miyoko rushed over, practically vibrating with anxiety.

"What should I do? What should I do?! I'm already freaking out and we haven't even gone on stage yet!"

Shouko remembered what Akira had told her the night before and tried to gently comfort her.

"Try imagining the audience as potatoes, Miyoko."

"Potatoes?! I can't! I really, really can't!" Sahara shook her head violently.

Her panic started making Shouko nervous too—but judging by the class atmosphere, everyone else was just as jittery. Nothing unusual.

Akira, meanwhile, just gave Sahara a flat look, then turned to rest his head on his desk.

"I'm taking a nap. Wake me if we're up."

In the past month, their chorus practices had improved a lot. No more off-key disasters. And surprisingly, Ishida Shouya's conducting had been solid, at least during the intro and transition parts.

Some even believed he was turning over a new leaf—but that was wishful thinking. Every few days, he still picked fights with the boy who had tattled on him. With the competition so close, Teacher Takeuchi had mostly resorted to scolding and letting him off with warnings.

Shimada Ikki had already learned the piano accompaniment, and after a month of practice, he could play it by heart.

"Alright, everyone settle down!" Takeuchi-sensei finally entered the classroom. "If you need to use the bathroom, go now. Once we're on stage, there's no turning back!"

His voice boomed—until he turned to Shouko and softened noticeably.

"Nishimiya, please wake Miyamura up."

Before she could even reach over, Akira sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"No need, I'm already awake," he muttered, still groggy.

A few kids asked for permission to go to the restroom and filed out. Akira stood up and stretched.

"Shouko, I'm heading to the convenience store downstairs. Want anything?"

Shouko blinked. "Convenience store?"

"It's a secret," he said, flashing a grin. After checking in with Takeuchi-sensei, he left the classroom with a mysterious air.

Shouko debated following him, curious—but was interrupted when Sahara tugged her sleeve.

"Shouko, let's go to the restroom too."

"Mm." She nodded. Whatever Akira was planning, she'd find out soon enough. He probably deserved a little space too.

Meanwhile, at the back of the room...

"Are you really going to do it?" Shouya asked in a low voice, glancing sideways. "Won't this be a bit much?"

Shimada Ikki said nothing, just glanced at Keisuke, who was seated next to him picking at his fingers and ignoring them both.

He nodded once, firmly.

Shouya stared at him for a second, then looked away. "Alright…"

He wouldn't say anything more.

---------

POWER STONE!!!

Support me patréon com/Lukas25