Nishimiya Shouko.

I used to hate that girl.

Despite having made it all the way to the sign language assembly, Ishida Shouya found himself hesitating at the final hurdle: the door. There was someone he really wanted to see… no, someone he absolutely had to see in there. But he just couldn’t squeeze out the last ounce of courage he needed to go through that door.

Shouya could almost feel holes burning into his back from the deeply intrigued stares of the many people coming out of the room.

“I’ve never seen that boy before…”

“…Could he be Nishimiya-chan’s friend?”

“Oh, come now! Only a boyfriend would come all the way down here, don’t you think?”

“There’s a thought!”

The high-pitched titters of the women who thought they knew it all grated Shouya’s ears.

“N-No! Nishimiya-san’s just an old classmate, and I really have to talk to…” The rest of the sentence died in Shouya’s throat.

At some point during his fumbling response, the very Nishimiya Shouko he’d been looking for had exited the classroom, and was watching him with wide eyes.

Nishimiya wore a school uniform, and she was much taller than in elementary school, not to mention her significantly longer hair. But despite how much she had grown, she was instantly recognizable. Especially due to that fumbling smile that looked exactly the same…

And when faced with that smile, Shouya had no clue what to say.

But Nishimiya’s smile quickly vanished, and she turned away from Shouya, running off.

“Oh! W-Wait! Nishimiya!! Don’t go!” Shouya dashed after the retreating Shouko in a panic. “Wait?! Don’t you remember? It’s me!”

Shouko dashed down the stairs, clearly uninterested in responding.

Shouya pushed his legs as fast as they could go, shouting louder. “It’s Ishida from elementary school! …I’m Ishida!”

Nishimiya really did remember him. Unfortunately, the proof of that lay in how she started running away faster.

But he couldn’t let her leave.

“It’s me, Ishida Shouya!” Shouya yelled with everything he had.

Shouya and Shouko had only known each other for a few months of their sixth year of elementary school.

But the effect of those few months on their lives could not possibly be understated.