SHINING VOICE - [니키]

♪ 04

He hesitated a little, but finally joined them.

He too picked up a piece of chalk and began to write with them.

After a while, there was no more room on the board, so they all stood back to look at their masterpiece.

They were still laughing when they heard something fall.

At the same time, they turned their heads towards the door and Miyuki was there.

Tears streamed down her red cheeks and her bag fell to the floor.

Her arms were at her sides and her eyes were fixed on the blackboard.

"Monster."

"Miyuki is useless"

"A handicapper deserves nothing."

"Rot."

The room was completely silent and Riki removed his lollipop from his mouth.

He hesitated a little before turning his eyes to the blackboard and saying, "But who could have written that ?" he took the chalkboard brush and began to erase it, "That's really mean, people are so stupid."

He put down the brush and the bell rang.

The rest of the class arrived and Yokai tapped Riki on the shoulder. "Why did you do that ? Maybe after reading this, she'll understand that she's really useless."

Riki rolled his eyes and put the lollipop back in his mouth, then went to sit down and the class began.

♩♫ ♪

The birds were singing.

It was the only thing Miyuki could concentrate on.

Are there mute animals too ?

Do they suffer as much as I do ?

Maybe they feel useless too.

Or they think they're monsters.

They're probably right to think that.

Maybe I am a useless monster.

The birds sang and fluttered around her classroom window, and a beautiful bird landed on the slightly open windowsill.

He was scratching his wings when the bell rang.

This time, Miyuki didn't want to eat at the canteen for fear of having her tray stolen again, so she prepared her own meal this morning.

She waited for everyone to leave before taking her meal out of her bag, which had gone cold, and began to eat.

Alone.

The bird was gone and the cold wind came through the window and blew the leaves off Miyuki's notebook.

She got up to pick them up, but when she turned back to continue her meal, he'd disappeared.

Miyuki opened her mouth and turned around in all the rooms, then she heard someone say, "It's delicious."

She turned towards the sound and saw Riki leaning against the window with her meal in his hands.

His mouth was full of rice and he was looking at Miyuki's dish as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.

Miyuki frowned and said, "Why did you take it from me ?"

The young man's face relaxed, and he walked over to the girl's table and put Miyuki's dish down.

She watched as he took a piece of paper from another table and handed it to her.

"Write down what you want to tell me."

She quickly picked up a pen and wrote the same sentence.

"Oh, I was hungry, that's all." he replied, taking up a butcher of rice.

Miyuki rolled her eyes and wrote again, "That's no reason !"

"Oh yes it is, because it's really delicious." he took a bite of the chicken and closed his eyes to savor the taste even more.

"Anyway, you can't say anything about it." then he ran out of the classroom.

Miyuki quickly got up from her chair to run after him.

Her mouth was open, as if she were screaming, but all you could hear was the sound of her footsteps.

Then out into the corridor, Miyuki ran into Riki.

She rubbed her head and wondered why he'd stopped running.

"Sunoo, what are you doing here ?"

"We were planning to eat together at lunchtime."

"Oh, I forgot."

Riki turned to Miyuki and handed her her plate.

Then he simply left with his friend.

Miyuki watched him go and hurried back to the classroom.

"The disabled." she turned and saw Yokai, dossing at the classroom door. "It's good ?"

Miyuki turned her head from left to right and took the paper Riki had handed her just before.

"It's cold."

Yokai laughed and took her meal. Miyuki grabbed it and tried not to let go, but Yokai kicked her in the thigh and Miyuki fell.

"You should prepare me a meal every lunchtime, the canteen is really disgusting."

Miyuki rubbed her thigh and when she looked up, she was all alone.

She struggled to sit up in her chair and heard her stomach rumbling, she couldn't wait to eat.

Then a pink flower entered the room through the window Riki had left wide open.

The little flower rested on her notebook, and Miyuki looked at it before occupying herself by sleeping until the next class, dreaming of a life where she could speak.

Maybe if I'd been deaf, everything would have been easier.

I wouldn't have heard anything,

I wouldn't know what Yokai says I am.

Maybe I'd be a little happier if I couldn't hear anything.

♪