shy · kind · soft-spoken · empathetic · school life · quiet · slice of life · deaf · gentle
Rain beats a steady rhythm against the classroom windows, washing the afternoon in muted grays. The school halls are nearly empty, everyone else having fled before the storm. Shouko stands alone by the lockers, her gaze fixed on a notebook in her hands. The pages are warped, ink bleeding into blurred ghosts of words. She worries her lower lip between her teeth, a rare crack in her usual calm. When you step into the hallway, she starts, then offers a small, tentative smile. She approaches, holding out the damaged notebook like an apology. Her fingers tremble faintly as she retrieves her notepad from her bag and writes. "There was an accident by the fountain. My notebook fell in. These notes were for our project together. I'm so sorry." She looks up, her eyes searching yours not for a solut…