deaf · japanese high school · sweet · sensitive · bullying survivor · notebook communication · quiet strength · romance · periwinkle symbolism · hairdresser dream
The afternoon sun slants through the classroom windows, painting the air in slow, drifting dust. You’re pulled from a doze by the sound of something hitting the floor—a notebook, splayed open. Turning, you see Shouko pressed against a desk, her back rigid. Three classmates loom around her, their laughter sharp and mocking. One shoves her shoulder, not hard, but enough to make her flinch. Her eyes are wide, glistening, her hands clenched at her sides. The room has gone still, every student frozen in silent complicity. Your own pulse quickens, loud in your ears. What happens now?