Episode 2

“Urgh ow”

The voice I heard is familiar, so I look up to see-……… H-Hiro?

But he time I looked at him, he was already looking at me…

“Hey, Are you okay?”

He asked me.

But it’s of no use. I couldn’t speak. I just grabbed my bag and ran out of the classroom.

I took a last glance before stepping out.

His face looked puzzled while he laid there. Poor him, it wasn’t his fault. It was mine instead.

After that I just ran out of the school premises. And I walked straight to my home.

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I reach home. I step in but it was so dark in my house. I switch on the lights only to see that no one was inside.

Mom and Dad must have gone out due to their work. I freshen up and started cooking dinner. By the time I was done, my parents came home.

“Yui!”

My mother exclaimed.

I smile at my mother’s happiness.

“How was your school today sweetheart?”

My Father asked me.

I smile and tell them it was good in sign language. I also tell them that there was a new student who joined us today.

“Oh! A new student! So did you try to be friends with them?”

I fall silent. No matter how hard I try, it will just fail and they will think of me as a creep anyway.

“ Oh dear. Try to be friends with them tomorrow”

I shake my head in disagreement. I also sign my hands as a ‘NO’.

My dad and my mom look at each other and sigh at the same time. Then my father come to the reach of me, kneels down and says

“Look Yui, I know the time when your introduction day failed and even then when your classmates came and tried to talk with you also failed”

“But, You have to try communicating with others. You have to know what life is. You have to experience it”

I look at both of them and just sigh. My mother was looking at me and nodding with what my father is saying with a bright smile.

“Fine” I tell them. (sign language)

My father then hugged me and said

“You know that everything I do is for your sake”

I smile and nod while hugging my father back. My mother just chuckles and heads to the kitchen arranging the dishes on the dining table.

And after that, we all eat dinner and head to bed. 

Of course, a good night kiss is a must!

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~Next morning~

I get ready early in the morning as always. I walk on the way to the school in thought. I think whether to talk to them or not.

Again as usual, I reach the school early. But this time I read my Science text book to pass the time.

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“Oh! You’re here early”

A voice made me flinch. The voice felt familiar, It took me mere seconds to figure who that is.

I turn back to face him. The memories from last night come back to me. How my father told me to ‘communicate’ with others.

I look him in the eyes.

“Hi?” he said.

I smile and wave at him. But I look down again. Hope that wasn’t so ‘creepy’ of me, as others say.

I again look back at him, He was already smiling at me and he speaks

“Hello! I’m Hiro!....and you are?....”

I look at him for quite a while, figuring out how to tell him.

He tilts his head and looks at me.

“Hey?...”

I sigh and take a paper from my bag. I write my name on it and give it to him.

He reads it and looks at me.

“But why are you telling me like this? Can’t you just say-“

And he freezes before he finishes the sentence.  Think he realized it. That I can’t speak.

Now he is just going to throw that paper, look at me with some ‘I am disgusted’ eyes and run away from here.

I knew this would happen……This is exactly why I don’t talk to others. Let alone ‘communicating’.

But when I look at him, he says

“Ah…..I’m sorry.”

Sorry? Sorry for what? For what is going to happen next?......

He laughs and takes a seat next to me.

“I actually don’t know how to react to this…I mean it’s the first time.”

He looks at me.

“Anyway, Are you okay?”

I look at him with a question mark on my face.

He chuckles and says-

“I mean about what happened yesterday. You bumped into me pretty hard. That must’ve hurt…..”

I tell him “I’m fine” in sign language.

“I-I’m sorry…”

He laughs and

“I-I mean I don’t know sign language.”

“I’m really sorry”

Oh……Then he must’ve not understand what I just said.

I laugh a little.

I take the previous paper from his hand and write on it again.

“I’m fine”

He smiles looking at the paper.

“Thank god”….He mumbles.

I again start writing on the paper.

“Why did you approach me first today?”

He looks at it and

“What do you mean?” he asks

“Don’t you think of me as a creep?” I write.

He reads it and stares at it for a while.

He then again looks at me and starts speaking.

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