After Akira had finished handling everything, he picked up the square black cloth that had previously wrapped the lunch box and gently tied it around Shouko's neck, using it as a napkin.
While tying it on, Akira smoothed the fabric carefully to keep her from feeling uncomfortable or startled by the sensation on her neck.
Ms. Ue was also helping a few other children in the Sakura Class with small lunch problems, like bento boxes that were hard to open.
Just as Akira was about to start eating, he suddenly thought of something. Turning to Shouko, he said softly, "Shouko, go ahead and eat first. I'll get us two cups of warm water."
Shouko nodded in response. Akira stood up and made his way over to Ms. Ue. Noticing him approach, the teacher asked first:
"Did something come up, Akira?" Ms. Ue crouched down to meet his eyes.
"Ms. Ue, do you have any disposable cups? I'd like to get some warm water."
Ms. Ue chimed in gently, "Yes, I'll grab some for you. Can you keep an eye on the kids in Sakura Class while I go?"
She reached out and patted Akira's head kindly.
Akira didn't immediately respond. He thought to himself that he'd have to ask his mom, Shizuka, to help pack a thermos for him next time.
"Akira?" Ms. Ue called again, noticing his silence.
Snapping out of it, Akira replied quickly, "Ah—sorry, Ms. Ue! I was just thinking. Thank you, I'll watch over them."
"Haha, no problem." Ms. Ue chuckled, amused by how polite this four-year-old was. She stood up and left to fetch the water.
Akira watched her go before slowly walking up to the podium to observe the kids eating quietly.
There were only eleven children in the Sakura Class now, a big drop from the original twenty or so. Each one wore a different-colored hearing aid, including Shouko, who was focused on her food.
Akira noted how much better behaved they were compared to the kids in his Sunflower Class. Maybe it was their own challenges that made them more thoughtful and mature.
Just then, Ms. Ue returned with two small clear plastic cups.
"Alright, Akira. Head downstairs and eat too."
"Thank you, Ms. Ue." Akira took the cups carefully, then walked back toward Shouko, who was still diligently eating.
Placing the water on the table, Akira said with concern, "Shouko, slow down. Don't choke. Here, drink some water first."
Shouko looked up, not quite meeting his eyes, and took the cup a little too fast—so fast that some of the warm water splashed out.
"Careful, Shouko," Akira said softly.
Shouko didn't quite catch his words, but she tilted her head back and gulped down the water quickly.
"Cough, cough…!" she suddenly started coughing hard.
Akira almost facepalmed with a bitter smile, but instead stepped closer and gently patted her back to help her recover.
Once she stopped coughing, he asked seriously, "Shouko, are you hiding something from me?"
Shouko avoided his eyes and murmured, "No… Akira, you're imagining things."
Her pronunciation was so muddled he could barely understand her words, but he could sense the guilt behind them.
Akira patted her head and sat down in the seat she had vacated, preparing to eat his own lunch.
He sipped some warm water to rinse his mouth and opened the black insulated lunch cover. To his surprise, it looked slightly puffed up.
Suspicious, Akira glanced at Shouko. She immediately averted her gaze, looking left and right in a panic.
Peeling back the cover, he found the lunch box nearly overflowing with broccoli—so much that one or two florets had spilled onto the table.
"Shouko, you know just eating meat and skipping veggies isn't healthy." Akira picked up a floret that had fallen and popped it into his mouth. "Balance, remember?"
He scanned the box—only the broccoli had multiplied. Everything else was portioned as expected.
Shouko, flustered, shook her head and protested, "No… no… no!"
Ms. Ue, watching from the podium, thought they were arguing and almost stood up to intervene. But seeing Akira offer a piece of broccoli with chopsticks to Shouko, she quickly understood—just a picky eater moment.
"Just a little bite?" Akira coaxed gently.
Shouko hesitated, then opened her mouth slowly and accepted the broccoli.
Her face twisted like she'd just swallowed something bitter. Akira could only sigh as she chewed.
He handed her his cup again. "Here, drink slowly this time."
Seeing how much she hated the broccoli, Akira ate the rest himself. Still, he occasionally fed her tiny bits of broccoli paired with fried pork, trying to balance her meal.
What should've been a quick lunch stretched out. Between talking with Shouko and feeding her bits of food, Akira ended up being the last to finish.
Finally, he closed their empty bento boxes, untied the cloth around Shouko's neck, folded it neatly, and packed everything up.
"I'm heading back to Sunflower Class now, Shouko. I'll come check on you after school."
He stood and reached out to pat her head.
"Mm!" Shouko nodded sweetly. Seeing how cute she looked, Akira couldn't resist and pinched her soft cheek.
"Mm… Ah… Akira~" Shouko mumbled in protest.
He didn't catch what she said, but let go after a moment, satisfied.
"See you in the afternoon," he said before turning to walk back toward Ms. Ue.
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