Gongcheng Yuandu picked up the phone by his pillow and checked the time: 11:40.
"So late?" He rubbed his eyes, then stood up, retrieved a set of clothes from the wardrobe, and headed into the bathroom to shower.
As the sound of rushing water filled the room, Gongcheng Yuandu tried to recall everything from his dream, but the memories were already beginning to blur. Frowning slightly, he murmured under his breath, "Nexus..." Then, as if remembering something, he recounted yesterday's dream to the System.
The System replied: "Those who hold light in their hearts will be chosen. When the dream comes, it is Ultraman Noah's ultimate recognition of a person. Evidently, the host may have been chosen. As for why the Spark Lens is not yet in the host's hands, that requires the right opportunity. When that day arrives, the host will become a Nexus Dunamist."
After coming out of the bathroom and changing into his clothes, someone knocked on his bedroom door.
Noticing the sound, Yuandu hurried to open it. The person knocking was his third brother, Gongcheng Mu. Seeing the door open, Gongcheng Mu raised both hands and slowly gestured in sign language: 'Good afternoon, fourth brother. But it's lunchtime now, hurry up and come down with me.' Gongcheng Yuandu nodded and followed him downstairs.
When they reached the dining table, it was indeed already packed with people, leaving only him and his third brother missing. Their father sat at the head of the table reading a book, while the eldest brother, second brother, and fifth sister were all playing on their phones.
Seeing Gongcheng Mu and Gongcheng Yuandu arrive, they put away their books and phones, waved to greet Yuandu, and began the meal once the two of them sat down.
At this point, Gongcheng Yuandu put down his chopsticks and made a few gestures: 'Why didn't anyone wake me up this morning?'
His eldest brother also put down his chopsticks and explained: 'Fifth sister went to wake you up this morning, but you didn't wake up. Everyone thought you were too tired yesterday, so we decided not to disturb you further.'
Yuandu nodded to show he understood. Just as he was about to gather his bowl and chopsticks, his father handed him his phone. Puzzled, he took it and saw a chat interface with his father on the screen: 'Go pack what you need later. This afternoon, you, your second brother, third brother, and fifth sister will go to the airport and head to Yamato. Shuchiin starts classes in two days.'
Scratching his head, Gongcheng Yuandu began typing, then handed the phone back to his father: 'I can understand third brother and fifth sister coming with me, but why is second brother going too?'
'Naturally, to prepare for our expansion into the Yamato market. I'm having your second brother go there to scout things out. I've already contacted the Yukinoshita Family in Yamato, even though their family isn't very large.'
'I understand.'
After clearing the dishes, he returned to his room, packed a simple change of clothes, grabbed his backpack, picked up his suitcase, and headed downstairs. Since he had already packed his stationery and other school supplies yesterday, there was no need to pack them again.
At 1:30 PM, the four of them boarded the plane to Yamato, seen off by their father and eldest brother.
Looking out the window at the white clouds, Gongcheng Yunling excitedly shook her fist and turned to her brothers: "It's been so long since I went to Yamato."
Gongcheng Mu shrugged: "You were just there half a year ago. On the contrary, your fourth brother hasn't been there in four or five years."
Gongcheng Yuandu looked at his third brother in confusion, unsure what the two were talking about. Just then, someone tugged at his sleeve. He looked down and saw that his second brother had written down what they were saying in a notebook.
He took out the left-side hearing aid from his pocket, put it on, and then wrote in the notebook: 'Well... I transferred there for a few years in elementary school, so it really has been four or five years since I last went.' He then handed the phone to the three of them and leaned back in his seat, lost in thought.
He thought of the past, of a girl who was just as unfortunate as him—no, perhaps even more unfortunate than him.
...
"Nice to meet you, my name is Nishimiya Shoko."
"I want to make friends with everyone through this notebook."
"Could you please write in this notebook when you talk to me?"
"Because... I can't hear."
The boy sat in the back row, gazing blankly at the girl's gentle, smiling face.
"Just like... me..."
The boy thought to himself, while the other students looked at him as well. Clearly, they knew the boy was different, but the boy didn't mind.
And so, the teacher had the girl sit next to the boy. The boy brought a desk and chair over for her, and the girl's eyes curved into smiles as she handed him a notebook: 'Thank you!'
At that moment, a strange sense of oppression gripped the boy's heart.
'You're welcome.'
The boy wrote back.
'So, can I be your friends with you?' The girl looked at the boy expectantly, seeming to care deeply about his answer.
'Of course!' He replied.
The girl smiled happily. That smile... was genuine happiness and joy from the depths of her heart.
And just like that, they became friends.
The girl also learned the boy's name and his differences, realizing he was the same kind of person as her...
Later, the school found a sign language teacher for the boy and girl. This teacher would always take three minutes during class to teach everyone sign language, and a girl named Sahara Miyako took the initiative to approach Nishimiya. Perhaps this was the girl's second friend.
However, because Sahara spent time with the boy and girl, she was ostracized, and as a result, she transferred schools.
Neither the boy nor the girl knew what had happened.
Then one day, the boy was helping the girl move potted plants. The girl returned to the classroom alone first, only to find the blackboard covered in mocking words claiming that the boy and girl had driven Sahara to transfer. Seeing the girl enter, the small clique centered around a hedgehog-haired boy all laughed.
The hedgehog-haired boy wiped the words off the blackboard, and though the girl clearly noticed something was amiss, she didn't suspect the clique. Instead, she put on an ingratiating smile and wrote 'Thank you' on the board. Just as the clique, finding it boring, was about to leave, the boy walked back in carrying another potted plant.
The look he gave the clique was far from friendly.
After that, the clique always bullied the girl when the boy wasn't around, pretending nothing was wrong whenever he returned.
But secrets eventually come to light. One time, after returning to the classroom from the restroom, the boy found the girl holding her right ear, droplets of fresh blood trickling between her fingers, while the hedgehog-haired boy was still holding the girl's hearing aid.
At that moment, the boy snapped. He grabbed a water glass from a nearby desk and hurled it at the hedgehog-haired boy. The glass cup struck the skull and, perhaps due to poor quality, shattered, sending crimson blood streaming down the hedgehog-haired boy's head. The boy threw punches at the hedgehog-haired boy's face, knocking him to the ground.
When the rest of the students snapped out of their shock, they let out terrified screams. Just then, the hedgehog-haired clique rushed forward to pin the boy down, kicking and punching him.
At that moment, a student ran over with a teacher, and naturally, they were all summoned to the office, along with their parents.
...
"Excuse me, I'm late." Pushing open the office doors, a heavily built middle-aged man in a white suit walked in, holding the boy's hand, followed by several tall bodyguards in black suits.
The man cast a cold glance at the terrified parents and teachers, and said in a deep voice, "Who hit my son?"
The teacher was about to explain when the hedgehog-haired boy's mother dropped to her knees, performing a standard dogeza: "I'm sorry, I didn't raise Shoya right... Please forgive us..."
The man glanced coldly at the others, then squatted down to pat the boy's head. He took a small notebook from his pocket, scribbled something down, and handed it to Yuandu: 'Yuandu, go outside for a moment. Dad will handle things here.'
The boy looked at the note, simply nodded, and silently turned to walk out of the office, while the man signaled the other children to leave as well.
"So, teacher, explain this to me." The man looked at the boy's homeroom teacher, his demeanor imposing and severe.
"It's like this..." Perhaps intimidated by the man's overwhelming presence, the teacher stumbled over her words, but still managed to lay out the whole story.
The man turned to look at the girl's mother, his tone softening: "Thank you so much for your daughter being willing to be friends with my son." With that, he bowed deeply.
The man's wife had passed away after giving birth to their daughter, so he had transferred all his love for his wife onto his children. He loved his children deeply, which was why even a bow could not fully express his gratitude.