68 A Meaningful Exchange

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Tokyo, Japan,

Shibuya,

Samuel POV,

Currently, two teenagers could be seen conversing in a street, one considerably taller than the other and also visibly more outgoing.

Samuel waved his hand with a small smile looking at the relatively short girl that was fidgeting in place, fumbling around with her hands, both confused and overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of a stranger... or rather, a stranger she recognised.

"It's been a few days.." Samuel made signs with his hands, natural, considering he was talking with someone who had hearing difficulties or more bluntly put, someone deaf for the most part.

"U-Umm, hau.." Still however, the girl made an effort to speak out, deeming it rather rude.

"You don't have to push yourself." Samuel had a small harmless smile on his face, admittedly the sight would tug on the heartstrings of anyone especially if, it was Shouko Nishimiya. The only reason she was shy was because it was a new experience for her and they were mostly strangers.. if not for the exchange from some days ago.

At that, the girl visibly relaxed, placing a hand on her chest and taking in a deep breath before smiling at him, Shouko then made several signs with her hands, "What are you doing here?" A bit of a curious air hung about her, she had just come out of her house to stare at the night sky when she noticed someone stopping nearby, once she saw that it was Samuel, she had made her way down in slight excitement, Shouko had wanted to converse with him again after all.

"Eh, just driving around.. thinking about stuff." Samuel's smile softened, the girl was something amazing to be honest. Even with one of her senses deprived, she saw nothing wrong and strived to do her best, not wanting to trouble anyone.

Shouko slightly tilted her head in confusion, "Is there something troubling you?" She noticed the change of expression on his face, and also noticed that he didn't look at her any differently than the people from before... The girl was once again reminded just why she desired to converse with him again.. It was always either pity or alienation..

"Not really I guess? You though, what are you doing out here at this time?" Samuel questioned curiously, motioning to their surroundings. A high schooler out so late wasn't something that could be called 'good'.

Shouko slightly averted her gaze, somewhat embarrassed... her reasons for fairly childish after all, "I was just..." There was a bit of a pause in her movement, "Looking at the sky." She pointed above them, sometimes thinking about things did help in dealing with them.

Samuel nodded at her, "I...see."

While not exactly poetic or something, he was doing the same thing too.

A question to be asked was, why Samuel conversed somewhat differently with her?

Well it was simple, while disabled people weren't that hard to find.. It didn't make them any less admirable to Samuel, especially those like Shouko who strived to do their best.. Not letting a clear unfair disadvantage cloud them or hold them back...

To someone like Samuel, who was greatly held back by himself and had no real results in the improvement department, such people.. He just couldn't treat them wrongly.. He couldn't bring himself to seek an advantage in conversation or even anything remotely similar..

The teenager's gaze lingered on the girl for a good few moments before he sighed again, if someone like that could become better, why couldn't he?

Samuel rubbed his chin in thought, looking at the silent night sky seemingly in search of answers for his dilemma.

Shouko looked at him quietly, noticing that he did have something troubling him. Being the kind of person she was, it was impossible for her to ignore something like that, "May I know what's wrong?" Shouko 'spoke' in an uneven tone, understandably.

Samuel, seeing no real harm in it, chose to answer, "What would you do if you had a habit that made you a very bad person?" His meaning was greatly diluted, such that it didn't imply that something was extremely wrong.

Shouko was silent, if such was the case then, she would try to give it up? She, despite her shortcomings, was certainly perceptive and she knew full well that this question was more heavier than one might think..

..

..

..Did Samuel think he was a bad person?

Clenching her fists, the deaf girl made up her mind, and for a few moments, the air stood still,

"We haven't talked a lot... I don't know you very well.." The pitch of Shouko's voice fluctuated mid-speech, clearly she was rather heated at the moment..but, that was the kind of person she was, "I do know, that you are not a bad person... If not everyone else, I will always see you as a kind person."

Their interaction was short, but even during that, he had helped her out a lot with nothing to gain.. something no one except her family had done for her, then he treated her like an equal.. Shouko naturally thought highly of the silver haired teenager, to see Samuel think of himself as a bad person was somewhat irksome and... frustrating..

If anything, if he was truly a bad person... then, what were those that had belittled her?

Shouko shook her head, getting rid of such thoughts before turning towards Samuel with a resolute expression.

Samuel's eyes slightly widened, it wasn't much and one could even think it platitude but, ... it did make him feel strange, to see someone verbally and with great vigour exclaim that he wasn't a bad person (Or in this case, would always be a good person to them at least) really did a number on the teenager.

Maybe because no one had said it before or something, but it did really shock Samuel who slightly recoiled.. however, he quickly recollected himself, letting out a deep sigh.

"I see... thank you." He lowered his head in gratitude, perhaps driving out to this random place hadn't been such a bad move after all.

Seeing Samuel's lowered head, Shouko waved her hands trying to make him raise it again, her head slightly shaking from side to side, the girl was greatly confused.....

.. A few moments later however, the realisation of just how heated she had gotten finally hit her and she ended up fumbling around with her hands, her gaze lowered out of embarrassment as she did her best to hide her slightly red face.

Like that, a few minutes passed with both confused and estranged.

Samuel stood up straight, awkwardly scratching the back of his head with a small smile, "Thank you though, I don't know why but thanks." Shouko really was a good person.

"You're welcome." Shouko made a sign with her hand smiling, understanding that the cycle wouldn't end unless she accepted it.

At the same time however, Samuel's gaze slightly shifted to the side, noticing another presence looking at them from one of the windows.

He took out his phone and held it out, "If you need.. any help, please contact me at any time."

Sometimes words were enough to earn another's gratitude and respect.

That was exactly what had happened here, the exchange was relatively short but felt far longer, to have someone declare that they would always believe in him moved him significantly. Should Shouko ever get in trouble, even someone relatively aloof and uncaring like Samuel would run to her aid now.

Shouko, was confused for a few moments before she quickly took out her own and exchanged numbers. The girl was happy that she had at least somewhat helped him but didn't understand just how much her words had done, and just how much of an effect it would have.

"I'll see you later." Samuel got on his bike, he needed to sleep this off. What the hell was he doing? Getting this moved by a teenager's words.... It was too childish.

'....' Echidna sighed, she said it all the time, the deaf girl says it once and it had this much of an effect? Wait.... Did he think her words were empty or something?!

"Um." Shouko nodded, holding her phone in her hands,..... did this mean they were friends now? She was certainly happy, the cheer seemed to radiate off her very figure.. At the same time, her heart beat slightly faster, did she say too much?

She did, say too much.

Noticing that the time was getting late, Shouko made her way back up the stairs and to her home, he had helped her back then and she had helped him here, Shouko was glad she got an opportunity to do so but surprised that someone like that could, similar to herself, have doubt in himself and such problems.

Though, it made Samuel that more relatable to the deaf girl.

With closed eyes, a smile spread across Shouko's face, her long brown hair fluttering in the wind as she stood at her door.

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Share thoughts please.

Shouko bein Shouko as always.

In case, you're confused about why he's taken aback. It's cause no one's said something like that to him, ever, period.

Echidna says it but she's the Witch of Greed, you can see how he'd think it's just empty words.

Did anyone check out the COTE fic (A Tired Journey)?