Hey, you boys, be serious about writing!

Mikasa!

Don't play around with the ink!

Eh, why only me?

Because you're the one who messes around the most! You're already 5th graders, so be serious about writing!

Ok.

Now, look at the 2nd example and write it.

There are more strokes than in the last character.

Mikasa-kun.

...Can I please have some paper?

Just 1 sheet.

Sure.

Thank you.

Hey, you over there, stop talking!

Mikasa!

In 5th grade, the classes were mixed up.

I think that was the first time I spoke with Saitou Mai.

Why only me?

Ok, let's continue.

No way!

She was quiet and talked softly.

She was by herself a lot of the time.

But she wasn't gloomy, nor was it difficult to talk to her.

"Exchange" Notebooks Don't Talk First Part The word 'exchange' is actually replaced by a homophone that means more like 'shared feelings'.

Saitou-san, you have nice handwriting.

Saitou Mai

Math

I remember that the teacher often told her that.

Her handwriting looked just like an adult's.

Saitou, do you do caligraphy?

Why? I don't.

Eh, you don't, but you still have such good handwriting?

It's not really that good...

Mikasa and Saitou are going home together again~

Whoa!

In 5th grade, just because we went home together, people made fun of us.

Since I was an idiot,

I started avoiding Saitou a little after that day.

But, in the end, our seats were next to each other.

I was rowdy, and Saitou had bad eyesight, so we were always made to sit in the front.

I think it started during the winter of 5th grade. We started talking like this.

Her voice was always reliable and honest. Also, it was easy to read.

It was fun chatting with her during class.

But during breaks, everyone was moving around.

I guess she liked to read, so she was always sitting in her own chair, quietly reading a book that she borrowed from the library.

She passed me in height too.

So I was reluctant to line up next to her.

However,

It seemed like she didn't feel anything at all.

When we entered 6th grade,

Saitou's quiet girl's group,

And my boy's group clearly split up.

At that time, I started sitting in the chair behind her.

For some reason, I didn't find it funny that we lost our point of contact.

But maybe she didn't think like that.

Mikasa, you know where Saitou lives, right?

She's sick today, so bring her these print outs.

You're close, right?

Eh?

That's right, Mikasa!

You're real close with Saitou!

I knew where Saitou's home was, but I had never gone there.

I walked with her countless times to the front of this apartment building.

And she wrote her address on her new year's card.

Ah

We knew a way to talk without either of us catching a cold.

I had just bought a notebook that day.

I put it in the envelope with the print out.

It seemed like she was sleeping, so her mother answered the door.

She looked like her. She seemed like a quiet person.

The next day, her fever broke, and she came to school.

Good morning...

Ok, take your seats.

Saitou, are you all better now?

Yes.

I see.

Ok, I'll take attendance.

It felt like I was hearing her voice for the first time in a while.

Each break, we passed the notebook.

At the lockers, in the desks, at the shoe lockers, in bags,

I liked the trivial conversations I had with her.

At that time.

As our elementary school graduation ceremony grew near, the notebook had turned into 6 notebooks.

I had finally grown 2 cm taller than her.

In middle school, a problem arose.

Ah

1, Class 3 in charge: Maruno

Year 1, Class 4 Teacher in charge, Tahara

It went from 1 class per grade to 6 classes.

I was in class 1, Saitou was in class 6.

But this wasn't something that we started doing because one of us said "let's do this".

So maybe it something that would also naturally stop.

Being in different classrooms like this made it difficult even to pass the notebook like we did before.

And she would make new friends.

And so would I...

Maybe she would join a committee or a club.

If so, she wouldn't have the time to worry about me.

There were people in my class that had cell phones.

But neither her nor I had one yet.

Actually...

Isn't bringing a cell phone forbidden?

The time when I wasn't talking to her felt really long.

Mikasa-kun, won't you join a committee?

Eh, umm... Nah...

You should. There's lots of good things about it.

Uh oh, we have to go to a different classroom next.

Mikasa, hurry!

Ok.

It's not like either of us always said something.

Or say anything at all.

Mikasa, let's go.

Ah

Biology Room

We didn't say anything, though.

Her voice

Like always, she was only talking to me.

Eh? Mikasa-kun, you'll be the library committee member?

Am I too late?

No, it's still ok.

But you'll have to stay after school a lot?

I like books.

Really? Then, Mikasa-kun

Is the library committee member...

Library

Private conversations are forbidden

Library committee

Let's read quietly.

Ah, he's here. Let's go.

Eh

No...

Come on!

What does she think of me?

What do I think of her?

U-Ummm, Mikasa-kun, is now a good time...?

Mika has something she wants to tell you.

Wait!

Ok?

Eh... What?

Well, here's a little, you know...

Mikasa-kun, when are you done with your committee work? It's already school closing time, so you're finished, right?

Yeah, I'm finished... But...

I don't know, but...

Ok?

....We're talking to Mikasa-kun right now.

...Please be quiet.

But at that moment, she was obviously not happy.

Huh? Disgusting!

Mika, let's go!

O-Ok. Mikasa-kun, see you next time...

Ah, ok...!

I'm sorry...

W, What?

I'm... Not very good at talking.

So I really... ruined it...

No, it's ok. They were actually being loud...

They came because they had something to do with you... I'm sorry.

I just... Got angry for some reason.

I'm sorry.

No, it's ok...

I don't know

What she thinks of me,

But...

But, I thought that maybe, if what I feel towards her,

She also feels towards me,

It would be nice.

So that's why the protagonist thought that at that point.

"Believing in people"

"At the same time, means bearing the responsibility."

That is the subtext to take from this story.

Yokoi

In our conversations, we usually don't bring up the names of other people.

Yokoi is a guy in my class that's in the soccer club.

I wonder... If Saitou is close with Yokoi...

He's tall, athletic,

Popular with both boys and girls.

Ah! Sorry! I was n't listening...

Hah...

It...

It's your fault!

The athletics festival was over, and it was the calm period as winter vacation drew close.

I wasn't too concerned about Yokoi,

But I'd often catch a glimpse of him talking with Saitou in the hallway.

Whoa, they're talking again. I don't want to go over by them.

But I've got library duty today, so I have to...

Yokoi, go somewhere else.

Huh?

Ah...

That was the first time,

That I saw her smile like that.

Her lips definitely moved like that.

I might have misseen, but I'm certain...

"Really?" "You're ok with me?" "Thank you."

"Let's get along."

Ah, so Yokoi and Saitou are like that.

Like that.

Ah

Have I just been acting like an idiot?

I felt as though I had become something special to her.

But I couldn't clearly say my own feelings.

Yokoi is cool.

No, Yokoi being cool doesn't have anything to do with this.

It's just that I'm not cool.

Actually,

So I guess it was at that moment.

That I knew a feeling that couldn't be put into words.