Mute Or Just Scared? (Mitsukuni 'Honey' Haninozuka Love Story)

Confidence

What Kasanoda said stayed on my mind. If what he'd said was true, then as long as I was confident, then I should be able to talk to people. In theory, that should be true.

Considering that it was Sunday and I had no school, today I would be helping out at my father's bakery. This was the perfect opportunity to test that.

Alright Suzu, it's time to break this shell!

As I was organizing things, a familiar face entered the bakery. Mrs. Suzumoto came in every Sunday morning and got the same things every time. So over time, I'd come to know this sweet old lady very well. This was the perfect opportunity.

Confidence, Suzu! I reminded myself as I felt my nervousness begin to creep in. Taking a deep breath, I tried my hardest to say something. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Suzu," Mrs. Suzumoto said kindly. For a moment I wasn't sure any sound had come out when I'd spoken. But when I saw her eyes widen, I knew I'd succeeded. "You spoke!"

"I..." For a second, I'd almost slipped back to my usual self. But having been successful before and reminding myself of that, I felt my confidence grow. "I want to be able to talk with others."

The old woman smiled at me. The one good thing about confidence: it could be contagious. It was clear that it had certainly affected Mrs. Suzumoto. "Oh my, what brought about this sudden desire to talk?"

"Some very special friends of mine," I explained, trying hard to hang on to that burst of confidence. Chika... Taiga... Kasanoda... I really wanted to be able to talk to them as easily as they could to me. "They mean the world to me."

Impressed, the woman couldn't keep a smile off her face. "Well then, keep at it, dear," she said. "Just remember to be confident."