The setting sun painted the sky with a vibrant, red glow, casting its final brilliant rays across the elementary school campus.
Though classes had ended hours ago, a few students remained, waiting for their parents to finish work.
"Hey, Nao-chan, did you see that TV show last night? It was so funny."
"Haha, yeah, and that part with..."
The laughter of Ueno Naoka and her friends filled the activity room.
"Hey, have you guys noticed how uncool that Nishimiya girl dresses?"
With that sentence, the girls' cheerful conversation devolved into hushed whispers.
Nishimiya Shoko watched the girls from afar, a pang of envy in her heart.
She first glanced at the boy in the corner she had been thinking about, then quickly looked away. She wanted to go to him, but she didn't dare, because another girl was by his side.
Nishimiya secretly gave herself a pep talk. You can do it, Shoko. Don't cause too much trouble for Hiratsuka-kun. It's a new school, and you have to be the one to make new friends.
And Mom... she also wants me to live like a normal person, right?
She picked up her notebook, and slowly made her way over to the girls.
「What are you all talking about? Can you tell me?」
She held out her notebook, trying to join their conversation, but it only created an awkward silence.
The girls' laughter came to a sudden halt.
"See you tomorrow, Nao-chan!"
"See you tomorrow."
"And Nishimiya too, bye-bye."
Nishimiya was at a loss. She clutched her notebook tightly in her small hands, standing blankly without saying a word.
"Hey, Ryosuke, is that kid always like that?"
Nibutani Shinka moved closer to Hiratsuka Ryosuke, covering her mouth with her hand to whisper in his ear.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke nodded, then turned to look at her beautiful face. "Speaking of which, why are you in our class's activity room?" he asked with a helpless sigh.
"That's so mean! Didn't we say this morning we'd walk home together today?" Nibutani Shinka said, putting her hands on her hips and pouting.
She looked at the girl standing all alone on the other side of the room, then back at Hiratsuka Ryosuke, as if she had made a decision.
A sunny smile returned to her face, and she bounced over to Nishimiya Shoko.
"Hey Nishimiya, want to come to my house for dinner? My mom's cooking is delicious!"
As a recognized popular girl in school, the ability to "read the room" was an essential skill. Nibutani Shinka could tell that Nishimiya Shoko was being ostracized by the other girls in her class. It was her kind impulse to invite the poor girl she'd only just met.
Nibutani Shinka clasped her hands together and looked at Hiratsuka Ryosuke, her voice filled with hope. "Hey, Ryosuke, come to my house for dinner today too. It's been a while since you've had my mom's fried tempura, right?"
Inviting someone she had known for less than a day might feel abrupt, so she also invited her childhood friend. She figured since he seemed to care about this girl, she must be his new friend.
That was Nibutani Shinka's kindness.
Nishimiya Shoko hesitated for a moment, then quickly wrote her reply in her notebook. She held it up, looking directly into Nibutani Shinka's eyes, and smiled with her eyes narrowed into slits.
「Thank you, Nibutani-san, but I also have to go home.」
Then, she mouthed something to Hiratsuka Ryosuke but didn't say a word. She put down the notebook and wrote again.
「And Hiratsuka-kun, thank you for today. See you tomorrow!」
Being bullied and ostracized was something that had happened to Nishimiya Shoko many times since she was a child. Her feelings of disappointment came and went quickly. She couldn't help but think to herself, Even though I'm not close with the girls in my class yet, I'm so happy I got to meet Hiratsuka-kun, Shoko.
Nishimiya Shoko, with a foolish grin on her face, bowed deeply to the two of them before leaving.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke and Nibutani Shinka watched Nishimiya Shoko's small silhouette stretch longer and longer in the setting sun, until it disappeared from sight.
On the way, the two elementary schoolers walked side-by-side with their backpacks.
"Ryosuke, you want to help that girl?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Just as I thought. Just like back then, you say you hate trouble, but you can't stand to see someone bullied. You're like a hero."
Nibutani Shinka thought back to when she first met Hiratsuka Ryosuke. Although many years had passed, her heart still fluttered whenever she remembered it.
She was only eight back then, and her personality wasn't as cheerful as it was now. Her good looks attracted the boys, which naturally earned her the girls' hatred. The little boys, not understanding what liking someone meant, would always resort to bullying her to get her attention. She had her toys stolen, her indoor shoes hidden, and caterpillars placed in her desk.
Then one day, her mother was late from work, so she was playing alone at a nearby park. She was sitting on a swing under a tree when a few boys surrounded her.
"Hey, Nibutani, I've got a present for you!" a boy said, moving closer with a caterpillar.
"Mine's a big spider~" another boy said.
"Me too, me too! This cute little gecko is for you, Nibutani-san, hehe," a third boy chimed in, not to be outdone.
The boys showed off their captives to Nibutani Shinka as if to display their power. She saw the boys approaching with their scary bugs and her eyes filled with tears.
When they saw her biting her lip and wiping away her tears, they were even happier. They thought this would make them stand out to Nibutani, allowing them to win against other boys who wanted to get close to her.
Nibutani Shinka wanted to run, but all the paths were blocked.
"Someone, save me..."
She was young, desperate, and helpless. She couldn't understand why her classmates were targeting her this way and could only mutter to herself.
"Three boys bullying one little girl. How disgusting."
An untimely voice rang out. The boys looked over to the source of the sound, and a youthful face appeared before them. The boy was carrying a large wooden sword on his shoulder, his body as firm as a pine tree. His eyes were cold and sharp like a drawn blade as he stared straight ahead.
Nibutani Shinka thought the voice sounded familiar, but seeing his face made her even more surprised.
It was... Hiratsuka-kun from next door?! She remembered he lived with his sister and had brought a gift when they visited last time.
Perhaps Hiratsuka Ryosuke's cold stare annoyed the boys, or perhaps they were angered by having their moment interrupted. One of them couldn't help but ask, "Hey, who are you?!"
Hiratsuka Ryosuke took down his wooden sword, pointed it at the boy who spoke, and said calmly, "Just a passing swordsman. Don't you forget it."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke's calm tone felt like a provocation and disdain to them.
"You wanna taste my fists?"
"Kid, who do you think you are?!"
They all forgot about Nibutani Shinka for a moment, wanting only to beat up the boy with the wooden sword to save face in front of their "goddess."
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
A series of muffled sounds rang out.
"Ah! It hurts!"
"Wahhh, Mommy..."
"I'm sorry, stop hitting me!"
Hiratsuka Ryosuke sheathed his wooden sword and watched the little brats roll around on the ground with a blank expression. He had held back a lot; otherwise, they would have been knocked out cold.
Once he decided to act, he wasn't going to be stupid enough to wait for them to charge. Defeating them with faster speed before they could even strike—that was the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū style's divine-speed blade draw. This style wasn't well-known in the modern era because there was only one successor per generation. He had met his master by a stroke of luck and began to practice his swordsmanship.
Nibutani Shinka's tears had stopped. She stared blankly at Hiratsuka Ryosuke, who had so effortlessly handled the boys, like a god from the heavens.
"You're Nibutani from next door, right?" Hiratsuka Ryosuke spoke impassively, as if what he had done was a trivial matter.
Nibutani Shinka snapped back to reality, wiping the remaining tears from her face. "Um, thank you, Hiratsuka-kun," she said softly.
With her tears freshly dried, Nibutani Shinka looked delicate and lovely, and even Hiratsuka Ryosuke's calm face showed a slight change.
"You're pretty cute, like an elf from an anime," he said, nodding. "You should go home soon."
With that, he turned and left the park without looking back.
"An elf? What's that?"
Young Nibutani furrowed her brow and puffed out her cheeks, a big question mark filling her little head.
Still, Hiratsuka-kun is so brave and strong, just like a knight protecting a princess... She shook her head and quickly whispered to herself, What are you thinking, Shinka? Hiratsuka-kun doesn't even know you well. How could you two be a princess and her knight?
Watching Hiratsuka Ryosuke's silhouette grow smaller and smaller, she bit her pink lip and a moment later, her face broke into a blossoming smile. She hid her smile, but her eyes couldn't conceal her joy. She put her hands behind her back and slowly followed him.
He's so cool. So cool, this Hiratsuka-kun.
"Hey, Hiratsuka-kun, what's an elf?"
"It's a beautiful creature with long ears that's good at magic and lives in the forest."
"A beautiful creature from the forest... just like my name? Do elves really exist?"
"Of course not. They're just a product of anime."
"I see. I'll find an elf someday."
"Are you even listening to me? There's no such thing in reality."
...
From then on, Nibutani Shinka started to take the initiative. She discovered that Hiratsuka Ryosuke was just cold on the outside and warm on the inside. His usually emotionless face was just a mask he used to protect himself, like a Showa-era Kamen Rider.
Gradually, by spending time with Hiratsuka Ryosuke, Nibutani Shinka slowly gained confidence and courage. She became more and more cheerful and was no longer afraid of creatures she used to be terrified of, like lizards and geckos.
As long as she was by Ryosuke's side, Shinka felt invincible. No matter how many years passed, she would never forget the boy with the wooden sword in the park, and she would never forget her knight.