My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 22

Yua slowly inhaled and exhaled, steadying her breathing.

I didn’t say a word. I just waited quietly for her to speak.

“You probably can’t even imagine it, since you’ve known me for so long… but I got confessed to by a boy for the first time in middle school.”

But because I did know her back then, it didn’t surprise me at all that a boy would confess to Yua.

Back in elementary school, Yua had stood out as one of the cutest girls in the whole school. She had a gentle and modest personality too, so most boys saw her as someone way out of their league.

She didn’t seem to realize it herself, but I remember plenty of guys in our class had a crush on her.

“So, did you end up dating him?”

“I turned him down. I said… ‘I like someone else.’”

“…”

Yua gently placed her hand over the back of mine.

She didn’t say the name, but that was more than enough to make it clear who she meant.

Even though we were having a serious conversation, I couldn’t help but smile a little. Embarrassed, I turned my face away so she wouldn’t see my cheeks getting warm.

“But… because of that, I started getting bullied.”

I quickly realized that the reason she hadn’t said a name wasn’t because she didn’t want me to know—it was to avoid making me feel responsible.

My smile faded, and I turned back to listen to her voice.

“Was it because the boy got upset and took it out on you?”

“Actually, the opposite. After the confession, he never talked to me again. But he was super popular—like, the most popular guy in our grade.”

At that point, I could already guess how things played out.

“The girls who liked him got mad at me. They started bullying me. Saying stuff like, ‘You tried to steal him behind our backs,’ or ‘Who do you think you are, turning him down?’ They kicked me, hid my stuff…”

Yua squeezed my hand tighter.

As her grip grew stronger, I could feel the pain she had gone through in the past.

“Do you regret turning him down?”

“No. Dating someone just to protect myself would’ve been unfair to the person who liked me.”

Her voice was filled with conviction.

She’d always had a strangely strong will, even as a kid. That hadn’t changed.

“…And there’s another reason, right? About your mom. That’s why you started dressing like a boy.”

“Well, yeah. But that one’s really not a big deal.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… It was just my way of rebelling.”

“Rebelling?”

“You know how my mom is, right? She’s super confident in herself.”

Yua’s voice started to tremble slightly.

“When I was little, she’d always say stuff like, ‘If my daughter isn’t pretty, then it makes me look bad.’ Isn’t that such a terrible way to think?”

She looked more afraid talking about her mother than when she’d mentioned being bullied.

“To her, I was just an accessory. My looks were proof of her worth. And if I didn’t serve that purpose anymore, she’d toss me aside.”

Even as kids, we could tell the clothes Yua wore were expensive.

Her perfectly styled hair, her flawless skin—none of it was for her. It was all for her mother.

She wasn’t allowed to play games that might dirty her clothes or cause scrapes. Instead, she was expected to stay out of the sun and act like a proper little girl.

There were times when she secretly played soccer or tag with me. But when we got caught, she’d show up to school the next day with swollen eyes. I still remember how worried the class was when they saw her.

“Don’t say stuff like that… about not being needed.”

“It’s true.”

She cut down my words without hesitation.

“Mom’s seeing someone—one of her customers at work. But I get in the way of that relationship, so she used the excuse of being ‘too busy with work’ to pawn me off on Grandma.”

I couldn’t say anything back.

It was heartbreaking that she had to suffer because of her mother’s choices—and even more painful that there was nothing I could do to help her.

“I was forced to act girly because of my mom, and bullied at school… When those two things piled up, I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“So that’s why you started dressing like a boy…”

“Yeah. If that boy hadn’t confessed to me, maybe I wouldn’t have been bullied. So, I started dressing like a boy—to rebel against my mom and to keep other boys away.”

But then Yua gave a soft smile and stood up, grabbing the handlebars of her bike again.

“Moving back to Grandma’s took care of the problem with Mom. But… the bullying left scars. It’s still a trauma.”

She was still sitting on the bench as she said this, her voice barely above a whisper.

Of course. No one gets over that kind of pain in just a few years.

“For me, dressing like a boy is like wearing armor. It’s helped dull the trauma a lot… but sometimes, I still get scared. Of school, of people…”

—So, she said,

Yua turned around and looked at me.

The light from the vending machine lit up her face, making every expression clear.

“Sora… please.”

Her voice was calm as she asked for help.

“Not just on the way home—can you protect me at school too… like you used to?”

For a few seconds, I froze, eyes wide.

Her tied-back hair swayed in the wind, catching the light.

Back in lower elementary school, she’d struggled to fit in and often ended up all alone.

It might be hard to believe now, but she used to be painfully shy—so much so she couldn’t even speak to our teacher, let alone classmates.

She also cried easily, and while it wasn’t quite bullying, she’d often end up in tears after being teased by other girls.

Even as a kid, I felt bad for her and decided to become her friend. Once we started spending time together, the teasing gradually stopped.

That memory must’ve stuck with her as “Sora protected me.”

But back then and now—my place at school is very different.

If we’re talking school social rankings, Yua’s way above me now.

She even has a fan club. Meanwhile, I barely have any friends. The idea that I could protect her probably sounds ridiculous to anyone else.

Still—I’m the only one who knows her past.

Even if it seems impossible now… I felt like I had to protect her.

I stood up from the bench, clenched my fist, and lightly thumped my chest.

“…Yeah. Leave it to me!”

I smiled at her, trying to bring back the confidence I had as a kid—trying to make her feel safe.

“See? You really haven’t changed at all, Sora…”

No… the truth is, I have changed.

But when I’m with her—just in this moment—I want to be like I was back then.

Because when she smiles like that…

It makes me feel like I still can be.