Kitamura and Shimizu were childhood friends, who knew each other since kindergarten and went to the same elementary school. Four years had passed, and now they were in grade 5.
At school, Kitamura was always being bullied by three boys in their classroom. They also wanted Kitamura to give them some money, which made Kitamura cry. Shimizu noticed that Kitamura was crying and went to him to ask what happened.
Kitamura said nothing had happened, just that he had fallen (he hid the fact that he was being bullied). Shimizu told Kitamura to stop crying because he was a boy. Kitamura stopped crying and started talking to Shimizu. After school, they went home together.
One day, a few weeks later, Kitamura was walking alone from school and decided to take a rest and drink water at the playground park. Suddenly, the same bullies from his class approached him again and wanted to take his money.
“Hey, look who’s here. It’s our favorite punching bag, Kitamura.” The bully grabbed Kitamura’s collar and pulled him close. “And he’s got a nice drink for us too. How generous of him.” He snatched Kitamura’s drink and opened it.
“Please, leave me alone. I don’t have any money today. I swear.” Kitamura struggled and pleaded.
“Oh, really? Then how did you buy this drink, huh? Are you lying to us?” The bully slapped Kitamura across the face. He cried out in pain as he dropped to the ground, clutching his face.
“Ouch! No, no, I’m not lying. I used the money I saved from yesterday. Please, don’t hurt me.”
“Too bad for you, we don’t believe you. And we don’t like liars. Right, guys?” The bully raised his fist and prepared to punch Kitamura again.
“Leave him alone, you jerk!” Shimizu appeared out of nowhere and punched the bully in the stomach. She kicked another bully in the chin and elbowed the third one in the face.
Shimizu quickly approached Kitamura to see his condition. “Kitamura, are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded and said, “I’m fine.”
The bullies groaned and fell back in surprise and pain. “Ow! What the hell? It’s that tomboy girl again, Shimizu!”
"Don’t think we’ll show mercy to you just because you’re a girl. Get her, guys!" The bullies were about to attack Shimizu while she was looking at Kitamura. As one of the bullies attempted to punch Shimizu’s face, the punch inadvertently hit Kitamura’s face as he jumped suddenly to protect Shimizu. Kitamura got injured, and his nose started bleeding.
“Kitamura!!!” Shimizu shouted.
Shocked by what happened to Kitamura, Shimizu’s rage increased, and she became extremely angry. “How dare you hurt Kitamura; you will pay for this!!” she said. She lost her patience and started beating the bullies, surprising herself and others with her karate skills that she had been slowly learning.
Despite being a girl, she managed to defeat the three boys. The bullies were scared and said, “What the hell with this girl, she’s so strong.” Shimizu replied that she could do a lot more, scaring the bullies even further, and they fled.
Shimizu checked on Kitamura’s condition. He was crying and holding his nose. “Are you okay, Kitamura?” she asked.
He nodded and looked at her with gratitude. “Thank you, Shimizu. Thank you for saving me.”
She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Don’t mention it, Kitamura. I should have thanked you earlier for protecting me from being punched.”
“Did I protect you?” he asked.
She shrugged and blushed slightly. “Yeah, well, you took the hit for me. And it was very brave of you.”
He smiled weakly and touched his nose. “It still hurts.”
She handed him a napkin and gestured to his nose. “Here, use this to wipe your nosebleed. And stop crying, you’re a boy.” He took the napkin and wiped his nose.
She nodded and took his hand. “Come on, let’s go home. Your mom must be worried about you.”
When they arrived, Kitamura’s mother was shocked to see them dirty and injured. “Oh my god, what happened to you two?” she exclaimed. “You’re injured and look so dirty.” Kitamura remained silent while Shimizu explained, “Actually, aunty, we fell when we were playing chase earlier.” Kitamura’s mother asked them to take a bath and clean themselves, and she tended to their wounds. “Next time, please be careful when playing, okay?” she said.
Afterward, Shimizu joined Kitamura and his mother for dinner before Shimizu’s mother came to take her home. Shimizu’s family was always busy, so they relied on Kitamura’s mother to take care of her. Their houses were actually neighbors, with Shimizu’s house being right beside Kitamura’s. Shimizu waved goodbye to Kitamura, saying she would see him tomorrow, before leaving with her mother.
Once Shimizu and her mother left, Kitamura’s father arrived home. Like Shimizu’s family, Kitamura’s father was also very busy and often returned home late at night. Kitamura welcomed his father back, and they entered their house together.
The next day, Kitamura and Shimizu went to school together. When they entered the classroom, the bullies approached Kitamura again. Shimizu noticed and went to them. She shouted, “What do you guys want? Do you want to bully Kitamura again?” or “Do you want to be beaten by me again?”
The bullies were scared and said, “No, no, we actually came to apologize to Kitamura for bullying him.” They bowed their heads to Kitamura and said, “Kitamura, we’re sorry for everything.” With Shimizu standing near Kitamura, they got scared and left him after apologizing.
He expressed his gratitude to Shimizu for what she had done the day before. Kitamura then told Shimizu, "I like you, Shimizu." Shimizu blushed and returned to her seat. From that day forward, Kitamura was no longer bullied. However, some students seemed scared of Shimizu after hearing about her strength and her ability to defeat the boys. Nevertheless, Kitamura and Shimizu enjoyed their everyday school life as usual.
A few months passed, and Shimizu received unexpected news that shocked her. Kitamura told her that he and his family would be moving due to his father’s job. They were set to move the following week. When their classmates heard about it, they decided to throw a farewell party for Kitamura in the classroom. Shimizu looked sad because Kitamura had to leave.
As weeks passed, Shimizu found herself alone at the playground, reminiscing about the memories she had with Kitamura there, from kindergarten until now. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her and tears started to fill her eyes.
“Shimizu,” she heard a familiar voice calling her. She turned and saw Kitamura approach her. “Here, wipe your tears with this,” he said. He handed her the napkin she had given him when he had a nosebleed. She wiped her tears and sniffed.
“I’ve never seen you cry before because you were always strong, cheerful, and boyish,” Kitamura said. Then, Shimizu replies” Shut Up, of course I can, I’m a girl, easier to crying”.
After calming down a bit, Shimizu asked Kitamura about his preparations for the move. Kitamura said everything was ready.
Then, unexpectedly, Kitamura suddenly told Shimizu, “I’ll be back one day but I don’t know when. However, when I do come back, I promise to show you that I’m no longer a crybaby and that I’ve become stronger to protect you.” Shimizu laughed at Kitamura’s words, and he blushed, asking her why she was laughing. Shimizu replied, “Nothing, but I’ll be waiting to see that.” She saying the final word to Kitamura "I'm going to miss you, Kitamura." and Kitamura then replies “Me too, Shimizu” As evening approached, they returned home.
105Please respect copyright.PENANAW0E5GY1fmv
105Please respect copyright.PENANALHyFHDYX2P
The next morning, with everything ready, Kitamura’s family was about to leave. They said goodbye to Shimizu’s family, but Shimizu wasn’t there—only her mother and father. Kitamura felt sad that he couldn’t see Shimizu one last time. Kitamura’s family got into the car and started their journey.
As the car passed the playground, Kitamura suddenly heard someone calling his name. It was Shimizu, waving her hand and shouting “Kitamura, goodbye!” while crying. Kitamura waved back from inside the car, also crying. As Kitamura’s car drove away and disappeared from sight, Shimizu wiped her tears and whispered to herself, “See you again, Kitamura. I’ll be waiting for your return.”
Years later, Shimizu walked out of the gate of her high school and headed home. She decided to take a rest at the same playground where she had bought a green tea from a vending machine earlier. To her surprise, Kitamura also arrived from school and saw her at the playground. He approached her and asked what she was doing there. Shimizu replied that she was just taking a rest. Kitamura also drank his water that he had bought earlier.
Shimizu asked Kitamura, “Hey Kitamura, do you still remember what happened at this playground when we were children?”
“I remember everything, Shimizu,” Kitamura said. “This playground was the place where we first met and often hung out together. It was also the place where you beat up the bullies and the last place, we saw each other before I moved away.”
Shimizu remarked that they had shared many memories at this place. She told Kitamura that he had fulfilled his promise of returning and not being a crybaby anymore. “You’ve fulfilled your promise of returning and not being a crybaby anymore,” she said. Kitamura replied, “I’m glad I could keep my promise.” Shimizu expressed her desire to hang out with him again during their high school years. “I hope we can hang out again during our high school years,” she said. Kitamura responded, “We still have plenty of time and many things we can do.” They engaged in a small chat, and then Shimizu suggested they stop by the arcade to enjoy themselves before heading home. “Hey, let’s stop by the arcade before heading home. It’ll be fun,” she said.
ns 172.70.178.216da2