Unspeakable bubbles

Even if Yuko is disliked by others, Bubble will still be your friend!

"..."

"..."

"..."

Myself,

Surprisingly,

By this idiot,

They look down on me!

What does it mean to not listen in class? You already know those things, why would you need to listen?

Speaking ill of others... If it weren't for my own plans, I wouldn't even bother with someone like Kimiko.

Do I look ugly when I smile because I'm so pretty?

Trying to scare me? Hmph, I was just testing your skills. Besides, you've never been scared by me before!

As for spacing out, well, I do really enjoy spacing out.

“Bubble,” Sakakibara Ikuko usually didn’t care much about other people’s opinions, but the thought of being pitied by Bubble made her feel suffocated.

"My standards for friends are very high."

Chapter 36, Section 036: Good Friends

"Tell me, Bubble will try her best!" The little girl seemed very motivated.

"Friends, in essence, must be on equal footing; that is to say, they cannot be worse than me."

As she spoke, Sakakibara Ikuko's fist cracked, clearly indicating that "not inferior to her" referred to physical strength.

"Bubble, you barely pass in this respect."

Yu Zi clicked her tongue. She had to admit that the only person in the entire school who could really challenge her was this bubble in front of her.

Although she was also very curious about how Bubble could have developed such a physique at her age, and she didn't seem to be from any particular school of martial arts.

However, one's intuition is never wrong.

This seven or eight-year-old girl is someone who can rival me.

As for the others? Heh, Yuko at full power is definitely beyond their imagination.

"Great, we've achieved the first goal!" Bubble clenched his fist.

“And another one,” Ikuko Sakakibara held up a second finger.

"If we are to become friends, we must go through thick and thin together. How can we cultivate friendship without supporting each other in adversity?"

"You agree, don't you?"

The little girl nodded repeatedly, "That's right!"

Sakakibara Ikuko laughed... She wanted to laugh, but then she suddenly remembered that this guy had said her laugh was ugly, so she immediately stopped laughing.

But after she stopped laughing, she thought: Why should I care about a little girl's nonsense?

Then, Ikuko Sakakibara forced herself to put on a dry smile.

"Yuko, your ever-changing face is so funny."

Seeing Yu Zi put on a funny face, the little girl laughed heartily.

"..."

Sakakibara Ikuko's forehead veins bulged, her lips trembled, and she forced herself to swallow her anger.

"Calm down, don't stoop to her level. Be patient, she'll get what's coming to her later."

After muttering a few words to herself and trying to reassure herself, Yu Zi said, "Don't interrupt, let's continue!"

"Where were we? Right, sharing hardships! We haven't been through any of those things together, how can we be friends?"

"So, does Bubble want to be like Yuko and not do her homework?"

The little girl frowned, looking a bit troubled. "But Bubble is a good boy."

"...What does this have to do with homework?" Sakakibara Ikuko really couldn't understand why this topic had suddenly come up.

"Look, if you don't do your homework, you'll get scolded. If Bubble doesn't do her homework either, she'll get scolded along with Yu Zi. Sharing hardships, that's what they mean, right?"

"Hmph, Misa Ohara wouldn't care about me at all, let alone get scolded for something so trivial. Also, there's something you've got wrong."

Sakakibara Ikuko puffed out her chest and looked down at Bubbles with a condescending gaze: "The 'shared hardships' I'm talking about isn't that kind of level."

"Huh?" Bubble was confused.

"At least it should be like this." After thinking for a moment, Ikuko Sakakibara said something that Bubbles could never do.

"If one day this school faces a major crisis, and I'm really unlucky enough to reach a life-or-death moment..."

"Please come and save me!"

That wasn't all. Yu Zi continued, "Even if you saved me, it doesn't count, since it was only one-sided."

"Only when you also encounter danger, and I lend a helping hand and save your life, can we truly say we've 'shared hardships,' understand?"

'Anyway, I'm not going to save you,' Sakakibara Ikuko thought to herself with a hint of smugness.

After hearing what Yuko said, Bubble suddenly realized.

"When that day comes, Bubble will definitely go to save Yuko, and she will definitely wait for Yuko to come and save Bubble!"

"..."

Hey, are you stupid? How could that day ever come?!

Sakakibara Ikuko felt a headache coming on, and she waved her hand weakly: "Stop talking, let's eat."

.......................................................................

Kimiko carried her lunch to the rooftop, looking somewhat apprehensive, not at all like someone going to meet a friend.

"Hmph, you're really late. We've been waiting for you."

Upon hearing this voice, Kimiko shuddered.

Several girls, led by Naoe Akimoto, were already waiting there. When they saw Kimiko arrive, they all showed impatient expressions.

"I'm sorry." Kimiko lowered her head, looking like a frightened little rabbit.

"Give it to me!"

Naoe Akimoto stepped forward and snatched her lunch away.

"The meat is mine now."

"Ah, then I'll accept the potatoes!"

"I don't want the tomato, let's trade instead."

"Who's going to beg for food, or should we split it equally?"

Before long, they had divided up all the things that Kimiko had brought.

"gollum"

The strange sound made the girls stop eating and look at Kimiko, who had made the sound.

With a flushed face, Kimiko's stomach rumbled again.

"puff"

"Hahaha"

"Hahahaha"

They burst into laughter.

Kimiko's face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and her legs went weak, causing her to collapse to the ground.

"You, you're so funny, look at you like that!" Akimoto Naoe covered her face, not letting Kimiko see her expression.

That must have been a happy face.

Kimiko clutched her stomach, tears welling up in her eyes.

Why, why are people being so unreasonable!

The matter is already over, why are you bullying me again!

Kimiko almost burst into tears.

But then she thought of bubbles.

She thought of that silly bubble, that bubble who always relied on herself, and... her good friend Bubble.

Don't cry, be strong!

If you cry, you can no longer be Bubble's support.

Kimiko desperately held back her tears.

She knew she wasn't a strong person; being timid, fearful, and unreliable was the real Kimiko.

But even so, there are people who seek her help and people who are willing to be her friends.

Even if it's just an act, I can't let her down!

Kimiko stood up and glanced at them silently.

For some reason, although Naoe and the others have gone even further than before, all of these bullying behaviors are carried out in private.

Thanks to this, I was able to pretend that nothing had happened and not let Bubble find out.

Thanks to this, I was able to pretend to be a class monitor that everyone trusted.

Thanks to this, I can continue to be Bubble's friend.