Anti-bully squad: Sayori 1

It was a lonely day at school, you’ve just got done with all your classes, and you’re walking home in the mostly deserted street.
Heading to your front door, you hear a thud behind you, and you turn your head. A small girl, with a peculiar red bow in her hair, was face-down on the ground, with books surrounding her. A little farther down the street were a small gang of boys, about 2 or 3 of them, cackling down the street, led by a girl wearing a gaudy white bow.
You cross the street and walk towards the girl, hovering over her.
“Hey, you alright?”
The girl looks up at you, a small trickle of blood coming down her nose, the wound shrouded by her rose-blonde bangs.
“O-Oh, yeah, I’m alright, just had a bit of a fall! Ehehe~” The girl starts piling her books but snatches her hand away when they touch the concrete sediment covering the books, sucking air in through her teeth.
“Here, why don’t you let me help you out.” You kneel and start grabbing her books. She scrambles over to you.
“Hey, don’t touch those! Please don’t take those!” She snatches the books from your hands, then winces once more, dropping the book on the ground.
“Relax, I’m not going to take your stuff.” You pile the books into a small stack, then stand up with them. You stick out your hand, and Sayori takes it. The girl winces a bit more as you lift her to her feet.
“Here, turn around and let me put these in your bag…” You look her over and notice that not only are her hands and feet completely covered in small cuts and bruises, but she’s lacking something very important for a school girl.
The girl doesn’t seem to notice until she turns around, and realizes the weight now lifted from her shoulders. “Ah! My bag! Where did-” She looks at you and cuts herself short, putting a fist to her forehead. “…I must have forgotten it at school, yeah! Ehehe, I’m such an airhead!”
“Getting picked on in school?”
“No! My friends were just joking around is all!”
“Your friends pushed you down on the sidewalk and cut you up like that?” You look her in the eye, and her defiant façade melts from her face.
“…Yeah…” The girl’s shoulders slump, and her hands meet in front of her waist, clutching each other tightly. She looks away from you, towards the small bloodstain on the ground. You sit in silence for a bit, watching the girl lament.
After a couple of minutes, you nudge her elbow, and she looks at you.
“Why don’t I take these to your house for you? Your hands aren’t exactly fit for carrying anything right now, those need some bandages.”
“Oh, thanks mister, but it’s alright, I can carry them on my own.” She reaches for the books, and you raise them above her head.
She starts to tear up, and you feel a lump in your throat form. “No wait, sorry, don’t cry, ah jeez… I really am trying to be nice here, you know…”
“Sorry, I know. If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate the help.” Sayori wipes her eyes and brushes her skirt off a bit before starting to walk forward. You follow close behind and cross the street together.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Sayori, how about yours?”
“The name’s Anon.”
“Oh, I haven’t heard about you before. Did you graduate?”
“No, I go to the neighboring high-school a couple of blocks down the road.”
“Ah, I see…” Sayori goes silent for a bit before perking up again.
“What’s it like there?”
“Well, it’s a private school, so it’s pretty stuffy. I have to do a lot of cramming, and I barely get breaks.”
“Oh, I see! You must be a hard worker Anon!”
You chuckle a bit. “Well, I try. How about you?”
“Oh, I work real hard! Though school’s really hard, and no one ever wants to form a study group with me…”
“Really? You seem like such a nice girl though, I’m surprised.”
Sayori stops and looks to you. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, of course. You’re real bubbly when you’re not afraid of me.” You give her a playful nudge on her elbow. “It’s actually kind of cute.”
“Well, to be fair you were pretty scary, coming up to me like that out of nowhere. I thought you were MC-Kun for a second!” Sayori giggles.
“MC-Kun, who’s that?”
“He’s a friend of mine. A good friend, a real friend.” Sayori pokes your chest. “Before you get all accusatory again.”
“Listen tutz, I callz em as I seez em.” You shrug, and the two of you laugh at your ridiculous fake accent.
You and Sayori chatter for a little bit on the way to her home, listening to her giggle as you try to brighten her day with a smile and some corny jokes. Once you two get to her home, she takes her books in her hands and places them on the steps.
“Are you gonna be alright?” You look at her as she winces with her books in her hands.
“Yeah, I’ve got band-aids I can put on these, I’ll be fine. Thanks a ton for your help. It’s Anon, right?”
“That’s me!” You jab your thumb into your chest and stick out your jaw, eliciting a giggle from the girl.
“You’re really cool Anon. Here…” Sayori rummages through her pockets for her phone.
“Oh thank god they didn’t take this… Here!” Sayori hands you her phone after typing up a contacts menu. The model was old, and barely was suited for much more than texting. The worn backing wobbled from the loose sliding keyboard in the back, the device not finding a comfortable resting place in your hands.
“Wow, I haven’t seen one of these in years…” You admire the old piece of tech as you type your name and number in.
“Quit teasing me, I know it’s old but it’s all I can afford.”
“No, no, I think it’s really cool. I love old tech like this. Here.” You hand her the old phone back, and Sayori puts it in her pocket.
“It was nice to meet you Anon, we should hang out sometime.” Sayori smiles at you, the girl’s infectious aura spreading to your lips, forcing them to curl up as well.
“You too Sayori. Wanna hang out tomorrow after school maybe?”
“That’d be nice.” Sayori spaces out for a second, then her eyes cloud over. “Well, I might be a bit late, I have a club meeting tomorrow, but I’ll text you as soon as I can!”
“Awesome, I can’t wait. I’ll see you tomorrow Sayori.” You turn around and walk away from the modest house, stopping at the end of the walkway to make sure she gets in okay.
After seeing her grab the key from under the mat and letting herself in, you turn around and head back home, memorizing the trip from your house to hers.
Man, what an amazing girl, you think to yourself. Your mind buzzes with the thought of Sayori for the rest of the night, her aura not completely leaving your senses.