Cure Narrative 28: To Protect a Secret Princess

Season: Suite Precure

Character: Ako S. Souta M.

Summary: She knows, she's just too prideful to admit it.

Bold: emphasise

Italics: thoughts

Just another normal day in Kanon Town, Ako and Souta are walking home together from school.

As usual, Souta kept pestering her — well, at least Ako thinks he is — with questions like "Can I be your partner for the science project? Is Pii-Chan doing fine? Hibiki-san's birthday is coming up, do you girls have any plans I can join in?"

And as usual, Ako just kept walking and giving halfhearted answers. But Souta paid no mind to that nonetheless.

When they walked through a park, something that is not "as usual" came about.

There was a group of junior high boys and a younger boy about 8 years old. It seemed like they were having an argument.

"Because you were playing that damn flute," one of the teenagers yelled at the younger boy, "you distracted me from my baseball game and lost a challenge!"

"But...but..."

"But but but what?!" The teenager put down his baseball bat and grabbed the boy by the collar, "You've now made me owe them drinks, why don't you just take your stupid flute and go play somewhere people don't listen?!"

Being the girl with a sense of justice she was, Ako charged right at the much taller group of teenagers, "Hey! What do you have against flute-playing, huh?"

A teen rolled his eyes, "Mind your own business, girl. Don't mess with us."

"Sure, right after you put that boy down and apologise to him!"

"Why the heck should we do that?" another teen laughed.

Ako folded her arms and said coolly, "First, if anything, this park is a public area, if he can't freely play his flute, then why can you play your baseball? Second, don't you feel ashamed losing a game and then blaming someone else for that? Third, seriously? Bullying a younger boy and then being scold by a girl for it? Do you really wanna go further down that path?" She didn't forget to add a slightly haughty princess laugh after the last sentence.

The junior high boys couldn't come up with something good enough to retort Ako's sharp tongue immediately. However, they didn't need to. The first teenager put down the boy and picked his bat back up, "When we told you not to mess with us, you should've listened, brat!"

An alerted expression flashed across Ako's face as she backed one step away...

"Jeez, Souta," Ako sighed.

"It's the sixth time you've said that already! Can't you treat my wounds without implying that I'm lame?" Souta groaned.

Ako would've said "I didn't mean you were lame, actually, far from it..." if she wasn't the prideful girl she was.

"Ouch!" Souta yelped.

"It wouldn't be painful if you hadn't just rushed out in front of me!"

"Well, you could've gotten hurt worse than me! Boys suffer less than girls!"

"Tell that to your bleeding forehead!"

"Uh... well... someone has to shield you!"

Ako was a little stunned at this. She felt herself blushing, so she immediately shifted from treating wounds on Souta's arm to his knees as not to let him see her pink cheeks.

"I appreciate it, Souta," she said with a flustered voice, "but try not to be so reckless, okay?"

"Speak for yourself!"

The two of them went silent. That happens a lot during their bickers.

"I just want to protect you!" Souta suddenly blurted out.

Ako's shoulders tensed and she went from pink cheeks to completely beet red.

"I-I don't need s-someone t-to protect m-me..." Ako quietly murmured.

Then the silence returned. Dodory took the chance to snuck out and said to Ako, "You really aren't honest."

"T-That's fine!"

Dodory smirked and would've shrugged if she had shoulders while Ako gave her an "Oh, shut up!" glare.

Refocusing on treating Souta's grazed and bruised legs, a sense of guilt washed over her, but at the same time, relief did too.

You've protected me more than you think...

End of Chapter 28