Sayori and Natsuki had been spending more time with each other recently. It wasn't long before the two girls became really good friends, and the more time that passed, the closer the two got. Natsuki was able to talk about her manga without feeling judged for it, while Sayori had a new friend to spend her time with. It didn't hurt that Natsuki was a great baker, either.

Things were going very well with the two girls. Since the day the two met, Sayori had invited Natsuki over for sleepovers every weekend, which Natsuki was more than happy to accept. Any chance to get out of her home and away from her father was taken by Natsuki. Plus, Sayori was always happy to have Natsuki come over and bake at her place. Sayori got cupcakes and cookies, as well as a friend to hang out with, while Natsuki got away from one of the biggest stressors that she had to deal with, and she got to do baking.

Going back to her house was always difficult, however. Going from somewhere safe to being in the same building as him was not an easy thing, but even spending five minutes with Sayori and away from him was worth it. Most of the time he didn't even notice when she was gone. Days like those were the good days. It's when he noticed she wasn't home that she was really scared. She just hoped that when she got home that he was already passed out drunk. If not, she knew to expect a verbal beating at the least. Most days were trying for the small pink-haired girl, but the thought of spending time with her friend kept her going.

At school, things were better for her. Since Sayori told off those bullies, they didn't bother her nearly as much. They'd still knock things out of her hands, trip her, try to take her things...but it wasn't as bad as before. It helped when Sayori was with her, because they wouldn't try to do anything when she was there.

Unfortunately for Natsuki, this was not the case today during the lunch hour. Natsuki went to read some of her manga since, once again, she had nothing to eat for lunch that day. 'May as well read Parfait Girls if I'm doing nothing,' she thought to herself as she made her way to her locker. It was a thought she'd start regretting immediately, because her bullies were already waiting for her when she rounded the corner. '[sigh] Well...here we fucking go again. Don't fight them...Sayori said not to fight back. Maybe I should just go back…'

Sayori was late for school again. It wasn't exactly shocking, given she had been sleeping in a lot recently. Her teachers kept telling her to go to bed earlier. 'If they only knew…' she thought to herself as she ran towards the school building. 'It's so hard to get up some days. Now I'm late and I'll probably get yelled at by teacher again.' She ran inside and tore through the hallways.

Sayori rounded a corner and saw Natsuki surrounded by the same bullies that were bothering her from before. She froze for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, until one of the bullies grabbed Natsuki by the collar and lifted the short girl off the ground. It was at this moment that Sayori noticed Natsuki's eyes. The pink orbs that she had gotten lost in during their many talks with each other, were filled with anger and sadness. The hurt in Natsuki's eyes sprung Sayori into motion, and she marched towards the bullies.

'Do I want to cry?' Natuski thought to herself. 'I little, I guess, but mostly I want to punch this jerk in the face.' Natsuki was extremely frustrated with the situation she was in. 'I made a promise to Sayori. I promised I wouldn't fight anymore, for Sayori's sake. Gah...I want to scream.' Natsuki looked at the face of the bully grabbing her collar. 'And where does this bitch get off grabbing me by the collar? I'd knock him down a peg or two. Thinks he's so tough when he's got his buddies backing him up.' Natsuki glared daggers into the eyes of her current tormenter.

"Aren't you gonna fight back? Say something pipsqueak,' he said, spitting in her face as he spoke.

One of his friends spoke up next. "Hey, remember when we tore your little kids book up? Ha! That was pretty great."

'Ignore that, Natsuki...fight the urge...to punch his stupid mouth.'

"Hey, you got anymore of those? We could use something to bur-"

"Leave her alone!" A familiar voice rang through the hallway. Natsuki turned her head, and saw her friend marching towards them. She also noticed that the jerk holding her had his head turned, too. 'Idiot,' she thought, 'you're at perfect kicking level now.' With her foe distracted by Sayori, she brought her right leg back, and then forcefully into his left knee, causing him to drop her.

Natsuki took off towards Sayori while the bullies were left momentarily shocked by what had just taken place. "Run," Natsuki told Sayori, grabbing her hand and running as fast as she could go.

"Get her!" Natsuki heard her tormentor hollar behind them, followed by the sounds of footsteps, that were fading away as Natsuki and Sayori got further and further away, until they gave up.

Sayori and Natuski ran out of the school and, realizing they were in the clear, stopped by a large tree to catch their breath. "Haaaaaahh… haaaaaahhh… I think… we lost 'em."

"Are you okay, Natsuki? I was worried when I saw what was happening."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, sitting down with her back against the tree. Sayori followed suit and joined her friend on the ground. "They didn't hurt me or break any of my things this time. So I'm fine."

"Oh, good. I'm glad you're not hurt." The two sat in silence for a few minutes until Natsuki spoke up again.

"Hey, Sayori?"

Sayori turned her head to face Natsuki. "Yeah?"

"Thanks… for everything… for saving me back there, and especially for being my friend. You're a good person, and I'm happy I met you." Natsuki wrapped her arms around Sayori, who smiled and hugged Natsuki back. The two stayed in their embrace for some time, until the bell signalling the end of the lunch hour went off. They got up and made their way back into the school, holding hands as they walked the hallways together on their way to class.