Vol. 2: Chapter 4: The Path of the Onii-chan (3)

Part 3

(Flashback)

A rainy summer afternoon…

A small girl—Akari, just six years old—sobbed alone in a quiet park. Her dress was soaked through. Mud stained her knees. Tears ran down her face, blending with the falling rain.

Three boys stood around her, laughing cruelly.

“Stupid redhead flea!”

“Look at her cry! What a weak little baby!”

“Waaah, waaah! You gonna cry until Daddy comes and picks you up?” one of them jeered.

Then.
Footsteps.
Slow, firm, echoing through puddles.

An eight-year-old boy appeared through the curtain of rain, his face grim, a shinai wrapped in cloth slung over his shoulder.

“…What do you think you’re doing… to my little sister?”

One of the boys blinked and recognized him.

“Oh great, it’s the other red-haired loser!”

He didn’t get to say anything else. Makoto dropped him with a single punch.

The hit landed clean—solid.

The boy collapsed into the mud and didn’t get back up.

“You’re gonna pay for that!” the second one shouted.

But Makoto… no longer looked like a child.

His eyes blazed with pure fury.
His face twisted into a fierce, wild expression.
Like a red oni had awakened right there in the middle of the park.

“You’re gonna pay all right…”

“For messing with my little sister!”

And he meant it.
Even though all three of them were older.
Even though he was alone—Makoto didn’t hesitate.
One by one, he took them down with wild, clumsy punches full of raw rage.

By the time it was over, he had a black eye, scraped hands, and was breathing heavily…

But he was still standing.

He walked over to his sister, who was still crying softly, and pulled her into a tight hug.

“It’s okay now… I’m here, Akari. Your big brother’s got you.”

“You’re safe now. Those jerks won’t hurt you again.”

Little Akari clung to his chest like a plush toy—
Like his arms were a shelter from the whole world.

“I’ll always protect you, sis.”

“…Thank you… Onii-chan,” she whispered through her tears, her red eyes full of kindness.

Makoto smiled.
Despite the pain.
Despite the blood.
He smiled with every ounce of pride in his heart.

That was how it always was.
At least… until Akari awakened her Astra Core.

From that day forward, the once-fragile little girl became an unstoppable force.

And from that moment, Makoto began training harder than ever with their father.
Because even if he couldn’t protect her with strength anymore…

Protecting her was still his duty. As her big brother.

Back to the present…

“She might not be a little girl anymore…”

“But Akari is still my sister.”

“And it’s my duty… to protect her,” Makoto muttered solemnly.

He raised his shinai toward Touma like a comic book hero about to challenge a villain.

“Kisaragi Touma! How dare you deceive my sister… while dating all these girls at once?!”

Everyone stared at him, confused. No one had any idea who this guy was… or what he had to do with Akari.

“…Huh?” Touma blinked, utterly bewildered.

Shizuki summoned her rapier with a flick of her wrist, her expression colder than a winter storm.

“If it’s a fight you want… I’d be happy to be your opponent.”

“Wait, wait! I have no idea what’s going on here!” Touma raised his hands in panic.

Makoto shook his head dramatically, ignoring his plea, and gave the air of a tragic knight.

“Sorry, Miss Britannia-chan.”

“But I don’t fight women… It’s a sacred Tsubasa family policy.”

Shizuki opened her eyes slowly.
As if she’d taken that personally.
A faint electric crackle began to radiate from her rapier.

“…What did you just say… you arrogant brat?”

Just before an utterly pointless duel could break out, Jake stepped in between them with a wide grin.

“Ah, now I get it! Your face looked familiar!”

“You must be… Makoto Tsubasa, Akari’s big brother, right?”

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Everyone turned to look at him with renewed attention. And if Jake hadn’t said it, no one in their right mind would’ve believed it.

“…How do you know that?” Touma asked, visibly surprised.

“They don’t even look alike!” Hina added, equal parts shocked and annoyed.

“Well, Akari always shows me pictures of her family when she’s bored in class,” Jake shrugged.

“I just hadn’t seen him in person before.”

“That’s right! I’m Makoto Tsubasa, regional youth kendo champion of Tokyo!”

. . .

Everyone ignored him.

“Anyway, how about we go see Jurassic Jaws II?” Hina suggested, turning her back.

“I wanted to watch My Love in Italy,” Shizuki added, like it was a personal challenge.

Makoto stormed over to Touma and grabbed him by the collar, his tone threatening.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

“Yeah, yeah, we heard you,” Touma said calmly. “Akari’s not here yet, but she should be around soon.”

“Besides, we’re just friends…”

Makoto raised his fist, ready to strike.

“Don’t play dumb with me, punk!”

But just then.

A sweet voice cut through the tension, soft… and dangerously calm.

“…What do you think you’re doing, Makoto?”

Akari had arrived—smiling. Too sweetly.

There was a shadowy kindness in her expression. A deceptive tenderness.

“H-Hey, Akari, sis… I was just, uh, testing your friend Kisaragi and—” Makoto stammered, inching back.

Akari’s gaze turned deadly serious.

“If you hurt Touma… I’ll hate you forever.”

Her voice was like a dark curse cast straight into Makoto’s heart.

He dropped to his knees on the spot, crushed by those cursed words echoing in his mind:

I’ll hate you forever…

Forever…

Forever…

Just like an RPG, Ellie projected a flashy fanfare over Touma’s lenses—complete with sparkly visual effects and triumphant music:

"THUG SUCCESSFULLY DEFEATED!" You gained 42 EXP.

“If you’re here… then that idiot Tanaka must be nearby too,” Akari muttered, glancing around suspiciously.

And just as if a comedy scriptwriter had hit the “play” button.

“Akariii!”

A melodic voice made her entire body stiffen.

“Oh no…” she whispered, lowering her head.

A short, red-haired woman with a bright, youthful smile came running toward the group, like a shoujo heroine dashing across the screen.

Behind her followed Tanaka, looking thoroughly resigned… and a towering man whose mere presence made the sidewalk tremble.

“This is a full-on redhead invasion…” Hina muttered as she watched them approach.

“…Ma—Mom?” Akari blinked, stunned.

“Mom?” the others echoed in unison.

No one could believe it.

That woman—so full of energy and youth—was actually someone’s mother?

Makoto tried to quietly slip out of the scene… but a hand latched onto his ankle.

“You and I are going to have a little talk later, my dear son…” His mother’s voice was sweet—too sweet. And her smile was the kind that could freeze blood.

Then, she turned toward Touma, circling him like a predator inspecting new prey.

“So you’re the famous Kisaragi Touma, huh? Hmm… you look a bit scrawny, but you’ve got a nice face.”

“H-Hello, Mrs. Tsubasa. It’s an honor to meet you,” Touma said nervously.

“Oh please, darling, call me Aira. No need to be so formal, jojo~”

Her gaze sharpened the moment she noticed the other girls.

“And who are these little homewrecking kittens?”

“That’s my line!” Hina snapped back, arms crossed, eyes sparking with challenge.

The two locked eyes like rival tigresses sizing each other up. No one doubted who would win if it actually came to blows.

Meanwhile, Akari was dragging Tanaka by the collar like a rag doll.

“You. Tanaka. I know this whole mess is your fault.”

“N-No! C’mon, don’t pin this on me!”

“I just invited your parents to see you at the tournament! You do remember my family’s company is the one sponsoring your scholarship, right?!”

She released him with a glare that could level mountains.

“…You’re lucky you’re Makoto’s friend,” she huffed, turning away.

Back on the frontlines, Aira was already chatting with Touma like they'd known each other forever.

“We came to cheer on our sweet Akari at the Seisen International Invitational! And while we’re here—why not meet the future son-in-law, too!”

Silence.

Utter, deafening silence.

No one knew if she was joking, if Akari and Touma were secretly dating, or if the delusion simply ran in the family.

But one thing was painfully clear.

The Tsubasa family was trouble.

Tightly bonded… But definitely trouble.