A weak body

POV: AIRI

My name is Airi. Nakagawa Airi.

I live in a small town that I find quite beautiful and peaceful. At least, that’s how it feels whenever the evening breeze gently flows between the old houses around my home.

I’ve had no parents since the day I was born. My mother passed away while giving birth to me. My father followed a month later in a terrible accident. I have no memories of them—only quiet stories my uncle and aunt sometimes tell in hushed voices.

I was also born prematurely.
My body has been weak from the very beginning.

And as if that weren’t enough, I suffer from a rare illness they call Hypostenic Paralysis Syndrome. When my stamina runs out, parts of my body stop moving. First one, then two, then more. If I try to force myself, it feels like knives stabbing me from the inside. It hurts. A lot.

Usually, I recover after a long rest. But sometimes, it feels as if my body forgets how to move altogether.

Thankfully, one of my mother’s friends—a doctor—once made a special herbal medicine for me. It’s made from red ginseng extract. It tastes bitter, but it helps speed up my recovery when my condition drops badly. Without it, I’d probably spend far more time lying helplessly on the floor.

Now, I live with my older brother—my Onii-chan—in the house our parents left behind. My uncle and aunt live next door, so we’re not completely alone.

Oh, right…

My Onii-chan’s name is Nakagawa Rui.

There’s a five-year age gap between us. He’s amazing. Truly amazing. He’s incredibly talented in technology and even won first place in an international robotics competition. On top of that, he’s skilled in martial arts.

I often wonder how he manages to do all of that.
Things that feel… impossible to me.

Outside, Onii-chan is known as someone cold and distant. Quiet. People give him strange nicknames—Mr. Cold, The Background Player, and so many thing. But none of that applies when he’s with me.

With me, he’s different.

He’s always attentive. Too attentive, actually. The moment I look even slightly tired, he notices. His hand reaches out immediately—holding my arm, telling me to sit down—often before I even realize my body is starting to weaken.

Like a guardian angel.

And that’s what sometimes makes me… uncomfortable.

“Moooaaah… Onii-chan, stop it!” I snapped, pulling my hand away.
“I’m not a baby!”

His hand froze, but his expression only grew more worried.

“B-but… if I don’t worry about you, who will?” he said quietly.

I puffed out my cheeks. “I’m already grown up. I’m seven years old, you know.”

He looked at me for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

“That’s exactly why, Airi. You still need to be protected.”

I didn’t reply. I just turned my face away.

After that, Onii-chan started keeping his distance. He still watched over me, but no longer stayed too close. As if he were always there… without truly being seen.

I don’t know which made me more uncomfortable—his excessive attention, or the distance he created afterward.

But one thing is certain…

Without him, I don’t know what I would be today.

And someday, an incident will change the way I see Onii-chan.

Something I will never forget for the rest of my life.