The Moment the Grip Let Go

POV AIRI

For some reason… I had a bad feeling.

I gripped the edge of the park bench, trying to breathe slowly. The heat of the sun pressed down on my head, and the sounds around me felt distant and blurred.

Then—

“AIRI-CHAN, MOVE!!!”

The shout made me flinch.

“H—eh?” I turned instinctively. It was Mahiru-chan’s voice. Her face was pale, her eyes wide as if she had seen something terrifying.

I didn’t even have time to ask.

Suddenly—

“—!!”

A large hand clamped over my mouth from behind.

I couldn’t scream. My breath caught in my throat. A strange smell—sweat mixed with something sharp—stabbed into my nose. My body was lifted effortlessly, my feet leaving the ground.

For a moment, I thought it was Onii-chan. The grip was strong… too strong.

But—this wasn’t Onii-chan’s hand.

I knew it.

Onii-chan’s hands were always warm. Always careful.

This one… was rough. Painful.

My eyes widened. My chest pounded so hard it hurt.

“A—Airi-chan!!” Mahiru-chan screamed.

She ran toward me without hesitation, standing in front of the man despite her trembling body. Her arms spread wide, as if trying to block him.

“L—let her go!!” Her voice shook, but it was loud.

“Get out of the way, brat,” the man snarled.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, his grip tightening. I winced as tears spilled from my eyes.

“Mahiro!!” Mahiru-chan suddenly screamed, her voice breaking. “Call Rui-san! Hurry!!”

I saw Mahiro-chan, who had been frozen in place, snap back to reality. “Y—yes!!” He turned and ran with all his strength, leaving the park.

“Stop!” Mahiru-chan stepped closer, her hands trembling but still raised. “Don’t touch Airi-chan! Please…!”

I could feel her body shaking in front of me. She was small. Smaller than me.

But she stayed.

The man let out a low growl. “I said, move.”

“No!” Mahiru-chan shook her head violently, even grabbing his leg. “If you want to take her… go through me first!”

The man growled again. “I said… MOVE!!!”

My chest tightened.

I was scared.

I was truly scared.

But in the middle of that fear…

I knew one thing.

Mahiru-chan was protecting me.

And all I could do was hope—

That Onii-chan would come back quickly.

POV RUI

The refrigerated shelf hummed softly as I opened the convenience store door.

One chocolate milk.

One vanilla milk.

I checked the labels carefully, making sure they weren’t close to expiration, before placing them into the small basket. Vanilla—Airi’s favorite. My hand reflexively checked the time. Not long. It shouldn’t take long.

“Same as usual, Rui-kun?”

I turned toward the cashier. A middle-aged woman smiled warmly—Mahiro and Mahiru’s mother. We had known each other for a long time.

“Yes, Auntie,” I replied shortly. “The usual. For Airi-chan.”

“Hehe… you really are a caring Onii-chan,” she said as she scanned the items.

I chuckled. “It’s nothing, Auntie.”

The receipt printed out. I put both bottles into a plastic bag and turned toward the door.

And then—

The convenience store door slammed open.

“Rui-san!!!”

“M—Mahiro?!”

He was out of breath. His hair was a mess. His face was pale, like he had just witnessed something horrific.

My body tensed instantly.

“What happened?” I asked quickly.

Mahiro bent forward, gasping. “A—Airi-chan…!”

My chest dropped.

I crouched in front of him, gripping his shoulders. “Calm down. Speak slowly. What happened to Airi?”

I pulled the chocolate milk from the plastic bag and handed it to him. “Drink first.”

“Th—thank you…” Mahiro accepted it with trembling hands and drank quickly.

“Now tell me. What happened to Airi?”

“She—” Mahiro swallowed hard, his eyes shaking.

“She almost got kidnapped.”

The world seemed to freeze.

“WHAT?!” My voice dropped, cold.

“A stranger… suddenly covered Airi-chan’s mouth,” he said rapidly, on the verge of tears.

“Mahiru—Mahiru protected her! I was told to run here…!”

I stood up.

“Where’s Mahiru?” I asked sharply.

“She’s still at the park!” Mahiro replied. “She—she’s blocking him… alone! I don’t know how long she can hold out…!”

My hand clenched.

The plastic bag in my hand trembled.

The cashier—Mahiro and Mahiru’s mother—stood up abruptly.

“Mahiro?” Her voice shook. “What did you just say?!”

Mahiro turned to her. “M—Mom… Mahiru’s still there…!”

Her face went completely pale.

I didn’t think anymore. At that moment—the plastic bag slipped from my hand.

Crack. The vanilla milk bottle hit the floor.

I didn’t even look back.

“Auntie,” I said quickly, “please call the police.”

She nodded immediately, already grabbing her phone.

“Mahiro-chan, go to my uncle’s house—the one to the right of mine—and call him!” I ordered.

Then I turned and ran out.

My footsteps slammed against the asphalt.

Steady breathing.

Tense muscles.

I ran.

Not fast.

But as fast as I possibly could.

POV AIRI

The grip tightened even more. Instinctively, I bit the hand covering my mouth—hard.

“—!!”

Pain shot through my jaw, but the grip didn’t loosen. The world narrowed. The laughter of children vanished, replaced by the deafening sound of my own heartbeat.

Then—

“Hey. Let her go.”

That voice made my chest feel like it would burst with relief.

“Onii—!” My voice was muffled, still trapped beneath that rough palm.

The man turned. “Hey, kid. This doesn’t concern you.”

He stepped closer.

“Don’t call me a kid.”

I only caught a glimpse of a shadow—

BAM!

Onii-chan’s kick slammed into the man’s head. The grip released. I fell to the ground, my knees hitting hard, but I didn’t care.

I was free. I crawled away.

“So,” Onii-chan’s voice dropped, cold and sharp, “you think it’s none of my business?”

“She’s my sister.”

The man staggered, growled—then laughed softly.

“Heh… not bad.”

“Onii-chan!” I gasped, crawling away. Onii-chan took a firm stance.

The man stood back up, his gaze wild. His hand reached inside his jacket—

Two metallic flashes appeared.

Knives.

My breath caught in my throat.

The man lunged. Onii-chan didn’t retreat.

His movements were fast and precise—dodging, deflecting wrists, twisting his body. The blade passed just centimeters from his arm. His face was focused, calm in a terrifying way.

Onii-chan kept pressing forward, step by step, forcing the man back against the park wall. I couldn’t even follow it all—it was like watching shadows move too fast.

“You can’t run anywhere now…” he said, almost spitting the words.

I tried to stand. To move away.

But—

“Ah… it hurts…”

“Ah—!”

The heaviness struck suddenly, like iron weights locking my joints. I tried to move my leg again.

Pain stabbed through me, sharp, as if something pierced from the inside. My breath broke. My strength drained too fast… too much. Damn this illness.

“Onii—chan…!” My voice broke as tears fell.

I collapsed into a sitting position. My legs wouldn’t obey me. My hands trembled as I clutched my thigh, the pain reaching deep into my bones.

“Airi-chan?!” Onii-chan turned.

And in that instant—he let his guard down.

The man grinned. He counterattacked.

THUD—!

A powerful kick sent Onii-chan flying into the park wall. He instinctively protected his head.

“O—Onii—chan!!”

The knives rose again.

I tried to stand. I couldn’t. My vision shook.

“DON’T!” I screamed.

The metallic flashes came down.

Thud. Thud.

Both knives stabbed into Onii-chan’s right leg.

Bright red blood flowed instantly, staining the ground. Onii-chan groaned through clenched teeth, his hand gripping the pavement.

Time seemed to stop.

“Onii… chan…” My voice was barely a whisper.

“That’s why you shouldn’t drop your guard,” the man sneered.

He stepped toward me. “No one can stop me now, brat.”

“Don’t… touch… my sister…” Onii-chan said, clutching his leg as blood traced a line across the ground.

“Shut up!”

Another brutal kick struck him.

Blood sprayed. Onii-chan’s body went limp. He stopped moving.

My chest tightened. My breathing broke apart. My legs still wouldn’t move. I wanted to stand. I wanted to help. I wanted to trade this pain for his.

But I couldn’t.

And for the first time since I could remember—

I was truly helpless.

Inside my head, only one thought kept spinning, slicing deeper than any pain:

This is my fault.

Suddenly—

BANG!

The man’s body jerked. His legs gave out first.

I looked up.

Police.

“Hurry! Secure the suspect!”

Two other officers rushed in and restrained him.

Sirens followed soon after.

Loud. Piercing. Too loud for my already overwhelmed head.

Red and blue lights reflected off the asphalt, off the faces of adults running around. The police shouted orders. Someone blocked my view, but I could still hear—

“The ambulance is here!”

I tried to stand. I tried to move closer. But my legs still wouldn’t obey, and the pain hadn’t faded—it felt deeper, like something gripping my bones from the inside.

“Airi-chan…” Mahiru’s trembling voice came from beside me.

She didn’t say anything else. She knelt next to me, her face pale, her eyes empty. Her hands shook violently, but she still tried to wrap her arms around my shoulders—as if holding me together so I wouldn’t fall apart.

The ambulance doors slammed open.

Paramedics rushed in. Unfamiliar words flew through the air.

“Blood pressure dropping—”

“Stab wounds to the leg—”

“Prepare the stretcher!”

I watched them lift Onii-chan.

His body looked heavy.

Too heavy.

“Onii… chan…”

I called out to him, but my voice was swallowed by the sirens.

A paramedic crouched in front of me.

“Hey, can you hear me?” he asked gently. “Can you drink?”

He handed me a bottle of water.

My hands trembled as I took it.

I drank a little. My throat was dry, but the pain in my leg didn’t ease.

I was still clutching my small bag.

Like it was the only thing keeping me from sinking any further.

I opened it with shaking hands.

The small bottle was still there.

My medicine.

I didn’t hesitate.

I opened it, took one capsule—and swallowed it with the remaining water.

I closed my eyes.

Hurry… please hurry…

I need to move.

I have to move.

The ambulance siren wailed again as the doors closed. The vehicle began to move—taking Onii-chan farther away from me.

“I’m coming too…!” I tried to stand.

My legs were still heavy.

“Airi-chan, calm down first,” Mahiru said softly, holding my shoulders. “Recover your strength first.”

I bit my lip.

My eyes never left the ambulance as it disappeared.

Far.

So far away.

I realized—

Today, I almost lost the only person who had always protected me.

Because of me.

[To be continued]