Arima Kana knew it.
That even though she was so good at saying thorny things to other people, she herself had a soft heart that was endlessly fragile and easily hurt.
So— even if she ran into a molester groping her body as he pleased on a packed subway full of people.
Instead of the brave [heroine] in a script who never wavers or panics even in her first bad experience, who screams courageously like in a drama or movie to call the police and publicly humiliate the bastard.
She knew that the weak [Arima Kana], who could do nothing at all, not even scream, could only tremble in fear and hope this moment would pass quickly.
She knew.
"Don’t be surprised. Stay still."
"?!"
But Arima Kana did not know.
That even for a weak, fragile girl with an endlessly delicate heart—
Thwack!Crunch—!
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!"
There was a [male lead] who would suddenly appear and come save her beautifully in a dangerous moment.
—
The passengers getting off and the passengers boarding were startled by the sudden commotion and jostled into one another.
The man in his fifties, whose wrist had been twisted by Aqua and who collapsed like a newborn foal from the overwhelming pain, screamed.
"Aaaagh! Let go, let go! You fucking bastard! Aaaagh!"
He swung his other hand around, trying to pry Aqua off, but the more he moved, the more it felt like his wrist was being shattered.
With a grip so strong it was hard to believe he was only a middle schooler, his wrist was pinned in place, and whatever technique he had used made it hurt more the harder the man tried to force himself to move, leaving him with no choice but to scream.
"Aaaagh! Aggh!! F-fuck. I-I’m suing you!!! Aaaagh!"
"Arima. Wait a second."
"Huh?"
Whether the molester was in pain or not, Aqua’s blue eyes gleamed coldly as he shifted position, separating himself and the molester as if to pull Kana away from him.
The molester, whose wrist had been twisted, followed along while trembling violently as he remained collapsed on the floor.
Nodding slightly to Arima Kana, who was too shocked to do anything, Aqua gestured for her to stay calm, then pressed the station attendant call button right beside them and waited for the situation to be handled.
"What the hell?!"
"Is that a molester?!"
"Huh? Isn’t that girl an act— an actress?"
"Whoa— wait. That boy twisting the molester’s wrist!"
"Oh!"
Some of the passengers nearby who had been filming with their smartphones—
Beep beep beep—!!!
"Radio the driver! Tell them to delay departure!"
"A passenger subdued a molester on the spot!"
"Police! Please come out for a moment!"
In less than twenty seconds, the police patrolling the platform had recognized the situation and, blowing whistles, shoved their way through the crowd and rushed into the subway car.
"Huh?!"
A young officer flinched in surprise the moment he saw a situation completely different from what he had expected.
He had thought it was an adult holding down another adult, but instead it was an unbelievable sight: a middle school boy had twisted an adult man’s wrist and subdued him.
"Student! Let go! Let go!"
When the police, having secured the molester, pointed at Aqua’s hand and spoke, Aqua immediately let go, showing that he intended to cooperate with official duties.
"Under Article 11 of the Special Act on Sexual Violence, I will arrest you on the spot on suspicion of indecent assault. You have the right to appoint a lawyer and…"
"Aaaagh— fuck! My wrist hurts, so don’t put handcuffs on me!"
"Officer Kimura! Seize the suspect’s phone first!"
As the commotion began to settle, Aqua reassured Kana and, following the police’s guidance, got off the subway with her.
—
Aqua and Kana entered the police box set up inside the subway station for a detailed statement.
Aqua showed the police the photo, and Kana also said that this was indeed the man who had sexually harassed her.
However, the molester, whose wrist had been twisted and subdued, shamelessly flew into a rage and said he would sue Aqua for assault.
"No, so what the fuck is this, self-defense?! Huh! Bring me the complaint form!!!"
Of course, under the legal doctrine of self-defense, even if the molester filed a complaint, the charge would likely never even be indicted because the crime of touching a minor was so severe; it would probably be closed at the police level without prosecution. But if he actually wrote up and submitted a complaint, the police would still have to call in Aqua, who was a minor, at least once for questioning, so it could easily become an awkward public situation.
"...Ah, you did tell your father, right?"
"Yes. He’ll be here soon."
No matter what the molester spat, Aqua sat in a chair and waited for Kaoru.
Since he was the son of the most famous actor in Japan, it was far safer for the police to handle the matter carefully than to leave any unnecessary sparks behind.
It was an extremely bureaucratic, self-protective way of doing things, but Aqua didn’t particularly mind since it wasn’t harmful to him.
But Kana was different.
"...So selfish... after going out of your way to save someone..."
Kana muttered while fiddling with her hat with her still slightly trembling right hand.
What made her even more uneasy was the fact that Aqua had messed up his work and ended up being investigated just to save a coward who had done nothing at all.
To avoid showing it, she deliberately said words she didn’t mean.
'If Kamiki-senpai finds out...'
Would he think she was the root cause, the one who had gotten his son stuck at a police station, and scold her harshly?
What would President Rentaro say once the media reported it?
If he told her she should have stayed still instead of stepping in and making things worse, that it was her fault...
And if the media exaggerated things or made up stories to torment her and Aqua with articles...
"......"
Covered in cold sweat, Kana lightly bit her lip. Nothing about the day felt right. Her heart kept pounding with anxiety and aching.
She had finally managed to stand back up again— she never dreamed such misfortune would come looking for her.
She was afraid not only of being harmed herself, but also of causing trouble for someone else who had acted out of kindness.
"Here."
Aqua took the paper cup of warm green tea handed to him by the police officer and walked over to Kana to give it to her.
Kana looked up, took it from him, and after pressing her lips together for a moment, lowered her head so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in her eyes.
"I never asked you to save me. Why did you stick your neck out?"
"......"
"If you’d just pretended not to see it and walked past, we wouldn’t have had to come to the police station. I wouldn’t have had to hear that ridiculous crap about suing me from some bad guy."
"Don’t get the wrong idea."
"Huh?"
Aqua quietly sat down beside Kana.
More precisely, he sat one seat away from her.
That made the remaining distance between them visible both physically and psychologically—
But for some reason, Kana felt that Aqua, quietly sipping warm tea with that familiar, indifferent face of his from somewhere, was far too close.
"If it had been someone else instead of you, I would’ve done the same thing. That’s what my father taught me to do."
"......"
Even with the overly mature answer from the boy, Kana didn’t feel particularly disappointed.
In truth, even if it had been someone else instead of her, this boy would have taken the evidence and twisted the molester’s wrist without hesitation.
Definitely.
But his father taught him that?
Kana was just about to ask out of sudden curiosity, but Aqua spoke first.
"You were yelling at Ruby on set too, weren’t you? Huf—"
When he tried to bring up something from nearly ten years ago and subtly make fun of her poor response, Kana flared up, her face turning red as she pointed at him and shouted.
"I-I did not yell?! Your sister was the one who started with me first—"
"Aqua!"
At one man’s shout, everyone inside turned their gaze toward the entrance at once.
Aqua stood up immediately when he saw the man opening the door and coming in.
"Dad."
"Aqua!"
Seeing Aqua, Kaoru’s blue eyes shone as he rushed over and carefully checked his son’s face and body from head to toe.
"You’re not hurt, are you?!"
"Yes, I’m fine. I’m okay."
"Good... well done."
Kaoru let out a relieved breath at the answer and patted his son’s shoulder.
Not only had he gotten a call saying his son had suddenly grabbed a molester and was at the police station—
But when he heard that Kana, a fellow actor from the same agency and still a young middle school girl, had been molested, Kaoru had rushed over without even looking back.
"Hah, Kana-chan. Are you okay too?"
Kana, who had stood up after Aqua and was bowing her head, flinched and nodded.
"Huh?! Y-yes! I’m fine, senior! I was just a little shocked. Aqua-kun saved me, so I’m gra—"
Even though just moments ago she had deliberately thrown thorny words at Aqua, asking why he had saved her—
Realizing she had unconsciously and honestly blurted out her gratitude, Kana snapped her mouth shut and blushed.
Kaoru nodded, walked over to her, gently lowered himself to her eye level, and patted her shoulder with sincere comfort.
"You must have been very shocked. I’m truly sorry. If you calmly tell the truth as it is, there won’t be any problem at all."
"Yes, thank you... a-and also..."
Kana fidgeted with her fingers and looked at Aqua with anxious eyes—
But Kaoru, with his blue eyes shining, reassured her in a low voice.
"It’s okay. Don’t worry. No one will get hurt."
Kana almost burst into tears, but she clenched her teeth and held them back.
The young girl, who had been worried sick that Aqua might suffer because of her, was able to escape the guilt pressing down on her chest like a stone thanks to Kaoru’s firm assurance.
"......"
His eyes took on a wolf-like, ruthless gleam as he stared at the molester sitting in one corner of the interrogation room across from them.
For a moment, Kana glanced at Kaoru’s cold face and felt a strong warning light go off in her head, telling her that even if she had something to say, she should not say any more.
Right beside him, Aqua was doing the same thing as his father— quietly letting his blue eyes shine as he looked toward the interrogation room...
And she remembered the voice he had spoken to her with just before the boy subdued the molester on the subway.
The thought flashed through Kana’s mind that father and son were not father and son for nothing.
As Kaoru had promised, once he arrived, things moved along in a flash.
Kana’s worries were nothing more than needless anxiety.
Even the molester—who had been shouting that he would sue Aqua, a minor who had saved Kana in self-defense, for mutual assault—
After Aqua’s legal guardian Kaoru asked the police officer for permission and had a brief one-on-one talk with the molester before coming out of the interrogation room—
"......"
He no longer caused a scene, his face completely drained of color as if the time he had spent with Kaoru had been deeply meaningful.
Kana finished her statement quickly, telling only the facts as Kaoru had instructed her.
Aqua had already finished his own brief statement and sent another message to Akane, who had replied to the text he had sent earlier saying he might be late because something had come up.
"..."
Akane was very, very worried.
Aqua left a message saying he would explain everything in detail when he got to the theater, so she shouldn’t worry, and put his smartphone back in his pocket.
He had been quietly watching his father talking with the police officer, when he turned his gaze to Kana, who had just returned from the bathroom.
"...Um..."
At a glance, she looked like she had something to say, chewing on her lip.
After hesitating for a few seconds, the girl gave up on opening her mouth and, instead of sitting one seat away from Aqua, edged over and sat right beside him.
She folded her legs neatly together and fiddled with her beret, then flinched under Aqua’s strange gaze, looked away slightly—
Only to blush again and shout, "W-what?! Why?!"
"I was just looking. Why are you reacting like that?"
"Mind your own business! Could you maybe respect the person on the receiving end of that slimy, relaxed look?!"
"......"
At Kana’s verbal attack, Aqua stared at her for a moment, then stroked his chin and said, with genuine admiration,
"You’ve really polished your skills."
He could only let out a sincere exclamation at Kana’s evolved way with words after more than ten years.
—
All the procedures were finished within an hour of entering the police station.
Kana and Aqua, having been released to go home, stepped outside the police station together with Kaoru.
"...Thank you so much, senior."
Kaoru waved a hand at Kana, who bowed her head in thanks.
"I appreciate it, but the one you should be thanking isn’t me, is it?"
"......"
Flinching, Kana blushed and looked at Aqua standing beside Kaoru.
It was embarrassing and awkward, but as Kaoru said, the person she needed to thank was...
"Thank you for saving me. I’ll never forget what happened today... and I’ll definitely repay you."
Her ears bright red, Kana met Aqua’s eyes and clearly thanked him.
Aqua nodded while looking at the red-haired girl, who was less honest than anyone he had ever met.
"Yeah. You too... hang in there."
He thought of many things to say, but instead of speaking at length, Aqua simply offered his support in plain words.
However, Kana seemed to have never expected Aqua’s "hang in there," and immediately averted her gaze.
"...Th-thank y-you... s-senior. I’ll be going now! You must have been busy, so thank you for helping me!"
Kaoru, pretending not to notice Kana’s quick change of subject, smiled and waved at her too.
"Yes. Kana is a strong girl, so I believe you’ll get through this. Hang in there."
"Thank you!"
With a spirited bow, Kana glanced at Aqua once more, then turned and ran out of the station.
Watching her back, Kaoru let out a low sigh and could only smack his lips bitterly.
"Son."
"Yes."
He hadn’t been able to say it while Kana was there out of consideration for his son, but Kaoru proudly stroked his son’s brilliant blond hair as he spoke.
"I’m happy. Our son did something to be proud of. Your mother would worry first if she knew, but even so, your dad is really proud of you."
"......"
Seeing his usually mature son blush shyly, Kaoru pulled him into a tight embrace and smiled.
"We were on the way to the theater, weren’t we? I’ll drive you. Akane said she was very worried and contacted me too. Make sure you call her on the way."
"Yes... Thank you for coming... It was reassuring."
At his son’s words of thanks, Kaoru couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting and shrugged.
"I’m your dad, after all."
...
Outside the station, President Rentaro and the manager, who had already been waiting with a van, found Kana and quickly got her into the car.
Since Kana’s road manager was off duty, this had been an unexpected accident that happened while she was commuting home by subway after her schedule ended.
President Rentaro blamed himself heavily and decided that, from now on, to prevent anything like this from happening again, he would assign road managers and dedicated management teams to the schedules of all underage actors, including Kana, and thoroughly train even the adult actors in how to respond and what to watch out for so they could prevent crimes.
In other words, it was a decision to have her commute to and from work together with a dedicated management team so she could be protected from crime.
"I’m sorry. Kana-chan. Truly. I have no excuse. Protecting the safety of the actors is also the agency head’s duty— and this happened because I failed to do that. It’s entirely my fault."
"N-no, President! Please don’t bow your head!"
When he apologized while bowing to someone young enough to be his daughter, Kana was more startled than anything and hurriedly waved him off.
After that, the situation was only settled once she reluctantly accepted Rentaro’s assurance that he had heard the story from the police station and would not spare any legal support if necessary.
"Hah... Still, really... it was such a huge relief Aqua happened to be there... whew."
"......Um, may I ask something, President?"
"Hm. What is it?"
Kana thought for a moment before speaking.
"Is Aqua-kun learning something from Kamiki-senpai? Something like self-defense...?"
At Kana’s question, as she made a wrist-twisting gesture, Rentaro nodded and said,
"Yeah. I heard Kaoru has been teaching his family self-defense and things like that. If Aqua could do that so quickly, then it seems he’s teaching them far more seriously than I thought. Maybe I should ask him to teach me too...!"
"I see."
Kana tapped her chin with her index finger.
Recalling the CCTV footage from the stabbing incident, where Kaoru had subdued a 100-kilo brute, Kana imagined the scene of Aqua twisting the molester’s wrist without hesitation in one swift motion and, without thinking, overlapped the two images.
'That was cool.'
Cool... what?!
"Eeeeeeeh?!!!"
"W-what’s wrong?!"
Startled by Kana’s sudden scream, Rentaro, who had been looking at his phone, dropped it onto the floor.
Kana frantically waved her hands and shouted, her face bright red.
"N-nothing!"
It really was nothing.
The saying that a strong denial is a strong affirmation flashed through her mind in this very moment as she waved her hands.
But Arima Kana hoped.
"Uuugh—!"
That the slimy, mature gaze that seemed to know everything.
That blue eyes and brilliant blond hair, so much like the great senior she admired and looked up to, and that uniquely indifferent expression.
The coldness, and the warmth hidden beneath it.
Even the resolute courage to step forward and protect others.
All of it kept coming to mind, one after another, filling her head however it pleased—!
"......The worst......"
Arima Kana sincerely hoped it was really nothing at all.
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