The sight of the rabid fan who had rushed onto the filming set being subdued, the girl screaming, and the husband calmly ordering his wife to back away.
And then the wife, regaining her composure at her husband’s command and retreating toward the staff.
Those dramatic moments, so unbelievable they could have been a scene from a drama or film, were all captured by the cameras of the citizens gathered around the set.
Of course.
Across time and space, it was more than enough to literally [explode] every social media platform in existence.
- Holy shit!!!! This is insane!!!!
- What the hell is that guy!?
- The return of the -2.6 second- legend wwww Is this time -1.6 seconds-?
ㄴ What the hell is wrong with that Kamiki bastard?
ㄴ I can’t believe it even with my own eyes.
- That charging 0.1-ton fatass… is that even a level you can throw with an osoto-gari?
ㄴ It’d be a miracle if he didn’t get crushed to death.
ㄴ He’s basically a human tank wwww
- Kamiki’s spine must be titanium alloy... I’m jealous
ㄴ Don’t underestimate the strength that made four children wwww
- Ai-chan, what do we do!!! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ I really thought my heart was going to stop and kill me
ㄴ Oru-chan is amazing !!!!!!!
ㄴ If he’d slipped even a little, Ai-chan would’ve been done for...
ㄴ That’s basically a traffic accident wwww
- What the hell were the staff even doing!!
ㄴ What do you think they were doing wwww dying to go home.
- This is bad. They should’ve sent a cooperation request to the Metropolitan Police Department ages ago.
ㄴ Bullshit~ You want to call the police over a single drama shoot? Overreacting because of celebrities would make them even more pathetic.
ㄴ Re: If you’re jealous, just say you’re jealous, idiot wwww
- My younger brother’s a judo athlete, and when I showed him this, he cursed and told me not to show him AI videos.
ㄴ The Japanese judo world will regret forever that they couldn’t catch Kaoru.
- Director Gotanda’s lifespan seems to be getting shorter and shorter.
- It would’ve been funny if an OX hole had fallen out of the bag wwww
ㄴ wwww You insane bastard wwww
ㄴ Isn’t that social murder?
Not only that, but the video rapidly spread to social media and huge community sites all over the world, including Korea, China, and the United States, and instantly became a hot topic.
To the public, it was such a stimulating, dopamine-exploding, unbelievable video that it spread like a train with broken brakes and never stopped.
However.
Even in this moment, when the public was busy savoring, chewing over, and enjoying this enormous event.
There were also people who were reminded of the terrifying memories of that day ten years ago, the day so-called the [December attack] took place.
"......What the hell. What is this!"
"Ah... haa...! Y-you should hurry and go!"
At the scene back then, Rintaro, who had taken Kaoru to Tokyo University Hospital, and Yuno, who had cared for him after he was wounded by a weapon.
After finishing dinner with the siblings and preparing tomorrow’s breakfast sandwiches in advance, Yuno saw the LINE message sent by an acquaintance and was utterly shocked.
Rintaro, who came running after hearing Yuno’s cry and had gotten off work early for once after finishing his duties, also let out a rough breath after seeing the video his wife showed him.
The faces of the couple staring at the screen went pale at the same time, as if all the color had drained from them.
The horrible memory, like a persistent nightmare, is revived by the sudden misfortune that once again shakes an otherwise peaceful daily life to its core.
Perhaps even a small child, like a white blank page that remembered nothing at all, would one day realize again that the terrible scar had been carved deep into their heart after living on while forgetting it.
Ding-
"Eh?"
Ruby was leaving the practice room at [Ichigo Production] headquarters together with Takamine, the neighbor from the same mansion and her dance trainer.
Even though Mama and Papa were surely enjoying a happy date thanks to the drama shoot.
And even though her beloved older brother, younger sister, and youngest little brother were all waiting for Ruby—waiting for her to come home for dinner.
Ruby heard the LINE notification on her smartphone and was suddenly seized by a strange sense of unease.
Why...?
Ignoring the alarm bells ringing in her head.
Ruby took the iPhone from her pocket, opened LINE, and checked the countless messages sent by her friends.
And then....
"Hm? What’s wrong, Ruby-chan?"
When he noticed that Ruby’s footsteps behind him had stopped, Takamine, holding the car smart key in his hand, turned around and tilted his head.
Ruby’s face as she blankly stared at her smartphone screen was so pale. Like a frightened child, her hands were trembling so badly it was visible to the naked eye.
As Ruby’s starry eyes shook precariously and her breathing grew rough, Takamine, sensing something was off, quickly stepped closer and checked her smartphone.
"Ah?"
Takamine’s heart sank the moment he checked the screen.
A shocking sight that was impossible to believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.
If it hadn’t been for Kaoru, Ai would surely have been seriously injured by the man who had rushed into the filming set.
And if he had been carrying a weapon, maybe even Ai’s life would have been in danger...
"Aunt Takami......"
"Oh my! Ruby-?!"
A fragile trembling, stiff with fear. Ruby’s tiny, burning voice, like that of a precious and beloved niece, stabbed into Takamine’s heart like a dagger.
The past.
Ruby’s gaze had drifted so far away toward the past, as if she had been taken back to that day ten years ago rather than the present.
The fear and terror toward [loss], the threat to the happy [everyday life] she had only just come to possess, once again gnawed away at Ruby’s fragile reason.
"Sob— sob! What do we do? What if Papa got hurt again? What if he got hurt by a bad person while trying to save Mama?"
"Calm down, Ruby. Look. Here, your dad and mom, nobody got hurt! Your dad did such an amazing job saving your mom, didn’t he?"
"Sob, huuuh! B-but, but stiiiill... sob—!"
Tears, blurring those radiant starry eyes that resembled the child herself, streamed down her cheeks.
Suddenly unable to control her emotions because the memory of that day in the past had come flooding back, Ruby threw herself into Takamine’s arms as if into her mother’s embrace and burst into pitiful tears.
Takamine, trying desperately to soothe Ruby, who was seized by fear and crying like a frightened baby, unable to listen to a word she said.
"Ruby!"
For her, who had never faced such a terrifying moment of fearing she might lose someone precious—
in this situation, nothing else came to mind except holding Ruby and comforting her.
Even Takamine, whose resolve was firm and strong, could not casually measure the scale of the fear Ruby must have felt.
"Mama, Papa...!"
In the vast, empty hallway lit up with the lights on, Ruby’s sobs, saturated with the resonance of the past, echoed like waves.
-
Not long after Kaoru subdued the assailant who had stormed the filming set, police officers began arriving one after another at the scene.
Even an ambulance arrived for the unconscious assailant, who was loaded up and taken to the hospital.
Normally, it would have been nothing more than a small incident handled by the local precinct, but the unfortunate(?) circumstance was that the people involved were none other than the KaoAi couple, the most famous actor-and-celebrity couple in present-day Japan.
The Metropolitan Police Department, greatly flustered by the assailant’s nerve, immediately dispatched detectives from [Division 1, Violent Crime Investigation Section 3], including the section chief, as soon as the report came in.
Of course, the detectives who were rushed out in the middle of dinner could not help but laugh bitterly.
The chief of [Violent Crime Investigation Section 3], who was to take command of the on-site response, had been the very person who investigated [Kamiki Kaoru] when he was hospitalized in the VIP ward of Tokyo University Hospital during the [December attack] incident ten years ago.
And on the way to the scene, he had watched the video spreading on social media of Kaoru perfectly throwing the assailant with a clean osoto-gari, making it even harder to suppress his “personal interest” in this absurd case beyond the bounds of his “professional duty.”
All the police officers controlling the crowds gathered at the filming site with police lines, and guarding the area to prevent reporters from covering the story and other assailants from breaking in, had their minds elsewhere.
"Hey, stop pushing already!!!"
"Let us get just one line of interview! Come on, seriously! Why are you like this!?"
As reporters and others heard about the incident through social media and word of mouth, and the crowds swelled like clouds even more, the police in charge of the scene quickly reassigned personnel.
It was obvious to anyone that pressing ahead with an investigation in this situation was impossible.
Megure, the section chief leading [Violent Crime Investigation Section 3], accompanied by Inspector Shiratori, quickly met with Kaoru and Director Gotanda to talk.
"I’m sorry we have to meet again over something like this, Mr. Kamiki."
"Haha, not at all."
Kaoru and Chief Megure, who already knew each other, exchanged a handshake and formal greetings as soon as they met.
More than ten years had passed, but Chief Megure realized that Kaoru’s appearance had hardly changed at all.
Compared to Kaoru, Chief Megure had become a middle-aged man who no longer ran directly into the field but instead directed operations and led more than ten detectives.
However, this was not a good situation to be reminiscing about the passage of time with sentimentality.
First, they had to conduct an investigation to prove Kaoru’s legitimate self-defense, but given the circumstances, they agreed to set a later date and have the detectives visit the KaoAi couple’s home to investigate.
"That bastard. You’d better be ready. I’m going to make the rest of your life hell too. I’ll crush you completely."
As for Director Gotanda, whose shoot had been completely ruined, he ground his teeth and decided to file both criminal charges for obstruction of business and a civil lawsuit against the assailant to cover the blown budget.
Director Gotanda had gone to sleep the night before with a pounding heart, looking forward to filming the scene of the KaoAi couple’s sweet little romance.
The assailant who had shattered the dreams and hopes of this middle-aged man with the pure heart of a new-generation child seemed to have no hope left.
Unable to smoke because too many people were watching, instead holding a lighter and grinding his teeth as he switched into rage-filled artist mode, Kaoru could only let out an awkward smile as he watched Director Gotanda.
"Kaoru...."
"Ai. How’s your body?"
"Mm... this, after I put on the oxygen mask, I feel a little better."
Because the memory of Kaoru being attacked had come back so vividly, Ai had been so shocked and frightened that for a while she suffered chills and trembling almost like convulsions, unable to properly steady her body.
Ai had been resting with the oxygen mask that had been brought by the paramedic who arrived to transport the assailant, after asking to borrow it.
Fortunately, her condition had improved enough that she could properly call Kaoru’s name, but her face was still bloodless and pale.
Kaoru tightly held his wife’s ice-cold hand and bit his lip hard, but—
"I’m glad.... It’s all over now. Let’s go home. Okay?"
He didn’t want to burden his wife with any more worry.
He didn’t want her to notice the tangled anxiety and unease cluttering up his head.
Kaoru shrugged and deliberately forced a bright smile.
"......"
Ai stared at her husband’s smile for a moment.
The eyes full of dark [starlight], instead of brilliance, vanished behind her closing eyelids.
"Mm... okay."
And then—she buried her face in her husband’s chest and nodded.
Feeling her husband’s warmth and scent, and the pounding of his heartbeat, she felt as if both body and mind were returning to their proper place.
She had so much to say, and countless emotions she wanted to let burst out were swirling in her chest.
But Kaoru and Ai both knew, without needing to say it, that even in this terrible situation they were still thinking of each other.
"......"
Ignoring everyone else’s gaze—
Kaoru wrapped both arms around Ai, who was leaning against his chest, and held her close, his warm hand settling gently on her purple hair.
-
"!"
"Ruby!"
"Sis!?"
The moment she sensed movement outside the front door, Ruby, who had been quietly slumped over at the kitchen table, sprang up in a panic and ran toward the entrance.
Aqua and Ame, who had been sitting at the table with her and comforting her.
Takamine, holding sleeping Amber in her arms, Miyako, who was holding sleeping Hina while nervously chewing at her nails, and even President Ichigo and Representative Rintaro, who had hurried home after finishing their schedules.
Everyone’s attention focused on Ruby as she ran toward the front door.
"Mama-!!!"
At Ruby’s scream-like cry, Ai’s starry eyes widened in surprise as she opened the front door and stepped inside first, looking exhausted.
"Ah, Ruby! Ruby-chan-"
"Huuuuuaang!! Mama-!"
But only for a moment.
As her little daughter threw herself into her arms, tears and sobs pouring out, the thought flashed through Ai’s mind—how frightened must this tiny child have been...
Just like when her husband had comforted her, Ai felt a heart-rending relief and pity, and she lifted both arms to clutch Ruby tightly and burst into tears she had been trying to hold back.
However, now she was no longer a lonely girl, but the mother of four children.
Like an [adult], Ai quickly gathered herself and, with a bright smile she forced into place, patted Ruby’s back and soothed her.
"It’s fiine. Mama’s perfectly fine, okay? Don’t cry~ Your papa saved Mama so wonderfully!"
"Sob— huhh— huuuh—! B-but, but Mama, Papa— I thought something terrible happened because everyone got hurt...!"
"Ruby... it’s okay. It’s okay. Something like that bad dream will never happen. From now on, just like this, whenever we come home, Mama will keep hugging Ruby like this every single day, just like always. Mama promises!"
The unwavering, conviction-filled eyes of Ai.
The radiant starry eyes of the mother Ruby had always admired and longed for shimmered as if embracing Ruby’s fear-riddled, wounded heart.
"Mama...."
In the arms of the person she had missed most, Ruby’s voice, buried against her chest, came out small and waterlogged.
Even though she was clearly receiving the comfort and warm embrace of the beloved [mother]—her [oshi]—the dark [emotion] that had seeped into Ruby’s heart did not easily fade.
Ding-dong-
Then the front door opened again, and Kaoru, who had finished his call outside and come back in, greeted the family with his usual warm smile.
"Hm? Ru-"
"Papa-!!!!!"
"Ah-?!"
Breaking free from Ai’s arms, Ruby ran straight into her [father]’s broad chest without even putting on her shoes.
Once again, the tears that had only just stopped poured out like a dam breaking.
Kaoru forced a pitying smile and lifted his arms to hold his daughter tightly.
"Uhuhh— Papa— Papa— you’re okay, right? Huh? You didn’t get hurt anywhere, right-?!"
"Of course. Your mom and dad are both fine. Haha... you were really scared, weren’t you, our daughter."
"Sob sob— Papa!"
More than ten years had passed, but realizing that the memory of that incident still remained as a scar in Ruby’s heart—
as her father, Kaoru’s chest ached as if it were being torn apart.
All he could do for his daughter, who was so frightened and crying, was reassure her that he wasn’t hurt anywhere.
So Kaoru deliberately kept his smile in place the whole time, stroking and patting the head of his crying little daughter in his arms.
"...Ruby-chan."
Because she felt exactly the same as her husband, Ai, whose starry eyes were once again welling with tears, hugged Ruby tightly from behind while Ruby was in Kaoru’s arms.
"...Big brother. Hug me..."
"Ame... come here. Big brother will hug you."
At the entrance, Ame, who had been watching her parents and older sister embrace, also whispered softly to the older brother who was holding her hand tightly.
Her throat felt clogged, but Aqua, who was pretending to be fine, also picked up his tearful youngest little sister and patted her back.
'Ame too... is only now really feeling it. Ruby, no, [we] went through things in the past, and Ame...'
Ruby’s reason for acting like this...
Was it perhaps fortunate that little Ame both understood and did not understand?
'......'
Aqua, looking at his father, mother, and twin younger sister, ultimately could not give a definite answer.
Ame, after seeing the video sent to her smartphone, had watched the wonderful moment of her father subduing the assailant with a perfect osoto-gari and rescuing her mother from danger, and her eyes had sparkled just like those of children her age.
In fact, at first, Ame could not hide her confusion at her older sister’s reaction when she came home with Takamine, shocked and terrified.
Unfamiliar with seeing her bright, lively older sister crying, Ame had been completely discouraged and stood behind her brother until she heard the whole story.
"Big brother..."
"Yeah."
"Tonight I want to sleep with big sister.... I don’t want big sister to cry again..."
"...Okay. If that’s what Ame wants, then you can do that. I’m sure big sister will feel at ease if you’re with her."
Finding Ame’s desire to comfort her sister adorable, Aqua gently stroked her soft cheek and hoped his youngest little sister would not suffer any unnecessary emotional turmoil because of this incident.
Aqua did not want to deny that Ame’s reaction was the natural one any ordinary person would have shown.
In fact, the many people in the video had all let out cheers and admiration at Kaoru’s throw, and the reactions on social media were all the same or very similar.
But Aqua already knew that this was not a matter of right or wrong, but a difference in perspective between those who had experienced the incident and those who had not.
Still, even so, in the end—
For the people who had gone through the horrifying experience of almost losing someone precious, after all...
"Haa... that damn bastard...!"
"President..."
Watching Ruby cry, President Ichigo put his hands on his hips and let out a rough sigh.
Seeing him so angry that his whole body trembled, Rintaro, who felt equally complicated, patted his shoulder to comfort him.
Ten years had passed, but for both President Ichigo and Rintaro, the memory of that day still remained—like a rusty bullet lodged in a veteran soldier’s chest, an ache that hurt just to remember.
The rage bubbled up from his stomach like an erupting volcano, and the impulse to strangle and break the neck of that bastard who had tried to attack the child kept surging up again and again.
"Takamine and I will stay here tonight. Call me when you’re leaving for work tomorrow."
Miyako also forced down her boiling anger and said to her husband with an awkward smile.
She had been too shocked to eat, and she had no appetite at all, no desire to eat.
"Don’t worry too much, President. Kaoru-kun protected the child well, didn’t he? My husband said it was absolutely self-defense, and that there’s no legal liability either. It’ll all be wrapped up properly."
Takamine also added that there was no need to worry as she walked into the kitchen to bring water for the KaoAi couple and Ruby.
"......"
"......"
Both President Ichigo and Representative Rintaro.
With sad eyes that seemed to project past memories, they looked at the couple tightly holding Ruby in their arms.
-
< [Breaking News] Arrest warrant issued for assailant who attacked the set of [The Bird That Flies Through the Sky] >
< "I’m sorry." After leaving only an apology, he is sent to detention... assailant who attacked the KaoAi couple to face identity disclosure review by the National Police Agency >
< Who is the assailant who attacked the KaoAi couple? Former executive of the [B Komachi] fan club...? Testimonies from people involved continue to pour onto social media >
< Hoshino Ai reveals her statement on official Twitter and Instagram... 150,000 likes and 80,000 retweets in four hours... >
< "Thank you for worrying about me." "I’m okay." "I’ll work even harder because of all your support!"... Hoshino Ai’s comfort to her fans >
< Kusanagi Takuya, Aragaki Satomi, Yoshikawa Yuriko... a parade of comforting messages from fellow stars on social media >
< [The Bird That Flies Through the Sky] Director Gotanda Taishi: "We are considering criminal charges and civil damages... no leniency." >
< The return of the [December attack]? Urgent countermeasures needed for filming set safety... related laws and policies 'none' > "
< Stani-On office has made no official statement... "We will respond strictly according to law and procedure" >
< [Exclusive] Kamiki Kaoru scheduled for an in-home visit investigation in Minato Ward... Metropolitan Police Department official draws a line, saying "it’s just a procedural step in the investigation" >
< KaoAi couple’s legal representatives: "This is a clear case of self-defense with no room for dispute... reports of an arrest warrant issued by some outlets are false and defamatory, and legal action will be taken" >
While all kinds of reports heated up TV and the internet, Ai received many calls checking on her from acquaintances she had known for years.
"Yeah. I’m okay, Kana-chan~★ Kaoru protected me completely, you know? ......Eh!? Come to think of it, Kana-chan, back when Aqua...!"
"Mem-chan~★ I saw you crying a lot on the YouTube livestream! Yeah. I’m really fine! Is Mumu-chan doing well?"
"Akane-chan~★ Thanks for calling. I’m okay. I’m doing great. Are you at the practice room with Aqua right now? Fufu... I see~★"
Among them, especially Kana, Akane, and even Memcho.
The three of them showed the bizarre behavior of sending messages almost simultaneously, with barely even a one-second difference, as if they had planned it.
Thanks to that, Ai had to wonder who she should reply to first—she went into a serious [mode], propping her chin up and agonizing, agonizing, agonizing, agonizing, agonizing, and agonizing over it.
Still, Ai was grateful and touched by these three girls’ concern and calls to check on her, so with her starry eyes shining she called each of them one by one in the order of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—to return their greetings.
And then, the next morning on the fourth day after the incident.
Chief Megure and Inspector Shiratori visited the Minato Ward mansion where the KaoAi couple lived in person.
In the process, Detective Superintendent Taguchi Shoto, Kaoru’s high school and university classmate and a friend notorious among their circle as a “fashion terrorist,” who currently served as an [Inspector] in [Division 1, Criminal Investigation Section], also attended.
Since the top brass of both the National Police Agency and the Metropolitan Police Department were reacting very sensitively to the case, it was, in a way, an obvious arrangement.
But in reality, he was there as Kaoru’s old friend, and as a fellow alumnus and [Inspector of Division 1], to provide “unofficial support.”
And Takamine’s husband, attorney Sakai Koyuki, the legal representative for the KaoAi couple, also arrived at the house at the end and joined the investigation.
"...Oh, the milk tea..."
"You made this yourself? It’s really delicious."
"Hehe-★ Thank you~"
Chief Megure and Inspector Shiratori both praised the iced milk tea Ai had personally made to treat her guests.
They looked surprised that it was delicious enough to stand up to anything from a café or specialty drink shop.
Since the twin siblings and Ame were at school, and Amber was asleep in her room, there was no difficulty in conducting the investigation at home.
After the statement was written, the investigation ended faster than expected once the person involved, Kaoru, the lawyer Koyuki, and Inspector Shoto from the Metropolitan Police Department all carefully checked the statement and Kaoru signed it.
After the investigation, while they were chatting casually over milk tea and fine pastries—
"Eh? So Kaoru, the lawyer, Shoto-san, and the inspector all graduated from Tokyo University together? Wow, that’s amazing~"
With four alumni from the prestigious Tokyo University Faculty of Law gathered in one place—
Ai, remembering how Kaoru had studied for entrance exams in the past, clapped her hands with sparkling starry eyes.
"Haha... I guess so? Somehow it turned into a tiny alumni reunion?"
"Oh, Ai-san. In the end, we’re all just salarymen, though. Me too, and Inspector Shiratori here too—we’re civil servants who do whatever Chief Megure tells us to do and stop when he says stop. Hahaha."
Moved by Ai’s unadorned, wonder-filled reaction, Takamine’s husband Koyuki scratched his cheek with an awkward laugh.
Shoto also let out his familiar booming laugh, then tossed out a joke while looking at Chief Megure and Inspector Shiratori.
Kaoru also smiled softly as he drank his milk tea at Shoto’s joke.
School ties and local ties. The close-knit alumni network of Japan’s top universities was, in itself, an [asymmetric force].
It would be socially awkward and invite criticism to bring it up openly and boast about it, but—
if ever there was a need, it became the most reliable and reassuring “weapon” and “shield,” just like now.
This was exactly why Kaoru had been donating large sums every year not only to his high school and university, but also to the general alumni association where graduates gathered.
"Let’s wrap this up for now. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to cooperate with the investigation, Kaoru-san."
"Not at all. I’m the one who’s sorry for making busy detectives come all the way here for nothing."
As Chief Megure checked his wristwatch, set down his teacup, and stood up, Inspector Shiratori and Shoto also rose from their seats.
Koyuki also got up with his briefcase to head back to the law office.
"The milk tea was great, Ai-san. Oh, Takamine said she made cookies and bread and would bring them down later. Please try them and give us your honest opinion."
"Yes~!"
"Ai-san. Next time we get together, teach my wife how to make milk tea. Seriously, this could be patented."
Koyuki and Shoto, putting on their shoes at the entrance with the detectives, showed off their easygoing banter toward Ai.
Ai, who couldn’t help smiling at the praise for her milk tea, said with a bright starry smile, "Heheh-! Fufu~ Thank you for the kind words!"
"Everyone, take care on your way out."
"Ah, right. Kaoru. You know that Tomoya guy has set a wedding date, right?"
Kaoru chuckled and nodded at Shoto’s words as he put on his shoes and placed the shoehorn back on the rack.
Kitagawa Tomoya.
What was with the irony that this old friend working at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, the guy who had boasted the most dating experience among their friends in their twenties, was the one getting married the latest?
With a meaningful grin, Shoto tapped Kaoru’s forearm and said in a sly voice, "Bring a fat envelope for the gift money. Better yet, put in my share too."
"Quit talking nonsense and get out already. The detectives are waiting."
"Yes, yes~ Ai-san! We’re heading out. See you next time!"
"Goodbye~!"
After the guests left, the house fell quiet again.
Kaoru, who had come from the kitchen with a tray, collected the empty milk tea cups and the small plate that had held the pastries.
"Phew... hoo..."
Looking at the closed front door, Ai lightly tidied her long purple hair with both hands and took a breath.
Once the tension eased, her stiff body relaxed and the breath she had been holding burst out on its own.
Ai had been inwardly worried and uneasy about the detectives coming to investigate at their home.
Kaoru, the lawyer Koyuki, and Shoto, her husband’s old friend and a police officer.
They had all finished the investigation with relaxed smiles as if nothing were wrong, but until the detectives left the house, a corner of Ai’s heart had remained tense and uneasy.
"......"
"Ai."
After clearing the table, Kaoru gently embraced Ai from behind as she stood quietly in front of the entrance.
Ai, who had been standing there blankly for a moment, felt her husband’s warmth and scent reaching her before she knew it—
She lifted her white hands and tightly clasped his large hand back, drawing in a deep breath once more.
"Your shoulders are stiff. So... you were worried after all?"
"...Idiot Oru."
As always.
He immediately noticed that she was acting differently than usual—then deliberately pretended not to notice, teasing her by poking at the emotions puffing up her cheeks.
Her husband’s mischief was so cheeky that Ai pressed her lips together and lightly pinched the back of his hand, pouting.
"Haha. That hurts."
To his wife, who was pretending to sulk like a cute little rabbit, Kaoru pressed his lips to the back of her white neck and slowly—
lowered his head and buried his face against his small, slender wife’s shoulder.
"Nothing will happen. You don’t need to worry yourself sick."
"......"
"I promised I’d protect our family, all of us. I’ll protect you. No matter what happens..."
"...Kaoru."
Quietly. In a low whisper, Kaoru’s voice tickled her shoulder, but—
Because she knew those words were not only for her, but also something Kaoru was repeating to himself, Ai, whose starry eyes shone, could not smile in the end.
The [emotion] hidden in her husband’s resolve. The [color] carried in his voice. The [sincerity] in the faint trembling she felt through the arms holding her.
Ai, her intuition, had finally seen through the [truth] hidden inside it.
And because of that, countless things she wanted to say to her beloved husband surged up to her throat.
Instead, Ai took her husband’s hands and loosened the embrace.
Turning around, she cupped her husband’s face with both hands, lifted her own starry eyes to meet his, and said in a clear voice,
"Ai and all of our family... think you’re the most precious person in this world."
"...Ai."
"Thank you for always working so hard for us. But—Kaoru should also take care of himself a little more..."
Ding-
Ai’s words were cut off by the notification sound from the wall pad.
The couple’s gaze turned toward the wall pad, and since both of them had good eyesight, they could immediately tell what notification had appeared on the screen.
"Eh? Ruby-chan is... eeh?! A, Aqua-chan is with her too?"
"......"
Ruby’s dark expression, and Aqua standing beside her with an equally heavy face.
Even though it was not yet 12 o’clock, why had they come home so early?
"Early dismissal... looks like they left school early. Why—without any message at all..."
Aside from when they were in kindergarten and had weak immunity, the twins had never once left school early or missed class due to illness throughout all six years of elementary school and two and a half years of middle school.
Ame was the same. Those babies were among the healthiest around, too...
Suddenly, as worry surged up and Ai fidgeted with her fingers, Kaoru smiled and spoke in a calm voice to reassure his wife.
"It’s okay, Ai. First let’s hear what they have to say after the kids get here. I’ll put the teacups in the dishwasher. You go welcome the babies."
"Mm..."
After Kaoru kissed her on the cheek and went to the kitchen to clean up—
Ai lightly bit her lip and took out her smartphone, wondering whether she should message the twins’ homeroom teacher.
And then—
Ding-dong-
The front door opened, and the two troublemaking twins appeared.
As the mother of four children, Ai greeted the twins with starry eyes full of worry—
"Mamaaaa-♥ Just for today, I’m leaving early with a fake illness! Sorry-★"
"Eeeeh-! Fake illness early dismissal-?!"
Ruby’s bright, affectionate greeting excuse, completely 180 degrees different from the dark expression seen on the wall pad!
An embrace attack launched to preemptively block all attacks!
Ai, who was suddenly wrapped up in Ruby’s arms, had her starry eyes go wide like a startled rabbit.
"......Aaah."
Her troublesome younger sister’s expression—and their mother, who was second to none in extreme self-paced behavior, looking utterly shocked...
Covering his forehead, Aqua could only let out a deep sigh tangled with complicated feelings and thoughts.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register