Airi's footsteps disappeared at the end of the road.
Her blood was still faintly visible on the asphalt.
Nanao stood frozen.
His hands were trembling.
The voices of the people around him sounded distant, as if they were submerged underwater.
"Airi…?"
There was no answer.
His legs suddenly gave out.
He knelt in the middle of the road, breathing heavily.
"What… did I just do…?"
That slap.
That voice.
The look on Airi's face when she regained consciousness—confused, hurt, and wounded.
Nanao covered his face with both hands.
"I… I just wanted to make her come to her senses…"
His own thoughts screamed back at him:
I hit her.
When she was at her most vulnerable.
When she didn't understand anything.
His chest felt tight.
As if an invisible hand were squeezing his heart.
"Why did I do that…?" he muttered.
The image of Airi running away in fear appeared in his mind again.
Her pale face.
The tears at the corners of her eyes.
And her small body being thrown aside by the truck.
"No… no… no…"
Nanao punched the asphalt.
THUD!
"I'm her brother…"
A second punch.
"I was supposed to protect her…"
A third punch.
"Not hurt her!"
His hand hurt, but it meant nothing compared to the guilt tearing him apart from within.
Someone tried to grab his shoulder.
"Nanao, stop—"
He brushed them away.
"Don't touch me!"
His eyes were red, his gaze empty.
"Airi said… I was the best brother…"
His voice broke.
"And I repaid her trust with a slap?"
He let out a short, broken laugh.
"What kind of brother am I…?"
Tears finally fell.
Not one.
Not two.
But endlessly.
"Airi…"
His voice was barely audible.
"Please… don't go…"
He staggered to his feet and stared at the road where her blood had been.
"If something happens to you…"
He shook his head hard.
"If you really disappear…"
His heart felt like it was collapsing.
"I'll never forgive myself."
Nanao clenched his fists.
"I swear…"
His voice was heavy, filled with determination and despair.
"I'll find her."
"Even if I have to fight everyone."
"Even if I have to hate myself."
He looked at the road one last time.
And for the first time in a long while—
Nanao was truly afraid of losing someone.
---
Airi's footsteps had disappeared.
The sound of sirens began to approach from a distance.
Hana stood frozen.
Her mouth was open, but no sound came out.
"That…"
Her voice trembled.
"Was that… Airi?"
Luna swallowed hard. Her hands were trembling without her realizing it.
"She… she ran into the road because of us, didn't she…?"
Rina took a step backward.
"It wasn't our fault."
She shook her head quickly.
"No. It wasn't us."
But the image appeared in their minds again.
Airi, frightened.
Airi being called "stupid."
Airi being chased by their sharp words.
Hana covered her ears.
"Stop… stop…"
Luna stared blankly at the road.
"Did you see her eyes earlier?"
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"She was scared. Not angry… but scared."
Rina raised her voice, almost shouting.
"She was weak! If she were strong, she wouldn't have run away!"
But even her own words sounded fake.
Even to her own ears.
Her hands were cold.
Her breathing was short and shallow.
"I was just joking…" Rina muttered.
"It was just a joke, right…?"
Hana turned sharply toward her.
"If it was just a joke, then why does my heart feel like it's about to explode?!"
Silence.
No one answered.
Luna suddenly sat down on the floor.
"I… I remember."
Her eyes began to fill with tears.
"That night… in the room…"
Hana tensed.
"You felt it too?"
Luna slowly nodded.
"As if something was… watching us."
She hugged her knees.
"And now… Airi almost—"
"DON'T FINISH THAT!" Hana shouted.
Hana's breathing quickened.
The image of the knife.
The figure resembling Airi.
That cold stare.
"This isn't normal…"
Her voice trembled.
"None of this is normal."
Rina began crying silently.
Her tears fell one after another.
"I…"
She roughly wiped her face.
"I just wanted to feel superior to her…"
Her voice broke.
"But why does it feel like I'm the lowest one now?"
Hana clenched her fists.
"We went too far."
Luna slowly nodded.
"If she dies…"
She couldn't continue.
The word hung in the air.
Dead.
Rina covered her face.
"If that happens… I'll never be able to sleep again."
Hana stared at the road.
The place where Airi's blood had flowed earlier.
"Starting today…"
Her voice was low, filled with fear.
"I don't want to touch her again."
"I don't want to talk to her."
"I don't want to joke around with her."
Luna whispered.
"Me neither…"
Rina sobbed.
"I'm scared…"
For the first time,
there were no insults.
No laughter.
Only three people who had finally realized—
They weren't strong.
They were simply cruel.
And now,
the image of Airi would haunt them longer than they could imagine.
---
The sky began to darken.
The crowd had thinned, the sirens had faded into the distance, and the road had become quiet again—too quiet.
Nanao stood in the middle of the sidewalk, breathing heavily.
His hands were still trembling.
That slap.
That voice.
Airi's tears.
Everything kept spinning through his mind.
"Why…"
His voice was hoarse.
"Why did I do that…?"
He lowered his head and lightly struck it with his hand.
"I wanted to make her come to her senses… not hurt her."
The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind.
Hana, Luna, and Rina stood several meters away from him.
Their faces were pale.
There were no smiles. No insults.
Nanao slowly turned around.
His gaze was empty—then it became sharp.
"You."
His voice was cold.
"Why are you still here?"
Hana swallowed hard.
"We… we're looking for her too."
Nanao let out a short, bitter laugh.
"Looking?"
He stepped closer.
"After what you did?"
Luna gripped the hem of her clothes.
"We didn't think it would go this far…"
"YOU DIDN'T THINK?"
Nanao raised his voice.
"You insulted her. Chased her. Made her afraid."
He pointed at his own chest.
"And in the end, I… I ended up destroying her too."
Rina quickly shook her head.
"We were just joking—"
SLAM!
Nanao slammed his fist against the wall beside Rina, making her flinch.
"Don't use that word."
His eyes were red.
"A joke stops being a joke when someone tells you to stop."
"When that person cries."
"When that person is afraid."
Silence.
Only their breathing could be heard.
Hana lowered her head.
"I was wrong…"
Nanao stared at her sharply.
"It's not just wrong."
He clenched his fists.
"You were cruel."
Luna whispered.
"We didn't know she was that important to you…"
Nanao held back a bitter laugh.
"She isn't 'important.'"
His voice trembled.
"She is my family."
The words fell heavily.
Rina began to cry.
"I… I never thought that far…"
Nanao turned his face away.
"Airi always thought."
"She thought about your words."
"She thought about your looks."
"And eventually, she thought… it would be better to leave."
He turned back, his voice firm.
"Now listen carefully."
All three of them tensed.
"I will find Airi."
"If she's still alive—"
Nanao took a deep breath.
"Never approach her again."
Hana quickly nodded.
"Okay…"
"And if—"
His voice cracked for a moment.
"If something happens to her…"
He stopped.
He didn't continue.
He didn't need to.
Nanao's gaze was enough to make them understand.
Nanao turned around and began running down the road, calling her name with a hoarse voice.
"Airi!"
"Airi!"
Every step felt heavy.
Every second felt too late.
Behind him,
Hana, Luna, and Rina stood frozen—
For the first time,
they weren't afraid of Nanao.
They were afraid of the consequences of their own actions.
---
Elsewhere, Airi was still running.
Her breathing was ragged, and her chest felt tight. Every step became heavier until she suddenly stopped.
In front of her—
a cemetery.
Rows of gravestones stood silently beneath the gray sky. The wind rustled softly, carrying a chill that made Airi's body tremble.
"Why… am I here?"
Airi spoke softly, her voice almost swallowed by the wind.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
"Hello, my love."
Airi froze.
She slowly turned around.
Arou stood several steps behind her, his expression flat—strange.
"Arou…?"
Airi's voice trembled.
"Why… why did you make me like this?"
Arou smiled faintly, coldly.
"I am the controller of the story now."
His eyes were empty.
"And I no longer have a heart."
Airi clenched her fists.
"So… just because of that, you're free to toy with my life?"
Arou stepped closer.
"However I please."
His tone was casual, as if he were talking about something trivial.
"I even enjoy it."
He stared at Airi.
"Especially when I torment you."
"Stop…"
Airi's voice trembled, but her eyes remained sharp.
"You're not the Arou I knew."
Arou raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"You used to stand as a king,"
Airi said softly but firmly,
"protecting all of us. But now… you don't even care."
Arou was silent for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.
"I only do whatever I want. That's all."
Airi swallowed.
"Even… taking my life?"
"Yes."
Arou's answer was brief.
"I'll kill you through the story I write myself."
He slowly turned around, his figure beginning to fade.
"Goodbye,"
he said without emotion.
"my love."
And in an instant—
Arou disappeared.
Airi stood alone among the gravestones, her body trembling, her eyes filled with tears.
For the first time,
she realized one thing—
Her greatest enemy
wasn't Hana, Luna, or Rina…
not the pain…
but
the creator who had lost his heart.