You Came with the First Spring Breeze... - Episode 3: Side - Tomoya: It\'s okay, leave everything to me!

Episode 3: Side – Tomoya: It’s okay, leave everything to me!

It took half a day to finally arrive.

This was the place that had been a video rental shop a few years ago.

The room, surrounded by lead-colored iron plates, was a basement. Right next to the entrance was a small cage-like room made of iron plates. That’s where Aki was probably being held.

I held a fruit knife to the woman’s neck in my arms, slowly approaching the room.

From inside, Sada and another big, yakuza-like man came out.

“Nao!”

Sada called out the name of the woman he had taken hostage, his face turning ashen.

“You’ve underestimated me, Sada. Let Aki go!”

There might be more than just two people. While staying cautious of what might be behind me, I moved to the front of the room with the knife still aimed at Nao’s neck.

And then I froze.

The iron-barred door was half open, and inside was Aki, half-naked and tied up.

Her eyes were swollen and red, and my chest ached at the thought of what she must have gone through.

She was desperately trying to resist, making muffled sounds, “Mmmmmm…”

Next to her, a thug-like man was holding a syringe near her neck.

What the hell was going on?

I had noticed that Aki hadn’t sent her usual “I’m at work!” or “Lunch break!” messages, which made me suspicious. I tried calling her but got no answer, so I called her workplace.

The dry cleaner’s store manager was also worried about Aki not showing up without any notice.

My vague, suppressed anxiety was taking form, and it hit me hard.

I tracked Aki’s GPS.

The location it pointed to was completely off. Her belongings were probably moved to a different place.

“Let Aki go in exchange for Nao.”

“You think a chicken like you can do anything? Let Nao go.”

“It’d be easy for me to cut across this neck with the knife right now. I’ll even commit a crime to protect Aki. Do you want me to do the same to your woman?”

As soon as I said that, Nao slipped out of my arm’s grip in a flash. It was a split second.

Nao ran into the cage and kicked the thug in the groin with all her strength. The man groaned in agony.

Then, in her 10cm heels, she kicked him in the back.

“Nao!”

“You bitch!”

The man standing next to Sada lunged at Nao. I stepped in front of him before he could reach her.

I slid the knife in Nao’s direction.

“Take care of Aki.”

“Got it.”

I realized that Sada was involved in all this, so I contacted Nao. She had pinpointed the location with the GPS and volunteered to help.

Nao cut the ropes binding Aki and removed the gag. She took off her thin shirt, which she had been using as a cardigan, and covered Aki with it.

Then there was a loud crack!, and I felt a sharp pain in my left cheek. For a moment, I saw sparks, and my brain felt like it was shaken.

The yakuza-like man raised his fist again with an intense expression.

Crack!

A sound like something smashing against my jaw reached my ears, and my body was sent flying against gravity. Slowly, the ceiling spun around, and I crashed to the ground on my back. I understood that I had been punched from below. “Ugh… mmm…” I couldn’t breathe from the impact.

Aki was right above me.

“Tomoya!! Are you okay?”

Aki tried to shield me, but I told her, “Don’t! I’m fine.”

I couldn’t let Aki touch me anymore.

“Ugh, ugh, uuuuh…” The man who had been kicked in the groin began to get up.

—This is bad. He must have recovered.

Summoning all my strength, I crawled to the knife that had fallen on the floor and stabbed it into the man’s thigh as he tried to stand.

“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” The man screamed as he rolled around in pain.

I grabbed his hair and pressed the knife to his neck.

“Should I kill you first?”

The yakuza-like man, unfazed, slowly approached.

Nao immediately stepped in front of me, arms wide, standing firm. This is bad! Dangerous!

“Nao! Don’t!” I shouted.

At that unexpected moment, the yakuza man stopped.

“Nao. Come here. Why are you protecting him?” Sada shouted, his face twisted in anger.

“Stop making things worse! I’ve already called the police. They’ll be here soon.”

Nao shouted at Sada, almost in a scream.

“What!?”

When the yakuza man heard that the police were coming, he quickly turned and fled, followed by the other thug limping behind him.

Only Sada remained.

“You’re not getting away,” I said, gritting my teeth.

“Finally, we can have a one-on-one, Sada.”

I slowly stood up, my body aching with pain, pushing Nao aside, and walked towards Sada.

“What did you say, you punk?”

With a smack! a dull sound echoed as my face was struck, and my nose tingled.

My mouth tasted of blood, and it was no longer pain that I felt, but heat.

“Do you think you can send me to hell with a weak punch like that?”

It was hard to stand up straight. Bent over, blood dripping from my mouth, I glared up at Sada.

The next punch hit my stomach, then my back and my sides. Each one felt like a hot iron ball hitting me.

But I didn’t fall.

“I’m not done yet! Sadaaaa!!”

Smack! Crunch! Thwack!

“Ugh… ugh… I’m not done yet!!!”

Sada stumbled backward, as if he had seen something horrifying.

This is my chance.

Huff, huff, huff. I steadied my breathing and lunged forward at Sada’s jaw.

There was a thud! followed by a sharp gasp. Sada was knocked onto his back, landing on his butt.

As he tried to get up, I kicked him in the chin again.

Smack! Sada tumbled across the floor.

My experience from middle and high school soccer finally came in handy.

“Ugh… ugh… you bastard… I’ll kill you when I get out of prison!”

I grabbed the knife and handed it to Aki.

She looked at it in surprise, but then tears welled up in her eyes as she gripped it tightly in front of her chest.

She understood what I meant and, with a firm look in her eyes, she slowly stood up.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Her long hair swayed dramatically as she raised the knife high and swung it down at Sada’s groin.

“Ahhh! Ughhhhhh!!”

Sada screamed in agony, blood pouring from his groin as he crawled across the floor.

We hadn’t planned it, but I didn’t expect Aki to go for the groin.

Serves him right. He’ll never be able to use it again.

But—

No single blow could make Aki feel better or lessen his crimes. Even if I shredded him right here, it wouldn’t heal the wounds Aki had endured.

The sound of police sirens echoed in the distance.

I took the knife from Aki’s hand and pulled her into an embrace.

“This is my crime. Aki didn’t do anything. Got it?”

Aki shook her head, refusing.

“It’s okay. Leave everything to me.”