Gyutaro's fingertips dug deep into his palms. The stinging pain of his nails biting into his skin was nothing compared to the dull, suffocating ache radiating through his chest.
He kept his head bowed, his messy, grey-green hair veiling his eyes and obscuring his expression. "I... I don't have any other way."
For as long as he could remember, life had been an endless, brutal struggle. Fists, sickles, and a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent were the only tools he had to ensure Ume's survival. He didn't understand the concept of a "workaround" or "backing down." He only knew one thing: if anyone dared to lay a hand on his sister, he would tear them apart.
"I'll teach you," Aoi's voice said softly, carrying a weight of grounding, steadying strength.
"You..." Gyutaro's voice caught. It felt as though a wad of cotton was lodged in his throat, and the thousands of words he wanted to say were reduced to a single, dry question. "Why are you helping me?"
He was just a piece of trash crawling through the muck. His hands were stained with blood that would never wash off, and he was followed by a shadow he could never outrun. How could someone like him deserve an ounce of kindness?
Aoi didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned down and picked up the rusted sickle that had fallen by his feet.
"Because you aren't a bad person," she finally said, her voice a steady anchor of gentle certainty. "You're just someone fighting with everything you have to keep your sister alive."
The rims of Gyutaro's eyes turned an uncontrollable shade of red. He jerked his head away, desperate to hide his vulnerability from her, but his shoulders betrayed him with a slight, rhythmic tremor.
A long silence passed before Gyutaro finally spoke. His voice was thick with an exhaustion he'd never allowed himself to feel before, yet there was a faint note of relief. "...Thank you."
"Don't thank me. As long as I'm here, we'll protect Ume together."
Aoi watched his rigid profile and offered a silent prayer in her heart—she hoped her presence truly could alter the fate of these two siblings, preventing them from ever becoming the monsters she knew.
The Looming Shadow
As time passed, Ume's beauty only became more radiant, a fact that filled Aoi with a growing sense of dread.
One day, Ume returned home looking triumphant, her arms full of a bulging bundle. A corner of soft, pale-pink fabric peeked out, along with several hairpins intricately wrapped in colored silk thread.
Aoi looked at the items with concern. Ume's cheeks were flushed from running, and fine beads of sweat dotted her brow, yet she refused to loosen her grip on her prizes.
She stood on her tiptoes, holding the bundle up to Aoi's face, her eyes shining like they were full of stars. "Look, Big Sister Aoi! A gentleman from the city gave them to me!"
Aoi took the bundle, her fingers brushing against the expensive silk. Her heart sank.
She knelt down, wiping the sweat from Ume's forehead. "What did this man look like?" she asked softly. "Did he ask you to go away with him?"
Ume tilted her head in thought, then shook her head. "I told him I had to stay with Onii-chan and Big Sister Aoi, so I said no!"
Aoi ruffled Ume's hair, forcing a smile. "Our Ume is such a good girl."
But that inexplicable sense of unease remained, coiling in her gut like a snake. Aoi didn't know how long she had been in this era, or when her chance to return would come. But before she left, she had to prevent the catalyst of their tragedy.
The Promise in the Moonlight
That night, as Aoi sat in the small courtyard, she heard the light crunch of footsteps behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was Gyutaro.
"If I were to disappear one day," she asked quietly, "would you two forget me?"
Aoi turned back. Gyutaro stood there with his eyes downcast, his hair covering half his face, leaving only his tightly set jaw visible.
"Are you leaving?"
Aoi gazed at the waning moon hanging in the sky. The moonlight spilled over her hair, lending it a cool, silvery sheen. "Gyutaro, all good things must come to an end eventually."
Gyutaro's breath hitched. He looked up, the night wind blowing his hair aside to reveal eyes that were as dark and stagnant as a pool of dead water—within them swirled a panic he refused to admit even to himself.
She was the light that had pierced through the swamp of his life. How could he let that light go?
He wanted to scream at her to shut up. He wanted to grab her wrists and forbid her from ever leaving. But when he finally spoke, his voice was just a raspy, broken question. "Where would you go?"
Seeing him like this made Aoi's chest tighten. She walked over to him and looked up into his eyes. "I don't know. But I promise you this: I won't leave until I know the two of you can live a peaceful, stable life."
Gyutaro stared at her. In his eyes, which were usually clouded with gloom, the moonlight was reflected clearly—and so was she. He wanted to tell her not to lie. He wanted to say that if she dared to break her word, he would hunt her to the ends of the earth to drag her back.
But the words died in his throat, leaving only a faint, whispered, "Mhm."
Aoi offered a small, sad smile. "It's late. Let's go inside and rest."
As Aoi turned to walk into the shack, Gyutaro's voice rang out behind her. "I won't forget."
He paused, then added with a child-like, stubborn intensity, "Ume and I... neither of us will."
Aoi's footsteps faltered. She slowly turned back to look at the man standing in the shadows. She let a bright, genuine smile spread across her face, her voice warm with affection.
"Okay."
The Breaking Point
Aoi hadn't expected the end to come so soon.
Ume came barrelling through the door in a panic, her hand trembling as she clutched a blood-stained hairpin.
"Big Sister Aoi..."
Aoi looked at her, and a wave of pure, cold dread washed over her.
"Th-that man from the city... he's a bad person! He grabbed my wrist and said he was taking me away... I stabbed his eye with my hairpin and ran... I just ran..."
"I'm so scared..."
Aoi's heart clenched violently. She pulled Ume into a tight embrace, her hand rhythmically stroking the girl's shaking back. She kept her voice as low and steady as possible. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Big Sister is here."
A moment later, a furious, distorted roar erupted from outside the gate.
"You little bitch! How dare you wound me! Someone, get in there and carve up her face!"
The wooden door was kicked open with a thunderous crash. Several thugs armed with clubs burst in, looking murderous. Behind them stood the "gentleman" in silk robes, his hand clutched over his bleeding left eye.
His remaining eye was bloodshot and wild, fixed on Ume as she cowered in Aoi's arms. He spat out words of pure venom. "Drag her out here! I'm going to make her learn what happens when you cross me!"
Is this it? Aoi thought. Is this the moment their lives were destroyed?
Aoi's gaze swept over the men, her mind coldly calculating her odds. She pushed Ume toward the corner of the room, whispering urgently, "Stay there. Don't come out."
She picked up a heavy wooden staff by the stove, weighing it in her hands. Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the thugs and settled on the man with the ruined eye.
"So," she said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, icy calm. "You're the one who scared our little Ume like this?"