The early afternoon market was all warmth and color—sunlight spilling across woven canopies, the smell of roasted chestnuts and sweet bread wafting through the air. Aira was in her element, flitting from one stall to another like a cheerful bird, chatting with every vendor she met. Akio should have been relaxed. It was a perfect day: no missions, no emergencies, just his little sister dragging him through a maze of handmade trinkets and overpriced souvenirs.

  Unfortunately, someone had decided today was also the perfect day to kidnap her.

  He spotted the first tail almost immediately. The man lingered near a fruit stand, pretending to check prices while his eyes flicked toward Aira every few seconds. Subtle, but not subtle enough. Aira’s journalism had made her plenty of enemies, and Akio had learned the hard way that certain people didn’t appreciate their corruption being broadcast to the public.

  By the time they’d reached the next street, he’d identified at least six-seven more. Spread out evenly, maintaining line of sight, pretending to blend in. He could tell from their formation they weren’t professionals, but they were coordinated enough to be dangerous.

  Aira, blissfully unaware of the fact that half the market was actively plotting her abduction, stopped at a stall filled with dreamcatchers.

  “Whoa, look at this!” she said, holding one up that shimmered in the light. “This one’s so cool!”

  Akio feigned interest, even managing a faint smile. “It is,” he said, tone polite and mild. “The pattern’s quite intricate.”

  In reality, his focus was locked on the reflection in the stall’s glass display. One of the tails was moving—too quickly, too directly. Head down, right hand tight at his side. Rookie mistake. If you were going to stab someone, at least pretend to window shop first.

  Aira, meanwhile, turned to put the dreamcatcher back. “Right? Too bad I already have one.” She smiled, already moving to another row of stalls. “Come on, let’s check that one!”

  Wonderful, Akio thought, following her. Let’s walk straight into a choke point.

  He noticed the man behind them quicken his pace, cutting through the crowd, head still down. Akio sighed inwardly.

  All right. That’s enough.

  In a single, fluid motion, he stepped into the man’s path. The bump looked accidental, barely a brush of shoulders, but perfectly timed. The stranger stumbled, thrown off balance. In the same motion, Akio slipped his hand beneath the man’s coat, located the weapon, and disarmed him before the crowd even noticed.

  The man tried to recover, but Akio was faster. One precise movement and the assailant went limp. Akio caught him before he hit the ground, voice calm and practiced.

  “Sir, are you okay?”

  Aira turned at the commotion, eyes wide. “Oh my god! What happened?”

  Akio lowered the man carefully, maintaining the facade of concern. Outwardly, he looked perfectly composed. Inwardly, his thoughts were cold and precise.

  Threat neutralized. They’re targeting Aira. Probably tied to that exposé on the mayor’s slush fund.

  Then, in a quieter, more exasperated tone:

  Why does my sister’s hobby require me to knock out hired mercenaries in broad daylight?

  He brushed a bit of dust off his sleeve, keeping his tone neutral. “I think he got a heatstroke.”

  Aira blinked, worried. “Oh no, should we call the police?”

  Akio gave a reassuring nod, his voice steady. “Yeah, let the authorities handle it.” He made sure the weapon was already out of sight, slipped securely into his pocket before anyone could see.

  Within moments, a few vendors rushed to help. Someone offered to call an ambulance, and a small crowd began forming. Perfect. The more noise and attention, the less chance the others would risk making a move. Akio stepped back, letting the chaos swallow the scene as he subtly scanned for the remaining tails. They were already dispersing, but he knew that wouldn’t be the last of them.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He turned to Aira, who was still watching the unconscious man with genuine concern.

  “Poor guy,” she said. “I hope he recovers okay.”

  Akio’s tone was mild, but his eyes were sharp as he swept the crowd again. “To be fair,” he said dryly, “he was wearing a coat in summer weather.”

  Aira nodded, unbothered. “Fair enough. Guess it’s his own fault then.”

  The two of them continued to walk down the busy market street. Aira was mid sentence about some new article idea when she suddenly spotted a small cafe tucked between two souvenir stalls.

  “Ooh, I’m thirsty! Let’s get drinks!” she said, already skipping toward the counter before Akio could respond.

  He sighed quietly but followed. The cafe looked normal enough—glass display filled with pastries, neat rows of bottled tea, the faint hum of an espresso machine—but Akio recognized it immediately. It was the same cafe where two of the suspected abductors had been sitting earlier. And now, as Aira leaned forward to read the menu, those same two had stood up and joined the line behind them.

  To anyone else, it looked like nothing. To Akio, their movements were wrong. The tension in their shoulders betrayed intent.

  They’re here for her, he thought. Of course they are. Because my little sister can’t just write about flower festivals or restaurant reviews.

  Aira, oblivious, tilted her head up at the menu. “Hmm… they all look so good. Maybe the strawberry daydream smoothie…”

  Akio pretended to glance at the options beside her, but every nerve was alert. His peripheral vision tracked the glint of metal just as one of the men shifted forward, the faint gleam of a blade caught the light.

  Before the man could even raise his arm, Akio’s hand shot out, catching his wrist mid-strike. The movement was quick, silent, and precise—a twist, a pop, and the sound of fingers breaking under pressure. In the same instant, his leg kicked backward, connecting sharply with the second attacker’s shin. Both men staggered, one letting out a muted grunt of pain.

  Beside him, Aira turned slightly, blinking. “Huh? What was that?”

  Akio’s expression didn’t flicker. With one hand, he nudged her lightly forward, the other casually pointing toward the overhead board.

  “What about matcha?” he asked smoothly. “That’s one of your favorites.”

  Aira’s eyes lit up instantly. “Oh yeah! You’re right! I didn’t even see that—”

  The moment she looked away, Akio shifted his weight, twisting around just in time to meet the lunging strike of one of the attackers. His elbow came up, catching the man square in the ribs before he could recover. A quick jab to the throat sent him reeling backward. The other one tried again, knife trembling in his grip, but Akio deflected the strike, hooked his foot behind the man’s leg, and brought him down hard. All of it was done in near silence, masked perfectly by the ambient noise of clinking glasses and whirring blenders.

  He was in the middle of choking the first man unconscious when Aira spoke again, still facing the counter.

  “Okay! I know what I’m getting! What about you?”

  Before she could turn around, Akio repositioned himself beside her, the limp body now hidden just behind the counter ledge.

  “I think you should pick for me,” he said evenly, not even winded.

  “Really?” she asked, glancing at him, completely unaware. “Okay, bet! You’d probably like something tea based, right?”

  “I trust your judgment,” he replied, adjusting his stance slightly as one of the attackers tried to crawl upright. A quick, quiet tap of his heel to the temple resolved that problem.

  Aira hummed thoughtfully, scanning the menu again. “Hmm… maybe the lychee oolong flavor might be good…”

  “Sounds perfect,” Akio said. Behind him, both men went still.

  By the time the drinks were ready, he had straightened his shirt, pocketed the knife, and brushed off his sleeves as though nothing had happened. The barista handed them two tall cups over the counter. Aira turned, smiling proudly as she passed him his.

  “Here you go! Don’t blame me if you don’t like it.”

  Akio accepted the cup with an easy nod. The drink was a warm golden color, faintly fragrant. He took a sip, the sweetness and coolness cutting through the heat in his chest.

  “It tastes great,” he said simply. “Good choice.”

  “See? I told you! I’m basically a drink connoisseur,” Aira said, grinning. “Let’s go! There are still other stalls I want to check out.”

  They turned to leave—only to stop short. The two would-be kidnappers were sprawled on the floor behind them, limp and unmoving.

  Aira blinked. “Huh? What happened?”

  Akio took another sip of his drink. “They also got heatstroke.”

  Aira frowned, then nodded slowly, squinting at the fallen figures. “Huh. Yeah, I guess it is a pretty hot day. People really need to stop wearing coats when it’s like thirty degrees out.”

  Akio’s mouth twitched into the faintest smile as he followed her out. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “They really should.”

  After confirming the authorities were on their way to collect the two unconscious assailants, Akio and Aira stepped out of the cafe and back into the bustling market. The afternoon sunlight had softened to a golden haze. Aira walked ahead, sipping her drink, while Akio followed half a step behind—alert, calm, every sense still tuned to the undercurrent of danger he knew hadn’t fully passed.

  “Strange…” Aira murmured, frowning as she tilted her head. “Now that I think about it, I could’ve sworn I heard the two people behind us doing something weird back there.”

  Akio didn’t miss a beat. “Really? I didn’t hear anything,” he said smoothly, the faintest hint of amusement in his voice. “Must’ve been the wind.”

  Aira squinted at him. “Hmm. I’m not sure, but it sounded like something was going on.”

  He let out a quiet hum, glancing sideways at her. “Oh my. Are you getting heatstroke? Mental disorientation is often an early symptom.”

  “Shut up, nerd,” Aira groaned, rolling her eyes. Whatever suspicion she had evaporated instantly as she pointed toward another stall, excitement back in full force. “Ooh, that place looks cute—let’s check it out!”

  Akio followed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Outwardly, he looked relaxed, but his gaze flicked briefly across the street, catching the faint reflection of another tail shadowing them from a distance. He sighed quietly through his nose.

  There were still a few more to deal with. He’d handle them soon enough. Preferably before Aira noticed anyone else that had “coincidentally” collapsed from heatstroke.

  ─ ? NEXT CHAPTER POV ? ─

  Akio