NABC Chapter 3 Airi and Rihito
Chapter 3 Airi and Rihito
"Who is it? How rude of them to knock on the door in the middle of the night?"
Distracted from his thoughts, Kubo Rito raised an eyebrow in annoyance and walked towards the door. Although he was quite wealthy, he was prone to getting bored with the same place and moved frequently. Therefore, he wasn't currently living in a mansion, but rather a mid-to-high-end ordinary apartment. As a result, very few people knew his address, and it was highly unlikely that anyone would come knocking on his door at this time.
With some doubt, Rito walked to the door and turned on the security camera system at the entrance.
The cold light from the monitor screen reflected in Rito's eyes. In the image, a girl who only reached his chest stood directly facing the door. The light was dim, and he almost didn't notice her at first glance. The girl seemed to notice this as well. She coughed twice to activate the motion-activated lights in the hallway, glanced warily in the direction of the stairwell, raised her slightly trembling hand, and knocked on the door three more times.
"Brother, it's Airi. I forgot my keys. Are you home?"
"Huh?" Rito scratched his head, completely bewildered. He quickly searched through the original owner's memories but couldn't find any information related to this girl. Just as he was about to open the door to ask what was going on, the footage on the security camera suddenly changed.
Several adult men emerged from the shadows at the stairwell. The leader spoke with a mocking tone, "Little brat, you're quite the actor. Alright, stop disturbing people in the middle of the night. Your dad has already given you to us as collateral. Come back with us obediently. Don't even think about resisting. With your skinny arms and legs, if I accidentally hurt you, you'll have to earn your own medical bills later."
The moment the words left his mouth, the man behind him took a half-step forward. The girl flinched, tears visibly streaming down her face, but she didn't turn around. She just bit her lip tightly, trying not to cry out. She raised her hand again and gently knocked on the door, using the last of her strength to repeat to the security camera, "Is anyone home...please...please open the door..."
As Rihito looked at the little face on the screen, red from crying, his brows slowly furrowed.
A few seconds later, the man at the top of the stairs impatiently raised his chin, about to grab her. A glint flashed in Rito's eyes, and he pressed the door lock. The heavy security door opened with a creak, and the girl, who had been in despair, suddenly covered her mouth. Her dark eyes, brimming with tears, instantly lit up with surprise as she stared at him, stunned.
Rito didn't speak, but simply turned slightly and raised his chin towards her. The girl immediately lowered her head and quickly ran into the room.
Seeing their prize slip away, the group of men nearby were clearly caught off guard. One of the underlings was already poised to step forward, but the leader stopped him with a gesture. A shadow of malice flashed in the man's eyes as his gaze swept over Li Ren's calm face, finally settling on the door number. He then gave a wink to the men behind him, turned, and led them down the stairs, their heavy footsteps fading into the depths of the corridor.
"Tch, what are you pretending for? Do you think you're the Godfather?"
Li Ren didn't take the vicious look in the other person's eyes to heart at all. The golden age of the Yakuza was long gone. A mere small leader might be able to bully ordinary people, but he wasn't qualified to do whatever he wanted in the upper echelons of capitalism.
After watching the group leave, Rito turned around. The girl he had just rescued suddenly bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, almost startling him. With red eyes, the girl first thanked him earnestly, and then, without waiting for him to ask any questions, she began to recount her ordeal in a clear and organized manner, albeit with intermittent sobs.
After listening for a while, Rito realized that things were indeed much as he had expected: a gambling father, an alcoholic mother, a neglected daughter, and a broken home. Even in his technologically advanced era, such stories continued to unfold day after day, which didn't surprise him too much.
"So, is there anywhere else you can go now?"
After patiently listening to the girl's story, Rito led her to the sofa in the living room, handed her a bottle of mineral water, and tilted his head to ask.
Hearing this, the girl didn't answer, but lowered her head, tears falling onto the glass tabletop, quickly forming a small puddle. Seeing this, Li Ren wisely refrained from asking further, telling the girl to wait a moment on the sofa before turning and going into the bedroom.
A few minutes later, under the girl's curious yet apprehensive gaze, he returned carrying a quilt.
"You can make do here for the night. When it gets light, I'll take you to the mall to buy some suitable clothes. I live alone, and I don't have any clothes that a girl could wear."
"Huh? Aren't you going to take me to the police station?" The girl suddenly looked up and asked in surprise.
"You want me to do this? Sure, it'll save me some trouble." Rito replied casually as he made the bed.
The girl immediately shrank back and hurriedly shook her head in refusal: "No, no, no, the police will only take me home, I absolutely do not want to go back."
"Then stay with me for a couple of days. I'll ask around and see what to do in this situation. By the way, how old are you?"
Looking at the girl, her tears still wet on her face, yet her head still drooping, refusing to give up, Rito smiled. Even though her life had been ruined by her irresponsible parents, this girl hadn't given up on herself; even in dire straits, she was doing everything in her power to save herself. He didn't say it, but he truly admired her indomitable spirit. If he could help, he wanted to.
The girl seemed to understand the kindness in Rito's eyes, and her tense expression gradually relaxed. She slowly raised her head, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, and revealed a genuine smile that she hadn't seen in a long time.
"My name is Suzuki Airi, and I'm seventeen years old."
"Suzuki Airi? What a lovely name." Rito repeated her name softly, her lips curving upwards involuntarily at the sight of that radiant smile. She extended her hand to her, her voice rising slightly. "I'm Kubo Rito, and I'm twenty-two years old."
Airi Suzuki paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically and placed her small hand into Rito's large palm.
Holding hands, the two smiled at each other, neither of them imagining how much unexpected change a chance encounter would bring to their destinies.
In the spring of 2011, at three in the morning in Tokyo, I knocked on an unfamiliar door.
His name was Liren, but it took me a long time to realize that he didn't actually like Liren.
I ran for seventeen years, almost thinking I was going to be that footless bird crossing the Pacific, until I met him, and finally understood that I also deserved a place to settle down.
Content from Airi Suzuki's diary