Betrayal, Bruises, and Aoi’s Cold Shoulder

Toru's fists were shaking. His jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might shatter. Yuki still wouldn't look at him. Or me.

The silence stretched until it snapped.

Smack!

Before I could react, Toru's hand came down on Yuki's cheek. Hard.

She staggered back, holding her face, her golden eyes wide in shock. I stood there, frozen, my brain short-circuiting.

"What the hell?!" I finally shouted.

Toru ignored me. "You really thought you could cheat on me? With this loser?" His voice dripped with disgust. "You really are a stupid slut, worthless bitch—"

"HEY!" My voice came out louder than I expected. My heart pounded, but my feet moved on their own. "Back off!"

Toru scoffed. "Oh, what? You're gonna fight me?" He grabbed Yuki's wrist, yanking her toward him. "She's mine. Got it?"

"Like hell she is."

I didn't think. I just swung.

It was a terrible punch.

Toru barely flinched. Then he grabbed me by the collar and threw me against the wall like I weighed nothing. Pain shot through my back as I collapsed to the floor.

Yuki gasped. "Toru, stop—!"

"Oh, shut up, bitch. You brought this on yourself." He turned back to me. "You? Stay the hell away from my girl."

And just like that, he stormed out. Dragging Yuki behind him.

I didn't go home right away. I sat outside, staring at the rain-slick pavement, trying to process what just happened.

Yuki… was in trouble.

I couldn't just leave things like this.

So I went to the only person I knew could help.

"Aoi," I said, stepping into the house, dripping wet. "I need your help."

She was sitting on the couch, reading a book. She barely glanced up. "What happened to you? Fall into a gutter?"

I ignored the insult. "It's Yuki. She's—she's in an abusive relationship."

Aoi blinked, finally looking up. "Oh?"

"Her boyfriend hit her. And he's controlling. I—I think he's been hurting her for a long time. I tried to stop him, but—"

"You got your ass kicked."

I scowled. "That's not the point! She needs help."

Aoi sighed, closing her book with a soft thud. "And you want me to do what? Magically erase him from existence?"

"…Can you?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, dumbass."

"Then—then do something! You have magic, right? Make him break up with her! Make him forget her! Just—fix this!"

Aoi stared at me for a long moment. Then, to my absolute shock—she smirked.

And shook her head.

"No."

I felt my stomach drop. "What?"

"No." She leaned back on the couch, arms crossed. "This isn't my problem."

My hands clenched into fists. "She's suffering! You can help her, but you won't?"

"People make their choices, Ryo. You can't just fix everything with magic."

I felt like I had been punched in the gut all over again. "So you're just going to do nothing?"

Aoi's expression didn't change. "That's right."

I stormed out of the room before I could say something I'd regret.

Aoi's voice followed me. Calm. Unbothered.

"If you really care about Yuki…"

I stopped, waiting.

"…Then save her yourself."