OMI 12

I Won’t Let You Go

“Huh? No! Éclair, that isn’t our transport vehicle!” 

When I heard my brother’s voice from the front, I ran to check on the situation, thinking it couldn’t be true. 

What I barely saw was Éclair’s back being dragged into a vehicle that looked exactly like the one we came in. 

“What do you mean? We haven’t changed cars, have we?” 

My brother pushed the guard who had rushed over, looking flustered. 

“I’m sorry. We’re confirming it now. That car looks like a government vehicle… but it may have been disguised.” 

They seemed to contact each other immediately. 

“Lumière, did Éclair wear the surveillance device today?” 

“Of course he did. He always wears it, even at home.” 

“This is an emergency. We will start tracking and eavesdropping from here.”

Éclair’s privacy is gone, but we have no choice. 

I don’t know the full extent of the bracelet’s capabilities. 

But I’m really glad he was wearing it. 

“Understood. We will take action. Yes. …Mr. Lumière, I’m very sorry, but it seems Éclair has been involved in an organized kidnapping.” 

The interception of the communication is probably being done with the equipment at the support agency’s facility. One of the guards who received the message reported this.

“Were they targeting Éclair from the beginning?” 

“The possibility is low. It just happened that the Omega there was Éclair. That’s how it seems.” 

It was a ridiculous story. 

But our vigilance was also lax. Because we hadn’t heard of any Omegas being kidnapped recently. 

“This vehicle has been here several times in the past few months. During those times, they pretended to be guarding someone who looked like an Omega. They must have been disguising themselves for a long time.” 

The guards usually stay with their assigned Omega, but when there is no permanent staff, as with my brother or Éclair, those familiar with the location are often sent. 

They had prepared for so long that the guard recognized their vehicle as one of their own. 

“Fortunately, Éclair seems to be handling the situation calmly. Knowing that he is an Omega, they are treating him with care. “

Éclair had always been quiet, very perceptive. He wouldn’t provoke his captors unnecessarily. 

However, even if no harm comes to him, he must be worried. 

“I see, they are planning to go down the river… and then leave the country from the harbor. We will try to secure it at the dock.”

“Can’t we stop them before they enter the river? Éclair probably can’t swim.”

I had never heard him mention it, but he didn’t seem to be good at sports, and he probably never played in rivers or the sea. 

“We can predict the harbor to some extent, but… there are quite a few rivers, including small ones.”

The answer was a little hesitant. You must have some idea. 

However, the security team wants to catch the entire kidnapping organization. 

They may be afraid that if they catch the perpetrators upstream, their accomplices at the port will escape. It’s probably an order from the top. They’re letting the criminals go free to some extent… 

“I understand. But I will go to the scene as well.” 

“Please follow our instructions. After securing Éclair, please take care of him.” 

He nodded with a troubled expression. He probably didn’t want an amateur on the scene. But I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t imagine how worried Éclair must be right now. I wanted to see him as soon as possible. 

“Lumière, I’m going too! If I had stopped Éclair before he got on…”

“Renard…”

My brother was very upset when he saw Éclair being taken away in front of him. 

Normally he wouldn’t say such things. 

“Renard, I understand how you feel, but we can’t afford to burden the guards with you. The best way we can help now is to return to the central district with our guards as soon as possible.” 

Aubert said calmly to my brother. 

News of the kidnapping of an Omega was already spreading. Those who had come here for sightseeing were told to return home quickly. 

“You’re right. If I go, I’ll just be in the way.”

My brother, who had cooled down, muttered this. I looked into his eyes as he hung his head in disappointment. 

“It’s okay, I’ll bring Éclair back safely. He seemed to enjoy talking to you on the communicator. Talk to him again.” 

Even today he seemed truly happy. 

He looked at the flowers and murmured that it was like heaven, obviously moved by the scenery. 

He really enjoyed looking at the flowers and said for the first time that he was glad to have come to this country. 

It wasn’t my brother’s fault for inviting us. Coming here was supposed to be a good memory. 

Well, it ended on a sour note, but I’ll make it a good one. 

When I heard that the device had been noticed and discarded upstream, I wished they had hurried to secure him. 

Now we’ve lost track of Éclair’s situation, and there’s no guarantee the kidnappers won’t panic and do something rash.”

All the docks along the river had been notified. 

We were at the dock with the highest probability based on the last signal from the device. 

It was predicted that they might not go down the river where the device was dumped, but I felt they would prioritize speed.

“Stop that small boat! Bring it alongside and let us inspect it.” 

The security team called out to the suspicious boat. Movement on the boat caught their attention. 

“Éclair! Are you there? If you are, answer me!” 

It was very likely that he had been silenced. Still, I couldn’t help but call out.

“I’m here! I’m right here!” 

The loud answer came directly to me. 

I panicked when I heard the foolish order to jump into the river. 

I don’t know if they can handle Éclair properly. Please don’t be rough with him! 

The security team, equipped to swim just in case, also jumped in one by one. 

The culprits were quickly apprehended. 

But where is Éclair? Where is he?

“Hey! He’s getting swept away!” 

Someone shouted from the shore. 

“Lumière…” 

I could hear Éclair faintly calling me. 

I grabbed a simple life jacket, broke free of the restraints, and jumped into the river.

I can feel it. He’s there. 

Even as he was being swept away, Éclair desperately reached out to me. 

“Éclair! Breathe, take a deep breath!”

His face was barely above the water, but he was already in a state that could be called drowning. 

I forcefully removed the cloth-like thing from his mouth and pulled him up to my shoulder.

There was a reaction. He was conscious. 

He opened his eyes slowly and looked at me. 

“Do you hear me? Just hang on a little longer, we’re almost at the shore.” 

Swimming while holding someone is quite difficult, but it seemed manageable for the short distance. 

“Why…?” 

Éclair murmured, looking incredulous. 

“I heard your voice. I heard it clearly.” 

No matter how small, I never miss this voice. The voice calling to me reached me clearly. 

“I thought I would never see you again.” 

He clung to my neck, his whole body shaking. How frightened he must have been. 

“I would never let that happen. But I’m glad. I will never let you go again.” 

When we got close to the shore, the members of the security team who had already gone into the river also lent a hand. 

It would have been better if they had pulled him, but they didn’t try to separate Éclair from me. 

Maybe they thought I wouldn’t let go, or maybe they didn’t want to scare Éclair any more.

“Quick, get a blanket, his body temperature is dropping.” 

As soon as we reached the shore, I got some towels and wiped Éclair down. 

The temperature wasn’t low, but since the sun had set, Éclair was shivering. 

From what I could see over his clothes, there didn’t seem to be any major injuries. 

The rough marks from the rope might be there for a while. 

They were really doing unnecessary things. Even if they had to tie him up, there were better ways to do it. Doing it half-minded led to this. 

In their desperation they even jumped into the river… What do they mean by “no harm”? They really didn’t do anything right.

Éclair seemed a bit dazed during the brief examination. He must have been exhausted. 

However, when asked about the number of men he had been with, it seemed that all the perpetrators had been captured. 

They also had leads on the accomplices at the port. The security team would take care of the rest.

We decided to wait until Éclair had calmed down before questioning him. After all, we already knew everything that had happened before the bracelet was taken upstream.

Until we were taken to the nearby hospital, Éclair wouldn’t leave my side for a moment.

Unconsciously, he held onto my clothes with one hand or the other.

“It’s okay to sleep. Everything is fine now.”

When I said this to him as he started to doze off, he seemed to finally fall asleep.

It was a bit of a struggle to get him to let go of my hand during the examination. 

He held on so tightly that it was surprising. 

The doctor allowed me to stay at his side except for the necessary tests. 

I took the opportunity to contact Renard and inform him that Éclair had been safely rescued. He cried with joy and asked to hear Éclair’s voice when things calmed down.

“Except for the abrasions on his wrists, he should recover quickly. The scratches and bruises were probably from swimming. There were no signs of physical abuse.”

I was worried about what would happen after the device was removed, but he seemed to be fine. I had thought they wouldn’t harm such a valuable asset any more than they had to, but it was reassuring to hear it confirmed. 

“He seems to have swallowed quite a bit of water, though. The water quality isn’t too bad, but let’s monitor him for a day to make sure he doesn’t vomit.” 

Most of the time he was being pulled along as he swam, and his face was above the water, so there was no water in his lungs and no signs of oxygen deprivation. That was reassuring to hear. 

“Physically it’s over, but we can’t measure the psychological damage. It could affect his health later. Please watch him carefully.” 

I was reminded to consult immediately if anything came up. 

“Are you awake? Do you want something to eat?” 

Breakfast would be served later, but I had something light if he wanted to eat. 

“Just some water, please. Have you been with me all this time?” 

He had no appetite. Understandable, considering what had happened. 

“Of course. You must have been scared. I’m sorry, I should have held your hand the whole time.”

My brother took him out to talk about something secret, but I thought it would be okay since they were still in sight. 

It shouldn’t have been done outside our home, especially not outside the central district. 

“No, it’s no one’s fault. It’s just that a lot of things happened at once. Um… will I not be able to go out freely anymore?”

“With this incident, there will probably be a review of the security system, vehicles, and uniform management. We should avoid going outside the central district for a while, but it won’t be forever.

The exposure of a major criminal route was significant for the country. The problems are clear, and many improvements are likely to follow.

“Éclair may not be good with strangers, but it wouldn’t hurt to hire a few dedicated guards. Building up a relationship of trust isn’t a bad idea.”

“That’s right, it’s probably better to have familiar faces.”

He seemed to feel bad about following the fake guards.

“If we want to visit more places in the future, let’s look at it positively.”

“When can we go home?”

“By tonight. But if you feel unwell, let me know immediately.” 

At my words, tears fell softly from Éclair’s eyes. 

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling worse?” 

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I just felt relieved. I’m happy. I can go home with you tonight.” 

He didn’t realize he was crying. 

He grabbed my hand with both of his as I reached out to wipe away his tears.

“I thought for sure I would be transferred somewhere else after this.” 

His hands were shaking. He seemed calm, but he must have been very scared. 

“If you are afraid, you can return to the previous facility…” 

Basically, Éclair’s preference takes precedence. If he wants to go back, leaving the current house is easy. 

“No! Please, stay with me. I want to be with Lumière.” 

It was a desperate voice, unlike anything I had heard before. 

“It’s okay, if that’s what you want, I’ll stay with you forever.” 

As I hugged him gently, Éclair wrapped his arms tightly around me.

“I want to be with you. I like that house.

“I will never let you go. Let’s go back to our home together.”

I kept repeating this as I stroked his back until he calmed down.

It may be a bit imprudent, but I was happy that he said he wanted to go back to our home together. 

I’m going to take some time off until Éclair calms down. Right now, I just want to take care of him.