Meaning of 場所あけて in the following sentence In a manga called Samurai Drive, Makio and Ren are best friends. They always fight together and Ren often protects Makio. Now Ren has just died during a battle, so Makio says: > []{} What is the meaning of in this context? In the dictionary I found that means "to make room, clear space", but I don't understand how it could fit the context. Since it is emphasized by dots, does it mean it has to be interpreted in a metaphorical way? Here you can see the whole page. Thank you for your help!

The biggest hint is in the picture. is clearly illustrated in the same frame.

![Circle](

This circle next to Ren is not a meaningless visual effect :) So this refers to , or the place next to Ren. Of course it indirectly refers to the position as Ren's best friend, too, where Makio could feel comfortable and secured. is the te-form of meaning "to make/keep (room)".

This comes with dots simply because the author knew it's a tricky part that needs special attention to interpret. Even a native speaker takes a few seconds to notice that refers to this position, and this small trick makes this frame dramatic.