Chapter 86 Extra Chapter: Tsugikuni Iwakatsu 2
He's really cute, listens to me, and enjoys my company.
After getting to know Yoriichi better, I found that he became more and more clingy to me, always sitting there eagerly waiting for me to arrive.
He needs me
This strong protective instinct made me develop special feelings for Yoriichi, and I would go to see him almost whenever I had free time.
Yoriichi lived a very frugal life, with only a few old and thin kimonos to change into, and slept in a small cubicle with only three tatami mats, on a quilt that had been washed until it was faded.
I feel so sorry for him; he's my younger brother.
Looking at his soft and gentle appearance, at his face that had never smiled, and holding his slightly warm hand, I made up my mind.
I will protect him
Yes, I am the elder brother, the heir to the country, and will become a powerful warrior in the future. I can protect him.
Therefore, I need to work even harder.
I played games with Yoriichi, flew kites with him, and prepared delicious snacks for him. Even though my father wouldn't let me see him, I would secretly come to see him.
He is weak, I must protect him.
Therefore, I brought him everything I could. I didn't want Yoriichi to get sick, so I had to take good care of him.
My father still found out that I had secretly come to see Yoriichi. He pulled me away and punished me severely. I had never seen my father so angry.
"Stay away from that jinx! You're the future head of the family!"
My father said fiercely, made me kneel there as punishment, and then left. I didn't understand why. I didn't want to; I would bring Yoriichi back when I grew up.
Yes, Yoriichi will become a monk when he is ten years old.
After returning to my room, I carved a wooden flute myself, though the process was quite bumpy. When I handed the not-so-refined, even somewhat rough, flute to Yoriichi, his first reaction was to reach out and stroke my cheek.
He's worried about me. It's nothing, just a minor injury.
I handed him the wooden flute and happily told him what I had decided.
"As long as you play the flute, your brother will protect you!"
Days passed by like this. After my father found out, my teacher became increasingly strict, but I still went to see Yoriichi from time to time.
I wanted to become a great samurai, so I practiced even harder. Even my teacher said I learned martial arts very quickly. I was very happy because this brought me closer and closer to my goal.
"Yoriichi, you praised me today! I'm telling you, I'll definitely become the world's greatest samurai someday!"
While I was practicing in the backyard, I saw Yoriichi slowly approaching, and my joy made me want to share it with him.
"Number one in the world? Is your dream, brother, to become the strongest warrior in this country?"
Yoriichi looked up and saw his fiery red eyes, and for some reason, I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
"Yes...yes."
I admit I was startled. It was the first time I had ever heard Yoriichi speak. I had thought he was born unable to speak.
"Then I'll become the second best warrior in the world, and my elder brother will be number one."
Yoriichi's firm voice rang out, and he smiled—the first time I'd ever seen him smile. Yet, I felt a surge of dissatisfaction, even disgust. My hand, which had been holding the wooden sword, had somehow slipped away, and the stinging pain from it didn't bring me back to my senses.
What is he saying?
Seeing Yoriichi's rare smile, my heart was completely at peace.
He was so weak and didn't train. He liked to cuddle with his mother every day. How could he possibly want to become a warrior?
I was a little unhappy, but as the older brother, I had to tolerate my younger brother's innocent remarks.
Yoriichi looked at me but didn't say anything more. The flower cards swayed in the sunlight. I knew it was a gift from my mother. Actually, I wanted it too, but Yoriichi was my younger brother.
I thought the matter was over, but Yuan started staying by my side from the beginning, watching me practice.
I didn't pay attention to Yoriichi's behavior, and I regarded his sudden dream as a spur-of-the-moment decision. Although I was still a little uncomfortable, that subtle feeling was not enough to affect my love for Yoriichi.
He just didn't understand what being a samurai meant.
So why is that? When I saw Yoriichi defeat Mr. Four, my mind went completely blank.
Actually, when the master jokingly gave Yoriichi the wooden sword, I was thinking that Yoriichi would try it and then give up.
I have never been able to defeat you, but Yoriichi defeated you in an instant.
Why, why, why
The defeated man had swollen bumps all over his body from the blows, forcing him to begin recuperating.
I was not reconciled, so I went to ask Yoriichi. He seemed to have been hurt and did not want to be a samurai anymore because he felt that the sensation of beating others was too unpleasant.
"His lungs will definitely be working intensely when he's preparing to attack; just observe carefully..."
What is he saying?
It took me a long time to understand that the world Yoriichi saw was different from mine.
Yoriichi is not weak; he possesses talents and physiques that others cannot have, making him a son of God.
I'm just an ordinary person.
Yoriichi doesn't like talking about this; he'd rather fly kites and play sugoroku with me, but I'm not in the mood for it at all.
I believed that as long as I kept working hard and making progress, I would definitely reach the top.
I'm such a joke.
Effort is worthless in the face of talent.
The father eventually learned of Yoriichi's talent; after all, there was no reason not to tell the father about something so important.
So, I was abandoned.
I haven't dreamt of my past life in a long time, but he was always the most outstanding, the heir in everyone's eyes, and I thought I would be the same.
Yoriichi will succeed me as the heir to the nation and will be carefully nurtured.
I could only go to that narrow room, which was like a small warehouse, until I was sent to become a monk after I turned ten.
I can never become a samurai.
That night, I stared blankly at the ceiling, my mind wandering, until Yoriichi knocked on my door.
"Elder brother."
"...What are you doing?"
I don't want to see him at all, at least not right now.
"My mother has passed away."
"What did you say?"
I was shocked and couldn't even believe what he was saying.
Yoriichi didn't explain; he just came to say goodbye. He was heading to the temple ahead of schedule, and he took out the flute that I had made for him a long, long time ago.
"I will regard the flute given to me by my elder brother as my elder brother, and I will persevere in training myself no matter where I am in the world."
I was stunned. I saw Yoriichi's smile again. He was holding that flute, which looked like a piece of junk, like a precious treasure.
I didn't understand why he was so happy. My dissatisfaction prevented me from saying a word, and I could only watch Yoriichi leave with a satisfied smile.
He brought almost nothing with him, his hands were empty, and I don't understand why a seven-year-old child could leave without hesitation.
Why leave?
A strange feeling filled my heart, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable, and even breathing heavily couldn't alleviate it.
Why did you leave me?
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