Chapter 85 Extra Chapter: Tsugikuni Iwakatsu
I am a genius.
This isn't my opinion, but what my teachers who taught me knowledge and martial arts all said. I am indeed very smart, and I learn everything faster than my peers.
However, I think the reason I am different is because, ever since I was able to think independently, I have been able to dream about another version of myself living in another world.
At first, I couldn't quite tell which was reality, but later I realized that I couldn't control the people in my dreams; it was as if I were experiencing their lives.
I think he was my past life.
The world in my dream is different from this one; their clothing, conversations, architecture, and so on are all different.
I learned a lot through my dreams, and gradually my thoughts were skewed by them.
Yes, it was my father who said that. He taught me to be a qualified successor, so my behavior was quite unruly.
Although I was also destined to inherit the family business in my past life, I think that place was clearly completely different from where I am now. Through dreams, I learned about many new and interesting things and saw many different things.
I need to learn and pay attention to the rules of being an heir, and uphold my noble character.
I am special.
I have great respect for my father; he was a formidable warrior and head of the family, even though he always lectured me.
I think this is the only way for me to become the head of the family. I can endure any pain in order to become a powerful samurai and the head of the family.
My father hired many tutors and filled my days with classes, but learning made me feel valuable and that my efforts were not in vain.
So even though I was very tired, I didn't complain.
Everyone tells me I'm a genius and that I can become number one with just a little effort. I find that strange because everyone has their own strengths, and all my achievements are the result of my own hard work.
Seeing that my father offered no explanation, I said nothing more. I believe that talent can be replaced by hard work, just like Murata. Even though he has a better memory than me, I can surpass him as long as I work hard.
And so, I spent each lonely day studying and practicing my knife skills, with only occasional opportunities to rest and play.
The children who accompany me when I play are all my father's subordinates, and they will be my subordinates in the future. I like them very much.
But gradually, I started to live alone. Because I was the heir, I learned something different from them, so we separated.
To be honest, I am a little lonely, but as someone who is always studying, I only feel this way when the sun is about to set.
Before overhearing this by chance, I always thought I was my father's only child. My father, enraged, smashed things and cursed. That time, I learned about my younger brother from my father, the poor fellow whom my father called a calamity.
Father doesn't like Yoriichi.
Yes, I learned his name from the other servants—Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Yoriichi and I are twins. He has flame-red markings on his forehead, which I think are very beautiful, but my father said he was a calamity and forbade me to come into contact with him.
But afterwards, I did not obey my father's orders. Instead, I secretly began to inquire and learned from the servants that Yoriichi often went to see his mother.
I haven't actually seen my mother much, and I don't know much about her. I've only heard that she's a universally acknowledged Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman). She was a beautiful and dignified woman, more beautiful than many people I've ever met.
My father said I was too busy with my studies and often prevented me from seeing her when I was little. But every time I saw her after that, she would tremble as she gently stroked my face, took my hand and examined me carefully, and then tears would fall from her eyes.
I don't understand why she cries every time she sees me. I think she doesn't like me. I also cry when I feel sad, which may be why my father has been preventing me from seeing her.
She's very frail and often gets sick. I once heard in a dream that sick people recover faster when they're in a good mood. I think for her sake, it's best if I, someone she dislikes, don't appear.
There was no information from my mother, so I turned around and started asking around and searching for information about Yoriichi. I hadn't noticed before, but everyone in the family knew about the kid in the backyard who was always spacing out.
After one training session, I ran quickly to the backyard and saw Yoriichi in the distance. He was sitting there blankly, like a little rabbit.
So small, really so small. It's the same age as me, but it's tiny and looks thin and pitiful.
I think Yoriichi must have been in poor health like his mother, which is why he was so thin and never grew up.
After that, I would often go to see Yoriichi after finishing my classes for the day. He really liked to daydream and was always looking at the sky.
According to the person in charge of caring for the mother, Yoriichi is a child who cannot speak and has some hearing impairment.
Really? No wonder it looks like a puppet.
I think Yoriichi is more pitiful. He always wears a thin kimono and his hair is casually hanging down his back.
Yoriichi loves to stick close to his mother. Although I don't think it's a good thing, he's so weak, so it's okay for him to like to act spoiled.
I know I can't keep making excuses like this, because my brother is a boy, but he looks really weak and has a congenital illness.
It's alright, I'm the elder brother, the future head of the family. As long as I'm capable, that's all that matters.
Thinking this way, I felt at ease believing that Yoriichi was weak.
For a whole month, I would secretly go to see him. I saw him all alone, with no playmates and nothing to do, always sitting there looking at the sky and butterflies.
Yoriichi's meals were also poor, always consisting of simple fare, which made me feel uncomfortable, but my father never mentioned it.
I feel this is wrong. Yoriichi is already in poor health, and this will make him more susceptible to illness.
I secretly gave some snacks to the servant who was in charge of delivering the meals, thinking that he would be able to eat better.
I noticed that Yoriichi lived in a small cubicle, like the small warehouse I had seen before. I watched him return to that place with only a small door every day, and I felt a pang of sadness in my heart.
Yoriichi is my younger brother, and I don't want him to stay there alone forever.
Perhaps it was out of pity and sympathy for him.
I ran to that small door, knocked gently a few times, and watched as the door slowly opened.
"Hello, Yoriichi."
As I watched the door open, the first thing I saw when I looked up was a pair of red eyes that looked like a little rabbit's.
He stared at me expressionlessly, his disheveled hair plastered to his cheeks, kneeling there.
I panicked a bit. I rushed up here on impulse, but I hadn't really thought about what to say.
Looking at Yoriichi, watching him tilt his head, I was inexplicably charmed by his cuteness, and my heart felt much lighter. I reached out and gently brushed away the hair that was sticking to his cheek.
"Yoriichi, I am Iwakatsu, you know, my older brother!"
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