Kokushibo stood within the shadows of the deep forest, black hair loose as he stared blankly at the object in his hand.
It was a short flute, about the length of a palm—crudely made and terribly worn. Just how crude was it?
So crude that whether placed hundreds of years ago or in the present day, no one would spare it a second glance, even if it were given away for free.
And yet, the flute carried a faint sheen—something that only came from careful, attentive upkeep. Now, however, this carefully maintained yet shoddy flute had been cut cleanly in half. The fracture was smooth and even. To leave such a flawless cut on a flute that should have long since decayed was, in itself, proof of extraordinary swordsmanship.
This was the flute he had given to Yoriichi centuries ago.
What had he said back then?
[If you're scared, just blow the flute. Big brother will come protect you right away.]
And on the day Yoriichi left home, he had held this flute as he bid farewell.
[I will treat this flute given by elder brother as elder brother himself. Even if we are separated by the ends of the earth, I will continue to hone myself every day and follow in elder brother's footsteps.]
How had he answered?
Ah—right.
At the time, he had just been removed from his position as heir and confined to that tiny three-mat room. Resentment toward Yoriichi filled his heart. Believing Yoriichi had come only to mock him, he said nothing at all.
Kokushibo gently brushed his fingers over the broken flute.
[Why treasure something like this? You could obtain anything you wished with ease. What is there to care about in such a worthless flute?]
Even after centuries had passed, Kokushibo still could not understand Yoriichi's thinking.
Just like their clash the previous night.
There had been countless chances to sever his head, yet Yoriichi had only cut through his hair tie. And in that instant, Kokushibo had seized the opening to slash hard across Yoriichi's chest.
He still hadn't managed to wound Yoriichi—only torn his clothing and cut this flute apart.
At that moment, whether it was brotherly understanding or something else entirely, they had both stopped.
Yoriichi's vacant, sorrowful expression struck his heart like a heavy hammer, more painful even than Hiru's furious accusations.
[Let us end it here for today, elder brother.]
That was what Yoriichi had said.
It only enraged him further.
[Put away your meaningless pity. I don't need it. Pick up your sword!]
[The next time we meet, Yoriichi will treat elder brother only as Kokushibo.]
From beginning to end, Yoriichi had done nothing but gaze sorrowfully at the broken flute on the ground.
[How pitiful…]
After saying that, Yoriichi sheathed his sword, walked over to Hiru, and left with him without ever looking back.
As for Kokushibo—he didn't know why, but he had picked up the broken flute and brought it with him.
"…How pitiful?"
Kokushibo's gaze drifted toward the bright sunlight beyond the trees. "…Pitiful?"
How had they ended up like this?
…
"You wavered just now, didn't you, brother?"
Yoriichi was silent for a long time before he finally spoke.
"…I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I wavered too."
Hiru lowered his head, staring at the scattered patches of light on the ground.
"The moment I saw him appear, I almost thought I'd gone back hundreds of years… It was a very similar scene back then.
"I was accompanying eldest brother to propose marriage to sister-in-law's family. While resting along the way, I was drawn in by the scenery and unknowingly wandered away from the group. That's when I ran into a tiger.
"What's laughable is that my first instinct wasn't to run—it was to go up and touch it. I only became afraid after it roared at me. And when it charged, my legs went so weak I couldn't even stand.
"That was when eldest brother rushed out. One slash blinded the tiger, and the guards who arrived soon after joined in and killed it. That's how I survived—though I was scolded by Father afterward, of course.
"But at the time, I truly believed eldest brother was the best elder brother in the world. Even if, as Father said, I had to give my life for him someday, it didn't seem like something I'd regret."
Yoriichi listened quietly.
Over the centuries, Hiru rarely spoke of the past. And when he did, it was usually about his time back home. Yoriichi had never known about this incident.
"So in that moment just now, I almost wanted to grab him and bring him back—to make him a demon under me and live together with us.
"As long as he stopped eating people and did more good deeds, I thought that maybe, in the end, we could still go to the same place."
Hiru stopped walking. His gaze remained fixed on the patches of light on the ground, but tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes, splashing into the light and leaving dark, muddy circles behind.
"…But how could I do something like that?
"Ishika, Tanika, Tomohisa, Kazuto, Kimi… One after another, they fell in front of me. They fought desperately to protect me, to give me a chance to escape… and yet I couldn't do anything.
"All I could do was watch as they died one by one, protecting me—a clan head they didn't even consider legitimate—at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji. Some were devoured outright, leaving not even a complete body behind.
"And in the latter half of that massacre, Muzan didn't act at all. It was all done by eldest brother.
"Morino and Ryoji—those closest to him—were both highly skilled with the sword. But because their opponent was him, they couldn't even mount a proper resistance. Even in death, their faces still held that disbelief—the look of faith collapsing.
"Brother… do you know what those clan members said to me at the very end?"
"…What?"
"They told me to run. They said that as long as I lived, the Tsugikuni family would still exist. They told me to avenge them as the family head."
Hiru wiped away his tears.
"That's why I can't forgive him… How could I ever forgive him…"
"Hiru…"
"I'm the last head of the Tsugikuni family. Whether out of duty or hatred, I can't forgive him on behalf of those who died…"
Hiru raised his arm and covered his face, his voice breaking.
"Only I can't forgive him… Why did he come back like that? Why did he have to make me remember eldest brother again? I'm the one who shouldn't have wavered… Why…"
Yoriichi couldn't find any words to comfort him.
All he could do was reach out and gently pat Hiru's back, again and again, to show that he was there.
And yet, Yoriichi couldn't understand it either.
Why had the three brothers ended up like this?