Chapter Thirty-Four: My Older Brother Is a Miracle!
『ＲＹＯＮ』
Enjoy~~~
---
In the distant past of the Demon Slayer world, specifically during the Sengoku era, inside the Tsugikuni clan estate.
Light filtered through the elegant paper doors, and a faint scent of incense filled the air. Inside the birthing room, a tense silence reigned, broken only by the cry of a newborn— a cry announcing the arrival of a soul from another world.
Ron opened his eyes with difficulty, expecting to find himself in the body of a grown warrior, or perhaps seeing the world directly through Yoriichi Tsugikuni's eyes as usually happened.
But instead, everything around him was… gigantic.
"What is this?" Ron tried to shout, but all that came out was, "Waa! Waa!"—the cry of a small baby.
He felt soft cloth wrapped around his tiny body, and warm hands gently holding him. He lifted his gaze slightly and saw the face of a woman pale from childbirth.
Yet she was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. She looked at him with a tenderness that melted his stone-like heart. He found himself thinking that he would never form a relationship with anyone again after this.
In his life in the Jujutsu Kaisen world, it had been decided that the original Ren would take his place. He hadn't grown close to anyone and had never formed any emotional relationships.
He barely interacted with his twin sisters, Maki and Mai, there. But this woman—he felt an emotional bond with her the moment he looked at her. This was Aki, Yoriichi's mother.
"I felt nothing toward my mother from the Zenin family, but… forget it. It's painful to think about her fate in the original story."
Without realizing it, Ron had already planned to prevent Aki's death in the future.
"Look at him, my lord," Aki said softly to her husband, the head of the Tsugikuni clan, who stood with a stern expression in his luxurious kimono. "He has eyes like jewels."
Ron moved his emerald eyes curiously. "Wait… I'm not Yoriichi? Did the system trick me? Rina! Where are you, you ghost?!"
Rina appeared, looked at the small and adorable version of Ren, and smiled before speaking while observing the surroundings.
[Answer: No error occurred. The simulation requires direct 'interaction' to understand the core of the character, not merely observing memories. You have been integrated as a younger brother to increase synchronization rate.]
"Younger brother?" Ron thought in shock as he tried to move his tiny hands that looked like rice cakes. "Does that mean I have to rebuild my body from scratch? Damn it!"
He remembered the hellish training in Zenin clan territory for fifteen years to build a strong, agile body, and sighed.
At that moment, two small children approached the bed. They were twins, but their appearance and standing were completely different.
The first wore elegant clothes and looked confident and curious. This was Michikatsu Tsugikuni (the future Kokushibo).
The other… wore simple clothes, stood in complete silence, and had a strange red mark shaped like flames on his forehead. His eyes were so calm it was unsettling, as if he could see beyond the physical world.
"Yoriichi…" Ron whispered in his mind. "The legend himself."
As if Yoriichi sensed something, his calm eyes shifted and settled on the newborn. For a moment, it felt as if time itself stopped. The miracle child who neither spoke nor laughed stared into Ron's emerald eyes.
Ron instinctively extended his small hand toward Yoriichi, as if asking the "sun" for help.
To his surprise, Yoriichi slowly approached and extended his finger to touch Ron's palm. The moment they made contact, a blue window appeared before Ron's eyes:
[Alert: Direct interaction with target (Yoriichi). Template comprehension increased by 0.5%. Current rate: 53.5%]
"Oh! That's easy!" Ron cheered internally. "Just touching him increases my power? I'll cling to this kid for the rest of my life!"
Ron smiled a wide, joyful smile filled with affection, directed only at Yoriichi.
And for the first time in the clan's history, everyone saw a faint trace of warmth appear on Yoriichi's blank face.
"Does Michikatsu want to hold him?" Aki asked gently.
Michikatsu stepped forward eagerly. "Let me see him, Mother!"
When Michikatsu held him, Ron felt a strange urge to cry. "This is Upper Moon One… the man who would slice me to pieces in the future if I'm not careful."
Ron thought about screaming in refusal, but he remembered Ren's advice: Don't make enemies.
So, with cunning completely inappropriate for a baby, Ron let out a soft laugh and tried to grab Michikatsu's nose.
"Haha! He likes me!" Michikatsu laughed, and a cheerful atmosphere spread through the room. Even the stern father, the Tsugikuni clan head, nodded in satisfaction.
"He will become a strong samurai. We shall name him… Tsugikuni Ren."
"When do you plan on dropping me? I want to build a proper relationship with Yoriichi-sama…" Ron grumbled internally while staring at the future Kokushibo with dead fish eyes.
. .
Three years later.
The training yard of the Tsugikuni estate was filled with the sound of wooden swords striking.
Ron, now a three-year-old child with black hair hanging over his emerald eyes, sat on the wooden veranda, eating a rice cake in boredom while watching the training.
Michikatsu (5 years old) swung his wooden sword under the supervision of the clan's personal samurai instructor. His movements were good—strong and precise for his age.
"Well done, young master!" the instructor shouted. "Your talent is remarkable!"
"What would happen if Yoriichi saw this… hmm, maybe I should do this," Ron suddenly smiled mischievously.
In the far corner, beneath the shade of a pine tree, Yoriichi stood silently like a statue, watching the training with unblinking eyes. Everyone believed he was deaf and mute, or perhaps "stupid," as the servants whispered.
Their dislike of him grew because of the strange, "cursed" mark on his forehead.
But Ron knew the truth.
"He's not watching the training…" Ron thought while chewing his rice cake. "He's seeing their muscle contractions, blood flow, and breathing. He's using the 'Transparent World' instinctively."
Looking at Yoriichi, Ron decided it was time to change the scenario a little. He couldn't wait until Yoriichi turned seven to reveal his talent.
Ron jumped off the veranda and ran on his small legs toward Yoriichi. "Ni-sama (big brother)!" Ron called in a pure, childish voice.
Yoriichi looked at him. Their relationship was strange—Ron was the only person who treated Yoriichi like a normal brother, and Yoriichi was always "there" beside Ron, protecting him from falling or stumbling like a guardian shadow.
"Why don't you play with a sword too?" Ron asked, pointing at the wooden sword.
Yoriichi tilted his head slightly and didn't answer.
"Come on!" Ron tugged at his sleeve. "You're strong! I know it! Father says samurai must be strong! Will you let Michikatsu-ni take all the fun?"
Michikatsu looked over and stopped training, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Ren, Yoriichi doesn't like these things. He's… different."
"No!" Ron puffed out his cheeks in fake stubbornness. "Yoriichi-ni, try it once! For me!"
Under Ron's persistence, and his adorable eyes that refused rejection, Yoriichi slowly moved. He walked to the instructor, bowed politely, and extended his small hand to take a wooden sword.
The instructor chuckled lightly. "Does little Yoriichi want to play? Very well, try hitting me."
Yoriichi stood holding the sword. His stance was strange—completely relaxed, unlike any samurai stance.
"This…" Ron thought, his eyes shining with anticipation. "This stance has no openings at all… Is Yoriichi's talent really this terrifying?"
"Come on!" the instructor shouted and rushed toward Yoriichi, intending to scare him with a light strike.
In that moment, the miracle happened.
To Michikatsu, Yoriichi disappeared.
To Ron, who was using the Transparent World, even he was shocked by Yoriichi's current speed.
"Could it be this bastard has a system too?… Rina!" Ron thought in curiosity and shock.
[Of course not, genius…] Rina sighed, floating in the air, noting how cautious Ron was—completely unlike the original Ren.
Meanwhile—
Thack! Thack! Thack! Thack!
Four rapid, consecutive strikes—neck, chest, wrist, and leg.
The large instructor collapsed to the ground unconscious, eyes rolled back, mouth open in shock.
Yoriichi stood there, wooden sword in hand, not trembling even an inch. He wasn't panting. He wasn't sweating.
Michikatsu's sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a dull sound.
"Yoriichi…?" Michikatsu whispered, his eyes filled with a mix of terror and jealousy that was just beginning to form.
Ron, on the other hand, clapped enthusiastically, breaking the heavy silence.
"Waaah! My brother is amazing! You knocked down the big bear! Did you see that, Michikatsu-ni?"
Yoriichi turned to Ron, and for the first time, spoke clear words in a calm, breeze-like voice:
"Was that… fun for you, Ren?"
Michikatsu froze. "He… spoke?"
Ron grinned widely. "Yes! It was amazing! Teach me how to do that!"
[Alert: Template level increased by 5%. Deeper understanding of 'Yoriichi'.]
"Yes… I'll change your fate as thanks for the power I'll gain from you!" Ron smiled happily.
… (Note: I am changing things from the original story, by the way.)
That evening – in Aki's room, the mother whose illness had grown severe.
The atmosphere in Aki's room was heavy. Their mother lay on the futon, her face pale and her breathing labored.
She suffered from lung disease and partial paralysis spreading through the left side of her body—the illness that would lead to her death years later in the original story.
Ron slipped quietly into the room while everyone else was busy discussing the "miracle of Yoriichi" in the main hall.
He sat beside his mother and looked at her sadly. "You're a kind woman, Okaa-san. You don't deserve to die early and leave Yoriichi alone."
"Rina," Ron called in his mind. "Is the shop available in the simulation?"
[Yes. You may use your spirit points to purchase items that support the simulation.]
"Buy medicine to cure her. Something that won't raise suspicion—something that looks like herbal medicine."
[Purchase complete. Cost: 500 points.]
A small bottle appeared in Ron's sleeve. He poured its contents into the cup of water beside his mother's bed. The liquid was colorless and odorless.
Aki stirred and opened her eyes weakly. "Ren…? My dear, why are you awake?"
"Mother, drink this," Ron said with an innocent smile, handing her the cup. "I prayed to the gods. This is blessed water."
"Ren… very well, my son."
Aki smiled faintly, unwilling to reject her child's kindness. She drank the water slowly.
Within seconds, color returned to her cheeks. Her breathing deepened and became easier. The pain gripping her left side faded as if by magic.
"This…" her eyes widened. "I feel… lighter?"
"Good night, Mother!" Ron kissed her forehead and ran out of the room before she could ask questions.
With this simple intervention, Ron may have changed the brothers' fate forever. With their mother alive, Yoriichi might not leave home early—or perhaps he would leave with a lighter heart.
Later that night – the backyard.
Ron sat on the veranda, gazing at the moon.
"Rina, can you open a communication channel with the original?"
[Connecting…]
"Yo, Ron! How's the Middle Ages?" Ren's (the original) voice echoed in his head, sounding like he was chewing something (probably sushi).
"It's the Sengoku era, you idiot," Ron replied dryly. "Things are going well. Yoriichi is a real monster. He knocked out the instructor at age five because of my interference… This doesn't feel like just a simulation—it feels like real life."
"That's awesome… I'm here enjoying curse battles with Gojo-sensei, watching Yuji swallow Sukuna's fingers… it's disgusting, by the way."
"That's gross… Listen, Ren, I cured the mother. This will change the dynamics here."
"That's good… protect the family. And if Michikatsu tries to become a demon… well, try slapping him with some heartfelt brotherly words before he turns into Kokushibo-chan."
"I'll try. By the way, I learned something about breathing today. The secret isn't just in the lungs—it's in the blood flow to the toes during movement."
"Really? I'll try that in training tomorrow. Good luck, little brother."
"Damn you. You took the adult body and left me with a baby's!"
"Anyway, Yuji's in bad shape… see you later!"
"You mean after years. Time flows differently here… sigh."
Ron cut the connection and smiled.
Suddenly, he sensed movement behind him. He turned to find Yoriichi standing there, looking at him curiously.
"Who were you talking to, Ren?"
Ron froze. Did he hear him? No, he'd been speaking in his mind. And why was Yoriichi suddenly talking so much?
"I was talking to… the moon!" Ron pointed at the sky. "I told it I'll become the strongest samurai in the world!"
Yoriichi sat beside him and looked at the moon as well. For the first time, Yoriichi smiled a genuine, warm smile.
"I think you will, Ren. And I'll be beside you."
Ron felt his heart warm. "This boy… how could anyone hate him? I'll protect you, my brother—from Michikatsu, from Muzan, and from your own sorrow."
And again—am I really the protagonist of some novel? Why are you talking to me so smoothly? Wasn't your first line supposed to come after years?
Ron felt that, in reality, there were many things different from what he knew from the anime.
---
End of Chapter 34.
We'll shorten this arc, don't worry!
I need your ideas—I've run out of them 🙂👍