"So, the Tachibana family on Kyushu Island now wants you, Marika, to return and inherit the position of family head?"
In the living room of the Tachibana family, Nakano Yu listened to Tachibana Marika's story, his brows slightly furrowed.
According to what Marika said, the current head of the Tachibana family, who was also Marika's mother, Tachibana Chika, had completely stopped breathing ten minutes ago.
In other words, Tachibana Chika was dead.
Nakano Yu, however, was not panicking because of that. With Cut Through, as long as he could see Tachibana Chika, he would be able to bring her back to life. However, what concerned Nakano Yu was not Tachibana Chika, but the current situation of the Tachibana family that Marika had just described.
Tachibana Chika had only just died, and the Tachibana family was already calling Tachibana Marika back to Kyushu Island to take over the position of family head. Wasn't that a little too eager?
Moreover, the Tachibana family was still a prestigious family on Kyushu Island. At a time like this, instead of trying to place their own branch on the position of family head, they had actually chosen to bring Marika back to Kyushu Island to assume the role. Nakano Yu did not believe that the side branches of the family were so obedient to Tachibana Chika and Tachibana Marika.
After all, people naturally desired money and power. Nakano Yu did not believe that the members of the Tachibana family were that noble.
Therefore, since the side branches of the Tachibana family did not want to become the head of the Tachibana family, aside from not wanting to... there was only one other reason—they did not dare.
Rubbing his chin, Nakano Yu suddenly recalled the Izanagi's Curse he had previously discovered on Tachibana Marika. Could it be that only the bloodline of the family head carried this curse? Or rather, the people from the family head's bloodline shared this curse.
Was Tachibana Chika's sudden serious illness caused because he had removed the curse from Marika?
As he thought about it, Nakano Yu's heart sank slightly. If that was really the case, then Tachibana Chika's death was somewhat indirectly related to him.
However, that was not important.
After analyzing all the information Tachibana Marika had provided, Nakano Yu looked at Tachibana Gen, who was sleeping soundly on the sofa, then reached out and patted Marika's small head, saying:
"Marika, let's go see Aunt Tachibana."
"Okay! But Father, he..."
Upon hearing that, Marika knew Nakano Yu wanted to help, so she naturally did not refuse. However, looking at Tachibana Gen on the sofa, Marika was somewhat worried about leaving him alone in Tokyo.
"We'll be back very quickly. Let Uncle Tachibana get some rest~."
Nakano Yu noticed Tachibana Marika's concern and smiled gently as he spoke.
For Marika, the death of Tachibana Chika was undoubtedly a huge blow. Now that Tachibana Chika's condition was still unclear, Tachibana Gen was the only parent Marika had left, so it was natural for her to worry about him.
However, Tachibana Gen was currently in a deep sleep, so there would be no benefit in taking him along. It was better to let Tachibana Gen rest for a while.
The first time Nakano Yu saw Tachibana Gen today, he was certain that Tachibana Gen had not slept properly for a long time.
His swollen red eyes were filled with blood vessels, and it was impossible to hide his exhaustion and worry.
Recalling the scene in which Tachibana Gen knelt and begged him to save someone, Nakano Yu knew that Tachibana Chika's condition had been weighing on Tachibana Gen's heart for a long time, and Tachibana Chika's death was the final straw that broke Tachibana Gen.
"Sigh... let's go."
Holding Tachibana Marika's hand and gently squeezing the girl's palm, Nakano Yu's soothing voice rang out.
"Mmm!"
Feeling the warmth from the palm of the young man beside her, Marika took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
She still had Yu. Yu was right, everything would be okay!
Seeing that Marika's emotions had stabilized, Nakano Yu very simply summoned moonlight.
The moonlight shone upon the two of them, and in the very next moment, Moon Authority activated. The figures of Nakano Yu and Tachibana Marika instantly crossed thousands of kilometers, appearing above Kyushu Island in Neon.
And beneath the feet of Nakano Yu and Tachibana Marika stood the stronghold of the samurai family from Kyushu Island—the Tachibana family.
With a single thought, Nakano Yu created a powerful Wind, carrying Marika down from the sky, and the two of them arrived in front of the main gate of the old Tachibana family residence.
The Tachibana family was a traditional samurai family in Neon. Although they were not particularly significant throughout all of Neon, they held considerable influence in the Kyushu Island region.
The old Tachibana family residence also gave off a strong ancient atmosphere. In terms of size, it was similar to the old residence of the Nura Group, but in terms of age, it certainly could not compare to the homes of the yokai from the Nura Group.
However, at this moment, the main gate of the old Tachibana family residence was tightly shut. Although the lights at the entrance were on, not a single sound could be heard from inside, completely different from a household where the family head had just died.
Realizing this, Nakano Yu's brows furrowed slightly.
Honestly, he did not particularly like Tachibana Chika, because her personality was not especially pleasant. But putting that aside, Tachibana Chika was still the head of the Tachibana family!
Now that Tachibana Chika had died, why was the Tachibana family so quiet?
Even if the Tachibana family did not want to accept the fact that Tachibana Chika was dead, no matter what, after the death of the family head, the side branches of the Tachibana family should at least have come to pay their respects and discuss the matter of the next head of the Tachibana family. But according to his current perception...
The number of people inside the old Tachibana family residence before him did not exceed twenty!
"Mother..."
Looking at the familiar estate before her, Marika's emotions were complicated. Just a few days ago, when she left here and returned to Neon, her mother had been fine, only somewhat weak. Now, when she returned, she had not expected...
"I'm here. Let's go inside and take a look."
After saying that, Nakano Yu led the girl by the hand toward the old Tachibana family residence.
Using Gusting Wind and Raging Waves, by the time the two of them reached the main gate of the old residence, the Wind had already opened the doors for Nakano Yu and Tachibana Marika.
However, the moment the doors opened, they were greeted by an empty courtyard, and only one room in the distance of the old residence had its lights on.
Within Nakano Yu's perception, only that room contained people.
His ears twitched, and Nakano Yu caught the conversations of the people inside that room.
But when Nakano Yu finished listening, his expression gradually darkened.
He heard everything. He heard everything about the origin of Izanagi's Curse and the reason why the various branches of the Tachibana family did not want to become the head of the Tachibana family.
According to what he heard, Izanagi's Curse originated from a piece of human skin that an ancestor of the Tachibana family found on a battlefield!
Human skin that had already rotted away, yet still emitted a dazzling golden light!
After picking up that golden human skin, the ancestor of the Tachibana family thought he had obtained a great treasure and immediately decided to offer it to the daimyo stationed on Kyushu Island at the time.
Because of that, the Tachibana family received rewards and even became one of the samurai families under the daimyo's command. That was the origin of the Tachibana samurai family.
But at the same time, it was also the root of Izanagi's Curse.
After offering the treasure, every generation of the Tachibana family head would fall ill with a strange disease and suddenly die before reaching the age of fifty. Other than their bodies growing weaker day by day, no other symptoms could be found.
Only once, when the Tachibana family encountered a wandering monk, did they learn that it was a curse.
Later, with the help of that monk, the curse was restricted to the bloodline of the Tachibana family head.
As long as someone had a direct blood relationship with the head of the Tachibana family, they would be haunted by the curse!
And the current plan of the Tachibana family was for Marika to inherit the position of family head and continue enduring the torment of that curse!
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