After you died… I and that person clearly killed all the swordsmen who understood Sun Breathing… Why can your breathing continue to this day…
Why couldn't I leave anything behind… Why couldn't I become anyone… Why are you and I so different… What was I even born for…
Innumerable thoughts flashed through Kokushibou's mind, and at this moment, what appeared were all images of Yoriichi and his past with him.
…
"Is Elder Brother's dream to become the strongest samurai in this country?
I also want to become as strong as Elder Brother… Then I'll… be the second strongest samurai in this country…"
…
"I will cherish this flute as if it were Elder Brother. Even if we are separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, I will take it out every day to practice diligently, and never be disheartened by loneliness."
…
"I'm very sorry, Elder Brother. I'm late…"
…
"There's no need to worry. You and I just need to go with the flow and wait for the day our lives end.
Don't you think this is a very pleasant thing, Elder Brother?
The children who come into the world in the future will surely surpass us brothers and advance to greater heights."
…
"How tragic, Elder Brother…"
The scene froze on the night he last encountered Yoriichi. After Yoriichi struck a blow and died of old age, Kokushibou, in a fit of rage, cut his body in half with a single strike, and the broken short flute fell from his embrace.
The words Yoriichi said before he left echoed in his ears.
"Shut up, don't say any more… I hate you…"
Tears, for unknown reasons, flowed from his six eyes, and for unknown reasons, he picked up the broken short flute and tucked it into his embrace…
…
You are like the one and only sun… Those people who surround you… Even though they are scorched by you, they still struggle to reach out to you…
After all, they have no other choice…
Until they finally turn into charcoal, and vanish into ashes…
Elder Brother actually… just wanted to become you…
Did I do everything wrong…
Can you answer me… Yoriichi…
Innumerable thoughts dissipated, and Yoriichi's figure gradually vanished from his mind. Kokushibou's body and head had both turned to dust, leaving only a samurai uniform quietly on the ground, from which a short flute broken into two pieces was revealed.
Watching Kokushibou completely dissipate, Musashi put away his Nichirin Sword, his gaze sweeping over the clothes on the ground. The broken flute caught his attention.
Stepping forward and picking up the broken flute, Musashi had an inexplicable feeling…
…
"Elder Brother is also a unique person in this world; there's no need to become anyone…"
A familiar voice echoed in his ears, and his consciousness became clear again. Kokushibou opened his eyes.
He was in darkness, but in front of him was dazzling light. A figure stood in the light, revealing a familiar smiling face looking at him.
Yoriichi…
Kokushibou looked at the person who had been lingering in his mind, and at this moment, his heart was much calmer than before.
Kokushibou lowered his head in silence, not looking at Yoriichi. He didn't know what his feelings should be right now—anger? Guilt? Joy? He himself wasn't sure.
Looking at Kokushibou in front of him, the youthful Yoriichi also fell silent for a moment. Originally, he had many things he wanted to say to his elder brother, but after meeting him, he found himself unable to speak.
After his death, he also understood many things, such as why his elder brother had become the way he was.
In the end, Yoriichi still didn't say many things. He only spoke one sentence.
"In the future… I still want to be brothers with Elder Brother, but next time, Elder Brother will take care of and protect the family."
Hearing this, a light flashed through Kokushibou, dispelling the fog and making him clear-headed.
Yes, I wanted to become you because you did what I should have done.
As the elder brother, I was not as sensible as you. As the elder brother, I was not as strong as you. As the elder brother, I needed you to protect and teach me…
As the elder brother, I didn't have any semblance of an elder brother. Even the status of a samurai and the position of family heir were bestowed upon me by you…
My pride… was completely shattered in front of you…
Order… was disrupted…
I desperately chased after you, thinking that as long as I surpassed you, I could restore this order, with me, as the elder brother, protecting and taking care of you…
But in the end, it was all in vain… Your strength and character were like the sun, making me yearn for them yet unable to reach them. I could never act like an elder brother in front of you…
Why were you born so excellent… Yoriichi… How great would it have been if you were a slow-witted person… How great would it have been if I could protect and take care of you… Just like when we hadn't discovered your talent…
Kokushibou instantly understood many things, but everything could only be a "what if." Their brothers' journey had ended, and everything could not be redone, nor could it be as Kokushibou had imagined.
Everything had come to an end. After understanding, Kokushibou no longer resisted Yoriichi as before, as both of them had already died.
"Good…"
Michikatsu Tsugikuni looked up and responded. He yearned for such a situation…
Yoriichi smiled after hearing Michikatsu Tsugikuni's reply. To him, Michikatsu Tsugikuni would always be his elder brother. When they were young, when everyone else dared not look at him and his mother, it was Michikatsu Tsugikuni who always disregarded their father's prohibition and always came to play with him, and for fear of him being bored, he even made a flute and gave it to him. Even after being discovered by their father and being beaten and scolded, he would still go to that small room to find him.
"The flute… is broken…"
Michikatsu Tsugikuni said.
That flute was one he had personally made for Yoriichi before. That period was the only time Michikatsu Tsugikuni truly felt like Yoriichi's elder brother, and the short flute was proof of that. Yet, he had personally cut it in half.
After a moment of silence, Michikatsu Tsugikuni continued:
"If it can be realized, I will make another one…"
What Michikatsu Tsugikuni meant by "if it can be realized" referred to what Yoriichi had said.
…
"If you encounter any danger, blow this flute, and Elder Brother will rush to protect you when he hears it."
…
The scene of Michikatsu Tsugikuni giving him that flute appeared in Yoriichi's mind. The words Michikatsu Tsugikuni said then were still etched in his memory, but he never had the chance to use that flute.
"Mm, I will definitely blow the flute then…"
Yoriichi said with a smile, nodding.
The smile he once hated the most no longer felt that way when he saw it now. He looked forward to the day when he could hear the sound of the flute guiding him to rush to protect his weaker younger brother.
"Then… goodbye…"
Michikatsu Tsugikuni said after a moment of silence. He knew what he had done, and with these sins, he would surely not reach the same place as Yoriichi.