I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Borrowing money from the Yakuza is easy, but repaying it is not so easy.

The debt, piling up like a snowball, was simply beyond the means of a mother who was destitute.

Therefore, only half a month after borrowing money from the Yakuza, the thugs responsible for collecting the debt began to frequently visit my home.

The thugs' shouts and insults as they demanded payment, along with my mother's pitiful pleas for mercy, cast a new shadow over my already utterly chaotic life.

That period was so dark that I don't even want to think about it.

However, to my utter surprise, during this dark period, my relationship with my brother unexpectedly changed.

On my sixth birthday, the Yakuza came to collect debts as usual, smashing the few remaining pieces of broken furniture in the house; my mother, as always, knelt on the ground, pressing her forehead to the floor, begging them to give her a few more days.

The reason I remember my birthday is because every year on my birthday, my mother would pretend to say how much she suffered on the day she gave birth to me, and that I should remember her kindness and repay her well in the future.

Having grown accustomed to suffering, I no longer expect to have a happy birthday.

But... on his annual birthday, he still had to endure the shouts of the Yakuza and his mother's wailing...

So annoying...

Quiet……

Stop arguing...

Please... just consider it my birthday present... shut up... let me have some peace and quiet...

At that moment, I desperately wished I could be deaf like my brother.

In this way, you won't hear those annoying noises.

I hugged my legs tightly, hugged myself tightly, and huddled in a corner of the room, waiting and enduring...

Suddenly, a pair of small hands reached out from behind and tightly covered my ears.

I turned around in surprise and saw my brother sitting behind me, covering my ears tightly with his hands, one on each side.

He remained unchanged, his face expressionless, his features as cold as a doll, yet his palms burning hot.

A gentle warmth reached my ears, then traveled down my neck to my heart.

That day, my brother didn't go to practice his sword. Instead, he stayed with me, covered my ears, and helped me stay away from the noise of the world.

That day, I nestled in my brother's arms and didn't want to leave for a long time.

That day, I realized for the first time how warm a person's palm could be.

That day, I felt curious about my brother for the first time.

I want to know what he's thinking.

I want to communicate with him like a real brother and sister.

So I began to study his eyes and gestures, trying to understand his thoughts by focusing on his facial expressions and body language.

Although it's a tough job, it's perfect for passing the time.

Gradually, "studying my brother" became my daily interest.

My monotonous and painful life finally gained a few bright spots... Just as this thought crossed my mind, the moment that would drastically change my life arrived...

Shortly after my sixth birthday... It was a cloudy day. I picked some withered wild vegetables outside and then went home as usual.

As soon as I stepped into the bare hall, I saw six Yakuza men rushing towards me.

Before I could react, they hurriedly pulled out rope, tied my hands and feet tightly, and then hoisted me onto their shoulders like a dog, ready to take me away.

The sudden turn of events left my mind blank.

What happened?

Why are they tying my hands and feet?

Where are they taking me?

In an instant, my heart pounded with a frightened rhythm.

Without a doubt—if I were taken away by this group of Yakuza, I would fall into an abyss of no return!

In despair, all I could do was call out "Mom" over and over again, hoping my mother would save me.

My mother was lying on her side on the floor not far from me, with her back to me.

No matter how I called her, no matter how much I cried and shouted, she wouldn't turn her head to look at me...

At that moment, I understood everything...

Although I was still a very young child, I already showed a handsome appearance that was quite different from other children my age.

For the Yakuza, a child like me must be an excellent commodity.

For my mother, I must be the perfect tool to pay off her debts.

Overwhelmed by despair, I forgot to scream, forgot to struggle...

A solid, powerful footstep pulled my consciousness out of the mire of despair.

It's brother.

The older brother, carrying the wooden stick worn smooth from countless hours of handling and swinging, stepped half a step across the entrance, blocking the Yakuza's path.

"What? Kid, you want to have a go at us?"

"Hey, if you don't want to suffer, get out of my way!"

"Huh? This guy is pretty handsome. Let's take him with us. Some perverts like this kind of handsome little boy."

My brother glanced at me, my face streaked with tears... but he still maintained that indifferent, expressionless look.

However, in that instant, I vaguely sensed anger emanating from him.

Without a second thought, he strode forward, heading straight towards the Yakuza...

……

That day, the six Yakuza who came to arrest me were beaten by my brother until their brains splattered, and their blood and internal organs flowed all over the ground. They died in a gruesome manner.

The mother, having witnessed such a horrific scene, suffered a mental breakdown and became a madwoman who lost her mind.

The government, which is usually slow and inefficient, unusually displayed high administrative efficiency, swiftly issuing an arrest warrant and offering a hefty reward for my brother's and my head.

Countless officials poured out, setting up an inescapable net.

Left with no other choice, my brother and I fled into the mountains and forests, moving through the woods like wild men, carefully avoiding the pursuit of the officials.

During the battle against the Yakuza, my brother was seriously injured and could barely walk.

This is to be expected; after all, he is just a child under ten years old. It is simply too much to ask him to kill six adults head-on while remaining unharmed.

I could only support my brother as the two of us limped away to some unknown distance.

How can we evade the pursuit of the officials?

Where are we going?

How are we going to live from now on?

I have no idea about any of the above... I can only hope to go to a very far place, a place where no one knows my brother and me.

As it turned out, I underestimated the dangers of the mountains and forests... Just two days after escaping into the mountains, my brother and I were on the verge of death because we couldn't find food or water...

Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven, because after my brother and I collapsed from exhaustion, an unremarkable-looking, travel-worn young man suddenly appeared before us.

"...Children, are you all alright?"

The young man glanced at my brother and me, then said softly:

“It seems you have suffered a lot… I have also suffered a lot; I have just lost my beloved children… If you don’t mind, come with me.”

That concludes our encounter with Lord Orochi.

With the help of Lord Orochi, my brother and I survived.

Many things happened after that... Lord Orochi revived the nearly disbanded Hojuku Group and renamed it the "Hojuku Party".

Meanwhile, the older brother, with his innate swordsmanship, became the recognized top fighter of the Law Extermination Party and also Orochi's personal bodyguard.

As I spent more and more time with my brother, I discovered that he was far more sentimental than I had imagined.

To repay Lord Orochi for raising him, he took his duty as a "bodyguard" to the extreme.

Those who dare to harm Lord Orochi will be mercilessly purged by him.

After the night we escaped our hometown together, the estrangement between my brother and me completely disappeared, and our relationship grew stronger and stronger, to the point that we were almost inseparable.

However... even though I can read my brother's eyes and sign language, I still don't understand what he's thinking.

What are his thoughts on the future?

He chose to stay with the Hoju Party to repay the kindness of Lord Orochi.

Will he continue to serve the law and punish the party after Lord Orochi's death?

If he were to leave the Party and the Law Enforcement Party, where would he want to go? What would he want to do?

My brother and I seem to be separated by a veil of mystery.

Whenever I try to get close to him, I always get lost and wander around in this fog.

Only now, as my brother and Niou engage in a life-or-death duel, have I finally gotten a little closer to his heart.

Although I couldn't see clearly because of the distance, I could clearly sense that when my brother was slashing at Niou, he was showing a happy expression that I had never seen before.

As if struck by a sudden inspiration, I suddenly understood my brother.

Because he was born deaf and unable to communicate normally with others, he was always very lonely.

To alleviate his loneliness and soothe his solitude, he could only devote himself to swordsmanship, spending his days with his sword.

His exceptional talent enabled him to reach unimaginable heights of ability.

Even Shuten-dōji, who could freely enter the "state of no-self," was far from being his match.

Therefore, the older brother always longed for an opponent who could make him give it his all.

To him, anyone powerful enough to kill him is his closest friend!

My brother's heart may never have grown up; it has always been like that of a child.