Chapter 15: The cheerful duo, the start of despair.
『 The father immediately tried to strangle the infant Yoriichi in his swaddling clothes, but at that moment, a figure desperately shielded Yoriichi beneath her!
She roared, her usual gentleness gone, like a lioness gone mad!
Exhausted from childbirth, her face pale as paper, her hair damp and clinging to her forehead, yet this seemingly frail woman kept dozens at bay.
With the mother threatening death to stop him, the father ultimately decided to send Yoriichi to a temple to become a monk at seventeen. 』
『 .....』
〜Myriad Worlds livestream Chat〜
[ Artoria Pendragon (Type-Moon): "A mother's strength..." ]
[ Gilgamesh (Type-Moon): "Hahahaha! Though unsightly, she shines brilliantly!" ]
[ Chinatsu Kano (Blue Box): "Is this... what a mother is like?" ]
[ Tokiomi Tohsaka (Type-Moon): "A father who cannot bear responsibility is unworthy of the title! And from a military family, no less—how can one lead if they cannot even be a proper husband or father? Foolish." ]
[ .....]
〜Demon Slayer World〜
"Why... Tsugikuni Yoriichi, why didn't you just die back then?"
Kokushibo stared at the infant shielded by his mother, his six eyes slightly lowering.
—
〜Type-Moon World, Fourth Holy Grail War Worldline〜
Matou Household
"...Father."
A purple-haired girl, protected by golden motes of light but with hollow eyes, silently murmured.
An endless sea of insects churned below.
For this girl, perhaps the greatest pain was when her so-called father spoke grandly yet never cared for her at all.
—
『 From then on, the brothers' lives diverged drastically. Because Yoriichi often clung to his mother, his elder brother Michikatsu pitied him deeply.
He often risked beatings to sneak into the woodshed and play with him.
He even carved a wooden flute for Yoriichi by hand.
Because his little brother was truly pitiful—Yoriichi had never once smiled since birth, nor spoken a single word by age seven.
Yoriichi stared blankly at the flute in his hands, unmoved, simply cradling it quietly. 』
『 .....』
〜Myriad Worlds livestream Chat〜
[ Aqua (KonoSuba): "Huh? Is he an idiot? Treating a stupid flute like treasure—no wonder he's worthless. Hurry up and switch, it's my turn!" ]
[ Saten Ruiko (A Certain Magical Index): "I don't think so... Tsugikuni Yoriichi's eyes don't seem vacant. They're very gentle." ]
[ Mash kyrielight (Type-Moon): "Does that birthmark really bring misfortune? Yoriichi seems so pitiful..." ]
[ Hades (Saint Seiya): "A man's fate is not bound by a ridiculous birthmark." ]
[ Hyakkimaru (dororo): "Tsugikuni Yoriichi... I don't know him, yet he feels familiar." ]
[ Hawk-Eye (MCU): "This Tsugikuni Yoriichi... Could it be? No, I'll observe a while longer." ]
[ .....]
『 But... no one knew this simple child remembered every shred of kindness around him.
He treasured every fleeting warmth.
His mother was deeply devout, praying daily for a world without conflict.
She begged the sun god to warm his deaf ears, even crafting earring-shaped amulets for him.
Seeing his mother's worry, Yoriichi felt guilt.
He also remembered how his kind brother was beaten for interacting with him—yet the next day, Michikatsu placed the flute in his hands and said:
"If you need me, just blow this. I'll come to you at once. So don't worry." 』
『 .....』
〜Myriad Worlds livestream Chat〜
[ Quetzalcoatl (Type-Moon): "My, my~ This child isn't a fool at all—he's just pure to a fault. And he feels oddly connected to me~" ]
[ Ritsuka Fujimaru (Type-Moon): "Yoriichi's brother Michikatsu was kind too. Maybe because of that..." ]
[ Gilgamesh (Type-Moon): "Hahahaha! Fascinating! I can't wait to see the ugliness that follows!" ]
[ Kirei Kotomine (Type-Moon): "Ugliness?" ]
[ .....]
〜Type-Moon World, Fourth Holy Grail War Worldline〜
"My King, why do you revel in this?"
Kirei Kotomine gazed emptily at the ancient tyrant before him.
"Hahahahaha! Kirei, Kirei! You mongrel seeking pleasure—go find it yourself! The Bible won't teach you this!"
The ancient tyrant—Gilgamesh, the pleasure-seeker—laughed madly, snapping his fingers as red wine poured into the Holy Grail, indulging alone.
—
〜Demon Slayer World〜
Pure Land
Yoriichi, appearing youthful, watched the scenes with tender sorrow.
His voice trembled with emotion.
"Mother... Brother, it's... been so long."
He reached out to touch, but only grasped illusions—yet even this was enough.
Beyond the video, countless comments streamed past his eyes:
'Such a warm brother.'
'Human conflict... it's too much.'
'His brother didn't act out of love—just pity for the weak.'
'Bullshit! He loved Yoriichi most!'
'Michikatsu's love was complicated. Don't speak if you don't understand—he kept that flute for centuries!'
Yoriichi silently watched, only stirring at the last words.
"Brother..."
—
『 Born with transcendent talent, Yoriichi was fated to surpass humanity. Under his brother's and mother's care, he clumsily sought his "purpose."
Amid noise and warmth, time passed—until the day everything changed.
Standing beneath a tree, the boy watched his brother train fiercely and spoke for the first time:
"Brother's dream is to become this country's strongest swordsman, right?"
"Then... I'll be the second strongest." That day, the boy smiled—genuinely.
Michikatsu's wooden sword clattered to the ground as he stared, stunned and conflicted.
The boy didn't understand the disgust in his brother's eyes.
Too pure to grasp that being sent to a temple at seventeen barred him from becoming a swordsman—that swordsmen risked their lives. How could a mother's boy ever be one?
Beyond blood ties, in this rigid world, the seed of arrogance had long taken root in Michikatsu.
What revolting words... from this weakling? 』
『 .....』
〜Myriad Worlds livestream Chat〜
[ Gilgamesh (Type-Moon): "Hahahaha! Perfect! Delightful! Truly delightful! Mongrels stay mongrels!" ]
[ Lev Lainur Flauros (Type-Moon): "Not even blood can bind human emotions? How vile." ]
[ Uchiha Sasuke (Naruto): "...Why? Why treat your brother like this?!" ]
[ Honest (Akame ga Kill): "A weakling spouting nonsense about killing gods—disgusting." ]
[ Merlin (Type-Moon): "And so begins despair." ]
[ ..... ]