Solar Year 185 – Asakusa
Morning came bright over Asakusa.
Sunlight poured over tiled roofs, over narrow streets, over bridges and banners and shopfronts still opening for the day. The district breathed with its usual rough warmth. Laughter somewhere in the distance. Merchants setting out goods. Children racing along alleys. Smoke rising from cookfires.
And at the center of it all—
The people had been called to gather.
Word had spread quickly through the district that Shinmon Hibachi himself had something to announce.
That alone was enough to drag half of Asakusa into the main square.
Men with folded arms.
Women whispering among themselves.
Children balancing on crates and railings for a better view.
At the front, on a raised platform of dark wood, stood Shinmon Hibachi.
Behind him stood Konro.
And slightly behind them, dressed in clean dark robes too big for their still-growing frames, stood two boys.
Benimaru and Kidan.
Benimaru's posture was straight and still, his expression unreadable. Kidan stood beside him, eyes moving across the crowd, curious but quiet.
The murmur among the people rose.
"Who are those kids?" "They're standing behind Hibachi-sama?" "Are they from the guardhouse?" "Never seen them before."
Konro glanced sideways at Hibachi.
"They're worked up."
Hibachi snorted.
"Good."
Then he stepped forward.
The square fell silent almost instantly.
That was the kind of weight Shinmon Hibachi carried in Asakusa.
He didn't need to shout.
He only needed to stand there.
Hibachi folded his arms inside his robe and looked down over the people before speaking.
"Listen up."
His voice rolled across the square, rough and commanding.
"I ain't got the patience to repeat myself, so open your damn ears."
A few people laughed nervously.
Others straightened at once.
Hibachi jerked a thumb behind him.
"These two boys from today onward will bear the Shinmon name."
The square erupted into noise.
"What?" "Shinmon?" "Hibachi-sama is naming heirs?" "Who are they?!"
Hibachi's brow twitched.
"Shut it."
The square went dead silent again.
He continued.
"Two months ago, these brats lost their mother in a fire."
A few faces shifted.
Some recognized the story at once.
The woman from the far west.
The one who prayed to Sol.
Hibachi went on without sentiment.
"They had nowhere to go. So I took them in."
Kidan's gaze lowered slightly.
Benimaru didn't move.
"But I didn't bring them before you out of pity."
Now the crowd really focused.
That was the word that mattered in Asakusa.
Not pity.
Never pity.
Hibachi's grin spread, fierce and proud.
"I brought them before you because they're strong."
A stir ran through the people.
Benimaru's eyes flickered slightly.
Kidan blinked.
Konro folded his arms, already knowing what was coming.
Hibachi pointed first at the black-haired boy.
"This one is Benimaru."
Then at the white-haired one.
"And this one is Kidan."
He lowered his hand.
"They've trained under me."
The crowd reacted at once.
"Under Hibachi-sama?" "So that's why they're here." "He trained them himself?" "How strong are they?"
Hibachi laughed once.
A sharp, booming sound.
"Strong enough that I'm putting the Shinmon name on them."
That landed.
In Asakusa, that meant everything.
Recognition.
A heavy-set man from near the front raised his voice.
"Boss Hibachi! Are you saying one of them might inherit your place someday?"
The whole square seemed to lean in.
Hibachi looked down at him.
"Maybe."
That single word sent a pulse through the crowd.
Not certainty.
Not yet.
But possibility.
And possibility in Asakusa was enough to set the blood moving.
Hibachi turned halfway and looked over his shoulder.
"Benimaru."
Benimaru stepped forward.
The square quieted again.
Hibachi asked, "Say something."
Benimaru looked out across the crowd.
At first, he said nothing.
Then, calmly—
"My name is Shinmon Benimaru."
His voice was young, but there was no shaking in it.
No fear.
"I don't care whether you accept me now."
Some brows rose.
Benimaru continued.
"But one day, all of Asakusa will know my strength."
The square went still.
Then—
A grin slowly spread across Hibachi's face.
Konro shut his eyes for a second and sighed through his nose.
'That really is the one you picked, boss.'
Then Hibachi looked at Kidan.
"And you."
Kidan stepped forward too.
He was smaller, softer in appearance, but there was something bright in his eyes.
"My name is Shinmon Kidan," he said.
His voice was clearer, gentler than Benimaru's.
But it carried.
"I…"
For a moment, the memory of his mother flashed through him.
Fire.
Tears.
His brother standing in front of him.
Kidan's small hand clenched at his side.
"I want to become stronger too."
He looked out at the people of Asakusa, then back at Hibachi, then straight ahead again.
"So that I can protect what matters to me."
The crowd murmured again, though differently this time.
Less doubt.
More interest.
An old woman near the steps smiled softly.
"He's got kind eyes."
A younger man beside her snorted.
"Kind eyes don't matter. Strength does."
Hibachi heard that and barked a laugh.
"Then keep watching."
He stepped forward one last time.
"From today onward, these two are Asakusa's children."
He grinned broadly.
"So don't go looking down on them just because they're young."
The way he said it made it sound less like advice and more like a threat.
Nobody in the square missed that.
Konro stepped up beside him.
"That concludes the announcement."
But the people of Asakusa were already buzzing now.
The fire had been lit.
And once something caught in Asakusa—
It spread fast.
By midday, the district had turned the entire thing into a celebration.
That was just how Asakusa was.
A reason wasn't needed.
A strong mood was enough.
Lanterns were strung between buildings before the sun had even begun to dip. Tables were dragged out into the streets. Grills were lit. Drums were hauled into the square. Someone started pouring drinks for everyone before anyone had officially agreed to anything.
And somehow—
It became a festival.
Kidan stared in amazement as the streets transformed around him.
"That was fast."
Konro, standing nearby with his arms folded, gave a dry smile.
"This is Asakusa."
Benimaru looked less impressed.
"They're noisy."
Konro glanced at him.
"You'll fit right in."
Benimaru gave him a flat look.
Nearby, Hibachi already had a sake bottle in his hand and was yelling at three men over the correct way to roast river fish.
The men were yelling back.
None of them looked unhappy about it.
Children ran past Kidan carrying pinwheels and sweets. A group of musicians began hammering out a lively rhythm on taiko drums. Women in bright yukata laughed as they arranged trays of skewers and rice cakes.
It was chaos.
Warm, loud, shameless chaos.
And for the first time in a long while—
Kidan smiled without forcing it.
A little girl stopped in front of him and stared up.
"So you're one of Hibachi-sama's boys?"
Kidan blinked.
"I guess so."
She pointed at his white hair.
"It's weird."
Kidan stared back.
Then Benimaru stepped between them.
"And your face is weird."
The girl gasped in outrage.
Kidan's eyes widened.
Then the girl stuck out her tongue and ran off.
Kidan looked up at his brother.
"...You didn't have to say that."
Benimaru shrugged.
"She started it."
Konro, who had heard the exchange, let out a quiet laugh.
As the day rolled on, the brothers were pulled further into the life of the district.
A grilled skewer was shoved into Kidan's hand by a laughing old man who declared, "Strong boys need to eat!"
A woman with a booming voice grabbed Benimaru by the shoulders, stared hard at his face, and nodded approvingly.
"Yeah. He's got the glare for Asakusa."
Benimaru looked mildly offended.
Kidan nearly laughed.
Later, both brothers found themselves seated near the edge of the square with plates in front of them.
The food was simple and hearty.
Grilled river fish brushed with soy glaze.
Rice balls wrapped in crisp nori.
Miso soup ladled from a giant pot.
Pickled vegetables.
Sweet bean dumplings passed around on skewers afterward.
Kidan took a bite and his eyes widened.
"This is good."
Benimaru nodded once.
"It is."
Kidan looked toward the square where Hibachi was loudly arguing with a drummer now.
"...Do you think they really accept us?"
Benimaru glanced at him.
"Not all of them."
Kidan lowered his gaze a little.
Benimaru looked back at the celebration.
"But they will."
Kidan looked up.
Benimaru's expression remained calm, almost detached.
"We'll make them."
Kidan stared at him for a second.
Then slowly, a smile spread across his face.
"Yeah."
Across the square, Hibachi watched the two brothers from behind his cup of sake.
Konro stepped beside him.
"They're settling in."
Hibachi grunted.
"They better."
Konro looked at the scene before them.
The district laughing.
The brothers eating.
People slowly orbiting around them, curiosity turning into familiarity.
"You planned this."
Hibachi took a drink.
"Of course I did."
Konro sighed.
"You old schemer."
Hibachi smirked.
"If the people of Asakusa are going to accept them, then it shouldn't happen in silence."
He lowered the cup.
"It should happen loudly."
Konro couldn't argue with that.
As the sun began to dip, the festival only grew brighter.
Lantern light painted the streets gold and red. Music swelled louder. Laughter rose with drink and warmth and the rough joy that defined the district.
Kidan found himself pulled into a children's game involving thrown rings and tiny carved prizes.
Benimaru, after refusing three times, somehow ended up dragged into helping carry a heavy festival stand after the men running it declared that "a future Shinmon better have a strong back."
He carried it without complaint.
Mostly because glaring at them didn't make them stop talking.
By evening, the brothers stood side by side beneath strings of lanterns, looking out over the district.
Kidan's face glowed in the warm light.
"It's beautiful."
Benimaru looked over the celebration.
The lights.
The noise.
The life.
"...Yeah."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kidan said quietly, "Mother would've liked this."
Benimaru froze very slightly.
The sounds of the festival kept going around them.
He looked ahead and answered after a pause.
"Yeah."
Kidan smiled sadly.
But not brokenly.
And that was enough.
Above them, unseen by the celebrating district below—
Three figures stood atop the roof of a nearby building.
The warm lantern light of Asakusa did not touch them.
They watched from the dark.
Haumea stood at the front, one hand resting against her hip, the faintest smile curving her lips as she looked down at the district and the two brothers within it.
Beside her stood Charon, massive and silent as ever.
And behind them, Ritsu waited with her usual eerie stillness.
Haumea's eyes settled on the white-haired boy.
"There you are," she said softly.
Her smile widened.
"The Pillar."
Charon said nothing.
He simply looked down with heavy, unreadable eyes.
Haumea tilted her head, amusement dancing in her voice.
"They're attached already."
Her gaze flicked toward Benimaru.
"That'll make things more fun."
Then she looked over her shoulder.
"Ritsu."
Ritsu stepped forward slightly.
"Yes."
Haumea's grin sharpened.
"We're taking the Pillar with us today."
Below them, the festival laughed on in blissful ignorance.
Haumea asked, "Are you ready?"
Ritsu answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
At her feet—
Something stirred.
Then again.
And again.
From the shadows below, from hidden corners, from places where ash and remains had long settled unnoticed—
Corpse-made infernals began to rise.
One by one.
Silent at first.
Then twitching.
Then standing.
Asakusa's celebration still blazed bright beneath the lanterns.
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