A pervert!!!!!
I found myself consumed by a profound sense of sexual indignity.
More importantly, why does the back of my head feel so prickly?
I turned around to find Uzui glaring at me as if she wanted to devour me whole.
That look of pure contempt! Stop looking at me like that! I'm the victim here!
"What I seek to craft is the ultimate battle automaton. An embodiment of a swordsman who has reached the Domain of the Gods."
Shutara Senjumaru moved, her prosthetic arms clattering as if loosening her joints.
"Breathing techniques that generate movements making the impossible possible... A Grandmaster who discovered and imparted such things would be more than sufficient for the task."
A battle automaton?
Is she saying she can build an automatic doll to hunt Demons? If we could mass-produce those... it might actually lower the casualty rate of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Of course, they cannot be used in actual combat due to durability issues."
Well, that's a shame.
I suppose even for a doll, wood would be the limit in the Sengoku period. It would obviously get smashed to pieces.
Wait, I wasn't the one who originally conceived of Breathing... and there are people stronger than me...
"However... Lady Shutara, I do not believe I am the swordsman you are looking for who has reached the 'Domain of the Gods.'"
"Are you referring to your younger brother, the Child of the Sun?"
Huh? How did she know?
"His breathing, his stride, his movements—everything is similar to yours, yet distinctly different. It would be harder not to notice. I imagine the Breathing you claim to have 'discovered' was actually found using clues obtained from the Breathing of that Child of the Sun?"
What is this... analytical prowess...? She figured all that out from just those tiny clues?
"The defining trait of Shutara Senjumaru is her god-like analytical ability, gi. Still, I knew that Child of the Sun was extraordinary from the first time I saw him, but to think he was that far gone, ya."
"Of course, if the boy permits it, I intend to utilize his movements as well... but what I desire right now is your swordsmanship."
But why?
"Wouldn't it be better to just focus on Yoriichi's? If a swordsman who has reached the Domain of the Gods is right nearby, there's no need to implement the movements of a lesser swordsman, is there?"
"A... lesser swordsman...? I find that hard to understand. Are you not also one who has transcended humanity?"
Is this woman mocking me? It would be better to implement the movements of the Hashira instead of mine.
"Indeed. What I wish to embody is certainly a swordsman who has reached the Domain of the Gods. However, what I wish to leave behind is not an 'ideal' to be admired. It is an 'imperfect' form that can be imitated."
Is there a reason to specifically leave it imperfect?
"An 'ideal' is a pleasant word to hear, but though it may be invisible, it has an end. Perfection does not exist in this world. But when humans see an ideal that transcends their common sense, they idolize it and perceive it as an existence they can never reach."
"Are you saying that admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding?"
"Yes. That is why they never even think to imitate it, and instead arbitrarily set limits for themselves even when they are capable of climbing higher. I don't much care for that. That is why I need you—because you are closer to the ideal than anyone, yet you possess the potential of incompleteness."
Ah—I—see. I completely understand.
***
Shutara Senjumaru left, suggesting we begin the doll's design tomorrow.
As for me.
I dashed to the hot springs and threw myself in.
This blistering heat wrapping around my entire body!
How long has it been since I had a proper soak?
It's not that I couldn't shower with warm water before, but the hot springs have their own unique romance.
And then there's submerging eggs in the spring to boil them, and eating them while spacing out.
Is this not paradise?
"Brother."
"Yes."
"I wish to wed Uta."
"I see... Wait, what...? *Cough! Hack! Cough!*"
Dammit, I choked on the yolk! Why the hell did this guy just drop that on me without a single change in expression!?
So, you finally intend to kill your older brother.
"Brother, are you alright?"
Seeing me choking, Yoriichi patted my back.
Once I calmed down, I let out a dry cough and looked at Yoriichi.
I only choked because he blurted it out so suddenly. Between the way Uta looked at Yoriichi and the general atmosphere between them, I had already picked up on the signs, so I wasn't particularly surprised.
Though the modern Confucian values from my past life revolted at the idea of a minor getting married, such common sense didn't apply here in the Sengoku period. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
"And why are you asking me?"
"I felt I must receive my brother's permission."
"There is no need for my permission. It is your life. I have no business interfering in your love. Besides, it's hard to find a woman as good as Uta anywhere else."
In contrast to the expressionless and blunt Yoriichi, she was the ultimate chatterbox. They seemed like a mismatch, but don't they say opposites attract?
In fact, having lived together for ten years without any friction, where else would you find such an ideal couple?
I approve.
"...Is that so?"
Why is he asking it like a question?
"I did not realize you held such a high opinion of Uta, Brother. I thought you disliked her."
"Why on earth would I dislike my sister-in-law?"
***
I did not expect him to grant permission for the marriage so readily.
Unlike his usual demeanor, whenever Uta would ask about his work when he returned home, he would answer all her questions; however, judging by the minute contractions and tension in his facial muscles, I had assumed he was not particularly pleased.
Thus, I thought he would oppose the wedding.
Yet, looking at his muscles and heart rate, he did not seem to be lying.
So, Brother did not hate Uta.
The fact that I had arbitrarily judged and made assumptions about my brother's heart made me feel ashamed.
"Yoriichi. I wonder if you can keep up. With the speed of a world without Uta."
My brother took a sip of sake and opened his mouth again.
"To know misfortune is not a thing to be feared. What is truly terrifying is the realization that happiness of the past shall never return. Time that has passed never returns; even if you regret it, the past will never become the present. Therefore, walk the path where you can be happiest in the now."
With that, my brother peeled and ate an egg.
Brother's answers always provide me with guidance. In the past, in the present... and in the future.
I do not know if I can keep up. With the speed of a world without you, Brother.
Come to think of it, Brother is also of a marriageable age. Does he have no intention of marrying?
"Will you not marry, Brother?"
"Marriage?"
Brother laughed as he took another sip of sake.
"You scoundrel, do not mock me just because you are getting wed."
Pardon?
"Regrettably, there is no one who likes your older brother."
???
I could not understand.
Looking at his heartbeat and muscle movements, he was not telling a lie.
No one loves my brother?
That is strange...
After all, Uzui Ei has been by his side for seventeen years. And then there is Lady Amano Ruka, his Tsuguko and the Mist Hashira. Both of them are beauties who rival Uta.
To say they have no feelings... Their heartbeats, the way they look at my brother, and the way they behave towards him all suggest they harbor feelings far beyond mere fondness...
And looking at the way my brother treats them, it does not seem as though he dislikes them.
Just what is it?
Could it be that my brother cannot read a woman's heart...? No, that cannot be. There is no way my brother, who pierces through the hearts of others without fail, could fail to notice that one thing.
Surely, Brother must have his own thoughts on the matter.
Brother, to reach your level, it seems this younger brother is still wandering a long, distant road.
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