"Oh, so blowing out birthday candles on your tenth birthday brings your memories back."
?
What?
Why are you saying that with the same tone as "night comes after day"?!
I just got 29 years' worth of memories shoved into my head!!!!
"Shoyo... you knew?! You have your memories?"
"Yes! Both Oboro and I have our memories."
"Oboro has his memories too?!"
No...
No!!!!!!!!
Is this normal?!?!
What the hell!!!!!!!
"Yes. Oboro got his memories back on his tenth birthday too."
"This was based on actual events?!"
My head feels like it's gonna split open in so many ways.
My whole world just collapsed!!!!!!
"But wait, what happened? What about Edo? Kabukicho?"
"...This is Shizuoka. Kabukicho's in Shinjuku. Not sure what's going on there."
"Seriously??????"
Shinjuku? Oh right, that makes sense...
Wait, hold on, Shizuoka to Shinjuku is at least four hours away, isn't it?! That's super far!!!!!!
"The Edo period exists in history, but everything about the Amanto and terminals disappeared."
"It's gone?! Why??? What about Odd Jobs?"
"...It wasn't that famous to begin with anyway."
"True, but... then what about the Shinsengumi? The terminal?"
"The Shinsengumi's just a regular police organization, and there's no record of terminals. All the civilization here was achieved by humans alone."
"Book burning?! Wait, why did civilization disappear?!"
"Book burning and scholar burying."
My head's splitting open again.
I thought my world had collapsed...
It didn't just collapse, it completely vanished!!!!!
"Wh-what about Naraku?! Tendoshu?! Are you two okay?"
"...Don't know. There's no trace of Naraku or Tendoshu either."
No!!!!!!!!
This is beyond book burning!!!!!!!!
History got rewritten on a cosmic scale!!!!!
"What the hell happened here?!?!?!?!"
==
One day, starting with a glowing baby born in China, 80% of humanity gained superpowers called Quirks.
As people with superpowers increased, the profession of hero—something that only existed in comics before—came into the spotlight.
"I know that part!!! But why am I here with my memories intact? What about Shoyo? Oboro? What happened?!"
Shoyo raised his hand with his usual cheerful expression.
"Well! I woke up in the middle of the street."
"What is this, an isekai reincarnation plot?!"
Pretty normal so far, right?
"As an Altana mutant, of course."
Nope, it wasn't.
He dropped a bomb!!!
"That stayed with you!!!!!!! Everything else disappeared, so why did that one thing stick around?! What about Utsuro? Don't tell me he's alive."
Is the person in front of me not my teacher but the final boss?!?!?
"Utsuro seems to be asleep. For now, it's just me. After that, I properly revealed my identity to the heroes and became a teacher."
"So that's why?! I thought you just looked young for your age, but you're actually immortal?!"
Actually, you're way too young to just be young-looking, aren't you?
You were All Might's teacher!!!!!
How old is All Might anyway?! There's no way his teacher should look this young!!!!
"Some stuff happened, and around the time I retired from teaching, I found Oboro being attacked by villains. While I was temporarily looking after him, his memories came back on his tenth birthday."
"So that's what happened?! Then what about me? What happened to me?"
"About two years after that, I guess... I found Gintoki and brought him home. You were five then, so it's been five years now."
Five years... Wait, hold on, does that mean????
"I was the only one without memories for five years...?! What the heck?!! This is a total scam against Gintoki!!!!"
"...I didn't want to deceive you."
Oboro, who had been quietly watching Gintoki make a fuss, muttered in what seemed like a dejected tone.
Seeing that, Gintoki felt a bit awkward and said:
"Ugh... Fine, fine. Who'd believe that anyway?"
Clap!
"Well well, this actually works out great. Now that Gintoki has his memories back, we don't need to be careful anymore. Past lives are past lives, present lives are present lives. Nothing's really changed."
"That's true... Damn it. I don't know if our people are around, but even if they reincarnated, it'll be ages before they get their memories back... I've become a lonely Gin-san..."
"....."
==
The very next morning!
October 11th!
The round sun has ri~sen.
"Gintoki, wake up."
"...Fifty more minutes."
"You're gonna be late."
"You go, high schooler."
"I'm a teacher, though?"
"...Huh?"
When Gintoki opened his eyes, he saw Shoyo.
Not Oboro, who woke him every day.
"What? Why are you waking me? Where's Oboro?"
"Oboro went to school early today."
"What...? Why?"
"Who knows? He probably needed time to think alone."
"...? That's weird... He's never done this before."
Since I started tagging along with him... this has never happened, has it?
With questions on his mind, he headed to school.
That day, Gintoki didn't see Oboro.
==
October 13th!
"Gintoki. Wake up."
"...It's Shoyo again today."
"Haven't seen Oboro yet?"
"We live in the same house; how could I not see him? But he won't talk to me."
"Hmm. Not yet, I guess."
"It's already been three days... What's he even thinking about?"
==
October 17th!
"Gintoki, wake u..."
"I'm up."
Shoyo looked at Gintoki with slightly surprised eyes.
Gintoki, who could sleep for 14 hours if left alone?
"You're up early today?"
"Where's Oboro?"
"He already left."
"Damn... That makes it a week now. Just how early does he wake up?"
Even model students have limits...
How early is he getting up anyway?
To the grumbling Gintoki, Shoyo stepped closer.
"Why? Are you worried?"
"...He's been avoiding me for a whole week."
"Hmm..."
"What's the problem? Is it because I ate all the cake? No, wait... he doesn't even like sweets that much. Is it the strawberry milk? Because I didn't listen and bought three? But he's the one who gave me some of them!!!"
Shoyo, who had been quietly watching Gintoki rattle off excuses while feeling wronged, spoke up.
"Doesn't it bother you, Gintoki?"
"What? What doesn't?"
"In your past lives, you two weren't exactly on good terms."
?
Oh right.
Go to hell!!!!!
Say hi to Sensei for me!!!!! (= you go to hell)
We were the kind of relationship where we bungee-jumped off Edo Castle saying stuff like that.
And various other things too...
Yeah.
We were way past "not on good terms."
"Right? But so what?"
"From your perspective, isn't he your mortal enemy?"
...That's... true, I guess?
Things were pretty bad between us in various ways, right?
But still...
"I mean yeah, but, with all this and that..."
"Hmmm~"
Shoyo looked at him with an intrigued expression...
"Huh? Wait, so Oboro's avoiding me because..."
Just as he was about to ask, Shoyo grabbed his shoulders and turned him around.
"Go get ready for school now. You're really going to be late."
"Oh, you're right... I'll just ask him later."
"Do that."
==
Shoyo saw Gintoki off as he left the school.
Gintoki trudging away looked no different from before he got his memories back.
"Sensei, I—"
Suddenly, Shoyo remembered what his eldest son had said a few weeks ago.
Unlike Gintoki, who didn't dwell on his past life and lived normally,
Oboro had been unstable ever since he first recovered his memories.
Things changed after Gintoki came, but...
"Those two need to make up..."
Actually, they never really fought, though.
==
On my tenth birthday, something I shouldn't remember came flooding back.
Tendoshu's direct unit, the Beast of Naraku's Yatagarasu.
The one who created both the beginning and end of Yoshida Shoyo.
Oboro.
'I' tried to help Yoshida Shoyo escape and died together with the assassins, but came back to life thanks to Utsuro's blood.
'I' was jealous of the Shoka Sonjuku students, of Shiroyasha, so I dragged Yoshida Shoyo, whom I'd worked so hard to free, back to Naraku.
'I' took Takasugi Shinsuke and Katsura Kotaro hostage and forced Shiroyasha to choose between saving Yoshida Shoyo or saving the other two.
'I' threw a dagger at the charging Takasugi Shinsuke, blinding his left eye.
'I' mocked Shiroyasha about Yoshida Shoyo when we met again after years and stuck poison needles in his pressure points.
'I' threw a stone spear into the fallen Takasugi Shinsuke's stomach, inflicting a fatal wound.
'I' kept mocking and tormenting them.
'I' finally died in Rakuyo after a battle with Takasugi Shinsuke.
This was 'my' original sin.
A sin I would have to carry for eternity.
Yet, I came back to life.
I, a sinner, received Sensei's grace once more.
"Say hi to Sensei for me."
Until the moment of death, those words never left me.
After ruining everything, was I allowed to face Sensei?
Forgetting all those thoughts, I was taken in by Sensei again.
So shamelessly...
Guilt came flooding in like a tide.
Then I met the reincarnated Shiroyasha, Sakata Gintoki.
==
"Oboro! Say hello. This is Gintoki."
"...Excuse me?"
"....."
"Now that both Oboro and Gintoki are officially adopted instead of just temporarily under my care... you two are brothers, right?"
"...Y-yes...!?"
"...That's how it is?"
"Yoshida Gintoki and Yoshida Oboro sound awkward, so why don't all three of us just be Sakata?"
"...What?!"
"Oh, that actually sounds better."
"What?"
That child suddenly entered my life.
Even if he doesn't know, I do.
If our story were put on trial,
I would be the defendant, and you would be the victim.
...That's definitely how it would be.
Yet...
"Hey~ Want strawberry milk?"
"....."
"Hey! Come with me!!!"
"....."
"This time in Jump, there's a new manga—"
"....."
At first, I was flustered.
Even without memories, wasn't he being too friendly?
No, should I have kept more distance while he was still wary...
When you get your memories back, I'll become your enemy.
But then...
"Oboro, buy me strawberry milk."
"....."
"Come on, Oboro! Let's go together!"
"....."
"Oboro Oboro, that manga I mentioned last time—"
"....."
...How strange. Really strange.
I decided to carry this sin. I resolved to bear this guilt until the end.
But why, when I'm next to you...
"Oboro. Buy me strawberry milk."
"...Just one."
"Ugh, fifty more minu..."
"Get up. I'll take you."
"Waaaah!!!!!! This week's Jump came out on Saturday...!!!!"
"I figured, so I bought it ahead of time."
The guilt fades. That's how it felt.
I shouldn't let that happen. I can't let that happen.
Why... are you...
==
I think it was during my third year of middle school. School ended pretty early, so I went to pick up Gintoki.
When I reached the school gate, I saw Gintoki getting into it with some middle schooler.
"Hey, what's your Quirk?"
"I'm Quirkless, though?"
"Huh? Quirkless? I heard an eighth grader was the school's top dog, so I thought you'd have some amazing Quirk, but you're Quirkless?"
"Yeah, got a problem with that?"
...Geez, again?
Whether because of his personality or his skills,
that kid often got caught up in fights.
But that day was particularly bad.
"Yeah, I got a problem. A Quirkless nobody acting all high and mighty."
"Says the middle schooler with a Quirk picking on an elementary kid. What are you, in seventh grade but already hit eighth-grader syndrome?"
"You little...!!!"
The middle schooler grabbed Gintoki by the collar.
That bastard right now...!!!!
"How dare a Quirkless nobody act up?! Quirks are a blessing from God!! Not having one means God abandoned you!!! What's the point of living Quirkless? Just go ahead and die already!!!! Just die and go to hell or something!!!!!!!"
"Return to hell, Shiroyasha!!!"
Ah.
Suddenly, I heard a voice.
My own voice...
For a moment... I saw myself overlapping with that kid. My feet wouldn't move.
Around then, I heard Gintoki's voice.
"So what if I'm abandoned? If God doesn't care about me, doesn't that mean I can live however I want? And God's blessing? What good is that? I can live doing what I want without it. Eat what I want, watch what I want, spend my days with people I want to be with, and go where I want to go."
A calm but resolute voice.
That sight was still shining brightly...
"If anything, what are you doing despite having God's blessing? Aren't you ashamed?"
"You little bastard!!!!!!!!!"
THWACK—!!!!!!!!!!!
A loud sound rang out.
Someone fell.
...It was that middle schooler.
What happened? Did Gintoki do it? But he was being grabbed by the collar...
Then who?
"Gah...!!!!! Who the hell are you?!"
"Oboro...? What are you doing here...?"
"...?"
There's blood on my fist.
...There's blood on my fist?
"Huh?"
"'Huh?' What do you mean, 'huh?'!!!!! Are you crazy?! Why'd you butt in?! You tell me not to hit people, but then you hit someone yourself!!!!!!!"
"...I did?"
"Y-you bastards!!!!!!!! What do you think you're doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
According to witnesses, that day... the moment the middle schooler raised his hand to hit Gintoki, I instantly rushed over and punched him.
...In crude terms, I decked him.
That student was from our school, and there were many witnesses. Plus, a third-year middle schooler hitting a first-year was less significant than a first-year middle schooler verbally abusing and trying to hit a second-year elementary student... so I got off relatively easy.
"Oboro. This incident was quite reckless. However... you did well acting to protect your brother."
"...Yes. I'm sorry."
On the evening the verdict came down, as I was lying down to sleep,
Gintoki asked.
"...Oboro."
"What?"
"Why'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You usually tell me not to hit people. Then you suddenly show up and deck someone? Man, I spent forever wondering if I ate something wrong. Thought it was a dream."
That's right...
I thought so too...
"....."
"That's so unlike you. Why'd you do it?"
.....
Exactly.
Why did I do that?
"...Don't know."
"Huh?"
"I don't know either. I just..."
"Just?"
"That... you know, that thing."
"...Huh? What thing?!"
At that moment, there was nothing in my head.
My body just moved on its own.
==
Time passed, and three years later, October 1st.
Nine days before Gintoki's birthday.
After Gintoki fell asleep, Sensei and I started our meeting.
"Given Oboro's precedent, Gintoki's memories will probably come back when he blows out the candles on his tenth birthday... but we still can't be sure."
"...."
"Well, let's put that aside for now and prepare for Gintoki's birthday, shall we?"
"...Yes. Before that, I have a suggestion."
"What is it?"
I'd been thinking about it for a while.
Whether I hoped it wouldn't come or hoped it would,
that day. What I could do was—
"I want Gintoki... to not know that day is his birthday."
"Oh... What do you mean?"
"A normal day with slightly good luck, just that kind of day. I want to wish him happy birthday at the end of a day like that."
"That's a nice idea, but... it won't be easy, will it? Stores will have calendars everywhere..."
"I'll make arrangements. I'll ask them to hide calendars for a while. Gintoki doesn't have a phone and isn't very interested in that stuff, so if we're just careful about the surroundings, it should be fine."
"...I see... But why go that far? Just celebrating normally would be enough, wouldn't it?"
"It's nothing much, just... just..."
I hesitated for a long time. Hesitated and hesitated again.
If I say this out loud, it might really become reality.
"Just, I feel like it might be the last time I can be there as his brother."
"...What?"
"...That's all."
"What? No, Oboro. What are you saying right now..."
"Sensei."
"....."
Sensei looked at me with worried eyes.
I'm sorry.
I guess someone like me doesn't suit being the eldest disciple after all.
"Sensei. I—"
Gintoki. You—
"I hope Gintoki doesn't recover his memories."
You made this sinner want to live as a normal older brother.