Chapter Text
Attending funerals was a common practice for the heads of the Ubuyashiki family. No matter how weakened they were by the curse, they would do their best to attend.
Whether it was the death of a lowly or high-ranking member of the corps, the Ubuyashiki family never stopped grieving.
They grieved for all their children, and for all those who had fallen victim to the demons' cruelty.
They were never able to fight because of the hereditary curse that slowly ate away at their bodies. So they could only grieve, hoping for forgiveness for being able to give orders without saving them from death.
Perhaps because of the sins of their ancestral relatives, Kibutsuji Muzan, they accepted the curse.
For 1,000 years, they lived increasingly shorter lives as if to compensate for the lives of thousands of innocent people. Initially, they could live, albeit painfully, until the age of 50. But by the 80th generation, they had not even reached 40 and began to lose almost all their descendants, leaving only one for the next head of the family. Then, it dropped to less than 30 years in the 90th generation.
The chances of longevity in the Ubuyashiki family were so slim, it was no surprise that the head of the family grew younger with each generation.
They sacrificed their childhood to mature as quickly as possible, preparing themselves to become the next head of the family, even though they had more than one child.
Slowly, one by one, the children in the family would die, unable to withstand the curse that usually preceded the death of the head. Sometimes, some would even escape by committing suicide, becoming so unbearable.
The same thing happened to the Kagaya generation.
Kagaya was only 8 years old when he lost his brother in a fire.
He was 9 when his father decided to arrange his marriage to the daughter of an older acquaintance.
He was 10 when he felt a burning pain throughout his body, especially his head, along with dozens of strange events flashing through his mind.
That was the first time Kagaya felt the pain of the family curse and his Precognition ability. He was told by his dying father that this ability would make him the next head of the family.
Then the day of his father's death arrived.
Three months after he received the curse, his father died. He was not even 11 when he had to become the new head of the family at his father's funeral at just 27 years old.
The funeral was attended only by the hashira and a few close relatives of his fiancée.
The day was bright and sunny. The funeral proceeded solemnly and quietly without a hitch.
Kagaya smiled his usual gentle and warm smile at the mourners. He also didn't forget to express his gratitude and ask for their help in the future.
Everything was so practiced and measured that he seemed like a carbon copy of the previous head of the family. Gentle and flawless, he gave off a perfect impression and a sense of pride and pity from those who had known him for a long time. He cared little for the opinions of others, having accepted his role since the death of his siblings.
So he was completely at a loss for what to do when a new variable arose beyond the calculations of his young mind. More precisely, he wasn't quite ready to face it.
When he returned to the main residence, he found the former water hashira Urokodaki Sakonji waiting for him with a beautiful woman by his side.
Kagaya thought they were guests coming to pay his respects, until the woman introduced herself without bothering to enter the house out of courtesy.
"My name is Tomioka Tsutako, I am the second wife of the previous head of the family, and this is Giyuu, your half-brother, young master."
Her smile was gentle and kind as she gently pushed the small body of a boy from behind her.
The boy, Giyuu, looked no more than 7 or 8 years old. His face was beautiful, with round, ocean-blue eyes just like his mother's.
He shyly peeked at Kagaya, not loosening his grip on his mother's kimono. This made Kagaya even more unsure of how to react.
For a moment, memories of his father's last words flashed through his head.
"Kagaya, I have something very precious that I will also be leaving behind. I will forever owe you an apology for that."
"Be a good leader. Outlast me, and please, take care of that precious thing for me."
Something precious.
His father never said what it was before his eyes closed forever.
Kagaya had promised his father to look after and protect him, just as he had hoped. But of course, Kagaya never imagined that precious thing would be a second wife and his child.
Although he should have felt resentment and disappointment with his father for hiding their existence, Kagaya found all those feelings vanish as soon as the boy named Giyuu looked at him curiously.
No matter how he looked, he was just an ordinary child growing up like any other. There was no pressure or pressure to grow up like him. Just an innocent child growing up with his mother's love.
He had what Kagaya hadn't, which made him even more special in his eyes. It made him envious without going so far as to harbor resentment.
Perhaps their existence was hidden for the safety of those who could inherit if he died.
Perhaps it was also to break the curse, because no matter how many children a head of a family had, they would always lose them before him, leaving only one to become head of the family. But Giyuu was still alive when his father died, also without the curse, which made Kagaya hopeful.
And perhaps it was for self-consolation.
Both his father and he needed someone to support them. Especially now that they only had each other and now he was the new head of the family. He was also unmarried because he was too young to have the responsibilities of a husband or a father.
So perhaps, the existence of his mother and half-brother was indeed for a final purpose.
If that were true. Even if it were only for a short time or forever. Regardless of the other two possibilities, Kagaya wanted to believe. He wanted to be selfish for the first time. To have someone by his side after losing the person he thought was his only family.
For the first time, Kagaya humbled himself. Crouching in front of someone other than his father, he regained the gentle smile he had lost as he looked at his new brother.
"...Hi, my name is Kagaya. I'm your older brother."
His voice was softer than expected, but it seemed to convey enough to Giyuu, who began looking back and forth between him and his mother.
Tsutako chuckled as she gently pushed Giyuu out of his hiding place and greeted Kagaya. Seeing him slowly emerge, though still hesitantly staring at his mother, Kagaya took the initiative to extend both hands in invitation.
Giyuu looked increasingly hesitant and looked back at Tsutako, who simply nodded and laughed. Occasionally, he would glance at Urokodaki, who also nodded.
That was all Giyuu needed before he took off. He slammed into Kagaya's body with enough force to nearly fall over and burst into laughter. It was as if this was the meeting he'd been waiting for, or indeed, it was the truth.
"Nii-chan! Yuu has Nii-chan now!"
The excited, playful voice made Kagaya flinch.
He had just been called 'Nii-chan' by his new little brother. Not 'Nii-san' or 'Nii-sama' or 'aniue'. Just a cheerful 'Nii-chan' without any honorifics.
It was a simple term, but it made him feel so close to him, a person he'd never met before.
Kagaya couldn't help but feel a warm, slightly aching sensation welling up in his heart. He immediately hugged Giyuu's still-giggling little body and buried his face in his thick, soft hair. Tears began to well up and flow slowly.
"Yes... Now I'm Giyuu's Nii-chan, and Giyuu is my little brother."
Kagaya whispered, tightening his embrace. He hid the tears that were either from grief or gratitude that he wasn't the only one left. That he still had a mother and a new little brother he'd lost.
Kagaya could see Tsutako crying silently as Urokodaki gently patted her. They were still the center of attention, but he didn't want to think about it now. He just wanted to experience life, sharing the same father's blood with him in his arms.
"Father, I hope there will never be a day when I lose my mother and little brother again. I will always watch over them here, just like I promised. So please, watch over us from there."
Kagaya strengthened his resolve once again. There was no need for him to say it out loud, he just needed to prove it directly from now on.
For his little brother. For something precious his father left him.