𝓘 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾 ||𝑲𝑵𝒀 𝑿 𝑶𝑪|| (HIATUS)

一緒

Together

"That's right. My sister's name was "Ume". It's not "Daki". That's a shitty name. No... The name "Ume" was also pretty shitty. Because it was the name of the disease our mom died from.

Ranshoumon-Gashi. We were born in the lowest caste of the Red Light District. Weber is a major burden because it costs money to feed us and keep us alive. Our mother tried to kill herself many times before I was born.

And after I was born, I was nothing but a nuisance, so she tried to kill me many times. But I survived. I had a weak body, like that of a dead branch, and I desperately tried to stay alive.

Maggot.

Dimwit.

Powered among dunces.

Useless.

They laughed at me for my ugly voice and appearance. They called me dirty and threw rocks at me. It was like all of the vilifications in the world were created to insult me. I was ugly. I was dirty. I was covered in dirt and dandruff. I smelled bad because of all the lice.

In the Red Light district. Where once beauty meant everything in this world, I was detested. Like a monster. When I was hungry, I ate rats and bugs. My plaything was a sickle a customer forgot to take back. But something began to change inside me when Ume was born.

Ume.

You were my pride and joy. Ever since you were very young, you were so pretty that even adults would falter. I realized I was great at fighting and I began my work as a collector. Everyone feared and became disgusted by my ugliness. I felt great. My own ugliness became my pride. A beautiful sister like you just blew away my own sense of inferiority.

I felt like we could accelerate ourselves to a better life and make a living. Until you turned thirteen. You blinded a samurai by poking his eye out with a hairpin. And as retaliation, you were tied up and burned alive. I wasn't there. When I came back from work, he burnt you to a crisp."

"WAGHHHHHH! STOP! STOP! STOP!! I'M THE ONE COLLECTING DEBTS HERE!! YOU DARE COLLECT SOMETHING WITHOUT GIVING ANYTHING BACK TO ME?! UNFORGIVABLE!! UNFORGIVABLE!!

TURN MY SISTER BACK TO NORMAL!! IF YOU DON'T, I'LL KILL THE GODS, BUDDHA EVERYONE!!" Gyūtaro screamed in agony as he held the burnt body of Ume. It was nothing that Ume was. She was nowhere near identifiable.

Then someone sneaked up behind the grieving Gyūtaro and slashed his back with a katana. It was the blinded samurai who burnt Ume. Along with that samurai is a lady who seems to work in one of the houses.

"It's definitely this guy, right?" The noble man asked.

"Yes! That's correct." The lady identified Gyūtaro while looking at them with disgust.

"I'm very grateful. Thank you for being away from his troublesome person. He was truly brutal. His fish leaked injured people before he collected from them, and restrained them have stopped working recently as well.

I'm really sorry about Ume, though. If I find a cute girl, I'll introduce you to her again. Uhh, about the money..." The lady stated.

"Well.. hold on. I'll finish him off first."

Gyūtaro gripped his sickle, and in a blink of an eye, he was already in mid-air. He had stabbed the woman.

"You sure have a nice kimono. You have some pure and supple skin too, man. I bet you get a full meal and you sleep in a beautiful futon.