Yoriichi left.
After bidding farewell to the siblings.
The sudden news shattered Yuko's original plan.
She had originally planned to endure until Yoriichi turned ten and then leave home with him. The future of a woman in a large family during feudal society was self-evident.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
That day, while Yuko and Michikatsu were helping sort through their mother's belongings, they discovered a diary written by their mother.
Yoriichi had indeed learned that he was to be chosen as the heir, which was why he left home early.
He also seemed to have known about Akeno's illness and impending death, supporting her body diligently when her mother's left side became uncontrollable.
Michikatsu clutched the diary tightly with both hands, wrinkling the paper, veins bulging on the back of his hands.
He hung his head as if struggling to breathe, his heart filled with resentment and jealousy.
"I beg you not to live in this world. It would be best if someone like you had never been born."
Michikatsu had always thought Yoriichi was a coward, a clingy child who only stuck close to their mother. Only now did he finally realize that he had been utterly defeated, not just in strength but also in personal character.
Especially Yoriichi's departure, which felt almost like an act of charity, left him nearly consumed by jealousy and shame.
Kneeling nearby, Yuko, who had also read the diary, was immersed in self-reproach, completely failing to notice Michikatsu's increasingly twisted inner turmoil.
How shameful.
As someone with an adult soul, she hadn't managed to discover the fact that Akeno... their mother was seriously ill.
Even without the Transparent World, based on an adult's perception of their surroundings, she shouldn't have been completely oblivious.
She knew her mother had always suffered from physical weakness, but she never expected it to be this severe.
How shameful... In her final message to their father, their mother pleaded with him not to separate them, to treat the children equally, and hoped they would grow up healthy.
Their father was a superstitious man. When Yoriichi was two, he had told him, 'You are an unblessed child,' 'You shouldn't have been born,' 'You are an unlucky child,' 'You will bring disaster to the tsugikuni family.'
Therefore, in order not to bring disaster to the family, Yoriichi behaved extremely modestly, never speaking to anyone and minimizing his presence as much as possible.
Only in front of his mother, elder brother, and younger sister would he occasionally reveal the smile a child should have.
But their father also loved their mother. After reading Akeno's last words, he seemed to understand the sin he had committed.
He sent people to search for Yoriichi, even dispatching men to the temple, but they failed to find any news of Yoriichi.
After the search yielded no results, their father finally gave up.
Upon hearing the news, Michikatsu breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart.
Whether you ran into bandits or were eaten by a bear, as long as you disappeared, that was enough.
Since then, everything in the tsugikuni family seemed to return to normal, yet it also felt like everything had changed.
Michikatsu practiced swordsmanship daily under the guidance of his father's subordinates, waiting for the day he would inherit the family.
Yuko's situation was not as optimistic.
Girls in large families during feudal society were often pitiful, lacking the right to freedom, and frequently serving only as tools for political marriage.
To avoid such a future, Yuko also wanted to leave home, just like Yoriichi.
But she was only six years old and lacked any skills. A little girl leaving home like that would only lead to death.
For this reason, she sought out Michikatsu.
"Elder Brother, could I trouble you to teach me swordsmanship?"
Michikatsu stood alone in the courtyard, practicing by swinging his wooden sword.
Yuko chose the time deliberately. If outsiders were present, they would surely report the matter to their father.
A girl holding a sword—what kind of nonsense was that?
"Why would a girl learn swordsmanship? You only need to master the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. After all, when you grow up, you only need to get married." Michikatsu's feudal mindset made him utter this sentence without hesitation.
Hearing this, Yuko was so angry she almost posted him on some Hongshu platform.
Just wait until you get cancelled, kid.
Even though she communicated seriously with Michikatsu, all she received were perfunctory responses and indifference.
This made Yuko thoroughly understand that Michikatsu was already imprisoned by the twisted ideology of feudal society and could not understand her at all.
Yuko had always believed that with her adult knowledge and experience, correcting a child's twisted psychology should be easy.
But reality slapped her hard across the face.
Children listen to adults not because what adults say is correct, but simply because they are adults.
Michikatsu, deeply influenced by the hierarchical concepts of the old society, simply could not heed Yuko's words.
Yuko stopped asking for his help. During the day, she studied zither playing, tea ceremony, and embroidery under the teacher arranged by her father.
At night, she would swing the wooden sword she had secretly taken from Michikatsu in her own room.
Although she couldn't figure out the knack for training on her own, it was better than doing nothing.
Furthermore, she occasionally sneaked glances at Michikatsu's training during the day, so overall, she was making some progress.
If she wanted to survive successfully in the outside world, personal strength was essential, especially since she was a girl.
If she didn't work hard, what she would become was already clearly depicted in those pink apps.
She had no doubt that in this feudal society, man eating man was worse than demon eating man.
Time passed little by little, and more than ten years flew by in the blink of an eye.
Michikatsu and Yuko grew taller, and their appearances even became extremely similar.
Although Yuko was born later, the features inherited from their parents were identical to her elder brother's, except her figure was slightly smaller, and her face looked softer, leaning more toward the feminine side.
Her long, wine-red hair attracted countless gazes, almost causing the threshold of the tsugikuni family home to be worn down.
After Michikatsu inherited the family business, married, and had children, their father, who had always harbored depression, passed away early at the age of thirty.
That day, Yuko, who was learning zither playing from her teacher, was called away by Michikatsu's subordinate.
Yuko approached Michikatsu with a heavy heart.
Yuko said flatly, "Is there something you need, Elder Brother?"
More than ten years had greatly diluted the siblings' affection, much like the deep-rooted hierarchy Michikatsu held in his mind.
"General-sama has sent people with a betrothal gift..."
Just the first sentence sent a chill through Yuko's heart.
She didn't even wait for Michikatsu to say a second sentence before speaking flatly, "I understand."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going back now."
Having said that, she turned and left without waiting for Michikatsu to continue speaking.
In fact, at Yuko's current age of eighteen, she was considered an elderly 'leftover woman' in this era, and the men she had rejected were countless.
Until this time, when the General's son proposed a marriage alliance.
Even if she disagreed, it wouldn't matter.
Feudal society harms people.
Yuko passed by the kitchen, grabbed some food, returned to her quarters, and began packing her belongings, planning to slip away tonight under the moonlight.
She pulled out a katana wrapped tightly in cloth strips from her closet—something she had previously taken from the family home.
She also packed several sets of sturdy clothes suitable for travel.
After finishing her packing, Yuko's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a flute in the corner of the room.
Michikatsu had given it to her when they were children. Perhaps when he carved one for his younger brother, he thought of his younger sister and carved one for her too.
She had thrown it into the corner after Michikatsu's mind became increasingly twisted.
After a moment of hesitation, Yuko wiped it clean and placed it in her travel bag.
Everything was ready, lacking only the East Wind.
The sky gradually darkened.
Tsugikuni Yuko slung her travel bag over her shoulder, fastened the katana at her waist, and opened the door.
Good.
The night patrol wasn't around here.
However, when she sneaked to the back door, a figure stood silently under the moonlight, leaning against the door.
Hiss~
Aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night?!
Yuko gasped, quietly retreating under the hazy moonlight, intending to turn back before Michikatsu noticed her.
"Yuko," Michikatsu's flat voice sounded.
Yuko stopped, knowing she couldn't escape. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadows.
"Did you send someone to watch me?"
"You didn't think I wouldn't know about you stealing the real sword, did you?"
Yuko: "..."
She had been careless.
Yuko's eyes slightly chilled. Gripping the hilt of the sword at her waist, she said coldly, "Get out of the way. I won't let you manipulate me like Yoriichi."
Having not heard Yoriichi's name for over ten years, Michikatsu's body stiffened for a moment.
The scene of his pride being ruthlessly shattered by his younger brother felt like it happened just yesterday.
He slowly drew the long sword from his waist and said in a deep voice, "Then let's see. Let's see what you've secretly managed to learn."
Unlike the Michikatsu who played with a wooden sword as a child, the current Michikatsu, having undergone rigorous training and possessing extraordinary talent, had already become a Warrior surpassing their father.
Yuko took a deep breath, knowing this battle was unavoidable.
She slowly drew the long sword from her waist.