Big Brother Kam has always been an amazing guy. As a friend, that's the only way I can describe him. I heard he was sickly when he was younger, but that has to be a complete lie. I've been with him since elementary school, and Big Brother was always playing with energy. Sometimes he'd take a day off, but he'd be perfectly fine the next day. So the "sickly" talk must be just the babbling of people who are jealous of the Anderson family.
My name is Joseph Luciano. Right now, I'm an apprentice in the Mafia. It's a crooked line of work, but my family has been doing this since my great-grandfather's time, so it's a kind of tradition. For generations, we've served the family that holds the position of Boss—the Corleone family (they seem to have changed their name during immigration; they are now the Anderson family)—and we've held the role of Consigliere (Advisor). That's basically the Boss's right-hand man.
To become a Consigliere, you have to be smart. You need to be at least minimally intellectual. To make money and to be strong in court, becoming a judicial scrivener or a lawyer is recommended. My own father is a lawyer on the surface.
That's why I was allowed to attend elementary school. A kid like me would normally be working, so I'm truly fortunate. Thanks to that, I'm close to passing the bar exam.
Oh, right, I was talking about Big Brother. I come from a line of Consiglieres, and I'm close to him in age. Naturally, I was instructed to stay by his side as his attendant. When my father told me to attend school with Big Brother and look after him, I thought, This is it. He was one grade below me, so I had a lot to teach him.
I was all fired up with that resolve when I first met him.
I was overwhelmed.
He looked like a frail kid with blonde hair and blue eyes, but the aura around him was different. I realized he was on an overwhelmingly different level. At first glance, he looked sleepy, but the color of his eyes was deep. Even now, I can't quite put it into words. In any case, he was not normal. I was instantly convinced that I could never beat this guy. What a presence, I thought. And he was just a kid my age.
If I could work alongside this person in the future, it would be a blessing. I had to snap out of it and talk to him.
I rushed over, stammering, but managed to convey that I was looking forward to working with him. Big Brother looked puzzled but eventually said, "The pleasure's all mine."
For a while after that, Big Brother seemed to spend his time quietly, not talking to anyone. I understood why the people around him felt that way. You couldn't just casually talk to him. But when you actually spoke with him, he was surprisingly normal.
One time, he invited me to play at a vacant lot owned by the Anderson family. Refusing wasn't an option, so I went fearfully, but it was just a normal invitation to play. It was just the two of us, but we ran around and played in that vast empty lot. It was genuinely fun. We continued for a while, but there's a limit to what two people can do. I started inviting my followers from my grade and their younger siblings to play. It was awkward at first, but they were just little kids. They quickly warmed up to each other and started playing together. Eventually, kids from his class joined in, and they seemed to break the ice.
After a while, Don Anderson hired carpenters and built lots of playground equipment for us. I thought, The Don is a father, after all. It turned into a children's theme park, and we all played hard and happily. When the other kids found out that Big Brother's father did this, they started looking at Big Brother with even more respect.
Incidentally, in later years, that place really did become a theme park. Its name is "Kam Land."
To get back to the story, that's when the first turning point came. A group of sixth-grade jerks declared that they were making the place their territory. They sneered, tried to intimidate us, and attempted to drive us all out. I desperately protested. I told them this place belonged to the Andersons. But they wouldn't listen and only provoked us more. Some of our friends were even shoved. It was frustrating, but we couldn't fight back—the size difference was too great.
"That shorty is Anderson, right? I don't know who he is, but judging by him, they're just a bunch of wimps, so they're no big deal."
The moment I heard that, I realized I had snapped, and I jumped at them. I couldn't forgive them. They not only insulted Big Brother but the Family itself. But sadly, I couldn't win, and after being thoroughly beaten, I was thrown down in front of Big Brother as a warning. I couldn't move from the pain, shame, and frustration, and the tears just wouldn't stop.
Then, for the first time, I felt anger coming from Big Brother, who had just been watching and saying nothing. His expression hadn't changed, but his aura clearly had. He pushed me and my friends aside, took a step forward, and said,
"If you apologize to us and leave this place right now, I'll forgive you."
The upperclassmen were stunned and then burst out laughing, but we couldn't laugh. Even Big Brother couldn't possibly stand a chance against a group like this.
"Hey, shorty. Keep the jokes to your height. What are you gonna do if we say no?"
"I'm going to beat you up until you cry and beg for forgiveness," he declared as if it were the most natural thing in the world. At that moment, I was convinced, without any rational basis, that Big Brother was serious and had the power to actually do it. The upperclassmen also seemed to realize he was serious. Just as they were about to attack him, I felt an intense pressure emanating from Big Brother. It was the kind of pressure that made even us want to run away. It must have been brutal for the upperclassmen who took the full force of it. But perhaps thinking it was uncool to run away from a younger student, they charged at Big Brother. It looked like they were throwing full-power punches out of fear, but strangely, Big Brother didn't fight back, and the punches didn't seem to hurt him at all.
What on earth was going on? Finally, Big Brother started to move. He punched the guy right in front of him in the stomach, knocking him out with a single blow. He then continued to knock them out one after another, all with a single punch. Then, their leader blindsided Big Brother by hitting him over the head with a wooden stick. I thought he was finally done for, but he turned around unfazed and, with a smile, landed five or six of those punches on the leader. I think that guy will be traumatized.
Afterward, he made all of them kneel in a line and apologize to each of us (especially me). He mercilessly punched anyone who didn't comply, forced them to apologize, and then let them go, threatening, "Never show your faces around us again."
At that moment, I was so excited I forgot the pain and became certain that I would follow this person forever. He may be younger, but he's the Big Brother I'll serve for life. I decided right then to start calling him Aniki (Big Brother).
I think everyone else who watched felt the same way. We thanked Big Brother and asked if he was okay after being hit, but Big Brother just said, "Don't worry about it. Let's continue playing." I knew then that this person was not normal.
Since I was thoroughly beaten and covered in bruises, I didn't play and went home. When I reported this to my father, he was furious. He said, "What do you mean you let the Boss, whom you are supposed to protect, face them alone?" and "The person whose role is to be the most calm and strategic allowed himself to be driven by emotion and charged in—this is a complete disgrace to our house!" and "It's only good fortune that Kam-kun won; if anything had happened, I wouldn't be able to face the Don."... Everything he said was absolutely right, and I bawled my eyes out. After being thoroughly scolded, he said,
"Kam-kun is a man who will become the representative of our Family. The signs of that are already very clear... You cannot simply tag along like a barnacle. You must become a fine man that can support him both publicly and secretly, one he can rely on and stand alongside. This incident was likely instigated by another Family. Even though it involved children, if it had succeeded, they probably intended to gradually take over our territory. And as a bonus, they could discredit the next Don's son. It is the mission of the Luciano family to read their moves and preemptively neutralize the enemy's plans. Can you do that?"
My eyes were opened. What happened was certainly unnatural. But I had shown such a shameful display, and to ensure I would never lose again, I nodded forcefully. My father looked at my eyes and seemed satisfied.
From the next day on, I started calling Kam "Big Brother" (Aniki), spread the word of his greatness, and wholeheartedly supported him. Big Brother hated it and asked me to just call him by his name since we were friends, but this was my way of marking a new chapter. I couldn't take it back. However, I was touched that he still called me a friend even after I had shown such a pathetic display. Big Brother spent three days trying to convince me to change the "Big Brother" title, and I reluctantly did, but I still call him Big Brother when he's not around or in my heart. I hope he can allow me that much.
By the way, the upperclassmen became notorious as losers who were beaten by younger students, their reputation plummeted, and they quietly graduated, hiding in the shadows of the school. Serves them right.
After that, Big Brother was incredible. He quickly became the Boss of the entire school, deepening his influence without having to do anything. (He dislikes being treated like a Boss, so I don't say it.) He's usually quiet and I can never quite tell what he's feeling. However, he also has a friendly side and a goofy side. But, how should I put it, he has charisma. The kind of charisma that makes people want to follow him. That's why people follow him and his followers increase without him having to do anything. He just thought of them as friends, though.
I truly regret being one grade below him. But any trouble within the school naturally came to Big Brother. I arranged it so that they had to go through me first. I would vet the issues, and I generally took care of them myself. This was also a form of learning. Big Brother would only step in for cases that were impossible for me to solve, cases that only he could fix, or sudden emergencies. Big Brother's mind is quick, so he'd quickly resolve things in a way that benefited both parties. That's why he was treated like a Boss. Whenever he was asked for a solution, I started giving him advice, using the legal knowledge I had started studying around that time. That was the proper role of the Luciano family, after all.
I think Big Brother was in the fifth grade then. By that time, his reputation had spread far and wide and he was starting to draw attention from neighboring schools, but no one from our school dared to challenge him. If they lost, they'd end up like the upperclassmen, and my followers, including me, kept them in check.
But we couldn't stop the students from other schools. When a group of clearly high school students—about thirty of them—came onto our turf, my blood ran cold for the first time in a while. But Big Brother just said, "They're noisy. I'll go quiet them down," and in an instant, he was in front of them, unleashing that terrifying pressure. It was clearly more powerful than before. The poor guy who took it point-blank immediately fainted and wet himself. Amen.
After nearly everyone had passed out, Big Brother left them there and returned to the classroom with a perfectly innocent look on his face. As I cleaned up the mess, I honestly thought he was not human.
Incidentally, Big Brother often complained that our school was boys-only. He would say, "I want to experience youth."... I wonder what he was talking about. Honestly, in the few nearby girls' schools, Big Brother is number one on the "Who I Want to Marry" list. The followers' sisters are also aiming for him fiercely, and their brothers are always being forced into impossible promises.
He has a drawing charisma, his simple strength, his perfectly structured face, smart style, elegant demeanor, and good personality. And he's the future Don of the Family. He's an ultra-premium catch. The only people who avoid him are those who are aiming for an honest life, but women seem to be drawn to bad boys. If I had a sister, I would definitely have tried to set them up...
For all his talk, Big Brother is completely unavailable. He's either in class, looking after his followers, training, or spending time with his family. Looking after his followers is an important job for the Don, too. There's no room for a girl to enter the picture. The theme park is openly available to all the little kids, so we gather and have our report meetings in the nearby park after school. I was once surprised when he ordered me to bring him drugs and cigarettes, but when I did, he said, "Is this all there is to it?" He enjoyed it just once and never did it again. I was relieved he wasn't the type to get addicted to drugs. Not that I ever thought he was such a small man.
There was another turning point after his little brother enrolled. Big Brother started saying he was going to hand the family over to his younger brother. Are you kidding me? "I'm not suited to be a Mafia boss," he said? Who is more suited than you?!
Besides, Michael had just enrolled; he was still a little kid. I only followed Big Brother because of who he was. This time, I desperately tried to talk Big Brother out of it, but he just said, "He's definitely more suited for it. Well, if you're so concerned, why don't you talk to him?" I immediately went to talk to the boy.
After school, I called Michael out, and we faced each other alone behind the school building. I've looked after Michael for a long time, and he's like a cute little brother to me, but this was a separate issue. I got straight to the point.
"I heard from Big Brother that you're going to succeed him as Don... that's a joke, right?"
I questioned him, using an excessive amount of pressure—even infusing it with killing intent—on a first-year student, but Michael didn't flinch at all.
"Yes. That's right. I'm sorry, Joseph, but I'm going to succeed as Don."
...He actually said it definitively. This kid has always been stubborn, but he also has serious guts. But I'm not convinced.
"...Hmph. You know the gravity of what you're saying, don't you?"
If that happened, what would happen to Big Brother? At worst, they could end up destroying each other as siblings!
"Joseph, do you really understand Big Brother?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I'll ask you instead: Why do you think Big Brother trains himself so much?"
That question made me pause and think for a moment. It's true that Big Brother imposes an abnormal amount of training on himself. I once joined Big Brother's training so I could become a man who could stand by his side, but it was truly hell. It might even be the limit of human ability. I only lasted three days. I had always thought it was the severe training to become the Don, but...
"Big Brother intends to leave here someday. I sort of figured it out. I don't think Big Brother is the kind of person who would be satisfied with just being a Mafia Boss. I think he's going to be someone who will change the world... That's what I feel. That's why I'm going to take over as Don."
"Of course, I know you won't be convinced by just words. So I'll prove it. I'll train with Big Brother and become as strong as him. If I can do that, will you accept me?"
So that was his angle... Despite being a lower-grade student, he showed me his resolve and even set the terms. If I looked closely, I could see a bandage on his finger. Did they exchange a blood oath? Well, fine. If he says so much, I'll play along.
"Alright. If you insist on that much, then you better convince me. But you know that Big Brother's training is beyond severe, right?"
"I know. That's why it will be proof, won't it?"
"It will. I'll be looking forward to it. Good luck."
I said that and left the scene. I thought then that he'd give up and cry after a day or two. A week at the most. But...
Michael defied my expectations and didn't give up after one month or two. He was so exhausted that he started falling asleep in class, and his grades almost dropped, but when I passed him and said, "No one will follow a stupid boss," he started paying attention and his grades bounced back.
I'm the one who lit a fire under him, but I honestly think both of those brothers are insane.
And I had no idea whether I wanted him to fail or succeed anymore. Michael is a man with a strong will. He has the strength to see things through once he sets his mind to it. That's important among us. He has resolve. Michael might indeed be suited for the role.
But even so, I wanted to serve Big Brother.
In the end, Michael saw the entire year through. He will never give up now. I sincerely congratulated him. And I promised that I would support Michael as the Consigliere when he becomes the Don. Big Brother said, "See? I told you so," but well, I had no choice but to admit it.
In the end, Big Brother, just as Michael predicted, said he was going to "become a Hunter" and left Yorkshin.
But now and forever, there is only one Big Brother for me. I wonder if I have become the kind of man who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Big Brother always calls me his "friend," but I feel I shouldn't take advantage of that. First, I will become a man who is second to none. And in the future, if Big Brother ever gets into trouble, I want to help him out with legal and judicial matters.
It would be too pathetic for me to fail after making Michael prove himself, so I will also work hard to become a man who can be relied upon. First up is the bar exam. I will definitely pass it by the time I'm twenty.
This is my oath.
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