The end of August was in sight, and the cicadas were in full cry.
It was in the garden at dusk that young Yuji Itadori, who lived with his grandfather, first encountered "it."
'Yuji, Yuji, can you hear me? It's your big brother.'
As the voice suddenly echoed in his mind, a naked boy appeared in the garden.
Kindergarten was out, and his grandfather was away at the pachinko parlor. For Yuji, who had been killing time watching TV, this visitor was a far too interesting break from the mundane. Above all, Yuji was only three years old. At that age, it is asking a bit much to expect a child not to react to something so intriguing.
"Whoa, you're totally naked!?"
'Forgive me, Yuji. After finally getting to see you, I'm in this state. I was in a hurry.'
"You were in a hurry so you're naked...? Were you in the bath or something, Mister?"
'Mister—! No, I'm your big brother, Yuji! Your big brother! ...And for the record, I wasn't in the bath.'
"Oh... So, do you want something from me?"
'Yes. I have a favor, Yuji. Could you please open this window for a moment?'
Facing the "funny naked guy," young Yuji obediently opened the window.
Suddenly, right before his eyes, the "boy" transformed into a "grotesque form resembling a tiny fetus." As Yuji let out a cry of shock, his mouth and eyes flying wide open, the creature leaped straight into his throat.
---
A few hours after that event, which felt like something out of a summer horror special...
"Hey! Hey, Yuji! Don't take a nap with the window wide open! You're gonna get covered in mosquito bites!"
"Huh!? S-Sorry, Grandpa! Welcome home!"
"...Yeah, I'm back. Did something happen?"
"...There was a weird guy. He was naked."
"...A flasher? Or maybe you just had a weird dream?"
"Hmm, maybe it was a dream?"
The three-year-old Yuji tilted his head in confusion. However, a voice that was clearly not his own suddenly rang out inside his head.
'It wasn't a dream!'
"!? What!? Who's there!?"
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you still sleep-talking?"
'Yuji, only you can hear your brothers' voices. Keep us a secret from your grandfather.'
"Eh? Uh, okay...?"
"Okay to what? Kid, are you feeling alright?"
'If you think it in your head, we will understand. You don't have to speak out loud, Yuji.'
"I-I'm fine! Like Grandpa said, I was just half-asleep! I'm gonna go back to sleep for a bit!"
"Really? Well, make sure you're up by dinner."
Yuji, eyes darting around in bewilderment, gave his answer to his grandfather and ran into the bedroom they shared, diving into the futon and pulling it over his head.
—Maybe I have a brain disease!?
Panicking as only a three-year-old could, he squeezed his eyes shut and buried himself under the covers, desperate to escape into the world of sleep, convinced that another nap would fix everything.
But...
Regrettably, when facing Special Grade Cursed Objects that were very much not figments of a dream, choosing sleep was in one sense the optimal response, and in another, the worst possible move.
---
For a living creature, sleep is the threshold between life and death.
And for the brothers of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, who were Special Grade Cursed Objects, inviting the dozing Yuji into their Innate Domain from that place so close to death was an easy feat.
"Yuji, Yuji."
"Mmm... Grandpa?"
"No, it's your big brother."
"Brother...? Wait, WHOA!? Where am I!? ...A field of flowers?"
As young Yuji Itadori's consciousness awakened within the Innate Domain, his confusion gave way to a realization: he was surrounded by nine "monsters."
The young man who had just woken him—with short black hair tied in twin tails—looked human no matter how you sliced it.
However, the mohawked man lurking behind him looked suspicious with his pitch-black eyes; the teal-colored one who looked like a dark version of Pac-Man could only be described as some kind of digital monster.
As for the rest of the crew standing behind them, they were a lineup of nightmares: a monster with a slime-like body with a skull floating inside; a green, multi-eyed zombie-like creature; a monster that looked like a human-shaped pile of maggots; a mass of giant, perpetually rotting flesh; a monster made of countless bones clicking and writhing together; and a human-shaped pile of cinders that swirled while emitting the smell of burnt meat and black smoke.
Facing a group of monsters that would have shocked even the villains of a Sunday morning superhero show, young Yuji was terrified. He wailed and cried.
But as he cried and cried until he was exhausted, he realized that the monsters surrounding him were flustered, doing their absolute best to soothe him.
'Oh look, Yuji stopped crying!'
'Brother, your voice is too loud. You might make him cry again.'
'Was it my belly dance!? Did he like it!?'
'It made him cry more.'
'Kechizu, Brother, idiots.'
'Ehh!? Really!?'
'Ooooh...'
'Ah... oh...'
'Clack-clack-clack.'
'...'
'Don't everyone call me an idiot!'
'Now, now, everyone. Kechizu is just the creative type.'
'Right, Brother Eso!?'
'All of my brothers are geniuses!'
'Brother, you're making things complicated. ...More importantly, it seems Yuji has truly calmed down.'
Watching the monsters noisily fussing around him, Yuji's fear completely vanished. Forgetting that he had been crying just moments ago, he used his naturally upbeat personality to try talking to them.
"You've been saying it this whole time... are you guys really my brothers?"
'Yes! We are your brothers! I am Choso. This is Eso, and then there's Kechizu, Nuran, Osho, Kansho, Sanso, Koso, and Sho-o. We are all your big brothers, Yuji!'
'Now, now, Brother. It's hard to suddenly accept nine new brothers, so there's no need to rush... Besides, your grandfather is calling, so Yuji needs to wake up soon. Yuji, I'll give you proof that we are brothers.'
"Proof?"
'Our parent... Yuji's mother should have had stitches on her forehead. Ask your grandfather about it. Now, Yuji, go eat your dinner, and let's meet again tonight. We can introduce ourselves properly then. ...Brother, try to calm down a bit by then. I know you're happy we've reunited with Yuji, but still.'
'Eso's right! Brother Choso, you've been breathing all heavy for a while now!'
'Brother Choso loves us too much.'
'Can't be helped. Yuji, see you later.'
Sent off by the noisy group of monsters, Yuji's consciousness faded, and he drifted back from the flower field to the top of his futon.
That night.
At the dinner table, when Yuji asked, "Did my mommy have stitches on her forehead?", his grandfather's face turned pale. He pressed the boy, demanding, "Who told you that!?" Yuji could only give a vague, confused reply: "My big brother...?"
However, seeing his grandfather's reaction, Yuji felt a strange sense of certainty in his heart: "Oh, so it's true."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]