A blade that cleaves through the moonlight, shimmering like a palace in the night.
This is my own Breathing.
It placed less strain on my body than using Yoriichi‘s Breathing, and I felt as though I had become even stronger than before.
As I sheathed my blade and turned my head, I saw Uzui approaching with a smile. She looked as pleased as if the success were her own, her expression radiating relief.
"That homework you've been sitting on for three years... You've finally succeeded."
"Well, I suppose so."
"What do you intend to name it?"
"A name?"
Well now, I hadn't given it much thought....
"At this level, it is more a cohesive technique than simple breathing. Giving it a name is only a matter of courtesy to the Breathing itself."
"Then, shall we simply call it 'Michikatsu-Style Breathing'?"
"That is incredibly tacky, Boss."
Uzui‘s face soured instantly.
I know, right? I thought the same thing.
But still,
"Before I name my own Breathing, Yoriichi‘s must come first."
"Are you referring to mine?"
Yoriichi, who had been listening in silence, stepped closer and replied.
"Yes. This Breathing is derived from yours, making it a branch. It would be against the natural order for a branch to have a name before the source has one."
"....But, my Breathing is nothing remarkable. It is not grand enough to be called a 'technique' like yours, Brother. It is merely the way I breathe; I do not believe there is any meaning in giving it a name."
What is this kid saying?
It feels like reading one of those 'I got this in one pull, is it any good?' humble-brag posts in a gaming community that gets bombarded with hate comments.
God, I can‘t even hit him.
If I did, I‘d be the one getting destroyed anyway.
Now that I‘ve developed my own Breathing, I can tell. I am just a novice who has barely stepped onto the trailhead of the mountain.
If I challenged him now, I‘d be finished in less than a second.
If my expressionless younger brother ever took offense or realized I‘m actually quite weak, he might start beating me right then and there.
I'm managing to bluff my way through for now, but I wonder how long that will last....
"A thing has meaning simply because it was born into this world. It does not exist because it has a meaning first."
Yoriichi seemed somewhat convinced by my words, but his expression remained a blank slate.
Come to think of it, he smiled once when he said he wanted to be a samurai, and a second time when he promised to treasure the flute I gave him when he was leaving. Other than that, he's been consistently stone-faced.
Having watched him for ten years, I can catch a few hints of his reactions, but...
It‘s still hard to tell what he‘s thinking with that expression.
"Then, Brother, would you grant it a name?"
How awkward.
Hmm....
Truth be told, I had something in mind for a while.
The twelve forms Yoriichi first demonstrated.
They were just like...
"How about Sun Breathing?"
Because he was like the blazing sun itself.
Upon hearing that name, Yoriichi‘s eyes widened with a look of surprise I had never seen before.
Then, he smiled just like he did when he first spoke.
"I like it, Brother. Thank you."
I‘m glad you like it.
Now for the name of my own Breathing... I want to name it something truly cool.
What would be good....
Nothing is coming to mind...
"Let's go with Moon Breathing."
Uzui spoke up.
"Moon Breathing?"
"Yes. Is it not the Breathing you first used under the moon? And besides, simple is better than adding a bunch of flowery adjectives."
"Isn't that a bit too lazy?"
"If you say that, doesn't it imply you were lazy when naming Sun Breathing as well?"
I suppose?
"But still, what about Kyoka Suigetsu, or Zangetsu...."
"Those are just tacky. Just call it Moon Breathing."
Oh, come on.
Time flies like an arrow.
Four years have already passed since I created Moon Breathing.
Fourteen years old. In my past life, this would be middle school age.
I have grown to about 170cm; my frame has broadened, and my face has matured quite a bit.
If anyone saw me, they would likely believe I was an adult rather than a child.
The same went for Yoriichi.
It was an age where going through a rebellious phase wouldn't be strange, but Yoriichi showed no signs of that whatsoever.
I had built a house next to Uta's and was living there. Living in the same room as a fourteen-year-old girl would surely be uncomfortable for her.
Uta said it was fine, but... I told Yoriichi to stay by her side just in case. Even with Uzui around, she would be safest with Yoriichi near her.
Lately, the way Uta looks at Yoriichi has been quite unusual, too.
I might be seeing a nephew or niece in three years.
By the way, this house was built by Uzui-emon. She finished it in less than a month, claiming such a task was nothing for a ninja.
The woman can even change her physical skeletal structure at will. Seriously, who is Uzui? What kind of group are these ninjas supposed to be?
I didn't neglect my training, either.
Lately, I‘ve been practicing keeping Moon Breathing active at all times, much like Yoriichi. However, it‘s not easy; it slips away unintentionally whenever I fall asleep.
In any case, Uzui and I have been working as 'fixers,' while Yoriichi earns money by cutting trees and selling firewood at the market.
The fixer work has been going quite smoothly.
Between Uzui being a ninja and me using Moon Breathing, we were practically superhuman. Even against a samurai with vast combat experience, I was confident I could knock them out in a single exchange.
Then one day.
"By the way, doesn't it feel like there have been a lot of disappearances lately?"
"Yes. The request that just came in is related to that."
I unfolded the paper Uzui handed to me.
A request to find a six-year-old girl.
The request we received the day before yesterday was for a seven-year-old boy, wasn't it....?
"They searched the entire mountain, but they didn't find the child—not even a scrap of clothing. It's as if they vanished from this world entirely. Since we uprooted the local gangs long ago, it shouldn't be human trafficking."
"It's hard to blame mountain beasts, either, as there was no blood left behind."
It's not like we're in the neighboring Joseon where mountain tigers are crawling everywhere.... What could the cause be?
"Is there some rotten root left that we haven't pulled... or is that rumor actually true?"
"If you mean the rumor... are you talking about Demons?"
Demons.
Monsters that feed on humans.
They are said to possess incredible regenerative abilities and physical strength.
But isn't that just a 'mountain tiger' equivalent?
Though I heard Japan didn't have many tiger attacks.
"Surely not. Do Demons really exist in this world? It's more likely a copycat crime made to look like the work of a Demon."
Even so, I have a very bad feeling about this.