23| Tengen's plan

                                    

                                          

Hey everyone! I hope this chapter brings you as much joy as it has brought me in writting it. Happy reading!

I sat at my desk, the soft glow of the lamp casting a warm light on the letter in my hands. It was from my grandfather, the only family of blood I had left since my parents passed away. We had been exchanging letters, and in each one, I asked him if he had heard anything from Kaigaku. But once again, his response was disappointing. Kaigaku was still missing, and my heart sank as I read the words.
Several days had passed since the little girl was taken to live with her uncle, who had promised to care for her as she deserved. It had been several days since the demon had created an illusion of Kaigaku to lure me into that house. It was as if the demon had entered my mind and discovered my greatest worries. 
I couldn't shake the thoughts of my little brother. Where could he be? Was he safe? Did he have enough to eat? Was he alone? I knew he had done terrible things, but he was still my little brother. I still remembered the day Grandfather found him, terrified and hiding in the bushes in the forest. He brought him home, and at just nine years old I took care of him, cleaning him up and giving him a plate of food, while Grandfather prepared a futon and gave him some of his old clothes.
The memories pained my heart, but they also reminded me of the bond we shared, despite everything that had happened.
Was I stupid to worry about him despite all the bad things he had done? Was it foolish of me to still consider him my brother? Zenitsu had a very different opinion from mine, and although he also felt hurt by the issue, he didn't want anything to do with him and rejected any conversation that mentioned his name. 'You are one of the most precious things to me. Anyone who tries to harm you is dead to me,' is what he told me the last time we talked about it.
Throwing all those thoughts aside, I headed out to train with Tengen, our chosen field of battle being the mountain for a race to determine who was faster. It was Tengen who suggested it, still bitter and annoyed from the last time I had beaten him in a race. He refused to admit that I was faster than him.
In the three races we ran, I emerged victorious each time. Yet, Tengen found every excuse in the book. "I didn't warm up enough, we need to redo it!" he'd protest. "You started before me, we have to redo it!" Or even, "You must be taking a shortcut, we need to bring in a referee!" 
His wives served as referees, and they too declared me the winner in the fourth race. They even brought some food, knowing we had been running all day.
I was starting to get bored, but Tengen still refused to admit defeat. "I'm not in top form today, had a lousy sleep. Tomorrow though, be prepared for a thrashing!" he exclaimed when we finally took a break to eat.
"Darling, there's no shame in being lesser than someone else," Hinatsuru said soothingly.
"You excel in many other ways compared to her!" added Suma.
"You're the best in our eyes," Makio chimed in.
Tengen's eye was twitching with offense. "What are you suggesting!? Obviously, I'm faster than her! It's just that the fight with the sixth upper moon left me a bit banged up, and I'm working on getting back to full strength."
"But I also fought against the sixth upper moon," I interjected.
"Shut up!!" Tengen exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. "I was there from the beginning, it's not the same!" he added, still refusing to accept the truth.
I rolled my eyes and bid farewell to Tengen and his wives. Makio and Suma whispered to me if I could please let him win in the next race tomorrow. Hinatsuru gently reprimanded the other girls for even suggesting such a thing.