The sound of birdsong split the silence.
Sai opened his eyes slowly, but this time he did not find himself writhing in the dark of his foul-smelling room — he found himself leaning against a tree in the middle of the grass. He opened his eyes with difficulty, and felt something tickling his nose. He thought at first it was a butterfly.
Then he opened his eyes fully.
A locust.
From the sheer terror, Sai leaped two hundred meters away from where he stood, his heart still hammering. After he collected himself and took a deep breath, he began walking unsteadily — still dazed, not understanding what was happening. He looked left and right, and the picture slowly became clear: Monsler practicing with his sword to his left, his mother preparing breakfast to his right, and his father still asleep leaning against the tree.
His mother's voice cut through his thoughts: "Heeey Sai, go call your father and brother for breakfast, it's ready."
Sai nodded without saying anything, then walked toward his father, thinking: *Hah... why are we out in the open at all? What am I doing here?*
He reached Atomic and began to nudge him. "Dad... Dad..."
His father replied in a broken voice: "Hmm... what?"
"It's morning. Come eat breakfast."
"Hmm... yes."
And didn't move.
"Dad... Dad..."
"Hmm... what?"
"I said it's time to wake up."
"Hmm... yes."
And didn't move.
This repeated itself two more times. Sai gave up and decided to go get Monsler first since he was already awake. He came down from the hill and called out loudly: "Heyyy Mom! Where did Monsler go?"
"I saw him heading to the forest to train. Go and get him."
"Okay!" Then in a lower voice: "But you try waking Dad — he won't get up no matter what I do."
Lilith didn't hear him because of the distance. "What?"
"Oh, never mind."
And he left her puzzled and set off toward the forest. On his way, something dawned on him: *Why didn't I just use my speed to tell her and come back? That wouldn't have been tiring at all. What an idiot I am! And where even is this Monsler? What is he doing out here this morning? Anyway, I as usual don't remember a thing — but how do I know exactly which way to go in this forest? Who cares? I think Monsler usually trains by that river over there. How do I even know that? Who cares?*
---
After a few more steps, Sai arrived.
He found Monsler swinging his sword at his four hundred and fifty-fourth repetition, but he was no longer able to hold the sword and swing any further — his hands had swollen.
Sai stepped forward simply and said: "Heyyy Monsler! Come on, dinner — or was it breakfast? I don't know, whichever it is, come."
"I'm not coming." Monsler struggled to stand. "Not before I finish five hundred reps."
Sai drew closer to his exhausted brother. "You were on rep four hundred and forty-nine. Right?"
"Yes, approximately."
Without another word, Sai picked up the katana from the ground, snapped his fingers, and completed the remaining fifty-one reps at blinding speed, then said: "There we go. Five hundred done. Give me a break and let's go."
Monsler was furious. "Hey! What's the point if *you're* the one who did them?"
"And what's the point of completing them at all? As if you'll get stronger just from stupid discipline."
Before Monsler could say anything more, Sai picked him up and launched toward the tree.
---
They found Atomic there, finally awake, already eating. He greeted them on their arrival and said: "Have your breakfast. In a few hours you have hours of hard fighting ahead of you."
Monsler said confidently: "As if I'm scared. I'll crush everyone — including Sai."
"Umm... what are you talking about, Dad?" Sai asked with alarm.
"Enough joking. Sharpen your sword and quickly. You need to give everything you have or I won't forgive you. Both of you need to reach the final at the very least."
"Oh. Y-yes, of course. I'll definitely win."
"The nerve!" Monsler shot back.
---
Sai didn't know how, but within a few minutes he had arrived in the village and found everyone active — all the children his age sparring with energy. He still hadn't grasped what was happening.
The moment he got home his mother said: "Saaai, Monsler! Hurry, get dressed and sharpen your swords. There's less than half an hour left."
---
And so, before anyone realized when, the tournament began.
The rules were declared clearly: render your opponent unable to fight without killing them. Killing — even unintentional — meant immediate disqualification. That was all.
No stands. No chairs. Everyone stood in a circle around a ring in the center of the village, with some watching from their rooftops. The matches began, and Sai was sitting at the front of the crowd — literally on the ground — alone. His father was the referee, his mother wasn't close to him, and his brother was showing off in front of other village children. Sai showed no resistance or interest. All he knew was that he needed to finish this pointless exercise and return to his room.
---
And at last it was Monsler's turn.
His opponent: a boy of eighteen. Monsler himself had not yet passed thirteen. The gap was glaring, and the mockery on the spectators' faces was even more obvious. Everyone had said he would—
Sai said it before everyone, in a quiet voice that those around him heard through the silence:
"He'll win."
And indeed, in the blink of an eye, Monsler severed his opponent's rear Achilles tendon with his sword.
The moment Monsler won, Sai finished what he'd been saying to himself: "Of course he'll win. Monsler's opponent is that classic dumb NPC — famous for his power, brutal in reputation, thinks himself stronger than the protagonist. Everyone mocks the small hero, and in an instant the expression vanishes from his face, and then he stomps the bulky opponent and earns his first aura farming of the tournament. Classic and predictable. But with one difference..."
His train of thought was interrupted by a voice calling his name — it was his turn.
Sai rose, brushed the dust off his clothes, and finished: "The only difference here is that I am the protagonist of this story — not anyone Monsler is. And I know how to use that."
Sai stepped into the ring.
And his opponent?
A girl.
Literally a girl.
Sai was mildly stunned and said: "Oh. Not one of the usual scenarios. This is a slightly special scenario — facing the protagonist in a tournament. And that's further proof that I'm the protagonist, because this would never happen to some—"
---
The start was declared. The girl didn't wait for him — she launched directly at him to attack without a word of warning.
Sai didn't react in any way, and continued what he'd been saying to himself: *Hmm. Yes, as I was saying — this is just a romantic opportunity for me, isn't it? A nice move on your part, author... but this girl is ugly.*
**Finger snap.**
Sai dodged the strike without drawing his sword, took her sword from her, and ended up directly behind her while she was still completing her run for a moment — then she stopped. She turned to find that Sai had driven the katana into the ground and was standing atop its handle on one foot, trying to balance.
He looked at her. "What will you do now, miss?"
The girl said angrily: "Are you looking down on me? What kind of fighting style is this? You're a disgrace to the samurai!" Then she turned immediately toward Atomic. "Isn't this against the rules, Leader?"
Atomic replied simply: "Nothing in Reidence's instructions restricts fighting style. Even if you had a gun in your pocket you could draw it and fire — nothing is forbidden."
The girl's anger grew. "Fine, if truly everything is permitted!"
She rushed toward Sai with no visible weapon. And Sai was still standing on one foot atop the sword's handle. The moment she reached him, she sprayed a certain powder over him, and suddenly a thick fog spread across the arena. Sai didn't move from where he was.
Then — without him sensing it — a dagger came flying out of the fog toward his face.
Sai dodged it with difficulty, but the dagger caught a section of his scalp. He leaped off the girl's sword and pulled it from the ground, then drew his own sword.
The girl saw nothing through the fog. No movement, no sound. She drew another dagger from her clothing and readied herself.
And when the fog cleared completely — Sai was not in his position.
She looked left and right. Nothing. Then she heard a sharp sound beside her ear — a sword had dropped from the sky and driven itself into the ground. It shattered her focus entirely. She drew it and readied herself to fight.
Then Sai appeared before her.
But he didn't look as she had seen him. In the center of his forehead — between his black hair — a broad violet streak had emerged, one his hair had been concealing this entire time. The last dagger had cut through his hair and revealed it to the open air.
The girl asked: "Where were you, cheat?"
"I'm not a cheat." Sai said. "You can call me a hacker or whatever you like. I simply possess abilities that are unfair by your standards — that's why you hate me."
The girl launched toward him in blind fury to stab him, and Sai continued calmly: "And because you hate me, some of you have betrayed the values of the samurai in order to get ahead of me."
The girl raised her sword while he didn't move. "Shut up and just fall, you lazy braggart!"
And before the sword reached Sai's smiling face — it stopped. The sword slipped from her hand, and she fell screaming:
"What did you do to my hand?!"
Sai moved toward her and said quietly: "Yes, as I was saying — you betrayed the values of the samurai to get ahead of us. And one of the most important of those values is honor. And in my view — those who use poison have no honor."
Then Sai walked past her.
The crowd erupted: "Cheat! Cheat! Where's your honor? How do you use poison against a girl?"
Sai shouted with a seriousness few had ever seen in him:
"All of you, shut up!"
Total silence.
"First — that was poison *she* used, not me. Second — even if it had been mine, the rules don't forbid its use. Third — she sprayed it on my shirt before throwing that smoke grenade. I tore that piece of my shirt and tied it to the handle of her sword — can't you see she didn't scratch me? Yet my shirt is torn. That torn piece is tied to her handle — the moment she touched it, the effects spread and paralyzed her hand." Sai paused. "Whether you believe me or not, I did not cheat in this match. And it is not in my principles to cheat against a girl."
Silence from everyone.
Even Monsler was taken aback by Sai's seriousness in that moment.
Then Sai smiled and said: "You're no longer an easy opponent, are you? I believe you don't intend to surrender in this tournament — and that is exactly what I want. There's no use in an easy victory, especially against someone as lethargic as you."
---
Swords clashing. And fates colliding.
Dreams advancing and others crumbling. One dream out of ninety-eight children had been shattered, and one dream remained... along with an unexplained desire to win. The dream was Monsler's, and that desire lived inside Sai.
And here the two brothers stood together on the same ring.
Monsler readied his sword with absolute seriousness. No time for jokes this time — a single mistake and all the effort of his life would be lost. Though the stakes were higher for Monsler, he entered upright, serious, and certain — like an undying flame of resolve. As for Sai, he entered scratching his head and yawning, indifferent to winning or losing — all that mattered was ending this quickly.
They looked at each other for a moment. Silence. Empty staring.
Monsler said: "So then — win or lose?"
Sai replied coolly: "Whichever is easier?"
"Both are a hell harder than the other. There's no escape for you after today — just choose the hell that suits you and accept it. As for me — my fate is either paradise or paradise. No other choice."
"Fine. Then I won't resist you. Getting this far is enough for me. All of this was in the end to lift the shame from our name — but with your victory over me there's no shame in anyone else having defeated either of us. It's enough that we cut down everyone and proved the worth of the Kitsugi family."
Sai sat down on the ground and sighed. "Fine. End this with the least painful move possible."
Monsler walked toward him. "Don't worry. I guarantee you won't be walking for at least the next month."
He drew his sword and focused it on Sai's left leg. No tension appeared on Sai's face, no fear — his expression cold as ice, as if he were accustomed to this. But just before Monsler's blade arrived, Sai glanced randomly into the crowd.
And saw Lilith.
And saw that look on her face.
*What kind of look is that?* Sai said to himself with bewilderment. And for a moment, as if something had come back to him — he froze in place and said to himself:
*Yes. Didn't I say I was going to win and make my mother happy? I did — that night, I don't remember exactly when, but before I fell asleep I resolved to win. Isn't keeping one's promises one of the principles of samurai honor? And especially a promise I made to myself. Monsler's feelings no longer concern me — a few tears and he'll go back to his training. But if I fail myself and my promise in front of my mother, I will never forgive myself for the rest of my life. Life as a samurai is already exhausting enough — so why add the burden of yet another failure?*
Monsler said with his sword close to striking Sai: "Yes..."
And Sai said to himself in that same instant: *Yes... that is the lazy samurai.*
Sai leaped away and drew his sword. Monsler's strike missed.
Then he said aloud: "I truly am sorry for your bad luck, dear brother. Your misfortune is that I was born a samurai — therefore I don't believe I break my promises. I may forget them for a moment, but I trust I will not lose before I fulfill them. So prepare yourself for defeat!"
Monsler replied with excitement he couldn't conceal: "Yes! Yes! *That* is the opponent I wanted! I won't feel the satisfaction of victory in an easy win!"
Sai launched toward him and replied: "There is no feeling more beautiful than shattering the pride of a narcissistic egotist..."
---
The real duel began.
Sai moved like a breeze — untouchable, not attacking, dodging his brother's strikes with maddening speed. But Monsler did not surrender. His eyes were ablaze and his body burned from within, to the point where Sai found real difficulty in dodging.
Sai tried his luck — he ducked and attempted to strike Monsler's leg, but Monsler evaded somehow, pulling his feet away with a jump just before Sai could reach him, and then while mid-air he drove his sword savagely into Sai's back — the blade entered from behind and exited through Sai's chest — fortunately striking the right side and not coming close to the heart.
Sai staggered back several steps in swaying leaps and leaned on his sword. He spat blood.
Monsler didn't wait a single second — he ran toward him immediately. Sai raised his gaze and saw a beast: Monsler's eyes in that moment were blazing, thirsting to crush, and his sword was already at Sai's throat — and he didn't look like his brother at all. Arrogance had taken his reason. The voice inside him was saying: *Yes, I'll beat him. I can barely believe it — Sai's glory is finished. From today I and no one else am the leader. No more exhaustion, no more suffering after today.*
Simply put, Monsler had completely lost himself, and was on the verge of killing his own brother.
Lilith screamed with force from the middle of the crowd: "Stooooop!"
And in that same moment, Atomic had launched at blinding speed no one had noticed — he was close to them, on his way to stop them. But it was already too late.
Time stopped for Sai.
*And now what? Monsler is desperate to win, and he genuinely is about to kill me. No one would blame me if I died right now, right? I can rest, right? This is just a logout, right? I'll move on to the next world, right? I'll be in an isekai world, right? Right? Right?*
*No.*
And for the first time in his life, he said to himself with complete honesty:
*What is this nonsense I'm still rambling about? Isekai? Hehehe. That's funny. All that's waiting for me is probably hell in a situation like this. But... why? Why do I want to win right now? Is it for my mother? Probably not — she just screamed telling me to stop. My father is close but won't reach in time. So why? Why? Why?*
Sai smiled and said:
*I won't know the answer unless I stay alive. Yes — I will not die before I've answered every question in my mind. And the first question I want to answer is: who am I?*
---
Sai disappeared from where he stood.
Monsler didn't understand where he had gone. But in that same second, Monsler suffered a massive wound to his elbow — to the point that his hand nearly separated from his arm — the sword flew from his grip and shattered into small pieces.
Then he fell.
Who fell? Monsler? The sword? The dreams? The pride?
One might say — all of them.
---
Sai appeared before his fallen brother, himself wounded — while Sai's wounds had disappeared and no one understood how. He looked down at him with cold superiority, and said:
"So... that is what a narcissist in defeat looks like when his pride is broken. I have to say — quite a sight."