I, Yorii Tsugikuni, Must Do Something
Author: Ye Yichengzhou
Synopsis:
After Yorii Tsugikuni died of old age, his thoughts did not cease.
Everything he had experienced in life replayed within his consciousness like the flashes of memory before death.
Many of those memories were filled with laughter and happiness, but even more were filled with sorrow.
He had failed the gifts Heaven had bestowed upon him. Over the course of his long life, he had accomplished nothing.
Then Yorii Tsugikuni discovered that not only had he not died, but he had also returned to the youngest, strongest state of his life.
"I must do something."
Volume One: Akame ga Kill!
Rebirth and Encounter
Just moments ago, as Yorii Tsugikuni was nearing the end of his life, he had suddenly felt the urge to go out for a walk.
He encountered his elder brother, Yorii Genkatsu, whom he had not seen in many years and who had already become a demon. Amid his grief, Yorii Tsugikuni delivered the final slash of his life toward his brother.
Unfortunately, at the instant his blade was about to touch Yorii Genkatsu's neck, Yorii Tsugikuni's heart softened.
In that instant, Yorii Tsugikuni hesitated.
In the end, the Nichirin Blade in Yorii Tsugikuni's hand did not truly fall.
So, am I dead?
What comes after death is far more mundane than I imagined.
Within endless nothingness, Yorii Tsugikuni thought aimlessly.
As the second son of the Yorii family during the Warring States period, Yorii Tsugikuni had never lacked food or clothing. He had been born able to use Breathing Techniques and the Clear World, and his talent with the sword had been beyond measure.
Yorii Tsugikuni watched the memories of his life, from birth until his death of old age, pass before him.
As he continued watching, the guilt in Yorii Tsugikuni's heart grew ever heavier.
Yorii Tsugikuni realized that although he possessed talents beyond anything others could compare to, he had accomplished almost nothing in his entire life and changed nothing at all.
He had failed to kill the Progenitor of Demons.
Even his most beloved elder brother had been tempted by the Progenitor of Demons and turned into a demon.
He had failed the gifts Heaven had bestowed upon him. Throughout his long life, he had accomplished nothing.
That was more or less the whole of it.
Yorii Tsugikuni continued thinking within the boundless void, unable to sense the passage of time.
Everything was empty. The only thing that gave Yorii Tsugikuni even the slightest sense that he still existed was likely the fact that his thoughts had not stopped.
Even though the flashes of memory had stopped an unknown length of time ago, Yorii Tsugikuni's mind continued to turn.
What surprised Yorii Tsugikuni, however, was that at some unknown point, his surroundings had changed. It was no longer an endless void; light had appeared.
One of the figures within it looked somewhat familiar to Yorii Tsugikuni.
The girl who had entered his field of vision several times seemed to glance at him worriedly. Then, after hesitating and discussing something with the boy beside her, she walked toward him.
"Hey, hey, hello."
"I've seen you standing here alone for a long time."
Sayo looked worriedly at Yorii Tsugikuni, who was standing blankly in the street alone. "If something's wrong, maybe we can help you."
Today was Sayo and her companion Ieyasu's first day in the Imperial Capital.
There had originally been another companion, Tatsumi, but they had become separated for various reasons. After getting split up from Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu could only continue heading toward the Imperial Capital.
After arriving in the Imperial Capital, Sayo and Ieyasu noticed Yorii Tsugikuni standing by the street.
His face bore an expression that made people's hearts ache, and his entire being radiated an air of sorrow.
Yet the people passing by seemed used to Yorii Tsugikuni's behavior. No one disturbed him as he stood there in a daze.
But Sayo and her companion Ieyasu were visiting the Imperial Capital for the first time. After passing Yorii Tsugikuni several times and seeing no change in him, Sayo decided to speak with him.
"That's right."
Ieyasu also spoke with exceptional brightness and energy. "If you're having any trouble, just tell me, Ieyasu, and Sayo!"
As he spoke, Ieyasu thumped his chest hard.
He had completely forgotten the reality that neither he nor Sayo had a single coin left.
In fact, Sayo and Ieyasu had passed Yorii Tsugikuni several times because all their money was with Tatsumi. By now, they had no money for lodging or food.
*?*
Yorii Tsugikuni stared blankly at Sayo and Ieyasu, who seemed to be speaking to him.
A puzzled expression appeared on his face.
After being dead for so long, this was the first time anyone had spoken to him after death.
Yorii Tsugikuni's stagnant thoughts failed to react at once. After hesitating for a long time, he cautiously asked, "Y-you're talking to me?"
What a beautiful girl.
It's such a pity she died so young.
Although Yorii Tsugikuni had noticed the changes around him, he still believed that he was in the realm of the dead.
He was already dead, and this youthful, beautiful girl before him, who could speak to him, must surely be dead as well.
Otherwise, how could she speak to a dead man like him?
"Of course we're talking to you."
Seeing that some light had returned to Yorii Tsugikuni's previously vacant eyes, Sayo smiled. "I've seen you standing here alone for a long time. Did something happen?"
"If there's anything I or Ieyasu can help with, you can tell us."
"Oh, right. We still don't know your name."
In Sayo's hometown, the villagers treated one another this way.
Whenever someone's family encountered trouble, their neighbors would do their best to lend a hand.
And Sayo and Ieyasu, who had traveled far to the Imperial Capital for the first time, naturally retained that habit.
Seeing that Yorii Tsugikuni might need help, they approached him to ask.
"My name is Yorii Tsugikuni."
"I don't think there's anything you can help me with."
Hearing Sayo's question, Yorii Tsugikuni thought seriously for a while before answering, "After all, I'm already dead. I don't know what I could possibly need help with."
As Yorii Tsugikuni's words fell, Sayo and Ieyasu both froze briefly. They exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter.
"Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni, you really know how to joke."
"If Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni were dead, how could I and Ieyasu be talking to you?"
Seeing Yorii Tsugikuni's unexpectedly adorable contrast, Sayo covered her mouth and giggled.
Sayo naturally did not believe his claim that he was already dead.
"I'm not dead?"
Yorii Tsugikuni stared at Sayo as she covered her mouth and laughed, then froze once more.
He instinctively raised his hands and saw the palms he had possessed in his youth.
Originally, Yorii Tsugikuni could feel nothing within that endless void. Even when his surroundings had changed, his thoughts had nearly stagnated after such a long time in nothingness, so he had not reacted in time.
Now, after Sayo spoke to him, Yorii Tsugikuni finally noticed the changes in himself.
Yorii Tsugikuni and Sayo
First was his skin.
The skin that had become wrinkled with Yorii Tsugikuni's age had regained its elasticity and luster.
His pale hair had turned black and glossy once more. Yorii Tsugikuni was no longer a frail old man on the verge of death, but a young man radiant with vitality.
What had happened to Yorii Tsugikuni at that moment had clearly exceeded the limits of his understanding.
Yorii Tsugikuni fell into a daze once again.
He truly could not understand why he had suddenly become young.
What confused him even more was how he had come back to life after clearly dying.
"Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni, are you from a small place?"
"Is this your first time in a big city like the Imperial Capital, so you feel a little lost?"
Sayo looked at the dazed Yorii Tsugikuni and continued with a smile. "Ieyasu and I also came from a village to make our way in the world. I have to say, compared with our village, the Imperial Capital is truly far too prosperous."
Although Yorii Tsugikuni gave Sayo the impression of being somewhat obedient and innocent.
He seemed completely out of place with everything around him, but Sayo found a good explanation for it: like her, Yorii Tsugikuni was someone from a small place who had come to a big city to build a life.
Since this was his first time in a great city like the Imperial Capital, he seemed a little lost.
When Sayo and Ieyasu had first arrived in the Imperial Capital, they too had been overwhelmed by its prosperity.
They had been lost over where they should go next. The Imperial Capital was simply too vast.
"The Imperial Capital?"
"Indeed, I have never seen such a prosperous city."
After hearing Sayo's words, Yorii Tsugikuni looked around and nodded with great seriousness. "Such a prosperous city is truly unlike anything I have ever seen."
As someone from the Warring States period of Fusang Country, Yorii Tsugikuni believed that a city with more than ten thousand residents was already extremely prosperous.
A city with thirty thousand residents could rank among the ten strongest powers in all of Japan.
Yet the Imperial Capital had a permanent population of over a million, along with several hundred thousand more transient residents. To Yorii Tsugikuni, it truly was a level of prosperity he had never witnessed before.
After all, the entire population of Fusang Country during the Warring States period had only been several million.
The Imperial Capital, on the other hand, was modeled after Yanhuang Country, a nation with hundreds of millions of people. They were simply not on the same level.
"Mm, I used to hear the elders at home talk about how prosperous the Imperial Capital was."
"But even though I was mentally prepared, I was still shocked when I truly set foot in the Imperial Capital."
Sayo looked at Yorii Tsugikuni, who seemed somewhat blank, and covered her mouth as she smiled. "So what are you planning to do next, Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni? Ieyasu and I are waiting for a companion who got separated from us."
"Once that companion arrives, we plan to enlist in the army."
Sayo explained her plans.
As the economic pressure in their hometown grew increasingly severe, Sayo, Ieyasu, and the separated Tatsumi had come to the Imperial Capital in hopes of making a name for themselves.
Once they had money, they would be able to help ease their hometown's financial burden.
Unfortunately, in the original story, Sayo and Ieyasu had underestimated the monsters lurking within the Imperial Capital.
As a result, before the plot had even properly begun, both of them met their end.
"My plans from here on?"
"I don't know."
Yorii Tsugikuni thought of his elder brother, who had already become a demon. A sorrowful expression appeared on his face as he softly said, "I suppose I'll continue searching for traces of demons."
At that moment, Yorii Tsugikuni merely believed that he had simply come back to life.
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