Tetsu no Sosuke was almost flattered. He hurriedly said, "Did you never think of defying them? Choosing your own spouse? Marrying for love?"
"What is that?" Kokushibo frowned.
"Come on. Not knowing back then is one thing, but you've lived long enough to know how people think now. You can't spend your whole life in someone else's shadow."
For some reason, those words seemed to strike a chord with Kokushibo.
His six eyes shifted suddenly. "If it were you, what would you do?"
"I'd leave the family, live as I pleased, find the woman I loved most, marry her, and have children."
"If there were someone you could never catch up to, no matter what you did, what would you do?" Kokushibo ignored Tetsu no Sosuke's banter and asked again. This was what he really wanted to know.
Tetsu no Sosuke heard him out and understood what he meant.
Then he answered seriously, "If it were me, I wouldn't try to catch up. I'm already good enough as I am. Why do I have to be better than everyone else? And if I absolutely had to surpass him at something, I'd pick something else. If he can outdrink me, I'll out-eat him. If he's better at bragging, I'll be better at swearing. If his farts are louder, I'll make sure my shit stinks worse. Life gives you countless choices. Why pick a dead end? Take another path, find a new direction, and make him chase after you instead. Wouldn't that be better?"
Kokushibo dismissed the first part as Tetsu no Sosuke spouting nonsense.
All that talk of shit and farts was enough to make him sick.
But the last thing Tetsu no Sosuke said gave him pause.
He wanted to argue, yet found he had no answer.
*There are countless