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“The adults are talking.”
That’s what the adults of all the clans said to Kou when he was younger. Whenever his brother went to go show his skills to other exorcists, Kou would follow and watch him. Whenever he wanted to talk to the adults about exorcism, maybe to show him some of their techniques, they would always tell him to wait, and that the adults were talking. Kou waited a long time, until Teru took him home. Never did the adults show him. Not even now, when he had inherited his family heirloom. It was always the same thing. “The adults are talking.”
In his first year of high school, Teru’s graduation year, Kou begged him not to become one of those adults. The kind of adults that ignored him. That never bothered to look at him. The kind of adults that looked down on him. Because if he became one, Teru could never go back to being a nice brother again. Teru pat Kou on the head and said he wouldn’t ever become like one of those adults. Kou knew it was a lie, some of the things Teru said were lies. Like that all supernaturals were bad. Kou looked down and away, Teru waving goodbye and heading off to his next class. Kou clenched his fists and tears fell down his cheeks.
In his second year of high school, nobody fawned over him like they used to do to Teru. They only mistook him for Teru. That didn’t mean he wasn’t attractive, it was just they didn’t know him as Kou, they either knew him as “Teru” or “Teru look-a-like” and at the most “Teru Minamoto’s brother.” Nobody except his friends knew him for Minamoto Kou. Kou was just a replica of his older brother. Actually, not even a replica. More like a shadow. Being called “Teru Minamoto’s brother” was like being called “Teru Minamoto’s shadow.” The worst thing that could possibly happen to Kou after all this was Teru becoming the thing Kou hated the most, ignorant adults.
In his third year of high school, Teru came to witness Kou graduate. Of course, everyone there fawned over him. It was Teru this, Teru that, nobody even bothered to look at any of the other Minamoto’s. By the other Minamoto’s, Kou meant himself. Even Tiara was fairly popular in her year. You could say Kou was like one of those cliche forgotten kids in movies or like the forgotten child in weird school films kids usually made for class. Either way, Kou really just was a shadow of his older brother, and even his little sister.
After Kou graduated from school, he helped the Minamoto Clan exorcize supernaturals, and not the ones that were as small at Kamome. But even then, he was still just a shadow of his brother. He received compliments, but they were all related to Teru in some way.
“You’re almost as good as your brother!”
“Your brother taught you well, boy.”
“I had high expectations for you, and you surpassed them! As expected of Minamoto Teru’s little brother.”
Even Teru, he became what he promised he wasn’t going to become. When Kou tried talking to Teru, he only responded with, “The adults are talking.” It was sickening to Kou really, was he really just going to be the shadow of Minamoto Teru?
And he was supposed to be, that’s what number 5 said, anyway. Mirai was talking to him after Minamoto-kun and Number 7’s assistant got the supernaturals back, along with Akane-kun and the older Minamoto. Number 5 said Minamoto-kun was supposed to live until 90, where he died of old age and natural causes, until Number 7 changed the future with the severance. His assistant was supposed to be sacrificed, but Number 7 wanted her to live a happy life, and said it was to grant her wish. Mirai doesn’t fully understand, but Minamoto-kun was supposed to live. Minamoto-kun instead died, becoming a supernatural for Number 3. The future isn’t supposed to change, but Number 7 always has to do
something,
huh? He thinks that since he changed his future he can change everyone else’s… hmph! Always sticking his nose in other people’s business, that’s why gramps banned him from our boundary. He’s a sticky slime! Minamoto-kun should’ve lived, but at least he can play with Mirai now! Neehee~