003-B16
Brotherhood
Subtitled Video
Text Transcript
– “Big brother.”
I can hear Nayuki’s voice.
In my dream, I can hear his voice from when he was a child…
“Hold my hand, big brother.”
Nayuki was always following me around.
I couldn’t help but think he was the cutest thing in the world.
He would smile happily every time I’d pat his head, so small and clever.
We were always together.
He was by my side as we walked home the day I heard the death prophecy.
A fiery sunset lit up the sky.
There was no one around, and it felt as though we were the only two people left on earth that day…
I felt sorry for Nayuki, who looked like he was about to cry…
I wanted you to laugh it off and smile…
What a shame — if it had been just one year earlier, I could have joined the 27 Club1.
He was angered by my joke. Surely, there are exceptions. There’s no way I‘ll die.
In his indignation, he researched the history of the death prophecy extensively.
As he discovered, there are no exceptions. I will die at twenty-eight.
Knowing this, he always strove with all his might to fulfill my every selfish desire.
I was so happy, Nayuki…
When I tried to die on purpose, you were really angry and worried about me.
You, who feared my death more than I did, who hated me more than I did… were a salvation to me.
But I was too greedy. That’s why you lost your affection for me.
When you left, I was shocked, but also relieved. You were freed from accompanying me through my poor excuse of a life.
But I was so happy when you locked me away in prison. I knew you were still concerned about me.
If that’s what you wanted, I would stay there until my death.
If there’s still something I’m able to do for you… that’s enough for me.
But by some stroke of fate, I’ve ended up by your side again.
I guess you were disappointed. You’ve always looked at me with a complicated expression in your eyes.
Then came that moment when a man appeared with a weapon to stab me.
I figured I wouldn’t die anyway, so I did nothing.
At the same time, I thought if I did die, it would be fine.
All of the dirty feelings inside me had been exposed…
It was a hassle to continue living.
I have nothing.
Neither a healthy lifespan nor love, even my kind facade is fake…
I wondered, if I had been stabbed, would you worry about me?
I even considered that. How horrible of me.
I never even thought for a second that you could die.
I’m so sorry, Nayuki.
What do I do now?
I wish we could go back to how we were before we heard the death prophecy.
Even if it’s no longer possible, I want to face you properly.
I want to rightly accept the anger you’ve been directing at me this entire time…
Open your eyes, I’m begging.
Nayuki…
Nayuki…!
Hospital Room
Nayuki!!
I heard you the first time. How many times are you going to shout my name…?
Nayuki!?
So loud… Hey, what do you think you’re doing touching someone’s face like that?
You’re alive… Thank goodness…
…
It’s been a while since you’ve looked so human.
Huh?
It’s nothing. The President and Chief stopped by just now. You were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you up.
Ah, I-I didn’t realize.
I heard the outline of the incident. A man came on stage with a weapon…
To cut to the chase, he’s the man I deceived before.
…Hm? What do you mean?
You do realize that I took advantage of an old internal conflict in EDG3 when I sent you to prison, right? I instigated a fight between members with a grudge against each other.
Ah, yeah… That day had been the first time you had called me in a long while… When I went to the meeting place, it was the scene of an assault.
He was a friend of the man that was stabbed. Apparently, he held a grudge against you because he didn’t know the details of what had really happened.
In other words, the fact that I’m the one in the hospital bed is my own doing. Please forget any lofty thoughts that this is your fault or anything of that nature.
No… Even if that’s the case, I’m the one who planted the first seed.. I’d rather die than see you get hurt…
…
——— Nayuki flicks Raito in the forehead.
Ouch…
Knock it off. I’m not dead, and I don’t want to hear those words from you.
No, I was truly in despair… I was terrified you might die.
I had always thought that you’d be the one to take care of me in the end…
Looking back, it seems strange to think you’d be willing to do that, especially when you hated me so much, but, still… I kept thinking that to console myself.
I’ve never considered that you could die first…
Do you finally comprehend what it’s like, even just a little, to be the one left behind? It serves you right.
I’m sorry, Nayuki…
…
——— Nayuki sighs peacefully.
Since we’re here, why don’t we have a proper one-on-one for once?
…?
Please don’t look at me like you’re an abandoned puppy. You’re too big for that and it’s not cute.
I wanted to ask you something. How did you feel knowing it was me who put you in prison?
….I was happy.
…
HAAH!? How infuriating can you be!?
N-Nayuki. Your heart rate is increasing. Please calm down.
…
——— Nayuki lets out his breath in an angry huff.
Of course I’d be happy. I found out my little brother, who I thought had long forgotten about me, still cared…
…
From the day I found out about my death, you were the only one who was always there to deny it. When you started to ignore me… I felt lonely.
…Tch.
If you want me to care about you, then treat me like a fellow human being. Not just me, but everyone around you, too.
That charade of being the only one who has accepted death and acting defiant, saying you’re going to enjoy your life or whatever… Jumping on anything that comes before your very eyes.
Being satisfied with the bare minimum, and then leaving everyone who admires you behind with a, “Hi, goodbye, have a nice life.”
Interacting with others superficially and never trying to build anything deeper.
Ultimately, it’s because you’re isolating yourself from everyone else, separating people into those who will die and those who won’t.
But even if the rest of us don’t have an advance notice of death, anyone can wake up and die tomorrow.
…!
Even when Kinouchi-kun went to you for advice about Natsuyaki-kun, you left him to fend on his own. It’s that part of you.
That’s… right. I’m sorry.
I worked frantically to make mahorova a reality, but when you got tired of it, you immediately sold it. Same for everything else.
Moreover, to announce you’re quitting Ev3ns when we haven’t even achieved any results yet…
No matter how flawed you are, there are fans that adore you. Despite that, you tried to dispose of everything again.
I have nothing to say for myself…
Do you understand what you should have done?
…
I should have maintained mahorova… I shouldn’t have abandoned all of the places I’ve belonged to… I should have delved deeper into Tao’s troubles…
I’m not saying you have to do that for everything but at the very least, that was the attitude I wanted you to have instead.
Also, I should have listened more carefully every time you’d try to stop me.
That’s obvious.
We only have each other…
…
What I’m trying to say is… from now on, I want you to live like someone who plans to keep moving forward in life.
…
It’s not just three years, it’s three more years. There’s still time to fight. At least, I intend to keep up the fight.
Stop living like a person who’s on the verge of death. You may be okay with it, but… the rest of us being abandoned will be sad…
You’re hurting, too, right? Don’t treat yourself so carelessly either.
Nayuki…
I wondered if you had already accepted my death.
Why would you think that?
The moment you lost patience with me, I thought you had given up, accepting that your brother would die anyway so what did it matter.
There’s no way I would think that, even if you are a crappy older brother.
I’ve never once, even for a moment, forgiven your stupid prophecy or death.
…Is… that so…? Haha.
Why are you laughing? Is this a funny scene?
I’m not sure. Maybe… I’m happy you denied my death again.
That fact that you’re thinking that means you haven’t accepted your own death either.
Don’t try to escape your feelings by living destructively.
You’re right, Nayuki. I probably… hadn’t accepted my own death.
…
Also, you keep saying you’re incapable of love and agonizing over it or whatever. From my point of view, it’s hilarious.
…?
Would someone incapable of love be this distraught over their brother almost dying? What’s with your pale face and lifeless voice then?
You think too highly of love. Who decided it’s the most important thing in the world? That’s your assumption.
There’s plenty of love around you. I don’t think there’s anything missing in you at all.
Nayuki…
Generally, people who feel no love whatsoever wouldn’t go to jail to protect another person. I made that plan by taking advantage of your compassionate side.
If you get it, then don’t ever say something stupid like you’re quitting Ev3ns again. I’m going back to sleep.
I’m exhausted from talking too much to my idiot brother.
…
——— Raito starts laughing.
Don’t pat my head, I’m not a child.
I’ll do exactly as you say… So let me indulge a little as a reward.
…
Do what you want.
Footnotes
- The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, often expanded by artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. ↩︎
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