Ken Ichijouji…
…The second son of the Ichijouji family, who grew up under the shadow of his "perfect older brother," making him shy and withdrawn.
Though nowhere near as exceptional as his brother, he was essentially a gentle and kind-hearted child, and when his brother died, he fell deeply into self-blame.
Although gentle by nature, he was still just a child. When constantly overshadowed by his brother, occasionally jealous due to their parents' favoritism, he once harbored a fleeting thought…
…If my brother, who was always perfect, didn't exist—would my parents love me more?
Of course, it was just a passing thought that he quickly rejected himself. But when tragedy struck, he fell directly into guilt and panic.
Could it be that his brief, selfish thought had somehow caused his brother's death?
Even adults struggle to cope with losing someone close, let alone a child. Unable to find an answer, it was easy for him to spiral into self-blame.
At a moment like this, his parents should've been there to comfort him and resolve his inner turmoil.
But his parents, too, were devastated by losing their brilliant elder son, completely unaware of their younger son's hidden anguish.
This deepened his pain, until it became a wound impossible to heal, making his character increasingly introverted and gloomy.
A single accident demonstrated how fleeting life was—and how fragile ordinary human happiness could be. Just one small tragedy could crush a seemingly normal life.
...
After carefully reviewing Ken Ichijouji's life, BlackGatomon simply remarked inwardly:
Unlucky little human brat… and nothing more.
She neither had, nor needed, empathy for humans. She was a Digimon who lived by the ruthless law of the jungle: survival of the strongest.
Having faced endless suffering herself, she'd long since lost any impulse to mourn for others. To Digimon like her, even pity was an unaffordable luxury.
Yet compared to the happy, optimistic Yagami siblings, BlackGatomon had a much better first impression of Ken Ichijouji.
Because she'd suffered herself, she took some comfort in seeing someone even more miserable—though it couldn't change her fate, it still soothed her mood slightly.
…See? I'm not the only unlucky one~
And then she'd numb herself again without guilt. After sinking so low even once, there'd never be a way back.
A faint sound startled the boy who had been blankly staring at his brother's photograph on the desk. Instinctively turning around, he saw nothing there.
"…?"
The window had somehow opened by itself. Confused, he stood up to close it, but suddenly felt a cold, dangerous stare.
His entire body froze in place; neck stiff, he slowly turned toward the source of the chill.
Then, on his bed, he saw a black cat leisurely grooming her fur with sharp claws…
She lowered her dangerous, gleaming claws, reflecting his frightened face in her vertical pupils. Her mouth curled upward slightly.
She jumped lightly from his bed and leisurely circled around.
"Nice to meet you, interesting little brat~"
"You spoke? W-What are you!?"
The boy's voice shook with panic. He wanted to run from the room, but found his legs wouldn't move at all.
"Rude kid. Facing such a lovely lady and asking 'what' instead of 'who'? That's terribly impolite, isn't it?"
The bizarre situation left the boy paralyzed, too frightened even to breathe.
Seeing this, BlackGatomon almost laughed aloud. Gazing into his eyes, she followed his glance toward the photograph on his desk.
"Kid, you're disappointed with your life, aren't you?"
"!"
He didn't understand why she'd suddenly ask such a thing, but subconsciously, the boy didn't deny it.
Neglected by his parents since childhood, overshadowed by his perfect older brother—he'd always wanted to prove himself, only for that accident to happen.
In truth, his relationship with his brother hadn't been great. His brother was so exceptional that whenever it was just the two of them, he acted as a strong and dominating presence.
Sharing a room, his brother always decided when they went to sleep, woke up, or did anything at all…
…His brother was a genius, after all—he was always right, and all Ken needed to do was obey.
Precisely because of this, he once had that awful thought—"It'd be nice if he wasn't around."
Yet, when they played games together, his brother occasionally showed a different side. Despite his talent, games were the one thing his brother wasn't as good at. Playing games together was one of the rare times Ken could win against him.
In those moments, his brother stopped being a perfect superhuman and behaved like an ordinary child—frustrated when losing, stubbornly denying defeat, before finally conceding with disappointment.
…These were rare moments, slowly dissolving the barriers between them.
Maybe my brother isn't really so bad?
Then the speeding, out-of-control car came rushing in, revealing the answer to everything.
His brother, without hesitation, pushed Ken away and lost his own life under the car's wheels…
…He finally got the answer he wanted—but in a way he absolutely couldn't accept.
Are you disappointed in your life?
Though too young to fully judge his own life, the boy clearly felt overwhelming remorse at losing his brother.
"Very good, then… I can grant you a completely different life, sending you to an incredible world… unlike anything you've ever experienced before!"
BlackGatomon was amazed she even bothered persuading him.
She could easily overpower him with brute force—this boy, even his entire family together, stood no chance against her. She could effortlessly knock down these fragile humans with a single paw.
Why was she bothering with such nonsense instead of forcing him along immediately? Could a weak little kid like this possibly resist her?
Yet BlackGatomon had said it anyway, baffling even herself—but at least the effect seemed good.
"An incredible world… unlike anything I've experienced before?"
A clear spark of interest appeared in the boy's expression. The death of a loved one, self-doubt, and his inability to understand his parents—all these made this young boy deeply confused about life itself.
He had no idea how to solve these problems; even many adults couldn't figure these things out. What good solution could a young boy possibly find?
So, the inevitable phrase entered his mind…
…Running away may be shameful, but it's effective!
If there were no answers, he'd simply stop caring. If he didn't want to hear, he'd cover his ears; if he didn't want to see, he'd cover his eyes. Run away… flee to a place where no one knows you. Then surely he could abandon everything and start over.
The boy swallowed nervously, unconsciously taking a step toward BlackGatomon.
At that exact moment, faint light began glowing from the drawer in the desk beside him.
It shone faintly through the crack in the drawer, flickering gently, impossible to ignore.
"…?"
BlackGatomon signaled for the boy to open the drawer—and froze instantly.
Inside the drawer lay a palm-sized white device.
She recognized this thing immediately: the mark of the saviors chosen by the Host Computer—the destined heroes.
"I see…"
BlackGatomon instantly understood Piedmon's intention in sending her after this boy. At that moment, she almost laughed out loud.
"Take it with you…"
"But…that's my brother's…"
The boy hesitated. He knew what this was: the strange device that had appeared suddenly in the brothers' room.
At the time, he'd been deeply curious, but before he could reach out, his brother had already snatched it away.
His brother was a genius; everything he did was correct. Whatever appeared in their room naturally belonged to his brother first.
Only if his brother didn't want it could it possibly become his.
But this time seemed somehow different…
In his brother's hands, the device had no reaction at all, remaining inert despite repeated attempts. However, one time, unable to suppress his curiosity, the boy secretly touched it.
Unexpectedly, the device lit up. His brother, seeing this, had become furious.
"This is mine! Don't touch it without my permission!"
Angrily, his brother locked the device in the drawer and never took it out again.
Now that his brother had died unexpectedly, the key naturally passed into the boy's hands. Now, everything in this room belonged to him.
"That's right…" The boy's face finally revealed a hint of relief. "…Since my brother's no longer here, this should belong to me now, shouldn't it?"
He reached out, picking up the device. In that instant, he felt an inexplicable, almost blood-deep connection…
He gripped it tightly, as though afraid it might slip away. Even he didn't understand why he reacted this way.
"Good…" BlackGatomon observed his reaction, knowing her persuasion had succeeded. "…Come with me. I'll take you to a brand-new world—my world, the Digimon's world. Welcome to our side, kid~"
The boy tightly clenched the Tag in his hand and nodded resolutely.
---
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