It wouldn't have been strange at all if they were complete strangers to him.
However, he couldn't just ignore the young ones who called him 'brother' and followed him around, as he was not such an unreasonable and cruel person.
"I've never even owned a pet because I dislike taking responsibility."
Although he had never raised any kind of pet before, he couldn't just abandon the young siblings he had accidentally become involved with and decided to steel his heart to take responsibility for them.
He resolved to somehow take responsibility for those young ones who called him 'brother' and followed him.
‘But I can't just do it carelessly. I've prepared myself, and these kids need to have their own resolve too.’
With this strong thought in mind, Rockefeller called over his siblings who had just filled their bellies and were chattering away.
"I have something to say, just like father would."
As the eldest brother said he had something to say, the younger siblings began to look at Rockefeller with sparkling eyes.
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"Rockefeller, is it something important?"
After saying he had something to tell them, Rockefeller went outside for a moment and came back with his arms full of something.
It was branches that could be easily found outside the house.
Rockefeller distributed one branch to each of the siblings and spoke.
"Try breaking the branches I divided among you."
Upon hearing this, the three younger brothers, excluding the youngest sister, were able to break the branches without much difficulty.
Rockefeller then handed the siblings a bundle of branches, urging them to try breaking them again.
Even the second oldest, who was somewhat strong, struggled with the bundle of branches handed by Rockefeller and eventually gave up after much effort.
Afterwards, Rockefeller asked his siblings.
"What lesson can we learn from this?"
Despite Rockefeller's question, the three brothers wore expressions of not understanding at all.
"As you all know, a single branch is weak. It's easy enough to break on its own. But when bundled together, it becomes unavoidably strong."
Only then did the three brothers start nodding their heads as if they finally understood Rockefeller's meaning.
Rockefeller continued speaking.
"As you might well know, our family lacks any real talent. It's quite serious."
At this, the second eldest tried to strongly object but soon closed his mouth and hung his head.
It wasn't just that they couldn't dare to contradict their eldest brother's words, but also because, deep down, they had thought the same at some point.
While the third had been strongly empathetic from the beginning, the fourth seemed reluctant to speak up.
"It's sad, but that's our reality. So, what should we do? Should we just live without any talents?"
To this question, the third cautiously opened his mouth.
"Like the branches earlier, we need to come together as one."
"Yes, that's right. As Joshua said, each of us brothers may seem insignificant on our own, but like bundled branches, we need to become one and grow stronger."
Rockefeller, in front of his three younger brothers, ostentatiously broke a branch.
"A single branch like this can be broken easily."
Rockefeller then tried with all his might to break a bundle of branches.
However, the bundled branches, although somewhat bent, did not break at all.
Having confirmed that the bundled branches did not break, Rockefeller said,
"Even these insignificant branches, when bundled together like this, become strong enough that not even I can break them easily. So, remember this from today on. From this moment, we brothers are one. A brother's affair is my affair, and my affair is a brother's affair. That's both our fate, being born less fortunate than others, and also the strength that allows us to survive in this harsh world."
Rockefeller explained to his younger siblings in a way that was easy for them to understand.
"Some brothers, you see, fight fiercely over their own bowls of rice. They might even kill each other. In a way, these individuals could be considered better off than us. But they can't unite like we do. Why? Because for them, taking care of their own bowl is more important than banding together with their brothers."
Hearing this, the third child expressed his doubt.
"Rockefeller, what about those who are stronger than us and have a closer brotherhood?"
The second child seemed to have a similar thought and quietly nodded.
Rockefeller gently shook his head and calmly countered the third child's doubt.
"Joshua, I assure you, that will never happen. No matter how close they are, in the end, they are just strangers to each other. They might join forces occasionally, but they can't maintain it for a lifetime. Everyone has their own bowl to take care of, and the desire to prioritize it is human nature."
Upon hearing this, the second child raised his head to look at Rockefeller, and the third child, who had been doubtful, now had eyes shining with curiosity.
Rockefeller took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
"But we have to be different no matter what. We know too well what each other lacks, so we absolutely must stick together until the end. For those who lack nothing, sticking together as brothers might be optional, but for us, it's not a choice but a necessity for survival. Did you all understand what I've said so far?”
As Rockefeller asked, his three younger brothers began nodding their heads in unison.
“That's right, Rockefeller is correct. Even if we betray someone else, we must never betray each other. We are brothers, after all.”
The second brother was the first to react, followed by the third.
“We have something others don’t... Rockefeller is right. Others might betray their brothers, but if we don’t have that, it can be a great advantage for us, I think.”
The fourth brother didn't have much to say, but he seemed to agree as he quietly nodded. Seeing this, Rockefeller continued speaking.
“From today onwards, no matter what happens, we brothers must trust each other and go all the way. That will be the power and weapon of our Rothsmedici family that others do not possess.”
Is it too early to drop? I'm just not feeling this one
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