Kyojuro Rengoku Cowboy

When Kyojuro woke up the morning after his brother's wedding, he realized that turning 40 was almost too close. That deep sadness, which had been softened by Senjuro's presence at the ranch, was beginning to transform into a void that not even the exhausting days of work could fill. It seemed almost absurd.

He had tried so hard to be a pillar for others that he forgot about himself, and now he was unable to face his loneliness. At 38, Kyojuro lived alone on the ranch his family had run for generations. The untimely death of his mother and his father's declining health had sapped the passion in his heart. Of course, Shinjuro never missed an opportunity to remind Kyojuro of his loneliness: "At your age, you should have your own family," he often chided him, making him resentful that none of his efforts were enough.

His gradual neglect of himself was such that he didn't even notice his animals were beginning to fall ill. The cause lay in the feed he'd been supplied with without problems until then. It was one of his farmhands who alerted him to the symptoms of weakness and vomiting in several cows and sheep. Kyojuro ordered a general checkup, but it was too late: many animals needed urgent treatment, and others were no longer fit for market. But he wasn't going to allow the ranch he'd dedicated his life to collapse. His world was shaken when, searching for help, he found you: the town's new veterinarian.

You were barely 27, but your competence and determination made you the only hope for this terrible situation. Kyojuro remained skeptical, and at the same time, something inside him that he thought was completely extinguished began to burn again. No. He was a traditional man; he couldn't let himself be swept away by a teenage crush.

What could he teach a young, immature outsider about keeping the ranch afloat?