"How… how could he die? That's… that's impossible."
Sanemi Shinazugawa refused to believe it. In an instant, his emotions twisted into violent rage as he glared at Shinobu Kocho, his voice filled with fury. "What kind of useless medical skills are those? How could you let someone die? How could you let Genya die?"
Shinobu had already begun to regret her careless joke, but hearing his words only made her anger rise instead. "My medical skills are something everyone can see for themselves. If anything, you're the problem—treating your own brother like that, beating him into this state."
With that, she stepped past him, letting out a cold snort as she walked by.
"Do you even deserve to call yourself his brother?"
Sanemi's pupils shrank sharply. A terrifying killing intent seemed to spread from him as he stared at her back, but after a long moment, it all faded. His shoulders slumped, and his voice carried a heavy, almost broken exhaustion.
"You… you were lying to me, weren't you? I held back. I would never have hit him hard enough to kill him."
"If you're his brother, then go and see for yourself."
Shinobu turned back, a cold smile on her lips as she looked at him. "I truly don't understand how someone like you, such an unfit older brother, ever had the right to lecture my sister."
"You've done nothing but hurt him from beginning to end, using violence against a younger brother who admires you so much."
Sanemi lowered his head, both hands gripping his hair as his whole body trembled.
Shinobu had more to say—she still clearly remembered how arrogantly he had lectured her sister before—but seeing him like this, she couldn't bring herself to go any further. Her tone softened slightly.
"Your brother is awake. He's not in danger, but his injuries are serious… don't hit him again."
Hearing that Genya was alive, Sanemi finally let out a long breath, relief washing over him so strongly that it almost brought him to tears. "I knew it… I held back. There's no way I would've killed him."
Shinobu couldn't understand him at all. He clearly loved his brother deeply, and yet he treated him with such violence. If it were her sister, there was no way she would ever allow her to be hurt like this.
No matter how she thought about it, she simply couldn't understand a person like him.
…
Soma sat by the bedside, looking at Genya, whose face was so heavily bandaged he almost resembled a swollen doll. He let out a small sigh. "Your brother really didn't hold back."
"It's because I'm too weak. I couldn't even take a single punch from him." Genya lowered his head.
"You say that, but you must feel pretty down inside, don't you?" Soma shook his head. "You want to catch up to your brother—that's why you're pushing yourself so hard."
Genya remained silent, his head lowered. He desperately wanted his brother's acknowledgment. The moment he saw the haori Sanemi wore, he knew his brother had already become one of the respected Hashira.
And as for himself… if not for Soma discovering the unique nature of his body, he might not have even been able to step onto the path of hunting demons at all.
Creak—
The door opened.
A white-haired man stepped inside, his face marked with scars, his presence sharp and unruly—the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa.
The moment he saw his brother, Genya struggled to sit up. The movement sent waves of dizziness through his body, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself upright, unwilling to appear weak in front of him.
"Are you… alright?"
Sanemi's voice was rough, almost impatient, yet the way his eyes stayed fixed on Genya betrayed something else entirely.
"I'm fine."
Genya met his brother's gaze and answered firmly.
"Since you're still alive, then rest for a few days and go back home. As for hunting demons—don't even think about it."
Sanemi spoke without hesitation, deciding his brother's path for him as if there were no room for discussion.
"No."
Genya answered almost immediately. When he saw his brother frown and stare at him, he lowered his gaze slightly, but his voice remained firm. . "I want to... I want to be with you, Brother. I want to help you."
"Hah…"
Sanemi let out a mocking laugh. The word useless almost slipped out again, but he swallowed it back, his tone turning cold instead. "The best help you can give me is staying home and living as an ordinary person."
"I… I know I'm weak right now, but I can still hunt demons. I'll get stronger in the future. Even if I'm a burden now, one day I'll catch up to you."
"Hunt demons?"
Sanemi sneered at him. "With that frail body of yours, you won't be hunting demons—you'll just end up getting eaten."
"I've already killed a demon on my own. If you don't believe me, you can ask Soma-san." Genya lifted his head stubbornly, unwilling to back down.
Sanemi found that impossible to believe.
From their brief exchange just now, he had already judged his brother's strength. Genya couldn't even use a proper breathing technique, and with his naturally weak physique, there was no way he could defeat a demon.
"It's true. Genya has already killed a demon by himself." Soma spoke from the side.
"That's impossible."
Sanemi shook his head, even suspecting that Soma was simply helping his brother lie.
"It seems you don't understand your own brother at all."
Soma looked at the unruly man before him. In the future, during the battle against Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, Genya would die fighting at his brother's side. Only after seeing his brother's shattered body would Sanemi begin to understand his heart—but by then, it would already be too late.
"Who are you?"
Sanemi's gaze shifted to Soma, sizing him up without the slightest politeness.
"Soma."
He answered simply.
Sanemi fell silent.
After all, that name had already spread widely throughout the Demon Slayer Corps. Not only because of his performance during the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane, but also because of the long-lost techniques he had brought back—Sun Breathing, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, the Demon Slayer Mark, and the Transparent World.
It could be said that because of this man, the upper combat strength of the Corps had risen to a whole new level.
At the very least, now that Sanemi had mastered the 'Bright Red Nichirin Sword,' he knew that if he were to face Lower Rank Two again, he could cut it down with ease.
As for the Demon Slayer Mark, he was confident he could awaken it, but he had yet to encounter an opponent that forced him to do so. Besides, the problem of the life it consumed still hadn't been solved.
He didn't fear dying young—he only wanted to kill more demons before that day came.
Knowing Soma's reputation, Sanemi understood that he likely wasn't lying.
Even so, he still questioned Genya. "I know how strong demons are. How could he possibly defeat one?"
"As his brother, can't you trust him just once?" Soma let out a quiet sigh.
Sanemi instinctively wanted to throw out another insult, but when he saw the nervous look in Genya's eyes, the words caught in his throat, and he couldn't say them.
"At the very least, with a body as weak as his, he can't fight demons."
Soma simply looked at him calmly. "And what if Genya can fight demons with his own strength? What would you say then?"
On the bed, Genya clenched his fists tightly, staring at his brother with tense anticipation.
"Even if he can, it doesn't matter. I still won't allow him to walk this path. If he dares to continue, I'll break his legs myself."
Hearing that, Soma looked at the fierce expression on the Wind Hashira's face—and suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing because you're not ruthless enough."
"…What?"
"Breaking his legs isn't enough."
Soma met Sanemi's gaze calmly, even as the veins on the man's forehead began to bulge. "If you really want to stop him, you might as well kill him yourself. That way, he'll never walk this path."
As he spoke, Soma turned to Genya. "Genya, if your brother broke your legs, would you give up hunting demons?"
"No."
The answer came without hesitation. "If my legs are broken, I still have my hands. If my hands are gone, I still have my teeth. As long as I'm alive, I won't change my mind."
The unwavering determination in his voice left Sanemi standing there, completely stunned.