Chapter 148: Reconciliation of Brothers
After a heavy, suffocating moment of silence, Genya finally spoke. His voice trembled slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on his older brother.
"Do you really think you can handle those powerful demons all by yourself?"
He took a step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "Based on what you just said, if backup hadn't arrived in time, you might not have survived either, right? So, in that case, what's the difference between you and me? Which of the swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps can actually guarantee they won't die on the path of slaying demons?"
Genya's breathing hitched, but he forced the words out. "If the only reason you're doing this is that you don't want me to die, I won't accept it."
After delivering that blunt declaration, Genya turned his head away, refusing to look at Sanemi, who stood completely stunned in place.
The Wind Hashira was indeed dazed. In all his memories, his younger brother had never treated him with such a defiant attitude. This raw, stubborn anger—this outright refusal to back down—was something entirely new. It was the first time Genya had ever thrown such a tantrum during their interactions.
Sanemi's mood twisted into a complex knot. A heavy wave of guilt washed over him, followed closely by surprise, a flash of inexplicable anger, and a deep, gnawing fear hidden just beneath that fury. He was angry that Genya simply wouldn't listen, wouldn't just stay safely in the rear where he belonged. Fighting demons, bleeding, and dying—that was something he, as the older brother, was supposed to bear alone.
At the same time, he was terrified. He was terrified that Genya would truly die at the hands of a demon, his body torn apart in some dark forest. Genya was the only relative he had left in this world.
"I'm your brother! If I say you're not allowed on the battlefield, you're not allowed!"
After hesitating for what felt like an eternity, Sanemi could only fall back on his status as the older brother, raising his voice to try and suppress Genya's rebellion. Although he considered himself a complete failure of a brother, he felt he had to do this. He had to be the villain if it kept Genya away from the jaws of death.
"It's exactly because you're my brother that I have to go even more!" Genya shouted back, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I've already experienced that feeling once... watching a loved one die while being completely powerless to stop it."
He swallowed hard, his voice cracking. "I don't want to experience that feeling ever again. Holding a relative's corpse, crying, unable to do a single thing. This time, at least let me fight by your side. I'm not a burden! I can help, even if..."
"Enough!"
Sanemi slammed his hand down on the wooden table. The sharp, violent crack of splintering wood echoed through the room, instantly suppressing Genya. The younger boy, who had finally worked up the courage for an emotional outburst, immediately shrank back into his original state.
He sat up perfectly straight, his head bowed, looking thoroughly aggrieved.
"You want to fight demons that badly?" Sanemi asked, his voice dangerously low.
"I... I just want to help you..."
Sanemi stared intently at his brother. Despite his submissive posture, Genya stubbornly kept his chin tilted just enough to show he wasn't backing down from his core desire.
After a long, tense standoff, the aggressive aura rolling off Sanemi slowly dissipated. He let out a long, exhausted breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"You agree?!" Genya blurted out, his head snapping up in sheer surprise.
"Don't get excited too early. I have conditions."
"Tell me! What conditions? I can definitely do it!"
Sanemi crossed his arms, his expression hardening into that of a strict instructor. "My condition is this: only when you can hold your own against me—without me using a Breathing Technique—for the exact time it takes an incense stick to burn down, will I allow you to participate in the Final Selection and become an official swordsman."
This was the compromise Sanemi had arrived at after agonizing over the situation. Judging from Genya's stubborn behavior, Sanemi knew that even if he strictly forbade him from slaying demons, the boy would surely find a way to sneak out and join the Final Selection anyway.
With Genya's unique demon-devouring constitution, it wouldn't be terribly hard for him to survive the mountain and pass. By then, Sanemi wouldn't have the authority to force him out of the Corps. So, this condition was actually a concession made out of sheer helplessness.
also, Sanemi was highly confident in his own physical prowess. Even without using Wind Breathing, he could easily slaughter ordinary demons. If Genya could hold out against his raw physical assaults for the duration of an incense stick, the boy would at least possess the combat awareness to take a bite out of most demons. Relying on that demon-eating talent to boost his regeneration and strength, it would be enough to handle the majority of low-level threats.
This was the absolute best solution he, as a protective older brother, could formulate.
"No problem!"
Genya, who had been physically 'persuaded' by Sanemi's fists countless times in the past, naturally knew exactly how brutally difficult this requirement was. Yet, he agreed without a single second of hesitation. He knew it was a miracle that his stubborn brother had made this level of concession at all.
He also knew that if it weren't for Akira sitting quietly in the room, mediating the tension, Sanemi would have likely just knocked him unconscious long ago to end the argument.
"Thank you, brother," Genya murmured, his voice softening. "And... I'm sorry. Back then, I..."
"There's no need to talk about the past anymore," Sanemi interrupted, his tone unusually gentle. "And... I never blamed you."
At this point, there was no need to maintain his abrasive, tsundere facade in front of his only family.
After a quiet moment of eye contact, a silent understanding passed between them. The two brothers stood up in unison, turned, and bowed deeply toward Akira.
"Thank you, Sound Hashira," Sanemi said respectfully.
"It was just a small effort," Akira replied, waving his hand dismissively. He took a sip of his tea, then calmly pointed a finger at the table between them, which now sported a massive, splintered crack down its center. "However, Sanemi, the money for the damaged public property will be deducted from your salary next month."
Sanemi's intimidating slap had carried far too much force, nearly splitting the solid wood in two.
"Uh... no problem."
The sudden, dry shift in topic made even Sanemi blink in a daze for a moment, but he quickly nodded in agreement. The Demon Slayer Corps paid its Hashira exceptionally well. After his basic living expenses, he had plenty of funds left over, so a broken table was trivial.
With the heavy emotional matters finally resolved, the two brothers took their leave together, their shoulders visibly lighter. Today was also the day Sanemi was officially discharged from the Butterfly Mansion, his severe injuries having basically recovered.
When Akira finally stepped out of the room and into the sunlit hallway, he happened to run into Kanae and Kanao. The older sister looked down the corridor at the retreating backs of the Shinazugawa brothers, a soft, emotional smile on her lips.
"Those two clearly care for each other deeply, yet they were so full of conflict before," Kanae mused softly. "Can't family members just sit down and talk properly?"
"The older brother hopes the younger one can live a safe, peaceful life and not get involved in the bloody business of slaying demons, but he completely ignores the younger brother's own wishes," Akira explained, leaning against the wooden pillar. "Meanwhile, the younger brother's personality is a bit soft and he usually can't withstand the overwhelming pressure from his brother. That's how it ended up like a tangled mess."
Akira shrugged lightly.
'By comparison, it's truly rare that you are willing to support me in learning a Breathing Technique,' Kanae said, stepping closer and leaning naturally against Akira's shoulder. The faint scent of wisteria drifted from her hair.
"Although I hate to see you get hurt, I respect your personal wishes more," Akira responded, his voice warm.
He added silently in his heart that, at worst, he would simply take on the most dangerous, upper-rank monsters himself. He refused to give those creatures a single chance to hurt the women he cared about. As for the other small fry, they could just serve as training toys for Kanae and Makomo.
However, hearing his gentle words, entirely different thoughts flashed through the minds of the two girls. Kanao, who had quietly stepped up to hold Akira's other hand, squeezed his fingers slightly, her violet eyes looking up at him with quiet devotion.
Akira didn't notice the hidden, affectionate thoughts of the two girls. His mind was already drifting back to his training, specifically pondering how to accelerate his understanding of the See-Through World.
Lately, he felt as if he had slammed headfirst into a solid bottleneck. He had almost perfectly mastered the stage of seeing his own internal structure with his 'heart'—feeling the flow of his blood, the twitch of his muscles, and the rhythm of his lungs. But whenever he tried to project that perception outward, to see the rest of the world with his 'heart', he always failed. The sensory information simply wouldn't click into place.
Unfortunately, Tanjuro couldn't offer any valuable advice on the matter either.
After all, the frail man had achieved the state completely naturally back in his youth. Or rather, the moment Tanjuro managed to see himself with his 'heart', he naturally and effortlessly achieved seeing the world with his 'heart', smoothly stepping into the world of the See-Through World without a single hurdle.
Therefore, Tanjuro genuinely didn't know what Akira was supposed to do in this frustrating situation. Although the man didn't say it explicitly, Akira could easily feel that Tanjuro didn't quite understand why such a bottleneck even existed in the first place. He simply hadn't felt any difficulty at the time.
Akira sighed internally. 'I'm going to give it my all against you natural-born talented people.'
Somewhere far away, Shinjuro would likely just scoff at that sentiment.
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