"Burp…"
"I'm full, thank you for the meal! The food was delicious!" Tanjirou put down his bowl and chopsticks, clasped his hands together, and softly thanked Kanzaki Aoi before hurrying out of the dining hall.
He had to get back to Nezuko-chan quickly.
Only Kanzaki Aoi, startled by Tanjirou's unusual behavior, and Zenitsu, lost in his dilemma, remained.
"Um, Mr. Zenitsu, are you still eating?" Kanzaki Aoi asked, coming back to her senses.
"Eat! I must eat!"
Zenitsu decided he needed to show his cool, manly side in front of the human Nezuko-chan, and for that, he needed a full stomach to have the strength!
Kanzaki Aoi refilled Zenitsu's bowl with a heaping serving of rice, and recalling what Tanjirou had just said, a smile appeared on her face.
So many good things have been happening lately.
She truly hoped it could continue… "Creak~"
Carefully opening the door, Tanjirou softly closed it, terrified of accidentally disturbing Nezuko, who was lying on the bed.
"Tanjirou, are you feeling alright now?"
Yoizumi-nii shifted his gaze from the still unconscious Nezuko to Tanjirou, asking with concern.
"I'm full, and I don't feel dizzy anymore. In fact, I feel light as a feather now." Tanjirou swung his arm, almost enough to ruffle the stray hairs on Yoizumi-nii's forehead.
"That's good." Yoizumi-nii nodded with a smile, then looked back at Nezuko, taking his sister's hand. Her nails, once sharp from being a demon, were now smooth and even.
"Nezuko is sleeping soundly." Leaning in to observe his sister's condition and hearing her steady breathing, Tanjirou let out a small sigh of relief.
This reminded him of the time he spent learning Water Breathing from Master Urokodaki. Nezuko had been in a coma for two whole years, and he had been constantly afraid then.
What if Nezuko never woke up?
At that time, Tanjirou only had her… But now, he had Yoizumi-nii.
With his brother here, Tanjirou thought, nothing bad would happen.
Together with his brother, he held his sister's right hand.
Nezuko, please wake up soon.
Both of your brothers are here with you… "Tanjirou, why hasn't Nezuko-chan woken up yet?"
"I haven't seen Nezuko-chan in three whole days." Training so hard wasn't just to repay his grandpa, but also because he wanted to see Nezuko-chan.
But… Zenitsu wore a mournful expression. Yoizumi-nii was guarding Nezuko-chan, and he didn't even have a chance to sneak in and see her. He also had to help Yoizumi-nii watch over the Demon Slayer Corps members who were training.
That wild boar, however, was already enjoying himself.
He glared irritably at Inosuke, who was constantly letting out ear-piercing laughs and occasional shouts.
"Little ones! Again!"
"Woohoo! I, the great one, am indeed the strongest! Boar Rush!" Inosuke shouted, hands on his hips, after sending another Demon Slayer Corps member flying.
"Zenitsu, I'm also very anxious, but if it's about waiting for Nezuko to turn back into a human, I'll wait no matter how long it takes." Tanjirou parried an attack from a Demon Slayer Corps member with his wooden sword, replying in a snatched moment.
"Um… Zenitsu-senpai, are we still training?" A Demon Slayer Corps member under Zenitsu's charge cautiously approached the dejected Zenitsu, asking.
Hearing this, Zenitsu suddenly looked up, his entire face shoved in front of the member, flushed with excitement.
"What, what? What did you just call me?!"
"Sen… Senpai?" The member took two steps back, confused. Zenitsu slapped him on the shoulder, a bright smile on his face.
"No choice, no choice~"
"Let me, your Senpai, teach you how to train!"
"Yes… Thank you, Zenitsu… Senpai." The sudden change in attitude caught the member off guard, but maintaining respect for a stronger individual, he politely thanked him.
"Heh heh~ Heh heh~" Zenitsu smiled as he bent down to pick up the wooden sword that had fallen to the ground.
After observing for a few moments from the corner, Yoizumi-nii returned to the room. It seemed he didn't need to worry about the matters outside.
Yoizumi-nii stood by the bed, worried. What Tanjirou worried about, Yoizumi-nii also cared about.
Having those memories, he naturally knew how cruel it was.
Family members falling one by one before him, yet being powerless, watching their blood drain and their bodies grow cold… Every time he recalled those scenes, it was like a knife to his heart. As a survivor, the details of his family's deaths would always be magnified infinitely in his mind.
Catching sight of a hot tear slowly rolling down his sister's cheek, Yoizumi-nii silently wiped it away.
It must be very painful, Nezuko… During the days when his memories returned, Tanjirou had once asked Yoizumi-nii what exactly had happened that day.
Yoizumi-nii didn't answer, only looked at his younger brother with forlorn eyes and shook his head.
He didn't want Tanjirou to know.
Because his heart already ached so much.
He didn't want Tanjirou to be sad.
Nezuko on the bed struggled, her forehead covered in fine sweat, her head restlessly twisting. Yoizumi-nii's face was grim as he held his sister's hand, trying to calm her.
"Nezuko."
"It's okay, your brother is here."
..."Huh?" Tanjirou looked towards Yoizumi-nii's room as if sensing something, and a Demon Slayer Corps member's wooden sword directly struck Tanjirou's forehead, causing the other party to immediately apologize in fright.
"Tanjirou, are you alright?!"
Tanjirou, somewhat flustered and disoriented, shook his head. The next second, the wooden sword slipped from his hand, and he ran like mad towards Yoizumi-nii's room.
"What's wrong with Gluttonous Boy?" Inosuke wanted to follow and see, but Zenitsu stopped him.
Zenitsu was serious for once, which actually made Inosuke stop his pursuit.
"Let Tanjirou go by himself. We shouldn't disturb them right now."
Zenitsu said softly.
Gasping for breath, Tanjirou burst open the room door and saw Nezuko struggling on the bed.
Nezuko's eyes were closed, and she was crying incessantly, looking utterly tormented.
Yoizumi-nii, ensuring he wouldn't harm Nezuko, held her body down. Nezuko's nails had again become sharp, digging directly into Yoizumi-nii's arm.
Ignoring the wound, Yoizumi-nii frowned, calling his sister's name repeatedly.
Tanjirou, disregarding the risk of injury, tightly grasped his sister's hand, his crimson eyes overflowing with tears as he choked out a cry.
"Nezuko, hang in there."
"Don't lose to that guy's blood."
Nezuko suddenly opened her eyes, pink eyes, one of which still had a demon's vertical pupil. Glistening tears rolled down her cheeks.
She cried uncontrollably, and through her blurry vision, she saw the figures of her two brothers. She wailed in sorrow, as if wanting to release all the hardships she had swallowed over the past few years.
She remembered… She was Kamado Nezuko.
Her family… had been killed by a demon…
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