Giyu Tomioka had never believed in exceptions when it came to demons. Creatures that fed on humans would never willingly give up prey already within their grasp.
And yet… the truth stood right in front of him.
Which made it all the harder to accept.
"Why did that demon let you go?"
He stepped forward, fixing his gaze on Tanjiro.
At the question, Tanjiro's face went pale.
Because of him—because he had led the way—a swordsman who protected humans had died.
Just thinking about it made his chest tighten.
It was his fault.
He had indirectly caused the death of someone who had risked his life to protect others.
As for why the demon had spared him… he didn't know. It had been his first time ever encountering one.
"Sir, please… stop asking my brother." Sensing Tanjiro's turmoil, Nezuko stepped in, unable to hold back any longer.
"Can you find that demon?"
Giyu didn't let it go. His voice remained calm, but insistent.
Tanjiro's gaze wavered. He lowered his head.
"Lead me to him."
In that instant, Giyu noticed something off. He stepped forward and grabbed Tanjiro's arm.
"Stop making things hard for my brother!" Nezuko rushed in, pushing at Giyu with all her strength—but she couldn't budge him.
Giyu kept his eyes locked on Tanjiro.
"Take me to that demon. Only by killing it can we prevent more people from being harmed."
"Lead me to him."
Tanjiro's body trembled slightly. He lifted his head, met Giyu's gaze for a brief moment—then lowered it again.
"…Can you guarantee that you'll completely kill that demon?"
Giyu frowned. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
For a fleeting moment, he thought of Sabito.
The promise they once made—to walk the path of demon slayers together, to fight for humanity.
And yet, during the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane, he had survived without doing anything… while Sabito, who had protected others, never made it down the mountain.
A promise he had failed to keep.
"I can't guarantee it," Giyu said at last, his voice steady. "But I will give everything I have. Even if it costs me my life."
Tanjiro's hands clenched.
He remembered the demon's warning before it left.
He thought of his mother. His siblings.
Slowly, he lowered his head.
"I… can't find that demon. How could I possibly know where it is?"
"You're lying." Giyu's voice was sharp.
"I'm not." Tanjiro didn't look up.
"Then what exactly happened to you last night—"
Giyu stepped closer, trying to meet his eyes.
"Enough!" Nezuko suddenly shoved him with unexpected force, pushing him back a step.
"Sir, aren't you supposed to be a swordsman who kills demons? Someone who protects people?"
Her voice trembled—but her anger burned through.
"Then why are you here, pressuring my brother? Why are you picking on him?! He doesn't know anything! Why are you forcing him like this?"
"You know what happens to people who are taken by demons! Why would you make him relive something so horrible?!"
Her fists clenched, her whole body shaking.
"You're supposed to use your sword against evil demons—not stand here like a coward, bullying us!"
Giyu Tomioka stood there in silence, his hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his Nichirin Sword. For a moment, his expression dimmed—almost hollow.
He was a coward.
If he weren't… then why had he been the one to pass the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane?
If he hadn't been so helpless—so useless—then Sabito wouldn't have died.
Nezuko realized, a beat too late, that her words might have cut too deep. But seeing her brother being pushed like that… she simply couldn't hold back.
"Sir… I'm sorry. That was rude of me. It's just… so much has happened to our family all at once, and I couldn't control my emotions."
She bowed deeply in apology.
Giyu lowered his head.
"No… you're right. I am weak."
His voice was quiet, but heavy.
"Back then… I was so weak I crawled on the ground, begging that demon to spare my sister. I thought… if I pleaded hard enough, it might show mercy."
His fingers tightened.
"But it didn't. She was still eaten. And I… I could only hide. Trembling. Powerless."
"I said it countless times—how I wished I had died instead. Until Sabito slapped me and told me if I kept talking like that, he'd cut ties with me."
A faint tremor ran through his voice.
"That was when I swore I'd change. That I'd become someone like him. But in the end… I couldn't help him at all. I let him fight alone, until he collapsed from exhaustion and died."
His hands rose to clutch his head.
"…It's all because of me."
Nezuko froze.
She hadn't expected her words to dig up something this painful. Panic flickered across her face.
"Sir, I—I didn't mean it like that—"
But before she could finish, Giyu straightened again.
His expression had returned to its usual blank calm.
Only his grip on his sword remained tight.
"My weakness killed my sister. My incompetence killed Sabito. Back then, I was nothing but a coward—waiting for the strong to show mercy."
He paused.
"But the strong don't pity the weak."
"And I shouldn't have…" He exhaled slowly. "…placed my life and death in someone else's hands. The weak don't get a say. They have no power—no choice."
"Sir, I really didn't—"
Nezuko tried to explain again, flustered.
But Giyu didn't look at her.
His gaze fell on Tanjiro, who still stood there with his head lowered.
"I don't know what you went through last night. And I won't ask anymore."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"But listen carefully—never place any hope in a demon."
Tanjiro's fists tightened.
"Don't ever hand over your life—or the lives of those you care about—to someone else."
Giyu's jaw clenched slightly.
Tanjiro slowly sank to a crouch.
He remembered the night—the demon forcing its way into their home.
He remembered his family, trembling in fear.
His hands curled into fists.
"I've never seen a demon that's different," Giyu continued. "Maybe… maybe such a thing exists."
"But can you really entrust everything you hold dear… to something like that?"
"Can you really choose to remain weak?"
Tanjiro's fists clenched even tighter.
He lifted his head slightly, glanced at Giyu—then lowered it again.
"Sir… I won't entrust my life to anyone else." His voice was quiet, but resolute.
"But as someone who's weak… I don't dare take that gamble."
"Please… don't ask me anything more. I don't know anything."
With that, Tanjiro stood and walked over to help his unconscious mother.
Then he turned back to Nezuko.
"Nezuko… start packing. We're moving. We can't stay here anymore."
"Moving?"
She blinked in confusion.
Tanjiro didn't explain.
He simply supported their mother and led her inside.
He couldn't forget the demon's warning.
Another demon had already set its sights on their home.
And he—
He couldn't afford to gamble.
All he wanted… was for his family to live in peace.
...
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