The room was silent.
A single candle burned on the table, its flickering flame pushing back the darkness that clung to the walls. In that faint, wavering light, Soma slowly opened the box before him, revealing what lay inside—firearms, cold and unfamiliar.
Genya Shinazugawa's gaze locked onto them immediately. Born into poverty, he had never seen such things before—had never even heard of them. To him, they looked no more threatening than a handful of wooden sticks.
"These are weapons far more powerful than Nichirin Swords," Soma said quietly. "Even an ordinary person with no training could use them to defeat a swordsman who has trained for years."
Shock flooded Genya's eyes, quickly followed by disbelief. He stared fixedly at the contents of the box, unable to reconcile Soma's words with what he was seeing. How could something so small—so unassuming—allow an untrained person to overcome a seasoned warrior?
"But relying on firearms alone isn't enough to hunt demons."
Soma's voice cut through his thoughts, calm but firm.
"They can injure demons instantly, yes. The damage might be fatal to a human, but to a demon, it's barely significant. So firearms alone won't suffice. In the end, you still need a Nichirin Sword to finish the job."
The hope that had just begun to kindle in Genya's chest flickered out almost immediately.
His body was too weak. He simply couldn't learn Breathing Styles.
And in the end, everything still came down to that—Breathing Styles. Only by mastering them could a human temporarily gain the physical strength needed to rival a demon… to stand against them.
But for him, that path was closed.
Still, Genya lifted his gaze to Soma, his eyes once again brimming with fragile hope. If Soma had said all this, then surely… there had to be another way.
"Yes," Soma continued, as if reading his thoughts. "Under normal circumstances, fighting demons requires power comparable to theirs. The Demon Slayer Corps achieves this through Breathing Styles. But that doesn't mean Breathing Styles are the only way to reach that level."
He looked at Genya steadily.
"From the moment people are born, they are already different. Some are born into wealth and comfort, others into poverty and hardship. Some are born strong, others frail…"
Genya understood that all too well.
He had been born into a broken home. His father had been unreliable, leaving everything to his mother and his older brother to hold the family together. Life had been difficult, yes—but they had still been happy. With his mother, his brother, and his younger siblings… it had been enough.
Until that night.
That night drenched in blood, when everything was torn away.
Genya forced down the surge of grief rising in his chest and focused on Soma's words.
"People differ in countless ways," Soma went on. "Some have extraordinary senses—like Tanjiro, whose sense of smell is so sharp he can even detect emotions. Others possess exceptional eyesight—like Kanao. And there are those whose muscle density far exceeds that of ordinary humans…"
Genya's expression dimmed further.
His body… was simply unfit for Breathing Styles.
"But you…" Soma said suddenly.
"…you are different too."
Genya blinked and looked up, startled.
"Different? How?"
He searched himself, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't find anything remarkable about his own body.
"Your constitution is unique," Soma said, meeting his gaze.
"…Does being unable to use Breathing Styles count as unique?" Genya asked bitterly.
"It might make you different," Soma replied, "but not in the way I mean."
He paused briefly, studying Genya before continuing.
"Your body… likely possesses what is known as the 'Demon-Eater' constitution."
"Demon-Eater?"
Confusion filled Genya's face. It sounded impressive—almost unbelievable—but he had never felt anything like that.
"What's called a 'Demon-Eater' constitution," Soma explained, "is a rare trait—a peculiar kind of 'taste'—that allows a person to consume demon flesh and temporarily transform their body into something like a demon's."
Genya froze.
"Eat… eat demons?"
Genya Shinazugawa's face paled slightly.
The idea had never even crossed his mind before. Just imagining himself having to eat something as grotesque as a demon made his stomach churn; both physically and mentally, he found it impossible to accept.
"So," Soma said evenly, "if you want to walk the path of a demon slayer, you can only start from your own constitution. And if you want to hunt demons, you must be prepared… to eat them."
Genya's face turned even whiter.
Just like demons devoured what were once humans… he, too, would have to consume creatures that had once been human.
Then what would that make him?
In that instant, he simply couldn't accept it.
"So," Soma continued, his gaze steady as he looked at the confusion clouding Genya's eyes, "are you prepared to eat demons?"
The boy fell silent.
Even if those monsters were no longer human, the fact that they had once been made it nearly impossible to overcome that mental barrier.
"If you're not prepared," Soma said calmly, "then live as an ordinary person. That's likely what your brother wishes for you as well—to live peacefully, to find the kind of happiness that belongs to ordinary people."
He paused slightly before adding, "That is what your brother truly wants."
"…My brother… wants me to be happy?" Genya's voice trembled with disbelief. "He wouldn't think that. There's no way."
"And why do you believe that?" Soma asked, his tone serious but not unkind.
…
Genya hesitated for a moment before slowly beginning to speak, recounting his past in fragments.
He had been born into a sorrowful family. His father was beyond saving, a man so hated that he was eventually stabbed to death.
After his father's death, Genya and his older brother had done everything they could to support their mother, struggling together just to keep the family alive.
Until one day, a demon came.
It killed his younger brother. It killed his younger sister. And when Genya himself was about to be attacked, it was his brother who saved him.
But what he had seen…
…was his brother killing their mother with his own hands.
Back then, Genya had cried out through his tears, calling his brother a murderer.
At this point, the boy—who had endured beatings without ever uttering a sound—finally broke down. Tears streamed down his face as his voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Later… I found out the truth," he choked. "Mother… she was the demon. She killed my brother and sister with her own hands… right in front of my brother…"
His fists clenched tightly.
"My brother saw all of it. And to protect me… he killed our mother after she became a demon. But I… I called him a murderer. I, his own little brother…"
At that moment, Genya could no longer imagine the pain his brother must have endured.
Back then… he must have hated him.
There was no way he could ever forgive him.
Even now, Genya himself couldn't forgive the cruel words he had spoken. He couldn't forgive how easily he had trampled over his brother's feelings.
After pouring everything out, the boy nearly collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, consumed by regret and self-loathing for what he had done.
"And so," Soma said calmly, watching him, "you believe your brother will never forgive you?"
"Why do you think that? Just because you accused him of murder without knowing the truth, you've decided that he will hate you forever?"
"Shouldn't he?" Genya cried, tears streaming down his face. "Shouldn't he hate me for that? After everything I said—after how cruel I was—how could he ever forgive me?"
"I can imagine it," he continued, his voice breaking. "I can imagine how desperate and in pain he must have been—watching our mother kill my siblings, then having to kill her himself… and then being called a murderer by me…"
"I can't—" His voice shook violently. "I don't even dare imagine how much he must have hated me!"
Smack!
The sharp sound echoed through the room.
The slap came so suddenly that Genya was knocked straight to the ground. He clutched his burning cheek, his mind going blank as he stared up in confusion at Soma.
Genya couldn't understand it at all—why had Soma suddenly struck him?
Soma looked at him calmly, his gaze fixed on the boy's eyes. "Then tell me—how is the you now any different from the you back then? The one who saw your brother kill your mother after she became a demon… and immediately accused him of being a murderer?"
Genya froze, confusion clouding his face. He didn't understand.
Smack!
Another slap landed across his face, hard enough that his cheek immediately began to swell.
Clutching the burning pain, Genya looked up at Soma, bewildered.
"So tell me," Soma continued, his voice steady but sharp, "how are you any different now from when you trampled over the bond between you and your brother? You saw him kill your mother, and you decided he was a murderer. What's changed?"
He stepped closer, his eyes unwavering.
"It's the same—you still don't believe in the bond you share with him. You still naively assume that your brother has been hating you all this time. You still believe he could never forgive you."
"At this moment, you're no different from back then—when you crushed his feelings underfoot. You still don't trust the connection between you."
"What exactly do you think your bond with your brother is? Something so fragile that a single misunderstanding could destroy it?"
As he spoke, Soma stepped forward and placed a hand on Genya's shoulder.
"If I were your brother… if I were the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa—"
He turned away, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked toward the window, gazing out into the dark night sky.
"If I were Sanemi right now," he continued softly, almost as if speaking to himself, "I'd probably be thinking… about my foolish little brother."
His eyes lingered on the stars as he let out a quiet sigh.
"My foolish little brother… still blaming himself for that day, even now."
"My foolish little brother… doesn't realize that I, as his older brother, never held that against him."
"That foolish boy… doesn't understand that nothing he said could ever truly hurt me."
Then Soma turned back, his gaze settling on Genya once more.
"The way you are now is exactly the same as back then—when you labeled your brother a murderer and trampled over your bond. You still don't believe in that connection. You still think he hates you… that he can't forgive you."
"Are you really going to make the same mistake a second time?"
He held Genya's gaze, his voice pressing down with quiet intensity.
"Tell me—what does your bond with your brother mean to you?"
"Are you going to repeat the same mistake all over again?"
Genya stood there, motionless, his eyes unfocused as tears streamed silently down his cheeks. The darkness that had long weighed on his heart seemed, in that moment, to be swept away like mist in a sudden breeze.
Everything became clear.
He, Genya Shinazugawa, had been walking down the wrong path all along.
The wrong path… all this time.
"Thank... thank you."
With tears still falling, he bowed deeply, his voice trembling as he repeated his thanks again and again.
Soma stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
"When you see your brother again, he'll probably still greet you with a cold face. But it's not because he hates you—it's because he wants you to live a peaceful life like an ordinary person. He doesn't want you walking the path of a demon slayer."
"At this very moment, your brother likely believes that on this bloodstained road… he alone is enough."
"Everything that's happened in the past—what drives him forward now is an endless hatred for demons… and the desire to protect your happiness. He wants you to live like a normal person, to fall in love, to marry, to have children… and to live a peaceful, happy life."
"Perhaps, to protect that happiness of yours, he would even beat you half to death if that's what it took to stop you from becoming a demon slayer.
"And as for your brother—
All he wants… is to kill more demons."
"Even if all that remained of him in the end was a single head, he would still bare his fangs and tear through a demon's throat without hesitation. Beyond that, nothing else in the world held any meaning for your brother."
"And that… was likely what your brother—the current Wind Hashira—was thinking."
After Soma finished speaking, Genya Shinazugawa stood there, utterly motionless, as if the words had rooted him to the spot.
Soma stepped forward once more and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So now, tell me—do you still intend to walk the path of a demon slayer?"
He looked at him steadily. "It's a path your beloved brother does not wish for you to take."
Genya closed his eyes, his teeth clenched tight. In that moment, he could almost see it—his brother's lone, receding figure, walking that bloodstained road by himself.
After a long while, he finally opened his eyes again.
This time, they were filled with unwavering resolve.
"I will continue down the path of a demon slayer."
"Are you certain?" Soma asked quietly. "Even if it means doing something nearly impossible to accept—like eating demons?"
"I'm certain."
"Even if your brother finds out and beats you half to death… even if he breaks your legs to stop you, would you still walk this path?"
"I would."
Genya lifted his head, his voice firm despite the faint tremor within it. "Even if my brother beats me half to death—or even… kills me—I'll still choose this path."
His tone grew more resolute as he continued.
"As his younger brother, I won't let him bear everything alone anymore. I won't let him carry the pain he went through back then—the pain of watching our mother kill and devour our siblings with his own eyes…"
"The pain of having to kill our mother himself after she became a demon…"
Genya's fists tightened at his sides.
"I won't let him endure all that pain and sorrow alone ever again."
"That burden… was always meant for the two of us to share."
Watching him, Soma couldn't help but smile faintly.
In the original story, Genya had been trapped in guilt, convinced that his brother would never forgive him. And his brother—the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa—had believed that by keeping his distance and acting as though he despised his younger brother, he could force him to abandon the path of demon slaying. Whether Genya hated him or not had never mattered to him.
They loved each other deeply.
They both wished for the other's happiness.
And yet, they kept hurting each other, again and again.
But now…
If they were to meet again—if the younger brother, who finally understood everything, stood before him—
Then perhaps this tragedy would not repeat itself.
Perhaps they would no longer wound each other the way they once had.
After all… they both wanted the same thing.
For the other to be happy.
...
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