Tanjiro could smell the sorrow lingering in the air. He could even sense that this pair of siblings had once been human, yet had willingly fallen and become demons.
As humans, who would ever want to become terrifying creatures that fed on their former kind?
But—
These siblings had chosen to become demons of their own will.
It was not because they yearned to become demons. It was only because, when they had been human, they had never been accepted by others.
It seemed that when they were human, the world had always treated them with such cruelty.
Before becoming demons, aside from the choice to become demons, they had had no other path.
And so, when those siblings met Doma, Upper Rank Two, they willingly became demons.
If they could not be accepted as humans, then they would become demons instead.
...
The sorrow in the air seemed to carry fragments of memory as it echoed through Tanjiro's mind. Feeling that grief, Tanjiro could not help being deeply affected by it.
"You sensed sorrow?" Sanemi Shinazugawa stared at Tanjiro, his tone unpleasant.
"Sorrow that belonged to demons."
Tanjiro lowered his eyes, his voice somewhat heavy.
"Hah…" Sanemi Shinazugawa laughed, but his expression darkened. "You can feel sorrow for demons? How ridiculous. What is there to feel sad about for such disgusting things? Creatures like that should all die out."
Toward demons, Sanemi Shinazugawa held the deepest hatred.
In Sanemi's view, all demons were beyond saving. That even included his own mother, who had once fallen and become a demon.
If demons could be saved, then what did it mean that he had killed his mother after she turned into one?
Sanemi Shinazugawa could not understand this kind of behavior at all. Nor could he understand why the Demon Slayer Corps always seemed to produce such strange people. Kanae Kocho always thought about saving demons. Senior Urokodaki had once held a different view toward demons as well. And now, he had encountered another junior who felt sympathy even for demons.
"Tanjiro is simply too kind. There is no need to feel sympathy for demons."
Kyojuro Rengoku stepped forward and patted Tanjiro's shoulder.
"Namu Amida Butsu."
Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist prayer before speaking as well. "Tanjiro's kindness is indeed precious, but it should not be directed toward demons. That kindness should not be given to them."
Tanjiro raised his head and looked at everyone.
Everyone's hatred for demons was undisguised. As long as something was a demon, it seemed to be hateful.
But were all demons truly like that?
Unconsciously, Tanjiro looked toward Soma, who stood not far away. As a demon himself, when Soma saw everyone treat the identity of a demon in this way, what would he think in his heart?
Would he feel sad?
Would he feel disappointed?
For some reason, Tanjiro's heart tightened for him.
As a demon, Soma was clearly doing things to help everyone, yet he was still hated by everyone.
Although everyone did not know that Soma was a demon.
But what if they did know?
If they learned of Soma's identity as a demon, what would everyone think?
Would they still be like this?
"In the future, do not sympathize with demons. There is no need to feel their sorrow either. Those things are disgusting."
Sanemi Shinazugawa stared fiercely at Tanjiro.
Tanjiro raised his head. The moment his gaze met Sanemi Shinazugawa's, he could feel the powerful pressure coming from him.
Under such pressure, Tanjiro almost lowered his head instinctively.
But in the end, Tanjiro still lifted his head and looked seriously at Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"I think not all demons are hateful. Perhaps most demons are evil, but there are always exceptions."
"There are no exceptions among demons. Once someone becomes a demon, they are already beyond saving." Sanemi Shinazugawa gritted his teeth.
"Then what about Miss Tamayo? She is a demon too, and isn't she helping the Demon Slayer Corps right now?" Tanjiro was deeply unconvinced.
It was not only Tamayo. There was also Soma. Soma was a demon too. But that was not something he could say aloud.
"Heh…"
Sanemi Shinazugawa sneered.
"You mean Tamayo? The one who ate her own husband and child? That isn't disgusting?"
Tanjiro lowered his head slightly. But very soon, he clenched his fists again.
"I do not know Miss Tamayo's past. But I know that the things Miss Tamayo did when she was a demon were surely not what she truly wanted."
This was something Tanjiro had come to understand after slaying many demons and sensing their sorrow.
Not every demon had willingly become one from the beginning.
"So what if she did not want to? She still did it in the end."
Sanemi Shinazugawa clenched his fists.
He had once believed that his mother, who loved him so deeply, would never hurt the children she loved.
But after falling and becoming a demon, his mother had still killed her sons and daughters.
He, Sanemi Shinazugawa, had once held hope for his mother after she turned into a demon. He had believed she would not do anything to hurt his younger brothers and sisters.
And then what happened?
His younger brothers and sisters were killed by a demon right in front of him.
That was what demons were.
No matter who they had been, once they became demons, they were beyond saving. Even Tamayo was someone Sanemi Shinazugawa did not trust in the slightest. If she had not been vouched for by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the lord he trusted most, he would have cut off that demon's head long ago.
And even with Kagaya Ubuyashiki's guarantee, Sanemi Shinazugawa still remained wary of Tamayo.
With his sensitive nose, Tanjiro could smell Sanemi Shinazugawa's hatred toward demons, an indiscriminate hatred toward all demons. That hatred was so deep and heavy.
But…
They could not truly judge everyone the same way just because their identity was that of a demon.
At the very least, Soma was a good demon.
"I understand Lord Sanemi's hatred for demons. No one will forgive the things demons have done. Those killed by demons will hate them and curse them, and no one will protect those demons. But…"
At this point, Tanjiro raised his head and looked at Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"But I do not think someone should be considered guilty simply because they are a demon."
"Do you not find that ridiculous?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa found it very difficult to understand Tanjiro's way of thinking. He even wanted to properly teach this boy a lesson.
"I do not think it is ridiculous."
Tanjiro's tone was serious.
"There will always be demons who are different. There will always be demons who are good and gentle. We cannot place our resentment toward what other demons have done onto those demons who are clearly good."
...
Tanjiro's words were not accepted by everyone, but he still continued explaining his understanding to them.
Facing Sanemi Shinazugawa's repeated aggression, and even though there were many things he could not refute, Tanjiro still held firmly to his view.
Soma only stood to the side and listened silently. He knew that Tanjiro was actually defending him. He was arguing for his sake.
His feelings were deeply complicated.
From the moment he became a demon, he had always felt humanity's malice toward demons very clearly.
He understood that malice as well, and he had grown used to it.
But no matter what, it still felt unpleasant in his heart. Now, seeing Tanjiro defend him, Soma felt a warmth inside him.
No matter what, at this moment, he felt a little like smiling.
He had not expected that even as a demon, he could feel the kindness that belonged to Tanjiro.
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