"Your name is very similar to the Wind Hashira's," Kazuki said curiously.
"He's called Shinazugawa Sanemi. You two wouldn't happen to be brothers, would you?"
The Nichirin Blade that Genya had always longed for slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
He suddenly rushed forward, grabbing Kazuki by the shoulders, his voice trembling with excitement as he shouted:
"What did you say?! My brother is here too?! Where is he now?!"
Kazuki had only said it half-jokingly, hoping to ease the tension between them. He hadn't expected such an intense reaction.
So they really are brothers…
"Uh… he was just at the Insect Hashira's Butterfly Mansion. I don't know where he went after that—he might still be there," Kazuki answered honestly.
"Where is the Butterfly Mansion?! Tell me—quick!" Genya demanded, his grip tightening as he shook Kazuki.
Kazuki was just about to turn and point out the direction when he suddenly saw the Wind Hashira himself walking past nearby.
"Brother…"
Genya released Kazuki and immediately sprinted toward Sanemi.
"Brother! I finally found you!" Genya shouted, his voice filled with emotion as he ran toward him.
Sanemi naturally heard the voice. He turned around and saw Genya. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face—then it vanished, replaced by his usual cold expression.
"Brother, about what happened back then—"
Genya had just reached a few steps away, about to apologize, when Sanemi's words cut him off.
"A useless idiot like you is not my brother," Sanemi said coldly, his face completely unmoved.
"Leave the Demon Slayer Corps."
The icy words brought Genya's steps to an abrupt halt. The excitement in his heart froze instantly.
But soon, he forced himself to recover.
Brother must be like this because of what I did back then. It's all my fault. I have to apologize properly—no matter what.
"Brother, what happened back then was all my fault!" Genya shouted desperately.
"I misunderstood you and said such cruel things—I'm sorry! I've been searching for you all these years! No matter what, please let me stay by your side!"
He poured out the words he had kept buried in his heart for years. His face was covered in fine beads of sweat from nerves and emotion.
After finally meeting his brother again—after finally gathering the courage to speak his true feelings—Genya looked at Sanemi with desperate hope.
But what Sanemi said next was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
"Stop shamelessly calling me 'brother,'" Sanemi said flatly.
"I don't have a brother. I don't care about anything you say. Get lost."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Genya stood frozen in place, completely at a loss.
He had imagined this reunion countless times. He thought his brother might scold him—maybe even hit him. After all, what he had said back then was unforgivable. Even someone as gentle as his brother couldn't possibly forgive him right away.
But he had never imagined that his brother would completely deny his existence.
The brother who had once been so gentle to all his siblings now spoke with such cruelty.
It's all my fault…
If I hadn't said those things back then… at least we would still have each other… but now…
This is probably what I deserve.
The brother who risked his life to protect me was cursed by me as a murderer. How much pain must he have felt back then?
Even hating me would be only natural…
Genya stood there, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, though he felt nothing. Guilt and self-blame flooded his heart.
He didn't even notice that Sanemi had already gone far away. And even if Sanemi were still there, Genya could no longer bring himself to say anything.
"Are you alright?"
A voice sounded beside him.
Kazuki gently patted Genya's shoulder, looking at him with concern.
Though he didn't know what had happened between Genya and the Wind Hashira, he could clearly see how much pain Genya was in.
"It's all my fault…" Genya said hoarsely.
"I misunderstood my brother… I said such cruel things…"
The emotions he had bottled up for so long finally overflowed. Tears streamed down his face.
Kazuki didn't know the full story, nor did he know how to comfort him. All he could do was stay by Genya's side in silence.
After a while, Genya gradually calmed down.
But after what had just happened, neither of them had the mood to train. They sat together on the steps outside the Corps estate and talked.
"Thank you," Genya said after some time. What had just happened had noticeably improved his feelings toward Kazuki.
"It's nothing. You—"
Kazuki was about to ask what had happened between him and the Wind Hashira, but remembering how distressed Genya had been, he stopped himself.
Unexpectedly, Genya began speaking on his own.
"You're probably curious about what happened between me and my brother," Genya said quietly.
"My brother was originally a very gentle person. The reason he's like this now… it's all because of me."
Genya desperately needed someone to talk to—and Kazuki happened to be the perfect listener.
Kazuki focused intently as Genya began to tell his story.
"My brother and I were born into an ordinary family in the city. There were seven siblings in total. I was the second eldest, and my brother was the oldest.
"Our father was a gambler who often beat our mother and us. Whenever he did, our small, frail mother would shield us with her own body.
"Later, that awful man was stabbed to death by an enemy. After that, it was just us siblings and our mother, relying on each other to survive.
"At the time, my brother said to me, 'Dad's dead. From now on, we'll protect everyone. What do you mean "from now on"? We've always had to rely on the two of us, haven't we?'
"I still remember my brother's gentle smile from that day.
"Our father's death didn't really make us sad. When he was alive, he only hurt us. After that, the seven of us lived together with our mother. Life was hard, but we were content. As long as we had each other, we felt happy.
"But that life… changed on one night."
At this point, pain surfaced on Genya's face. It was clearly a memory he didn't want to revisit—yet he forced himself to continue.
"That night, our mother didn't come home. I stayed behind to look after the younger kids while my brother went out to search for her.
"But even as dawn approached, neither of them returned. I told the younger ones to go to sleep—
"And then, suddenly, there was frantic knocking on the door.
"The younger kids thought Mom had come back and opened it right away.
"A shadow slipped into the house and, in an instant, killed several of my siblings who had opened the door. That shadow slashed my face too—and the youngest sibling in my arms was gravely injured, barely breathing.
"My brother rushed in then. He grabbed that shadow and charged out of the house, shouting for me to run.
"When I finally came back to my senses, I was the only one left who could still move. Seeing my dying sibling, I ran out to find a doctor.
"But on the road… I saw my brother holding a kitchen knife—
"And my mother… lying in a pool of blood."
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