"Your name sounds very similar to the Wind Hashira's. His name is Sanemi Shinazugawa. Are the two of you brothers?" Chiba Yang asked curiously.
The Nichirin Blade Genya Shinazugawa had been longing for slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.
Suddenly, Genya lunged forward and grabbed Chiba Yang by the shoulders.
"What did you say?! My brother is here too? Where is he now?!"
Chiba Yang blinked in surprise.
He had only said it half-jokingly, hoping to ease the awkward tension between them. He never expected Genya Shinazugawa to react so strongly.
So they really are brothers…
"Well… I saw him earlier at the Butterfly Mansion with the Insect Hashira. I'm not sure where he went afterward. He might still be there," Chiba Yang answered honestly.
"Where is the Butterfly Mansion? Tell me quickly!"
Genya's voice grew more frantic as he shook Chiba Yang's shoulders.
Just as Chiba Yang turned to point out the direction, he spotted the Wind Hashira himself walking past nearby.
"…Brother."
Genya released Chiba Yang immediately and ran toward Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"Brother! I finally found you!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa naturally heard the shout. He turned around and saw Genya running toward him.
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 only managed to step a few paces away before the words he wanted to say were cut off.
"You idiot," Sanemi Shinazugawa said coldly. "Someone like you is not my brother."
"Leave the Demon Slayer Corps."
His voice was icy, and his expression showed not the slightest hint of emotion. He stared at Genya Shinazugawa as though looking at a complete stranger.
The cold words froze Genya where he stood.
The excitement that had filled his heart just moments earlier vanished instantly.
But soon, he forced himself to steady his thoughts.
Brother must still hate me for what I said back then… This is my fault.
"I'm sorry! What happened back then was my fault! I misunderstood you and said terrible things!"
"I've been searching for you all these years. Please—no matter what happens, let me stay by your side!"
Genya shouted the words he had kept buried in his heart for years.
His face was covered in fine beads of sweat from the overwhelming tension.
After finally seeing his brother again and summoning the courage to confess his feelings, Genya waited nervously for Sanemi Shinazugawa's response.
But the next words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
"Stop shamelessly calling me 'brother,'" Sanemi Shinazugawa said coldly.
"I don't have a brother. And I don't care about anything you said."
"Just get lost."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Genya Shinazugawa stood frozen in place.
For years, he had imagined what it would be like to meet his brother again. In his mind, he had prepared for many possibilities. Perhaps his brother would curse at him, or even beat him. After all, the things he had said back then were unforgivable.
But he had never imagined that his brother would completely deny his existence.
The brother who had once been so gentle to all his younger siblings now spoke with such cruelty.
It's all my fault…
If I hadn't said those words back then…
At least we would still have each other…
But now…
Genya clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms without him noticing.
Guilt and self-blame flooded his heart.
He didn't even realize that Sanemi Shinazugawa had already walked far away. Even if he were still standing there, Genya no longer had the strength to say anything.
"Are you alright?"
A voice spoke beside him.
Chiba Yang gently placed a hand on Genya's shoulder, looking at him with concern.
Although he didn't know exactly what had happened between the brothers, he could clearly see how deeply Genya Shinazugawa was hurting.
"It's all my fault…" Genya muttered.
"I misunderstood my brother… and said such terrible things…"
The emotions he had suppressed for years finally overflowed. Tears streamed down from the corners of his eyes.
Chiba Yang didn't know the full story and had no idea how to comfort him. All he could do was remain beside him in silence.
After a while, Genya gradually calmed down.
Neither of them felt like training anymore, so they sat together on the steps outside the Corps residence and began talking.
"Thanks," Genya said quietly.
The events earlier had greatly improved his impression of Chiba Yang.
"It's nothing," Chiba Yang replied.
He wanted to ask about what had happened between Genya and the Wind Hashira, but remembering the pain Genya had just shown, he hesitated.
Unexpectedly, Genya began explaining on his own.
"You're probably curious about what happened between me and my brother."
"My brother used to be an incredibly gentle person. The reason he's like this now… is because of me."
Genya seemed eager to finally tell someone the story, and Chiba Yang happened to be the perfect person to listen.
Chiba Yang leaned forward attentively.
"My brother and I were born into a normal family in the city. There were seven siblings in total. I was the second oldest, and my brother was the eldest."
"Our father was a gambler who constantly beat us and our mother."
"Whenever he attacked us, our small and frail mother would shield us with her own body."
"Eventually, our cruel father was stabbed to death by someone seeking revenge."
"After that, my siblings and I lived together with our mother."
"At the time, my brother said something to me."
"'Dad is gone now. From now on, it's our job to protect everyone.'"
Genya gave a faint, nostalgic smile.
"I still remember the gentle smile on his face when he said that."
"Our father's death didn't make us particularly sad. When he was alive, all he ever did was beat us."
"After he died, the seven of us and our mother struggled to survive together."
"Life was poor, but we were happy."
"As long as we had each other, it felt like we had everything."
"But that life changed one night…"
Genya's expression twisted in pain.
The memory was clearly something he didn't want to recall, but he forced himself to continue.
"That night, our mother hadn't come home."
"I stayed behind to watch over my younger siblings while my brother went out to look for her."
"But even as dawn approached, neither of them returned."
"I told my siblings to go to sleep. Then suddenly, someone began pounding on the door."
"The younger ones thought it was Mother and rushed to open it."
"A dark shadow burst into the house and killed several of my siblings in an instant."
"My face was slashed by that shadow. The last brother I was holding in my arms was also gravely injured."
"At that moment, my brother rushed in."
"He grabbed the shadow and dragged it outside, shouting for me to run."
"When I finally regained my senses, I was the only one left in the room who could move."
"Seeing my dying brother, I ran outside to look for a doctor."
"But on the way…"
Genya's voice trembled.
"I saw my brother holding a kitchen knife…"
"And our mother lying in a pool of blood."