30 Demon Slayer: Floating Comment

"How can you kill a demon?"

"Decapitate them with a Nichirin Blade or expose them to sunlight."

Sanemi couldn't bear to watch his mother's head being cut off, so he hoisted her frail body onto his back and staggered out of the house.

Genya waited in the yard for a long time, watching as many people dressed like Haruto entered the house.

"Mr. Haruto."

A familiar Kakushi greeted Haruto with a bow. "How is your health?"

"Thanks to you, I've completely recovered."

Genya silently watched their polite conversation, observing the Kakushi as they cleaned the house and gathered the bodies of his siblings.

But where was his brother? Why hadn't Sanemi come back yet? The sun had been up for a while now.

A white-haired swordsman's parrot flapped into the yard. "G?"

Genya blinked at the bird, puzzled.

Haruto turned toward the spiky-haired boy, who immediately stiffened and stood up nervously.

"Come here," Haruto gestured.

Though they called him a boy, Genya realized he was still just a child. Without his exaggerated hairstyle, Sanemi would look even smaller.

"...Watching my mother disintegrate into ash before my eyes, I thought more than once that it might have been better to let her go," Sanemi's voice echoed through the parrot, who perched on Haruto's shoulder.

"But you were right. My brother and I have already tasted the devastation of losing our family. There's no reason others should endure the same."

The bird paused, then continued: "I wasn't there when my siblings were killed, and I even watched my mother die. I don't know how I could ever face Genya again. This guilt will haunt me forever."

"I've decided," Sanemi declared. "I'm leaving. I'll use the little I've learned about killing demons to take revenge on the monsters that destroyed my family."

"Genya is a good kid. He may act out, but he's kind-hearted. If you don't mind, please take care of him. If it's too much trouble, he has an uncle—"

"What the hell?!" Genya whispered, his body frozen. "What kind of nonsense is that?!"

His trembling hands crushed the slingshot he held, and he hurled it to the ground.

"You're going to kill demons? Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Haruto rubbed his temples as if a headache were forming.

Sanemi was already long gone. No clues, no signs left behind. Was this supposed to be... a parting gift? Or a burden?

"Follow him," Haruto instructed the bird, which took flight in pursuit of Genya.

Inside the house, the bloodstains had been scrubbed away. Haruto approached a Kakushi recording details in a log. Standing beside her was a government official from Kyobashi, confirming information.

"What's this family called?" Haruto asked.

"Shinazugawa," the Kakushi, Ms. Yuko, replied. "The older boy is Sanemi, and the younger one with the spiky hair is Genya."

Haruto stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Do they have any family left?"

"They used to," the official replied.

"Used to?"

"There was a relative, but he passed away three years ago. His son sold their house and moved elsewhere."

In other words, Genya had nowhere to go. If Haruto didn't take him in, the boy would become a true orphan, wandering aimlessly between towns and cities.

"Damn it!" Haruto punched the wall in frustration.

That Sanemi! If he found him, he swore he'd pull out every strand of that white hair!

Genya hadn't gone far. Haruto found him curled up on a patch of open ground near the residential area, his small frame tightly wrapped into a ball. Drying blood—Sanemi's blood—stained the ground around him.

The boy was fast asleep, as if he were still safe and warm in his brother's arms.

Haruto debated for a long time. Should he take Genya to Sagiri Mountain or the Swordsmith Village?

Master Gotokawa might be a legendary swordsmith, but he was also quite old. Haruto worried about burdening him with the responsibility of raising a half-grown child. Besides, Genya had made it clear he wanted to learn how to fight demons, just like Haruto.

After weighing his options, Haruto decided to leave Genya on Sagiri Mountain.

Genya wasn't very talkative. He often wore a scowl that warned strangers to stay away. But he was still a kid, and it didn't take much—a ruffle of his hair from Sabito—to get him riled up.

"So what are you now?" Makomo asked as she applied ointment to the scars on Genya's face. "His big brother?"

Genya shot Haruto a quick glance. "No..."

"Of course not," Haruto said, gnawing on a piece of smoked pork. "I'm his dad. Go on, kid—call me Dad!"

When Haruto bopped him on the head with the pork, Genya didn't get angry. He just snorted, nose in the air.

As long as no one brought up his missing brother, nothing else seemed to bother him.

Soon, the training group on Sagiri Mountain had a new addition: a little spiky-haired shadow trailing behind. While everyone else carried heavy stones, Genya often walked empty-handed.

"I don't think I can use Water Breathing," a now taller Genya admitted, holding one of Giyu's old blades. "Neither Fire Breathing nor Water Breathing works for me."

Haruto frowned, surprised. Water Breathing was the easiest style to learn. If Genya couldn't master it, becoming a Demon Slayer might be impossible.

"Don't worry. Even if you can't—"

Just as Haruto was about to comfort him, the faint glow of the floating text he'd come to expect appeared before his eyes:

[Wow, long time no see! A pre-main plot arc!]
[It's Haruto! My white-haired husbando—come here for kisses!]
[Genya's already on Sagiri Mountain, so this must be after the Shinazugawa family tragedy.]
[The Shinazugawa bloodline is insane. Sanemi is a rare blood type, and Genya's... a demon eater?]
[Too bad only two of them survived. I wonder if their younger siblings had any special abilities.]

Wait a second. Haruto's brow furrowed. A demon eater? What the hell was that supposed to mean?