Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

The wisteria blossoms drifted down, swaying in the air, carrying with them thoughts of former friends.

Perhaps the flower will eventually fall.

但风

It never stops.

Chapter 161 is not just for yourself, but also for those who care about you.

I dreamt that my brother came to visit me when I was injured.

In my sleep, my brother stood by the bed, quietly watching me.

When I tried to get up and talk to my brother, my mouth seemed to be sealed shut; I couldn't speak or get up no matter what I did.

…………

Shinazugawa Genya opened his eyes and saw a wooden roof. The material looked brand new, so it must have been built not long ago.

A tall man was standing with his back to him, and next to him, a cheerful-looking boy with a scar on his forehead was kneeling. The two were talking quietly.

The familiar, tall figure almost made Genya Shinazugawa think it was his older brother, but he quickly realized that the figure was very different from his brother's.

That's true... I was just dreaming.

How could my brother possibly know I was here?

It's even less likely that he'll look at himself; he's probably still blaming himself right now.

Tanjiro met Genya Shinazugawa's gaze and couldn't help but speak to the tall man beside him:

"Sir, he seems to have woken up."

Su Mu turned around and looked at Shinazugawa Genya, his tone gentle: "How are you feeling? We don't have any healers here. Urokodaki-senpai only treated your injuries briefly. Further treatment will probably have to wait until the Butterfly Mansion's healers arrive."

"I...I'm fine."

Genya Shinazugawa's voice was harsh and strained, a stark contrast to his frail physique.

"Are you really alright?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mu frowned.

"I already said it's nothing."

Shinazugawa Genya's tone was inexplicably tinged with annoyance, even though he didn't feel that way inside, he couldn't control his temper.

"Don't talk to adults like that."

Tanjiro couldn't help but say something from the side.

"What's it to you?"

Genya Shinazugawa turned his head: "Right now, I only want to learn how to hunt demons. That person... I've already defeated him, so I should be qualified to learn from him, right?"

"If defeating one person isn't enough, I can get up and keep fighting."

As he spoke, Shinazugawa Genya, despite the pain in his body, tried to stand up.

"Don't move around."

Seeing this, Tanjiro quickly stepped forward and held Shinazugawa Genya down, saying with concern, "Right now, the most important thing for you is to recover from your injuries."

"Don't worry about it."

Genya Shinazugawa tried to shake off Tanjiro's arm, but Tanjiro was very strong and Genya Shinazugawa couldn't shake him off at all. However, Genya Shinazugawa did not give up.

"I can sense your desire to hunt ghosts and your unwavering determination, but please take care of your health first. If your health collapses, those who care about you will worry about you and be saddened by your condition."

Tanjiro looked at the person in front of him who was almost the same age as him and spoke. Tanjiro's gentle voice calmed Shinazugawa Genya down a lot.

"Da da..."

Footsteps approached, and a boy who looked very similar to Tanjiro walked in: "Master, brother, Mother has prepared the meal."

"Hmm, bring some over, and then let this...this person have some too."

"I will not eat."

Shinazugawa Genya immediately refused.

Su Mu turned around, frowning as he looked at the person. This boy's personality was really not likable at all; he was always very irritable and easily angered.

Sensing Su Mu's gaze, Shinazugawa Genya turned his head away. He had felt this kind of gaze many times before, and he was very clear about what kind of gaze it was. It seemed that everyone disliked him.

All of this is due to my own personality.

But he couldn't change it. He felt angry whenever he thought about how he hadn't mastered many ghost-hunting skills yet, and he felt anxious because the gap between him and his brother was widening.

He was almost constantly anxious and angry, and naturally, he wouldn't speak kindly to anyone, even if it wasn't his intention.

"I'll feed him something later."

Su Mu said something to Tanjiro beside him and then went out.

"No problem, sir."

Tanjiro immediately agreed, and then said gently to Shinazugawa Genya, "Lie down and rest. Your physical condition is very poor right now. No matter what, you must take care of your health first."

"It's none of your business."

Shinazugawa Genya spoke almost abruptly.

"How can you talk to your brother like that? He's only doing this for your own good."

The boy, who looked almost exactly like Tanjiro, couldn't help but speak up at that moment.

"elder brother……"

Shinazugawa Genya almost muttered the word the boy had mentioned, and the image of that tall figure involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"Alright, Takeo, it's nothing."

Tanjiro patted his younger brother's head as he stood in front of him: "Bring the food over."

"Okay, brother."

Kamado Takeo immediately agreed to his brother's request, but when he walked up to his brother, he still glared fiercely at Shinazugawa Genya, as if warning Shinazugawa Genya to show some respect to his brother.

Genya Shinazugawa just stared blankly at Tanjiro's hand gently stroking Takeo Kamado's head; that gentle gesture was just like his older brother from before.

Her brother used to pat her head so gently, but after she misunderstood that he had killed their mother, everything changed completely. The gentleness that belonged to her brother seemed to have vanished from her.

But he didn't blame his brother; he only blamed himself.

She was saved by her brother when she was almost harmed by a ghost, and her brother fought desperately to protect their family. But when she saw her brother kill their mother, who had turned into a ghost, she cursed her brother as the murderer without understanding the whole story.

The older brother must have hated his younger brother to death back then.

Now, he must hate his younger brother to death, right?

Even now, Genya Shinazugawa still hates himself for saying such cruel words, as if it had happened to someone else.

"Have some food."

Tanjiro took the bowl and chopsticks from his younger brother Takeo and spoke in a gentle tone.

"I will not eat."

Genya Shinazugawa turned his head to look at Tanjiro, and also saw Takeo, who was standing to the side glaring at him angrily.

Even as the younger brother, he protected his older brother so much. How could I have said such cruel things to my brother back then? How could I have trampled on my brother's feelings?

“I don’t know what you’ve been through, but there must have been some unpleasant past. I don’t know what kind of sadness it was, but I can feel it.”

Tanjiro looked at Shinazugawa Genya, quietly observing the thin yet strong boy: "But no matter what, you must cherish yourself first. If you don't even cherish yourself, how can you cherish others, protect others, or protect the people you want to protect in the future?"

"Eat something, not only for yourself, but also for the people who care about you."

"Everyone who cared about me is dead. My mother is dead, my sister and brother are dead, and even my brother who used to care about me hates me now. There is no one left who cares about me."

Shinazugawa Genya suddenly spoke in a very agitated manner.

These are things that are buried in my heart, things that I could never tell anyone else, and things that I could never tell someone I've just met. But when the other person seems to truly understand me and truly empathize with me, I suddenly feel like I want to tell them everything.

Tanjiro listened quietly, then scooped up a spoonful and placed it near Shinazugawa Genya's lips:

"Eat some food first."

Genya Shinazugawa tried to push him away in a fit of anger, but when his eyes met Tanjiro's gentle gaze, the same kind of tender gaze his brother had given him at the beginning, he finally opened his mouth.

The taste of rice is swallowed as you chew it, and the energy from the food is digested in your body. Your tired body gradually regains its strength.

Tanjiro didn't say anything more to comfort him, but patiently fed Shinazugawa Genya. At first, Shinazugawa Genya stubbornly wanted to finish by himself, but his injuries were too severe, and it was too difficult for him to eat by himself. Gradually, he stopped resisting so much.

"How's the rice? Is it tasty?"

"Ah."

"This was made by my mother herself. This one for you was made by my mother alone."

Tanjiro's voice was filled with joy.

Genya Shinazugawa silently chewed his rice ball, his mind drifting to his gentle mother. Before she became a demon, she had always been kind to him, his brother, and his sister.

But on that ominous night, the mother completely changed and devoured her younger sister. To protect himself from being harmed by his mother, the older brother fought desperately against her and finally beheaded her with his own hands.

Yet, she cruelly blamed her brother for killing the demon.

What were the brother's feelings at that time? He killed his mother, who loved him dearly, even though she had become a ghost and he had seen her devour his sister who adored him. What were the brother's feelings at that time?

How could I have said such cruel things back then?

Even now, I still can't forget that scene.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"If you're sad, just cry it out."

Tanjiro spoke gently from the side. Takeo had probably learned about Shinazugawa Genya's sad past from the few words he had spoken, and he was no longer as hostile as he had been at first. Like his brother Tanjiro, he began to take good care of Shinazugawa Genya's body.

"sorry."

Looking at Takeo, who was taking good care of his health, Shinazugawa Genya said something in a low voice.

The sudden apology from someone who had just been in a very bad mood surprised Kamado Takeo.