By this point in the story, Chiba Yo already had a guess. That shadow had most likely been their mother. After all... for someone who had just become a demon, nothing was more enticing than the flesh and blood of their own family.
Sure enough, Genya's next words confirmed his suspicion.
"My mind went completely blank. Without thinking, I blurted out why my brother had killed our mother, and I shouted that he was a murderer..."
Genya's clasped hands trembled as guilt and self-reproach washed over him again.
"My brother didn't say anything. He stood there for a while, then turned and left.
"As the sun rose, our mother's body turned to ash. The bodies of our younger brothers and sisters grew cold, and they never answered us again. Only then did I gradually realize that the shadow that had attacked us was our mother.
"To protect us, my brother had fought that monster at dawn, risking his life. How must he have felt when he pushed the monster out of the house and saw that the shadow was Mom?
"And how must he have felt when, after killing his own mother with his own hands, on the verge of breaking down, he heard the little brother he'd risked his life to protect hurling abuse at him?
"It was my stupidity and ignorance that left him carrying all of that alone... He must hate me, right? That's why he refuses to acknowledge me as his brother. But that's only natural. After all..."
"No! That's absolutely not it!" Chiba Yo interrupted Genya, looking at him earnestly.
Genya froze at his words, then raised his head to look at Chiba Yo.
"If your brother is as kind as you say, then he must understand what you were going through. After all, you didn't know the monster that had hurt you was your mother. Even if he resented how you acted back then, he wouldn't refuse to acknowledge you.
"There must be another reason he won't acknowledge you," Chiba Yo said with absolute certainty.
Chiba Yo's words brought Genya a sudden realization. He had been so consumed by guilt and self-reproach that he had simply assumed his brother blamed him for what had happened, and that was why he refused to acknowledge him as his younger brother.
Only after hearing Chiba Yo's words did he understand. His brother was the kindest person in the world. How could he possibly refuse to acknowledge him for that reason?
"Could he be refusing to acknowledge you because he wants you to stay away from him?" Chiba Yo voiced his guess.
"He wants me to stay away from him? Why?" Genya asked, still puzzled.
"Mr. Sanemi is a Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, right? The demons he faces must be incredibly powerful. If he acknowledged you, you might get dragged into his battles too. Wouldn't that put you in terrible danger?" Chiba Yo said, looking at Genya.
As he listened to Chiba Yo's explanation, Genya gradually began to understand.
"You mean my brother won't acknowledge me because he doesn't want me getting caught up in danger?" Genya asked.
Chiba Yo nodded and continued, "Exactly. Didn't he tell you to leave the Demon Slayer Corps at the start? That had nothing to do with what you were talking about. He must have brought it up so suddenly because he doesn't want you to face danger as a swordsman in the Corps."
The more Chiba Yo spoke, the more certain he became that his guess was right. When he had first met the Wind Hashira at the Butterfly Mansion, he hadn't seen him act this roughly.
"Is that really it? My brother really doesn't resent me or blame me?"
Hearing Chiba Yo's explanation, Genya grew increasingly excited. If that guess was true, it meant his brother still loved him. As long as he knew that, nothing else mattered so much. As long as they still cared about each other, all their problems would be resolved sooner or later.
"That's what I think. You said yourself that your brother is very kind, right? Then it makes perfect sense that he wouldn't want his little brother to be in danger," Chiba Yo replied.
"That's great! In that case, I'll go explain everything to him right now. I'm not afraid of danger. As long as I can stay with my brother, that's all I need." Genya spoke excitedly, jumping to his feet to go find Sanemi.
Chiba Yo's brain stalled for a moment. He hadn't expected that to be Genya's first reaction after hearing his explanation. Surely anyone could see that going straight to his brother now was the last thing he should do!
"Wait!"
Once he had gathered his wits, Chiba Yo grabbed Genya.
Genya turned to look at Chiba Yo in confusion, unable to understand why he had stopped him.
"If my guess is right, then Mr. Sanemi definitely won't admit it if you go to him now. He might even treat you more harshly to make you leave the Demon Slayer Corps," Chiba Yo explained helplessly.
"You're right..." Chiba Yo's words brought Genya back to his senses, and he abandoned the idea of going to find Sanemi immediately.
"Then doesn't that mean I'll never be able to reconcile with my brother?" Genya soon realized there was another problem. If Sanemi didn't want him in the Demon Slayer Corps and didn't want him facing danger, then he would never acknowledge him.
That realization left Genya even more dejected.
"Of course not. If all the demons in the world disappear one day, Mr. Sanemi won't need to stay in the Demon Slayer Corps anymore, and he'll be able to acknowledge you, won't he? The Corps might even disband then," Chiba Yo said, shaking his head at Genya.
Silence suddenly fell between them, and several seconds passed.
Chiba Yo also realized that this condition seemed rather far off. He coughed twice and continued, "Of course, there's another way. If you can put your brother's mind at ease so he no longer worries about your safety, then the two of you should be able to reconcile too."
This approach was clearly much more practical than the previous one. Genya nodded in agreement. "So what I need to do now is find a way to get stronger and earn my brother's recognition. If I can go a step further and become a Hashira, I'll be able to see him often."
"Exactly. That's it." Seeing Genya regain his spirits gave Chiba Yo a small sense of accomplishment.
"If I want to get stronger, I'll need a powerful teacher. Do you know who the strongest person in the Demon Slayer Corps is?" After a moment's thought, Genya asked Chiba Yo.
"The strongest person in the Demon Slayer Corps? I remember Master Rengoku mentioning it to me. According to him, it's the Stone Hashira, Mr. Gyomei Himejima. I think he lives in the mountains over there, but I don't know whether he's away on a mission right now."
Recalling what Kyojuro had told him, Chiba Yo pointed in a direction beside the Corps Barracks.
"All right! I'll go ask Mr. Himejima to take me as his student right now!" Unable to sit still after hearing this news, Genya stood up and ran in the direction Chiba Yo had pointed.
But after a few steps, he stopped again and turned to wave at Chiba Yo.
"Thanks for today, Yo."
Only after saying that did he turn back and continue running in that direction.
They really are alike. They're brothers, after all...
Chiba Yo thought as he watched Genya recede into the distance.
"Caw! Caw! Caw! South-southwest! South-southwest! Signs of a demon to the southwest! Chiba Yo, start running! Start running!"
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