In the room next door, the atmosphere was completely different.
Tanjiro Kamado sat on the tatami, holding a wooden comb. In front of him, Nezuko, who had shrunk down, sat obediently. Biting down on her bamboo tube, Nezuko made muffled "mm, mm" sounds, her short arms and legs waving unconsciously in the air.
Tanjiro looked at his little sister with affection all over his face, deftly dividing her long black hair into three sections and braiding it bit by bit.
Genya Shinazugawa sat in a corner of the room. Holding a cloth, he carefully wiped down his specially made double-barreled gun and the brand-new Nichirin Blade he had just received. His gaze occasionally drifted toward Tanjiro and Nezuko, carrying an envy he had not even noticed himself.
"Genya." Still braiding Nezuko's hair, Tanjiro turned toward the boy in the corner. "Mr. Rokuya and Miss Kanae told me about you yesterday. You took what they said to heart, didn't you? Please don't feel inferior because of the way you fight anymore."
Genya's hands paused. He lowered his head, avoiding Tanjiro's clear gaze, his expression somewhat awkward.
"I don't need you sticking your nose in," Genya replied gruffly. "All I know is that I have to get stronger. As long as I can kill demons, I don't care whether I have to eat their flesh or do anything else. I don't need anyone's pity."
Tanjiro finished tying the pink ribbon in Nezuko's hair and shook his head with a smile.
"Mr. Rokuya wasn't pitying you. He was acknowledging you." Tanjiro's tone was utterly sincere. "Power itself is neither good nor evil. As long as we're all fighting to protect humanity, as long as our hearts are on the side of justice, we're comrades."
Nezuko turned around, felt her braid with her hands,