"Eh—no way. Big brother, you really don't remember us?"
"I'm sorry… I don't remember." Kamado Tanjiro looked at his younger siblings with clear remorse in his eyes. "Mr. Hiru said I've only temporarily suppressed my appetite. It'll take some time to recover my memories. Could I… get to know you all again?"
"Tanjiro, you really don't remember anything at all?"
Tanjiro looked up at the adult woman walking toward him, tension rising unconsciously in his chest.
"Yes… I'm sorry. Right now, I only remember that I'm the eldest son of the family, and that I belong here… but I can't remember any names at all."
"I see. You've been through a lot."
The woman reached out and pulled Tanjiro into her embrace.
"Then let's start with me. I'm Kamado Kie. I'm your mother."
"Mother…"
"That's right."
Kie looked at Tanjiro, gently rubbing his head.
"Do you remember? When you were little, I once took you and Nezuko into the mountains to gather chestnuts. We ran into a wild boar, and in my panic, I had no choice but to knock it out with a headbutt. Your hard forehead—you inherited that from me, you know?"
Tanjiro's hands, resting on his knees, clenched without him noticing, sharp nails hidden beneath his palms.
"…I think I remember something."
"And me! I'm Kamado Hanako! Your adorable little sister!"
Tanjiro instinctively opened his arms, shielding the little girl who threw herself at him.
"Hanako…"
"Mm!"
Hanako lifted her head.
"Big brother always tells me stories! Your stories are always so fun!"
"Really?"
Tanjiro couldn't help smiling. He reached out to rub Hanako's head, only to pull his hand back when he caught sight of his sharp nails.
"Was I really that good at telling stories?"
Hanako grabbed Tanjiro's hand and placed it firmly on her own head, her expression a little hurt.
"Do you hate me, big brother? Why did you pull your hand away?"
"No, I was just afraid I might hurt you…" Tanjiro said in a fluster. "Look—my nails are really sharp."
"That won't happen! Big brother would never hurt us!"
Hanako puffed out her cheeks.
"Big brother has always protected us! And big brother is the strongest!"
"That's right! Big brother is the Fire God's successor! He's the strongest!"
Tanjiro glanced over reflexively, looking embarrassed.
"…Huh? Am I really that amazing?"
"Mm-hm! Big brother is super amazing!"
The boy's eyes sparkled.
"I'm Kamado Shigeru! Rokuta cried himself tired, so I put him to bed first. We'll introduce him properly tomorrow during the day!"
"Hanako… Shigeru… Rokuta…"
Tanjiro murmured the names softly a few times, then smiled.
"Okay. I'll remember. I definitely won't forget this time."
"And there's also Nezuko-nee and Takeo-nii!"
Hanako sat right in Tanjiro's lap, looking up at him with a bright smile.
"They'll be back soon! They'll be really happy when they see you!"
"I'm really happy to see all of you too…"
Tanjiro felt his nose sting.
"I'm sorry. You're all so important to me, and yet I forgot you…"
"You can remember those things slowly," Kie said gently. "For us, the most important thing is that you're safe."
"…Mm!"
Tanjiro lifted his sleeve and wiped at his eyes. He picked Hanako up and carefully set her aside, then stood up with a smile.
"Then let me help out with something."
Kie shook her head.
"No need. I've already prepared everything. We just need to wait for Nezuko and the others to come back."
"Then I'll go chop firewood!" Tanjiro said, scratching his head awkwardly. "I feel like I'm full of strength right now. And… because of my condition, I'm always afraid I might hurt you all…"
"Big brother wouldn't!"
Hanako hugged Tanjiro's arm.
"Stay with us—!"
"Yeah, yeah—!"
Shigeru hugged him from the other side.
"And Mr. Hiru is going to take big brother away again later! We don't have much time together as it is!"
"Be careful!"
Tanjiro bent down nervously, curling his fingers inward.
"If you get scratched, it'll hurt."
Kie couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly.
"Just stay here, Tanjiro. We all missed you very much."
Tanjiro smiled and was about to say something more—
When a sharp, hostile scent suddenly hit his senses.
At the very next instant, the wooden door at the entrance was blasted open.
A familiar scene flashed through Tanjiro's mind. In that split second, the demonization he had been suppressing resurfaced. He bared his teeth toward the doorway, a low, threatening growl rumbling from his throat.
What Yuichiro and Muichiro saw when they rushed inside was exactly that.
Tanjiro—clearly a demon—was hunched forward, glaring at them with feral intensity. Hanako and Shigeru stood frozen, staring blankly at him, while Kie, a short distance away, covered her mouth in shock.
Taking in Tanjiro's attire—so similar to Takeo's—the twins reached the same conclusion almost instantly:
[A demon skilled in transformation disguised as Takeo, deceiving his family. Just about to attack, only to be caught in the act.]
Without the slightest hesitation, both brothers drew in a deep breath. Their swords flashed from their scabbards as they slashed straight toward Tanjiro.
To Tanjiro, this was nothing more than strangers bursting in, intent on harming his family.
He immediately used controlled force to shake Hanako and Shigeru free, planted his foot, and charged toward Yuichiro and Muichiro.
But instead of attacking right away, Tanjiro lunged toward Kie, trying to pull her into safety as well.
To the twins, that movement looked like outright provocation. Still, wary of injuring Kie, they abandoned their killing techniques and switched to sweeping slashes, aiming only to drive Tanjiro back.
[The same kind of attackers as that day?]
The mark on Tanjiro's forehead spread rapidly, his already narrow pupils shrinking to near slits.
[I have to drive them out of the house first!]
Tanjiro dropped low, narrowly evading the incoming blades, then surged forward. He slipped through the twins' guard, seized both of their waist sashes with perfect precision, twisted, and hurled them bodily outside.
Only then did he circle past the still-shocked Kie and move to stand at the doorway, baring his fangs as he stared down at Yuichiro and Muichiro as they landed and rolled to absorb the impact.
Kie slowly came back to herself. Though the exchange had been brief, she had clearly recognized the twins. She stepped forward at once.
"Wait, Tanjiro, they—"
"It's fine. Leave it to me."
White breath visibly poured from Tanjiro's mouth, yet his gaze never once left the twins.
"I'll deal with the attackers. Mother, please watch over Hanako and Shigeru. Rokuta might've been frightened by the noise too."
"No, Tanjiro, wait—"
But her words never reached him.
Because at that moment, the only thought in Tanjiro's mind was—
[Protect my family from the intruders.]
He drew in a deep breath. His already sharp nails lengthened even further. His red, vertical pupils locked onto Yuichiro and Muichiro as they charged again with swords raised.
Tanjiro leapt forward without hesitation.
The battle was about to erupt.