56. Sanemi Shinazugawa

Hana and Tanjiro were officially banned from going anywhere near the Wind Estate or its master, Sanemi Shinazugawa, after a chaotic confrontation.

It had all started when Tanjiro, driven by his relentless kindness, tried to intervene in a heated argument between Sanemi and his brother, Genya.

Sanemi had been absolutely enraged with Tanjiro, looking like he was ready to draw blood. Hana, who had been there for her first day with the Wind Hashira, stepped into the middle of the fight to protect Tanjiro, trying to stop Sanemi from killing her sweet little brother.

In the moment of chaos, she had managed to land a solid kick squarely on Sanemi's face, leaving a dark bruise on his chin. It was a total mess. The other demon slayers watching from the sidelines began to pray for Hana, while Zenitsu, who had been hiding behind a tree, began to wail uncontrollably.

Sanemi had looked at Hana with a snarl so terrifying she felt her soul try to leave her body. For a long, tense moment, she thought he would actually kill her right there. But, to everyone's shock, he simply walked away, mumbling something under his breath.

Afterwards, both Hana and Tanjiro received a brutal scolding from the higher-ups. Hana's training with the Wind Hashira ended before it even began, and the two of them were permanently banned from approaching him again.

"Huh? Uhh, this is it. Giyuu-san should be around here, right?" Tanjiro whispered as he and Hana quietly walked through the training grounds.

They moved toward the noise and peeked out from behind a large tree. Giyuu and Sanemi were in the middle of a sparring match as part of the Hashira training Giyuu had told Hana about.

After everything that happened, Hana and Giyuu found themselves slowly growing closer. He had joined the Hashira training, finally accepting his place among them, and they spent every spare moment together. Hana had even made him an extra-large serving of Salmon Daikon to apologize for slapping him, a gesture he insisted wasn't necessary, but the way his eyes softened told Hana he was deeply pleased.

"WIND BREATHING! FIRST FORM! DUST WHIRLWIND CUTTER!" Sanemi roared as he lunged forward. The ground seemed to explode with the force of his movement.

He was moving with a violence that made the air whistle. "WHAT'S WRONG!? YOU'RE NO DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF US!!" Sanemi shouted, his eyes wide and manic.

Hana winced. She felt a wave of sadness. She knew Giyuu still struggled with the feeling that he didn't belong, but she also knew that Sanemi was misinterpreting him. He thought that Giyuu was being arrogant, but Giyuu wasn't looking down on them at all. He was doing that to himself.

"WATER BREATHING! FOURTH FORM! STRIKING TIDE!" Giyuu countered, his movements fluid and calm despite the aggression coming from his opponent. The clash was deafening. Suddenly, a sharp crack filled the air. Giyuu's wooden sword snapped in half, the pieces flying into the grass.

Hana's eyes widened. This was not supposed to be so harsh. This felt less like training and more like a real fight.

"TIME TO PUMMEL EACH OTHER TO DEATH WITH OUR FISTS!" Sanemi yelled, growing more intense as he slammed his palm into his other fist. He looked ready to tear Giyuu apart with his bare hands.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!!" Tanjiro suddenly ran out from behind the tree, moving right in front of Giyuu to shield him.
Hana gasped and ran after him, her heart in her throat. "Please wait a minute! You cannot go killing each other!!" Tanjiro cried out, waving his arms frantically.

"SHUT UP, DAMMIT!" Sanemi spat, glaring down at Tanjiro. "YOU AIN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO GET NEAR ME! AND YOU DARED TO PEEK IN ON US, YOU LITTLE-" He stopped and turned his glare toward Hana, who was now standing by Giyuu. Her hand instinctively reached for Giyuu's sleeve. "And you! You can't spend a little time away from your boyfriend? You have to follow him everywhere? It's pathetic!"

"We're not-!" Hana and Giyuu both said at the same time, their faces turning a bright, unmistakable shade of crimson. They both looked in opposite directions Giyuu stared intensely at a nearby rock, while Hana found the pattern of her haori suddenly fascinating.

"Can't we all just share some ohagi or something? I'll make enough of them to fill your tummies, so..." Tanjiro suddenly said, his face completely serious.

"Huh?" Hana said, blinking in confusion. Giyuu blinked too, looking at Tanjiro.

"Making fun of me now, huh..." Sanemi said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low growl. Veins were popping out on his forehead.

"Wha? No, no, I'm serious!!" Tanjiro insisted.

"What are you saying, Tanjiro?" Hana asked, pulling on Tanjiro's sleeve. "This isn't the time."

"Shinazugawa-san likes ohagi, Hana!!" Tanjiro explained. Hana looked at Sanemi, who looked like he was about to explode. "You like ohagi?" Hana asked Sanemi, her voice skeptical.

"When I was training at his place, I smelled the slight fragrance of mochi flour the whole time," Tanjiro explained with total confidence. "Every time I came around, I smelled matcha and ohagi," Tanjiro said, nodding with a proud smile.

Giyuu looked at Sanemi with wide, hopeful eyes. It was as if he had found a way to bridge their friendship.
"Shinazugawa... you like ohagi...?" Giyuu asked calmly.

"HUH? WHA?" Sanemi snarled. Before anyone could react, he punched Tanjiro right in the face. Tanjiro flew back, landing several feet away and falling unconscious immediately.

"Tanjiro!" Hana was enraged.

"You jerk!" She lunged at Sanemi, her fists clenched, but before she could land a hit and get herself into even deeper trouble, Giyuu reached out and grabbed the back of her uniform. He held her firmly, keeping her from attacking the Wind Hashira.

"Let me at him, Giyuu-san! He's an asshole!" She yelled, flailing her arms. "I was planning to make ohagi for you as an apology for what happened earlier! But not anymore!" Hana shouted, kicking the air in frustration. "NO OHAGI FOR YOU! NEVER! HMPH!"

Hana said all of this as if not getting ohagi from her was the greatest tragedy that could ever befall a person. She expected him to look regretful, or at least a little bit sad that he was missing out on her cooking. Instead, Sanemi just turned around and stormed off in a blind rage, muttering curses under his breath.

Giyuu and Hana waited for Tanjiro to wake up. Hana was still fuming, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance. When Tanjiro finally groaned and opened his eyes, he rubbed his jaw. "Giyuu-san... Hana..."

"Shinazugawa stormed off somewhere," Giyuu told Tanjiro as he helped him sit up.

"You were fighting," Tanjiro said, sounding worried.

"They weren't actually fighting, Tanjiro," Hana said, though she crossed her arms. "Even though that scar-face looked like he wanted to kill Giyuu-san."

"It's not a fight; it's a part of the Hashira training," Giyuu explained calmly. "Every Hashira takes part in each other's training."

"Oh, okay. Sorry for getting into trouble," Tanjiro said, bowing his head.

"It's fine. I couldn't have a good talk with him, and he was mad the whole time," Giyuu said, looking thoughtful. "But I'm glad I figured out what he likes. Next time, I'll sneak ohagi into a bag and give it to Shinazugawa when I see him."

"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!" Tanjiro said, his eyes lighting up.

"I think we can get along for sure if we do that," Giyuu said. He actually let out a small, genuine smile at the thought of making a friend.

"I'll do that too!" Tanjiro added cheerfully.

Hana watched them both. She was deciding whether or not to tell them that this was a terrible idea and that they would probably just get into another fight. She thought of Sanemi's temper and then looked at Giyuu's innocent, hopeful smile. Her heart melted instantly. She sighed and shook her head. If Giyuu was happy, she supposed she could help him make the best ohagi the Corps had ever seen.