Takaharu had never wanted a little brother. What he did want was happiness for his grandfather, so it pleased him when he spotted the old man chatting with their new neighbor, Hisa. His grandfather's intentions quickly materialized, and Takaharu found it endearing and amusing to see these two giggling and flirting. But with Hisa came a strange addition: her adopted grandson, Inosuke. Takaharu had heard about the boy who'd been on the news for being discovered in the forest, and he avoided this feral child until it became impossible with Hisa marrying his grandfather. He was of course elated for the newlyweds, but he wasn't overly thrilled about sharing a home with Inosuke.

It wasn't long though before Inosuke won Takaharu over. He'd pull on his older brother's earlobes, get into all sorts of mischief, butcher his name and then give up and shriek, "Aniki!" Takaharu's heart had been seized in the tiny fists of this little pig boy, whom he grew to love dearly. Unfortunately this little pig boy had grown into a big pig boy who was failing math.

Kimetsu Academy had an ironclad rule: athletes couldn't compete unless they were passing all their classes. Inosuke, who was on the baseball team, was in danger of not being allowed to attend nationals, and he expressed his frustration over this by repeatedly denouncing Sanemi. Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Nezuko were the main audience to his rants, which became increasingly irate as the date for the national game drew near. Tanjirou suggested, "Isn't Shinazugawa-sensei's brother also on the baseball team? You could ask him for help. He's ranked pretty high in math." Genya was indeed on the baseball team alongside Inosuke, but they'd never said more to each other than what was necessary as teammates. The only things that Inosuke knew about Genya was that he was also on the shooting team and that he hung out with Kanao and the Tokitou twins, so when he approached these four and peered over Genya's shoulder, he was surprised by what Genya was viewing on his phone. "You read Demon Slapper?!"

"Oh, yeah. You're Hashibira. Are you keeping up with the weekly chapters?"

"I am! What'd you think of this week's?!"

Friendship followed easily, and Genya's group merged with Inosuke's so that they became one giant mass. Out of his new friends, Inosuke was especially fond of Genya because playing baseball together meant they saw each other frequently, and they nearly matched one another in temper and curses. Unlike the Kamabokos, who dissuaded Inosuke's misconduct, Genya would validate and laugh at his antics, or he'd scowl and call Inosuke insane but then relent with a smile. Inosuke became so absorbed in this new friendship that he forgot why he'd approached Genya to begin with. He was only reminded when they were with their group one day, and Genya said to him, "Only two weeks left until nationals. Are you nervous?"

"I'm probably not going. I'm failing math."

"By how much? Can you fix it with the next test?"

After seeing Inosuke's grade Zenitsu reassured, "You're not alone. I'm on the edge." Nezuko covered her face and said, "Me too. I'm also dumb."

Tanjirou was appalled and said to Kanao, "How's your side doing so well?" Kanao and the twins looked to Genya, who said, "Don't tell anyone about this. If Sanemi finds out, then we're dead."

He produced a flash drive, the key to their salvation, and the Kamabokos shouted ecstatically, "Genya!" Their savior held up his hand and said, "It's not that easy. I've got the tests for both the middle and high schoolers, but there are three versions of each, and there's no answer key."

The twins suggested, "Let's work together to solve it." These eight minds joined forces, and whenever Inosuke started feeling discouraged, Genya would encourage him by saying, "Come on. We need you there with us at the game." To have such a supportive friend is an extraordinarily rare and precious gift, and although Inosuke wouldn't admit it, Genya's concern moved and motivated him greatly.

Come test day, all they had to do was regurgitate the answers that they'd generated, and then there followed that period of nauseating suspense as their papers were returned. Inosuke could've cried. There was a star sticker at the top, and he took it and stuck it to his forehead triumphantly. Upon seeing the sticker Genya grinned and said, "Pack your bags. You're going to nationals." Inosuke ran the whole way home, boasted to his family, and spent the following days barely able to sleep. Regardless he showed no signs of exhaustion on game day, and he continuously chattered with Genya on the bus, in the locker room, and as they stepped onto the field. Inosuke stared at the scoreboard and said, "Who're we up against? UA High...? Who the hell are they? I've never heard of these clowns."

"I don't know, but it looks like a goddamn circus over there. Does that guy have a tail? What a bunch of freaks."

Before games the teams would briefly meet to shake each other's hands and to exchange well wishes as a show of sportsmanship, but a surly boy with spiky, blond hair complained, "Can we skip this bullshit and start already?" His voice astonished the Kimetsu team, and Inosuke whispered to Genya, "He sounds exactly like you!"

Genya was disturbed. "Yeah... weird."

The blond boy glanced contemptuously at Inosuke and scoffed, "What's a girl doing on the boys' baseball team?" Genya retorted, "Speak for your own bitch ass." Hearing Genya dumbfounded the other team, and a green-haired boy whispered something to the blond, no doubt a comment about their voices. Both teams were rattled, but the umpire separated them to start the game.

Initially it seemed like both sides were evenly matched, but by the final inning the Kimetsu team was apprehensive of loss. Inosuke was the last to bat, and the pitcher, the blond who'd insulted him earlier, sneered. The catcher, a redhead, gave a sharp-toothed grin and said from behind Inosuke, "Give it up, girly. It's over." Inosuke detested comments on his beauty. He channeled all his rage into his swing, and his ire so blinded him that he ran the bases with the sole focus of reaching the home plate. He dove into it and then lay there panting, oblivious to how his teammates and the audience were going wild. The Kimetsu team had occupied all three bases, so with Inosuke's home run that was a total of four runs: a grand slam. The four points had secured their victory, but it didn't feel real to Inosuke until Genya collided with him in a hug followed by their teammates. Inosuke slowly realized they'd won nationals because of him; they were the best high school baseball team in the country because of him. His ego swelled as he was lifted into the air on Genya's shoulders, and beneath Inosuke his teammates jiggled his legs, clapped him on the back, shouted their praises until he felt like a god atop the world. Surely nobody alive knew joy like his in that moment.

That evening, he was still electrified as he walked home with Genya, who laughed, "You need to sleep. I think you've stayed up for a whole week."

"I'm just that strong! Aren't you glad that you helped me?!" Inosuke wasn't a poetic person, so Genya recognized that this was his way of saying, "We may have won because of me, but I wouldn't have been there if it weren't for you."

Genya smiled and answered, "I told you we needed you there." There was a sincerity in his words that Inosuke wasn't used to. He was accustomed to spikes and snarls from Genya, so this seemed different, meaningful. Inosuke felt unexpectedly shy, and he mumbled, "Obviously. You guys would've gotten wrecked if I didn't save us." His gaze fell upon Genya's arm, where there was a fresh scar. He'd been curious about them since he first saw Genya undressed, but when Tanjirou once caught him looking, he shook his head, a silent command to not ask. Clearly it was a touchy subject. But Inosuke had grown close enough to Genya that the latter's occasional spells of unhappiness and insecurity were noticeable, and while Inosuke didn't want to assume the worst, a fraction of him worried that Genya was doing harmful things given that the scars were deep and all over his body. He didn't know how to broach this topic though, and anyways they'd reached Inosuke's home. They said their goodnights, that they'd see each other at school, and then parted ways.

The first year passed blissfully until summer vacation arrived. The group read and discussed Demon Slapper weekly; they wandered the city aimlessly but happily; they squabbled, laughed, and cycled through all the emotions of adolescence. There was a notable bit though: Genya never volunteered to host hangouts at his home. He compensated for it by bringing food for his friends or helping with cleaning afterwards, but whenever the question of "Where should we meet?" arose, he never spoke up. One day when they were sitting in the Kamado bakery after Genya had left early, Inosuke remarked on this, and Tanjirou replied, "Genya has lots of siblings. He probably doesn't want us to feel crowded."

"So do you."

"His place is smaller."

Yuuichirou narrowed his eyes. "How do you know what his place is like? So he's inviting you over but not us."

"That's not it! Our parents are friends."

Muichirou said to Nezuko, "So then you two have known Genya since before us."

"We knew each other's faces, but we never talked. It wasn't until Inosuke introduced us all that we became friends." A peculiar air had settled over them, but it was interrupted by the twins yawning and saying, "It's late. We'll go."

The group left the Kamados, and after some steps the twins spoke simultaneously: "They're hiding something." Kanao countered, "Genya isn't obligated to have us over. We shouldn't pry."

This only amplified the boys' curiosity, so they crafted a plan: they'd steal something from Genya and then offer to deliver it to him. Come their next gathering, Inosuke swiped Genya's house key, and accordingly after they dispersed, a message appeared in the group chat: "Did anyone see a green key?"

Inosuke answered, "I got it. I'll bring it to you," but Genya thwarted their plan: "I'll meet you halfway at the post office."

Panic ensued, and Zenitsu demanded of Inosuke, "Are you allergic to anything?!"

"I'm lactose intolerant. Cheese, ice cream, and stuff are okay though." This was how Inosuke found himself chugging a container of milk as Zenitsu and the twins urged him on. He then went to the post office, handed the key over, and tailed Genya to his home. It was a disreputable neighborhood, but Inosuke didn't care because by now he was in severe pain. Genya was ascending a building's stairs, but Inosuke was in such agony that he couldn't remain standing; he had to crawl up the stairs. Naturally Genya noticed this. "Inosuke, what the fuck are you doing?! Why'd you follow me?!"

"Ugh, I—" but he was drowned out by his stomach noises, which could've outshouted a hurricane. Genya came over to him, saw the cold sweat, and remarked, "You're turning green."

"I'm about to shit myself."

"Go downstairs to the convenience store!"

"I'll die if I go down the stairs. Just let me use your restroom."

Shizu was away, but the Shinazugawa siblings watched with interest as their brother sprinted by, carrying someone to the restroom adjacent to his room. When the crisis was resolved, Inosuke surveyed his surroundings, and it unsettled him to find bloodied gauze and medical tape inside the trashcan. What was Genya doing to himself? He exited the restroom to find the Shinazugawas gawking at him, and he said shamelessly, "I opened the window. Don't go in there for at least an hour." Genya asked, "You followed me just to shit in my home?"

"I've shit in all our friends' homes except for yours. It was your turn." This sounded like typical Inosuke, so Genya accepted the lie. He introduced everyone, explained that Sanemi didn't reside here, and then presented his room while saying, "Sorry it's small and messy. I share it with Hiroshi."

A divider split the room, and while it was indeed small, Genya's definition of messy varied vastly from Inosuke's because in the latter's opinion, it was fairly clean. That was the gist of the entire place: cramped but tidy. Inosuke observed Genya watering his plants, preparing dinner for his siblings, issuing orders on who had to do what, and he was impressed by how nurturing and responsible Genya was. But with this observation came an unpleasant realization: this was a tremendous amount to handle for someone so young. Inosuke's eyes darted to the scars on Genya's arms, but it was impossible to say anything with a crowd. Upon concluding dinner they had the bedroom to themselves because Hiroshi was in the living room with the others. They could finally talk privately, but Inosuke wasn't sure how to start. He resorted to imitating Tanjirou: "You know you can talk to me about anything."

Genya glanced up from the movie they were watching. "Oh, sure."

"So you'd tell me if you were doing anything dangerous, right?"

Genya said gravely, "Do you wanna hear about my heroin habit?"

"What?! Is that what this is?!" Inosuke pointed to a scar, and Genya burst into laughter.

"I was kidding. That's not even what track marks look like."

"Then why do you have so many?! And your brother too!"

Genya answered solemnly, "We once got into a knife fight."

Inosuke stared, and Genya laughed again. Before anything could be said, there was the sound of the front door opening and Sanemi saying, "Genya! Those greedy motherfuckers are calling again. Are you healed enough? We need to head over—" Genya had scrambled to his bedroom door and was frantically motioning for silence, and Sanemi was confused until Inosuke peeked out. Sanemi demanded, "Hashibira? Why are you here?"

Shuuya the youngest exclaimed, "Nii-chan, he made lots of poop!"

A woman's voice said, "Shuuya, don't say things like that. Sanemi, mind your tongue. Oh! Your friend, Genya?" Shizu was petite, doe-eyed, and soft-spoken, but something about the ease with which she managed her flock made Inosuke more wary of her than Sanemi. So when she said, "Inosuke, we've a family matter to attend to," he terminated the investigation promptly.

After Inosuke reported his findings, Zenitsu declared, "I've got it: they're pimping out Genya." After a pause Muichirou said, "You need to chill with that porn addiction."

"I'm not an addict! I'm a connoisseur!"

Yuuichirou scoffed, "Why don't we just ask Genya?" His call went to voicemail, and Zenitsu yelled, "See?! Something bad's happening, and Tanjirou and Nezuko know!"

Inosuke sprang to his feet. "I'll go right now!"

Hiroshi answered the door and said, "Genya isn't feeling well." This alarmed Inosuke, and he shoved Hiroshi aside and barreled in despite the other siblings shouting. Inosuke opened the bedroom door and crashed into what he thought was a wall, and he lay dazed on the floor until the wall roughly lifted him to his feet. Sanemi growled, "What makes you think you can just charge in here?"

"What are you doing to Ponyo?!" Inosuke saw Genya lying in bed, but there was no response when he called for him. Sanemi dragged the intruder to the front door, but he was fantastically flexible and broke free. He sprinted back to Genya, shook him, and then released him in horror because Genya was lifeless. A hand encircled Inosuke's throat, and Sanemi said ominously, "Forget everything you saw just now or else it'll be you instead of him."

Inosuke got the hint that Sanemi was more than just a math teacher, and he hurried away back to his friends. When they questioned him, he muttered, "Tenten's... ill," and then when he realized he'd never see Genya again, he ran home tearfully. His loved ones couldn't understand his sudden depression, but it ended only three days later when a message from Genya appeared in the group chat: "We need to do the summer homework. There's only a week left."

They convened at the Kochou household, and when Inosuke arrived and saw Genya sitting there, he was so astounded and overjoyed that he clung to him until Genya pried him off and said, "Do your homework!" Just like that, they resumed normalcy, and in no time, year two was beginning. Inosuke quieted when they passed Sanemi, who stopped and said, "Hashibira."

If Inosuke was frightened, then it didn't show. He didn't anticipate Sanemi's words either: "What've I told you about that mask?"

Inosuke sprinted away. "It's to prevent covid!"

Sanemi chased him, intending to confiscate the boar head. "Then wear a regular mask!"

Life repeated its same sunny cycle: weekly Demon Slapper chapters, baseball, shenanigans with friends. And then near the end of the school year, there came an especially joyous announcement: Genya had propelled the shooting club to the top. His friends eagerly awaited the awards ceremony for athletes, where Genya would undoubtedly be lauded, but he was instead humiliated by Sanemi berating him for having sacrificed his studies for extracurriculars. Genya stood trembling on the stage, and unable to bear all the eyes focused on him, he rushed away. Inosuke stood immediately, but Kanao caught his arm and said, "Don't, Inosuke. He needs some time alone."

"We can't leave him alone! He's—" His mind flitted to Genya's scars, and he continued uneasily, "I'm worried that he'll hurt himself."

They found Genya in a restroom stall, and his voice sounded like he'd been crying. Nothing they said could coax him out, so Tanjirou declared, "If you won't come out, then I'm going in." Against Genya's protests Tanjirou went into the adjacent stall, climbed over the wall, and dropped into where Genya was hiding. At this moment Urokodaki the janitor entered the restroom, and he demanded of Kanao and Nezuko, "Why are you two in the boys' restroom?"

He evicted them, and the group lingered outside for half an hour until Tanjirou emerged with Genya and said, "You know what we've never done? A sleepover!" The Kamado parents were easygoing, and they readily accommodated the impromptu plans. Zenitsu fell asleep first, and when he started twitching and mumbling, Genya whispered, "What the fuck?"

Nezuko giggled, "You've never been around Zenitsu asleep before? He sleepwalks and talks," and as if to corroborate her statement, Zenitsu muttered, "My crayons... Give them back!"

Genya answered, "I got you, bro." He held out a slipper, and Zenitsu snatched it from him and rolled away. After a bout of snorts and suppressed laughter, they were all dreaming pleasantly except for Genya, Tanjirou, and Inosuke, but Genya and Tanjirou must've thought Inosuke was asleep because they were only speaking to one another. Tanjirou said, "I'm glad that you're feeling better now. You know you can talk to us about anything."

Inosuke had used that line before, but Genya hadn't taken him seriously. Naturally there was a slight sting of jealousy when Tanjirou was answered honestly: "I don't wanna trouble everyone."

"We've always picked each other up when one of us is down. You're no exception." There was a pause, and then Tanjirou moved closer to Genya and continued, "You think being strong means never showing weakness, but I think you're stronger than ever because you showed us that you could be vulnerable."

Inosuke had always envied Tanjirou's eloquence, and he wondered what they'd said to each other in the half hour that they'd spent together in the restroom stall. He refused to believe 30 minutes could outweigh all the time that he'd spent with Genya, so he snapped upright, startling Genya and Tanjirou. Inosuke stated, "We should kill your brother."

Genya gave a horrified laugh and said, "Go to sleep, Inosuke," and then after some minutes he asked, "Do you ever miss living in the forest?"

Life in the forest had been simple and unrestrained, but it had also been lonely and arduous. Being in society came with negatives too, but here Inosuke had everything: a loving family, loyal friends, modern conveniences. Life was good. "Sometimes but then I wouldn't have you guys." The answer earned a heartfelt smile from Genya, and Inosuke felt an odd fuzziness, a feeling that this would be more than just some high school friendship; Genya would change his life. Inosuke struggled though with sentimentality, so he changed the tone to a challenge: "I'm gonna fall asleep before you."

Genya retorted, "Not if I fall asleep first!" Tanjirou chuckled at how they'd returned to their usual routine of being competitive over ridiculous things, and time marched on and into their third year. An unusual change had overcome Tanjirou during the preceding summer, and this change carried over into school. Ever since the restroom stall incident, Tanjirou would watch Genya when he thought Genya wasn't looking; he'd bring baked treats to baseball practice and then stay to walk home with Genya afterwards; he'd place himself next to Genya whenever possible. Inosuke noticed all this, but he assumed it was just the stress of their final year affecting Tanjirou. And then one day after baseball practice, when he and Genya were in the locker room with Tanjirou sitting and chattering behind them, things became clear.

Genya was tall enough to reach above the lockers, so he sometimes placed things there to save himself the inconvenience of having to undo his lock. Fresh out of the showers, he was only wearing a towel, and as he stretched to reach up, Tanjirou paused speaking to ogle the long line of Genya's body. Inosuke raised an eyebrow and asked Tanjirou, "So where are we eating afterwards?" Tanjirou didn't answer because his mind was obviously somewhere else, and he started when Inosuke repeated the question. Tanjirou stammered, "Oh! Um! Genya, what are you craving?" Baseball practice and the hour afterwards had originally been Genya and Inosuke's time together, so the latter wasn't too delighted to have an interloper. It wasn't that Inosuke disliked Tanjirou; it was just that he'd never been fond of sharing. Genya, however, acted like nothing had changed, and Inosuke, not wanting to let Genya be cooler than him, also acted like nothing had changed. But things changed dramatically halfway through the school year when Zenitsu and Inosuke were dawdling in the biology lab on the second floor after classes were over.

Kanae kept two pet crayfish, and bonus points were given to students who volunteered to care for them. One of the crayfish had died, and she'd asked them to discard it and to clean its tank. As Inosuke emptied the water down the sink, he saw through a window to the lawn below, where Tanjirou was speaking with Genya, who was red. Inosuke couldn't hear the conversation, but Zenitsu, who could, tittered to himself, and when the former saw Genya replying to Tanjirou, who smiled and blushed, he understood then what was unfolding.

Inosuke couldn't identify the uncomfortable emotion surging in him, but it certainly matched the green of his eyes. He frowned, took the dead crayfish, and dropped it onto Tanjirou's head. The victim screamed and flailed, and despite Zenitsu's rebukes the culprit sank to the floor guffawing. There followed the sound of Genya's laughter, and Inosuke hurriedly stood, thinking he'd successfully sundered them. Instead there was the scene of Tanjirou covering his face in embarrassment as Genya held him, and then he opened his hands to say something to Genya, who leaned down to gently kiss him. Inosuke gnashed his teeth and made to leap out the window, but Zenitsu yanked him back.

The group celebrated this development, but Inosuke was stewing. Words weren't his forte though, so he couldn't explain or express these emotions. With nowhere for them to go, they boiled inside him until they reduced into sadness. Two and a half years of doing everything with Genya, and Tanjirou had rendered it worthless with a 30-minute pep talk in the restroom of all things. Hating or faulting Tanjirou was unthinkable though, so Inosuke instead tried focusing on the moments when Genya did spend time with him. But beyond baseball practice these moments were declining, so even when they met at the Tokitou residence to read the weekly chapter of Demon Slapper together, Inosuke was in such a haze that he barely registered the story. He was only returned to reality when there came a hiccup from Muichirou, to which Yuuichirou asked, "Are you crying?"

"No," but Muichirou's voice quavered. He was definitely crying. Genya, who was facing away, had also been suspiciously quiet, and Kanao poked his back and said, "We've got another one."

Genya sniffled, and Nezuko laughed, "We need to write a strongly worded letter to the mangaka. What's this chapter? One seventy-nine?" Muichirou stammered plaintively, "He said... he said... 'I was born to be happy,'" and then unable to contain himself, he sprawled on the floor sobbing.

Genya said brokenly, "He never caught a break, and then he dies just for his brother's character development? You wouldn't grow from that; you'd regress. Imagine living while knowing you failed to protect everyone dear to you." Genya and Muichirou were devastated, and the group solaced them with equal parts teasing and consoling until even Inosuke's mood was restored. Tanjirou then said brightly, "Did everyone see the announcement for the Demon Slapper movie? There's a cafe and art exhibit attached to it. The first showing's a week after we graduate."

Upon seeing the all-inclusive ticket prices, Inosuke said, "It's expensive! I'll probably just watch the movie." Nezuko urged, "Treat yourself! It'll be your graduation gift. There'll be exclusive merch for sale, and the cafe will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

Inosuke wanted badly to go, but he couldn't imagine squandering so much money for something nonessential. He settled on sighing that he'd enjoy it vicariously through his friends, and just when he'd resigned himself to his fate, Genya stopped him one day and said, "Hey, check this out." He held up two tickets, one of which he handed to Inosuke, and when it dawned on the recipient what this meant, he jumped up and clasped his arms around Genya, who laughed and returned the hug. How absurd that Inosuke had ever feared something between them was changing!