[HxH] Ch 3: Brothers’ First Meeting

— — — — — — 

What is cognition?

Cognition is the process by which humans gather, process, and apply information through perception, memory, and thought. It's how we understand and adapt to the world around us.

In short—it's the sum of what we see, hear, think, and experience, woven into a complete system.

Roy had watched Demon Slayer in his past life. He had slipped into the characters' shoes, shared in their joy, their grief, their despair, and their rage. That empathy left a deep imprint in his world of cognition.

He sat up from the snow, thoughtful. A small cloth pouch tumbled from his chest, spilling a few candies into the white frost. Only then did he remember—today was his youngest sister Hanako Kamado's celebration.

Because of his presence here, Tanjiro was no longer the eldest son. The youngest, Rokuta, hadn't even been born yet. Which meant… there were still two or three years before the story would begin.

Not only was his father, Tanjuro Kamado, still alive, even his grandmother—the kindly white-haired old woman who used to hold Tanjiro and stargaze with him—was here too.

It was strange. In reality Roy was the eldest son of the Zoldyck family. Here, in this cognition world, he was still the eldest son—this time of the Kamado family.

"Sigh~"

Roy bent down, picked up the candies one by one, then began checking his own condition.

First—Nen.

He tried to draw on the aura inside him, gathering it at his right index finger. A faint ivory glow flickered there. Weak, yes, but real. The snowy forest reflected it, a fragile but undeniable existence.

Relief washed over him.

After all, this world was no safer than Hunter × Hunter. It was crawling with man-eating demons. Until he mastered Breathing Styles and earned a Nichirin Blade, having Nen was critical.

Next came the Zoldyck assassination arts.

Silent Gaits. Joint Control. The Snake Awakens.

Silent Gaits—the family's signature movement, passed down for generations. Its essence: light, floating, elusive, illusory.

Roy stepped forward. His movement was featherlight, ghostlike. East one moment, west the next, weaving through the forest without leaving a single trace in the snow.

And just like that, he left one particular little brother, who had been searching for him, completely dumbstruck.

Today was Hanako's celebration. Their father, Tanjuro, had sent the eldest brother, Roy Kamado, down the mountain to buy supplies. But as dusk approached and he hadn't returned, their mother, Kie, grew worried. She sent Tanjiro, with his sharp dog-like nose, to find him.

Tanjiro did find him. And then forgot how to breathe.

Wrapped in a thick black-and-green checkered coat with a pale lavender scarf, he stood in the falling snow, amber eyes wide, watching his brother's phantom-like movements. His mouth opened, but the word Onii-chan caught in his throat.

Is this… really my brother Roy?

It was. He was sure of it. The eyes could lie, but scents never did.

Tanjiro sniffed the air. Yes—this was his brother's scent. Certain now, he crept behind a tree, peeking out cautiously.

Meanwhile, Roy had moved on to practicing Rhythm Echo.

Compared to Silent Gaits, this was a higher application—an art of bewilderment.

He drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and a ring of afterimages bloomed out from his starting point.

Killua had once used this very move during the airship test, sparring with Gon and Netero. Of course, at that time, Killua was still a rookie with no nen, and Netero was the strongest man alive. The trick hadn't worked.

But Tanjiro was not Netero.

The boy's eyes went round as saucers. He started counting on his fingers, trying to figure out how many brothers he suddenly had—

Only for a sharp crack to cut through the snowstorm.

A hand-knife stabbed into the very tree Tanjiro was hiding behind, grazing his ear.

The Snake Awakens—hands honed into blades, able to split stone and pierce iron once mastered. Roy had once seen Zeno cleave straight through a samurai sword with nothing but his hand.

Roy wasn't anywhere near that level yet. For now, being able to drive his strike several inches into wood was already his limit. The rest would come with time and practice.

And unlike "Preternatural Perception," this wasn't something he could pick up just by being around masters.

And yes—Roy had known Tanjiro was there from the moment his little brother found him.

He pulled his hand free from the tree and turned, smiling warmly. "Mother sent you, didn't she? Sorry. I fell asleep earlier and made you all worry."

Tanjiro glanced at his brother's face, then at the hand that had pierced the tree. He nodded blankly, then shook his head furiously like a bobblehead.

Roy chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Got a lot of questions, don't you?"

Tanjiro hesitated, then nodded. And shook his head again.

Roy's smile deepened. "Today's Hanako's day. Let's celebrate her first. We'll talk afterward, alright?"

This time Tanjiro nodded hard.

Roy patted his shoulder, picked up the shovel and basket, and started walking home through the snow.

Tanjiro trailed after him, head buzzing with confusion, until the moon climbed high and stretched their shadows long across the snow.

Finally, through the falling flakes, familiar wooden houses appeared in the distance.

From the eastern one, smoke curled from the chimney. Children's laughter and an adult's cough carried faintly on the wind. Add a few barking dogs or a scuffling cat, and it would be the perfect picture of mountain village life.

Roy murmured under his breath, "Too bad… this world really does have demons. In two or three years, this place will be gone."

"Demons?" Tanjiro tilted his head up, puzzled.

But his brother didn't explain. He only kept walking.

Tanjiro tightened his scarf and hurried to follow.

Soon, the noise from the house reached them. A few heads popped out at the commotion. When the children saw their brothers returning, they shouted with joy.

Nezuko. Takeo. Shigeru. And in their grandmother's arms, tiny baby Hanako, wrapped in blankets.

"Roy-niisan, you're back!"

"…Yeah. I'm back."

Roy smiled as he replied. His gaze met the man sitting quietly on the veranda.

Tanjuro coughed softly, setting aside the festival robes he had been preparing. When he noticed his son's eyes, he smiled back with quiet warmth.

.

.

.