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Under the guidance of a village resident, Kaidō and Tanjiro arrived at a stone stairway. A wooden sign reading [Hot Springs] hung nearby.
"Head straight up these steps and you'll find the springs. I'll prepare your meals down here while you relax." The villager bowed politely.
"Thank you!"
Before they could take another step, a woman's voice rang out from above.
"Ah! Kaidō-kun! Tanjiro-kun!"
Mitsuri Kanroji came barreling down the stairs at full speed, her chest—how to put this delicately—defying several laws of physics with every bounding step.
"Watch out! Your top's about to—!" Tanjiro's warning came too late.
WHAM!
The Love Hashira crashed into them like a wrecking ball, sending both boys flying backward. They scrambled to their feet and frantically pulled her kimono closed before any more damage was done to their collective sanity.
'Not again,' Kaidō thought miserably. 'First Tengen's wives, then Kanae-nee, now Mitsuri-nee. Why does this world keep testing me with flying projectiles??'
"Listen, listen! Someone just completely ignored me! I said hello and everything!" Mitsuri pouted, her lower lip trembling.
"Who would ignore you?"
"I don't know! But I'm a Hashira! Don't you think that's incredibly rude? They totally ruined my good mood after the bath. Now I'm all depressed..." Her voice wavered on the edge of tears.
"Mitsuri-nee, I heard dinner's almost ready—and it's matsutake mushroom rice!"
"Really??"
The tears evaporated instantly. Mitsuri's wooden sandals clattered against the stone steps as she practically sprinted toward the dining hall, humming a cheerful tune. "Miya-san, Miya-san, what is that floating by~?"
Watching her disappear around the corner, Kaidō couldn't help but smile. 'Some things never change.'
"She really is just a happy little foodie, isn't she?"
"Hm? What was that, Kaidō-san?"
"Nothing. You go enjoy the hot springs, Tanjiro—it'll help your injuries heal. I'm going to scout the area."
"Alright! Thanks, Kaidō-san!"
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With Kuroha perched on his shoulder, Kaidō made his way to a relatively open highland area.
From this vantage point, he could see the swordsmiths' workshops scattered throughout the valley below, surrounded by dense forests and rolling hills.
After taking in the view for a moment, he turned to leave—and nearly walked straight into someone.
"Yo, Muichiro. How've you been?"
The Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, spun around at the sound of his name. The genius who'd become a Hashira in less than two months studied Kaidō with a blank expression.
Then reality hit Kaidō like a punch to the gut: Muichiro was five-foot-three. Kaidō was four-foot-eleven.
'Why does the universe keep reminding me about this??'
"What's your name again? You look familiar, but I can't quite remember..."
"Kaidō. Dragon Hashira."
"Right... Do you need something?"
"Muichiro, do you know what the 'Mu' in your name means?"
The younger boy blinked slowly. "I... don't know."
"The 'Mu' in Muichiro means infinite."
Something flickered in Muichiro's eyes. A blurry figure materialized in his mind—someone who looked similar to him, lying on the ground covered in blood, reaching out with trembling fingers.
"I know... the 'Mu' in Muichiro isn't the 'Mu' that means nothing... it's the 'Mu' that means infinite... the kind of infinite power you can unleash when protecting others..."
Pain lanced through Muichiro's skull. He dropped to one knee, clutching his head. The memory faded as quickly as it had come, leaving him disoriented but somehow... lighter.
Kaidō extended his hand. "I believe you'll recover your memories soon, Muichiro."
The Mist Hashira grasped his hand and pulled himself upright. He didn't fully understand what had just happened, but something had shifted inside him—a tiny crack in the fog surrounding his past.
"Thank you." The words came out awkwardly, as if he wasn't used to saying them.
"Don't mention it. I'll leave you to it—I'm sure you'll remember everything soon enough."
"Mm."
"Kuroha, let's go! Kuroha...?" Kaidō glanced around for his crow, only to find him engaged in what appeared to be a very heated argument with Muichiro's crow.
Muichiro's crow was named Ginko—a female crow with an overprotective streak a mile wide and zero tolerance for other kasugai crows. In the original timeline, after Muichiro's death, she'd eventually married Tanjiro's crow, Matsuemon.
Right now, though? She was locked in verbal combat with Kuroha.
"My master is amazing! He became a Hashira in less than two months!"
"Oh yeah? Well MY master became a Hashira in less than a MONTH!"
"My master is a descendant of the original Sun Breathing users!"
Kuroha's next words went straight for the throat.
"My master has killed THREE Lower Rank demons!"
Critical hit.
Ginko visibly flinched as if she'd been stabbed.
"W-well, my master killed an Upper Rank!"
"My master helped the Master slow his curse! And brought the Flower Hashira back from the dead—"
Critical hit. Critical hit.
Every sentence Kuroha delivered was another dagger to Ginko's pride. She could practically feel the wounds piling up.
Kaidō had heard enough. He marched over, grabbed both crows by their bodies, and lifted them into the air. "You two. Instead of standing here comparing résumés, how about you actually scout the area? I don't care if there aren't any demons around—stay alert. Got it??"
"CAW! He's mad! He's mad! Master/Dragon Hashira is mad!" both crows squawked in unison.
"Apologize to each other. Now."
"Sorry!" they chorused.
Kaidō set them down and turned back to Muichiro. "I've got things to handle. Take care of yourself, Muichiro."
Kuroha settled onto his shoulder as they walked away. Just before disappearing around the corner, the crow shot one last smug look at Ginko.
"Mm. See you."
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"Whoa! That's incredible!"
Tanjiro stared at the tower of empty bowls stacked in front of Mitsuri, his jaw practically on the floor. He'd known the Love Hashira had an appetite, but this was something else entirely.
"Really? I didn't eat that much today!"
"Then I guess I need to eat more too if I want to get stronger!"
The door slid open and Kaidō stepped inside. Nezuko immediately launched herself at him, nuzzling into his chest with happy sounds.
"Good girl, Nezuko. Such a good girl!"
"Mm-mm!" Her pleased hum was muffled against his haori.
"Kaidō-san!"
"Oh! Kaidō-kun, you're back! The food here is absolutely delicious—you should try some!"
"I'm not hungry, but thanks. You two enjoy." He continued petting Nezuko, who showed zero interest in leaving his lap anytime soon.
"By the way, Kanroji-san—the person you ran into at the hot springs today was Genya Shinazugawa. He was in my Final Selection group."
"Oh, really?"
Kaidō's attention sharpened. "Genya Shinazugawa?"
"You know him too, Kaidō-san?"
"Yeah. A few months back, he asked me to teach him a Breathing Style. I passed on Water Breathing to him. He's also Sanemi Shinazugawa's younger brother."
Mitsuri's eyes widened. "What?? But Sanemi-san has never mentioned having a brother!"
"That's because Sanemi was trying to protect him—though his methods were... questionable. They've since reconciled, thankfully."
"Also, Mitsuri-nee—Genya's just really awkward around women. That's why he ignored you. Don't take it personally."
"Oh! Well, that's a relief! I was worried he hated me!"
(Somewhere across the country, Giyu Tomioka sneezed.)
What Mitsuri didn't realize was that she was actually incredibly popular among the male Corps members. The main reason most of them kept their distance? Obanai Iguro.
The Serpent Hashira had made it abundantly clear—aside from Kaidō, the Master, and a handful of senior members—no male swordsman was allowed anywhere near the Love Hashira.
Hence Mitsuri's mistaken belief that men found her off-putting.
"Let's pack some food for Genya," Tanjiro suggested. "He didn't come to dinner, so he's probably starving."
"You two handle that. I'm going to do another patrol and check the perimeter."
A knot of unease had been growing in Kaidō's gut all day. According to the original timeline, Gyokko and Hantengu would attack the village in a few days.
Gyokko was already dead—courtesy of him. That meant Muzan would likely send only Hantengu.
But something felt... off.
'It won't be that simple. Gyokko's death will have changed things—butterfly effect and all that. Muzan might send another Upper Rank along with Hantengu. Or maybe he'll send someone else entirely.'
Either way, the village currently had three Hashira, including himself. That should be enough.
Should be.
'But battles are unpredictable. Can't get complacent. Better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.'
"Nezuko, I need to go out for a bit. I'll come back and play with you later, okay?"
"Mm?"
Her adorable, confused expression was too much. Kaidō kissed her forehead gently. Only then did she reluctantly release him and toddle over to Mitsuri.
"Alright, I'm heading out."
"Be careful, Kaidō-kun! Come back soon!"
"Stay safe, Kaidō-san!"
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Meanwhile, Tanjiro and Mitsuri made their way to Genya's room with a tray of food—only to find it empty.
A female Kakushi member approached Mitsuri. "Kanroji-sama, your sword is almost finished. The swordsmith requests your presence at the workshop for final adjustments."
"Oh! I'll head over right away!"
Before leaving, Mitsuri leaned close to Tanjiro and whispered in his ear. "There's a secret weapon in this village that can make you stronger, you know!"
"See you later, Tanjiro-kun! Bye-bye, Nezuko-chan!"
As Mitsuri disappeared down the hallway, Tanjiro held up the rice ball in his hand, feeling a surge of determination—
—which immediately exploded out of his nose in a fountain of blood.
Nezuko: Σ(⊙▃⊙)
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The Next Morning
Following Mitsuri's cryptic hint, Tanjiro wandered through the forest surrounding the Swordsmith Village in search of this mysterious "secret weapon."
"I wonder what it could be? Maybe a special sword? This feels like a treasure hunt!"
Raised voices caught his attention. He jogged toward the commotion and found an expressionless black-haired boy arguing with a small child wearing a Hyottoko mask. A strange mechanical doll stood nearby.
'Wait—I've seen that doll somewhere before. And that boy... he's a Hashira, right? Shinobu-san mentioned him. The Mist Hashira—Muichiro Tokito!'
"Get lost! I'm not giving you the key no matter what you say!"
Muichiro's expression didn't change. In one swift motion, he chopped the back of the child's neck, knocking him unconscious, then grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
Tanjiro rushed forward and grabbed Muichiro's wrist, trying to stop him—but the Mist Hashira didn't budge an inch.
'He won't move?? His wrist is smaller than mine, and he's shorter than me...'
"Let go."
SMACK!
Muichiro's free hand struck Tanjiro across the face. His gaze shifted to the wooden box on Tanjiro's back. A faint demonic presence emanated from it. He reached out to investigate—
Tanjiro slapped his hand away. "Don't touch her!"
Using Muichiro's moment of surprise, Tanjiro scooped up the unconscious child and retreated several steps.
'He took him,' Muichiro thought blankly.
"Are you okay?" Tanjiro asked the boy gently.
"Leave me alone! I'm not giving you the key—not to anyone! Even if you torture me, I won't talk! If we use that thing one more time, it'll break!" The child's voice shook with anger.
"Have you been trained to resist interrogation or something? So what if it breaks? Just make another one. While you're wasting time arguing, people are dying out there. Do you have any idea how valuable a Hashira's time is compared to yours?"
Muichiro's tone was cold, clinical. "Understand your place. Swordsmiths can't fight. All you can do is forge blades. You're useless for anything else."
He extended his hand. "So... hand over the key."
"That's not true."
The new voice came from behind them. All three turned to see Kaidō standing at the edge of the clearing.
"Kaidō-san!"
"You're... Kaidō? Why are you defending him? You're a Hashira too—you should understand what that means."
"Muichiro, you're not wrong about the importance of our time. But have you considered something? Without swordsmiths forging our weapons, what exactly would we fight demons with? Our bare hands?"
Kaidō's voice was calm but firm. "Without swordsmiths, our flesh-and-blood bodies wouldn't last five minutes against demons. We'd all be dead a thousand times over."
"Swordsmiths are just as essential as we are. And I can tell you from personal experience—if Haganezuka-san hadn't forged my greatsword, I wouldn't have killed that Upper Rank. I'd have been the one eaten."
He stepped forward. "You want the key so you can train with the doll and improve yourself. Fine. Then let's settle this a different way—spar with me instead."
Muichiro considered this in silence.
"...Alright. Let's fight."
"Good. But not here—we'll wreck the place. Follow me."
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