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Two Weeks Later—Butterfly Mansion
Two weeks had passed since the Mugen Train incident.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke had recovered enough for limited movement but remained under observation before rehabilitation could begin.
Kyojuro, having only sustained minor fractures and superficial injuries, was instructed to rest for another two weeks. He readily agreed, requesting permission to visit his family estate the next day, which was approved.
"Tanjiro, are you okay?" Zenitsu asked, noticing Tanjiro's unusually dejected mood. For once, his concern seemed genuine.
"Zenitsu... am I too weak?"
Tanjiro stared at the still-unconscious Kaidō in the bed beside Kyojuro's empty one. "If I were stronger, would Kaidō-san have avoided getting hurt like this?"
In the original timeline, Kyojuro's death had plunged Tanjiro into despair.
Now, Kyojuro had survived with relatively minor injuries, but Tanjiro blamed himself instead, consumed by guilt over his perceived weakness contributing to Kaidō's critical condition.
"Young Kamado, do not blame yourself,"
Kyojuro's voice, though gone from the room now, echoed in Tanjiro's memory from earlier. "Young Kaidō was fulfilling his duty as a Hashira. If I had been alone, I would have done the same."
Kyojuro understood the truth. If not for whatever affliction struck Kaidō, the two of them might have stalled Akaza until dawn, perhaps even defeated him. But he also worried about the darkness that had emerged from Kaidō.
"Rengoku," Tanjiro had asked before Kyojuro left, "what kind of person is Kaidō-san? I feel like there is something... different about him."
The memory of the suffocating scents—fury, hatred, bloodlust—radiating from Kaidō during the battle haunted him.
"Mm! Young Kaidō is incredibly strong and quite mysterious," Kyojuro had replied thoughtfully. "But everything he has done has earned the Demon Slayer Corps' respect and admiration."
He then recounted Kaidō's feats: becoming a Hashira in under a month, delaying the Master's curse, slaying Upper Rank Five, reviving Kanae Kocho and his own mother... Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke had listened in disbelief, though Kaidō's various impossible feats somehow made it all seem plausible.
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The Next Morning – Rengoku Estate
Kyojuro knocked on the door of his family home. His younger brother, Senjuro, answered.
"Big brother! Welcome home!" Senjuro's face lit up with pure joy.
"Mm! Senjuro, I am back! Are Father and Mother here?"
"Yes. They have been waiting for you."
Inside, Shinjuro and Ruka Rengoku sat formally on the tatami mats.
"Father, Mother, I am home!"
"You are back... thank god you are back!" Shinjuro's eyes glistened, relief evident in his strained voice.
"Kyojuro, come here," Ruka smiled gently, beckoning him closer. Kyojuro knelt before her, and she pulled him into a warm embrace. "Kyojuro, you did wonderfully."
"No, Mother—please do not say that! If not for young Kaidō, I might have—"
"Both you and that boy are my pride," Ruka interrupted softly. She felt incredibly fortunate, without Kaidō, she would not have been revived to see her family again. She thought of him as another son.
At that moment, Kyojuro's Kasugai Crow flew in through an open window.
"Master summons! Master summons!" It raised its leg, revealing a letter tied to it.
Shinjuro carefully removed the letter and read it. Most of it contained Kagaya's words of comfort and concern, concluding with a request for both Shinjuro and Kyojuro to attend a Hashira meeting in three days.
"Please tell the Master that in three days, I will bring Kyojuro to the meeting," Shinjuro instructed the crow.
"Understood! CAW!" The crow departed.
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Back at the Butterfly Mansion
"Retsuki-chan, you need to rest too. You have not slept properly in over two weeks. If your brother wakes up and finds out, he will be heartbroken,"
Aoi gently scolded, watching Retsuki carefully wipe Kaidō's face.
"I am fine, Aoi-nee. Compared to what oniichan has done, this is nothing." For two weeks, Retsuki had barely left Kaidō's side, resting only briefly with her head on the edge of his bed when exhaustion claimed her.
Zenitsu watched the adorable girl's devotion. Jealousy and envy churned inside him. 'Tanjiro has a cute demon sister—fine! But why does Kaidō also have an adorable sister looking after him like this??'
If he knew Retsuki had once been Lower Rank Six...
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Ubuyashiki Estate—Three Days Later.
The Hashira assembled for the special meeting. Shinjuro and Kyojuro arrived last.
"Everyone, good morning!" Kyojuro greeted cheerfully.
"Oh my, good morning, Rengoku-san, former Flame Hashira-sama," Shinobu replied with a smile.
"Haha! You all look spirited!" Shinjuro's gaze found Kanae. "Kanae-san, how is young Kaidō?"
"Kaidō-kun is recovering, but he has not woken up yet," Kanae answered softly.
"I see. I pray he recovers soon."
"The Master has arrived!" the twins announced.
Everyone dropped respectfully to one knee.
"Good morning, my beloved children. Shinjuro-san, thank you for attending," Kagaya greeted warmly.
"Master, you honor me. Though retired, I still wish to contribute however I can."
"Today's meeting concerns the Mugen Train incident and Dragon Hashira Kaidō. Kyojuro, please report."
"Yes, Master." Kyojuro recounted the events, including the details of Kaidō's berserk transformation.
Silence followed. The Hashira absorbed the information. Upper Rank Three's power was immense. If he alone was that strong, what about Two and One? Kaidō's transformation was equally shocking—fighting evenly with such a monster.
"So... it finally emerged..." Kagaya murmured thoughtfully.
The meeting continued until the afternoon. Before dismissing them, Kagaya asked Shinjuro to temporarily manage Kaidō's patrol zone, which he accepted without hesitation. Kagaya also asked Kanae to cover Kyojuro's territory while he fully healed.
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Two Months Later
Time flew.
Two months passed.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke continued their rehabilitation training. But Kaidō remained unconscious. Kagaya, Ruka, and Senjuro had all visited, offering prayers for his recovery.
Following Kyojuro's earlier advice, Tanjiro visited the Rengoku estate again to inquire about Hinokami Kagura. Seeing Tanjiro's earrings and appearance, Shinjuro immediately recalled the legacy of Sun Breathing and explained what little he knew.
Tanjiro, however, knew nothing of this, only that his father, Tanjuro Kamado, had passed the earrings down with instructions to preserve them.
Shinjuro searched the family records but found key pages missing. Embarrassed, he promised to help Tanjiro uncover the truth.
Leaving the Rengoku estate, Tanjiro spotted a familiar, terrifying figure.
"Haganezuka-san! How have you be—" His greeting turned into a yelp of horror.
Hotaru Haganezuka stood before him, two swords strapped to his head, gripping two more in his hands, radiating pure murderous intent.
"H-Haganezuka-san!!"
"YOU LOST YOUR SWORD?? YOU BRAT—YOU DESERVE DEATH!! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!"
"I AM SORRY! I AM TRULY SORRY! AHHHHH! SOMEONE HELP MEEEE!"
Haganezuka charged, dual blades flashing. Tanjiro bolted.
And so began another legendary chase around the Butterfly Mansion grounds, hunter and hunted locked in their cycle.
Tanjiro eventually scrambled up a tree, only for Haganezuka to spot him moments later, resuming the relentless pursuit. From morning to noon, noon to sunset, without pause.
If Kaidō had been awake, he likely would have found a comfortable spot on the wall, munching an apple, and enjoyed the show.
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