"Tanjiro, my dear, could you please clean up table no. 9 for me?"
An old woman of average height with a bright white set of hair spoke in a kind voice. Even though she was clearly in her late eighties, she carried herself with a semblance of grace and confidence that could rarely be seen. Her hands moved skillfully as she mixed spices for her special ramen.
"Of course, Mrs. Kawasaki. Leave it to me!"
A bright and smiling Tanjiro replied as he balanced two trays with ten bowls of ramen. With swift and dexterous movement, he passed through the tables. The waiting customers found themselves smiling as a young, energetic boy served them food with a unique set of earrings.
After serving all the customers in a record time, he reached table no. 9 and started cleaning the uneaten leftovers of the previous customer. He did not have his sword with him, nor did he wear his usual kimono. Rather, he was wearing a humble waiter's dress and an apron.
It has been almost five days since Tanjiro was reborn in this world, and a lot has happened within that time. As he was walking down the street of this amazing new world, people gave him a sort of weird look. Their gaze did not contain hostility, but rather annoyance.
A little girl with her mother called him something like 'cosplayer'. Tanjiro did not know what she meant by that, but he did take a picture with her with a strange rectangular device. Not even five minutes had passed since his reincarnation, and he had already taken a selfie.
It was a perfect start for his journey.
Although his mind was consumed by thousands of questions and doubts, he still managed to keep himself composed. The strangely dressed people were clearly simple civilians. His kind heart did not allow him to scare them with his panicked reaction.
He walked through the street and wandered around as he was constantly amazed with…well, everything really. It was only then that he met with Mrs. Kawasaki.
She was in front of a truck and was trying to bring almost twenty large boxes inside her store. It was the start of the month, and she wanted to store as many ingredients as she could. The fact that the company was giving it at a discount was just an extra little bonus.
She knew very well that she had long since passed her prime. Doing manual work even once a month was too taxing for her. But she also did not want to waste money using movers. Her business was a small one. She had quite a large shop, but due to the absence of any employees, it was hard for her to give enough attention to her customers. So, most of the time, more than half the store stayed empty.
As Tanjiro saw Mrs. Kawasaki carry the boxes, he could not help but offer to help. The boy had a kind heart, and seeing an elderly person struggling and not offering help was not in his realm of possibility. Mrs. Kawasaki herself did not see any reason to deny the help from a young man, even if the young man was dressed in a weird way.
And somehow inexplicably, she felt warmth from him—a sort of warmth her grandson gave off when he was just an innocent little boy. She had seen her grandson, Sanemi, just last month, and yet somehow, she already missed him dearly. Talking with Tanjiro made her feel a lot better than she expected.
Tanjiro and Mrs. Kawasaki talked even when the sun went down and the boxes were already in their places. She made Tanjiro a bowl of ramen and made one for herself. The bowl of ramen was not her usual standard, as most of her spices were still inside the boxes.
That didn't matter to Tanjiro; this simple gesture of kindness was enough for him.
It was from her that he started learning about this new world that he was in.
Mrs. Kawasaki found Tanjiro's story about demons to be 'unique', but decided to indulge him anyway. This boy clearly had a troubled personal life, and yet he did not waste a moment when he saw her struggling. In this age of heroes, where being 'flashy' and 'popular' has become the main goal of younger generations, very few individuals still care about the little things in life.
So, she told him about quirks, heroes, villains, cars, airplanes, phones, skyscraping buildings, and a lot of other things. The boy had little to no idea about the world. And as time went by and the number of questions Tanjiro asked increased, Mrs. Kawasaki started to seriously believe his story about being a reincarnated person.
After all, even a five-year-old had better world knowledge than him. And the way his eyes shone with curiosity as he learned new things told her enough regarding his truthfulness.
By the time Tanjiro stopped asking questions, it was already deep into the night. Mrs. Kawasaki offered to let him stay with her in the vacant room beside the storehouse. Tanjiro refused initially, but he couldn't keep saying no after she insisted to him regarding his stay. She also offered him a job in her shop. He won't be getting any extra pay, but she'll provide him with food and shelter as long as he desires to stay.
Tanjiro accepted it graciously and repeatedly thanked Mrs. Kawasaki for her kindness. She was a bit embarrassed because of his blunt and honest attitude, but she liked it anyway. It reminded her of an older time when things were far simpler than it is now.
With an old futon and pillow on his arms, he went to the spare room. After cleaning it up for a bit, he decided to finally lie down. The emotions he had been holding off until then came crashing down as he struggled to grasp his reality.
He thought about his old life, the people there and the demons that they needed to defeat for a better future. He thought about Muzan and the upper moon demons. Giyu-san had defeated Akaza before Tanjiro died, but that still left them with many enemies. And with him in this new world, he did not know whether or not they would be able to make it.
Even though all those thoughts bugged his mind, he still kept his belief in the demon corps. It was the only thing he could do right now.
He did not blame anyone for bringing him here. Rather, he blamed his own weakness. If only he were strong enough, then he could protect Nezuko. If only he were strong enough, then he would've been able to cut down Muzan before he died.
Tears formed on the corner of his eyes as he curled up,
"Sorry, Nezuko. I couldn't fulfill my role as your big brother."
"Sorry…. Everyone."
The muffled sound of his cries reached the next room as Mrs. Kawasaki listened to the boy. She knew that there was nothing she could do to help him. So, she just kept her ears open and tried to go to sleep.
She was an old woman after all. Not sleeping for at least 8 hours would be bad for her health.
In the other room, Tanjiro did not wallow in self-pity for much time. Even if he had started accepting his new reality, a big part of him still held doubt. He had to check for himself whether or not it was all true or not.
And more than anything, he needed to be sure whether or not demons exist in this world. The general public seldom had any idea regarding demons, dismissing them as folklore. Only by being 100% certain could he stop.
Taking his sword with him, Tanjiro went into the city at night. The modern world, with its flashy neon lights, was unfamiliar to him. And yet as he traveled more and more, he began to finally accept everything.
His keen nose did not smell of any demons; it simply smelled of cheap liquor and bad makeup. He once also saw the 'Heroes' and 'Villains' in action. A man with arms far larger than any human was trying to crush one of those moving vehicles (a car) with his bare hands. From his erratic movements, it was clear that he was intoxicated. Before Tanjiro could step in, a man covered in strange clothing stepped in from above.
He produced wood from his fingertips, and before even a minute had passed, the troublemaker was already captured inside a wooden prison.
Tanjiro had seen Mrs. Kawasaki's quirk inside the store. She could float tiny objects like a pepper shaker. And yet, as he saw the wooden hero apprehend the drunk man, he was more amazed than he could admit. He contemplated about this world and started believing that such things could only be real in the afterlife.
That was only night one. After that, he went out every night to see if there were any demons or not. He decided that a week should be enough to identify any demon activities. If did not see any activities after that, then he would sheathe his sword and start living his life like he did before.
Although in his heart, he knew that it was simply not a possibility. Even if there are no demons here… people still need help. And Tanjiro knew himself well enough to realize that he would not refuse someone who desired help.
A life without demons seemed absurd to him, somehow, after all that he had been through, but it was nonetheless a lucrative prospect.
With a smile on his face, Tanjiro finished his daily duties in Mrs. Kawasaki's shop. Within only a week, the number of customers has increased exponentially. Tanjiro was an excellent worker, and his ever-smiling face was a ray of sunshine in the lives of these overworking office workers.
Although Tanjiro usually wore the clothes given to him by Mrs. Kawasaki, he always changed into his usual clothes when he went out at night. They gave him a sort of comfort that he would never have expected.
It was a part of his old world, and these clothes held memories that he will never be able to let go.
As Tanjiro jumped down from the balcony adjacent to his room, he heard Mrs. Kawasaki's voice from behind,
"Be careful out there, Tanjiro!"
"I will, Mrs. Kawasaki. You don't need to worry. Also, don't forget to take your medications!"
Without waiting to hear a reply, Tanjiro took off into the night.