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"Today's Hashira meeting is adjourned. Kaidō, thank you for sharing everything you know with us. This will prove invaluable in our eventual confrontation with Muzan Kibutsuji."
"You're too kind, Master. This is my duty as a Hashira."
After the meeting concluded, the Hashira dispersed to their respective territories.
...
Seven Days Later—Mount Fujikasane
After passing Final Selection, Tanjiro returned to the clearing—only to discover that including himself, only four candidates remained. A girl with a side ponytail and butterfly ornament. A blonde kid. A mohawk guy with a long scar across his face. Out of over twenty participants, only four had survived.
'Everyone who didn't make it back... are they all...?' The thought weighed heavily on him.
In the original timeline, Tanjiro had killed the Hand Demon. But since Kaidō had eliminated it two years prior during his own Final Selection, Tanjiro's test had been considerably easier. Still, he'd sustained injuries while saving other candidates.
"Welcome back, everyone."
"Congratulations on passing the examination."
Kanata and Kiriya Ubuyashiki presided over the ceremony as always, delivering their standard speech.
When the discussion turned to forging Nichirin blades, the mohawk guy tried to attack Kanata. Tanjiro stopped him. After selecting their ore, the survivors departed for their respective homes.
...
"Senpai, wait a moment." After the Hashira meeting, Kaidō called out to Giyu.
"What is it?" Giyu's expression remained blank as ever.
"I've met Sabito-senpai. And Makomo-nee too."
The tiniest flicker of emotion passed through Giyu's eyes. Seeing this, Kaidō continued.
"I saw them on Mount Sagiri. Senpai, if you get the chance, I hope you'll visit."
"I... I'm different from him."
"Senpai, are you really going to keep wallowing like this? Your sister protected you—why do you think she did that? Sabito-senpai protected you during Final Selection—why? You keep saying you're different from us, that you don't deserve to be a Hashira. So tell me—how exactly are you different?"
Giyu froze. He'd never seen his junior brother this angry before.
"Your sister protected you so you could live. Sabito-senpai protected you because he wanted you to survive and protect others. Not so you could stand here saying you don't deserve to be a Hashira! If even you don't deserve it, then what does that make me?! Are you really going to let the future your sister and Sabito staked their lives on—the future they entrusted to you—just end here?!"
Those words struck deep. Giyu remembered what Sabito had once told him.
"Don't you dare say 'I should've died instead' again. If you do, we're done. Finished. Your sister used her life to protect you and entrust you with a future. You have to pass it forward."
Remembering that moment, Giyu touched his cheek—the very spot where Sabito had slapped him. It felt like it had happened yesterday.
'Tsutako... Sabito... I'm sorry I've been so immature...'
"Junior brother, thank you. I'll visit Mount Sagiri when I get the chance."
After Giyu departed, Kaidō pulled out a letter from his pocket—one that Kagaya had sent via Kuroha.
"Hah. In the original timeline, Kagaya asked Tanjiro to do this right before the Infinity Castle battle. But now it's me, and way earlier. Guess I'm the one helping Giyu work through his issues. Some butterfly effects were inevitable, I suppose."
"Whatever. I'll deal with it as it comes."
[Ding! System upgrade complete!]
A familiar feminine electronic voice echoed in his mind.
"Hm? System! You finally finished upgrading! Took you a whole year—I was starting to think you'd abandoned me." Kaidō joked, though he was genuinely relieved.
[In response to Host: During soul-state dimensional travel, Host encountered a spatial storm powerful enough to shred your soul. To protect Host's soul and reconstruct a new body, the system exhausted most of its energy reserves. This necessitated extended downtime during the second upgrade cycle.]
Kaidō hadn't realized the Demon Slayer System had done so much for him during the crossing. Gratitude swelled in his chest.
"System... thank you for everything you've done for me."
[Host is too kind. Additionally: Random Draw has been replaced with Monthly Check-In. Checking in on any day of the month will yield random rewards. You also have one unclaimed Upgrade Package. Would you like to claim it?]
"Claim."
[Ding! Congratulations! Host has received: Interdimensional Energy +20%, Transparent World, Demonic Eye, Revival Pills x10, Clone Talismans x10, Enhancement Pills x15, 10,000,000 Yen, Sexy Kimono x1.]
"?!"
The first rewards were excellent—but that last item? Several veins popped on Kaidō's forehead.
"System, I'm starting to suspect your real name isn't 'Demon Slayer System' but 'Pervert System,' isn't it?!"
[Host is overthinking. This system is perfectly respectable. ╰(°▽°)╯]
"Then explain the Sexy Kimono! You want me to capture Muzan, force him to turn female, and make him wear a maid outfit for my entertainment?!"
[Host, that option is not off the table!]
"I—" Kaidō was speechless. If the system had a physical form, he'd drag it into the woods and teach it what being human meant.
But remembering everything the system had done during his crossing, he let it slide. It's not like he'd ever wear the thing anyway. He turned his attention to the other rewards.
[Transparent World: One of Demon Slayer's three essential abilities.]
"Holy crap—Transparent World! This is incredible! With this, if I run into Doma again, I can actually beat him!"
[Demonic Eye: Upgraded version of Phantom Eye. Retains original abilities. Additionally allows targets to enter an illusory space for ten minutes. Inside the illusion, one month equals one minute in reality.]
"Demonic Eye is fantastic. The original Phantom Eye could only create mental shock through illusions and drained my mental energy like crazy. Now I can trap people in an illusory space with just part of my mental power. If I need to extend the duration, I just use a bit more energy."
[Revival Pills: Repairs all bodily damage, including old injuries.]
[Clone Talismans: Tear to create a perfect duplicate with 100% of original capabilities. Duration: Three hours.]
[Enhancement Pills: Consuming while training or fighting permanently strengthens the user and increases combat effectiveness.]
"Can't believe I got all this amazing stuff. I can give one Revival Pill to Obanai—even though he's with Mitsuri now, the scar on his face probably still haunts him."
"Clone Talismans are great too. If every Hashira has a clone when we fight Muzan... hehehe... Muzan, I wonder what you'll think when twenty Hashira gang up on—I mean, pummel you simultaneously?" The image of Muzan getting absolutely destroyed by twenty Hashira appeared in his mind. His grin turned slightly unhinged.
"I'll give one Enhancement Pill to Shinobu for research. If she can create a simplified version, it could elevate the entire Corps' strength to a whole new level."
"System, check in."
[Ding! Monthly check-in successful! Congratulations, Host has received...]
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