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"WHY?? WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS? GRAMPS! WHY??"
Zenitsu collapsed beside Jigoro Kuwajima's body, lying in a pool of blood. His wails echoed through the empty house as bloody tears streamed down his face.
'We're still too late? Damn it! This was Kaigaku's fault—that worthless piece of garbage—so why does his mentor have to bear this sin??'
Zenitsu stared at Jigoro's corpse, heart breaking under the weight of grief and a growing hatred for his Senpai.
Jigoro Kuwajima had lived in seclusion at Momoyama, training the next generation of Thunder Breathing users. He'd seemed strict, harsh even—but he'd genuinely cared for Zenitsu. That's why Zenitsu called him "Gramps."
Kaido approached the body and placed a hand on Jigoro's shoulder. The old man didn't deserve this end.
Then Kaido noticed something—the body still held warmth. The blood pooled beneath him hadn't completely solidified yet.
'Maybe... maybe I can try something!'
Kaido didn't know if this would work, but doing something—anything—was better than standing here helpless. He decided to gamble.
From his system space, he withdrew the Time Hourglass—a reward he'd received years ago but never used. Now seemed like the perfect moment to test its limits.
"Zenitsu, stop crying. I might have a way to bring your gramps back—but I'm not certain it'll work."
"R-really?? Kaido-nii, are you serious??"
"I don't know. But I'm going to try."
[System, use 'Time Hourglass.' Target: Jigoro Kuwajima.]
[Ding~ Item activated. Jigoro Kuwajima will return to his state from ten minutes ago!]
One minute... two minutes... three minutes... Time crawled forward. Seven minutes passed with no change.
"It's okay, Kaido-nii. Thank you for trying." Zenitsu's voice was hollow. "I'll bury Gramps properly. Thank you for bringing me here."
Zenitsu stepped forward to arrange his mentor's body—then froze. Movement. Something was happening.
"Zenitsu, wait! Look!"
At the eight-minute mark, the blood pooled on the floor began flowing backward, returning to Jigoro's body as if time itself were rewinding.
At nine minutes, the seppuku blade Jigoro had been gripping pulled free from his abdomen and settled back onto the wooden tray in front of him.
At ten minutes, life returned to Jigoro Kuwajima completely.
When Jigoro opened his eyes and reached for the blade to commit seppuku, he found two people standing in front of him. He blinked, focusing—his student Zenitsu, and a stranger.
"Zenitsu? When did you arrive? I didn't sense you coming... and who's this with you?"
Jigoro's last memory was receiving news of Kaigaku's betrayal—how his own disciple had become a demon. As a mentor, he'd felt responsible for failing to guide his student properly. He'd dishonored the Demon Slayer Corps and the Master himself.
Therefore, he'd decided to take responsibility as a teacher should—by committing seppuku without a second to assist him.
He'd prepared everything, closed his eyes to recall better days, and reached for the blade... only to find two people standing before him somehow.
The Time Hourglass reset a target's condition to exactly ten minutes prior—including their memories.
"Gramps! Thank god! This is incredible! Kaido-nii, thank you!"
"Gramps, this is Kaido-nii—the Dragon Hashira! He's the one who brought me here!" Zenitsu quickly explained everything that had just happened.
Jigoro listened in astonishment. He'd heard stories about the Dragon Hashira—a powerful pillar who wielded mysterious Eastern techniques, who'd slain Upper Ranks and even resurrected fallen comrades.
He'd received gifts from the Dragon Hashira before and had wanted to meet this legendary figure, but time had never permitted it.
"Kaido, you shouldn't have saved me. This failure is mine to bear as a mentor..."
"Kuwajima-san, the one at fault isn't you—it's Kaigaku, that piece of trash. If he'd died in battle, I might've respected him. But he doesn't even qualify as human anymore. No—he doesn't deserve to be called 'human' at all."
"So please, don't diminish yourself over Kaigaku's actions."
Kaido retrieved a [Spirit Revival Pill] from his system space and handed it to Jigoro. "Take this. Then I need you to come to Corps headquarters in twenty days. I'll arrange everything."
Jigoro studied the pill in his palm, contemplating for a moment before swallowing it. Within minutes, heat radiated from the stump of his severed leg. Flesh began regenerating—bone, muscle, skin—until a complete limb had regrown.
"This... this is..." Jigoro stared at his restored leg, emotions flooding through him. He'd never imagined he'd stand whole again in his lifetime.
"Zenitsu!"
"Yes, Kaido-nii! I'm here."
"When you return, train hard under the Hashira instruction program with Tanjiro and the others."
"...I understand, Kaido-nii. I won't let you down."
Kaido wrote a detailed letter explaining everything and summoned Kuroha to deliver it to Kagaya.
[Ding~ Congratulations! Host has completed a hidden quest.]
[Hidden Quest: The Second]
[Rewards: Defensive Barrier, Eternal Youth Pill x30, Interdimensional Energy 30%]
[Current Interdimensional Energy: 100%]
[Stored Interdimensional Energy: 30%]
Eternal Youth Pill: Permanently maintains the user's current appearance.
Defensive Barrier: Creates a spherical barrier covering 300 square meters. Blocks all attacks from outside the barrier. Duration: 12 hours.
'A defensive barrier? Perfect timing—I'll need this for what's coming.'
Kaido left Zenitsu and Jigoro to spend time together. After everything that had happened, they clearly had much to discuss.
He wandered through Momoyama alone, observing the peach trees heavy with fruit. For some reason, the sight reminded him of his childhood in his previous life—hillsides covered in peach blossoms as far as the eye could see.
[Host, I have a gift for you!]
[What kind of gift? Don't tell me it's soap again.]
A ripple appeared in the air. Kaido's hand closed around a brand-new pair of pants. They looked normal enough, except for one detail—the rear had a very specific... opening.
[System, what the hell is this supposed to mean?]
[You'll understand in about 3... 2... 1...]
RIP!
The countdown finished. Kaido's pants tore apart at the seams, revealing a thick, golden tail that had just burst from his body.
"What the—??"
A cool breeze swept past. Kaido immediately yanked his coat down to cover his exposed lower half.
"Why is it so breezy down there??"
[System, what's happening to me??]
[Host, you've acquired 'Dragon Transformation.' However, you haven't fully mastered this power yet, so you can only maintain a semi-dragon humanoid form for now.]
Kaido stared at the tail swishing behind him, then touched the horns protruding from his forehead. He had no idea when he'd even obtained this ability.
[Wait, when did I get 'Dragon Transformation'?]
The system explained the entire process—how his rage earlier had triggered the initial transformation, how close he'd come to exploding from uncontrolled power.
"So it was a complete accident. I thought I'd never get something like this, but here we are anyway."
Before anyone could spot him, Kaido quickly changed into the pants the system had provided. They were shorts—very short shorts—exposing most of his thighs in a way that felt uncomfortably... suggestive. And that tail protruding from the back didn't help matters.
"I have a terrible feeling that when Kanae-nee sees me like this, something even worse is going to happen..."
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