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Night fell over Corps headquarters.
After Kaido left his estate, Sanemi and Kyojuro questioned the remaining swordsmen about what had happened, then headed to the Butterfly Mansion to check on Risa. They needed the full story.
After a full day of treatment, Risa had recovered enough to speak—though she was still weak, her voice came clear enough. She recounted everything: the Upper Rank encounter, her squad's deaths, Kaigaku's betrayal.
Her lungs had sustained damage, so she spoke slowly. Sanemi and Kyojuro listened with infinite patience, never showing the slightest irritation.
Once they understood the complete picture, they went directly to Kagaya and reported everything—the morning's events and Risa's intelligence.
Kagaya immediately convened an emergency Hashira meeting.
"That's the situation. Other Corps members said Kaido took Zenitsu and headed to Momoyama, but we don't know what he's planning. We'll have to wait until he returns." Sanemi laid out everything he'd witnessed at Kaido's estate.
When Gyomei heard Kaigaku's name, rage flooded through him.
Years ago, Gyomei had been a temple monk who'd taken in orphaned children and raised them as family. But one day, one of those children—Kaigaku—had broken the rule against leaving after dark. Worse, to save his own life, he'd extinguished the wisteria incense Gyomei kept burning and led a demon straight into the temple.
When Gyomei learned Kaigaku had joined the Corps, he'd planned to ask the boy if he'd genuinely joined to protect humanity and destroy demons. If the answer was yes, Gyomei would forgive the past.
But now, hearing about Kaigaku's betrayal—how he'd sacrificed his teammates to save himself—Gyomei realized nothing had changed. The boy was still selfish, still willing to sacrifice others for his own survival.
People like that didn't deserve to be Demon Slayers. They didn't deserve to be called human.
"Gyomei." Kagaya's gentle voice cut through the tension. "I trust Kaido will handle this appropriately."
"Yes, Master. I also believe Kaido will do what's necessary. Namu Amida Butsu."
"CAW! Letter from the Dragon Hashira!" Kuroha burst through the window after hours of flight, delivering a sealed message to Kagaya.
Kagaya removed the letter from Kuroha's leg and read it carefully.
The letter explained that Jigoro Kuwajima had attempted seppuku without a second—accepting responsibility as a mentor for Kaigaku's betrayal. Kaido had used his "family techniques" to prevent the suicide, arguing that the fault lay entirely with Kaigaku himself.
Kaigaku's nature was rotten to the core—selfish, entitled, willing to do anything to survive. Jigoro bore no responsibility for his student's choices. Kaido requested that Jigoro be permitted to join the Corps in twenty days, and hoped the Master would understand his decision.
After finishing, Kagaya passed the letter to Gyomei. The other Hashira crowded around to read it as well.
Silence fell when they finished.
None of them fully understood Kaido's reasoning, but they'd learned one truth about him—every action he took considered others first.
Kagaya, reading their thoughts, spoke first. "I believe Kaido is absolutely right. Everything he does has purpose and meaning, doesn't it?"
"Indeed! I agree completely!" Kyojuro's voice rang with conviction.
"Flashy decision! I'm all for it!" Tengen laughed.
"I support Kaido-kun's choice!" Mitsuri beamed.
"Same here." Obanai nodded.
"I don't see any problem with what he did." Muichiro's tone was matter-of-fact.
The Kocho sisters and Gyomei also nodded their approval, understanding Kaido's logic.
"I agree. He's not like the rest of us." Giyu's quiet statement hung in the air.
Everyone: (-_-)...
When Giyu said it, the others felt simultaneously exasperated and... unable to argue. Kaido really wasn't like them—but coming from Giyu's mouth, the phrasing felt off somehow.
"Tomioka-san, please stop talking like that, or people really will start hating you~" Shinobu's smile was razor-sharp.
"I'm not hated!"
"Ara, it seems everyone agrees with Kaido-kun's decision." Kanae turned her warm smile toward Sanemi. "What about you, Shinazugawa-san? What's your opinion?"
"Tch. Why're you asking me? This was Kaigaku's fault from the start—Kuwajima had nothing to do with it!" Sanemi's voice came out defensive, almost tsundere. His face reddened as he deliberately avoided Kanae's gaze.
"Pfft—"
Mitsuri couldn't hold back her laughter, which triggered a chain reaction. The entire room erupted.
Sanemi felt his ears burn with embarrassment—but then he started laughing too. "Guess that kid's changed me too, huh?"
"Kaido has changed all of you." Kagaya watched his children with profound satisfaction. Since Kaido's arrival, everyone had transformed in small but meaningful ways.
Even Sanemi—the most hot-tempered among them—had softened.
"Kuroha, is Kaido-kun doing alright?" Kanae looked at the crow preening its feathers, genuine concern in her voice.
Kuroha opened its beak, then froze as its master's threat replayed in its mind.
'Don't you dare tell them about my current condition, or else...' Kaido had made a scissoring motion with his fingers, snipping them menacingly through the air. 'I'll make sure you never find a female crow again!'
Kuroha had instinctively crossed its wings over its lower regions, not entirely sure why it felt so threatened, but certain it didn't want to find out.
"Master is handling business! He'll return in a few days!" Kuroha announced hastily.
"Oh? That's too bad, then."
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A forest path, deep in demon territory.
Kaido's half-dragon transformation had forced him to operate exclusively at night. During the day, he couldn't risk being seen—explaining the horns and tail would be impossible. So he'd spent the past few nights hunting demons to vent his frustration.
Currently, he circled two low-level demons bound to a tree, examining them with a scalpel he'd purchased from the system's lifestyle shop. The blade gleamed ominously in the moonlight as he held it against their midsections.
The demons stared at the surgical instrument with mounting horror. They'd been hiding peacefully when this white-haired demon hunter with horns, a golden tail, and a fox mask had found them, knocked them unconscious, and tied them up. Now they were living a nightmare.
"Where should I make the first incision? Here? Or maybe... here?"
The scalpel moved from their waists down to their crotches, then back up to their abdomens. The demons trembled, unable to articulate the sheer terror consuming them.
"I wonder what would happen if I removed a demon's eyes and surgically attached them to their... other end. Should I test the theory?"
Low-level demons: (ΩДΩ)
"Let's start by seeing if kidneys regenerate! Hehehehe..."
Kaido's grin turned absolutely sinister. The demons shook like leaves.
"AHH!"
The moment Kaido positioned the scalpel near the first demon's kidney—before he'd even made the cut—the demon fainted from pure terror. A foul stench filled the air.
"Ugh, gross! Demons can piss themselves from fear?? That wasn't in the manga! Did I misremember, or—"
Disappointed, Kaido turned his attention to the second demon.
"MUZAN-SAMA!"
The demon screamed Muzan's name in desperation. Instantly, grotesque arms erupted from inside its body, crushing it to paste before dissolving into nothing.
"Huh. So lower-ranked demons really do die when they say his name. I wonder if Muzan can see me through their eyes before they die?"
Kaido shrugged. "Whatever. Even if he saw me, what's he gonna do? Show up right in front of me?"
System: [Emmm...]
Kaido stared at the remaining unconscious demon, and a new idea—or rather, a new game—formed in his mind.
He untied the demon from the tree, then re-bound it into a tight bundle like a dumpling. Grabbing the rope's end, he mounted his sword and flew straight up into the night sky.
The demon woke to freezing wind rushing past. It looked down—and saw nothing but endless darkness thousands of feet below.
"HELP! I'M SORRY! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! PUT ME DOWN!"
"Sure thing—as you wish!"
Kaido released the rope.
The demon plummeted from hundreds of meters up, screaming all the way down.
SPLAT!
Kaido looked at the demon-shaped pancake on the ground and felt his interest waning. Still, just to be safe—demons could regenerate, after all—he descended and proceeded to absolutely demolish the remains with his greatsword.
"Dawn's coming. Time to head back. It's been three days—if I don't return soon, Retsuki's going to worry herself sick."
Then he remembered his current appearance and groaned. Going back might cause more problems than it solved.
"System, please—don't let me run into Kanae-nee. If I do, I'm cursing Muzan to blow himself up in an experiment! To trip in a dress and knock himself out! To choke on blood!"
System: [*(¬‿¬) suppressing laughter]
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Infinity Castle.
THUD!
Muzan—currently in female form—had just returned to the Infinity Castle. While walking up the steps in her kimono, she stepped on the hem, tripped, and slammed her head directly into the stone stairs.
"DAMN IT! What's going on?? Nothing's been going right lately! NAKIME!"
The summons was clear. Nakime knew exactly what to do.
"Yes, Muzan-sama."
STRUM—
A single note rang from her biwa. Doma materialized from the Eternal Paradise Faith, appearing in the Infinity Castle with his usual unsettling smile.
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