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Early morning, the sun had just crested over the horizon.
A ray of warm sunlight fell across Kael's face through the shoji screen. Originally lying on his side, he snapped into a sitting position on the tatami mat, eyes sharp and body humming with an energy that didn't belong to a man who had just woken up.
Kael looked at his clenched fist, feeling the staggering density of the power coiling beneath his skin. He couldn't help but grin. Reborn and suddenly surging with power—it seemed he truly was the protagonist of this twisted multiverse.
"At least now I don't have to worry about being accidentally crushed to death by Mitsuri."
While dying in a woman's arms is a classic romantic trope, it depends on the specific way of dying. Kael, as a Calculating Survivor, knew the physics. Kanroji Mitsuri possessed a special constitution; her muscle density was eight times that of a normal human. In a moment of uncontrolled passion or a sudden startle, a normal man would be ground into a fine paste. Now, with the overlapping power of his other selves, Kael was more than a match for her legendary strength.
The wedding preparations were already in full swing. In this Taisho era, once the families agreed, things moved with the velocity of a high-speed rail. They were just waiting for an auspicious day to officially marry Mitsuri into the family.
Ah, a perfect start.
Wait—something wasn't right. In these narratives, the protagonist's parents were usually the first flags to be sacrificed. Kael bolted to his parents' room and threw the door open without knocking. Seeing them looking bewildered but perfectly healthy, he finally exhaled.
"GET OUT! Where are your manners?!" his father roared, hurling a wooden geta sandal at Kael's head.
Kael tilted his head with clinical precision, the shoe whistling past his ear. He closed the door nonchalantly. The old couple is fine. A bit too affectionate for this early in the morning, but fine.
He went to the courtyard to wash up before stretching his muscles. A wooden training sword (bokken) lay on the ground, a reminder that his father hadn't let the family's old traditional skills go to waste. Kael picked it up. As a child, he had followed his grandfather to learn the basics, but the old man had always seemed to be holding back the true essence of his style.
As Kael swung the blade, his Calculating Survivor mind processed the rhythm. The forms faintly contained a unique cadence. If connected correctly, they corresponded with a specific breathing pattern, making the body's strength surge like a high-tide. It reminded Kael of the Knight's Swordsmanship from the Council—it was bio-rhythm overclocking.
Swish—
The wooden sword cut the air. A hardwood practice stake in front of him suddenly split in two, the cut as smooth as if made by a master-crafted blade. He hadn't used his full strength—just the proper "rhythm."
"The old man is a master," Kael realized, frowning.
Then it hit him. His grandfather had practically forced him to go to Tokyo. Combine that with the rumors of "ghosts" near the village...
"Father, I'm going back to the village," Kael announced, finding his parents at the breakfast table.
"No need. I've already sent a caravan to fetch your grandfather for the wedding."
"Father." Kael's voice took on a heavy, commanding edge. His father looked up, surprised by the sudden gravity in his son's eyes. He saw a man, not a boy.
"Fine," his father sighed. "But don't be late. Mitsuri is waiting for you."
Kael stopped by Mitsuri's house first. It was a crowded, warm home filled with the chaos of five children. Mitsuri was the eldest, a girl whose consideration for others was only matched by her staggering appetite.
"It's Brother-in-law! He's here!" Mitsuri's younger brother shouted, gripping Kael's wrist.
Mitsuri ran out with one shoe missing, her face turning a vibrant shade of pink. She promptly gave her brother a "gentle" flick that sent him howling into the house.
"Kael-kun..." she whispered, looking at her feet. She was mortified that she'd shown her "violent" side to her future husband.
"You're going to be a great mother, Mitsuri," Kael said with a magnetic smile.
Mitsuri's brain stalled. Mother? Children? Five of them? Her head practically steamed, her internal temperature hitting boiling point.
"I have to go to the village for a few days," Kael explained, handing her a massive paper bag from the best dango shop in the city. "I didn't want you to worry."
"You bought out the whole shop?" Mitsuri asked, her nose twitching at the sweet scent.
"I know your siblings are hungry," Kael joked, reaching out to pinch her soft cheek.
Mitsuri froze, her breath hitching as her heart did a frantic drumroll in her chest. Before she could react, her father burst out of the house, looking for a broom to chase the "brazen" suitor away. Kael waved and vanished into the street with a burst of speed that left the old man gasping for air.
Kael arrived at the village outskirts by dusk. The journey that took caravans a day had taken him mere hours.
The village was quiet, smoke rising from chimneys, but a chill hung in the air. He reached his grandfather's house and found it empty. The tachi sword usually kept by the bed was gone. Kael questioned the neighbors; his grandfather had been slipping out into the woods every night since the disappearances started.
"This old man," Kael muttered, his jaw tightening. "His knees are shot, and he's out hunting demons."
Kael stood on the hilltop, looking at the last of the orange afterglow. He had to move.
Deep in the dark woods, Sakuragi Rukawa—Kael's grandfather—tracked the scent of rot.
Long ago, he had been a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, a Kinoe-rank swordsman who had retired to live a quiet life after falling in love. He had sent word to the Corps, but they were stretched thin. He couldn't wait. He knew this demon was in a state of "evolutionary hunger." If he didn't stop it now, the village would become a buffet.
His back ached, and his grip on the hilt wasn't what it once was, but as the red eyes of a Mutant Demon gleamed from the canopy, the old man took a deep, steadying breath.
"Breath of the Forest... First Form..."
He wasn't seeking death; he just felt he should do something before Kael arrived.
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