After that, things proceeded quickly. Nezuko and I had a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony. Having always worn Western suits, wearing a haori felt a bit strange. Nezuko also wore a shiro-muku, and we held the ceremony at a nearby shrine. Many of the patients we had treated at the clinic came as guests, and since space was lacking, we held the reception in the backyard, setting up tables and chairs.
What was interesting here was that no one found it problematic that Nezuko was young. I seemed to be the only one who thought it was strange. Clearly, their moral values and social perceptions were very different from those of modern people.
"Congratulations on your marriage, Teacher Jin."
"Kamado-sensei (Nezuko), live well~"
The guests celebrated us. Nezuko was happy, and Tanjuro and Kie looked on fondly.
"Thank you for giving me such a beautiful daughter, Mr. Kamado. I should call you 'Father' now."
"Not at all, Teacher. Rather, we are grateful to you for making our daughter a wonderful doctor."
While I was talking with Tanjuro, Kie said to Nezuko, "Now you must serve Teacher Jin well."
"Understood, Mother."
After the reception ended and the first night came, we went up to the room together. Nezuko bowed to me and said, "I am inexperienced, but please take care of me."
"Likewise, Nezuko. There will be many difficult times ahead, but let's get through them together."
"Yes~!"
Nezuko answered with a smile.
That night, I simply held Nezuko's hand and slept. She was so young that it felt like sleeping with a younger sibling. And with my modern moral values, Nezuko was still just a child to me. I planned to keep it this way until she was physically mature and of age. I wasn't a lolicon.
A few days later, I didn't know how they had heard the news, but people I'd never seen before came to the house, leaving various expensive gifts and letters. Reading the letters, I saw that Kagaya had sent them to congratulate me on the wedding.
'He certainly gets news fast.'
Thinking about it, if news traveled this fast, he probably already knew that Hanako had become a demon. But since he said nothing about it, I couldn't tell if he trusted me or was just letting it be.
Over a year passed. Nothing particular happened, but Hanako began sleeping more often. Probably, like Nezuko in the original story, instead of eating people, she was sleeping to replenish her energy. Because of that, the family was extremely worried.
Then a letter arrived from Tanjiro, informing us that he had safely passed the Final Selection and become a Demon Slayer. That news brought some comfort to the worried family.
But the letter contained something interesting. Unlike the original story, because Tanjiro had been so diligent and saved many Demon Slayers, a large number of them survived. As a result, Tanjiro had earned the nickname 'Muscle General'.
Also, he had received a Nichirin Blade different from others—one with a longer and wider blade. In my opinion, it was custom-made, considering Tanjiro's strength. The letter said that Tanjiro now carried two Nichirin Blades: the one he received from his father and the one the Demon Slayer Corps made for him.
'Muscle General, that's amusing.'
But thinking about it, I wasn't sure if Tanjiro would be able to meet Tamayo and Yushiro properly. Because of my presence, Tanjiro was somewhat stronger than in the original story, and since Nezuko wasn't traveling with him, I didn't know if Tamayo would trust him.
'If things go well and he meets Tamayo, he'll probably send word to me. Otherwise, I'll have to go to Tokyo Asakusa myself.'
Tamayo was actually a more essential person to the Demon Slayer Corps than I was. Because she had the ability to create medicine that could turn demons back into humans and medicine that could weaken Muzan. So if Tanjiro couldn't meet Tamayo, I would have to step in and connect her with Kagaya.
'I'll have to see how things unfold.'
Another month passed like that. Nothing particular happened at the clinic. Tanjiro's younger siblings were growing up healthily. The Ubuyashiki sisters also said they wanted to work, so they started managing the reception desk at the clinic. The sisters were smart and already possessed a great deal of knowledge, so there wasn't much to teach them.
So the eldest daughter, Hinaki, worked in the morning, and the second daughter, Nichika, took over in the afternoon. In their free time, they studied or played with Tanjiro's younger siblings. So I built a separate study for the sisters, bought them various books, and supported their learning.
I also tried to teach them swordsmanship, but they had little talent for physical activities. It seemed better for them to focus on studying, so I gave up. Instead, I had them practice with the anti-demon slingshots for emergencies.
"Teacher! A letter has arrived from Tanjiro! He's found a clue to turn Hanako back to normal!"
Tanjuro hurried to me, showing me the letter.
"Oh~ I see."
The letter said that Tanjiro had met Tamayo and things had gone well. However, Tamayo had been attacked by demons and could no longer stay in Tokyo, so she asked for protection.
'Hmm? This is going a bit differently from the original.'
In the original, even after being attacked, she continued her research there until things worked out with Kagaya and she moved. Here, it seemed a bit different.
"Teacher, what do you think? Can we trust this person named Tamayo?"
"Hmm... I'll go to Tokyo and meet her in person. After all, she's also a demon, so I'll go by car at night. Please take care of the family while I'm away."
"Understood, Teacher."
That evening, I drove straight to Tokyo. Following the map Tanjiro had enclosed, I arrived at Tamayo's residence. It was half-destroyed. When I asked the nearby people, they said there had been a big commotion, and when they checked, it was like this.
'Looking at the destruction, it seems she was attacked by multiple demons...'
Certainly, unlike the original, the house was heavily damaged, and there were many traces of demons. As I looked around the building for more information, I saw a boy gesturing to me from behind a tree. I moved toward him. He had pale, almost white, light blue-green hair and sharp eyes. He was unmistakably Yushiro.
"You're Teacher Jin. Silver-haired and Western, so I recognized you immediately. Follow me."
He spoke in a commanding tone, making me want to hit the back of his head, but I held back and followed him. Yushiro was just as rude as in the original. Anyway, following him, I was able to find Tamayo, who was hiding in an alley. Tamayo was a beauty with black hair and large purple eyes.
"You're the demon mentioned in the letter."
"Yes, my name is Tamayo, Teacher Jin."
Tamayo bowed her head slightly in greeting.
"This doesn't seem like a good place to talk. Let's move."
"Understood."
Seeing the large bag Tamayo was carrying, it seemed she had already packed, so there was nothing else to carry. I loaded their luggage into the trunk, put the two in the car, and listened to their story as we drove home.
"Demons attacked our residence. If not for Tanjiro, we would have been helpless."
According to their story, besides the demon 'Susamaru' who threw balls and 'Yahaba' who shot arrows, other demons had also attacked Tamayo's residence. That was why the house was so destroyed, and Tamayo and Yushiro had nearly died several times. Judging by them saying that if Tanjiro hadn't been strong, they all would have been caught, a considerable number of demons had been deployed.
"It seems Muzan has been trying to increase the number of demons lately. I've seen demons with almost no rationality. Probably, they haven't been demons for long."
"Why do you think Muzan, who has hidden for so long, suddenly chose to increase the number of demons?"
"That, I don't know. Perhaps he's planning to come out into the open now. I thought this kind of thing would happen only after demons overcame sunlight..."
For this, it seemed I would need to get more information from the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Then, where is Tanjiro? Why are you two alone?"
"At my request, Tanjiro went to collect blood from a demon that had received a high concentration of Muzan's blood."
"That's to create medicine to turn demons back into humans, I suppose."
"Yes. And also to create medicine to defeat Muzan."
Tamayo told me everything without hiding anything. Then Yushiro said to me, "I hope you're as strong as Tanjiro said, strong enough to protect us. Only then can we make medicine to turn demons back into humans."
Hearing his almost threatening tone, Yushiro was indeed rude. Then Tamayo chided him.
"Yushiro, you shouldn't speak that way to someone who has come to help us."
"Yes!"
At Tamayo's words, Yushiro straightened up and answered loudly. It was a typical Yushiro, admiring Tamayo. I chuckled at the sight.
Then, I felt someone approaching the car at high speed using [Observation Haki].
"We have a guest. Don't get out. Stay inside."
I stopped the car, took my sword, and got out. Tamayo and Yushiro seemed very tense. Fortunately, we were leaving the city, so it was a secluded area. Even if we fought here, there would be no casualties.
I stood with my back to the car and waited for the pursuer. Before long, a demon appeared, approaching rapidly. It was none other than Kokushibo. I didn't know why he was here, but it was a great stroke of luck for me. I didn't have to go looking for him.
'What a nice surprise.'
Seeing me standing there, Kokushibo stopped running in front of me, tilted his head, and asked, "How strange. I sense nothing from you. Also, the fact that you knew I was coming is strange. Who are you?"
"Nice to meet you, Kokushibo. Among those who use breathing techniques, I'm called the Sword Saint."
At that, Kokushibo chuckled. "Sword Saint. A grandiose title. Even my younger brother, Yoriichi, never received such a title. You use it lightly."
"I didn't ask for it, but that's what they call me. If you have an issue, take it up with them."
"I see. But I suppose they call you that because you have the skill to match?"
Kokushibo slowly began to draw his sword. After becoming a demon, Kokushibo had discarded his Nichirin Blade and created a flesh-blade from his own bones and flesh, called the 'Kokotsu no Ken'. Because of that, it could also change shape.
"Before we fight, let me ask: why are you here?"
"Muzan told me there was a strong swordsman wearing my brother's earrings, so I decided to come myself. Also, he told me to catch a fugitive."
The strong swordsman was probably Tanjiro, and the fugitive was probably Tamayo. He had likely heard about them from the demons who had fled after fighting Tanjiro.
"I see. Understood."
Deciding there was no more information to get from this guy, I drew my sword.
"I hope you will entertain me."