Tanjiro's mission to slay the demon went very smoothly this time, and he even brought back a trophy.
"Where did this pig come from?"
Kael asked, pointing his finger at the pig head next to Tanjiro.
"You're the pig!!"
Hashibira Inosuke shouted at the top of his lungs, looking as if he were about to rush forward and teach Kael a lesson.
Fortunately, Tanjiro and Zenitsu Agatsuma stopped him in time; otherwise, the Proctology Department of Sakuragi Hospital would have welcomed another VIP.
"His name is Hashibira Inosuke. Thanks to his help, this mission was completed smoothly."
Tanjiro introduced him while forcefully covering Hashibira Inosuke's mouth, which was trying to yell.
"Oh~, is that so."
Kael looked the pig head up and down and reached out to give his ribs a gentle poke.
"Oh-ho-ho—!"
Hashibira Inosuke instantly arched his body and screamed in pain.
"Still so energetic with three broken ribs."
Kael expressed his approval of the pig head's constitution; it was indeed very tough and durable.
"You bastard! I'm going to duel you!!"
Hashibira Inosuke caught his breath and began flailing his arms and legs, looking almost insane.
"Calm down, Inosuke! You can't beat Big Brother!"
"Yeah, yeah, he'll send you to the Proctology Department, it's terrifying!"
Tanjiro and Zenitsu Agatsuma held onto Hashibira Inosuke tightly. After all, they had fought side-by-side; if they could save him, they had to try, or their consciences wouldn't be at peace.
"Come inside first."
Kael went back into the house and asked Kanroji Mitsuri to bring him the medical kit.
After a major battle, these three boys were all more or less carrying some injuries.
With a "crack."
Kael easily set Hashibira Inosuke's broken ribs.
"Don't move around recklessly for the next two days, you hear me?"
"Hmph!"
Hashibira Inosuke continued to grunt in annoyance, but at least he didn't yell about a duel again, awkwardly accepting Kael's kindness.
"Big Brother, the Drum Demon we slew this time was Lower Moon Six of the former Twelve Kizuki. I don't know if its blood will be of any help."
Tanjiro took out the collected demon blood from his robes and handed it to Kael.
"Well done. You're already able to slay members of the Twelve Kizuki."
Kael praised him, even though it was a former member.
Tanjiro lowered his head sheepishly; he also felt that under Kael's guidance, his strength was improving very rapidly.
"Hey, little blondie, you've been avoiding talking to me. Do you have some kind of problem with me?"
Kael turned to look at Zenitsu Agatsuma. This sudden question startled him so much that he instinctively covered his buttocks and shook his head vigorously while answering firmly.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Then why haven't you hurried over here so I can treat you?"
"Yes!!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma nimbly knelt before Kael.
"Not bad, your attitude is very upright. I'm starting to appreciate you a bit. I'll introduce you to a girlfriend if I get the chance."
"Really? Big Brother!!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma bowed his head to the floor, shouting 'Big Brother' with even more sincerity than Tanjiro.
"Look at your pathetic self."
Kael shook his head and pressed a glob of evenly spread ointment onto Zenitsu Agatsuma's wound, immediately followed by a shrill scream like a slaughtered pig.
This guy's injuries were the lightest, but his screams were the loudest.
"Alright, you three stay at my house for the next few days. If you need anything, just tell the servants. Continue your missions once your injuries are healed."
Kael took the Drum Demon's blood, clapped his hands, and left.
"Big Brother, don't forget my happiness!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma watched Kael leave with a face full of longing.
...Although the Drum Demon had been kicked out of the Twelve Kizuki due to insufficient talent, the purity of the demon blood in its body was still incomparable to that of ordinary demons.
This demon blood was indeed a great help to Kael and Tamayo's research, pushing the original experimental progress forward by a large step; they could already attempt to begin "humanization" trials.
"I didn't expect Tanjiro to be able to slay one of the Twelve Kizuki so soon."
Lady Tamayo said softly to Kael.
As the first Demon Slayer Corps member to see Kibutsuji Muzan in hundreds of years, both Ubuyashiki Kagaya and Tamayo placed great expectations on Tanjiro.
"If there's a chance, we still need to catch a live member of the Kizuki."
Kael rubbed his chin, thinking about how to pull that off.
"The risk is too high."
Lady Tamayo had her concerns.
She wasn't worried about Kael's strength, but rather the fact that Kibutsuji Muzan's consciousness resided within all demons.
It was just that due to the different amounts of the Demon King's blood, the volume of consciousness they could carry also differed.
With ordinary demons, Kael could freeze the consciousness fluctuations within by reducing the activity of the demon blood, but the situation with the Twelve Kizuki was entirely different. If not controlled properly, it would cause a backlash.
"Don't worry, isn't that what I'm researching right now?"
Kael held up the Drum Demon's blood to show her.
"Kael, you're becoming a bit too obsessed with the study of demons."
Lady Tamayo gently cupped Kael's face, looking closely into his eyes, trying to see something within them.
She had once stayed by Kibutsuji Muzan's side for a time and had seen too many people fall into depravity and become demons under his temptation.
Lady Tamayo was very afraid that Kael would also see that day.
After all, as his assistant, she could sometimes glimpse the direction of Kael's research.
If Kael truly fell, the severity of the consequences would be almost unimaginable.
Just look at Kibutsuji Muzan; a cowardly and witless fellow like him could cause such great harm to the world after obtaining the power of a demon.
"I am not obsessed with demons; it's just that they happen to be on the path of my research."
Kael explained.
"It's very dangerous."
Lady Tamayo sighed. That doctor back then also never imagined he would create a creature like a demon.
How could Kael be certain that at the end of this road, he would get what he wanted instead of walking into another abyss?
"So you'll have to watch over me carefully to keep me from taking the wrong path."
Kael pulled Lady Tamayo into his arms.
Feeling that powerful heartbeat and burning body temperature, Lady Tamayo felt as if she were melting. She slumped somewhat weakly against him, and after a long silence, she spoke with affection and helplessness.
"You really are a rogue."
"That's right."
Kael's hands began to grow increasingly restless.
The atmosphere in the laboratory began to gradually heat up with ambiguity.
"I've already told Mitsuri that I won't be back tonight."
"...Mhm."
Lady Tamayo didn't know how to respond. That nervousness and bashfulness she had long forgotten surged into her heart again, finally turning into a charming hum.
"Click-clack!!"
A strange sound echoed outside the room.
Lady Tamayo's blurred eyes cleared slightly. Remembering there were others in the house, she reached out and gently pressed Kael's arm, signaling him to wait a moment.
A moment later, a faint fragrance seeped out of the room.
That was Lady Tamayo's Blood Demon Art, "Enchanting Blood," which could confuse and manipulate a person's senses.
"Alright, let's go to my room. Not here."
Lady Tamayo buried her head in Kael's chest, her voice carrying a hint of entreaty.
There is no need to elaborate on what happened next.
In short, it wasn't until dawn that the fragrance finally dissipated.
Yushiro, waking from a deep sleep, saw Kael walking out of Lady Tamayo's room. It was like a bolt from the blue; the entire demon seemed to lose its color, and he slumped onto the ground, soul-crushed.
He has her scent on him!!
"You, you..."
Yushiro's lips trembled for a long time before he could manage a complete sentence.
"You must treat Lady Tamayo well, otherwise I won't let you off even if I have to remain a demon forever!!"
'Aren't you already a demon?'
Kael muttered in his heart, but he acknowledged Yushiro's resolve.
Even the 'nice guys' of the modern era would have to bow down in worship upon seeing this one.
Lady Tamayo walked out afterward. After last night, the entire demon seemed rejuvenated and radiant. Seeing this, Yushiro felt a pang of heartache, remembering an old saying.
To love her is to fulfill her happiness.
Lady Tamayo, nourished by love, was indeed even more beautiful and moving than before.
Yushiro felt his heart bleeding, yet he was mesmerized by Lady Tamayo's current beauty. The two emotions twisted together, making it impossible to describe his psychological state... A few days later, at the Sakuragi family home.
Among Tanjiro's trio, Kanroji Mitsuri's favorite was Hashibira Inosuke.
Especially after seeing that beautiful face beneath the pig head, she even brought out her own treasured women's clothing.
Looking at those colorful clothes, Hashibira Inosuke's face was written with resistance and repulsion, yet facing Kanroji Mitsuri's expectant eyes, he somehow couldn't move his feet.
Well, it wasn't that he didn't want to move.
It was that Mitsuri's strength was too great; she held Hashibira Inosuke down with one hand so he couldn't budge.
"You two, don't just watch, help me!!"
Hashibira Inosuke called for help from Tanjiro and the other, but the response he got was eyes that said it was none of their business.
"Believe me, Inosuke, you'll definitely be very cute in this outfit!"
Kanroji Mitsuri used to dress her younger brother in girl's clothes quite often; it seemed elder sisters all had this kind of hobby to some extent.
"I don't want to! Absolutely not!!"
Hashibira Inosuke struggled hard, but he simply couldn't break free from Kanroji Mitsuri's grip.
Damn it, how can this woman's strength be so immense?!
Just as the dress was about to be slipped onto him, Kael descended like a savior.
"Wait a moment, Mitsuri."
Kael reached out and stopped Kanroji Mitsuri.
Hashibira Inosuke stared blankly at Kael, feeling as if the man were glowing at this moment.
However, in the next second, he saw Kael pick up another, even more gaudy dress from the rack and say to Kanroji Mitsuri with a serious and solemn expression.
"This set is the one that suits Inosuke!"
"No, no, the one I chose fits Inosuke's pure and elegant features best."
When it came to aesthetics, Kanroji Mitsuri had her own persistence.
"Then have him try both, and let Tanjiro and the others judge."
"Makes sense!"
Kanroji Mitsuri approved of this trial.
"No—!!"
Hashibira Inosuke screamed in despair.
One Kanroji Mitsuri was already enough to keep him from escaping; adding a Kael would only make the outcome even more cruel.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu Agatsuma sat obediently side-by-side on their knees, their compliance maxed out for fear that they would suffer the same fate.
This concern was actually redundant.
Kael and Kanroji Mitsuri wouldn't go so far as to trouble their own eyes.
Hashibira Inosuke already had an androgynous, handsome face. Once he was dressed in women's clothing and made up, it became even harder to distinguish his gender.
Zenitsu Agatsuma was left staring in a daze.
"Why are you drooling?"
Tanjiro looked at Zenitsu Agatsuma's current expression and suddenly felt that he shouldn't sleep with his back to the guy at night anymore.
In the end, Kael won by an absolute landslide.
No one understood a man's taste better than he did.
"Hmph."
Kanroji Mitsuri pouted unhappily, thinking she should let Shinobu Kocho and the others serve as judges next time.
"I'm going to duel you! Kael!"
Hashibira Inosuke seized the opportunity, tore off the dress, put on his pig head, picked up his dual blades, and yelled at Kael.
The point he found most humiliating wasn't actually the girl's clothes, but the fact that he had been unable to break free and resist. This was unacceptable for the highly competitive Hashibira Inosuke.
"Right then!"
Kael struck down with the edge of his hand. Hashibira Inosuke didn't even have a chance to see it clearly before he slumped down dizzily, his consciousness beginning to fade as he muttered.
"So... so strong..."
Kael glanced at the remaining two and calmly rubbed his wrists. This casual movement startled Tanjiro and the other into a shiver.
"Seeing you two like this, your injuries must be mostly healed. It's time to start training. Start with two hundred laps to warm up."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Tanjiro and Zenitsu Agatsuma instinctively stood up at attention, hoisted up Hashibira Inosuke, and ran out of the Sakuragi family home one after the other.
After the three finished their warm-up, Kael took out the latest demon blood medicine he had developed and injected it into their bodies.
"My stamina recovered all at once!!"
Tanjiro shouted in surprise. His original muscle aches and fatigue were swept away, and even his strength had noticeably increased.
"Again, again!"
Hashibira Inosuke shook his pig head excitedly.
"You can only take one shot in a short period, otherwise there will be side effects,"
Kael spoke up.
This series of strengthening demon blood medicines had limited production and was usually only provided to the Hashira to help break through strength bottlenecks. Tanjiro and the others being able to enjoy it was purely due to their connection with their 'Big Brother' Kael.
As for the side effects?
At best, it was photophobia and bloodlust; at worst, they would turn directly into demons.
After all, the raw material was demon blood, so there was a certain level of risk. However, with Kael overseeing them, even if an adverse reaction did occur, it could be corrected in time.
"Alright, don't waste time. Now is the best time for digestion and absorption. All three of you, come at me together."
Kael pointed at the nichirin blades lying on the ground.
Upon hearing this, Hashibira Inosuke was the first to rush up with his blades.
With a "smack."
A tree branch whipped hard against Hashibira Inosuke's back. It was a direct critical hit, making him let out a howl.
"Do you not understand what 'together' means?"
Kael shook his head helplessly.
'Together' meant he wanted all of them to start screaming.
Before the three could even get into their stances, he had already charged toward them impatiently.
"Ah!!"
"Oh!!"
"Ow!!"
"..."