Isekai Mizuki S1 - A World With Demons

Chapter 66 - The Solution

Friday, February 17, 2030, Kamado Residence, 10:15 PM

Tanjiro clicked the lightswitch and went to sleep. He peacefully drifted off, the black fog of loss still clouding his head. All he could see as he fell asleep was blinding mist overlapping his vision, the weight of his guilt from not being able to save Kanao hurting him even more.

"Hey, kiddo."
"Kid, wake up!"
"Wake up, kid!"
"I SAID WAKE UP!"

Tanjiro snapped awake, or, at least, woke up elsewhere. He was in the domain where he first met Masuki, Yurika and Ayato, all of who were also there. He looked at the screen, showcasing his vision. It showed blinding mist, signifying his loss of control.

"Listen kid, we know you lost your girlfriend, and we're all aware that you want her back. Yurika's going to tell you something, then Ayato will give you a word of advice," Masuki explained as he faded away.

Yurika knelt down and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Listen, dear. We may not know what it is like to lose a loved one, but this is no time for you to give up now. There will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Let your determination transform from a tiny, dying ember to a gigantic, deadly inferno. Don't let your guilt, sadness and frustration get in the way of your desire to get her back. There are problems you cannot solve, but this is not one of them," she encouraged him, fading away like Masuki.

The only other one who stood in the domain was Ayato, who turned to look at Tanjiro. "Now, here's what you should do. Look for your friend. He is willing to do what it takes for you to properly smile again. He has a plan. Find him and talk to him. If he doesn't believe you, tell him that I'm aware. If you want to ask if you're going to acquire more powers as the Kagura progresses, yes, you will. You only have 3 or 4 powers left to manifest. I am the sixth, my daughter-in-law's the seventh, and my dad is the fifth. You might receive a power from the 4th or 3rd next. The first will not reveal himself until the time is right. Now, about Isekai. He's collaborating with a biologist to create curse suppressors and a transformation cure. Find him, and ask him about it. Now wake the hell up, it's about sunrise by now."

Tanjiro snapped awake, his eyes opening. He got up, and started getting ready for the day. He stopped by Isekai's house, and knocked on the door. He answered, and Tanjiro let himself in. "So, what do you wanna do?" he asked. Tanjiro sighed, and said something. "I know you're planning to get Kanao back. I want to know your plan, and how you're going to approach this situation."

Isekai sighed, knowing that his plan was revealed. "One of the Hinokami Kagura's previous users must have known and told you. Heh, couldn't expect them not to tell you." Tanjiro raised his eyebrow, trying to ask, "Wait, how do you know tha-" as he was interrupted by Isekai beginning his explanation. "Look, we've collaborated with biologist Tamayo so that we could create drugs. Drugs that could suppress the Blood Curse, and drugs that could reverse transformations. We're supposed to be acquiring the results by tomorrow, and Kibutsuji's probably about to fix her up. She's been falling unconscious every now and then, according to information from the Love Hashira. Even if we finish the suppressors, we can't steal Kanao while hiding in the shadows. We need to do it directly, in plain sight, outside of Kibutsuji's fortress."

Tanjiro nodded. "Alright. Thanks for the information. Let's play some games, hm?" he asked. Isekai nodded, and they spent most of the day just having fun.

In Tanjiro's mind...

"Are you confident that he and Isekai will be the ones to take down that monster?" Ayato asked. Masuki and Yurika nodded, without even the slightest shadow of doubt nor hestiation. "Kids' hearts are in the right place. Although, I feel like something's really weird about that Isekai kid," Masuki commented. Yurika and Ayato turned to him, wondering what he meant.

"Something's off about him. It's almost like his magic isn't a breathing nor blood magic. It's almost like he somehow doesn't belong here, you know?"

To be continued...