No matter what, Kie was the inn's proprietress. There were matters she needed to handle personally, even if she intended to gradually pass responsibilities to Tanjiro.
But now Tanjiro was leaving home to join the Demon Slayer Corps, and Nezuko might also go with him?
So this time, while Kie was handling the chores, she also called Takeo over to observe and learn.
As for Hanako?
Hanako didn't want to go. Instead, she stood by Kaito, watching Tanjiro practice swordsmanship with a wooden stick.
Everyone was resting in the tea room now. Kie was still tied up with inn chores and couldn't get away.
So, bored, Kaito decided to teach Tanjiro some sword techniques.
Since in Japan, swordsmanship and blade techniques were not strictly differentiated, calling it swordsmanship was essentially teaching blade techniques.
After Kaito demonstrated twice, to the admiring glances of Hanako, Eriri, and Mikoto, Tanjiro began to imitate him, his expression filled with excitement and reverence.
In short, he was trying to memorize Kaito's techniques. Once his foundational swordsmanship improved, he could effectively use these techniques in battle.
"Tanjiro, don't worry too much about your grip for now. You don't have to copy me exactly. What you need to do is firmly memorize the technique I just showed you."
"Once you have a solid foundation in swordsmanship, you can practice it seriously."
"Yes, that's right! Forget those details for now. Keep practicing until you've completely memorized it!"
Tanjiro continued to awkwardly mimic Kaito's technique. After ten repetitions and several corrections from Kaito, he finally got it.
Of course, "got it" meant he could mimic the movements; it was just memorization.
"Kaito, we're ready to go! We'll be counting on you!"
Misuzu called out to him from the tea room at the right moment.
"I'm coming! Tanjiro, you'll be in charge of the inn while your mother is away."
"Yes! Please leave it to me!"
Tanjiro straightened his back and answered firmly, looking very serious. But for some reason, the over-the-top seriousness was increasingly amusing.
Coincidentally, the Demon Slayer anime also had various comedic elements.
Bringing Hanako and the others to the tea room, they found Kie had changed into a light kimono and put on better cloth shoes.
The others were already prepared and ready to go shopping.
Buying things wasn't the main point; it was about experiencing the culture of the Taisho era from a few hundred years ago.
They were all Japanese people, so they were excited. Only Kaito was less enthusiastic.
"Alright, let's go."
Their destination was a large town that Kie also wanted to visit.
Asakusa.
It was the large town where Tanjiro discovered Muzan in the anime.
As for calling it a city, that was somewhat acceptable, though its scale wasn't large. However, it was one of the most prosperous large towns of the Taisho era.
Watching the anime, one could even see rows of traditional Japanese houses alongside Western-style buildings. Apparently, foreigners lived or did business there.
"Get on!"
There was no teleportation array, and Kaito hadn't been to that place anyway.
After Kie confirmed the general direction and location, Kaito casually created a rock platform. He made a few rock chairs and added railings around it.
Finally, after everyone boarded, he controlled the platform to take off and used magic to make it invisible.
That way, people below wouldn't see them.
Except for Tanjiro and Takeo.
As for Hanako?
She was, as usual, clinging to Kaito.
For some reason, after lunch, Hanako had started clinging to him.
Perhaps it was because Kaito had given her the world's most delicious lollipop to eat, and she got hooked?
Truly a weapon effective against lolis.
Well, Kaito liked children, so Hanako clinging to him was fine. He held her as they sat on the rock chairs, everyone enjoying the thrill of flying.
It was like riding a flying roller coaster.
Everyone screamed from the strong wind, but once they adapted, they admired the vast land and scenery from the railing.
"That ahead is probably Asakusa."
After flying for about half an hour, Kaito spotted the largest town in the vicinity. Seeing Western-style buildings, steam car tracks, and stations around the large town, he decided to land nearby.
"Kaito, I brought a few million yen."
Standing at the entrance to the streets of Asakusa,
Looking at the bustling streets of the Taisho era and the lively crowds, Kie took out her backpack.
Since they were shopping, they'd need money. Only she possessed currency valid here; the others had none.
"Haha, no need. I can easily create gold to exchange for money."
But since Kie was offering, he accepted. Sayuri and the others did as well.
Even Hanako benefited from Kaito's generosity, holding a large 10,000 yen bill.
This was the biggest bill she had ever seen, and the most money she had ever received!
Now Hanako's mind was full of thoughts about what she could buy with this 10,000 yen bill.
Favorite clothes?
Favorite snacks?
Ramune soda? Toys?
Yes, there were just too many things she wanted.
"Let's go, let's stroll down this shopping street."
"Okay!"
Everyone agreed and walked onto the street, attracting many stares.
To blend in with the Taisho era and not be seen as odd, Misuzu, Mikoto, and Eriri had all changed into clothes appropriate for the period.
Only Kaito had used nanotech to customize his outfit, slightly altering the style of his suit, but it was essentially similar to the suit worn by Zhongli.
Still, they drew attention.
Not only because the women were beautiful, but also because Kaito was extremely handsome.
'Speaking of which, I wonder if we'll see Tamayo?'
The timeline was about a year or two earlier, so Kaito didn't know if Tamayo would be here.
Regarding Tamayo...
Although she was a Demon, Kaito had many ways to turn her back into a human!