The morning air at the port carried a strange, bone-deep chill.
Workers bustled about, shouting as they loaded cargo onto boats.Amidst the crowd, Takeo's figure stood apart—his small frame clearly that of a boy, made even more noticeable by the katana at his waist.
After all, in this era, the Japanese government had issued the Haitōrei (Sword Abolishment Edict), which banned civilians from carrying swords. Only government-approved soldiers and police officers were allowed to wear them.
Which meant the sword at the boy's waist drew even more attention than usual.
But the boy—Takeo Kamado—didn't care in the slightest about the looks others gave him.
He rubbed his shoulders and stared at his hands, red from the cold, white breath puffing out with every exhale.
Even with a regeneration ability, he could still feel the cold.At most, it just meant he didn't have to worry about frostbite.
Now then—a quick explanation of what Takeo was currently doing: He was working a part-time job!
That's right. He was working at the docks of this coastal city—loading cargo.
Ehm.. Before anyone judges him, let Takeo explain.
It's not that he didn't want to immediately go searching for Tanjiro and Nezuko, or hunt down the killer who wiped out the Kamado family.
The problem was—he didn't have any money.
And no matter the era, money was always one of the most important things in life. In peaceful times, it was even more essential.
"You can't take a single step without money"—that wasn't just an expression. It was painfully true.
After Takeo left the mountain and traveled in a different direction for several days, he quickly ran out of the savings he had found at home.
There wasn't much he could do—the Kamado family had never been wealthy, and when Tanjiro had left, he had likely taken what little portable valuables remained. What was left for Takeo was next to nothing.
There was a good amount of charcoal, sure—but it wasn't like Takeo could haul that around on his back everywhere he went.
So after burning through the last of his coins, he had no choice but to find a way to earn a living. He didn't expect to make much—just enough to keep himself from starving on the road.
In the end, Takeo used the combat techniques inherited from Logan to get a job as a bodyguard for a wealthy merchant.
Fortunately, Old Man Logan had mastered quite a few Japanese martial arts, so when Takeo claimed to be a samurai, no one doubted him.
Especially after he defeated three of the merchant's hired guards at once—with nothing but a wooden sword.
After that, no one questioned his identity as a swordsman.
And just like that, he smoothly became one of the merchant's guards. The merchant even gave him a katana—and seemingly acquired an official sword-carrying permit for him through some "special channels."
Now, Takeo was assigned to help escort the merchant's transport crew.
The job wasn't difficult at all. The merchant had already taken care of the necessary "arrangements" on all fronts, so it was unlikely anyone would try to cause trouble. All Takeo had to do was follow the merchant's caravan by river route to Mito, and his task would be complete.
As a side note—it had already been over a month since Takeo had transmigrated into this world.
And over the course of that month, Takeo had also come to understand what era he was now living in:
Taisho Year 1!!!!!!!!
Taisho Year 1—that meant the year 1912.
Takeo didn't know much about this era, but it was said to be one of the most peaceful periods in Japan's history.
And based on what he had seen so far, that didn't seem like an exaggeration. Development was happening across the country, and there were hardly any signs of refugees or widespread suffering.
There were still beggars, of course—but far fewer than Takeo would have expected for the time.
However, beneath this seemingly peaceful surface…something else seemed to be lurking.
Takeo glanced at a few of the other guards stationed nearby.
They were chatting quietly among themselves. Their voices were low, but they couldn't escape Takeo's ears.
Among the heightened senses Logan had passed down to him, smell was the sharpest. But his hearing and eyesight were also far beyond normal human standards. At this range, even a whisper was perfectly audible to him.
"…Hey, did you hear? Supposedly there's been demon activity in Namie Town."
"Demons? Aren't those just old folk tales?"
"I don't know for sure. I only heard it from a relative who came to ask for help. They said a whole family over there was eaten by a demon. They couldn't even find a single intact corpse at the scene… Tsk, brutal stuff."
"Yikes… that sounds terrifying."
The two guards were quietly exchanging gossip—rumors of demons spreading through the towns.
Legends about demons.
This was the third demon-related story Takeo had heard in the past month.
The first had come from Grandpa Saburo, the second had been a children's nursery rhyme passed around among the local kids—and now, this was the third.
If the first two could still be dismissed as nothing more than folklore passed down through generations, then hearing a third one… was enough to make Takeo take it seriously.
These rumors about demons were popping up too frequently.
And considering how the name Kamado Tanjiro sounded vaguely familiar, Takeo had a suspicion—he might've transmigrated into the world of an anime—He had heard from one of the YouTube shorts that a demon-related anime was making billions.
Unfortunately, aside from childhood staples like Digimon and Dragon Ball, Takeo hadn't really watched any anime.
Ugh... I scrimped and saved, just to buy a massive TV—and for what? I binge-watched Avengers, Inception, Loki, The Wolf of Wall Street, and every goddamn Nolan mind-bender out there. And now you're telling me I should've watched anime instead? Yeah—Fuck you too, God!
He didn't know anything about new or popular series, so he couldn't say for sure whether he had ended up inside an anime or not.
Well.. I died.. at least I got another chance at life with Logan's powers.. yeah, I take back the 'fuck you' comment..
Still, for now, assuming that was the case wasn't a bad starting point.
And if this was an anime world, then the existence of demons was highly probable. Even if youkai or other supernatural creatures showed up, Takeo wouldn't be surprised.
From what he remembered, Japanese anime had plenty of stories involving youkai and the occult.
Come to think of it, demons could probably be classified as a type of yōkai, couldn't they? Hmm.. There was also a TikTok rant video about some big balloon Devil school girls with double D-cup breasts.
As he listened to the guards chatting nearby, Takeo let his thoughts wander.
In this era—without smartphones or any kind of electronic devices—his only way of passing the time was to zone out.
He had recently developed a bit of a bad habit: spacing out and letting his mind drift.
With nothing around for entertainment, all he could really do was either daydream or review the combat techniques inherited from Logan.
But right now, during an escort mission, there was no way he could draw his sword and train—so spacing out was all that was left.
"All right! That's the last of it! You there, come aboard—we're heading out!"
The final crates had been loaded onto the large ship, and the merchant's steward called out to the guards stationed outside the vessel.
Takeo snapped out of his thoughts and boarded the ship along with the others.
But just as he stepped onto the deck, a particular figure caught his attention.
It was a samurai, dressed in all black with a long sword at his waist.
He wore a black haori over what looked like a uniform-style outfit, somewhat resembling military attire.
He looked to be in his early twenties, and the merchant was personally escorting him into the cabin area.
…A guest of the ship?
"Hey!!"
Just as Takeo was observing the figure, a sudden shout rang out beside his ear—followed by the sharp whistle of something slicing through the air.
He didn't turn around. Not even a glance.
He simply shifted his body slightly to the side and reached out with one hand—catching a bamboo practice sword mid-swing.
At the same time, he grabbed the attacker by the collar with the same motion.
"…It's you again, huh? Young Master."
Still gripping the bamboo sword, Takeo stared deadpan at the tiny kid who had ambushed him.
The boy had a close-cropped haircut and wore a kimono with black floral patterns—holding a bamboo sword in hand, striking the pose of a mini samurai.
But right now, this little samurai just stood there, wide-eyed and shocked.
"You didn't even look at me! How did you know I was trying to ambush you?!"
"Umm.. If you know it's an ambush, then maybe don't shout before doing it."
Takeo let go of the bamboo sword and released the kid with a sigh, completely unamused.
Who yells out loud right before launching a sneak attack?
The kid, hearing this, tilted his head up and lowered his voice dramatically—delivering his next line with full-on chūnibyō energy:
"Hmph! A true samurai fights honorably—even when launching a sneak attack!"
"…If it's honorable, it's not a sneak attack."
"I said it's a sneak attack, so it's a sneak attack! Damn it, just you wait! Next time I'll definitely land a hit—and then you'll have to teach me swordsmanship!"
The little kid waved his bamboo sword furiously, shouting with puffed-up cheeks.
Takeo could only sigh in exasperation. People nearby glanced over and chuckled kindly at the familiar scene, and one of the passing guards joked:
"Takeo, the young master's been after you for half a month now. Just teach him a move or two already."
"Quit messing around. Go do your job."
Rolling his eyes, Takeo waved the teasing guard away.
Then he looked down at the tiny boy—who barely reached his chest—and also waved him off:
"You too. Go play somewhere else. My swordsmanship isn't something I can teach."
He wasn't just brushing the kid off.
The fighting techniques Logan had passed down included a variety of styles—Japanese swordsmanship was just one small part of it.
Takeo could use it well enough himself, but if he tried to teach someone else, it'd be nothing more than passing on a mess of hybrid techniques.
Besides, the little guy was probably only excited for the moment. If he were seriously trained for a while, he'd likely give up halfway through anyway.
_____
A/N: Take notes, folks! You should definitely watch some popular anime, just in case. Lol.
Let me give you a good recommendation: Redo of Healer- Here, the good healer protagonist defeats the enemies with his rod and the power of friendship💝