With Goto help, Shinichi spent the next few days touring the entire Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, including the living quarters for the members, the training grounds, the crow houses where Kasugai Crows were raised, the logistics house where the Kakushi was stationed and the medicine house responsible for treating injuries and illnesses.
While visiting the medicine house, Shinichi suddenly thought of that pair of sisters.
He wondered how they were doing now—they should have been safely escorted to their relatives' home by the Kakushi members, right?
Shinichi also remembered his promise to that stubborn little girl: he would carry their will and slay Demons together.
'I definitely will!' he vowed.
At the same time, not too far from the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, outside the residence of Himejima Gyomei, a pair of young sisters knelt before the gate, their eyes filled with unwavering determination.
They were resolved to become swordsmen capable of slaying Demons.
***
Inside the residence.
Himejima, who had just returned home, sat cross-legged on a massive boulder, hands clasped together.
Though silent, his heart was filled with astonishment.
He never expected these two girls from the medicine house to be so persistent—they had actually sought him out at his home.
Despite his surprise, Himejima stance remained firm.
He disagreed with the sisters becoming swordsmen.
In his view, the Kocho sisters might only be acting on impulse due to the grief of losing their loved ones.
Becoming a Demon slayer was no easy feat and the path ahead was cruel.
If possible, he wanted those two children to live peaceful lives as ordinary people.
But contrary to Himejima expectations, the sisters stubbornly knelt outside his gate for days, eating dry rations when hungry and curling up together to sleep when exhausted.
"Namu Amida Butsu..." Himejima murmured a Buddhist chant, then raised his head on the boulder.
Though his clouded eyes could not see, his extraordinary senses detected the moisture in the air—it seemed rain was coming.
Outside the gate, Kanae supported her weary younger sister Shinobu, gently resting the girl head on her shoulder.
She felt lost—would their persistence truly yield any results?
Just as Kanae was lost in thought, creak!
The wooden gate was pushed open by a pair of large hands and a towering figure stepped before the sisters.
"Himejima-san! Are you willing to teach us now?" Shinobu, who had been exhausted moments ago, immediately brightened with excitement, lifting her head from her sister shoulder and standing up eagerly to gaze at the tall figure before her.
"Namu Amida Butsu..."
****
"Shinichi! Hey! Shinichi!! Are you there? Are you there?" The wooden door was being slapped loudly.
Inside the house, Shinichi who had been resting with his eyes closed instantly opened them, a glimmer flashing in his peach-colored right eye.
Maru-ni had probably run off somewhere to play—even if he returned, he wouldn't be foolish enough to bang on the door like this.
So the person outside had to be Goto.
Over this period, frequent interactions had made the two familiar with each other.
Since their ages weren't far apart, they had started addressing each other by name.
"What's the matter?" Shinichi opened the wooden door with some resignation.
That guy Goto always knocked as if he were rushing someone to their death, as though Shinichi owed him millions.
Outside, Goto wearing a striped mask, first scolded Shinichi for being too slow then pointed to the figure behind him and said.
"Your Nichirin Blade is ready."
"What? My Nichirin Blade!?" The moment Shinichi heard this, he immediately pushed Goto aside and looked expectantly at the figure behind him.
Standing behind Goto was a man dressed in a large green-patterned robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face hidden behind a red Hannya mask, making his age impossible to discern.
On his back was a long, white cloth-wrapped bundle.
"This is Tetsu Shinren, the swordsmith from the Swordsmith Village. He's the one who forged your Nichirin Blade" Gotou said, pointing to the masked man as they sat in Shinichi's room.
Shinichi nodded and thanked Tetsu Shinren.
"Thank you for your hard work. I appreciate your help."
"No, no, no! It's an honor to forge a Nichirin Blade for Moriki-san. In fact, your blade is my first work. I'm thrilled to have had this opportunity!" Tetsu Shinren waved his hands excitedly, his voice revealing him to be a rather young swordsmith.
As he spoke, Tetsu Shinren took the long bundle from his back.
Inside the white cloth was a slender wooden box.
When he opened it, two Nichirin Blades of differing lengths appeared before Shinichi.
Shinichi immediately recognized one of them as Mori no Ryuu, which he had previously entrusted to the Demon Slayer Corps for repairs.
The other blade, then, must be his own personal sword.
Sure enough, Tetsu Shinren first handed Mori no Ryuu to Shinichi, explaining that he had polished the broken edge to fulfill Shinichi request.
Since Shinichi hadn't asked for Mori no Ryuu to be restored to its original length, Tetsu Shinren had crafted a new scabbard to fit its current size.
After discussing Mori no Ryuu, Tetsu Shinren proudly presented the other Nichirin Blade.
Though it was his first work, the pride and confidence in his voice were unmistakable—he was clearly very satisfied with his creation.
Shinichi took the Nichirin Blade.
It felt slightly heavy in his hand, with a grip that was a bit longer than usual, wrapped meticulously in cotton tsuka-ito. The sword guard was a simple cross shape, adorned with intricate green patterns.
The black scabbard was dotted sparingly with leaf-like green designs, simple yet elegant.
Gripping the hilt, Shinichi drew the blade, and a cold gleam flashed clearly through the room. The slightly darkened blade radiated sharpness at a mere glance.
Near the sword guard, one side of the blade was engraved with the character for "Forest," while the other bore the character for "Destroy."
Tetsu Shinren watched as Shinichi held his creation, his tone brimming with anticipation.
"I wonder what color Moriki-san Nichirin Blade will turn?"
Nichirin Blades were also known as "color-changing blades."
When held by their owner, the blade would transform into a corresponding color, hence the name.
Under the watchful eyes of Goto and Tetsu Shinren, Shinichi tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.
Moments later, a visible change appeared on the blade.
A flash of emerald green light flickered, then spread across the blade like ink dispersing in water.
In an instant, Shinichi Nichirin Blade took on the same emerald hue as Mori no Ryuu. But that wasn't all—Shinichi seemed to sense something in the depths of his consciousness.
Soon after, faint red glimmers began to flicker across the emerald-green Nichirin Blade. Before long, slender crimson patterns emerged along the blade surface, forming an exquisitely dual-colored Nichirin Blade.
"What beautiful colors! This is amazing!" Tetsu Shinren danced excitedly as he watched the transformation of his creation.
Meanwhile, Shinichi gazed at the dual-colored Nichirin Blade in his hands.
"So this... is my Nichirin Blade?"
------------------------------
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