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Chapter 5: My Own Steel
The hand demon stood there in shock, as Tanjiro came closer to him.
When, everyone saw this, they were confused. Kanae deciding that she should be the one to speak turned towards their host, "I thought we already watched this part, Gem-san?" She asked and their host hummed loudly.
"Well, sometimes the story will shift perspective." She answered and this made some of the slayers confused while the other begins to think.
Senjuro raised a finger, as he questioned their host. "What do you mean by that, Gem-san?" He asked and their host only smiled.
Her head turned towards those who bare deep hatred for demons. 'Sanemi and Iguro, now you'll see why some people are sympathetic to demons.' She thought with a sigh before turning back to the screen.
Suddenly the scene changed, but it was still the same. However, the difference between the scene from before and now, is that instead of the hand demon standing there. There stood a normal looking demon with the same eyes that the hand demon possessed. Then, there's the fact that Tanjiro wasn't the one in the air, but a different person.
Some were confused at the sight while the other realized who the other person was. Those people who realized turned towards the old water Hashira who let out a sigh.
'Oh, this...' He thought with another sigh. If he didn't captured that demon, his students would be alive right now.
'The sound he made.' The hand demon thought with widened eyes, 'At that moment.' His mind recalled a memory when he was still a young demon. In that flashback, his young self stood there in shock, his whole body frozen and eyes glancing up in terror. 'Was the sound that came from the other guy back then.' The hand demon narrated, as he recalled the same sound again in his ears.
When everyone watched this, all of them realized that this was the time the hand demon was captured by the former Water Hashira.
'Like a sound echoing against the rolling wind.' The hand demon finished and he was back again in the present. His eyes were wide in both fear and anger, as he saw a young Urokodaki-san in front of him.
"Urokodaki!"
Inosuke raised an eyebrow at that, "Who is that? I thought we're watching Monjiro?" He asked and everyone let out a sigh at his stupidity.
Zenitsu decided to provide the answer to his friend. "Seeing Tanjiro made the hand demon thought that he's being confronted again by Urokodaki-san." He told the wild teen who still has that blank look on his face until–
"Nah, I don't get it." Inosuke said and once again everyone let out a sigh.
Then, the image of the young Urokodaki-san disappeared and it was replaced by Tanjiro. The young boy cut off the demon's head and it fell down to the ground.
The demon stared at its own crumbling body and the redhead's back.
Kanao raised an eyebrow realizing what their host meant earlier. Should she voice out her thoughts? Eyes glancing down, she pulled out her coin and decided to flip it.
Heads to talk and tails to be quiet.
When she flipped it, it was tails. Her coin decided for her to be quiet, so she will choose to keep quiet. However, it looks like Inosuke noticed her flipping the round metal object because the next thing he did surprised the Tsuyuri.
"Hey!" He shouted and everyone glanced at the masked boy. But, the masked boy ignored the stare and focused his attention to the girl who was a few seats away from him.
"Kanai!" He said and said girl turned to the boy with a blank expression on her face. Seeing the emotionless expression of the girl made the boy huffed, but he still decided to speak.
"You flipped your coin!" He said and this time everyone turned to the black haired girl, "It means you have an idea right?" He asked, shocking some people especially Kanao who has both her eyebrows slightly raised despite the poker face she was wearing.
There was no response from the girl and this made the pretty boy huffed. His green eyes started to glare at the others around him, "What are you staring at huh?" He shouted loudly and everyone's shock look turned into deadpan look on their faces.
But, inside they were kinda shock. Because once again the wild boar said something smart again while on the other hand some people thought that the wild teen was really observant.
Kanao stared blankly at the teen before turning back to her coin and flipping it again.
It turned out heads.
"When Gem-san said that the story will shift perspective, I realized what she said by that." She answered in a montone voice and their host quirked an eyebrow in interest while some also became curious too.
Their host slyly grinned, "Oh, please do share" She said and the raven haired girl blinked blankly at her.
Then, the raven haired girl hesitated for a moment. But her hesitation wasn't seen by herself nor the others around her except for Tanjiro who smelled it, but he quirked an eyebrow when he smelled the scent was being suppressed.
The redhead stared at the girl besides him in wonder, 'Her scent is being suppressed. She's blocking it, I wouldn't have smelled smelled it if I wasn't quick or near her.' He thought, as he took a sniff at the raven haired girl's scent again and the scent of hesitation was now gone from her.
Sanemi must have become impatient because he snapped at the girl, "Just speak!" He shouted to Kanao who didn't responded nor make any move at the Wind Hashira's booming voice. "If you figured something out, just spit it out!" He growled and once again there was no response from the girl.
Seeing this, Shinobu glared at the scarred man. "Shinazugawa-san." She called out his name in a dangerous calm voice, "Please don't shout at my little sister." She said with a calm smile, but the anger was still there.
The man just glared at the short woman who smiled back.
This time Kanae decided to interfere before something bad happened again, "Shinobu, please calm down." She said to her sister who huffed; then, she turned her head to platinum colored haired man. "Also, please don't shout at Kanao, Sanemi." She kindly requested and Sanemi let out a growl under his breath, but he quickly shut up.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro who watched the whole exchanged was also keeping an eye at Kanao. He noticed the brief smell of fear from her when the Wind Hashira shouted at her before it was suppressed once again.
Tanjiro stared intensely at the girl, but you can see the sadness in his focused eye. Meanwhile, Zenitsu was watching the redhead who was examining Kanao the whole time.
A sweatdrop appeared on the blonde's head, 'Tanjiro, you kinda look like a stalker. Please stop that.' He thought with a sigh.
Mitsuri was recalling what their host said earlier and tried to connect it with the words that Kanao said. Her eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face, she snapped her finger and turned to the sixteen years old girl, "Kanao-chan when you realized what Gem-san's words meant. You're thinking about that the future we're watching is not only in Tanjiro's perspective, but also other people too." She exclaimed and the young raven haired girl nodded in confirmation which made the Love Hashira smile.
Everyone eyes widened in shock and Kyojuro decided to speak up, "And all this time, I thought that we will be watching the future in Kamado boy's eyes only." He sighed and everyone who also thought that nodded.
Their host smiled and snapped her finger, "You're absolutely right, Mitsuri!" She exclaimed and a golden crown with pink jewels appeared on Mitsuri's head. The brown haired girl then turned towards Kanao, "Also, you too Kanao." She said and a silver tiara appeared on the girl's head.
Then, Gem clapped her hands. "Yep, you will see other people's perspective too. That's one of the reason why we can hear other people's thoughts too." She exclaimed and added an afterthought in her head, 'Also, the only reason why most of the story's pov is Tanjiro's, it's because he's the main character.' She let out a chuckle.
Seeing she was right, Mitsuri smiled brightly meanwhile Kanao blankly blink before turning back to the screen...
Then, we have Iguro who was smiling proudly and admiring how smart Mitsuri is for figuring out what their host meant.
However, Sanemi once again let out a growl. "Are you telling me that we will see a demon's point of view!" He asked in his booming and shouting voice. Their host stared at the platinum colored haired man with a deadpanned look, "I know that you're angry, but you can also use this as an advantage." Gem said and Shinobu's eyes widened in realization.
"If we see the demon's point of view... We might also get some valuable information from them!" She gasped and everyone else to also realized what the Insect Hashira was thinking. Then, the short woman also added. "You said the future will switch perspective right?" She asked their host who nodded; then, she turned her head to Tanjiro. "Also, you met Muzan, Tanjiro?" At that question, the redhead nodded.
Seeing where Shinobu was going for. Uzui's eyes widened and he also turned his face towards their host, "Wait... Gem-san, does that mean we might also see the future in Muzan's point of view too?" He asked and hearing that, everyone leaned forward.
Oyakata-sama was also thinking hard, 'Watching the future in many demons' point of view would be useful since all demons are connected to him and seeing that there's a high possibility that we might see his point of view... We might get more info about him and we can use that to defeat him.' He thought and his eyes glanced at his children was writing every info down since the beginning.
Everyone's anticipating eyes were on their host who was sweating nervously in the inside at the many eyes on her. Her anxiety was telling her to hide, but she suppressed it.
Gem smiled, "I knew you guys will figure things out." She let out a sigh, "Yup, we'll also see Muzan's point of view in our viewing." She confirmed and everyone relaxed, but there was a fire burning in their eyes.
Letting out a sigh once again, their host unpaused the episode.
'Damn, damn! I'm going to die!!!' The demon thought angrily, as he watched his body slowly fading away into ashes. 'My body is gradually falling apart! I'm to late to stop it!'
Both Sanemi and Iguro smiled at the scene while the others were quiet.
Meanwhile with the other Hashiras plus one former Hashira:
Uzui and Kyojuro were staring at the screen with intense eyes.
Shinobu, Kanae and Mitsuri have sad eyes.
Gyomei was crying and he muttered a small prayer to the dying demon.
Both Tomioka and Muichiro were staring at the screen with their emotionless eyes. Although, the other one was thinking what time was it since he forgotten.
The demon's eyes were wide in terror, as he watched the redhead sheathed back his blade. 'In the end, he'll gaze upon me with eyes looking like filth.' He thought bitterly, 'The type of eyes that are full of disdain.'
Hearing this, the soft people stared sadly at the scene.
On the other hand... Genya, Sanemi and Iguro became quiet, but there were frowns on their faces.
Meanwhile the other demon slayers recalled the times they slayed demons. In slaying demons most of them never showed their emotions to those demons.
Then, there are those demons slayers who thinks killing demons are about showing strength and also being cocky about it, as they bragged about their kill in pride.
Also, we have demon slayers who didn't know what happened to the demon they killed.
The fading hand demon's thoughts continued rubbing, 'Dammit, I'm so afraid to close my eyes.' He snarled in his head, 'But, this body won't allow me to turn my head. I can't believe the last scene I will look upon is a demon hunter–' All the demon's thoughts ceased, as the redhead turned around.
There was a sad yet kind look on the redhead's face.
Seeing this, some people smiled. Sabito shakes his head, "If it was me, I would just blankly stared at it before moving on." He said with a sigh, "Tanjiro is really different." He commented and Makomo who heard him, nodded her head. She agrees with the peach colored haired boy's statement that their redhead friend is really different.
Meanwhile, Iguro and Sanemi were seen frowning at the scene. The same thing can be said with Genya. Their eyes glanced at the redhead, before glancing back at the screen.
The platinum colored haired man frown, 'You're to compassionate... What if a demon tricked you and makes you think that you had sliced off their neck when they had removed their neck on their own.' He growled while shaking his head in disappointment, 'While you are to busy pitying those demons. Some would used that as a distraction to kill you.' When he said those words in his head, he sends a glare at the redhead. 'Pitying demons had killed Kanae and the same thing can happen to you if you pity them too much.'
'Why do you have that expression on your face?' The demon thought and before he disappeared completely. A flashback appeared in his head.
A young boy was seen crying with blood on his mouth, "Big brother, I'm alone in the dark. I'm so scared." The young boy cried, as he squatted down and tried to wipe away the tears on his face.
Watching this scene, everyone realized that this was the hand demon when he was a human. Although, it looks like the young boy in the screen had already been turned judging by the blood on his mouth.
However, in another part if the theater room. We can see Sanemi's shoulder slumping down despite the hard look on his face. 'So the demon ate his big brother...' He thought, as he glanced at the crying child that was on the screen. Letting out a sigh, the platinum colored haired man furiously scratched his hair in frustration. 'Fuck you, Muzan. If you didn't existed this kid wouldn't turned into a demon and would also live happily with his brother!' He growled under his breath; then, his eyes unconsciously glanced at his own younger brother. 'Then, we also wouldn't be torn apart...' His thoughts trailed off, but the scarred man snapped out if it by shaking his head.
Hearing the scarred man's thoughts, their host softly smiled. 'You just let your anger cloud your mind. Even though you're like that, you're still a caring person.' Gem thought with a small shake of her head.
The boy continued to cry, "Big brother hold my hand like you alway do." He said, "Why did I devour my brother?" Suddenly the young boy paused for a second.
Then, the hands covering his face was removed. Only to see demonic eyes staring up, 'Eh, who is this big brother I'm talking about?' He thought.
When everyone saw this, all of them let out a sigh while Iguro crossed his arms. "I always wonder why some demon would forget their past." He said out loud and everyone turned to their host who shrugged her shoulders.
Gem raised a finger, "Those who chose to be a demon–" She begun; then, at the same time, she said this in her head. 'And those who were tricked by Muzan.' She remembered Rui and the time the demon king treated him which was turning him into a demon, "Would remember their human memories." She said and added, "While some who were forced." Her mind drifted to Akaza and some other demons, "Might forget who they were." She finished and Kiyo decided to question their host.
"What's the reason for that?" She asked and the brown haired girl smiled at the younger girl.
Their host then turned her head towards Tanjiro, "Tanjiro might know the reason for that." She said and the redhead was confused at first; then he remembered something or more like someone. The redhead's eyes widened, "Is it because Muzan doesn't want the demons that he had turned to turn against him." He answered, as the image of Lady Tamayo appeared in his head.
Their host snapped her fingers and a ding ding ding sound was heard trough out the room, "Yup, you are correct!" She said and everyone was surprised at this info.
Genya decided to speak out, "If it weren't for–"
Then, Genya's word were followed by Inosuke, "Muzan Jackson's influence–"
Also, Zenitsu. "Some demon–"
"Would have a free choice–" Nezuko added and her brother chimed in.
"And some of them might decide to–" He said and his eyes glanced at Kanao who blankly stared at her coin before flipping it and when it was head she decided to finished the statement.
"Choose on continuing their path as a demon or if they remembered their human side. They might decide to hide, ask for help or choose to defeat Muzan." She blankly said, well this wasn't her own words. She just followed along and predicted on what they were gonna say.
Nothing matters to her anyway, so she wouldn't care about that. All she needs to do was follow orders...
The same thing can be said with Genya, he doesn't care about slaying demons. All he cares about was to get his older brother's acknowledgement, so he could fix things with him.
Then, there's also Inosuke who thinks that slaying demons would show how strong he is because that's what he cares about. Showing how great he is.
The demon's hand was shown and in front of it was Tanjiro. "What a sad scent." The redhead thought out loud, approaching the last remnants of the demon's body and using both hands to hold the extended large hand that closed around his own two hands.
Nobody commented on this scene, even those who bare deep hatred against the demons were silent.
'What's this? I remember this feeling.' The demon thought, tears falling from his eyes. 'It's warm.'
Mitsuri and Kanae teared up.
"God." The Kamado said, placing his forehead against the demon's hand's fingers. "Please, the next time he is reborn, please make sure he doesn't turn into a demon."
Senjuro smiled, 'Tanjiro-san is really kind.' He thought.
Just as he finished his prayer, the demon who was fading away was replaced with his former young human self. He was in a dark place, "Big brother." He called out and his eyes widened in joy when he saw his brother's back who was holding a lantern that gives a small light in the darkness.
Those who were the older siblings couldn't help, but feel sadness in them. However, that emotion didn't surfaced up in their faces.
Kyojuro gave his little brother a sideways hugged and Kanae decided to walk towards the Butterfly girls who she considered as her family and gave each of them a long lingering hug. Meanwhile, Nezuko hugged her brother and their little siblings decided to do their own group hug...
Then, we have Genya who eyed his older brother who was focused on the screen. The teenage boy let out a sigh and slumped further down on his seat.
The young boy who was the former Hand demon was now seen running towards the older boy, "Brother, brother! Hold my hand will you." He requested and the older boy turned around with a smile on his face.
Those who have sensitive hearts starts to tear up and Kie was seen wiping the tears that fell from her eyes.
"Alright, alright." The older boy softly said, as he grabbed the younger boy's hand. "You're always such a scaredy cat." He said, as he led the younger boy back to their home.
Back to the present, the demon's real body had faded away and there stood Tanjiro with the same sad look, but they turned into determination.
Both Sabito and Makomo were satisfied that their killer was killed, but watching the demon's past... They didn't know what to feel, but at the same time both of them felt pity for the demon.
A misty forest was then showed and it revealed the kids who had fallen victim to the Hand demon. 'Sabito, Makomo–' The redhead thought and Sabito who was seating on the boulder slowly stood up. 'I know you can be at ease now.'
When everyone saw the dead students, they couldn't help, but feel sorry for them. On the other hand, both Sabito and Makomo thanked the redhead; then, there's Urokodaki-san who was tearing up behind his mask.
Sabito was then seen jumping off the rock before walking away, at the same time the other kids also walked away in the mist with smile on their faces. Leaving Makomo standing there alone, 'Return back to their beloved Urokodaki-sensei's side.' Tanjiro thought, and said man's face appeared on the screen.
Tomioka glanced at his best friend before looking away.
Urokodaki was now crying his eyes out and Kuwajima who was besides him gave the man a comforting pat.
Then, we returned back to the misty forest to see Makomo who was smiling. She nodded; then, turned her back and walked away, like the other kids she disappeared too.
Makomo turned towards Tanjiro, "Thank you very much, Tanjiro." She said and the redhead smiled back in return.
"You're welcome, Makomo."
Tanjiro was now seen looking up at the sky, "If I ended up dead, my would would return there too." He let out a sigh before walking away.
Sabito snorted, "Glad you didn't die or we wouldn't move on into the afterlife." He said to the redhead who nodded back.
Makomo smiled, "Well, if you died, Tanjiro. Sabito would be disappointed." She chuckled and said boy huffed.
"Of course, I would be." He said, "All our teachings and training to him would be wasted if he died. Also, the place is kinda getting cramped if another soul is added." He retorted with a huff.
"..."
It was raining and Tanjiro was seeing being chased by a demon. However, he got away when he slid under some branches which block the demon that was chasing him.
"There's something I wanna asked you. How do you turn demons back into human!" He asked the demon who let out a growl.
Watching this, some suppressed their groans while others groaned out loud.
Sanemi glared at the redhead, "You really are stupid you know." He said and the redhead looked away in shame, "You already saw how wild those demons are and yet you still continued to talk to them!" He shouted and the room grew quiet, "I know that you care about your sister, but asking demons who have been stuck there for a long time is really stupid. This is the Final Selection, don't get yourself distracted and focused on surviving! Are you trying to get yourself killed!" He shouted to the redhead, not realizing that his shouting had been turned into scolding.
Gem-san couldn't help, but agree with the platinum colored haired man. The redhead was naive back then, well he was still a newbie. Although, the redhead should have focused more in the Final Selection and his training.
Caring for his sister so much, clouded up his thoughts. Sometimes, he should think about himself. His sister won't turn back to human if he doesn't take care of himself. Good thing that the redhead gained some friends to back him up.
Though, the redhead's kindness is also his fatal flaw, a flaw that could kill him someday. Although, Gem already knew the future, so...
It looks like Nezuko was thinking the same thing when their host saw the look on her face.
The oldest daughter of the Kamado family was seen clenching her fist, 'I don't want to be a burden to my brother... I hate this.' She sadly thought, gritting her teeth and when Zenitsu heard the Kamado girl's heartbeat turning fierce, he reached out his hand to pat the younger girl's shoulder.
Nezuko looked up to see Zenitsu's reassuring face and seeing this, the younger couldn't help, but smiled softly at the blonde.
"Thank you." She said and the blonde teen was speechless, but a blush appeared on his face before quickly looking away. This action made the younger girl confused, but she couldn't help, but chuckle.
Suddenly, the demon broke the branches that blocked its path and Tanjiro side stepped away before slicing off the demon's neck.
Two demons appeared and once again the redhead asked the same question.
Groans were heard through out the room and Tanjiro couldn't help, but turned red in embarrassment.
Urokodaki-san sighed, "Maybe, I should have told you who Muzan was..." He let out a sigh, "Did you really asked every demon in the Final Selection, Tanjiro?" He asked and the redhead sheepishly nodded.
Some were amazed at the boy's determination while some people think that the redhead was kinda naive and annoying.
Their host let out a chuckle, 'I like Tanjiro very much, but there would be some scenes that I find him annoying.' She thought, sending the redhead an apologetic glance. 'And this scene is one of them. Why bother asking those demons if their reactions and response would be the same.' She let out a sigh, as a sweatdeop appeared on her head. 'This is why I prefer other characters.' She thought, as her eyes glanced at Kanao, Muichiro, Shinobu, Kanae, Giyuu and Inosuke.
Then, her gaze returned back to the redhead. 'Although, nobody is perfect and we're also human.' She thought with a sigh, 'Oh well, he was still growing to a much more greater character.'
The two demons attacked him and once again, he sliced off their neck.
'How much longer?' The Kamado thought, stopping for a second and placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath. 'If my memory serves me right, I should be close by now… eh?' Just then, he picked up a scent and looked up. "Wisteria?" He thought out loud, looking at the flowers that surrounded the entire area and sighing in relief. "I made it."
The Kamado family clapped their hands while some Hashiras were impressed.
Allowing himself to relax, he sheathed his sword and began to walk down the stairs to the clearing where every participant that passed should be waiting.
"..."
At the clearing that served as the entrance to the testing grounds there were only two people that arrived before Tanjiro.
The first was a girl with black hair tied into a side ponytail with a butterfly ornament, she had purple eyes and was wearing a pink kimono; her left hand was raised and a butterfly was resting on top of her fingers. Strangely, there didn't seem to be any dirt on her clothes and her small smile seemed too relaxed for someone that just survived seven days in that mountain.
The boys who were with said girl in the Final Selection had their jaws dropped. They were to focus on themselves that they really didn't study their other batch mate throughly.
Some of the people in the room were also shock. Oyakata-sama let out a smile, "Impressive." He commented and Kanao bowed her in respect at the leader of the demon corp's comment.
Some of the Hashiras were also impressed like their master and Shinobu was kinda happy, but she remembered how mad she was when she realized that her younger sister decided to join the Final Selection without her permission.
Nonetheless, she was proud at the younger girl's skill and how she had decided on her own.
The other was a blond boy wearing a yellow haori with a triangle pattern, unlike the girl his clothes and face were covered in dirt but there weren't any visible wounds on his body. Tanjiro worried about his mental health, though, as he saw him muttering something to himself non-stop.
Some people agreed with Tanjiro, as their eyes glanced at the blonde.
Seeing this Zenitsu couldn't help, but flushed red. He let out a groan, as he watched the other stared at him.
Kuwajima let out a sigh; although, he couldn't help, but shake his head in amusement at the boy he sees as his own grandson.
He let out a chuckle, "What to do with you, Zenitsu." He sighed, shaking his head once again and said boy let out a groan.
"Gramps!" Zenitsu shouted, both of his hands covered his face, so people won't see how red he is right now.
Ignoring them for the moment, he saw a table placed near one of the rocks with medical supplies on top, approaching it he saw a note that said 'for anyone that needs them'.
Thanking whoever left that there, he began to treat the wound on his forehead, cleaning it and then covering his head with a bandage.
By the time Tanjiro finished tending to his wound and moving to stand near the middle of the clearing, the sun began to rise and only one other person walked down the stairs.
This time it was Genya who let out a groan. He knew it, he was gonna be hated by his brother more and Gyomei would look at him with disappointment on his face. Those are the two things that he doesn't want to see...
He was another boy, around Tanjiro and the blond boy's height with inward-slanting eyes giving him an angered appearance, his black hair was styled into a buzz cut with a clump of messy hair left on the top of his head and a large jagged scar running over his right cheekbone from his ear to over his nose. He is wearing a purple, sleeveless yukata over a plain black shirt with long sleeves and white pants.
Gyomei smiled and the other people in the room glanced at Genya who was intensely staring at the screen.
Although, in the inside he was really panicking.
Much like the other two males, his clothes and face were covered in dirt but like the blond, there weren't any visible wounds on his body.
Seeing this, Tanjiro was kinda disappointed that he was the only one who was injured. This scene shows how weak he was before.
Meanwhile, Gem stared at Genya. 'The only reason he didn't have any wounds on his body because they all healed up.' She thought with an impressed smile.
Aoi raised an eyebrow, "You said that Inosuke is in their batch?" She asked, as he stared at the masked boy. "Yet, I don't see him anywhere."
Realizing what Aoi had said, everyone except for Zenitsu, Oyakata-sama and Oyakata-sama's family were kinda shock at the wild teen. Their host shrugged her shoulders, "Well..." She started, and her eyes glanced up.
"It was said that Inosuke kinda live closed by and add his extreme sense of of touch, he might knew the mountain's terrain very well and already knew where the exit is." She chuckled and added, "Also, he was the first one to quickly pass the selection. Although, he choose to exit the mountain first than going to the Final Selection's survivors meeting and designated place." She laughed and their shock looks turned into deadpanned stares when they heard that.
Meanwhile, Inosuke was laughing and bragging how strong he is. Both Genya and Zenitsu glared at the wild teen, Tanjiro and Nezuko have sweatdrops on their head, and Kanao didn't emit any reaction to that.
'Only four of us?' Tanjiro wondered, looking around in case there was someone else but to no avail. 'But there were at least twenty.'
Oyakata-sama let out a sad sigh, he already knew the fate of the other participants, but to see many children die...
His mind went towards the boy he saved from the Hand Demon but it seems he had died at the hands of a different demon since he wasn't there. 'I couldn't save him.'
Mitsuri decided to cheer up, "Don't feel bad, Tanjiro!" She said to the redhead who smiled back.
"Thank you, Mitsuri-san. I'm already fine now." He said.
Meanwhile, Gem snorted. "Karma had happened to the participant that left you behind." She said, crossing her arms and a sly smile appeared on her face. "Karma really is a bitch... Well both of them are bitches."
Everyone was confuse at their host's last statement and their host smirked at them, "You don't need to know." She said, waving them off before turning back to the screen.
"I'm gonna die. I'm a goner." His thoughts were interrupted by the blond boy suddenly beginning to mutter to himself. "Even if I survive now, I'm gonna die in the end anyway."
Seeing this, Zenitsu groaned and everyone let out chuckles and laughs...
Well not everyone since the emotionless trio didn't emit any reaction to this. One thinks that someone who is scared isn't funny, two doesn't know the meaning of laughter and three was wondering where he is right now.
"Welcome back." Two voices spoke in perfect unison as the boy and girl that explained the Final Selection a week ago walked to stand in front of the small shrine; a table was set up with a light purple blanket covering something on top of it.
"Congratulations."
"We're pleased to see that you're safe." The girl and the boy spoke in turn.
"So? What am I supposed to do now?" The boy with the scar asked rudely. "Where's my sword?"
Seeing this, everyone glanced at Genya who was looking away. Gyomei shook his head, knowing the reason and why he always adviced the young teen to control his anger.
Meanwhile, Sanemi has his jaw dropped.
Letting out a sigh, Genya decided to man up. He walk towards the Head's family when he was in front of them, he became nervous at the girls in the family, but nonetheless he bowed down his head.
"I'm sorry." He said and the leadee of the corps smiled gently.
He let out a sigh, "Well, my children had informed me what happened and I can't blame you because anger can really cloud our minds." He said; although, he frowned a little bit. "However, it is not me who you should not say sorry to." When he said this, he glanced at his daughter that the tall teen had punched.
Letting out a sigh, the tall teen once again apologized. "I'm sorry." He said to the girl he had punched and said girl smiled.
"It's okay, I already forgave you." She said and the tall teen nodded. Bowing to the head's family again before returning to his seat. While walking back to his seat, Genya tried to duck away from Sanemi's intense stare.
"First, we shall issue you all uniforms." The white haired girl began. "We will take your measurements, after which your ranks will be engraved."
"There are ten ranks in all…" The black haired boy continued.
"Kinoe" The girl said first.
"Kinoto."
"Hinoe."
"Hinoto."
"Tsuchinoe."
"Tsuchinoto."
"Kanoe."
"Kanoto."
"Mizunoe."
"And Mizunoto." The boy finished.
"Currently, you are at the lowest rank, Mizunoto." The girl informed them.
Gem snorted, "For newbies, their skills are already greater than those who are in the ranks above them." She said, remembering the slayers in the Spider family's mountain. 'Hhhm...'
Shaking her head, the episode proceeds.
"And our swords?" The boy with the purple yukata asked again.
Genya groaned once again while Sanemi's eyes narrowed towards the tall teen, "Genya..." The platinum colored haired man called out his little brother name in a warning tone and said boy flinched.
The tall boy slapped his face and his behind his hands, as he refused to look at anyone, especially his older brother. 'Nii-chan will hate me more.' The younger Shinazugawa let out a sigh, as he slid further down on his seat, trying his best to hide from his brother's penetrating gaze.
"Today, we will let you choose the ore for your swords; however, the swords will take ten to fifteen days to complete."
"Are you kidding me?" The black haired boy complained.
Gyomei let out a sigh and everyone gazes were now on the tall teen.
Meanwhile, those who have been with Genya in the Final Selection were focused on the screen. The tall teen will not admit it, but he was kinda greatful that his batchmate were not staring at him like the other other people in the room. He already felt guilty and he felt even more guiltier when the other's judging gaze were studying him.
"But first…" The white haired girl clapped her hands twice and suddenly everyone heard the sound of wings fluttering.
A moment later four birds descended from the sky, three were crows one landing on top of Tanjiro, the girl and the black haired boy's arm each while the blond boy got a sparrow, for some reason.
Seeing the Sparrow, the Kamado siblings couldn't help, but snort.
"We will now assign each of you your own Kasugai Crow." The girl said.
"Kasugai Crow?" Tanjiro repeated, getting over the initial surprise and looking at the bird perched on his arm.
Tanjiro smiled at his own crow even if his crow was a little know-it-all.
The girl simply stared at the bird maintaining her smile while the boy with the scar seemed to glare at his and the blond looked dubiously at his own bird.
"These Kasugai Crows can be used primarily for communication."
"Did you say 'crow'?" The boy with the yellow haori asked, looking at his bird. "Isn't this a sparrow, though?"
Snorts, coughs and chuckles were heard through the room and even Oyakata-sama let out a soft chuckle.
"Yeah, why a sparrow?" Takeo asked and Gem shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, it was never explained clearly why Zenitsu have a sparrow. Although, don't doubt Chuntaro. Chuntaro is really smart and sweet!" Their host exclaimed and Zenitsu couldn't help, but nodded.
His little bird friend had supported him despite him being a crybaby, an extra baggage and weak.
Shinobu let out a hum, "I wonder how Chuntaro-san passed the kasugai crow test, though?" She pointed out and everyone turned to their host who shrugged her shoulder.
"Don't look at me, I might know some things, but I don't know all." She explained and everyone stared at their host with deadpanned looks before returning their eyes to the screen.
"Don't give me that crap!" The black haired boy yelled, scaring the blond and stopping any sort of answer they were going to give him.
He forced the bird off his arm and walked forwards while glaring at the two siblings.
The song "Oh no no no no" filled the room and this made Genya even more terrified while Tanjiro and Zenitsu stared at the tall teen with pity.
Sanemi was seen clenching his jaw and everyone drew their breath, as they watched the young Genya come closer to their leader's daughter.
Meanwhile, Gem is cackling like a mad man in the background. She wiped an imaginary tear, 'Laughing at someone's soon to be doom is really wrong.' She laughed, 'What's wrong with me.... Nah, haha haha haha!'
"Who the hell cares about some stupid crows?" Without any warning, he hit the white haired girl on top of her head and grabbed her from her hair with his right hand so she was looking at him in the eye.
"Genya!" Sanemi shouted and said boy let out a whimper under his breath.
The tall boy ducked his head, "I'm sorry, nii-chan!" He shouted, but it looks like Sanemi didn't accept his apology since the man tried to reach out towards his brother when he was stopped by Oyakata-sama.
"Sanemi." The Demon corps' leader calmly said and the scarred man let out a growl.
The older Shinazugawa clenched his teeth, "But, Oyakata-sama he–" Before he could speak out. Oyakata-sama held up his hand.
"You're brother had already apologized, so don't please yell at him." The head of the demon slayer organization requested and once again Sanemi's eyes dilated, narrowing down to the floor before letting out a sigh.
The scarred man nodded, bowing his head to his leader and finally sitting down. Meanwhile, Genya watched this whole exchange with a small bitter taste at the tip of his tongue.
'Nii-chan, you blew up at me like that without seeing my reason...' He thought and he let out a sad sigh, 'You loathed me more, don't you?'
The girl simply stared at him, not making any sound despite just being hit.
Shigeru awed, "Wow, being emotionless makes you not care about everything." He said and their mother let out a sigh.
"Shigeru..." She warned his son, "Watch your words." She scolded her son who looks confused.
"But, mom. They wouldn't care." He argued and the matriarch of the Kamado family shook her head.
"Shigeru, don't say things like that. It's still considered as rude." With that said, the boy nodded at her mother's words and wisely shut up.
"I want a sword, you hear? Gimme one right now!" He ordered, still holding onto her hair. "The Demon Slayers' sword! The color changing sword!" Before he could go on, he felt someone grab his arm.
"Take your hand off her!" Tanjiro said. "Or else I'll break your arm!"
Genya growled and he sent the redhead a glare who returned it with a hard stare of his own.
Meanwhile, Zenitsu was trembling. Why is he the one to witness Tanjiro breaking other people's bones. He admits that the redhead could be scary despite the nice sound of his heartbeat.
The boy with the buzz cut glared at him with a 'are you serious?' expression while the blond seemed to debate whether he should do something and the black haired girl simply looked, her smile not wavering in the slightest.
Some people snorted at the other two teens in the background. Zenitsu felt himself blushing red in embarrassment at how stupid he looks back then while Kanao was holding up her fingers to the butterfly that appeared out of who-knows-where.
"Who the hell are you?" The boy with the purple yukata sneered.
Takeo let out a loud huff, "His name is Kamado Tanjiro!" He shouted and everyone let out a chuckle at that.
"Let's see you try it!" He challenged.
The Kamado didn't answer, he simply took a breath and began to apply more force to his grip.
Zenitsu was seen in the background with a shock and terrified look on his face. At the same time, he is tending the crow that Genya true.
Nezuko smiled, "Oh how sweet of you, Zenitsu to tend Genya's crow." She complimented the blonde so turned red in response.
The blonde had heard the bone in the black haired boy's wrist snapping.
Some winced while the other stare blankly at the scene. Meanwhile, Genya was glaring at Tanjiro who returned that glare with his own stare.
The redhead's strare translates to: "You deserved it, you ass."
The black haired boy's expression quickly morphed into a pained one and he let out a grunt as the red haired swordsman did good on his threat, making him let go and take a few steps back while tending to his wounded limb, his expression a mix of pain and anger as he glared at him.
The Kamado siblings smiled and Shigeru pointed at finger at Genya, "Hahahaha, serves you right!" He laughed, "You big bully."
The tall teen just glared at the young boy before quietly glancing back at the screen.
Meanwhile, Kanao was gently staring at a butterfly that landed on her finger while at the same time, her other hand reached out to scratch her crow's neck.
Uzui starts to laugh, "There is chaos behind her and she doesn't give a fuck about it hahaha hahaha haha!"
Sabito quirked an eyebrow, "It looks like she cares more about animals than people." He pointed out and all the butterfly girls nodded.
They knew that Kanao likes to be with the butterflies more than people. Then, there's the time she was squishing all the cat's paws and petting their head. Shinobu almost got an heart attack when a cat followed Kanao back to the Butterfly mansion.
Gem let out a snort, 'This scene with Kanao and Zenitsu in the background. With the blonde tending the crow that Genya threw and the raven haired girl only caring about the animals with her (the butterfly and her crow😂) and not giving a fuck to the others around her... That was in the manga.' She laughed in her head.
Tanjiro stood his ground, receiving the angry gaze and looking back with a stern expression.
"Are you finished chatting?" The black haired boy asked as if the two had just been talking about the weather.
Everyone couldn't help, but let out a snorts and chortles. Even Kiriya's lips curled up into an amused smile.
When no one gave a response or argued, he removed the cloth on top of the table, revealing several pieces of ore.
"Now then, please select an ore." He said after walking to stand at the side of the table. "The steel for the sword that will annihilate demons and protect you will be of your own choosing."
The four walked up to the table and stared at the pieces of ore.
'They're asking us to choose, but how are we supposed to pick one out?' Tanjiro thought. 'I've never seen an ore before and I can't tell the difference anyway.'
Those who are non demon slayers leaned forward, interested at seeing those ores while the others smiled.
Some slayers recalled their Final Selection and they let out a sigh.
"I have absolutely no clue." The scarred boy thought out loud, looking from one ore to the other, trying to decide.
Some of the audience snorted. Uzui let out a loud laugh, "Same." He said, "I didn't know how to choose back then." He admitted and the other Hashiras nodded, agreeing with the Sound Hashira.
'Should I just pick one at random?' The Kamado wondered when his nose picked up on something.
Out of all the ores on that table, one had a scent that he found more pleasant than the rest; he is not completely sure if this means its better but his sense of smell hasn't led him wrong yet.
Everyone became interested at this. Shinobu smiled, "Oh, interesting." She said, "Does your nose never failed you before, Kamado-kun?" She asked and the redhead shook his head.
"Nope, it never failed me." He smiled.
With a mental nod, he approached the table and picked up the ore that 'called out' to him.
"..."
In an undisclosed location.
A man with black shoulder length hair, wearing a black kimono with a long white kimono jacket, the jacket having a pink and purple mist like pattern that starts around the waist sat calmly on the outside of a mansion, looking at the garden as a crow with a purple cord around his neck rested calmly on his arm.
Mitsuri gasped, "It's you, Oyakata-sama." She squealed and said man smiled softly.
"I see." The man said, his voice calm as he used a finger to caress the head of the crow. "As many as five of them managed to survive, huh? Excellent." A small smile appeared on his face. "The number of my children has increased again. I wonder what kind of swordsmen they'll become."
The same man agreed with his past self, "And it looks like I will see what kind of swordsmen they are in our viewing." Oyakata-sama said in his calm and gentle voice.
"..."
On the road towards Mt. Sagiri.
Kamado Tanjiro was tired, no, he was exhausted.
Rokuta smiled, he was now awake and when he saw his older brother in the screen. He couldn't help, but called out to him. "Nii-chan!"
Some of the girls cooed at the cuteness of the young boy while some smiled. A child's innocence can lift up anyone's move because of how cheerful they are.
He had been more or less fine during the Final Selection but now that it was over, the accumulated fatigue began to takes its toll.
Despite this, he hadn't stopped moving after leaving the grounds for the Final Selection, using a tree branch as a makeshift cane to lean against and carrying a white bag with his uniform on it, he continued to move towards his home.
'I was too naive. Even though, I encountered 8 demons in the Final Selection. I killed them without even having a normal conversation with them.' The redhead thought.
Gem snorted, "I don't dislike you, Tanjiro, but..." She tailed off turning to the redhead, "You really are kinda naive back then. You should have realized how the demons' behave and should have thought why they can't answer you and just straight up attacked you." She pointed out, "Then, here you are saying you're naive because you can't have a conversation with them. You should have stopped and thought for a moment." She said, feeling a sweatdrop appearing on her head.
The girl then let out a sigh, "I know you care about you're sister. But, worrying too much will only clogged up your thoughts." She said and the redhead dropped his head in shame. Seeing this, their host's face softened.
"You're still growing and learning." She smiled, shaking her head. "Remember, how would you take care of the people you love if you don't take care of yourself?"
Uzui whistled, "You're getting sensitive there, Gem-san." He said and their host let out a sigh.
Said girl turned towards Tanjiro, "Sorry, Tanjiro." She said, "You just remind me so much of myself. I always care more about other people than myself. I always choose their happiness over mine." The brown haired girl let out a sigh, "Sorry about taking my own frustration out on you." She apologized once again and the redhead was quiet.
Then, he spoke. "I see, I'm sorry about that." He said with a sigh, as he turned towards her sister before glancing back to their host. "I'm sorry." He said once again and the brown haired girl felt bad.
"I should be the one who's sorry." She said before turning away.
The redhead kept quiet, as he glanced at his sister. Remembering her words to find his own happiness and their host's words right now. He didn't know why, but something pricked his heart when he recalled every word that their host said.
"You just remind me so much of myself. I always care more about other people than myself. I always choose their happiness over mine." When their host said that, he caught the scent of tiredness coming from Gem-san.
The redhead begins to mull over that, 'Will I also ever be tired?' He questioned himself, but shook his head. 'The happiness of the people I cared about are more important than mine.' He stubbornly thought with fist clenched tightly.
Meanwhile, Kanao who had heard the whole conversation between the redhead and their host just sat their quietly. Her lilac eyes glanced blankly at the redhead before returning back to the screen.
'I'm so sorry, Nezuko.' The redhead thought, as an image of his sister flashed through his mind.
Nezuko let out a sigh, she reached out to her brother's right hand and grasped in. She gave it a gentle squeeze, 'Onii-chan...'
The sun was beginning to set and under normal circumstances, he would get there before nightfall. He was close to it by now, he recognized the path leading to Urokodaki's house, but, in his current state, it felt like he was on the other side of the country.
Before he realized, he fell to the ground.
'Even my uniform is heavy.' He thought, staying on the ground for a few moments. 'I wanna get home as soon as possible, but my whole body hurts.'
Some nodded approvingly at the boy's will and determination while the Kamado family look concerned.
Taking another second to rest, he got back up and started moving again.
Kiyo, Sumi and Naho starts to cheer. "You can do it, Tanjiro-san!" They cheered and the other Kamado siblings decided to cheer along with them.
"Go, nii-chan! Go go!"
"..."
Just like he thought, the sun had set long ago by the time he could see his master's house.
"I made it." He thought out loud in relief. 'Just a bit further.'
Before he could even begin to move, the door of the house was kicked open, taking it off its hinges and making it fall to the ground.
Everyone chuckle. Mitsuri smiled, "Looks like someone is excited." She teased the younger Kamado who flushed red.
"Well at least my demon self still cares for nii-chan." She smiled.
The Kamado's eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight.
Calmly walking out of the house, wearing her pink kimono with a black jacket was his sister.
Gem couldn't help, but stare at Tanjiro. 'You have changed Nezuko clothes before you went on your journey...' She thought and couldn't help, but cringe. Then, she remembered that they also bathed together in the outside bath. 'Are people in this era so casual when in the nude?' She questioned with a sweatdrop on her head.
"Hey! Nezuko!" He called out, letting go of his makeshift cane in his surprise. "You… So, you're awake?"
The younger Kamado didn't answer and simply began to run in his direction.
Everyone watched the scene with intense eyes, as the younger Kamado run towards the redhead.
Meanwhile, Nezuko (the one in the room not the screen) wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and pulled him in a hug.
Tanjiro did the same but couldn't take five steps before his body reminded him that he wasn't in any condition to do so and he fell to the ground.
Iguro and Sanemi snorted, but they quickly shut up when both Mitsuri and Kanae gave them pointed looks.
Grunting, he tried to get up but only made it to a kneeling position before Nezuko finished closing the distance and hugged him.
The swordsman quickly hugged her back and began to cry in relief.
Some people smiled at the scene while the other Kamado siblings went towards their older siblings to join in the hug.
"Why…why'd you fall asleep all of a sudden?" He asked between sobs, yet there was no reproach in his tone, just an overwhelming relief. "Never waking up once." More tears began to spill but he didn't bother to wipe them away and continued to hug her. "I was worried you were going to die, you know?!"
Nezuko hearing that let out a sigh, 'Sometimes, I'm worried that even if I turned back to human. I think nii-chan would wait for me to find my own happiness before looking for his own.' She thought, as she hugged her brother one more time before letting go. 'Nii-chan, please think about yourself more sometimes. You're too selfless.' She sighed and watched as each of her siblings returned to their seats.
Then, a determined look appeared on her face. 'If I turn back to human. I'll make sure that nii-chan will find happiness too. I'm happy if he's happy!' She made an oath to herself, 'I swear I'll do it!'
Suddenly thunder boomed throughout the room, startling everyone. Gem only calmly stared up, "She didn't swear on the river of Styx." She stated with arms crossed, "Don't be dramatic."
Everyone weirdly stared at their host, but the brown haired girl shrugged their stares away.
Urokodaki saw the scene and dropped the logs he had just got to approach the two siblings and he kneeled down to hug them.
Both the Kamado siblings smiled at the old former Water Hashira who smiled back behind his mask.
"You came back to us alive." He said simply, a few tears of relief falling from his eyes as well.
Those words only made Tanjiro's tears renew as he returned the hug.
Some sported smiles on their faces at the scene while some had their arms crossed, but there was a small hidden smile on their faces.
"..."
After finally calming down, Urokodaki helped Tanjiro to the bath so he could wash himself, left a change of clothes for him and went to prepare dinner and the first aid kit. Once he came back, the masked man changed the bandage around his head and the two began to eat. Nezuko had gone back to her room and was currently sleeping peacefully in the futon.
Urokodaki-san stood up and ruffled his student's hair. The redhead chuckled in response at his sensei's action.
Meanwhile, Gem was imagining Urokodaki-san with Jiraiya's dialogues since they have the same voice actor.
The brown haired girl shuddered, 'No, no!' She thought, shivering. 'Urokodaki-san is much gentler! I shouldn't have imagined that.' She shuddered again.
If the older man wasn't wearing a mask, the Kamado would have seen the relief in his expression at hearing this.
"I see…" Sakonji let out a sigh and his shoulders sagged for a moment. "At last." Taking a moment to process this, he looked back at his student. "You did a great job coming back."
Both student and teacher smiled. While Tomioka also remembered how relief his former sensei was when he returned, but turned quiet when Sabito didn't.
The Water Hashira let out a sigh.
"Thanks."
"Since you did, I will tell you some more about demons, there wasn't any point before since you wouldn't find any demon like that in the Final Selection." The Kamado nodded and payed attention.
Once again, the none demon slayers leaned in with interest on their faces.
"There are several kinds of demons, aside from those that morph their bodies, like the one in the Final Selection, there are those who use a special spell called the 'Blood Demon Art', this demons possess supernatural abilities." Urokodaki explained. "There is no way of knowing what type of ability these demons possess until you fight them and you will have to fight those demons, as well, from now on; it will be far more difficult than anything you've known until now." The man with the tengu mask let a smile cross his face. "Even so, Tanjiro, I'm sure you'll be fine."
Urokodaki-san agreed with his past self. 'Tanjiro would be fine.' He smiled.
"Yes." The swordsman answered before looking at the room his sister was resting for a moment. "Um… I think Nezuko's not like the other demons, do you think it could be because of that Whatchamacallit Art?"
When Tanjiro rephrased the word 'Blood Demon Art' into another new silly word. They couldn't help, but sent the redhead deadpanned looks.
Tanjiro let out a nervous chuckle while Gem was laughing out loud.
"No, I don't think so." He said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't call that an example of the Blood Demon Art; truthfully, there is no way of knowing since your sister is a special case, I would even say that she may be the only one of her kind." The older man took a moment to think. "I'm just guessing here, but it could be that Nezuko's recovering her strength by sleeping instead of consuming human flesh."
Shinobu smiled, seeing that she was right while the others stared at the younger Kamado in shock.
Meanwhile, Gem couldn't help but think that those who possesed Kamado's blood are really powerful if they turned into a demon. Then, there's their immunity to the sun.
"I… see…" The Kamado shook his head and stifled a yawn.
"We can talk more some other time, for now you should go to sleep."
Tanjiro nodded, thanked him and did as told.
"..."
15 days later, a man wearing a sunflower-patterned robe and a large, woven hat with hanging floral wind chimes covered his face was seen walking towards Urokodaki-san's house. He also had what looked like a rectangular box covered in cloth strapped to his back.
Seeing the man, the redhead couldn't help, but shiver. Then, his mind recalled the many times that the man tried to attack him.
Meanwhile, Gem turned to Urokodaki-san. "15 days later...huh? Wouldn't it be a good idea if you taught Tanjiro how to maintain total concentration breathing in those 15 days?" She questioned and the man grew quiet before huffing.
"The boy needs to rest and it would be a good ides if he could learn that on his own." He said and their host sighed.
Gem remembered the Red district art, 'Even if those three had mastered Constant Total Concentration Breathing, Gyutaro mentioned that they are not in the level of a Tsuguko yet.' She thought, remembering how Gyutaro was beating the shit out of them.
"Sure." The brown haired girl said before turning back to the screen.
The man continued his walk and stood in front of the red haired teen.
"Um…" Tanjiro started, unsure how to address this stranger who suddenly walked towards him.
Zenitsu patted his friend's shoulder, "I have the same reaction too when my swordsmith appeared out of nowhere and walked towards me." He said and Inosuke remembered his own swordsmith; although, he doesn't remember that man's name.
However, he remembered how the swordsmith also tried to kill him. Hey it wasn't Inosuke's fault that the sword he made for him looks dull, he likes it better chipped.
"My name is Haganezuka." The man said. "I have forged Kamado Tanjiro's sword, and I am here to deliver it."
The red haired teen widened his eyes in surprise but quickly bowed in greeting.
"Um, I'm Kamado Tanjiro." He said once he was standing straight again. "Please come inside."
"This is the Nichirin Sword." Haganezuka said, sitting on the ground with his back turned and removing the cloth; completely ignoring Tanjiro's words. "And I forged it."
"Um… Please come in so I can serve you some te-"
Everyone snorted and Uzui laughed out loud, "Haha hahaha, straight to the point." He chuckled, "This man must be excited to show the sword he made." He said and Tanjiro nodded at the Sound Hashira's words.
"The materials for a Nichirin Sword can be obtained from the mountain closest to the sun." He interrupted, or it as more like, he wasn't even listening to him in the first place. "Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore. These produce steel that can absorb sunlight." The man explained while pointing at the sun.
"Wow, is that right?" The Kamado asked, genuinely interested.
The none demon slayers were also amazed and everyone smiled. Some of the slayers even sheathed out their blades to admired it.
"Mt. Yoko is bathed in sunlight all day long, you see." Haganezuka continued. "Never a cloud in the sky, nor any rain."
"I understand but… you're going to get dirty, so could you get up for a second?"
Chuckles were heard throughout the room and Tanjiro couldn't help, but sighed loudly.
The man turned to see him in the eye, letting Tanjiro see his face that the hat was covering until now.
Or that's what would have happened, except that the man was wearing a mask; it looked to resemble the face of a man, with big eyes with black pupils and the mouth was shaped in a way that it seemed to be blowing wind.
Some of the younger kids were surprised while the others just chuckled.
"A Hyottoko?" Tanjiro asked in surprise.
"Hmm? Hmm!" Haganezuka looked at Tanjiro as if examining him. "Hey, you're a Child of Brightness, aren't you? Now that's what I call lucky."
Zenitsu, Inosuke and Nezuko couldn't help, but agreed with the swordsmith's words.
"Oh no, I'm the son of Tanjuro and Kie." The Kamado answered completely serious while raising one hand in a 'that's wrong' gesture.
Kie sighed while the others around her starts to laugh.
Kyojuro let out a loud chuckle, "Kamado boy, I didn't know that you could be that funny!" He managed to say through his chuckle while Tanjiro was plainly confused.
"I wasn't joking..." He trailed off, but his voice wasn't heard because everyone's chuckles and laughs overpowered his voice.
"That's not what I meant." The masked man said before pointing at his head. "See how your hair and eyes are a reddish color?" He moved his finger and pointed at his face. "When a kid like you is born into a family that works with fire…" He suddenly poked him in his cheek, making Tanjiro lean back a bit as he pushed. "…it's considered lucky and a cause for celebration."
People stopped laughing and became intrigue with the swordsmith's words.
"Is that right? I had no idea." Tanjiro answered.
Snorts and muffled chuckles were heard.
"There's a good chance that this sword will turn red! Right, Urokodaki?" The swordsmith asked, knowing that the other masked man would be listening inside the house.
"Yeah." Sakonji said simply.
"It's funny to see Haganezuka-san so cheerful yet his two clients are not that excited." Shinobu laughed and the others around her agreed.
Finally, Haganezuka stopped poking Tanjiro and entered the house, followed by the teen.
The youngest of the three sat in front of his master while Haganezuka took a seat next to Urokodaki before giving him the sword.
At first glance, it was a simple katana; the sheath was black as well as the guard and the grip.
The younger Kamado siblings who hadn't saw a sword before couldn't help but gushed at how cool the sword is.
"Come on, hurry up and draw it!" The swordsmith urged while making a wave motion with both his hands.
This received some chuckles from the audience.
Tanjiro saw it but decided not to ask.
"Nichirin Sword are also known 'Color Changing Swords'. They change color depending on the bearer."
Takeo couldn't help, but shout cool out loud. Meanwhile, the Kamaboko squad even Kanao who was dragged in by Nezuko starts to compare their blades. Although, Genya was seen looking away while his other batchmates showed off their blades.
Widening his eyes for a second at that, Tanjiro did as told and unsheathed the blade.
'It looks normal.' He thought as he examined the silver steel of his weapon.
Urokodaki-san snorted, "If Haganezuka heard you Tanjiro–" The old man started and the redhead cut in with a sigh.
"I know, I know." He chuckled, as a strained smile appeared on his face. "I'm dead."
Tanjiro adjusted his grip and the sword quickly began to change color, starting from the guard the new color it began to rise until the entire blade turned pitch black.
"Black!" Haganezuka said with a huff.
Some look interested at the color.
"It's black, huh?" Urokodaki said calmly.
"Eh? Is it bad or something if it turns black?" Tanjiro asked, a bit afraid at their reactions. "Is it unlucky?"
Muichiro stared at the sword, 'Is that the color black or dark gray?' He thought before shrugging and looking elsewhere, 'Who knows.'
"No, not necessarily." His master reassured him. "But you don't see this pitch black too often."
While this was happening, Haganezuka was trembling in his seat and finally exploded.
Tanjiro winced and unconsciously rubbed his neck.
"And I was so hoping I'd get to see a bright red sword! Dammit!" Out of nowhere, he jumped on Tanjiro and pinned him to the ground; laying down face down, Haganezuka used his right leg to immobilize the teen's right arm, his left leg to keep his body still, his left arm to hold onto the teen's left arm and his right arm to choke him using Tanjiro's black haori.
Both Iguro and Sanemi couldn't help, but laugh out loud. Some were chuckling while the others shrugged the swordsmiths actions off, knowing how passionate those swordsmiths are.
Meanwhile, all the member if the Kamado family looked shock.
"Ouch! Stop!" The Kamado said as the older man tightened his grip. "Please calm down! How old do you think you are?!"
The laughter grew.
"I'm thirty-seven!" He answered as he continued to 'punish' him because his sword didn't change to the color he wanted to see.
"Hahahaha hahahaha haha!!!" They all laughed...well not all of them.😅
As Tanjiro fought to get him off, moving to a sitting position while the masked man grabbed his left cheek and pulled, a crow came in from the window and landed on the ground.
"Perfect timing!" Uzui laughed, clapping his hands in amusement.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro felt the embarrassment kicking in. Seeing that his cheeks are so red and how he groaned troughout the scene.
"Kamado Tanjiro!" It said, turning its head towards the aforementioned. "Here are your orders!"
Finished laughing, all of them composed themselves. Now, the slayers are looking forward to see how the young Kamado will do in his first mission.
"Eh?" Tanjiro stared after finally getting Haganezuka off him and keeping him at bay with one arm. "It talks."
Genya sent a deadpanned stare to the redhead, "Didn't you listened to Oyakata-sama's children's explanation about the crow?" He questioned and Zenitsu let out a snort.
"I recalled that the two of you were busy fighting–ah!" The blonde said, but yelp at the end of his sentence when the tall boy sent him a glare.
Witnessing that, Inosuke laughed and pointed a finger at Zenitsu. "Hahaha haha coward!" He mocked and the blonde glared at him.
"Oh, shut up!"
"Make your way to a town to the northwest! Young girls have been vanishing there!"
As he heard that, Tanjiro realized what this was.
"Hunt down the demon lurking there and kill it! Kamado Tanjiro, prepare yourself well for this task! This is your first assignment as a Demon Hunter!"
"My first… assignment…" He repeated with some nervousness but it was quickly dissipated as he looked at his blade.
With a mental nod, he tightened his grip on his weapon and cleared his mind of any doubts.
The same determination can be seen with the redhead right now.
No more training or tests, from now on the real battles begin.
The screen went black, indicating the end of the episode.
Glancing at everyone, Gem decided that she should sent them to their sleeping quarters since it's already getting late.
Their host stood up and clapped her hands to gain the others attention. "Seeing that you'll be staying here, I have already prepare you're sleeping quarters." She announced and everyone smiled at that.
Then, she added. "Although, before you could hit the hay. How about we view some things!" She proclaimed and an image was shown in the screen.
(Can't find the owner. I just found this in Pinterest😅)
Some of the Hashiras sighed while both Kyojuro and Mitsuri were smiling widely.
Meanwhile, the younger slayers didn't know how to react to this. Well... Except for Inosuke who declared that he wanted to challenge everyone in this arm wrestling thing making the others around them sigh.
Then, another image was shown.
(I'll edit this when I found the owner. Artwork doesn't belong to me, but to the original owner.)
Gyomei had his eyes widened while Uzui whistled in awe. The Sound Hashira smiled, "You look flamboyant there, Gyomei!" The shinobi said, giving the large man a thumbs up.
Even Kanae, Shinobu and Genya agreed with the Sound Hashira. Because they too complimented the strongest Hashira.
The Stone Hashira smiled softly, "Thank you." He said to them before turning back to the screen.
(Artwork doesn't belong to me. I'lo edit this if I find the owner.)
Some were confused who the kids are in the people. Meanwhile Uzui was seen smiling brightly at the pic, 'Look how flamboyantly cute my wives are!' He thought, then brought up his hand to cup his chin. 'And look how flamboyantly aswome I am.'
The screen turned black and their host smiled brightly, "Okay, time for bed!" She chirped.
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To Be Continued...
A/N: Glad that I had finally finished this. It was fun, hope you enjoyed reading this.😁😁😁 Thank you very much for reading my fanfic too!!!