Though he wasn't entirely sure why the swordsmith was so excited, Takeo still reached for the Nichirin sword that had been forged specifically for him, placing his hand on the hilt.
At first glance, Takeo's sword looked fairly standard—not too long, not too short. But at his request, the tsuba (guard) had been crafted in the shape of wolf claws, featuring three sharp, slightly curved protrusions, with subtle "fingers" beneath them that mimicked a paw's shape.
The hilt itself was a grayish-green, a color reminiscent of the wind.
Gripping the hilt firmly, Takeo drew the blade in one smooth motion and held it upright in front of him to examine the edge.
The silver-white blade glead coldly, exuding a sense of danger—it was obvious at a glance that this was an exceptionally sharp sword.
Takeo was just about to praise the craftsmanship when sothing happened that made his eyes widen in shock.
As he held the blade upright and focused on it, the color of the blade began to change—visibly, right before his eyes.
The entire blade shifted to a gray-green hue, while the cutting edge took on a pale, almost white-gray tone. In the blink of an eye, his Nichirin sword had changed color!
Takeo stared in astonishnt—but before he could say anything, Tetsudoshi suddenly beca frantic with excitent:
"G-green?! Why is it green?! I thought it would be red! I an—your hair, your eyes—they're clearly red! You even look like one of the Children of Fla! So why is it green?!"
"Uh… Tetsudoshi-san?"
Seeing the swordsmith get so agitated he looked ready to explode, Takeo couldn't help but gently call out, trying to calm him down.
Tetsudoshi froze instantly, going stiff like a statue. A second later, he snapped back to normal and cleared his throat.
"Ahem… My apologies, Kamado-dono. That was… rude of ."
"It's fine," Takeo replied. "But… can you explain what just happened with this sword?"
Although he hadn't paid much attention to it before, Takeo vaguely rembered that the Nichirin sword Kyojuro had temporarily lent him had a blade color close to gray.
Asatō Yoshizuru's sword, too, had been a greenish tone. Takeo had originally assud they had dyed the blades afterward.
But now… it seed that wasn't the case?
"Ah, that," Tetsudoshi said as he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Then he began to explain, "Nichirin swords change color depending on the wielder. The mont a new sword is first drawn, it adapts to its user—and only that first draw causes the change."
He continued with a simple explanation: "The resulting color is said to reflect the Breathing Technique the user is most compatible with."
Takeo stared at his blade in astonishnt.
It changes based on the wielder? And only the first ti it's drawn?
Is that even scientifically possible?
This makes no scientific sense! What kind of material on Earth does this?!
…Well, okay. This was an ani world after all. Probably best not to expect scientific explanations.
Now that he had at least a rough understanding of how Nichirin swords worked, Takeo turned back to Tetsudoshi and asked:
"Then why were you so worked up just now?"
"It was because of your hair and your eyes," Tetsudoshi said, pointing at both features. "They're red, right? To us swordsmiths, that's the mark of a Child of Fla. If your sword had turned red too, it would've been an extrely auspicious sign… But alas, it turned out to be green."
"More accurately, gray-green…" Takeo muttered.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!!"
Tetsudoshi flared up again but quickly composed himself and continued,
"Ehm.. In any case, I've delivered your blade, so my task here is complete. From now on, Kamado-dono, please take good care of it. If it gets damaged or broken, I'll be responsible for repairing and maintaining it."
Every Demon Slayer had a personal swordsmith responsible for their Nichirin blade.
The swordsmith would not change unless the Slayer or the smith died. Until then, they were—in a sense—partners.
Although each swordsmith was responsible for more than one Demon Slayer, for the Slayers themselves, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the smith who forged their blade would be the one they worked with for life.
…Wait. When you put it like that, it kinda sounded a little strange?
"Well then, Kamado-dono, I won't stay any longer. I wish you great success in your future demon hunts."
Leaving the sword behind, the swordsmith gave a polite bow and took his leave.
After he departed, Senjuro ca over, arms full—carrying a freshly ironed Demon Slayer Corps uniform—and asked:
"Do you want to change into it now?"
"Yep!" Takeo nodded firmly.
…
Perhaps it was because of his still-young age, but just like the haori, the uniform had been made slightly oversized.
That said, it wasn't nearly as loose-fitting as the haori had been.
After all, if a uniform was too baggy, it could get in the way during actual combat.
The Hashira could wear their uniforms however they wanted—that was a privilege of power. Their strength was so overwhelming that what they wore had little impact on their effectiveness. But ordinary Slayers like Takeo? They didn't have that luxury.
So, if Takeo continued to grow at a steady rate, this uniform would probably last him about six months.
If he ended up growing faster than expected, it might only fit for three or four months before it beca too small.
That said, since Demon Slayers often engaged in combat with demons, their uniforms were prone to damage anyway. Returning them for adjustnts—like expanding or repairing—was a common practice. So it wasn't sothing to worry too much about.
What Takeo was truly interested in, though, was the quality of the uniform.
Off to the side, Senjuro began explaining:
"The Demon Slayer uniform is made of a special material. It's resistant to cold, heat, and moisture—and it's surprisingly breathable too. But most importantly, it has great defensive capability. A regular demon's claws can't even tear through it."
"…What kind of sci-fi tech is this?!"
"Sc-sci-fi… tech?"
"Nothing, just talking to myself. Don't worry about it."
Takeo stood in front of a mirror, observing his reflection in the uniform while running his hands along the fabric.
It was lightweight—not too heavy—and didn't feel much different from regular clothing, aside from being a bit thicker.
And yet, this seemingly ordinary outfit could withstand extre cold and heat, while also offering high defense?
Takeo still clearly rembered the sight of Asatō Yoshizuru fighting the Water Demon—even when his uniform had been struck by sharp, needle-like water projectiles, the fabric hadn't been pierced.
To think such a lightweight uniform could have that level of defense… If this material were used in technological developnt, the science of this world would probably skyrocket.
Still, whatever this uniform was made of, none of that mattered now. What mattered was that Takeo was officially a mber of the Demon Slayer Corps.
With his uniform and Nichirin sword complete, and having passed the Final Selection, he was now ready!
By all logic, his first mission should be coming soon.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Takeo heard the sound of flapping wings outside.
Monts later, his personal kasugai crow flew in through the window and landed in front of him.
In a timid voice, it said:
"H-Hello! N-new mission… There's been a string of disappearances in Gyōda… The Master suspects a demon is involved… Kamado-squad mber, please proceed to investigate…"
"…You can really say that much in one breath, huh?"
Putting the mission aside for the mont, Takeo was once again amazed at how intelligent the crow was.
It wasn't just smart—it could carry on full conversations, practically like a person.
After a brief mont of surprise, Takeo quickly gathered his thoughts and said to the kasugai crow:
"Thanks for delivering the ssage, Gonichiro."
Each kasugai crow had its own na and personality. When a crow was assigned to a new Demon Slayer, they could give it a nickna to distinguish it—unless the crow had belonged to a previous swordsman and carried an existing na.
Takeo hadn't given his crow a new na. He didn't think he was particularly good at naming things, so he just stuck with the crow's original na: Gonichiro.
Gonichiro was a shy and timid crow, but even so, he worked hard to fulfill his duties.
Now that Takeo had been equipped with his Nichirin sword and uniform, he figured it was ti to begin truly fulfilling his role in the Demon Slayer Corps.
After watching the crow fly off into the sky, Takeo turned to Senjuro and said his goodbyes:
"Well, I guess I'm off. It's a sha I didn't get to see Kyojuro-san before I left. Please thank him for the haori on my behalf."
"I will. Takeo-san — be careful out there!"
At the gates of the Rengoku estate, Senjuro waved as Takeo walked away.
And with that…
Takeo officially began his first mission as a Demon Slayer.
________
12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI
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