"Lord Suzuki, this is the Nichirin Blade I have forged for you."
A man wearing a Hyottoko mask respectfully handed the sword to Suzuki Makoto.
Suzuki Makoto took it, swung it a few times, and slid it back into his sash with satisfaction.
"Thank you, Mr. Swordsmith."
"Not at all, it's the first time I've had the honor of forging a blade for a Hashira—is there anything else you require?"
"No, this is more than enough."
[Name: Nichirin Blade]
[Status: Unawakened]
[Remark: A blade's value isn't in its prestige, but in the number of demons it has slain—one edge to face all the demons under heaven, to cleave flesh, to shatter ice, to sever moonlight.]
With the system's approval, it was indeed enough.
Suzuki Makoto lovingly stroked the hilt. This was the second time he had owned a blade with a complete description; the previous one was probably still embedded in the Sukuna Demon's heart.
However, the origins of both blades were rather unremarkable, lacking any dramatic backstory, so Suzuki Makoto didn't know how to farm for more items.
After seeing the swordsmith off, Suzuki Makoto sat down and pondered the remark on this new blade.
Although he had only owned one blade before, he had figured some things out. For instance, the system's remark on the blade provided clues on how to awaken it.
The remark on the last blade told Suzuki Makoto that what he killed was important. The subsequent name change proved this; it was first a Demon-Slaying Blade, then became Sukunagiri, and its status changed to 'Awakening'.
So this time, did it mean he had to kill a lot of them?
A cold expression crossed Suzuki Makoto's face—which suited his intentions perfectly.
The moment he saw that first man-eating demon, he had made up his mind to drive every last one of these demons from this world!
He put down the blade and looked at the collection of books.
He had already turned the Ubuyashiki family's library upside down and grasped the clues about the Breathing Styles. His original plan was to stay at the Ubuyashiki Estate and wait for the other Hashira to return to learn the Breathing Styles from them, but now, that approach seemed a bit too conservative.
In any case, the title of each Hashira was passed down through generations, and there were many retired Hashira. They didn't return to normal life but instead took on the task of selecting talent and bringing in new blood for the Demon Slayer Corps. He could just as well slay demons while traveling and seek out these former Hashira to ask for guidance on Breathing Styles—perhaps their understanding of them was even deeper.
"I understand your thoughts, Mr. Suzuki. In that case, I will write a letter of recommendation for you. I will mark the current residences of the retired Hashira on a map."
Upon hearing Suzuki's request, Ubuyashiki immediately agreed.
"By the way, this is the Kasugai Crow assigned to you. He's a strong young fellow. Because news about demons is time-sensitive, we need the crows to constantly transmit and update intelligence."
Looking at the energetic young Kasugai Crow before him, Suzuki Makoto patted its head.
"I'll call you Swain. Do you like that name?"
The Kasugai Crow tilted its head in confusion but finally nodded. It wasn't a traditional name, but having a cool foreign name would be better for showing off to its peers.
"Thank you, Lord Ubuyashiki. I will go back to pack my things and prepare to depart."
"Mr. Suzuki—I wish you the best of luck in battle."
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Suzuki Makoto sliced off the head of the demon before him, watching its body disintegrate into the air.
Unfortunately, the blade in his hand still showed no change.
He sighed, turned around, walked back to his horse, and poked the Kasugai Crow lying in its cage.
"Swain, Swain."
The Kasugai Crow lay there without reacting, its eyes completely still.
"Tsk, how did it end up like this after just one month? Weren't you supposed to be a strong young fellow?"
Suzuki Makoto, who had just killed his fifty-first demon, poked the Kasugai Crow again in disgust. Seeing that it refused to get up, he had no choice but to let it continue sleeping and mounted his horse, shaking his head.
Swain secretly cracked open an eye. Seeing that Suzuki Makoto had really been fooled, he breathed a sigh of relief.
What the hell? When he first heard someone wanted a more "active" Kasugai Crow, he thought it was a chatterbox who wanted someone to talk to, so he happily signed up... but this is what they meant by active?!
For a whole month, he had been frantically delivering messages. A few times, after he complained tearfully, other Kasugai Crows took pity on him and helped deliver a few messages—otherwise, he suspected he would have already died from overwork.
To force a bird to sleep on the ground, oblivious to everything else, couldn't this guy reflect on his own actions for a moment?
Swain grumbled and closed his eyes again.
Meanwhile, the birdcage was held steadily in Suzuki Makoto's hand; even as the horse galloped, there wasn't the slightest jolt.
This was probably the only thing Swain approved of about Suzuki Makoto.
For the current Suzuki Makoto, since the Kasugai Crow was on strike, he might as well go find a retired Hashira. By the time he found one, the crow should be well-rested.
"The closest one from here is... hmm, is it Giyu's master?"
After all, he had only spent a few days with Giyu Tomioka and hadn't seriously studied Water Breathing, so he wanted to find someone to explain it to him.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, travel-worn and dusty, Suzuki Makoto frowned slightly.
The hut where Sakonji Urokodaki was supposed to live now had no human presence inside, only a single demon.
He hung the birdcage on the horse's back, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and walked towards the hut.
"How strange. The aura in this house is mixed; someone has clearly been living here, but there's also the presence of a demon. And what's more, this demon has never eaten a human... Weren't all demons created and controlled by Muzan Kibutsuji? What's the deal with this one?"
He walked into the hut, muttering to himself, pushed open the inner room's door, and saw the demon inside.
A girl with long hair was sound asleep, a bamboo tube held in her mouth. Judging from her clothes and the bedding on the floor, she clearly hadn't broken in, nor was she here to ambush anyone.
This made Suzuki even more curious. He didn't rush to kill her; after all, she was the first demon he had encountered in this world that didn't eat people, and he was quite intrigued.
The last time he'd seen a demon that had never harmed a human was back when he was with his master, when he met a prankster named Obik.
Besides the demon's presence, there were the auras of two other people in the room. One was somewhat subdued, while the other had the distinct energy of a young person. There was no scent of blood, either—clearly, this demon was being kept here and had been living peacefully with those two individuals.
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