Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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From the entrance of the Swordsmith village, the green forest surrounding the settlement was being caressed by the breeze under the setting sun. A beautiful sight of dusk graces the village; that would be quite a location for a romantic picnic.
Gyomei was surrounded by a circle of masked swordsmiths at the entrance.
They leaned together, looking up at Gyomei and chattering in surprise.
"This guy... is really tall... about two meters, I say!"
"What kind of sword would you need? A large naginata?"
"Are you a Hashira...?"
It seems that these swordsmiths had never seen Gyomei himself before.
Gyomei simply put his hands together and let the chatter wash over him. He stood still and steady as a stone and didn't say a word.
At the same time, Gyomei also noticed Tanjuro's presence, who was walking through the gate and put some distance between himself and the crowd.
His pale eyes abnormally looked in the direction of Tanjuro.
'He seems to have gone several times stronger than the last time I saw him.'
'What happened?' Gyomei nodded.
He was born blind; thus, he developed an unparalleled sense of perception through training.
Gyomei has been confused by Tanjuro's strange physique, as he recalled the sudden burst of vitality that he had sensed from the man during the Hashira meeting.
The kakushi who carried Tanjuro were supporting the ones that carried Gyomei and slowly took their leave.
"Everyone! Make way!"
"You two over there!"
A shout echoed, and a man wearing a fire god mask squeezed out of the crowd at the gate and waved to Tanjuro and Gyomei.
"You two are also Hashiras who have come to request a sword for you, right!?"
"Please follow me!"
Without giving them a chance to reply, the man waved his hand and led them through the crowd around them.
...
The party of three walked through the village. The houses were neatly arranged, with most of them being two-story buildings. From the first floor, you can faintly hear the sound of hammering iron and a forge being lit.
Tanjuro and Gyomei followed their guide along the road. Everyone who passed by them cast a surprised glance once in a while.
"Is this your first time in the Swordsmith village?" Their guide asked.
"Usually, we're the ones who delivered your sword ourselves. But I've never seen you guys before."
His voice was a little more high-pitched than normal.
"You can call me Tecchin." The man finally introduces himself.
"I'm the village chief's assistant and the best swordsmith in the village. My skills are second only to the village chief!"
Tecchin continued walking and leading the two to their guest house. The light from the street shone on his red fire god mask, and the two round patterned eyes looked particularly happy.
"One of the Hashira has already arrived in the guest room; you should all know him."
"It's getting late; you two can go to your own room to rest."
The only reply he got from his endless chatter was the occasional "Namu" from Gyomei.
Soon, they arrived at the guest house.
"This is where you will be staying tonight. There is a hot spring nearby. I will not disturb you any longer. Goodnight."
After saying that, Tecchin quickly bowed to the two of them and disappeared at the end of the street.
...
The night gradually deepened.
The moon rose from the horizon in its full glory, and the warm bonfire lit up the street.
Tanjuro and Gyomei stood side-by-side in front of the guest room door; neither was saying a word.
"Kamado-san..." Gyomei finally breaks the silence between them.
"I'm sorry for what happened last time... at the Hashira meeting."
Gyomei said as two lines of tears flowed down from his eyes again. Tanjuro wondered whether it's because of Gyomei's strong body that he also has a strong tear gland.
Gyomei beads crinkled in his hands, still feeling awkward about Tanjuro's treatment.
He was actually very sympathetic to the man beside him.
Gyomei was once a weak man too.
His children, the orphans at the temple he serves. They chose to run away when they encountered a demon instead of hiding behind him when he told them to.
Clatter.
He moved his hands in a prayer motion to ask for forgiveness from Buddha.
"It's fine." Tanjuro replied. He put his hand on the door handle and slid it open to enter the guest room.
"I understand where you're coming from. If I were you, I would have done the same." Tanjuro put away his sandal and nodded at Gyomei.
But the sight that greeted them when they opened the door was not what they expected.
...because they saw a man holding a gourd and drinking from it, who halted his activity to look at Tanjuro and Gyomei in surprise.
His hair was orange with red tips. His golden eyes were wide open as he saw the arrival of the man he admires, and the Stone Hashira caught him in an embarrassing pose.
For a while, none of the men in the room say anything...
...until Gyomei moved his beads and hand to his temple.
"Namu Amidha..."
His tears flowed more strongly this time, and his voice was so full of sorrow, it incited guilt in those who heard it.
"...I'm drinking tea!" Shinjuro blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
He was a little flustered and quickly put down the pot in his hand. He especially did not appreciate Gyomei praying for him!
In actuality, Gyomei was thankful that Kamado-san was such a good man.
Tanjuro didn't speak as he silently entered the room and sat in the corner.
Gyomei followed, casually closing the door and still chanting the Buddha sutras.
And Shinjuro was forced to hold the neck of his gourd down and became more irritated that Gyomei was ignoring him and continued his prayers.
The atmosphere in the room turned a little stiff with one socially awkward man, one socially pious man, and one fiery-tempered man holding back his emotion.
...
At the same time in the pitch-black forest, not far from the village.
The moonlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, falling on the ground and faintly reflecting the light.
A white porcelain pot suddenly appeared on the ground and swayed slightly twice.
"What's the matter with Hantengu...?" Gyokko's sharp voice rang out, sounding very eerie in the dark forest.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet?!"
As he spoke, a pitch-black pot at the entrance of the cave bounced around in annoyance.
But soon, he calmed down.
"Well... this is exactly what I wanted..."
Creak...
A pair of tender and pale hands reaching out of the pot, Gyokko crawled out all wiggly and squirmy.
He straightened up, and his bright yellow pupils in the position of his mouth reflected the brightly lit village not far away.
"A mere human village, I alone am enough..."
Gyokko's tone of voice became more and more excited, and he moved his body in a morbid way.
"After all, I am an Upper Moon!"
Swish!
Gyokko disappeared from the forest along with the pots.
...
At the guest room.
Shinjuro took out his old Nichirin blade and unsheathed it from its scabbard. His reflection shows on the blade.
The Nichirin sword is now pitted and uneven. Shinjuro took out his maintenance kit.
He was about to put work on the blade when a crisp crash came from the ceiling.
Bang!
All three swordsmen in the room looked up at what seemed to be the sound of porcelain colliding with tiles.
They exchanged glances at each other in disbelief.