Aoi came rushing back not long after, looking flustered. She let out a quiet breath of relief when she didn't walk in on Shuya and Nezuko kissing. Truthfully, she was starting to feel a little afraid of him.
Shinobu, Kanae, and even Kanao had all lined up to kiss the guy like it was some kind of relay. Especially Kanao. Aoi still couldn't figure out how that girl's brain worked—turning Kanae's simple request to "get closer" into an actual kiss. On top of that, those three little brats at the mansion had already exposed her embarrassing bed-wetting story yesterday. She was genuinely worried Shuya might use it against her to steal her first kiss.
She really didn't want to deal with him if she could help it. But this time, she couldn't avoid it.
"Lord Shuya, please come with me for a moment," Aoi said quickly, then turned and walked off before he could ask any questions.
Shuya raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. He told Nezuko to focus on learning Sun Breathing from Saeko and followed after Aoi. He didn't notice the quiet, resentful look Nezuko gave him as he left. She had a strong feeling her Shuya-nii was about to taste his fifth pair of lips today.
Saeko noticed Nezuko's expression and gently patted her head. "Don't worry, Nezuko. Keep training hard. Once you master Sun Breathing, you'll get what you want."
She smiled softly, remembering her own past hesitation around Shuya. Back then she had felt too inferior to take that first step. Now it all felt like a distant, almost funny memory.
Aoi led Shuya into a guest room inside the Butterfly Mansion. When she saw the man sitting inside—wearing a black spotted headscarf and a fireman's mask—she finally relaxed a little.
"Lord Shuya, this is Mr. Haganezuka," Aoi explained. "The Master sent him here specifically to forge a Nichirin Blade for you. If you have any special requests for the sword, you can discuss them with him directly. Just… his personality is a little difficult, so please bear with him."
"Nichirin Blade?" Shuya muttered, looking at the swordsmith and the raw ore sitting on the table.
He didn't remember asking Kagaya for one. The fact that the man had sent a swordsmith anyway showed some real sincerity.
Everyone knew Nichirin Blades were one of the Demon Slayer Corps' two trump cards against demons—the other being Breathing Styles. They were forged from a special ore that absorbed sunlight. Wounds from a Nichirin Blade couldn't be healed by a demon's regeneration, at least not in theory. Later in the story that rule got bent pretty hard, but the ore itself was still interesting.
Shuya didn't actually need a Nichirin Blade. He had plenty of better ways to deal with demons, and he had already figured out how to create a Red Blade during Saeko's fight with Yoriichi. Still, the raw ore had potential. It could absorb solar energy. Might be useful later.
He looked at Haganezuka and spoke calmly. "You can head back, Mr. Haganezuka. I don't need a swordsmith to forge anything for me. Just leave the ore here."
Then he turned to Aoi. "Also, tell Kagaya that once Muzan is dead, I want every single piece of ore the Corps has for forging Nichirin Blades. All of it."
Haganezuka shot to his feet before Aoi could even react. He pulled out two kitchen knives, eyes blazing behind his mask.
"What did you just say?!" he roared. "You're insulting a swordsmith's pride! Say that again!"
Shuya recognized him immediately. This was the same hot-tempered swordsmith who chased Tanjiro around with knives in the original story after his blade got broken. Classic Haganezuka.
Shuya didn't flinch. He walked over to the table, picked up one of the raw ore chunks, and weighed it in his hand. Then he looked straight at the angry swordsmith.
"I'll say it again. You can leave. I don't need a swordsmith." He poured Nen into the ore. "Because I can make my own."
The outer rock and dirt began to crack and fall away under his control. The pure, sunlight-absorbing core of the ore slowly reshaped itself, stretching and forming into the clear outline of a long blade right in front of their eyes.