"Are these your two new disciples?" The newcomer turned his head to ask as the two approached.
"The girl is, as for the other one, he's a beggar." Seigen Ryoubei truly applied double standards to the extreme, treating Nae like his own granddaughter upon seeing her, and looking at Hatsune with disdain.
"Come, come, Nae."
Seigen Ryoubei waved to Nae, completely ignoring Hatsune who walked ahead.
Of course, Hatsune couldn't be bothered either, casting a glance at the masked old man. Their eyes met sharply, and without stopping his stride, Hatsune walked straight into the small wooden house.
"This is my new disciple—Kanjori Nae. Nae, this is Homare, the blacksmith of the Swordsmith Village. He's the one who forged your Nichirin swords. He's come to Falling Dragon Mountain specifically to deliver them to you." Seigen Ryoubei enthusiastically introduced them.
"Hello, Master Homare." Nae bowed politely in greeting.
"Hello." Homare responded warmly.
"It's been many years since you took on any disciples. Why the sudden change of heart now? I heard there's also a Kanjori among the current Nine Hashira. Could it be...?"
"Master Homare, Kanroji Mitsuri is indeed my sister."
"Heh, no wonder. I heard the Love Hashira among the Nine Hashira has a special physique, with muscle density that can instantly increase to eight times that of a normal person. This old man has really hit the jackpot this time."
Listening to Homare's hearty laughter, a shy smile spread across Nae's face.
"Come here, girl, try out the Nichirin swords I've forged for you. Initially, when the Demon Slayer Corps sent the request for swords identical to the Love Hashira's, I was puzzled. I wondered if the Love Hashira's sword had broken. Now I understand—they're expecting another young Love Hashira."
Homare took a package from behind him and placed it on the wooden table in front of them. Unwrapping the package revealed a brown wooden box, inside which lay side by side a pink and a silver Nichirin sword on protective molds.
"Hatsune, come quickly! Master Homare has brought our Nichirin swords."
Excitedly, Nae shouted into the small house, not waiting for Hatsune to come out before eagerly picking up the pink Nichirin sword.
The Nichirin sword felt heavy in her hand, as if it naturally held a strange sense of familiarity.
The pink scabbard had wheat-pattern embroidery on its khaki handle, and the blade was also khaki, shaped like a hexagram.
Nae carefully drew out the Nichirin sword, its blade as thin as a cicada's wing, flexible like a whip yet extraordinarily resilient—a retractable sword capable of folding and bending, extending up to 2.5 meters when fully extended.
In Nae's delighted gaze, the blade gradually turned pink.
"Hatsune, did you see that? It turned pink."
Hatsune glanced at the peculiar blade in Nae's hand, not like a sword at all, more like a whip or a rope. He thought to himself, just as chaotic as this sword seems to be.
Hatsune picked up the silver Nichirin sword from the box and examined it closely.
The silver scabbard had a white handle with a lifelike wisteria flower winding around it, and the blade, too, was white, shaped like a six-petal snowflake.
Hatsune swiftly drew out the Nichirin sword, the blade and scabbard rubbing together producing a crisp metallic sound. Before everyone's eyes, the bright blade turned white like snow.
"White? The color of the sword blade is closely related to one's personality and strength. I've never seen a white blade before."
Hatsune waved it a few times, the blade humming as it cut through the air.
"Alright, now that the swords are received, it's time for me to leave."
Homare rewrapped the wooden box and strapped it back onto his back with cloth, standing up and looking at the two young people in front of him. "I hope you'll use these two swords to slay demons and protect humanity, not to waste our efforts."
"Master Homare, rest assured, Nae will cherish this sword dearly." Nae tightly hugged the Nichirin sword and bowed deeply in thanks to Homare.
Hatsune sheathed the Nichirin sword back into its scabbard and said softly, "Thank you."
"Will you stay for dinner before you leave?" Seigen Ryoubei asked.
"No, I have to head to another place this afternoon. I prepared dry rations when I came out specifically for this, otherwise I wouldn't make it in time. Goodbye."
With a wave to the three, Homare walked in the direction down the mountain.
Watching Homare leave, Seigen Ryoubei called for Nae to bring the food to the table and prepare for dinner.
During dinner, Seigen Ryoubei informed the two that in the morning, the Demon Slayer Corps had delivered their specially designed uniforms. After three months, the uniforms and Nichirin swords arrived together, likely indicating that the Demon Slayer Corps had a mission for them.
Sure enough, as they were eating, Homare and Nae received their crows, each flying in from different directions but bearing the same task.
In the hot spring paradise of Shimizu Town, there have been frequent cases of tourists disappearing, despite the local government's efforts to patrol day and night. The town is now completely shrouded in panic and fear. With a significant decrease in tourists, the local economy is suffering greatly.
According to local "hidden" investigations, the disappearances of tourists are likely due to demons. Now, the Demon Slayer Corps is dispatching Ninth Rank members, Kooriyama Hatsune and Kanjori Nae, to Shimizu Town to relieve the residents of their panic.
Originally, Nae was somewhat worried. After all, she had just joined the Demon Slayer Corps and was unfamiliar with everything, making her somewhat timid about going on a mission alone.
Now that she heard she would be going on the mission with Hatsune, she suddenly smiled happily.
On the other hand, Hatsune wasn't so pleased.
He was wondering how to get rid of this girl. He thought this mission would be a good opportunity to work alone, but unexpectedly, he ended up being paired up again.
He couldn't help but wonder if the Demon Slayer Corps did it on purpose or if there really weren't many options.
Early the next morning, dressed in their new Demon Slayer Corps uniforms with their respective haori, and with their Nichirin swords at their waists, they bid farewell to Seigen Ryoubei and set off towards Shimizu Town.
Shimizu Town is a famous hot spring tourist paradise, consistently ranked as one of the top ten tourist cities in the country and holding the top spot in popularity rankings for a long time. It attracts tens of thousands of tourists annually.
Leveraging its tourism industry, Shimizu Town has become the wealthiest city in the country. Now, suddenly, several tourists have inexplicably disappeared, causing panic to spread. With fewer tourists, one can imagine the impact on the tourism industry.
Tourism is the lifeblood of the local economy. If the lifeblood is cut off, Shimizu Town will fall from heaven to hell.
After two days of long trekking, on the third evening, the two finally arrived at the hot spring paradise—Shimizu Town.
The bustling town of the past was now eerily quiet. It was only seven o'clock in the evening, yet the wide central street was completely deserted.
Occasionally, a cold wind would blow, lifting several plastic bags off the ground. Under the moonlight, the plastic bags fluttered about like children playing, adding an eerie touch to the already desolate town.