"Master! It's his aunt!"
Just as he reached the entrance of Swordsmith Village, before even dismounting from the Kakushi, Haruto waved towards where he remembered his home was.
Godou River, wearing a Fire Man mask, looked up and tapped the railing with the iron rod in his hand: "Over here."
Haruto immediately turned 180 degrees and waved in that direction: "I'm back!"
The Kakushi set him down, removed his earplugs and blindfold, and took a few breaths: "Mr. Takanashi, I'll see you off here."
Haruto, as usual, pulled out some small gifts from his basket and gave them to the Kakushi, then smiled slightly and said: "You can call me Haruto, Mr. Unknown Kakushi."
The Kakushi accepted the Mitarashi Dango wrapped in oil paper and replied gratefully: "I will enjoy it… Haruto!"
After seeing off the Kakushi member, Haruto first put down his basket, took off his haori, and changed into the inner lining draped over the railing.
Then he slung on his everyday charcoal basket, picked up a shovel, and rushed to the charcoal house to carry back a large basket of charcoal to fill the corner of the house where charcoal was piled.
Godou River's expression beneath the mask was unclear until Haruto finished replenishing the charcoal pile and brushed the charcoal dust off himself before he spoke.
"Is the food at Urokodaki Family delicious?"
The petty Godou River was back online.
Haruto secretly chuckled, but his face was solemn as he replied: "Sakonji Urokodaki's home is in the mountains, so supplies aren't as abundant. But the live fish raised in the mountain spring water taste very good; I ate twenty-four of them myself."
"Then you…"
"And Sakonji Urokodaki has a girl at his house, she's very cute."
Godou River fell silent.
He looked at Haruto, then at Swordsmith Village, paused, and said: "That's indeed not bad.
What's the girl's name? What year was she born? Where are her parents from? Is she also a prospective swordsman?"
Haruto looked at the Fire Man mask shoved into his face and stammered: "Her name is Makomo, her surname should also be Urokodaki… Uh, what year of Meiji was it, this…"
The air pressure around Godou River grew lower and lower, finally turning into an angry Fire Man: "You only remember that you ate twenty-four mountain spring fish! But you don't remember the girl's birthday!"
"Oh, it was our first meeting, how could I ask that, Master!"
"You go live with a rice bucket for the rest of your life!"
Not long after passing the Demon Slayer selection, Haruto, who had been summoned by the Master, was defenseless in front of the swordsmith and was scolded by Godou River, who was pinching his ear, for a long time.
Who knows why Godou River was so concerned about Haruto's major life events!
Especially after Haruto mentioned that his playmate, who was a year older than him and liked to cross-dress (Kagaya: =_=), got married at 13!
If it weren't for the lack of age-appropriate girls in Swordsmith Village, Haruto felt that he might be married off even earlier than that Ubuyashiki fellow! Yes, married off!
"That Haganezuka, after receiving news from the Demon Slayer Corps, has been waiting for you to return. After your white parrot relayed the message to delay your return, he was very angry about it, saying you wasted his precious time."
After being lectured, Godou River put his hands into his sleeves, a posture almost identical to Sakonji Urokodaki.
"It's not a big deal, I brought a lot of Mitarashi Dango back."
Thinking of the basket, Haruto slapped his forehead: "Oh, right."
He fumbled in his basket and pulled out two paper packages.
These were the gifts he brought for Godou River, a new pair of geta and a new haori.
The haori was the same blue landscape embroidery as the one he was wearing, but compared to Haruto's, this one was more suitable for an elderly person's build and style.
Godou River took the gifts, his first reaction was alert: "Did you buy a gift for that girl named Makomo?"
"I did."
"That's good. The continuation of the Takanashi Family is up to you."
"Master…"
Haruto said helplessly: "With my looks, it would be hard not to be married off, wouldn't it…"
Wait, why am I using the word 'married off'?
"…It would be hard, very hard, not to find a wife, wouldn't it."
Godou River's gaze lingered on that exceptionally handsome and outstanding face for a moment, then he said in a low voice: "It's precisely this face that's the big trouble…"
He always only says half of what he means, it's really annoying!
Haruto carried a large bag of Mitarashi Dango and walked through half the village to visit Haganezuka Hotaru.
Haganezuka Hotaru was an eccentric fellow, often having his swordsmith status revoked due to being disliked by swordsmen.
If Giyuu of Mt. Sagiri was merely bad at communicating with people, then Haganezuka Hotaru suffered from the cancer of communication.
But Godou River said that this swordsmith concentrated all his attention on making nichirin blades, so even if communication was a bit difficult, it was understandable, as talented people are never perfect.
In the summer, Haganezuka Hotaru always liked to go into the mountains to train. He had a small swordsmith shop there, and when he got excited during training, he would run around the mountains shirtless, revealing his strong muscles… He was always mistaken for a wild boar coming down the mountain.
Haruto found him in front of a wooden house in the village. Haganezuka Hotaru was discussing something with Iron Anemori Kanzou, also a swordsmith, over a blueprint on the table.
"To make a blade sharp, you can only reduce its thickness, but if it's too thin, there's a risk of breaking."
"So, the demands on forging techniques are very high; it needs to be both thin and hard, which is really difficult…"
"It's all that brat's fault. His swordsmanship is so good, but his Breathing Technique is so bad. He should just continue being an apprentice!"
Huh?
Who are they talking about?
Haruto pouted, raised his voice, and walked over: "Excuse me! Mr. Kanzou! Mr. Hotaru!"
Haganezuka Hotaru turned his head, his eyes beneath the mask staring intently at Haruto: "You're finally back—Takanashi boy."
Haganezuka Hotaru disliked the name Hotaru, and Haruto disliked the surname Takanashi. After they each danced on the other's nerves, it was considered a tie.
Haruto placed the bag of Mitarashi Dango on the table and leaned in to look at the blueprint: "Is it my blade?"
"Yes, yes, no other swordsman is as troublesome as you!"
Haganezuka Hotaru opened the oil paper package, and Haruto could immediately feel his mood improve.
Grilled mochi balls drizzled with sweet soy sauce had such charm that even a muscular tough guy would be captivated by them.
Haruto rubbed his stomach, moving his gaze away from the cold Mitarashi Dango.
"Don't listen to Haganezuka's tough talk, he was actually very happy when he heard he was making a blade for you," Iron Anemori Kanzou whispered in Haruto's ear: "He was so proud of snatching your forging rights from Godo-sensei that he drew this blueprint overnight."
The blueprint on the table clearly showed countless revisions; the paper surface was even a bit frayed from erasing.
"Can you understand it?" Haganezuka Hotaru took off his mask and popped a dango into his mouth. Beneath the ugly Fire Man mask was the face of a handsome man.
"The blade is thinner?" Haruto pointed at the data marked on the paper.
"To maximize your swordsmanship advantage during combat."
Haruto, who was well aware of his own flaws, sighed: "You're the professional when it comes to forging, I can't offer any constructive opinions. It's just one thing…"
"Hmm?"
Haruto pointed at the tsuba and tang on the blueprint: "Can you make it look a bit nicer? I kind of doubt your taste…"
Haganezuka Hotaru, with a polka-dot bandana on his head like an old Kansai grandmother, stared at him in silence for a few seconds.
Then, holding a grilled mochi ball, he transformed into a boiling kettle:
"How dare you look down on me! I'm going to kill you!"
"Unforgivable—"