Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began When I Became Yoriichi's Sister

Unwrapping the Nichirin Blade from its white cloth covering, Haganezuka slowly drew the blade.

It is an extreme shade of black.

Black knife.

Haganezuka raised the blade, looked up at the hilt, stared for a moment, then put the Nichirin Blade down and turned to look at Ikuko.

Unable to see the expression behind the fire man's mask, Tanjiro felt the atmosphere become strangely tense and involuntarily swallowed.

"Aaaaaah~" Steelzuka suddenly let out a strange howl and pounced towards Yuko.

Yuko's eyelids trembled slightly, and as she leaned back slightly, she stretched out one leg.

"Ugh..." The kick landed squarely on the abdomen of the lunging Steel Tomb, causing him to hunch over and bend into a shrimp-like shape.

"Eek!" Tanjiro's eyes widened in surprise.

Steel Mound remained unmoved, even trembling as he reached out his hands to Yuuko, his voice strained as he said, "Please... please tell me the blacksmith of this sword... um..."

After saying that, he seemed to have used up all his strength, his head dropped, and he fell to the ground.

Urokodaki Sakonji elegantly sipped his tea and said calmly, "Ignore him, he's always been like this..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Steel Tomb crawled in the shadows on the ground, wriggled his body to Yuko's feet, and reached out to grab her ankle.

Yuko looked down.

Steel Tomb raised its head, as if a dark aura surrounded it.

"tell me……"

Yu Zi raised her foot and pressed down, stomping him to the ground.

"Forehead…"

Looking at the white cloud of energy emanating from Steel Mound, Tanjiro exclaimed in horror, "Something's coming out!"

Nezuko, who had gone back to bed because of important business, frowned, covered her ears, and rolled the blanket up high.

……

With his fingers wrapped in bandages, Steel Mound leaned over the table, solemnly admiring the jet-black Nichirin Blade placed there.

"Unbelievable, such forging techniques... no, not just forging techniques, but also the users..."

He was muttering to himself, not to the others, but to himself.

Yuko's lips twitched slightly. This guy... is a little bit off in the head.

Steel Mound suddenly turned his head and looked at him: "Please be sure to..."

Yu Zi interrupted impatiently, "No, I already said the blacksmith passed away a long time ago."

They've been dead for hundreds of years, are you expecting her to dig up their graves?

Tanjiro was also intently observing the design of the Nichirin Blade.

He only saw it when Yuko first demonstrated the Sun Breathing sword form, and never looked at it closely.

Two years ago, fortunately, he was a charcoal burner and had no idea about the quality of a blade, but just seeing this sword made Tanjiro feel a sense of heaviness in his heart.

I always felt it was an incredible knife.

Tanjiro pointed to the characters on the sword and asked in confusion, "What is this 'destroy' character?"

Yuko explained, "It means to annihilate evil spirits."

"Demon slaying?" Tanjiro muttered, his eyes shining. "So cool!"

"Forget about it." Steel Tomb coldly poured cold water on his idea.

"Eh?"

"Only the Pillars, who stand at the top of the Demon Slayer Corps' class system, can carve 'Demon Slayer' on their swords."

Tanjiro's eyes widened: "Eh? A Pillar?!"

Tanjiro, who had already passed the final selection, was naturally aware of the Demon Slayer Corps' hierarchical system.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, G.

Above A is the pillar.

He is currently only at the lowest level of Gui.

Although I had long suspected that Ms. Yuko had some connection with the Demon Slayer Corps, such a powerful blade is indeed formidable.

"This knife is at least three or four hundred years old. The fact that the blade could be forged to this extent means that, in addition to the blacksmith's superb skills, the owners of each generation were also extraordinary individuals."

Steel Mound wears a fire-man mask, and beneath the comical mask lies a calm voice.

This guy can actually be quite decent when he gets serious.

That's what Yuko thought.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Tanjiro gazed longingly at the Nichirin Blade on the table.

Wait, three or four hundred years?

Miss Yuko is already three or four hundred years old?!

Ikuko, unaware of his wild thoughts, smiled and said, "Tanjiro, how about I give you this sword once you've fully mastered the Breathing of the Sun?"

“…Eh?” Tanjiro was stunned for a moment, completely unable to follow Yuko’s train of thought.

Before he could say anything, he saw Steel Tomb stand up, jumping around and saying, "Huh? For this kid?!"

"Does this kid even deserve to use a sword like that?" Haganezuka stood in front of Tanjiro, his finger poking Tanjiro's cheek mercilessly.

"It hurts..."

They're definitely grooming Tanjiro as their successor.

Urokodaki Sakonji glanced at Ikuko, then calmly picked up his teacup.

Yes, a peaceful atmosphere.

"stare……"

"stare……"

Tanjiro sat upright, feeling uneasy, with the Steel Mound emanating a terrifying and dark aura beside him.

"This kid won't do." Steel Tomb withdrew his dark aura and said calmly, "Giving him that sword will only lead to its being wasted."

Tanjiro wasn't angry at all. He said to Ikuko with great approval, "That's right, Miss Ikuko. Look, I already have my own sword."

As he spoke, he brandished the blade in his hand.

Tanjiro isn't the type to want something just because someone else has it.

He knew very well that he couldn't possibly use that precious knife to his full potential.

Yu Zi looked up and said, "No, that knife."

Tanjiro froze for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat.

Mr. Steel Tomb...

He cautiously glanced at Steel Tomb, expecting to see the other party furious, but instead saw him run to a corner and draw circles with his back to them.

"That's outrageous... Others also put a lot of effort into making it..."

Tanjiro was ashamed: "..."

Surprisingly, they gave in.

Yuko's lips twitched, and she rubbed her temples: "It's not that the knife is bad, Mr. Hidetsuka's forging skills are amazing."

"But this sword was specially made for swordsmen who use the Breath of the Sun, so it would be a better match for Tanjiro."

Upon hearing this, Steel Tomb silently returned from the corner.

Tanjiro asked worriedly, "But what will happen to Miss Ikuko if I give her this sword?"

“I’m not good at Sun Breathing, this sword has been wasted because it’s with me.” Yuko shook her head. “Besides, I’m not giving it to you right away.”

"At least until you have fully mastered the breathing technique and reached the level of the Common Realm."

This was something Yuko had decided from the very beginning.

I always carry this sword with me, not because it's particularly powerful, but simply because it's Yoriichi's keepsake.

Entrusting it to Tanjiro is the best choice.

He will restore the gleam to this dusty blade.

Seeing how serious Ikuko was, Tanjiro couldn't bring himself to refuse, and besides...

This knife looks really powerful!

He was full of enthusiasm: "I will definitely work hard!"

After saying that, he carefully glanced at Steel Tomb, who had recovered and was now studying the blade while lying on the table.

Before Tanjiro could even catch his breath, a scabbard crow circled outside.

"Tanjiro Kamado! Hurry to the town in the northwest!"

"Go hunt ghosts!"

"This is your first job, remember it well!"

Yuko silently picked up the Nichirin Blade from the table and sheathed it.

"Huh? No!!!"

Steel Mound screamed and trembled as it reached towards Yuko's waist.

Yuko casually slapped his hand away, her cold glance startling Steelzuka away.