The moment Akira and the others opened their eyes, the Swordsmith Village unfolded before them like a secret world carved into the mountains themselves.
Tall, narrow houses bordered the central road, each crafted in the same elegant, traditional style.
White plaster walls.
Dark wooden frames.
Sweeping tiled roofs layered atop one another like interlocking pieces of armor.
The late sunlight washed over the rooftops, painting them in soft hues of blue-green and muted gold.
Erika's lips parted slightly as she took in the view.
"It's beautiful…"
Despite the village's size, the wide houses and the setting among towering mountains made the place feel peaceful, almost sacred. Hidden. Untouched.
Mitsuri beamed, her pink-and-green hair bouncing with each step.
"Right? Isn't it amazing? I love this place so much! The air is warm, the food is delicious, everything here feels so nice!"
Tanjiro sniffed the air lightly. "This scent… There must be hot springs nearby."
"Yup!" Mitsuri nodded enthusiastically. "We can go later! But first, we need to meet the village chief. That's the rule!"
They began walking down the long stone pathway stretching through the center of the village.
Masked villagers moved silently around them, each wearing the same Hyottoko mask with its comical, round mouth and puckered lips, though they did act like normal people except for the masks.
The atmosphere was strangely serene.
As Akira and others walked through it, they did feel it was mostly a normal village. the soft rustle of clothing, the whispering breeze weaving between homes, and in the distance, the rhythmic clanging of metal on metal, the unmistakable heartbeat of the village, where swordsmiths tirelessly forged the blades that demon slayers entrusted their lives to.
"Over there," Mitsuri said, pointing ahead with a soft smile. "The chief's house is just a little farther."
Indeed, the village wasn't large.
They simply continued straight down the main road, reached the end, then turned left. A large traditional estate sat quietly among the clustered homes, the unmistakable residence of the Swordsmith Village Chief.
Inside the chief's residence, the air was warm and faintly smelled of burning steel.
A short, elderly man with a round face and a Hyottoko mask stepped forward, opening his arms in welcome.
"Hello there! I'm the chief of the village, Tecchikawahara Tecchin. Nice to meet you!"
Everyone bowed politely.
Mitsuri was the first to greet him, stepping forward with her usual bright energy as she explained her assignment to the area and her reason for visiting, maintenance for her sword.
Tecchin nodded deeply. "Always good to have you here, Mitsuri. Your presence brightens this whole village."
Then Tanjiro introduced himself. "I am Kamado Tanjiro."
"Oh! So you're the boy looking for Hotaru," the chief said, folding his arms. "About that… he seems to have gone missing at the moment. We're searching for him, so please be patient."
"Hotaru?" Tanjiro blinked.
"That's right, Haganezuka Hotaru that's his name," the chief replied matter-of-factly.
Tanjiro tilted his head. "That's such a cute name."
"Right? I'm the one who named him!" the chief said proudly, then puffed up like he was still offended. "But he said it was too cute and blasted me for it!"
Tanjiro's eyebrows knitted in sympathy. "That's sad…"
The chief let out a huff. "That boy's been like that since he was a child. He loses his temper just like that and disappears off the face of the earth." He bowed lightly. "Sorry for the trouble."
Tanjiro quickly shook his head. "No, please, it's my fault for breaking my sword so easily…"
But the chief cut him off immediately.
"No, you're wrong. He is the one who forged a faulty sword. So the responsibility lies with him. We will bring him back soon, don't worry."
"Just… please don't hurt him," Tanjiro pleaded.
The chief finally turned his gaze toward Akira and Erika.
"So you must be the foreigners I heard about."
Akira nodded casually. "Yeah. I'm Akira, and this is Erika. I'm here to learn how to forge a sword from you."
The chief tilted his head. "Oh? And why is that?"
"Because I need a better sword," Akira replied without hesitation.
The atmosphere instantly stiffened. A faint tension spread through the room like cold mist.
"Are you saying our swords are not good enough for you?" the chief asked, voice lowering into something intimidating.
Everyone in the room froze at his tone. Even the swordsmiths subtly straightened, their masks angled toward Akira.
But Akira simply answered, "Yeah. It's not good enough for me."
Erika, Tanjiro, and Mitsuri all looked at him in shock.
The chief, however, relaxed just as quickly as he had tensed. "I see. Then tell me, what is wrong with the swords we forged?"
Akira reached into his inventory and produced his Demon Slayer sword. The blade materializing out of thin air startled several masked smiths, but they had heard rumors he could use magic, so they managed to remain composed.
What they couldn't remain composed about…
…was the state of the sword.
"What happened to it?!" The chief leaned forward. "It's chipped all over the place! I just made this the other day!"
"Oh, you made it," Akira said. "It was a good sword. But it couldn't handle my power. And I didn't even use my Breathing Techniques with it."
Then he placed several pieces of shattered metal on the floor.
The chief stared. "These are…?"
"Those were my two normal katanas," Akira said. "They shattered like this after a single strike."
Murmurs broke out among the swordsmiths. Even though the chief had already heard rumors about Akira's strength, seeing the evidence firsthand was another matter entirely.
The chief inhaled slowly, then asked, "So you are saying… You will learn how to forge a blade from us, and then you yourself will make a blade capable of withstanding your power. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's it." Akira said with a smile.
One of the masked smiths beside the chief spoke up, voice trembling with disbelief. "How can you forge such a blade after learning from us for a short time… when even we cannot craft a sword that endures your strength?"
Everyone found the question reasonable. How could a complete beginner do what master swordsmiths themselves could not?
Akira simply smiled. "How about a bet?"
The chief blinked. "A bet?"
"Yes. You teach me for one day. By the end of that day, I will master how to forge a sword. If I fail, I'll give up. What do you think?" he asked with a mysterious smile.
The room collectively froze.
Even Mitsuri and Tanjiro stared at him wide-eyed.
The chief inspected him silently for a long moment… then finally nodded.
"Very well, then. I myself will teach you tomorrow. Let us see if you can truly learn it."
After the meeting concluded, Akira's group made their way down the quiet path toward the place they would be staying.
Tanjiro, carrying Nezuko's box on his back, looked at Akira with concern.
"Akira-san, are you really sure about that? About what you said earlier?"
Mitsuri nodded energetically beside him. "Right! How can you learn forging in just a day? That's impossible even for geniuses!"
Akira shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I can learn it."
"Really?" Mitsuri blinked in disbelief.
Before Akira could answer, Erika spoke calmly, "Don't worry, Mitsuri-san. He can learn pretty much anything he wants in a day."
Mitsuri's eyes sparkled. "Really? He can do that?!"
Erika nodded. "Yes. I've never seen him fail to learn anything in a single day."
"That's so cool!" Mitsuri clasped her hands with admiration.
Tanjiro also nodded thoughtfully, clearly believing every word.
Akira scratched his cheek and said, "Well… not exactly true. There is one thing I couldn't learn, no matter how hard I tried."
Erika looked at him with interest… then remembered. "Really…oh. That."
Akira smirked. "I wonder if I can use that now?"
Mitsuri tilted her head, curiosity brimming. "What is it, Akira-kun?"
Akira put a finger to his lips. "It's a secret."
He grinned mischievously.
They eventually reached their rooms, placing down their belongings and settling in. After a brief rest, they all decided to visit the nearby hot springs first.
A while later, Erika sat submerged in the steaming waters of the Swordsmith Village hot spring, her arms resting along the edge as soft ripples spread around her. But even surrounded by warmth, her thoughts were far from calm.
She kept replaying Akira's earlier words in her head.
"I wonder if I can use that now?"
It bothered her.
It bothered her a lot.
She knew exactly what he meant, his family's special power, Stellar Radiance.
Back when they were children, Akira used to complain that it was the one thing he could never learn. At the time, it shocked her a bit back then, because Akira, who could learn everything in a single day, failing at a family technique?
But she didn't think much of it.
Now, however… now she knew more.
She understood what Stellar Radiance required to activate, happy memories, love, friendship, and emotions that form bonds.
And she knew the truth about Akira's past life, that he couldn't feel those emotions, that he never learned how, even after reincarnation.
That was why he couldn't activate it.
So what did he mean by,
"I wonder if I can use that now?"
Did that mean…
he could feel those emotions now?
And if so.
what did that mean for them?
Erika sank a little lower into the water, her cheeks warming more from the thoughts than the springs.
What exactly were they now? Childhood friends? Partners? Companions?
Lately… weren't they a bit too close for something as simple as "friends"?
But if he still couldn't use that power… didn't that mean he didn't feel anything at all?
And why was he smirking when he said that? Was he joking or is he serious?
The more she thought about it, the more tangled her thoughts became.
Erika let out a soft, defeated sigh.
And then.
"Erika-chan? Erika-chan!"
Her mind snapped back to reality.
She blinked and turned to see Mitsuri leaning toward her with worry in her big green eyes.
"Mitsuri-san?"
"Are you alright?" Mitsuri asked. "You've been daydreaming for a while, and you didn't answer even when I tried talking to you."
Only then did Erika fully realize where she was, the hot spring.
Mitsuri was beside her, pink and green hair tied up, looking genuinely concerned.
Nezuko, now in her tiny chibi form, floated by on her back like a wooden noodle bowl, paddling lazily in the warm water.
Erika straightened a bit.
"Oh… I was just thinking about something, that's all," she said softly.
She decided to think about all of that later; right now, all she wanted to do was enjoy the hot spring and finally relax a bit.