One's Own Steel

The day after the Swordsman Trial ended.

At noon.

Quite a few swordsmen had gathered at the place where they had originally assembled before entering the mountain.

Most were from the Mount Sagiri lineage, with a handful of other swordsmen among them.

"What's going on? No one has seen Senior Disciple yet!"

Kurozawa had yet to show himself.

For a time, everyone from Mount Sagiri wore worried expressions.

Even the joy of having just chosen their own steel and being about to receive their Nichirin Blades had vanished.

Not a single Mount Sagiri disciple had come to harm, yet their Senior Disciple seemed to be trapped on Mount Fujikasane.

Sabito and Makomo both had furrowed brows, glancing back from time to time.

"Senior Disciple hasn't really met with trouble, has he?"

Hanada Shizuka muttered softly.

Several female Kakushi staff members stood atop the raised platform in the center, each holding a tray in both hands and smiling.

Kocho Kanae stood on the platform as well, waiting for Kurozawa to appear.

Unlike the anxious Mount Sagiri disciples below, she still wore a gentle smile as she comforted Kurozawa's junior disciples.

Kocho Kanae knew Kurozawa's strength better than anyone and was certain he would not die at the hands of the demons on Mount Fujikasane.

She had wanted to thank him for helping Kocho Shinobu during the trial, then tactfully tell him that the Demon Slaying Missions he received in the future would all be particularly troublesome and difficult, so he should face them with caution.

But that was contingent on being able to see Kurozawa.

"What is he doing in the mountain?"

"Shinobu said Kurozawa seemed especially enthusiastic about slaying demons."

"He's not trying to kill every demon on Mount Fujikasane, is he?"

A rather unreliable thought surfaced in Kocho Kanae's mind, only to disappear in an instant.

Yet that very thought was closest to the truth at that moment.

Another ten minutes passed, and the atmosphere had become as heavy as an endless overcast autumn day.

Though they stood beneath warm golden sunlight, no one from Mount Sagiri felt any warmth.

Then, Kocho Kanae suddenly stiffened as she spotted a familiar figure slowly emerging from the path.

"I told you, your Senior Disciple couldn't possibly have come to harm on Mount Fujikasane."

Smiling brightly, she pointed in Kurozawa's direction.

When the Mount Sagiri disciples saw him, their expressions relaxed at once.

"Senior Disciple!"

"What were you doing on Mount Fujikasane? You wouldn't come out, and you scared me to death."

Makomo ran up to him, her face full of reproach.

A black crow stood on Makomo's shoulder.

Kurozawa scratched his head and said sheepishly, "I lost track of time."

He really had been in the wrong for making his junior disciples worry.

At the time, Kurozawa had been completely focused on Potential Points and had not wanted to waste time searching for the Mount Sagiri disciples to explain himself.

"Huh? Senior Disciple, where's your hair?"

Sabito, who had also walked over, had his attention caught by Kurozawa's gleaming scalp.

The subject of what Kurozawa had been doing on Mount Fujikasane was thus shifted to the changes in his appearance.

"It fell out while I was fighting demons."

"All of it fell out?"

"Yeah. I used my Breathing Technique too fiercely and accidentally shook all my hair loose."

"Ah! Really?" Sabito took half a step back and warily touched his own hair.

"Really. What would I gain from lying to you?" Kurozawa pulled the same trick again.

Of course there was something to gain—satisfying his own twisted sense of humor! Thump! At some point, Kocho Kanae had come close and lightly tapped Kurozawa on the head with a finger. Then she said with a smile, "Kurozawa, you're so mean. You even tease your own junior disciples."

"My younger sister complained to me about you."

After a brief pause, Kocho Kanae told the Mount Sagiri disciples, "Don't let your Senior Disciple fool you. Breathing Techniques have nothing to do with hair falling out."

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do." Kurozawa spread his hands.

"Hmph. I'll tell Master when we get back that you scared us." Used to Kurozawa's personality, Makomo immediately realized he had been teasing them and gave a soft huff.

"Welcome back. It's wonderful that you returned safely."

The Kakushi staff on the platform spoke, interrupting the conversation among the disciples.

Remembering that he had something to collect, Kurozawa stepped out of the crowd and walked forward.

"Then give me the symbol of an official swordsman."

A sweet-looking woman with a faint smile constantly on her face spoke up. "Your uniform will be made afterward, so we first need to take your measurements."

The woman approached him with a measuring tape in hand.

A minute later, after measuring Kurozawa, she took several steps back and said with the same smile, "Your uniform will bear the character representing your swordsman rank."

"There are ten ranks: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto."

"Your current rank is Mizunoto."

"When your rank rises in the future, we will alter the inscription for you."

She explained it clearly, as though she had said these words many times before.

Kurozawa nodded. "I understand."

This rank only represented one's achievements in slaying demons, not one's true strength.

Clap, clap, clap. The woman lightly clapped her hands.

Immediately afterward, a series of harsh, grating cries came from above.

A pitch-black crow circled for a while before landing on the woman's hand.

"A Kasugai Crow will accompany you from now on."

"Your Demon Slaying Missions and intelligence will be conveyed by the Kasugai Crow."

The woman extended her hand and offered the Kasugai Crow to Kurozawa.

Kurozawa held out his palm, but the Kasugai Crow's feathers instantly fluffed up. It flapped its wings and flew away, refusing to land on him.

"Demon. Demon."

A metallic scraping voice came from the Kasugai Crow's beak.

"Hm?" Kurozawa looked up and glared at the crow for refusing to cooperate. Startled, the Kasugai Crow flew even higher and farther away from him.

Quite a few Kasugai Crows belonging to the Mount Sagiri disciples circled overhead. The crow that had just been assigned to him stared at Kurozawa with eyes full of terror. It wanted to get away, yet was bound by the instincts drilled into it through training.

The woman was somewhat surprised, as though this was her first time seeing such a situation.

"This child may be a little afraid of people."

"But it's all right. As long as it can deliver messages and intelligence to you, that will be enough."

The Kasugai Crow refused to land on Kurozawa, but it did not leave either, which meant it understood the order to follow him from then on.

"All right." Kurozawa accepted helplessly.

This Kasugai Crow was somewhat mystical. It could probably sense that he was different from ordinary humans, so its fear was understandable.

"Next, choose your own steel."

The woman picked up a tray containing several irregular objects. Their general shapes were round, while their texture appeared both like steel and jade, making them rather peculiar.

"Tamahagane Steel, one of the materials used to make Nichirin Blades."

"What's the difference? If I choose poorly, will it make the Nichirin Blade less sharp?" Kurozawa casually picked up the most irregular piece of Tamahagane Steel, the one with the sharpest protruding edges.

"It will have no effect."

"However, the blade and steel used to destroy demons are a swordsman's most important weapons. It is best for the swordsman to make the choice personally."

"It does have a nice sense of ceremony. Then I'll take this one."

Kurozawa casually handed the Tamahagane Steel in his hand to the woman.

To him, a Nichirin Blade was not especially useful.

"Very well. In half a month, someone will deliver your blade and uniform to Mount Sagiri."

"By then, the Kasugai Crow will notify you in advance."