"Clang, clang, clang!"
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Haruto's eye twitched as his gaze swept over his two disciples, who were hacking away at the round boulder with all their might.
"Hahahahaha... pretty noisy, isn't it?" Sabito couldn't help laughing. "We were just as noisy back then. Giyu and I kept clanging away at the rock outside the door until Mr. Urokodaki finally couldn't stand it anymore and dragged it into the mountains."
"Makomo hardly did any chopping, though. She seemed to think it over for a long time, then split the rock with a single stroke."
"Well, Makomo is a clever girl..."
Sabito watched Genya and Tanjiro sweating away with a smile, nostalgia welling in his eyes.
"What brought you back this time?" Haruto turned to him. "Surely you didn't come just to play with two swordsmen who haven't even joined the Corps yet?"
Sabito nodded. "There is something I need to pass on to you.
"According to our information, Tokyo will hold its Shichi-Go-San Festival on November fifteenth, and a great many children will be out on the streets.
"Dozens of children went missing during the festivals in previous years. The police suspected human traffickers had slipped into the crowds, but a lengthy investigation turned up nothing.
"Headquarters believes a powerful demon may be appearing specifically during this festival. This year, the Master has assigned you and me to go to Tokyo on November fifteenth, assist the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, in killing the demon, and maintain order in Tokyo."
The Shichi-Go-San Festival was a traditional Japanese celebration. Every year on November fifteenth, boys aged three and five and girls aged three and seven would wear haori or kimono to visit shrines and pay their respects to the gods.
Tokyo Prefecture, the most prosperous of them all, also held a