The color-changing blade

"Breathing Styles?"

Nezuko froze for a moment at Chinatsu's words, then her eyes lit up. What girl had never dreamed of looking cool? Even a sweetheart like Nezuko had entertained the thought, and watching Chinatsu and Tanjiro spar that morning had only rekindled that desire.

"B-but can I really learn one? Will I be able to master it?" Nezuko lowered her head and asked softly, unsure of herself.

"Of course you can. Both of us learned, so there's no reason you can't, Nezuko. Right, Tanjiro?" Chinatsu turned to Tanjiro as she spoke. Seeing her pass him the "microphone," he hurriedly chimed in, "Of course! Nezuko can definitely do it too!"

How could Tanjiro possibly object to giving Nezuko more ways to protect herself?

Hearing their encouragement, Nezuko was so happy that her eyes became little dots, and she began spinning in place.

Meanwhile, Urokodaki was still sitting quietly in the cabin's living room, waiting for them to take their seats.

"They're taking so long..."

Only ten minutes later did Chinatsu and the others finally arrive in the living room. Even with Urokodaki still wearing his Crow Tengu Mask, they could feel the intense displeasure radiating from him. His very presence seemed to say, How can you take so long? The food is getting cold, you know!

Chinatsu and Tanjiro lowered their heads awkwardly. Chinatsu's feelings were particularly complicated, since she remembered saying something much like that at home herself.

Then Chinatsu and Tanjiro told Urokodaki that they wanted Nezuko to learn a Breathing Style. Urokodaki, who had lifted his mask slightly to expose the lower half of his face while drinking miso soup, froze on the spot and nearly spat out his mouthful.

A demon... learning a Breathing Style?

Demons had physical strength and regenerative abilities far beyond those of humans, while humans relied on Nichirin Blades and Breathing Styles to fight them. Urokodaki had never considered a demon learning a Breathing Style, nor had he ever seen one use one.

At that moment, two questions sprang into Urokodaki's mind.

First: could a demon actually master a Breathing Style?

Second: how strong would a demon become after mastering one?

"Perhaps... we could give it a try."

After giving it some thought, Urokodaki agreed to their idea. In fact, he was deeply interested in it.

Nezuko would learn a Breathing Style with a demon's body!

After lunch, Urokodaki began personally teaching Nezuko Water Breathing. When it came to instruction, leaving it to Urokodaki himself was still the best choice.

Since Nezuko was a demon, she could not practice in the clearing outside and had to learn indoors.

During these lessons, Urokodaki remarked that he finally felt as though he was teaching an ordinary student again.

Nezuko had no foundation in swordsmanship whatsoever, and her demonic body required her to spend a great deal of time sleeping, so she could not study for long stretches. Still, she was eager to learn, and her progress was not particularly slow.

Half a month later.

A man wearing a conical hat approached from the distance, one step at a time. Chinatsu and Tanjiro were sparring at the time, so they were outside.

"Wait. It looks like someone's coming."

"Someone? Who... could our Nichirin Blades finally be ready?" Tanjiro excitedly turned to look in the direction Chinatsu was watching. The approaching man wore not only a conical hat, but also a strange mask.

The sight of that mask immediately reminded them both of the one Urokodaki wore, and they silently marveled at how much better their master's mask looked.

Of course, private jabs aside, Tanjiro still hurried over politely to welcome the visitor delivering their blades.

"Excuse me, are you here to deliver our swords?"

At Tanjiro's polite question, the man stopped and nodded.

His name was Haganezuka, and he was a craftsman who forged Nichirin Blades. He carried two long, cloth-wrapped bundles on his back, containing Chinatsu's and Tanjiro's Nichirin Blades.

Tanjiro happily invited Haganezuka inside. The two bundles were taken off his back and unwrapped, and the two Nichirin Blades, still in their original state, were handed to Chinatsu and Tanjiro.

"Judging by the color of your eyes and hair, you siblings must come from a family that works with fire. Your blades might very well turn red. I can hardly wait," Haganezuka said expectantly, folding his arms across his chest. At his words, Chinatsu's eyebrows visibly rose, and she struggled to keep her expression composed.

"Not necessarily. Chinatsu and Tanjiro learned Water Breathing, so there's also a strong chance their blades will turn blue," Urokodaki said seriously from where he sat upright beside them.

Nichirin Blades were also known as color-changing blades. These swords changed color according to their owners. The factors behind the change could include personality or family background, but the most likely outcome was the color associated with the Breathing Style the owner had learned.

Water Breathing was "azure blue."

Flame Breathing was "fiery red."

Wind Breathing was "blue-green."

Stone Breathing was "earthy gray."

Thunder Breathing was "gleaming gold."

Under Urokodaki's and Haganezuka's watchful eyes, the two began the process of changing their Nichirin Blades' colors.

As everyone watched, the Nichirin Blade in Tanjiro's hand turned black, and surprise showed in both men's eyes.

"B-black!"

"That certainly is an unexpected change..."

Over the past several hundred years, no wielder of a Black Blade had made a name for himself. None had reached even the Kinoe or Kinoto ranks, let alone the very highest rank of Pillar. Most had lost their lives fighting demons.

Despite the strange looks the two men gave him, Tanjiro felt no distaste as he gazed at the black sword in his hand. He felt that it suited him perfectly.

After Tanjiro's blade changed color, everyone turned toward Chinatsu. They had assumed that if Tanjiro's blade was black, hers might be black as well. Yet under their gazes, the Nichirin Blade in Chinatsu's hand turned a color none of them had expected-not even Chinatsu herself.

Blue!

It was an exceptionally clear blue, beautiful enough to inspire admiration. This was one of the two expected colors, and both Urokodaki and Haganezuka breathed sighs of relief. For a Water Breathing user, blue was perfectly normal.

Only Tanjiro and Chinatsu remained surprised, especially Chinatsu. She gazed at the Blue Blade in her hand, her brow furrowing slightly.

Why? Why is my blade blue? Is my compatibility with Hinokami Kagura too low? Does heaven think I should follow the conventional path of Water Breathing?

This... is just too strange.