Master Blacksmith in Demon Slayer

Kochou Kanae looked at Tetsu no Sosuke again.

Shinobu Kocho was almost speechless—both key factors had come from the same person? You're supposed to be killing demons, not saving your sister!

"Tetsu no Sosuke shattered Upper Moon Two's weapon," Kochou Kanae said. "That's the second key point. Not only did it surprise me, but Upper Moon Two... was probably pretty shocked too?"

"I'm shocked too," Shinobu admitted, finding it impossible to disagree.

When Doma had charged at her, that burst of speed was something she simply couldn't resist.

Yet Tetsu no Sosuke hadn't just snatched her from that attack in an instant—he'd survived Doma's assault too.

Badly wounded, he'd still managed to fight back.

Seriously, who gave this guy the guts to swing a hammer at a Twelve Demon Moon?

As a swordsmith... wasn't he way too incredible?

Even scarier, he'd actually shattered Upper Moon Two's weapon with that hammer, then bashed his head with it.

Though that did prove one thing.

Upper Moon Two's head was probably a bit tougher than his weapon?

Otherwise, why would a hammer that could shatter a weapon fail to crack a skull?

But if his head was harder than his weapon, why could a Nichirin Blade cut it off without breaking the weapon?

Shinobu felt like her head was full of spinning mosquito coils—no matter how she thought it through, it looped back on itself, completely incomprehensible.

She voiced the question, and Kochou Kanae was stumped for a moment before finally offering the most logical answer: "Maybe... because Tetsu no Sosuke is a swordsmith?"

"...Huh?"

Was that an answer?

Because he's a swordsmith, he's more familiar with weapons?

Then why hadn't other swordsmiths done something like this?

Still, with no better explanation, she had to grudgingly accept it.

Kochou Kanae summed it up: "This fight had a lot of coincidences. If Tetsu no Sosuke hadn't saved you when Upper Moon Two charged, he wouldn't have gotten an opening, and the weapon wouldn't have been destroyed. If he hadn't survived the demon's attack, he wouldn't have had that chance. Or... if his injuries had been worse, would he still have had the strength to swing the hammer? If they'd been lighter, the demon wouldn't have let its guard down... In short, Tetsu no Sosuke's unexpected performance, blind spots in information, the demon's carelessness, the suppression of the Nichirin Blade, the boost to my own strength—all these factors led to this battle's outcome."

Faced with that analysis, even Shinobu had to accept it. But thinking that Tetsu no Sosuke had become the most important factor while she'd done nothing helpful left her feeling regretful and self-blaming.

And thinking about his blatant, undisguised ambition toward her sister made her even more bitter.

That wasn't something being saved could erase—at best, it made him slightly less annoying.

She gritted her teeth, deciding she really needed to discuss this with her sister.

She didn't want her sister to just muddle through and end up marrying a man whose face she'd barely seen.

"Sister, you..."

Shinobu opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come, her face flushing red.

This kind of talk was really hard to say out loud.

Especially with Tetsu no Sosuke sleeping nearby—was he faking it? Eavesdropping? Should she just knock him out?

"What's wrong?" Kochou Kanae looked at her sister curiously. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Sister... you, you and him... ow... bit my tongue... hurts hurts hurts..."

Too nervous, her jaw trembling as she spoke, she accidentally bit her tongue, tears nearly falling.

Though her sister had made a blunder, Kochou Kanae understood her meaning. She froze for a moment, her face reddening before she spoke.

But then a flicker of gloom passed through her eyes. She sighed softly, about to speak, when hurried footsteps sounded outside.

"This should be the place, right?"

"Right, that's where the Flower Pillar's Kasugai Crow said it was."

The two women in the room quickly composed themselves. Shinobu stood up, her speech still a bit clumsy: "Come in."

Black-clad and masked—the standard gear of the Demon Slayer Corps' logistics unit, the Hidden.

The group entered, greeted the Flower Pillar, and got to work.

Someone came out and hoisted Tetsu no Sosuke onto their back. Kochou Kanae and Shinobu Kocho returned together to the Butterfly Estate.

No need to rush on the way back, so they moved slowly.

By the time they reached the Butterfly Estate, dawn was breaking in the east.

Tetsu no Sosuke slept until the sun was high before opening his eyes.

He sat up abruptly, last night's events flooding back. He looked around, feeling a bit relieved: "The Butterfly Estate."

He tried to stand, but searing pain erupted all over his body. His face went pale, and he slumped back down.

The bandages on his chest were already seeping fresh blood.

"This..." He looked down, feeling weak in his limbs.

The door slid open, and Shinobu Kocho entered carrying a basin, locking eyes with Tetsu no Sosuke.

"You're awake." Shinobu Kocho's tone still carried a hint of awkwardness, but it was far better than the icy coldness from their first meeting. Then her brow furrowed. "Lie back down. You should have some idea of the injuries you've sustained, right? You took that level of attack, shattered a Twelve Demon Moon's weapon, and moved too much—the wounds have worsened because of it. With your recovery ability, you're not getting out of bed for seven days to half a month."

So that was it. Because I activated Breath of the Sun and used Gale Sun Hammer, it aggravated the existing injuries?

No wonder it was so hard to bear.

Still, with slow care, I'll recover.

Compared to that, he was more concerned about what was behind Shinobu. But when he looked, there was nothing there. He couldn't help asking, "Where's the Flower Pillar?"

Chapter 24: Guesswork

Shinobu's face darkened instantly. She tossed the basin to the floor with irritation. "Hand."

"Oh."

Tetsu no Sosuke had no choice but to extend his hand.

Shinobu dipped a towel in water and began wiping him down as she spoke. "The Pillar Meeting. They're discussing last night's events. My sister went—she needs to report the details of the battle. She also has to elaborate on the Nichirin Blade you forged for her. Honestly, if you weren't so badly injured, you'd have to go too."