Not talking was fine too. Tetsu no Sosuke knew what she had been through, and he didn't think he could get the girl to open up.
At least for now, she seemed to be doing well enough.
He had plenty of troubles of his own, anyway.
Shinobu Kocho had taken an assignment today, so she had gone out.
Tetsu no Sosuke had thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend some time with Kochou Kanae.
But Kochou Kanae had left even earlier, and he had no idea where she had gone.
With no other choice, he sighed, lured the little girl over with a rice ball, and sat with her on the veranda in the breeze.
He enjoyed the breeze, watched the sky, and sketched a new Nichirin Blade on a sheet of paper.
It was for Shinobu Kocho.
As a reward for playing the third wheel, she had demanded that Tetsu no Sosuke forge her a Nichirin Blade. He could only agree through tears.
And she had plenty of demands!
First, it had to be as light as her older sister's Nichirin Blade. Second, it needed a place to store poison.
Finally, it had to suit the swordsmanship of the Breath of the Insect, which she had created herself.
If possible, she wanted the blade to make the poison more potent...
And when it struck a demon, it had to inject the poison directly into the demon's body...
It also had to look good, without appearing too bulky...
The Sword Guard had to be shaped like a four-leaf clover. Since she wasn't a Pillar, the blade didn't need an inscription, but the sheath needed a hidden mechanism.
She also wanted Tetsu no Sosuke to make her two small knives, and she had supplied their exact dimensions.
By the time