Halfway through a jug of wine, Tetsu no Sosuke heard footsteps approaching. He sighed. "Found already? I guess I really have no talent for running away."
He turned to look past the rock and saw a boy with a sword at his waist, sniffing as he walked. A Combat Automaton followed close behind him.
Suddenly, the boy seemed to catch something and headed straight for Sosuke's corner. "Found you, Sosuke!"
"..."
Sosuke studied him, then scratched his head. "Am I drunk? Why else would I be seeing Tanjiro?"
"It really is me." Tanjiro pointed at his own face and set down the wooden box on his back.
Sosuke looked at him, then at the box. Finally, he nodded. "Here to have a drink with me?"
"Huh?"
Tanjiro glanced at the wine in Sosuke's hand, looking hesitant.
Sosuke burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. You're far too young to drink."
"I wasn't even thinking about it..." Tanjiro was speechless. You're the one saying all this. Could you give me a chance to get a word in?
"What brings you here?" Sosuke took a sip of wine. The taste of medicine seemed to fade from his mouth, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"I passed Final Selection," Tanjiro said. "I was supposed to have someone in Swordsmith Village forge me a Nichirin Blade, but I remembered you saying that if I passed, I should come find you here. You said you'd forge one for me."
Sosuke thought it over carefully. That did sound familiar. He nodded. "All right. Stay here for a couple of days. My body should be more or less fine by then, and I'll forge your Nichirin Blade. It looks like Final Selection went well. How do you feel?"
Tanjiro shook his head. "I still have a long way to go."