Sometimes Kanae would chat with him, too. What stayed with him most was something she had once said: "Tanjiro, he has high hopes for you."
"He?" It took Tanjiro only a second to realize who she meant. "Sosuke?"
Kanae smiled and said, "So your future is sure to be bright. Keep working hard."
It was only a few short words, but to Tanjiro, that encouragement was incredibly powerful. He instinctively straightened his back, lifted his head, and answered firmly, "Yes!"
Sometimes Kanae did not come. She was pregnant, and her belly was already quite large, so she needed more rest. She only came to see her husband when she missed him during the day, and even then, she never disturbed him or let him know she was there.
More often, a girl named Kiyo Terauchi accompanied her on a walk, or she went back to rest.
When she was not at the Sword Forging Shed, a fellow named Yuichiro would appear before him.
"Are you here to have my teacher forge you a Nichirin Blade? Judging by your age, you probably aren't a veteran Demon Hunter, are you? What's your rank?"
Yuichiro was rather blunt when he spoke, even a little aggressive.
But that was only Tanjiro's first impression. After spending two days with him, he discovered that Yuichiro was a very clever and interesting fellow.
He had an extraordinary dedication to forging, and even more so to Mechanism Arts.
Tanjiro had brought his Combat Automaton along on this visit, too, and Yuichiro spotted a problem with its second left arm at a glance.
The two of them moved off to one side, where Yuichiro dismantled the automaton, scattering its parts all over the ground. Tanjiro's mouth kept twitching as he watched. *If you can't put it back together, I'll