"It is good enough that all of you returned safely," the messenger said. "First, your uniforms will be issued. Professional tailors will take each of your measurements and make them to order."
"There are ten ranks in total."
"Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, Mizunoto. From this day on, all of you are正式 members of the Demon Slayer Corps, beginning at the Mizunoto rank."
"Great! You damned woman, I'll rank up faster than you!" Shinazugawa jabbed a finger at Sui.
"Today, each of you will choose the material for your blade—tamahagane. It will take ten to fifteen days before the sword is finished."
"And before that—"
The messenger clapped his hands.
A chorus of hoarse caws rose overhead. Eighteen crows descended from the sky, each landing on a swordsman's shoulder or head.
Sui lifted a finger, and the Kasugai Crow alighted neatly on it.
"This little lady is called Chibana. Lady Sui, I look forward to your care."
Kasugai Crow Chibana bowed politely.
"Did you choose that name yourself?" Sui asked.
"Yes, Lady Sui. You may also give me a new one, if you wish."
"No, your name is very beautiful. Please take care of me as well." Sui smiled.
She was intensely curious about this new animal companion of hers. After all, crows that could speak did not exist in the twenty-first century. She gently stroked Chibana's feathers with one finger, and Chibana spread her wings in clear contentment, rubbing her little head against her new master's fingertips.
The scene on the other side, however, was far less heartwarming.
"Hey! You idiot! You beast! How dare you sit on my hair!" Shinazugawa glared upward. The crow on his head calmly groomed its feathers and said at leisure, "I haven't even complained yet. Is your hair a hedgehog? Why is it as hard as steel needles? It is really not a pleasant place to perch."
"Kasugai Crows," the messenger continued. "Anyone who passes the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane becomes an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps and is entitled to a uniform, a Kasugai Crow, and a Nichirin Blade, along with a starting monthly salary of one hundred and twenty yen."
Shinazugawa, who had been bickering fiercely with his crow, Sorai, froze.
Sui, who had been toying with Chibana's feathers, also froze.
For a moment, she genuinely suspected she had misheard.
How much?
One hundred and twenty yen... per month?
In an era still tied to the gold standard, one hundred and twenty yen had purchasing power roughly equivalent to an ordinary family's income for an entire year.
In the Taishō era, a monthly salary of one hundred and twenty yen would surpass even some prosperous merchants.
And this was merely the salary of the lowest-ranked Demon Slayer Corps member.
In everything Sui had read in the twenty-first century—manga, novels, all of it—an organization like this was supposed to be dirt poor, wasn't it? Every member struggling to survive, yet still fighting demons for the sake of their beliefs, and so on.
On the other side, Shinazugawa was already shouting, "That damned Masachika! Even the lowest-ranked swordsmen get one hundred and twenty yen, and you told me you were dead broke?!"
"You really do manage to have issues with everyone," Kasugai Crow Sorai sighed. "I worry for any future comrade who has to work alongside you."
Once the swordsmen had more or less adjusted to their new crow companions, the messenger resumed his explanation.
"The Kasugai Crows are assigned on the spot. Each has its own name and personality, and each will get along with its master differently. Before being assigned, every Kasugai Crow receives a pet name from the Master. Afterward, whether you choose to give it a formal name or simply keep using the pet name it already likes is entirely up to you. I only hope that all of you will cherish these companions."
"And next... comes what you have all been waiting for most."
"The blade."
The messenger pulled away the cloth.
In that instant, the gleam of metal seemed sharp enough to split the entire grove apart.
Eighteen spherical lumps of metal known as tamahagane rested on scarlet silk, their surfaces glowing with a frosty sheen.
Ordinarily, this was the moment when all the candidates would surge forward to inspect the quality of the tamahagane. But now, not a single one of them dared move.
The lively atmosphere stirred up by the Kasugai Crows cooled again at once. Openly or otherwise, the eyes of the swordsmen all settled on Sui.
"After choosing your tamahagane," the messenger said, "please bring it to the station at the foot of the mountain, where the swordsmiths will be waiting."
"Lady Sui, everyone is watching you," Chibana said.
"That's because I need to go up first as the outstanding graduate representative of this year's class," Sui replied.
Chibana did not really understand, but she could tell it meant Sui was very impressive, so she chirped happily, "Amazing, Lady Sui!"
Sui stepped forward.
Since she could not directly inspect the metal with her eyes, she lightly tapped each piece of tamahagane with the hilt of her sword. The differences in quality among them were not especially large. In the end, she chose the worst one and took it away.
Shinazugawa followed immediately after, swept his gaze across them, grabbed one, and caught up with her.
Only after the two of them disappeared from the clearing did the rest of the swordsmen finally rush forward.
"So that's your eye for quality. Impressively awful," Shinazugawa mocked without mercy.
Sui simply nodded. "Yes, yes, of course."
"I can tell the quality of tamahagane at a glance. There's no way you can't. Woman, why did you take the worst one? What are you scheming?"
After a moment's thought, Sui answered with unusual seriousness.
"Because I'm strong. Even if the tamahagane is lower quality, it doesn't matter much for me. In other words, I can kill demons even without a Nichirin Blade. So I'd rather leave the better steel to someone who truly needs it. Perhaps that superior blade might one day save their life."
"Let me see yours," she added.
"Like hell I will!" Shinazugawa refused sternly.
But Sui simply flicked his tamahagane out with the hilt of her sword, gave it a light tap, and then smiled with interest.
"Oh? Mr. Shinazugawa, didn't you pick the second-worst piece? Tsundere is already outdated. No, wait, I suppose it hasn't even begun yet in this era. Are you trying to inaugurate the age of tsundere?"
"Baka yarō!" the white-haired porcupine exploded.
"An order from the Master! An order from the Master!"
Chibana came flying in from the distance and landed on Sui's finger. Her voice, somewhere between that of a young girl and a maiden, was bright and clear.
"The Master invites Lady Sui to the Wisteria House on Mount Fujikasane. There are important matters to discuss."
"The Master? The Master of the Demon Slayer Corps... Mr. Ubuyashiki?" Sui nodded. "Very well. I'll go at once."
At that moment, Sorai came wobbling in from the sky.
"A message! A message!"
"Oh!" Shinazugawa bared his teeth. "So that Demon Slayer Corps Master really is sending for me too!"
"A message! A message! Shinazugawa Sanemi is to report immediately! Shinazugawa Sanemi is to report immediately! Your cultivator is waiting for you at Waterfall Mountain!"
Kasugai Crow Sorai landed firmly on Shinazugawa's head, shrieking the order over and over.
"Hah?"
"It seems Mr. Shinazugawa did not receive an invitation from the Master," Sui said with a hand over her mouth, laughing softly. "Well then, it is time to say goodbye. Quite the pleasant little Fujikasane excursion, this was."
"Farewell, Mr. Shinazugawa."
Sui waved, then bowed slightly and turned onto the path leading toward the Wisteria House. Morning sunlight filtered through the branches and fell across the girl's retreating figure, her crimson haori swaying as she went.
"You're laughing, woman! You're definitely laughing at me!" Shinazugawa roared.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter100)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 60
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 50
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 50
The Way the Umamusume Look at 31
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 26
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 26
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