Chapter 68: Village Chief
Patting Tanjiro's back, Hiroto led the way forward towards the house that the Kakushi pointed them to. "I wonder if it's the village chief. Since the Kakushi from before placed such a big importance on meeting with them."
"Hmmm, it could be. Since this village works with the Demon Slayer Corps they would probably want to know when we come here." Tanjiro said, stroking his chin.
Arriving at the large house, Hiroto knocked on the entrance.
*knock knock*
"Coming! Wait a moment!" A familiar voice came from inside.
"Say, wasn't his voice quite similar to someone we met before?" Hiroto asked Tanjiro.
"Hmmm, I think so?" Tanjiro said, also unsure himself.
As the sliding door opened apart, a man wearing a green haori and Hyottoko mask appeared.
The three people paused for a moment, as they stared at each other.
"Ah! It's you! Red Nichirin Blade Boy!" The man yelled out, pointing at Hiroto.
"It's you! The sword pervert! Mansumiko!" Hiroto pointed back at the man.
"It's Atsuhiko! Get my name right!" Atsuhiko yelled at him.
"Then don't call me 'Red Nichirin Blade Boy'! Call me by my actual name! Hiroto!" Hiroto yelled back at him, thinking, 'He didn't deny the sword pervert bit'.
The man then walked over and put his arm around Hiroto's shoulders and laughed. "Hahaha, do you know how much I showed off to the other's here? Hahaha, they never believed me that your sword turned red, even that damn Haganezuka didn't back me up and said I was lying. Tsk. But since you're here, I can have you show it off, hahaha."
"What the hell are you talking about? Get off me. We came since Tanjiro has some business in the village. I came along with him to gain some experience. We were told the first thing to do is to come to this building." Hiroto said, shrugging Atsuhiko off. "Please refrain from getting within 5, no, 10 feet near this box."
"Tsk, so stingy. Whatever, since you're here then let me take you to see the village chief. I have to warn you though, he has quite the ego." Atsuhiko said.
"Bigger than yours?" Hiroto said.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you over how awesome I am." Atsuhiko shamelessly said.
"Tsk, deaf bat," Hiroto muttered.
"Tsk." The man clicked his tongue.
Tanjiro was left standing at the back as the two walked alongside each other and kept arguing with one another. "Just how am I supposed to enter this conversation. It's like a whole nother realm."
The two brothers were then led to a room where three people were currently present. A short old man was kneeling on a cushion. Behind him on either side were 2 other men who were kneeling as well. All of these people wore Hyottoko masks.
Hiroto and Tanjiro both sat on their knees in front of him as Atsuhiko sat and took his place at the side of the room.
"Hello there. I am the Chief of this village, Tecchikiwahara Tecchin. (what a mouth full) Very nice to meet you." The short old man, Tecchin, said.
Hiroto bowed in greeting as he thought 'He doesn't seem that bad'. Tecchin continued.
"I may be the smallest in this village, but I am also the best at my craft. Now, bow your head so low it touches the mat." Tecchin said, having a proud demeanor to him.
*slam* "Kamado Tanjiro. Very honored to meet you!" Tanjiro shouted out. "And this is my older brother, Hiroto!"
"What a good boy. Now come over here and take some dough cakes." Tecchin said, taking out a bowl of dough cakes and presenting it.
"Thank you so much!" Tanjiro yelled, as he went forward and started munching on the snacks. Hiroto came next to him and thought, 'Can't believe you betrayed your brother so quickly for some dough cakes.'
"I've heard of you two before. Kamado Hiroto, and Kamado Tanjiro. Especially Hiroto, since Atsuhiko kept on bragging that you were able to turn your Nichirin Blade Red. He just wouldn't shut up." Tecchin said.
"It's true! If you don't believe me, get him to show you!" Atsuhiko cried out, waving his fists in the air.
"Bah, we'll do that later. First, I can already guess why you came, Kamado Tanjiro. However, Hotaru has gone missing right now. We're doing our best to look for him, so please be patient." Tecchin said, dismissing Atsuhiko who blew steam out of the long mouthpiece of its mask.
"Hotaru?Ah-!" Tanjiro asked, stuffing his face with the dough cake, only to have it snatched by Hiroto.
*munch* "Pft, when you say Hotaru, you don't mean to say his full name is Haganezuka Hotaru?" Hiroto said, trying his best not to laugh. Atsuhiko on the side was looking away, as he tried to control his laughter as well, shaking in his place.
"Yes. Haganezuka Hotaru." Tecchin confirmed.
"What a cute name!" Tanjiro said with a straight face.
"I'm the one who gave it to him," Tecchin said. "But he keeps badmouthing me since he says it's too cute." Seeming annoyed at the last part.
"That's pretty sad," Tanjiro said.
'No, that's pretty funny.' Hiroto and Atsuhiko thought.
*sigh* "He's always been like this ever since he was a child. He always throws tantrums right away, then he goes off somewhere. Sorry about that." Tecchin apologized, explaining Haganezuka's personality.
Tanjiro panicked and quickly said, "Oh, no, no! I'm the one who ends up either breaking the sword or chipping it."
"No. You're wrong." Tecchin declared decisively. "It's his fault for creating a sword that could actually break." His tone carried no remorse, but some disappointment to it.
Tanjiro and Hiroto were stunned at his words. "So swords aren't meant to break as frequently as Tanjiro's?" Hiroto asked.
"Psshh, of course not. It's because Hanagezuka is just a lousy swordsmith. He probably gave up and ran off." Atsuhiko said mercilessly.
"As soon as we find him, we'll seize him and bring him over. So don't worry about anything." The man to the right, Inosuke's swordsmith Kanamori, declared.
"Ah, please don't be violent…" Tanjiro said.
"Don't worry about that. Leave the matter to us, you two can just relax in our village in the meantime. Hiroto, since you are here, would you mind showing us your blade? Atsuhiko has been claiming that it was red ever since he came back from delivering your blade. I, myself would like to see one at least once." Tecchin said, with a hint of anticipation and expectation in his voice.
The two people behind him also shifted in their position as they also wanted to see the fabled Red Nichirin Blade.
"Uhmm, sure. It's no big deal." Hiroto said, slowly drawing the Crimson Red blade from its sheath. The blade basked in the sunlight that descended onto it and reflected it's shining luster around the room.
"Ooohhh!!" The swordsmith got excited.
"Here, here, pass it to me!" Tecchin said, waving his short hands at Hiroto.
Hiroto complied and handed his sword over.
"Wow, look at this. What a beautiful color." Tecchin admired.
"Hahaha, I told you that it was red! And it was made by me!" Atsuhiko shouted as he thumped his chest with pride.
"Bah, the color has to do with the user, not the creator of the sword," Tecchin said, dismissing poor Atsuhiko, who crouched in the corner and drew circles on the ground.
"Hm? How come there's a purple color here? Almost like Amethyst?" Kanamori spoke up, leaning over Tecchin's.
Tecchin remained quiet, and then handed Hiroto's sword back to him. "Thank you for showing it to me. I heard that your body still hasn't fully recovered enough to be sent out into the field. You can stay here and use it while you wait for your brother's sword to be made. If Hotaru doesn't come back by then, we'll have someone else do it."
Waving his hand to gesture them to leave, he added one last thing. "The hot spring in our village does wonders for the body. So please, spend some time there."
Hiroto and Tanjiro bowed to Tecchin and left the building. There, they met another man wearing a Hyottoko mask who guided them towards the steps up the hot spring.
Arriving at the bottom of a path, multiple signs next to it pointed up with the words 'Spring'. "The spring is at the top of this hill. I will be preparing your meal down here. Head to that building once you are done." The man said, pointing to a building off to the side.
"Alright/Okay." Hiroto and Tanjiro said.
"Ahhhhhh!! It's Hiroto-kun! Hiroto-kuuuun!!" A girl's familiar voice came from up the stairs. Hiroto looked up and saw Mitsuri running down in her Kimono, exposing her cleavage a tad wide.
"Mitsuri? Calm down, don't run so fast." Hiroto said to the agitated Mitsuri.
"Ah! Please be careful!! Your breasts are going to spill out!" Tanjiro said.
Mitsuri ran up to Hiroto and jumped onto him, crying into his uniform. "Waahh! Listen, Listeeeeen! I got ignored! I greeted him and he ignored me!"
Hiroto calmed her down and pushed her back, fixing her kimono at the same time while looking away. "Calm down now, who ignored you?" Hiroto asked.
"I don't know!! I asked him his name and he ignored me! Isn't that just cruel? I'm a Hashira! You have to help me Hiroto-kun! We're both trained by Rengoku-san, so I'm basically your senior sister! Now, all that good energy I got from coming out of the spring is completely gone!! Wah!" Mitsuri cried.
*sigh* "You always act like this whenever someone ignores Mitsuri. If you're my senior sister, then why are you asking me to solve your problems?" Hiroto said.
"Wahh! But I'm a Hashira! He should have treated me with more respect!" Mitsuri cried again.
Ever since Hiroto became Rengoku's Tsuguko, he met with Mitsuri sometimes when she came and visited the Flame Estate to do some Hashira work. So the two have interacted and could be considered friends at this time.
"Listen, they're about to finish making the food. Aren't you hungry after taking a bath in the hot spring? You know what they say, food always tastes better after taking a nice refreshing soak." Hiroto said, thinking, 'Yeah right, no one says that but me.'
Tanjiro then also chimed in, "I heard they used Matsutake mushrooms with the food."
"Whoaaaaa!!! You serious?!" Mitsuri cried out in happiness, her crying self now completely gone. Running down the steps, she started singing a tune "Good sir, Good sir. What is fluttering in front of the horse?"
Hiroto and Tanjiro watched her runoff. "She likes eating?" Tanjiro asked.
*sigh* "A bit too much. I wonder where all that food goes…" Hiroto said, remembering how she practically devoured everything in the kitchen when she ate at the Flame Estate.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Suploly
Suploly Mitsuri appearance!
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