Ever since the concept of the Transparent World emerged, Haruto had been contemplating how to enter that world of enlightenment.
Breath of the Stars itself possessed excellent perception, but according to the understanding of the Transparent World, he no longer needed to "release" his perception as he usually did; instead, he needed to concentrate and contract it, so as to achieve the transparency of the living beings in front of him in a certain instant, entering a slow world of acute perception.
It sounded mysterious, and it was even more baffling to put into practice.
After a week of stubborn attempts, Haruto could only temporarily give up the idea of conquering the Transparent World in one go, deciding to first refine his body and Breathing Technique to be stronger and more proficient.
Ever since Tanjirou and Genya returned to Mt. Sagiri, Sakonji-sensei had also become much busier.
Haruto had seen him more than once secretly going up the mountain during his patrols, restoring the traps used to train young swordsmen over and over again.
Amidst the good news that Sora had brought, of Kyoujurou slaying Lower Moon Two, Hair Wolf, and being promoted to a Hashira, two familiar figures, one large and one small, appeared in Mt. Sagiri.
Haruto heard the sound of wind chimes, and turning around, he couldn't help but show a surprised expression: "Mr. Haganezuka? And... Kotetsu?"
The two figures, one large and one small, looked up, revealing the Fire Man masks beneath their straw hats.
"Haruto-nii!" Kotetsu waved his hands vigorously, scurrying out from beside Haganezuka Hotaru as if fleeing: "Mr. Haganezuka is really too strange. I've been trying to persuade him to take off the wind chimes on his hat the whole way.
Everyone looks at him with strange eyes, but he feels very proud..."
"You little brat, how beautiful are wind chimes!" Haganezuka Hotaru angrily reached out to grab him, but Kotetsu, like a monkey, climbed up Haruto's clothes and sat on his shoulder.
The child breathed a sigh of relief, hugging Haruto's head tightly: "I'm almost exhausted from running all the way here from Swordsmith Village... I'm not a swordsman, nor am I an adult, and Mr. Haganezuka never carried me after running such a long distance! He's really mean!"
Haruto noticed that his wooden clogs were covered in dust, and even his socks had a small hole worn through them.
"Ugh!" Haganezuka Hotaru angrily turned his back: "If it weren't for you, you stinky brat, being so eager to show this thing to Haruto, would we have needed to run such a long way!"
The man had a huge bundle on his back, and he panted as he set it down, producing a clinking sound.
So Kotetsu eagerly jumped down again: "Be gentle, be gentle, what if the order gets messed up!"
Haganezuka Hotaru sat on the edge of the wooden hut and met the eyes of the silently observing Sakonji Urokodaki inside.
"Hey, Urokodaki."
Sakonji nodded; the two familiar individuals had exchanged greetings.
Kotetsu fumbled to open the backpack, and inside was actually a... mechanical doll?
Although its appearance was crude, and the doll's decorations were far less refined than the yoriichi zero Haruto had seen last time, judging by the beautifully polished metal bearings and numerous movable joints, the creator had put a lot of effort into this mechanical doll.
"This is..." Haruto walked forward in surprise to help him, pulling the heavy doll out of the backpack.
So heavy!
Haganezuka Hotaru was actually able to carry this thing all the way from Swordsmith Village to here; his muscular physique was certainly not for show!
The mechanical doll was placed on the ground, and it was evident that the doll's structure was already very complete.
It's just... its appearance was too ugly, and that flat head was decorated with a tuft of white hair like a red tasseled spear, the purpose of which was unknown.
Kotetsu pulled out a silver key, which, like the key that controlled yoriichi zero, was hung around his neck.
"Ever since Mr. Haganezuka heard about the mechanical doll, he coerced and enticed me, and I was forced to tell him about yoriichi zero. I didn't expect him to want to research mechanical dolls with me.
But from my perspective, compared to crafting the various joints of the doll, he's more interested in the nichirin blade in yoriichi zero's hand..."
Kotetsu huffed and glared at Haganezuka Hotaru, who was talking to Mr. Urokodaki, then inserted the key into the back of the mechanical doll's neck.
"...I'm not proficient in swordsmanship, and my skill in making mechanisms isn't up to par, so the power of this mechanical doll certainly can't compare to yoriichi zero; it can only barely fight ordinary swordsmen."
After turning on the switch, the mechanical doll stood up from the ground, its movements indeed somewhat stiff.
Kotetsu said that this doll had three settings: low, medium, and high. The higher the setting, the faster the attack speed.
However, due to the inherent limitations of the mechanical doll, the high setting might lead to unexpected dangers.
Haruto tested a few moves with it and found that the doll's strength was indeed far inferior to yoriichi zero.
He looked at the expectant gaze behind Kotetsu's mask, thought for a moment, and decided to tell him honestly.
Unexpectedly, Kotetsu didn't seem to care much: "Come on, I'm just a kid. It's already amazing that I can piece together a bunch of mechanisms and make it move!"
"Eh? I thought you'd be very disappointed."
"A year ago, I was indeed very disheartened by such things. After all, I always felt that I had no talent for swordsmithing or for becoming a swordsman, no different from a good-for-nothing."
Kotetsu shrugged: "If it weren't for Mr. Haganezuka, Mr. Tekkan, Godo-sensei, and everyone in Swordsmith Village helping me this time, I probably wouldn't even be able to make this one mechanical doll!
Oh, and Haruto-nii, I also have to thank you for your encouragement!"
Kotetsu hugged his leg and looked up at him, asking with a joyful tone: "Guess what this mechanical doll is called!"
Eh?
Haruto's smile froze on his face.
He looked at the ugly mechanical doll, his gaze lingering on that tuft of white hair for a moment.
"Ahaha... Is it called Kotetsu Zero? That's a very fitting name!"
"No, it's not! Although it's the first doll I made, I'm not so narcissistic as to name it after myself!"
"Haganezuka Hotaru Zero!"
"Not that either. Think about it, it's easy to guess!"
"Godou River Zero!"
"Incorrect~"
"Sanemi Shinazugawa Zero!"
"Who's that!"
Kotetsu shook his head, saying with a tone that implied "you're really stupid": "The name of this mechanical doll is Haru..."
"Eh! Genya! Tanjirou!"
Haruto enthusiastically waved at the two senior and junior disciples who were supporting each other as they came down the mountain: "Come quickly! Teacher, I've found you a practice partner!"
Tanjirou: (ง ˙o˙)ว Coming!
Genya: ⊙_⊙ So enthusiastic? This seems ominous.
"Come, Kotetsu, how do you adjust the settings?" Haruto smiled as he took off the wooden sword from the mechanical doll's hand and replaced it with a real sword.
"Set this to the highest setting, and give these two little guys a good workout."
The few who heard this all looked at Tanjirou and Genya, who were running over with cheerful expressions, and their faces all showed kind smiles.
Posted October 11 at 5:18 PM
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