Three days.
It was neither long nor short.
But for Kanbe Hikaru, it was just right.
The first day.
He followed that burly man—a young leader of the Demon Slayer Village named 'Matoba'—to tour the entire village.
The scale of the Demon Slayer Village was larger than he had imagined.
The area enclosed by wooden fences was as large as three or four ordinary villages, containing residential areas, armories, training grounds, and a workshop specifically for processing demon remains.
The smell in that workshop was very pungent.
Kanbe Hikaru stood at the doorway and took a look, seeing several Demon Slayers dismantling the skeleton of a wolf demon, preparing to forge it into new weapons.
"This is our old trade."
The burly man patted his chest: "Kill demons, use demons, and use demons to control demons."
Kanbe Hikaru nodded.
He thought of Hiraikotsu; that thing was forged using the bones of hundreds of demons.
It was indestructible and also carried returning and demon-breaking effects, making it very useful.
On the second day, the Demon Slayers' attitude toward Kanbe Hikaru began to change.
At first, although they were not hostile toward Kanbe Hikaru and would introduce him to various things in the village, they were somewhat wary and even kept their distance.
After all, he was a demon, and the demonic aura on him could not be suppressed.
But when they saw Kanbe Hikaru helping to transport those heavy demon bone materials, lifting things that three burly men could only move together, all without panting—
Their attitude changed.
"This sir has such great strength."
"Although he is a demon, he doesn't look like a bad one."
"I heard he is Lady Kikyo's shikigami? Then there must be no problem."
Kanbe Hikaru threw a huge demon bone into the pile of materials and clapped his hands.
"Are there any more?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The burly man hurriedly pointed to the other side.
"There is another batch over there that needs to be moved—"
Just like that, Kanbe Hikaru became free labor for the Demon Slayer Village.
By the third day, he had already become familiar with more than half the people in the village.
A few young Demon Slayers even started calling him 'Brother Kanbe Hikaru'.
Although Kanbe Hikaru felt this title was a bit strange, it didn't matter.
Anyway, his main purpose for coming here was not to socialize.
It was Hiraikotsu.
...
During these three days, he would set aside time every day to attend to this 'big shot' that had been placed in the Demon Slayer Village's warehouse.
Wiping, maintaining.
Talking.
He even took it out to sunbathe.
These things could only be done more smoothly after he had gained its trust.
"You're made of bone, so sunbathing should be comfortable, right?"
He leaned Hiraikotsu against the courtyard wall, letting the sunlight shine evenly on its yellow bone surface.
[Hiraikotsu: Favorability +3]
[Current Favorability: 32 (Goodwill)]
[It feels that your idea is quite considerate, although it doesn't know if sunbathing is actually useful for itself.]
As long as it's effective, that's fine.
Kanbe Hikaru nodded in satisfaction.
On the first morning, favorability rose to 15.
In the afternoon, it broke through 30.
The speed was extraordinarily fast.
The reason was also very simple.
Because Kanbe Hikaru brought it home.
Although it said it didn't care, this guy was still very 'homesick'.
In reality, every walkthrough has similar key points; it's like catering to someone's preferences—if you hit the mark, their favorability will soar, but if you miss, you can only slowly grind it out.
During this time...
[Hiraikotsu's favorability has exceeded 30, unlocking the first talent]
[First Talent: Bone Hardening]
[Effect: You can significantly increase the hardness of your own bones for a short period. The duration depends on the consumption of demonic energy.]
Bone Hardening.
Kanbe Hikaru looked at the description on the panel, lost in thought.
This was a defensive ability; making bones harder meant a stronger ability to withstand blows.
Combined with his original [Shield Bone Transformation], his defensive power should be able to reach another level.
But this was clearly not where its true power lay.
He accelerated the speed of grinding favorability.
The next afternoon, the favorability broke through 50.
[Congratulations, Hiraikotsu's favorability has exceeded 50, unlocking the second talent]
[Second Talent: Bone Proliferation]
[Effect: You can cause your own bones to proliferate and grow in a short period. The speed and quantity of growth depend on the consumption of demonic energy.]
Bone Proliferation.
This was an offensive ability.
Letting bones grow meant being able to sprout things like bone spurs and bone blades from within the body.
It was somewhat similar to the Kaguya Clan from another work he had seen, "Naruto."
Kanbe Hikaru's eyes lit up.
On the evening of the third day, the final few hours before the magical duel began.
He found a deserted corner, placed Hiraikotsu on the ground, and began the final sprint.
"You've been in the Demon Slayer Village for over a hundred years, haven't you?"
He asked.
[Hiraikotsu nodded—even though it didn't have a head.]
"Then you must have seen many Demon Slayers."
[Hiraikotsu indicated that yes, it had seen over a dozen generations of people.]
"Were they all good to you?"
[Hiraikotsu was silent for a moment.]
[It told you that there were good and bad ones. Some treated it as a tool, while others treated it as a partner.]
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