'damn… that's weird as fuck, imagine seeing a robot version of your dad but with six arms-' Y/N sweat-dropped.

'I know that… I recognize that face…' Tanjiro stared at the doll with wide eyes. “Its arms… why does it have six?!”

“Its arms? According to my father…” Kotetsu started to explain. “That doll was modeled on an actual swordsman, he said if it didn't have six arms, it couldn't recreate that swordsman movements.”

'I feel like I know him, but I'm not sure…' Tanjiro turned to Kotetsu, immediately bombarding him with questions : “Who was that swordsman?! Where was he from and what did he do?”

“Sorry, but I don't know much about it, it was during the sengoku period.”

“Th-The sengoku period?! You mean over 300 years ago?! The doll hasn't broken once in all that time?!”

“It's amazing technology that we can't match even today, if it breaks, we can't repair it. My father died suddenly, and I don't have any siblings, I have to do a good job, but I have no talent with swords or mechanical things…”

“So that's why you're so… I see, I see…” Tanjiro says with a sympathetic expression, before once again turning to look at Muichiro and the doll. “He's… incredible. He isn't much older than me, but he's a hashira, he has talent.”

“Is that so? I think that doll is quite amazing itself…” Y/N commented, staring intently at it. “Hmm, but as I thought, it's not a perfect clone. If it was just like the real one, Muichiro would be gone before he could even withdraw the sword…”

“Huh?” Kotetsu tilted his head.

“Y/N, do you know some-” Tanjiro was about to ask her, but a loud and scrawny voice appeared :

“WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY TOKITO, BARBARIC WOMAN?!” Muichiro's crow violently started to peck her head. “ACK! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING-”

“NOT ONLY YOUR FACE IS DUMB, BUT ALSO THE THINGS YOU SAY ARE! THAT BOY DESCENDS FROM USERS OF SUN BREATHING! HE'S A GENIUS! HE'S ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL THAN YOU LOT!”

“Are you Tokito's crow? By sun breathing, you mean the original style of breathing? Is he really that incredible?” Tanjiro tilted his head with a confused expression, and then asked : “But he doesn't use sun breathing, right?”

The crow gasped in offense, finally stopping pecking Y/N to go attack Tanjiro instead : “SHUT UP! I'LL PECK OUT YOUR EYES!” She harshly started to pull his cheek with her beak.

“GYAAAH!” He was screaming in pain, until suddenly gasping like he realized something and exclaimed : “I remember! It was a dream! I saw that person in a dream!”

The crow rested on his shoulder and mockingly responded : “What? Are you stupid?! What are you doing in this village? That's so unrealistic I could laugh! Do you know a warrior from the sengoku period? How old are you?”

Tanjiro puffed his cheeks for a second, and then slumped down his shoulders. “S-sorry- I'm strange, aren't I?”

Y/N silently approached the boy from behind and flicked the crow off his shoulder. “AAAGH- WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BI-” She smacked it away before it could finish insulting her… what? Animal abuse? Of course not!

“Don't listen to that crow, Tanjiro! I mean, look at it, it has eyelashes! Personally, if I was a crow and looked like this, I would never leave my house, haha!” Y/N happily said with a blank smile.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY-”

“M-maybe it's an inherited memory!” Kotetsu interrupted them. “People in our village talk about that, families pass on more than just their outward appearance! Living creatures can also inherit memories, the first time they make a sword, they might remember seeing a similar scene, or remember something they haven't yet experienced, and we call that an inherited memory. The dream you had must have been an ancestor's memory!”

“That's a fantasy! Fantaaaasssyyyy!” The crow on Y/N's shoulders exclaimed, while the girl covered her ears with an annoyed expression.

'Huh? If that's the case, then that girl that I also saw in my dream was Y/N's ancestor?' He side-eyed Y/N, who boredly yawned while looking at the plants. Well, nobody would expect that instead of being her ancestor, it was actually just Y/N herself.

“That's kind of you, thank you. I'm Tanjiro, what's your name?”

“I'm Kotetsu, never mind that lady crow.”

A loud sound called their attentions, Muichiro had taken a swipe at the doll, hitting its face and making some pieces fly everywhere.

“Aaah! His armor!”

Kotetsu immediately started shaking with the sight, quickly running off in tears. “Kotetsu!”

“Wow, he really was no mercy even against a robotWHOA-” Y/N was interrupted when Tanjiro suddenly grabbed her haori collar and dragged her together with him. “Kotetsu! We will find you! I've got a good nose! But I'm not in good condition right down….”

“Kotetsu! Kote— Wow! You're climbing at full speed, Kotetsu!” Tanjiro said, looking up to see Kotetsu sitting on a branch of a really tall tree, his face hiding on the trunk.

“We'll help you with doll if there's anything we can do! Don't give up! Your future is bright! You have to work hard now, so you can become the person you'll be in ten or 20 years! Eventually, you'll be able to do all sorts of things you can't do now!” Tanjiro exclaimed with an earnest expression.

“Yeah! And if you want to take revenge for the doll, I can help you hide the body!!”

“Y/N!”

“sorry-”

“No, I won't!” Kotetsu exclaiming, sliding his mask up and wiping his tears with his hand. “I know myself! I'm just no good! It will all end with my generation, and it's my fault-”

The kid looked up, seeing Tanjiro in front of him, grabbing a branch and suspended in the air like a monkey while blankly staring at him.

“EEEHK! Huh?! How?!” Kotetsu tried to turn and escape, only to come face to face with Y/N, who was sitting beside him on the branch while happily waving at the boy. “EEEEK!! HOW ARE YOU HERE TOO-”

'They moved silently- this is a swordsman-'

“You can't abandon your responsibility. I don't want you to talk about yourself like that. Even if you can't do it yourself, you'll find someone else to carry on for you, you have to put effort for what comes next, even if you can never do it, maybe your children or grandchildren will be able to, right?”

“what're you lookin' at, low rankers?!” Muichiro's crow exclaimed at Tanjiro's crow and Shiro, who were watching the whole thing taking place.

“Get lost, you and your ugly eyelashes!” Tanjiro's crow responded, while Shiro only stared blankly at her.

“I want to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, and help my little sister who turned into a demon! And what are about you, Y/N? Is there something you want to do too?”

“Huh? Me? Well, uh- Wow-, it's a bit complicated to explain right now, but you know, I have all the time in the world to accomplish it! And the same applies to you, Kotetsu! It may look you're racing against the time, but I promise it's not like that! You don't know what will happen tomorrow, or in two or even five years, so what's the point of losing hope now?”

'Phew, I hope this sounds motivating enough- I didn't expect him to ask what my objective was! Saying something like 'i wanna change the future' would probably sound too ambitious'.

“And even so, we may die before we accomplish anything.” Tanjiro speaks up with a serious expression. “Still, I believe that someone will ultimately get it done. As surely as someone saved our lives, and we went on to defeat an upper-rank demon, the lives we save are certain to eventually defeat Kibutsuji.”

He grabbed Kotetsu hand. “Let's all work hard together!”

The kid sniffed in response, weakly saying : “….okay… I hoped the doll would never break, but I'm determined. Combat training should last until dark, so I'll get ready to see this to the end… like I should.”

“Yay! Let's beat them up, Kotetsu!” Y/N happily exclaimed, hugging the kid while he struggled in her grasp with a red face : “AAAH LET GO OF ME- AND WHO ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE BEATING UP-"

They finally went down from the tree, Y/N kind of wanted to ask how Tanjiro managed to stay hanged up in the air for that long.

“Oh! You're ten years old?” He asked to Kotetsu, who nodded. “My little brother—” Muichiro suddenly walked through them, interrupting the group.

“Huh?! You're done?!”

“I'm finished. It was good training. Who are you guys again? Oh… right.”

He raised his hand, showing one of the swords of the mechanical doll, not only the sword, but one of the doll's arms still had a firm grip on the handle. “My sword broke, so I'm taking this one.”

Kotetsu jolted with the sight, quickly running off to check on it.

“Kotetsu-!” Tanjiro tried to go after him, but Muichiro suddenly threw his old sword at him, it hitting against his forehead. “Wah!”

“Oh god! Tanjiro, is the sword okay?!” Y/N quickly went to check, crouching to have a better look at the weapon on the floor. “Wow, it didn't break even after it hit against your inhuman forehead-” She stared at it an awe.

“Huh?” She looked up after noticing that Muichiro still hasn't left, he was staring so intently at her that she felt like he was starting to make holes in her face.

“What is it?” She smiled gently and asked, ignoring the cold sweat starting to form on her forehead.

He tilted his head. “Hey-”

“HOW DARE YOU MAKE HIM WASTE HIS VOICE ON YOU-” His eyelash crow interrupted him, pecking her head. “AAGH-”

Muichiro ignored them, starting to walk away as the crow exasperatedly stopped attacking Y/N to go land on his shoulder.

Tanjiro looked at them leaving. “I don't smell any animosity, I don't think he does it on purpose… but…”

His gaze fixed in the crow on his shoulder, who immediately let out a 'humph!'

“That crow is full of animosity! It's really looking down on us-”

“You don't say- Ow…” Y/N commented while rubbing her hurting forehead, she will be sure to fry this stupid bird on oil next time she sees it!

“Ah! Are you hurt, Y/N?” Tanjiro worriedly commented, cupping her cheeks to have a better look at her face.

“Nah, I'm fine! How about you? That sword hit your head pretty harshly before…”

“I'm fine too!” He nodded.

“Let's look for Kotetsu them!” Y/N said, getting up and offering her hand to Tanjiro, which he took without any hesitation.

'Kotetsu…. Kotetsu…. Oh! There he is!'

Kotetsu was sadly staring at the broken doll, resting emotionless on the floor.

Like it was reading the mood, a sudden rain started to fall.

“Kotetsu, let's go look, and see if it still works.”

They quickly helped the doll get up, quietly waiting for any reaction from it.

“It's not working… So, I guess it's—"
Interrupting Tanjiro, the doll quickly started to move. “Yeah! It still works, Kotetsu! Great!”

“Yes! Train with this, Y/N, Tanjiro! And get stronger than this emotionless jerk, I will help you with all my might.” He suddenly blurted out with an incredibly serious voice.

'What… starting now?!' Tanjiro froze.

'Why… WHY DO I HAVE TO TRAIN TOO?!' Y/N also froze.