A Cook, A Doctor, A Ghost and A Ronin.

Hotaru Haganezuka

"Greetings. I'm the chief of this village. Tecchin-Tecchi Kawahara. Nice to meet you." The chief introduced himself. Tanjiro decided to meet with the village chief first before anything. The village chief is very small.

The village chief is an elderly man who is partially bald on crown of his head, but has white, shoulder length hair.  Despite his face being obscured by a mask, he has noticeable wrinkles which can be seen from above his mask and along his neck.

"I'm the town's smallest and most esteemed person. So esteemed that you should bow until your head touches the tatami mat." Tecchi declared that he's the most esteemed person in this village. Beside him is his most trusted man that also wears a mask like him.

*Bonk!*

"I'm Kamado Tanjiro! it's a pleasure to meet you!" Tanjiro introduced himself while bowing until his head touches the tatami mat as the Tecchi said obediently, hitting his forehead on the floor. The chief is pleased with what Tanjiro is doing.

"Oh, what a nice young man. Come here, I'll give you some karinto." The chief offered Tanjiro some karinto which is traditional Japanese snack.

"It seems that Hotaru had disappeared. We're searching for him. I hope that you could be more patient." Tecchi asked Tanjiro to be a little more patient as they are trying their best to find Hotaru.

"Hotaru?" Tanjiro tildted his head.

"Yes...Hotaru Haganezuka." Tecchi told Tanjiro Haganezuka's full name. The name didn't suit him at all.

"What a cute name!" Tanjiro didn't expect that. Who knows that a man that used to chase him with knives and cursed him for breaking his sword have such a cute name.

"He said it was too cute and got mad at me." Tecchi the village chief remembered how Haganezuka goes mad because why he was named like that.

"He's been that way since he was small. He throws tantrums and goes off to sulk. I'm sorry for his behalf and for your inconvenience." Tecchi lets out a sigh. He didn't knew why Haganezuka is always like that.

"No, no, it's okay! It's all because I do things like break my sword and chip the blade!" Tanjiro supposed that the one is at fault is himself.

"No, you are wrong. It's HIS fault for making dull blades that break." Tecchi said the otherwise. He said that the one at blame if Haganezuka himself.

"We'll bring back as soon as we find him. So don't worry about that. If Hotaru doesn't forge you a sword by the time you're ready, I'll appoint someone else to be your swordsmith." Tecchi would ordered his men to find Haganezuka. And if he didn't forge any sword, he will be replaced by other swordsmith.

"I heard that you haven't yet recovered enough to go demon slaying. Our hot spring is very good for healing the body. So just relax here." Tecchi suggested Tanjiro to rejuvenate himself in the hot spring.

Tanjiro excused himself and left. I wished they didn't fight. Tanjiro hoped that they didn't fight. He would really prefer if they could negotiate with this.

At The Hot Spring...

Tanjiro arrived at the hot spring up on the mountains. On the way there, he met Kanroji who is crying while running down the mountains with her boobs seems to be almost falling out from her cleavage. 

She approached him and starting to complain about someone up in the hot spring. She then tells Tanjiro that she was sad and offended as she was ignored by the said someone. Tanjiro lit her up by telling her that supper is ready and it will be rice with matsutake mushrooms. Her mood shifts completely. 

Tanjiro had arrive at the hot spring which is very huge. He never thought that there is a huge hot springs up in the mountain. Wow! It's huge!

*Ponk!*

Something hard hits Tanjiro's forehead. Tanjiro first thought it was just a pebble until he picks it up. He is shocked and bewildered. He were expecting a pebble, but it was a tooth! A front tooth. Tanjiro thought to himself.

Someone lost a front tooth! Tanjiro is concerned as he looked to the left and right. Searching for the owner of the front tooth until he sees a figure not too far from him.  He possessed a large, jagged scar that ran over his right cheekbone from his ear and to over his nose.

He was also short, young man with large, inward-slanting eyes. The space where his eyebrows would've been is constantly furrowed. His hair is styled into a buzz cut, with only a small clump of messy black hair left to grow on the top of his head. His head is shaved on the sides! Sumi said his name is....

"Shinazugawa Genya!!" Genya turned around. Seeing the guy that broke his arm during the Final Selection. He grimaced by looking at Tanjiro.

*Toss!*

*Splash!*

Without saying anything further, Tanjiro undresses himself alongside his pants and undergarments and puts the wooden box that contains his little sister aside and jumped into the hot springs, diving in the direction of Genya.

*Splash!* 

"Long time no see! How have you been?! Your last name is the same as Wind Hashira!!" Tanjiro resurfaced back and bombarded Genya with questions.

*Dunk!*

"Don't fucking talk to me!" Without much of thinking at all, Genya bashes Tanjiro's head on the floor of the hot springs before he left without any word. He seems to be real pissed at Tanjiro. Tanjiro didn't feel hurt that much. There's not even a single dent on his forehead.

"I thought soaking together would bring us closer, but human relations are difficult." Tanjiro sit and leaned himself. Pondering why is it so hard to approach someone like Genya.

----------------------------------

"Are we there yet?" Sanji asked Zoro if they're actually had arrived. He had been following Zoro for the past hour while Zoro claimed to that they're on the right path. They've been following the stupid crow for a while.

"Don't ask me! I don't know if we're there yet or not!" Zoro replied. He's pissed. He's also tired and starting to run out of patience. He might as well turned the crown into karaage.

"Oi! Koshinuke! You better brings us to a hot spring place! Or we'll have karaage for dinner!" Zoro threatened the crow that they'll have the crow as dinner. 

"Eek! Okay! Okay! I'm sure that it should be here somewhere!" Koshinuke replied. Why do I was chosen to be this guy's partner?! I don't want to get eaten!

After sometime traversing the forest, Koshinuke stopped. Zoro and Sanji also stopped. Seeing the thriving village of swordsmiths with so many large buildings just make them gawk in amazement.

"I told you right? My crow is the best!" Zoro reaches for the crow and pets it. Sanji just retorted. 

"Fine, fine. We've arrived. First thing first, where the hell is the hot spring?" Zoro and Sanji both looked at each other. Both of them had no idea what to do after this.