A few days passed and Takeshi's condition began to gradually improve, his flexibility and strength beginning to return to his torso. He spent the days focusing on improving his breathing and flexibility, trying his best not to strain his wounds but also not wanting to lose his stamina. Aoi also saw some improvement, sometimes joining him for meditation and training, he liked her company, she wasn't afraid to point out where he needed to get better and could sometimes come across as a bit brash, but he knew she had good intentions. Yuji was still mostly bedridden, though he would sometimes join them at mealtimes, his movements still groggy and slow, no one had anticipated just how badly his injuries would affect him. Takeshi and Aoi tried their best to help out around the estate, though Kawamoto, Sano, and Mori usually insisted they take it easy and leave it to them. Takeshi felt bad, he hated being served and unable to pull his weight, but he stayed quiet and obeyed. Aoi was not at all deterred, making it a point to clear dishes and stoneware before they could get to it and taking the liberty to wash them and organize the kitchen. Takeshi would join her when she would take the initiative, he wasn't about to be the only one not contributing now that Aoi had forced her hand.
After some time had passed, the three slayers heard a knocking sound on their window early one morning. Takeshi was already partially awake and walked past the other two to open the window and see what was making the racket. Before the window was cracked, a rush of black feathers swarmed the room and eventually found itself on Takeshi's head.
"NEWS, NEWS FOR YOU," the crow said, Takeshi groaning at the sight of the bird. He wasn't quite ready to see it again.
"SWORDS. SWORDS ARRIVING. BACK TO WORK TODAY, LAZY!" the crow said, squawking loudly and awaking even Yuji with a jump.
"Okay, we heard you! No need to scream at us!" Takeshi yelled back, trying to talk over the loud squawking. He felt three sharp pokes at his scalp, he hadn't missed that either.
"SWORDS. NICHIRIN. TO-DAY. GOODBYE!" as quickly as it had appeared, it frantically clambered back through the small gap in the window and sputtered its way off through the air. The room was silent, everyone still deciding whether or not that had been a dream or not. Aoi turned over and sighed loudly.
"Why'd they have to send yours? Don't they know it's mental? Must've given someone a good laugh, a sick joke if you ask me," she said, the annoyance apparent in her voice.
Of course, I get the one bird with a problem, Takeshi thought, frowning and looking out upon the dense forest painted red by the sunrise. Kawamoto was already in the courtyard below hanging up stark white bedding on clotheslines.
After breakfast, there was a knock at the door, to which all three women jumped up to answer. Once the door opened, he heard the women greet someone graciously, inviting them inside. To his surprise, he heard no answer, the only voices were from the women. He turned to the entryway and felt his heart nearly jump from his body. A tall and skinny figure stood in the doorway, wearing a strangely humanoid mask with a long protruding mouth, the cheeks were painted a rosy red. Aoi nearly spat out her tea as she had just now turned to face the figure, Takeshi offering a handkerchief without even looking. The man walked past the doorframe and stood in front of the table, facing Takeshi and Aoi, Yuji had still not woke up. The man produced a scroll from his waistline and snapped it open violently.
"Swordsmith Koyama Munetsugu. Swords for Kanzaki, Aoi… Yoshiaki, Takeshi… Yuji, Otane," the scroll read, the man rolling it and tossing it aside forcefully before he could even finish reading it. Sano had to duck abruptly to dodge the scroll as it flew through the air. The man took a large bag off his shoulders and ripped it open, Takeshi found his movements unnerving. The whole room was silent as they watched the man anxiously. He produced three long packages wrapped in paper, laying them gently on the ground, in contrast to how he did everything else. Aoi looked over at Takeshi and exchanged a confused look, a hint of fear in her eyes. Takeshi didn't know how to comfort her, he felt the same way. The snapping sound of another scroll bounced off the walls.
"FIRST: Kanzaki… SECOND: Yoshiaki… THIRD: Yuji…. Proceed quickly and carefully to your blade, unwrap it, unsheathe it, observe the color, DO NOT BREAK IT," somehow the eyes on the man's painted mask grew even more intense with every gesture towards the scroll. Takeshi and Aoi slowly walked towards the packages until the man began beating his finger against the word "quickly" to which they nearly lunged to try and speed up.
The two unwrapped the paper in a fury, Munetsugu observing them from a distance that no one felt comfortable at, Takeshi swore he could feel breathing on his neck even through the mask. Sano kept looking as though she might say something but kept retreating back to her look of terror, Takeshi couldn't blame her, this guy was something else. Takeshi unwrapped a dark blue hilt, noticing Kazuo's tsuba immediately. He couldn't help but notice how well the tsuba complemented the hilt, the saya a woven pattern containing bright blues and deep reds. He slowly drew the blade from the saya, itching to know which color it would change. The metal had an intricate pattern, a woven and interconnected indention running the length of the blade, the edge shiny and razor sharp. As he gripped the hilt, the blade began to slowly shimmer, color beginning to fill in the metal as he watched. The room all watched with intrigue as the blade turned a deep purple color, Takeshi thought it looked beautiful, he almost hated it had to be a weapon. The edges of the pattern as well as the sharp had filled in with a bright blue color, Takeshi just watched in awe. He felt instantly connected to the weapon, it was his, and he had earned it. He could now only hope that it could withstand the pressure he would be forced to place upon it.
Aoi's blade had also begun to gain color, turning a dark blue color, the edge keeping hints of the gray metal, her eyes matched the blade perfectly. They exchanged glances, each still having trouble taking it all in. They were quickly snapped out of it by the sharp sound of another scroll being opened.
"PLEASED? GOOD. GOODBYE. MASTER SWORDSMITH KOYAMA MUNETSUGU BIDS YOU ADIEU. APPLAUD." the man took a ridiculously deep bow as if he had just finished a play, threw the scroll down on the ground in front of him, and stared directly at Takeshi. The room's tension was palpable, Munetsugu not moving a muscle, kawamoto was the first to figure it out. She began to applaud cautiously, slow and heartless applause as if she thought it might set off the strange man. The others slowly began joining in, their expressions still showing fear as they serenaded the man. He took another bow, nodding his head violently, and practically sprinted through the doorway toting his oversized bag. Mori was right on his heels, slamming the door as soon as he was through it, letting out a deep exhale, and slumping to the ground.
"That was traumatizing, does that happen every time you need a sword?" she said, glancing back and forth between Aoi and Takeshi.
"That's one way to make you take care of the one you have," Kawamoto said, chuckling nervously, "I'd never break one if I knew that monstrosity would show up one day."
Just then the staircase began to creak, and Yuji's head poked around the corner.
"I heard a lot of commotion and applause, who are we celebrating? What did I miss?" the boy said, still rubbing his eyes from fatigue. The whole room just stared, all still looking traumatized. Sano was the first to break, beginning to laugh uncontrollably, which spurred Mori into doing the same. Pretty soon the whole room was laughing, even Yuji joined in even though he must have been terribly confused. Takeshi's gut began to get sore from laughter, he was enjoying himself, he was content.
