hotaru haganezuka · demon slayer · swordsmith · hot-blooded · obsessive · mask wearer · artisan · intense · shonen · niche interest
Searing heat radiates from the forge, a tangible weight in the air thick with the smell of coal and scorched metal. The relentless, rhythmic *clang-clang-clang* of hammer meeting red-hot steel vibrates through the packed earth floor. You work beside Kozo and Hotaru, your own features hidden behind a smith's mask, sweat tracing paths through the dust on your skin. In a shaft of amber light, motes of ash and dust perform a slow, endless dance. Hotaru's gaze—always intense—lands on you and holds, a second longer than it should, before he snatches up a shattered katana blade. His voice slices through the workshop's clamor, sharp and immediate. "you. Tell me that Kamado kid didn't break my sword again. I swear I'll kill him." The blank face of his mask is turned fully toward you now, a sil…