Kurosaki Rei's expression turned awkward for a moment. "Shikai takes a lot of effort, right? Sōsuke, let's not trouble you. Why don't you tell me more about your experience with improving spiritual pressure instead?"
What the hell—Aizen actually admitted he'd already mastered Shikai and even wanted to show it to him.
Kurosaki Rei was willing to believe that, thanks to the mysterious power of the Terminus Space, once he completed his mission and returned, Kyōka Suigetsu's effects would definitely be nullified. And Aizen wouldn't act recklessly inside the Academy anyway. Still, he absolutely did not want to be subjected to his roommate's "Complete Hypnosis."
He was here to do a "speedrun of the Academy," not enroll in a "Hypnosis Academy."
Aizen was a little surprised by the rejection. "Oh? Then forget it. I thought you'd be quite interested, Rei-kun. If you run into problems resonating with your Zanpakutō later on, I can demonstrate Shikai for you as a reference."
It just so happened to be lights-out. After the dormitory went dark, Aizen sat cross-legged and started grinding like a true卷王. Kurosaki Rei followed suit and sat down as well—but instead of absorbing Reishi, he focused on sensing his Asauchi.
According to Aizen, "resonance" was a concept that was difficult to explain. What Kurosaki Rei needed to do wasn't to resonate with the Asauchi itself—because the Asauchi contained nothing to begin with—but rather to resonate with the deepest part of his own heart, with his soul.
Once that was achieved, the next step would be to infuse his soul into the blade. Only then could he learn its true name and master Shikai.
In the pitch-black room, Aizen opened his eyes and looked at Kurosaki Rei, who was earnestly researching Shikai. There was a hint of doubt in his gaze.
Such a diligent and eager-to-learn Rei-kun had actually refused to let him demonstrate Shikai. Could it be that he somehow knew the true ability of Kyōka Suigetsu?
Impossible…
...
Facing the morning sun, Kurosaki Rei rubbed his temples.
He hadn't slept at all the previous night. He had maintained an intense level of concentration, meditating and trying to feel the rhythm of his own soul. The result was… nothing. No progress whatsoever.
He had thought that with his talent, Zanpakutō resonance wouldn't pose much of a challenge. He hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
Just as Aizen said—did Shikai really have such a high requirement for spiritual pressure level?
In theory, Level 17 spiritual pressure wasn't incapable of achieving Shikai, but it was extremely hard. Kurosaki Rei simply couldn't touch the depths of his own soul. It was hard to describe the sensation. He had no idea what Aizen saw when he examined his own soul.
Using that Shinigami-exclusive "Zanpakutō Resonance Method," all Kurosaki Rei could see in the depths of his soul was… an endless stretch of pitch-black darkness.
A whole night like that took a heavy toll on his mental energy. Kurosaki Rei was normally the type who could go days and nights without sleep while practicing martial arts, but he had consumed a lot of soul source during Kidō class the day before. Now his soul source had dropped to only 30%.
"Rei-kun, you've only just started practicing. It's best to get some sleep at night," Aizen reminded him, seemingly noticing his poor condition.
Kurosaki Rei stretched lazily, trying to perk himself up. "You seem quite energetic yourself, Sōsuke, even though you never sleep."
"I only got used to it gradually," Aizen replied. "And if your meditation method is correct, it can itself be considered a form of rest."
"There are some small tricks to it as well. I'll teach you tonight."
Chatting as they walked, the two of them soon arrived at the classroom for the first lesson of the day—Shunpo.
Kurosaki Rei had already heard Aizen give a rough explanation of Shunpo the day before.
Shinigami Shunpo was different from a Hollow's Sonído. It relied mainly on physical strength, using sophisticated force application and footholds to achieve high-speed movement.
In the manga, the Shinigami who used Shunpo all looked insanely cool, almost like they were teleporting. But from Aizen's explanation, Kurosaki Rei realized that Shunpo really wasn't like that at all.
For the vast majority of Shinigami, after learning Shunpo, the effect was simply… running faster.
Kurosaki Rei currently understood Shunpo as an advanced footwork technique. Only when a Shinigami possessed extremely high spiritual pressure—or exceptionally high "base stats"—could it appear like instantaneous movement.
And even then, it was only effective for "bullying weaker opponents." In the eyes of true experts, they were still just moving at high speed.
Only rookies completely failed to see it clearly, which was why they felt as if the experts were teleporting.
There was also another point: if you wanted to look like you were teleporting, then at the moment you stopped using Shunpo, you had to maintain an elegant posture—like strolling casually. Calm, unhurried, with no exaggerated or large movements.
Simply put, you needed presence. Style mattered.
Just like Byakuya Kuchiki in the original work—after Shunpo, his clothes were neat, his hair only lightly fluttering, posture still upright. Only then could it be called a "perfect Shunpo."
Of course, Kurosaki Rei wasn't chasing the idea of a perfect Shunpo. He was simply very interested in the principles behind the technique. He believed that once he mastered this footwork, his mobility in combat would increase dramatically.
The substitute instructor for this class was a noble from the Ōmaeda family, currently serving as Third Seat in the Onmitsukidō. He possessed considerable expertise in Shunpo.
Likewise, this instructor was very "considerate" toward Kurosaki Rei, the genius transfer student who had already made a name for himself at the Shin'ō Academy. Instead of personally guiding Kurosaki Rei, he chose the student with the best Shunpo performance in the class to "educate" him.
"Kurosaki Rei, what's with that expression?"
Yoruichi Shihōin walked up to him. Though her face was calm, the teasing in her lively eyes was impossible to hide.
"Nothing," Kurosaki Rei said. "I just think Sōsuke could teach me as well."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Aizen.
But Aizen merely raised a hand to adjust his glasses and said with a smile, "No, no. Shihōin-san's Shunpo could be said to be the strongest in the Academy. It's best if she teaches you, Rei-kun."
Damn it, Aizen—you sold me out!
Kurosaki Rei knew perfectly well that Aizen was enjoying his misfortune, but what he said was also true. Standing in front of him was the future "Flash Goddess." Even in her youth, Yoruichi's mastery of Shunpo wouldn't be low.
Yesterday, when he sparred with Yoruichi, they were using Hakuda. This proud girl hadn't used Shunpo from the start, and later she was pinned to the floor, never getting the chance to use it—so that was how he defeated her.
But this time was different. She would definitely bring out her strongest Shunpo skills to "teach" him.
…Wait a second. This was Shunpo class. No matter how much she wanted revenge, she couldn't hit him, right?
Steadying himself, Kurosaki Rei forced a smile. "Then I'll be in your care, Shihōin-san."
"Are we that familiar?" Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him. "You should call me Shihōin-san."
"Or you can call me Yoruichi-onee-san."
Kurosaki Rei felt a bit uncomfortable. He had overlooked that detail—mainly because when he read the manga before, the name "Yoruichi" had stuck in his mind. He hadn't really paid attention to her surname. If anything, "Yoruichi" sounded like a complete name on its own.
You Japanese sure are troublesome.
Seeing Kurosaki Rei fall silent, Yoruichi's lips curved upward. "How about this? I'll keep my spiritual pressure at the same level as yours. I'll seriously teach you during this class. At the end, we'll have a speed contest."
"If you're slower than me, then from now on, whenever you see me, you have to respectfully call me Yoruichi-onee-san."
"No contest," Kurosaki Rei said, spreading his hands. "You're from the Shihōin family—you've been training Shunpo for who knows how many years. That's not fair. I'm not stupid. And you've only mentioned the punishment if I lose. What if I win?"
"Win?" Yoruichi looked him up and down. "You want to beat me in speed?"
"Why not?" Kurosaki Rei believed that footwork was also part of the martial arts domain. He was confident in his learning ability in this area. Winning today wasn't realistic, but after training for a while, he believed it wasn't impossible.
As if she'd heard something hilarious, Yoruichi let out a pleasant laugh.
"That's impossible."