Shiki Mirai slowly lowered his index finger and looked down at Sarugaki Hiyori, who was still struggling to get up off the ground. His voice was calm.
"I barely used even half of your spiritual power in that Kidō just now—yet you still lost."
"Do you know why?"
Hiyori forced herself upright, bracing her hands against the floor to sit cross-legged. She lifted her head and glared at him, eyes sharp and voice bitter:
"It shouldn't have ended like this! Aisuke said: 'Shinigami battles are battles of spiritual power! As long as your Reiryoku is strong enough, any "rules" or "tricks" are useless!'"
Though her expression remained angry, her voice involuntarily softened.
"Ai… Aisuke?!"
The moment that name left her mouth—especially that quote that rang all too familiar—Shiki Mirai's mind blanked out with a resounding buzz.
His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, and out of habit, his gaze darted toward the brown-haired young man quietly standing at the edge of the field—Aizen Sosuke.
'No way! That's my line!'
That was one of the classic quotes he had written—delivered by Aisuke during a mock battle at the academy, when he'd stylishly defeated some cocky senior!
Aizen had his head slightly bowed, making his expression unreadable.
Shiki's mouth twitched twice. He forcefully dragged his gaze back down to Hiyori.
'Wait a second… could this girl be… a fan of my book?!'
Shit! I just beat up one of my readers offline! If this gets out, how the hell am I supposed to show my face again?!
In a panic, he took two steps forward, squatted down, and offered his hand to her, speaking with newfound seriousness:
"That quote isn't wrong, in itself."
"Hmph! Then why was I the one who lost?!"
She stared at his hand, hesitated, and eventually reached out to place hers in his.
A warm force pulled her to her feet.
Her legs were still a little shaky, but she stubbornly stood tall—and immediately yanked her hand away from his.
Shiki didn't mind. He calmly retracted his hand and continued his explanation:
"Because at the point I struck, the strength of my Kidō's Reiryoku far exceeded the strength of your defensive Reiryoku. That's all there is to it."
"Huh?"
Hiyori tilted her head, the confusion written all over her face.
Shiki kept his composure, gesturing like a patient instructor:
"Let's say your total Reiryoku output just now was 10. You instinctively poured about 6 into your hands and Zanpakutō for maximum attack power."
"And the remaining 4? That was unconsciously distributed over your body as basic defense."
"Most people don't even notice that layer of instinctive defense, let alone control it precisely."
His gaze swept over the graduating students who were listening intently. Seeing their thoughtful expressions gave him a sudden sense of teacherly satisfaction, and he launched into the next part with enthusiasm:
"But spreading those 4 points across your body doesn't mean every part gets 4 points of defense."
He extended a finger and tapped the air in front of her chest and neck.
"Vital areas like these naturally receive more protection."
"My strike, however, hit your thigh."
He pointed to the outer part of her leg.
"At that moment, the Reiryoku protecting that spot was probably down to just 1."
"So even if I only used a Kidō of strength 2, focusing it on a single point was more than enough to break through your defense."
"In short—at the point of contact, my offensive Reiryoku strength greatly surpassed your defensive Reiryoku strength. Understand now?"
He looked quietly at the blonde girl in front of him. The lingering confusion in his heart faded.
'So that's why she picked a fight with me… just to get my attention because she liked my book?'
'Tsk. Hope I didn't hit her too hard. Gotta recover this rare, valuable reader…'
'Anyone willing to pay for subscriptions is a godsend! Gotta treat them right!'
Hiyori lowered her head slightly. Her fingers twisted at her sleeve, and in a tiny, mosquito-soft voice, she mumbled:
"…Got it."
Shiki let out a huge sigh of relief.
'Whew. Crisis averted.'
But he knew it wasn't enough. He needed to throw in some extra fan service.
He flashed what he thought was a dashing, gentle smile and held out his hand again—this time palm up:
"If you happen to have the latest issue of Seireitei Communication… I can sign it for you. Using my pen name, of course."
Hiyori jerked her head up, locking eyes with the charmingly lazy smile right in front of her. Her face instantly turned red as a wave of heat rushed to her head.
With a loud smack, she slapped his hand away and shouted, baring her fangs:
"Save your autograph for when you've actually published a volume, cueball!"
Then she vanished behind Captain Hikifune Kirio in a blur of Shunpo, hiding herself completely behind the woman's wide back.
Shiki: "…"
His outstretched hand froze mid-air. The smile on his face petrified.
'C-cueball?! Did she just call me a bald cueball AGAIN?! Is this girl blind?!'
'Can't she SEE my thick, luxurious hair?! I could tie it into a ponytail, damn it!'
'No, no… don't get mad. Readers can say what they want. Being hit is love, being scolded is affection. This just means she's deeply attached! Yeah! That's gotta be it!'
Shiki consoled himself inwardly with all his might.
Meanwhile, the mood in the training grounds had grown energetic again—thanks to the impressive demonstration and the insights it brought.
The graduating students stared at Shiki with admiration, whispering among themselves as they discussed the theory that had just upended their understanding of Reiryoku control.
Yadōmaru Lisa was still stunned. Adjusting her glasses, she murmured to herself:
"So… spiritual power can be controlled that precisely?"
Her mind was already simulating how she could achieve the same precision Shiki displayed.
But then Kyōraku Shunsui gently patted her shoulder and whispered:
"Lisa-chan, don't overthink it."
"Shiki-kun's method is valid, but you should know—if you funnel most of your Reiryoku into attack, you're practically abandoning your defense. That's very risky. Plus…"
He paused, voice laced with meaning.
"To pull it off like he does, you not only have to overcome your body's instincts, but also conquer the deep-rooted fear of being defenseless. That's not something you learn overnight."
Lisa lifted her head, pushing up her glasses as the lenses flashed with cool precision.
"Captain, could you remove your hand now? Otherwise, I might consider filing a complaint to Central 46 for workplace harassment."
"Eh?!"
Kyōraku retracted his hand like he'd touched hot iron, eyes full of panic and innocence.
"Lisa-chan! That's a misunderstanding! A big misunderstanding! I was only acting out of pure captainly concern!"
. . .
Now, of the academy's three top graduates, two had already settled on their future squads.
Only one remained.
The young man who always wore a warm, gentle smile, the one who graduated top of his class in Kidō—Aizen Sosuke.
Aizen walked toward the center of the field with calm, measured steps and stopped in front of Shiki Mirai.
Shiki kept a stern face, trying his best to project senior authority. But the hands behind his back kept clenching and unclenching, damp with cold sweat.
'No way… no way, Sir! Don't tell me Aizen is actually planning to join the 9th Division?!'
'Wouldn't it be way better for him to go to the 5th and play high-level mind games with Hirako Shinji? That's his stage!'
'I'm still a low-level newbie! Please, I beg you, don't come mess with me!'
Despite the mental screaming, his feet were rooted to the ground.
Aizen wore a smile as warm as spring breeze and opened his mouth:
"5th Seat Shiki, actually I—"
"Oi. Aizen Sosuke."
A laid-back but unmistakably authoritative voice cut in, interrupting Aizen mid-sentence.
Shiki turned with barely concealed gratitude toward the newcomer—hands-in-pockets, strolling casually across the field: Hirako Shinji.
'Hirako-san! My savior! You showed up at the perfect time!'
'Quick, take this walking nuke with you! You're the only one who can handle him!'
Shinji stopped, those dead-fish eyes sweeping over Aizen.
Then they settled on Shiki with a strange smile.
Finally, he turned back to Aizen and spoke:
"How about coming to the 5th Division instead?"
. . .