Omaeda Marechiyo—a figure revered by many manga fans in Kōe's past life as "God Omaeda"—survived the Fake Karakura Town arc and the Thousand-Year Blood War almost entirely unscathed. His hidden strength was unfathomable; he was quite possibly the true mastermind behind it all.
Of course, the above was entirely a joke. Perhaps Omaeda wasn't completely ordinary, but his exceptionalism was strictly limited to his "financial superpower." Yes, he wasn't just pretending to be wealthy; he was *actually* filthy rich! Rumor had it that he personally funded the majority of Squad 2's interior renovations.
Just like how Kōe smiling at him earlier wasn't out of politeness, but because he genuinely couldn't hold back his amusement. One could only say Omaeda was born in the wrong place. If he had been born in the World of the Living with his current attributes, he would undoubtedly be a highly respected comedian.
He might also need Suì-Fēng's cooperation; the two were practically an indispensable comedy duo. But unfortunately, unlike Omaeda, Suì-Fēng was genuinely serious.
How should one evaluate Suì-Fēng? Competitive, prideful, a stickler for the rules, and cold to others? Kōe pondered for a moment, and a magical name suddenly popped into his head—Abbess Miejue.
Not to mention, when Suì-Fēng first appeared in the manga during his past life, she held an absolute "good versus evil, must eradicate" attitude toward Ichigo. Looking past her beautiful face straight into her soul, she was definitely Abbess Quincy!
But that was only on the surface. Kōe secretly glanced at Suì-Fēng standing not too far away. He knew she wasn't devoid of emotion or naturally cold. Yoruichi's position in Suì-Fēng's heart absolutely reigned supreme above all else. Her outward coldness could only be described as extreme tsundere behavior.
*'So Suì-Fēng is actually a tsundere version of Abbess Miejue?! Or is Yoruichi Abbess Fengling?'* Kōe rubbed his chin, unconsciously voicing his bizarre thoughts aloud.
*'What wind?'* Kaien, who had just arrived behind Kōe, didn't hear him clearly, but regardless, this guy was definitely acting crazy again! He used to think Kōe's childhood spacing out was just a matter of bad timing, but now it seemed this was his default state! Kōe definitely deserved the most credit for Kūkaku turning out the way she did!
"Wake up, dead-fish eyes!"
"Ah!" Scaring someone could literally scare them to death, especially when they were badmouthing someone behind their back. Kōe patted his chest. He had just been wondering if Abbess Fengling had someone she liked, and this sudden slap almost took his life. "You're here."
"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Shihouin."
"Lord Shihouin, sorry to bother you."
Two voices came from behind Kaien, one after the other. Kōe nodded at Rukia in the back, then smiled at the woman following closely diagonally behind Kaien. "Didn't I tell you to just call me Kōe, Miyako?"
Shiba Miyako tilted her head and smiled faintly in response. She called him "Mr. Shihouin" not out of distance or formality, but because her husband, Shiba Kaien, privately referred to him as "Mr. Shihouin."
Although they didn't express it much, the entire Shiba family highly respected Yoruichi and Kōe, especially her husband. Miyako glanced at Kaien; he also called Kōe "Mr. Shihouin" in private, after all.
"Alright, this does take some getting used to." Kōe shrugged. There was no need to dwell on titles, especially since this was only his second time meeting Miyako.
"Now is the Q&A session. I have a class later, so manage your time well."
"..."
The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and a hint of awkwardness drifted through the air. Kōe casually glanced at Kaien. *'Give me some reaction, don't leave me hanging.'*
Kaien rolled his eyes upward, acting as if this had nothing to do with him. He rubbed his nose with his right hand and jabbed his index finger furiously in Rukia's direction.
*'So exhausting. He can't even play the wingman properly. I have to teach him myself, the hard way!'*
"Do you have any thoughts on the duel just now, Rukia?"
"Eh?!" Suddenly called upon, Rukia, who had felt like she was invisible, panicked. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and she subconsciously blurted out, "L-Lord Shihouin is very strong, v-very strong."
"Hahaha." Kōe suddenly laughed. Kaien held his head and shook it. Miyako covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling—she was probably laughing too. Rukia was indeed very cute, wasn't she?
"Thank you for the compliment, but Captain Zaraki is also very strong. The outcome was only because he lost the initiative."
"Is it because Captain Zaraki suddenly flew backward at the start?" Rukia asked timidly. She had really tried her best to watch, but she simply couldn't see clearly.
"Exactly. The initiative, or the opening that forces the opponent to reveal a flaw, is very important." Kōe nodded and continued, "Now let's dive a bit deeper. Why was Captain Zaraki sent flying by my strike just now?"
"The four main combat methods of a Shinigami—Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo—vary drastically in power based on the strength of one's Reiatsu. Of course, other methods can compensate a bit. For example, the speed of Shunpo can increase the force of Zanjutsu, but it's limited. Once you reach the Reiatsu of a lieutenant, these combinations mostly lose their effectiveness."
"Naturally, just now, both Captain Zaraki and my Reiatsu were heavily restricted. These methods could play some role, but it definitely wasn't a combination of Shunpo and Zanjutsu, considering how close we were." Kōe tapped his temple and asked Rukia, "What other ways do you think can increase the force of Zanjutsu? Or rather, what method do you think I used just now?"
"I..." Before Rukia could finish, Kōe's voice came again. "Anything is fine. The key is your thoughts and insights."
He said that, but Rukia thought to herself, *'What thoughts or insights could I possibly have!'* She had only been in the Shin'ō Academy for a year and had learned very little. She was probably the most unqualified member of the Gotei 13 in the history of Seireitei.
"Try to say it. Don't be afraid of being wrong."
Kaien's words gave Rukia some courage. She thought for a moment, her eyes darting around, and said uncertainly, "Was it a Kidō? Because just now, Captain Zaraki looked like he was hit by [Hadō #1・Shō]."
As soon as she said this, Kaien felt something was wrong. This kind of specialized teaching seemed too rushed for Rukia.
The [Hadō #1・Shō] Rukia mentioned was the simplest and weakest destructive spell. The effect of being hit by it was indeed similar to Zaraki's situation, but if it hit Zaraki, it would definitely be completely useless.
Kaien didn't understand why Kōe would ask such a question. He should know that for Rukia, this question was far too profound. In fact, not just for Rukia, but for Kaien himself, the answer to this question was enough of a headache.
She already had a high-and-mighty older brother at home. If she continued to feel the massive gap between herself and top-tier Shinigami, how long could Rukia's already riddled self-confidence hold on?
But just as Kaien was secretly worrying, Kōe suddenly clapped his hands and gave an answer no one expected.
"It was indeed [Hadō #1・Shō]. You're very smart, Rukia."