"So... you're just letting Captain Unohana cut you? To deeply experience the intricacies of healing yourself with kaidō?"
Aizen's expression was peculiar after hearing Ren's explanation. "Ren-kun, are you by any chance....addicted to getting slashed?"
"What nonsense is that? Who in their right mind would get addicted to having their heart cut open with a Shunpo Slash?!"
Ren felt exasperated. To prevent any strange misunderstandings, he had just explained the situation to Aizen and sworn him to secrecy. After spending two months together, he could at least vouch for Aizen's discretion—he wouldn't spread the story around.
"But I've heard that after-school kaidō class often echoes with cries of, 'Sensei, please, one more time.'"
Aizen delivered the line with a deadpan expression.
Ren's face froze. "That's because I'm eager to improve! Wait—who the hell told you about that?!"
Aizen's gaze swept across the classroom. "Is there anyone in the Shin'ō Academy who doesn't know? It's already one of the Academy's Seven Great Mysteries."
"What? There are Seven Mysteries at the Academy?"
Ren was stunned. Aren't urban legends about schools usually a thing in the human world? Ghost stories and the like? But you're all Shinigami! Why are you guys into this kinda stuff too?
"Of course. Haven't I told you about them before?"
Aizen maintained a serious expression as he listed, "There's the bloodstained bamboo sword in the equipment shed, the Asauchi that vanish at midnight, the dormitory where reishi in the air thins after dark, the eternally bleeding lab rats, the rice that disappears from the late-night canteen, the staircase that changes levels, and….the strange noises coming from the kaidō classroom after hours."
Ren rubbed his temples, utterly defeated. He realized there was no escaping the love of gossip and dark humour, whether among humans or Shinigami.
Also, Ren thought with some annoyance, half of these mysteries are probably Aizen's fault!
The thinning reishi in the dormitory at night? Clearly the work of this bloody overachiever training his spiritual pressure!
"Ren-kun, about the disappearing rice…"
Before Aizen could finish, Ren waved him off, speaking in a single breath, "It wasn't me!"
With the small interlude over, both returned to their task of resonating with their asauchi. Well, in Aizen's case, he was simply going through the motions, as he had long since unlocked his Shikai.
Ren, however, had gained much during his two months at the Academy. His combat skills had improved across the board, and he had acquired numerous new techniques.
He had learned advanced shunpo techniques like utsusemi from Yoruichi, kaidō from Unohana, and various hadō and bakudō spells from the kidō classes.
In kaidō, he had made significant strides. Captain Unohana no longer needed to guide him step by step; he could now handle most of the healing himself—though the speed still required improvement.
For instance, he could heal a severe injury, such as a cut from the shoulder to the waist, in about ten minutes. That level of skill was sufficient for a support role in the medical division.
However, Ren's goal was to utilize kaidō in combat, healing injuries in real-time. For that, his current speed wasn't enough. Ideally, he wanted to reach a point where he could recover from light injuries instantly and heal severe wounds within a few breaths.
As for fatal injuries—well, if he encountered an enemy capable of inflicting those, there likely wouldn't be time to recover regardless of how skilled he was.
Now coming to Reishi, it wasn't because he was slacking off, but he didn't want to be someone who only had attributes but no real skills.
His master once taught him that there's beauty in certain numbers, but that's only relative to ordinary people. If he only relied on brute strength, he would suffer when facing true masters.
Thus, mastering techniques was crucial. He had learned the way to train reishi and could practice anytime. But missing out on a place like Shin'o Academy, where he could freely learn high-quality techniques, would be a pity.
The most important part was that he analyzed his mission and suspected he might face a special assessment to graduate quickly from Shin'o Academy.
The examiner's reishi would certainly be higher than his, and the examiner likely wouldn't bully him with reishi. Therefore, what he needed to enhance the most was his overall skills.
To make progress, he planned to ask Captain Unohana to ease up on their after-class sparring sessions. His current kaidō skill level didn't require such intense "guidance" anymore. This way, he could conserve his strength and use the evenings to train his spiritual pressure.
Ren glanced down at the asauchi in front of him. For two months, he had attempted to resonate with it every day without success.
He didn't think the issue lay with his spiritual power or talent. Instead, he felt there was something peculiar lurking in the depths of his soul.
Whenever he delved into his inner world, it felt like staring into an endless abyss, a void of swirling violet and black.
The deepest dive he attempted left him feeling as though he were falling endlessly, accompanied by terrifying, guttural roars echoing in his ears.
"Sōsuke, what was it like the first time you heard your zanpakutō's voice?"
After some thought, Ren decided to consult Aizen.
"My zanpakutō's voice?"
Aizen opened his eyes. He hadn't been resonating but rather meditating to refine his spiritual power. "The voice of one's zanpakutō is the voice of one's soul. What did mine first say to me? I've….forgotten."
Ren didn't believe for a second that Aizen had forgotten—he was just unwilling to reveal something so personal. Changing his approach, Ren asked, "Was the voice human? Was it calm or furious? Gentle or terrifying?"
Aizen glanced at Ren with a peculiar expression. "A zanpakutō reflects its wielder's soul. Generally speaking, unless one harbours intense self-loathing, a zanpakutō wouldn't be hostile toward its owner. As for whether it speaks a human language….Ren-kun, are you not human?"
"Of course I'm human."
Ren's face darkened. He understood Aizen's implication. Under normal circumstances, a zanpakutō should naturally speak in a language its wielder understands, unless the wielder themselves isn't human.
Since the spirit of the zanpakutō is born from the wielder's soul, their fundamental understanding of language would be shared. Even if Ren knew multiple languages, a zanpakutō speaking a foreign tongue would still count as 'human speech' to him. It shouldn't be incomprehensible gibberish.
The problem was that amidst the terrifying roars he had heard in his inner world, there had also been strange whispers—words he couldn't quite make out but felt deeply unsettling.
"Do you hate yourself, Ren-kun?"
Aizen asked the question like a therapist delving into the root of a patient's psychological struggle.
Ren fell silent, reflecting on his life before arriving in this strange world.
He had been an orphan, abandoned as an infant. His master had found and raised him, becoming the closest thing to a parent he ever knew. Throughout his life, he had cherished only two people.
One was his master.
The other was his senior sister.
Both were gone now. Both had died before his eyes.
___________
[T/N] - Would you look at that? We hit our Powerstone Goal perfectly! Enjoy the Extra Chapter.
Oh, and I am being a bit greedy over here, but you guys can get another Extra Chapter for 'believe-it-or-not' 50 Powerstones.
And this is applicable for the rest of the week. 50 Stones = 1 Extra Chapter the next day.
Enjoy!