"Thank you for the guidance!" — the two of them bowed respectfully toward one another after sparring for nearly an hour.
During that hour, Ren had complete control over the flow of the match, while Rin remained fully on the defensive, unable to land even a single counterattack.
By now her clothes clung to her body from sweat, her breathing heavy and her face flushed.
Ren, on the other hand, stood with steady, quiet breath — not a single bead of sweat on his face or body, as if he hadn't exerted himself at all.
Rin raised a hand toward her chest, trying to steady her ragged breathing, her grip still tight on the shinai despite the faint trembling of her arms.
Ren lowered his wooden sword to his side, standing straight and calm as though he hadn't spent a shred of energy.
"It's not fair… coming back this strong," Rin muttered under her breath — not quite a complaint, but more of a quiet confession of the overwhelming gap she could feel in her body before even her mind could register it.
Ren tilted his head slightly, looking at her.
"I wasn't even using strength, Senpai… and you know that."
The corner of her lips twitched — the smallest of smiles, yet more expressive than all her usual composure.
"That's what makes it even more frustrating."
She took two sluggish steps before sitting at the edge of the dojo floor, wiping the sweat from her temples.
Ren stood still for a moment, watching her silently... then picked up the towel resting on a nearby shelf and offered it to her.
She looked at him, accepted it, and drew in a deep breath — this one calmer than the last.
"…You've been beyond human limits for a while now, haven't you?" she said quietly, as though speaking more to herself than him.
Ren didn't answer immediately.
This kind of question sat right on the boundary — not disbelief, but an instinctive recognition only a seasoned fighter could sense.
After a small pause, he finally replied with quiet calm:
"I just walked a long road… that's all."
Rin leaned her head back slightly, closing her eyes for a brief moment.
"If that's true… then maybe I can't catch up anymore."
"That depends on whether you still want to catch up in the first place."
Ren's tone was light — but the words carried weight.
Rin opened her eyes again, a small spark of stubbornness resurging — the same spark that once made her the strongest, before Ren returned.
"…I still do."
She said it without hesitation — quiet, but honest.
Neither of them noticed that the faint violet orb in Ren's chest glowed a little brighter for a moment, like a magical lamp reacting to unspoken wishes — before fading again just as quickly, unseen by both.
Then she lifted her gaze toward him.
"Just don't run off again before I do."
For the first time since stepping into the dojo, Ren's face softened into something close to a small smile — not mocking, not formal… but something more genuine, even if it only lasted for a moment.
"I'll wait."
A short sentence — but it carried the weight of a promise.
Outside, the voices of the club members began echoing through the corridor as morning training officially began — but the atmosphere between the two remained different, like a quiet secret understood without any further words.
_
"Morning," Ren said routinely as he entered the classroom, most of the students already there by the time kendo practice ended.
"Ren!" — Asano Keigo shouted with excitement, jumping up from his seat — "It's been forever, man!"
At his loud voice, the others looked up as well: Mizuiro, Inoue, Tatsuki, Chad, and Rui.
Not only them — there were other familiar faces too: Rukia, Renji, even Matsumoto Rangiku and Madarame Ikkaku and a few other Shinigami as well.
One look at Ren's face was all it took for most of them to brighten visibly.
Ren walked inside with his usual quiet step, one hand in his pocket, while dozens of eyes settled on him — some relieved, some curious, some stunned.
"It really has been a while, you ridiculously handsome jerk!" Keigo yelled, rushing toward him — only to receive a sharp kick to the face mid-charge.
"I don't like men jumping on me like that," Ren muttered lazily as he spun into the kick.
Keigo curled up on the floor holding his nose, groaning in agony like he'd been hit by a truck, not a foot.
"You deserved that," Tatsuki commented mercilessly with crossed arms.
Inoue nodded gently, though with an embarrassed smile:
"We're glad you're back, Ren-kun… we really missed having you at school."
Ren gave a small nod, unfazed, and walked toward his seat as if he hadn't just kicked a man across the room.
Mizuiro smirked lightly.
"Same bold entrance as always… I thought you might've come back a little gentler."
"Aren't I gentle with girls?" Ren replied as he pulled out his chair and sat down slowly. "As for men — sorry, I'm straight and not interested."
There was a short silence before half the classroom burst into laughter.
Meanwhile Keigo looked truly heartbroken.
"Why… why do I feel like I've been emotionally categorized into the wrong species?!"
Ren ignored him again, reclining casually in his seat as if he'd simply returned to a natural habitat that had been waiting for him all along.
"By the way — welcome back, Rukia."
Ren smiled faintly at her, his eyes lingering for only a second — but long enough.
Rukia froze for a heartbeat — she hadn't expected him to address her specifically amidst all the chaos. The memory of when he saved her — when she had been moments from execution — flashed through her chest like warmth she still wasn't used to.
"A-ah… welcome back to you as well," she managed, her tone meant to sound normal… but the tremor in her heart bled subtly through.
The look she gave him was layered — gratitude, relief, and something deeper she wasn't ready to let surface. Not here. Not yet.
Ren turned his eyes forward again, as if it had been nothing more than a casual greeting — yet everyone present could tell it wasn't just a "greeting."
Renji shifted his gaze between the two of them, his brows rising slightly as something uncomfortable twisted faintly in his chest.
"...Huh. The atmosphere between you two feels a little off."
Rukia snapped her head toward him sharply.
"Silence, Renji."
— her tone carried more warning than embarrassment.
...
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