Arata stroked his chin, thinking about his plans for the upcoming period.
Since the graduation ceremony for the sixth-grade students had just ended, there were a total of two months of vacation from now until the start of the new school year.
Since he had already given a promise to Captain Yamamoto, this two-month period of free time was especially precious.
He decided to go find Unohana Retsu first, on the one hand to fulfill the promise of attending training with her every week, and on the other because he wanted to hear his teacher's advice.
The Fourth Division was, as always, quiet and peaceful.
When Arata stepped inside, the scent of medicinal herbs that hit him made him unconsciously relax.
He walked along the familiar corridor toward the captain's room, and the division members who passed by greeted him warmly.
There were even a few bolder Shinigami girls who openly pushed love letters they had prepared into his hands, and then ran away blushing from embarrassment.
Arata looked at the dozen or so love letters in different packaging in his hands and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
This thing was a hot potato. When Unohana Retsu saw it, she would surely tease him, and maybe even apply a bit of physical violence.
He could only temporarily hide them in the lining of his haori and wait to find a place to get rid of them when leaving.
"Arata-kun, you came earlier than I expected."
Just then, a gentle female voice sounded behind him, nearly making Arata jump in surprise.
He turned around pretending to be calm and saw Unohana Retsu standing in the hallway with a basket of fresh medicinal herbs in her hands.
Sunlight fell on her through a gap in the eaves, giving her a soft halo.
"Good morning, teacher." Arata bowed in respect. "I just came back from the First Division, from the captain."
Unohana Retsu gently nodded, as if she already knew he would say that.
"Come inside first, it's still quite hot today."
In the captain's room, Unohana Retsu brewed tea for Arata, using tea she had previously asked Isane to send him.
In the swirling hot steam, her deep, bottomless eyes calmly watched her student.
"So, did the captain assign you any tasks?"
Arata told her about his conversation with old Yamamoto, including his own training plan, the old man's proposal for the reform of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy, and the invitation to become a teacher.
In the end, he looked at Unohana Retsu somewhat uncertainly.
"Teacher, what do you think about Captain Yamamoto's proposal?"
Unexpectedly, a look of relief appeared on Unohana Retsu's face.
"That's a good thing." She tilted her teacup and smiled. "Arata-kun's talent for kendō and potential are truly exceptional, but learning and teaching go hand in hand. As a teacher, while you're teaching others, you'll also gain something yourself."
"I believe you've already experienced that firsthand."
"Whether in the Kendo Club or earlier during the instructor training class, isn't that so?"
Arata exhaled with relief. "I'm glad teacher has no objections."
"Why would I have any objections?" Unohana Retsu shook her head and put down her cup. "But…"
Suddenly, she changed her tone, which became somewhat more serious. "Since you've already decided to become a teacher, you must take that responsibility seriously. Every student at the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy could one day become your colleague, so you must not be careless!"
"Teacher, the student understands."
Arata responded seriously; to him, teaching those students was even more important than it was to Unohana Retsu.
After all, aside from the responsibility it carried, they were also pure destiny points he could earn.
Unohana Retsu nodded with satisfaction, then stood up. The captain's haori she wore had already been tossed into the corner at some point.
"Now that we're done with official matters, it's time to deal with personal ones."
"Arata-kun, do you remember how long it's been since you last practiced kendō with your teacher?"
"Uh… well… that…"
"There's no point talking anymore. Come! With me to the training hall!"
Like a child being scolded by parents for mischief, Arata followed Unohana Retsu without the slightest resistance back into the dark underground training hall.
Over the next two days, he once again relived that painful but joyful time, completely immersed in the kendō training led by Unohana Retsu.
However, unlike before, Arata's spiritual pressure had now grown to the level of a captain, and Unohana Retsu could finally relax completely and no longer hold back.
Every one of her moves was even more unrestrained than before, almost every strike aimed directly at Arata's vital points.
"Move faster! Strike hard when you swing your sword!"
"The angle is wrong! You've only skipped training for two months, how did you forget even the basics of kendō?!"
"Breathe more naturally!"
Under Unohana Retsu's high-intensity training, Arata felt his swordsmanship skills and his ability to withstand pressure suddenly grow.
Only on the early morning of the third day, when he finished performing a sequence of sword forms with Unohana Retsu, did a rare look of satisfaction appear on her face.
"Not bad, you've progressed faster than I expected." She sheathed her Zanpakutō and looked at Arata with eyes that sparkled. "It seems this graduation exam has truly boosted your strength."
Arata was breathing heavily, using the shihakushō hanging beside him as a towel to wipe off sweat.
"If I was able to improve like this, it's all thanks to the good teaching of my teacher." He smiled, his words filled with gratitude toward Unohana Retsu.
And it was truly so.
In a certain sense, Unohana Retsu was the most important guide on Arata's path of growth.
Unohana Retsu shook her head with a gentle smile.
She walked over to Arata with a white towel in her hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead herself, while the young man only stared in astonishment.
"Arata-kun, you've come this far thanks to your own effort."
When the towel slid down to Arata's stomach, a particularly noticeable scar on the right side of his abdomen caused Unohana Retsu's gaze to darken, and the strength in her hand unconsciously increased.
Arata clearly sensed something was wrong, so he lowered his gaze and saw that it was one of the three scars left by the venomous scorpion Kadavil before his death.
The essence of high-level spiritual pressure, a B-rank item, had restored his spiritual energy and physical strength, but failed to remove the scar.
Later, when he returned to the Soul Society and received treatment in the 4th Division, Arata specifically asked Unohana Retsu to leave those scars.
The purpose was to remind himself not to become arrogant.
It's not wise to pop champagne at halftime, before confirming that the enemy is truly completely dead.
After a break, the two of them showered, changed into spare Shinigami uniforms, and returned to the captain's room.
On the table was already neatly served food that Unohana Retsu had prepared in advance, as usual enriched with spiritual pressure essence.
However, what she didn't know was that the spiritual pressure essence from Kirio Hikifune, apart from increasing the sense of fullness, now had almost no effect on Arata.
But Arata said nothing, only pretended that everything was normal.
Soon, the two of them finished eating and were satisfied.
Unohana Retsu then asked Arata a question.
"Arata-kun, there's something I've long wanted to ask you." She said seriously.
"Teacher, go ahead." Arata paused, surprised.
"What are your plans for the future?" Unohana Retsu's gaze became deeper. "With your talent, becoming a captain is only a matter of time, but…"
"Have you ever thought about what kind of Shinigami you want to be?"
———
Support me on patreon.com/_BlackRose
Read 60+ advanced chapters
Every 50-100-150 Power Stones = 1 additional chapter