"Because of beauty."
Unohana Retsu's voice still sounded gentle to any bystander, but only Arata could hear the deep displeasure hidden within it.
"I understand that you young people are full of passion and that it's normal to get carried away by love sometimes."
"But when you promise someone something, don't go back on it so easily."
Suddenly, she extended her hand and pressed her palm against his chest, and a cold spiritual pressure pierced into his body.
Arata groaned, feeling as if all the blood in his body had frozen.
This was far stronger reiatsu suppression than what he had experienced in previous training. Only then did he realize how "considerate" she had been during those earlier sessions.
There was probably an entire Pacific Ocean hidden behind it.
"Sensei!"
"You see it yourself, even this level of spiritual pressure is too much for you now." Unohana Retsu sighed softly and withdrew her hand, and for a moment, disappointment flickered in her eyes.
"Come to the dōjō tomorrow evening. I'll let you feel again what the first training was like."
As she turned around, Arata noticed that the sash securing her Zanpakutō had loosened slightly, as if it could fly out of its sheath and kill someone at any moment.
"By the way, tell Lieutenant Matsumoto it's best to rest her back injury for three days." Unohana Retsu paused briefly before adding, "The same applies to all nights this week."
Arata stood frozen in place, and only when her spiritual pressure had completely vanished could he finally exhale.
He gave a bitter smile and looked down at his own hands, still trembling, his knuckles already covered in scratches.
…
The next morning, Arata carefully moved Rangiku's arms that were wrapped around his waist.
The woman murmured in dissatisfaction in her sleep, her long golden hair spilling over the pillow like silk, and on her exposed shoulders and neck, the traces of the previous night were still visible.
"Sleep a bit more…" Rangiku sleepily grabbed the edge of his haori, her voice hoarse from the early morning.
"Today's my first day of lectures. I can't be late." Arata leaned in and kissed her forehead, gently touching her slightly furrowed brow with his fingertips. "I'll take you out for taiyaki tonight."
"Mm…" Rangiku turned to the other side and continued sleeping as soon as Arata left.
When Arata finished dressing, the sun had just risen above the horizon.
He gave one last glance at the sleeping Rangiku, pulled up the blanket she had kicked onto the floor, then quietly closed the door.
The morning breeze cooled his cheeks with the freshness of early autumn, reminding him of Unohana Retsu's cold warning from yesterday.
"Professor Saito!" As soon as he stepped through the gate of the Spiritual Arts Academy, a teacher hurried toward him. "Class 1-A students have already gathered in Dōjō No. 1. This is your class schedule."
Arata accepted the document with gilded covers, which detailed his duties for each lesson.
As the head professor of the Kendo Department, he wasn't only responsible for the practical training of the elite class but also for editing and revising the teaching materials.
In the textbook "Origin of Kendo," which had been personally reviewed by the captain, now lay quietly in his briefcase.
In front of Dōjō No. 1, Arata paused for a moment to adjust his collar.
Through the gap in the door, he saw more than thirty students sitting neatly in rows, and a silver-haired boy in the front row stood out in particular.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō was quietly speaking with Kusaka Sōjirō beside him; in front of them lay brand new wooden swords.
Arata calmly entered the dōjō.
"Stand up!"
At the command of the acting class representative, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, all the students sprang to their feet and bowed.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Saito Arata, and starting today, I'll be in charge of your kendo classes." He scanned each young face, his gaze lingering briefly on Tōshirō and Kusaka.
"Before we begin the material, I'd like to hear how you understand kendo."
The students looked at each other, a bit confused, until a girl with a ponytail gathered her courage, raised her hand, and said:
"Sensei Saito, kendo is the art of sword fighting!"
"Correct, but not enough." Arata took the textbook from his briefcase, and the five large golden characters "Origin of Kendo" on the cover gleamed in the light.
"Open the textbooks you just received and turn to the first page."
"As the captain emphasized in the 'Yuanryū Secrets,' kendo is the unity of mind, technique, and body. And what we'll learn today is how to memorize the feeling of holding a sword through your body."
Then he raised the wooden sword and demonstrated the basic movements at least three times more precisely than the illustrations in the book.
"Now pair up and correct each other's form."
The dōjō suddenly filled with the frequent sound of wooden swords clashing. Arata walked between the rows, occasionally adjusting someone's wrist angle.
When he approached Tōshirō, he found that the silver-haired boy had nearly perfectly replicated his movements.
"Good, very good, Tōshirō." Arata nodded with satisfaction.
Teaching a genius like Xiaobai was the easiest job.
It was enough to show a movement once and explain the theory once, they would immediately grasp the essence, no need for extra effort.
"It's all thanks to Sensei Saito's precise instruction." Tōshirō tried to respond coolly and maturely, but the proud smile on his face couldn't be hidden, it spontaneously broke out.
After all, he was still a child, too much coldness just didn't suit him.
Arata smiled and turned to Kusaka Sōjirō who was standing next to him.
"Kusaka, your problem is with your footwork. Your center of gravity is too far forward."
"Yes, Sensei Saito!" Kusaka quickly tried to adjust his stance but almost tripped over his own feet out of nervousness.
Arata caught his shoulders and felt a cold wave of spiritual pressure under his fingers.
The reiatsu of these two boys was so similar that it was easy to believe they would one day truly become "twins of fate."
"Sensei!"
Suddenly, a shout came from the back rows. A boy had swung his wooden sword too hard, and it flew out of his hand straight into the crowd.
Without turning around, Arata simply raised his hand and caught the flying sword precisely. The movement was so smooth it seemed like he had known in advance where it would fly.
"This will be the first lesson I give you today: control is much more important than power." He tossed the wooden sword back to the bewildered student and began explaining kendo techniques related to strength and motion control.
While speaking, he also called a few students to come up front and demonstrate with him.
Tōshirō, with his wide emerald eyes, watched Arata's every move, clear admiration in his gaze.
When Arata completed the full demonstration, this usually cold boy was the first to start clapping.
The morning lesson passed quickly.
When the bell rang to signal the end of class, many students were still engrossed in training and didn't want to stop.
"Sensei Saito!" Tōshirō suddenly stopped him. "Regarding your last strike…"
Arata looked at the serious expression on his face and took out a small notebook from his bag, which he handed to him.
It was a basic kendo manual he had written back when he was a part-time instructor running the kendo club for Renji and the others.
"There's a more detailed explanation in here, along with some of my experiences. Take it, read it, and return it to me later."
Tōshirō was momentarily speechless, then quickly accepted the notebook and gave a deep bow.
"Thank you… thank you, Sensei Saito!"
Arata waved his hand to signal him to stand up. "No need to thank me that much. It's only natural for a genius like you to have some privileges, that's perfectly normal."
"The best way to repay a teacher is to study and train as seriously as you can."
When he exited the dōjō, Arata ran into Deputy Director Shibata, who was holding a lesson plan in his hands.
The man smiled, stroking his beard. "It seems Professor Saito is very popular among the students. Even a genius like Tōshirō came personally to ask for further explanation."
"They have immense potential." Arata looked toward the two silhouettes sparring in the courtyard.
"One day, they'll become great pillars of the Soul Society."