Chapter 57: Solution
Narrator POV.
—Mmm… hey, Akira… that thing you said earlier… —Orihime tilted her head slightly, her curious gaze fixed on him—. Is it true that you don't have spiritual energy?
Ever since she heard him say it, she couldn't get it out of her head. She knew her knowledge of the spiritual world was limited, but even so… something didn't add up. She had even asked Yoruichi about it, and her answer had been very clear:
"It's not possible. Everything in this world is permeated by spiritual energy. Even the air itself is made of it."
So how was it possible that Akira had none?
—That's right. —Akira replied naturally, as if it were nothing important—. I don't have spiritual energy. What I use is called curse energy… or cursed energy, as some translate it.
He smiled calmly, though his tone lowered slightly, as if he were sharing an important secret.
—But don't tell anyone, okay?
He knew he could trust Orihime. Despite being a little absent-minded, she was one of the most trustworthy people he had ever met. She would never betray a secret someone genuinely entrusted to her.
—C-cursed energy…? —Orihime repeated softly, frowning with a mix of doubt and concern. The name alone didn't sound reassuring at all. "Cursed"… that wasn't exactly comforting—. And is that… safe? I mean, does it hurt you, or… or change your body?
Akira let out a soft laugh, then gently placed his hand on top of Orihime's head. His fingers slid through her hair with a tenderness that made her shoulders relax, as if her worry were slowly fading with that simple gesture.
—Relax, Orihime. —he said with a sincere smile—. I know it sounds dark, dangerous… even evil, because of the name. But it isn't. Believe me. If it were something that harmed me, or could hurt others uncontrollably, I wouldn't use it.
His words were clear and firm. There was no doubt in his voice, nor in his eyes.
And for some reason, Orihime believed him without questioning it further. It was strange. Everything about the spiritual world was hard to understand, but when Akira explained things… they simply made sense. More than that, she trusted him—far more than she had expected.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, looking at him, her heart beating a little faster than normal.
—Then… are you similar to Uryū? Well, that's what he says… —she commented while nervously playing with her fingers.
—What did Four-Eyes say now? —Akira asked, raising an eyebrow, genuinely curious about the comparison.
—That there's a possibility you're like him. —she replied timidly, as if repeating something she didn't fully understand—. You use a different kind of energy, you create weapons out of nothing… and you have abilities that don't resemble a Shinigami's.
Akira fell silent for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he processed her words.
—(Now that I think about it… it sounds dumb, but it's not that far off. Even if he's wrong, his theory has some logic.)
Cursed energy could be shaped and fired at a distance, like the Reishi arrows Quincy used. He could also use it to reinforce his body, very similar to Blut, though he didn't know whether Uryū even knew about Blut. And if he thought about it, his daggers—solid shapes formed from nothingness—could easily be mistaken for Reishi weapons at first glance.
—(I guess he mistook my daggers for spiritual constructs like his.)
Uryū wasn't as crazy as Akira had initially thought. There were similarities, yes—but only that: coincidences. He wasn't a Quincy. He didn't share their lineage or methods, only some functional effects. Nothing more.
As he reflected, a spark of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.
—(Wait a second…! How did I not think of this before?)
He remembered what Sukuna had done: ripping out his own heart and keeping his body functioning purely with cursed energy. Even when Maki pierced his chest, Sukuna had forced his heart to keep beating using only that dark energy, shaping it at will to maintain vital motion.
—(I can apply that… I can use cursed energy as a support, an extension of my own cardiac system…)
That changed everything. Not only could he force the heartbeats to intensify the cardiac explosions, but he could also stabilize his heart during the process, compensate for the strain, and better control the intervals between power bursts.
—(I've been such an idiot. I focused on the technique and forgot that cursed energy has more uses than just boosting strength.)
For the first time in a while, a genuinely satisfied smile crossed his face. That night, he wasn't just strengthening his body… he was refining his true style.
Orihime, though she didn't fully understand what was going through his mind, noticed the light in his eyes—the look of someone who had just taken a step closer to something great.
Of course, as he had said before, using cursed energy would only be a temporary support. He didn't have time to properly perfect the martial art created by Silver Fang, and although using cursed energy to compensate for the hardest part—the heartbeats—made things much easier, Akira didn't want to rely on it forever.
That fighting style was a masterpiece of the human body pushed to its limits, not a technique meant to be altered by external crutches. So once this mission was over, he would train until he mastered the Heart Explosion Release Fist exactly as it was conceived. No shortcuts. No aids. Just himself, his body, and the flow of his will.
—Thank you, Orihime. —Akira said with a soft smile, realizing that until now, the idea hadn't even crossed his mind.
—Huh? Why are you thanking me? —Orihime asked, tilting her head with a slightly confused expression at the sudden gratitude.
—Because this conversation made me think. You helped me without realizing it. —Akira replied sincerely as he looked at his hand and clenched his fist with determination—. I found a solution for using one of my most difficult abilities… and I needed it. I'll need it inside the Seireitei.
Orihime blinked in surprise, then her face lit up with a gentle, warm smile.
—I'm glad I could help! I guess… sometimes you just need to stop for a moment, breathe, and talk to someone to see things from a different angle, right?
Akira glanced at her from the side, and for the first time in a long while, he felt something different in his chest… a comforting calm.
Not only because he had found a solution, but because he had someone who, simply by being there, gave him clarity.
—Oh, I think it's about time to head back… dawn is almost here. —he said, lifting his gaze to the sky. Though it looked like he was admiring the stars, he was actually checking the system screen that showed him the exact time.
—Oh! You're right, it's been quite a while since you left. Kukaku and the others are probably about to start preparing… —Orihime said with a smile, clasping her hands together.
Akira nodded calmly, standing up and stretching his arms overhead. The movement made the muscles of his torso tense slightly, outlining every line of his well-trained body. Orihime, distracted by the conversation, had completely forgotten that Akira wasn't wearing a shirt… until she saw him stretch.
Her eyes widened just a bit too much, and as if an electric current shot up her neck, her face turned bright red.
—What's wrong? You look like a tomato. —Akira commented with a mischievous half-smile, noticing how Orihime tried—unsuccessfully—to hide her blush. He even thought he saw a tiny puff of steam escaping from her ears.
—I-I wasn't looking! I swear! —Orihime exclaimed, waving her hands clumsily in a desperate attempt to deny the obvious.
—Oh yeah? Then you were looking. —Akira replied amused, watching her incriminate herself.
Realizing what she had just accidentally admitted, Orihime turned even redder—if that was even possible—bringing her hands to her cheeks in a futile attempt to hide her embarrassment.
—Relax, it was a joke. —he laughed softly—. Let's go back to the others, it's time… Besides, I need to get changed.
As they began walking, Akira was already thinking about changing into his black clothes—elegant, imposing, and refined. He had always had a particular taste for that style. Black. Sober. Elegant… and dangerous.
Just like his aura.
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End of Chapter.