When Kakei finally woke up from his brief unconsciousness, he desperately hoped he was caught in the middle of a nightmare.
That hope died the moment a pink lace dress was ruthlessly slapped onto his face.
"Um... Rear Admiral Kane, could you perhaps show some leniency just this once?"
Kakei held the delicate fabric in his trembling hands. His face was twisted like a bitter melon, and his eyes were filled with a deep resistance and a mourning for his soon-to-be-lost dignity as a man.
"If you make a bet, you must pay up. This is a man's romance, New Recruit Kakei."
Kane sat comfortably on a nearby chair, his legs crossed and a bright, almost blinding smile on his face.
"But... Gion is watching too..." Kakei made one last, desperate struggle to escape his fate.
Kane let out a long sigh, walked up to Kakei, and patted his stiff shoulder heavily. He leaned in close and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, spoke with a tone of earnest deception.
"Idiot."
"Do you really think girls like that kind of face-saving machismo? You couldn't be more wrong!"
"What they actually like are tough guys who are flexible for the sake of justice and dare to break convention regardless of the cost!"
"If you can calmly pull off wearing this dress in public, tell me, what difficulty on this vast sea could ever hope to knock you down?"
Kane paused for a moment, throwing out his final trump card to seal the deal.
"Besides, Gion is right over there watching you closely."
"Do you want her to see a sore loser and a coward who runs from his word, or a warrior who dares to challenge himself in new ways to become stronger?"
Kakei's gaze changed instantly. From the depths of his initial despair, a tragic and determined flame gradually ignited in his eyes.
"I... I'll wear it!!"
Kakei grit his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. He grabbed the dress and scrambled into the tight lace garment before tragically pulling on the accompanying fishnet stockings. Though the resulting image was a complete eyesore, the expression on his face was so solemn and focused it was almost moving.
A few minutes later.
When a 2.6-meter-tall burly man with a ferocious face and thick leg hair appeared on the track wearing a pink Lolita dress, the entire Training Ground fell into a dead silence for three full seconds.
Then came a landslide of explosive, uncontrollable laughter.
"Pfft, hahaha! My eyes! I'm blind! Someone call a medic!"
"Oh my god, that Kakei... he actually did it! He actually wore the dress!"
Faced with the tidal wave of ridicule, Kakei was dying of shame, wishing he could find a hole in the concrete to crawl into and disappear forever.
Just then, a steady, commanding voice drowned out all the noise of the crowd.
"Quiet!"
Kane stood out at the edge of the track with his hands behind his back, scanning the crowd with a solemn and disappointed face.
"What are you all laughing at? Are you laughing at a warrior who dares to face his own inner shame just to hone his will?"
"This is the trial of the Heart of the Strong! If he can conquer your ridicule today, he can conquer this sea tomorrow! Applaud his courage immediately!"
The Marine Soldiers, who were ready to watch a humiliating joke, were completely dazed by this absolute nonsense. They looked at each other, a strange sense of shame welling up spontaneously in their chests.
"So that's how it is... As expected of Rear Admiral Kane, his realm of understanding is simply too high for us!"
"This guy Kakei, though he looks wretched right now, this level of resolve... he's a real man!"
Scattered applause broke out at first, which then turned into thunderous, supportive cheers.
"Run! Kakei! You can do it!"
"This is a man's romance!!"
Under the respectful gaze of thousands of his peers, Kakei puffed out his chest and, with tragic, heavy strides, began his ten-lap special training. The moment he took his first step, tears of genuine emotion welled up in his eyes.
Is this the legendary magnanimity of Rear Admiral Kane...
Kakei shouted inwardly, his original jealousy and deep resentment vanishing at this very moment.
To possess such terrifying strength yet have a heart wider than the sea! He could have easily humiliated the defeated me in front of Gion, yet he chose this way to maintain my dignity and even help me reshape the Heart of the Strong!
In comparison, I, who challenged a superior officer out of petty jealousy, was as ugly as a clown! Rear Admiral Kane... he is a truly gentle and good man!
[Ding! Detected host performing deep mental manipulation (PUA) on a colleague and forcing them into a social death behavior.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Turning Black into White.]
[Obtained discipline points: 1500!]
Kane looked at the numbers jumping on his internal panel and nodded with quiet satisfaction.
Half an hour later, night fell over the base, and a sudden, violent rainstorm arrived. Marineford was shrouded in a heavy curtain of cold rain.
In Kane's private office, the warm yellow light of the lamps dispelled the chill of the rainy night.
"Come in."
As Kane's voice fell, the heavy office door was pushed open. Gion walked in, having changed out of her training clothes and into a brand-new, crisp Marine uniform. She had clearly groomed herself carefully for the visit; her originally messy hair from the day's events was combed meticulously, and she carried the faint, clean scent of body wash.
"Rear Admiral Kane!"
Gion stood at attention and saluted perfectly. Her voice was trembling slightly from nervousness, and her cheeks were flushed bright pink under the office light.
"Oh, it's Gion."
Kane was sitting in his leather swivel chair, slowly wiping the blade of his pitch-black tachi with a soft, specialized cloth. He didn't stand up to greet her, merely raising his eyes slightly. That lazy yet powerful aura made Gion's heart race once again.
"It's so late, is something the matter?"
"I..."
Gion's chest heaved as she gathered every bit of her courage and took a firm step forward.
"I would like to ask you to... guide me in the ways of swordsmanship! I also want to be able to swing a strike that cuts the very sky!"
After speaking, she nervously closed her eyes tight, terrified of being rejected by her idol.
Kane's hand wiping the blade paused slightly in mid-air.
Guide her in swordsmanship?
Tsk, how troublesome.
He still had to figure out how to farm more points; he didn't really have the time or the patience to mentor a rookie recruit. He was about to find a convenient excuse to send the girl away into the rainy night. Something like "My sword path isn't suitable for women" or "You are not qualified yet to hold this blade"—typical pretentious lines he had ready.
But when he saw Gion's hand tightly gripping the hilt of her own sword out of sheer nervousness, he subconsciously reached out to help her relax. His fingers accidentally brushed the back of her soft hand.
[Ding!]
In his mind, the cold and mechanical system notification suddenly rang out.
[Detected host utilizing authority to perform workplace harassment.]
[Congratulations, host, obtained discipline points: 200!]
Kane: "..."
The expression on his face instantly froze in place. Then, he looked at Gion's pretty face, which had instantly turned beet red from his simple touch, and then at the 200 points that had indeed arrived in his system panel.
A brand new door to financial freedom had just swung wide open before him!
The expression on Kane's face instantly shifted from "too much trouble" to "righteous and stern mentor."
"Swordsmanship guidance, you say?"
He put down the cleaning cloth and walked around the desk to stand behind Gion.
"Stand up, draw your sword, and let me see your grip."
Gion hurriedly stood up and nervously drew her blade, assuming a standard kendo stance she had learned in the academy.
"Too stiff! How can you expect to exert the full power of the blade like this?!"
Kane shook his head with feigned disappointment. He stepped forward and assumed a standard back-hug position, encircling her entirely in his muscular arms.
"Relax! Feel my power transfer into you!"
Kane's large, calloused hand directly covered Gion's soft, delicate hand, helping her to correct her grip on the hilt. Gion's body jolted at the contact, and she felt as if her brain had completely short-circuited.
Too... too close.
She was enveloped in an embrace full of a powerful masculine aura, with Kane's warm breath vibrating right by her ear. The heat radiating from his large hand made her whole body go soft, and she could barely keep herself standing on her own two feet.
"Relax, a sword is not meant to be gripped to death."
Kane's voice rang low in her ear. "You must feel its breath, let it become an extension of your own arm... Here, loosen your fingers just a bit."
As he spoke, his fingers gently stroked the back of Gion's hand in a slow, rhythmic motion.
[Ding! Detected host utilizing the convenience of his position to perform sexual harassment and mental PUA on a naive female subordinate.]
[Obtained discipline points: 800!]
Kane was internally overjoyed at the efficiency, but his face remained that of a serious and upright mentor.
"This muscle is far too tense; your power delivery is all wrong."
His hand moved up Gion's arm, gently squeezing her forearm muscle before sliding all the way up to her shoulder.
"Lower your shoulders, do not shrug when you strike."
By now, Gion had completely lost track of what she was supposed to be doing. She felt like a Steam Girl, with literal steam practically rising from the top of her head. How could she possibly listen to any kendo theory now? Her entire mind was filled with the sensation of Kane's palm against her skin and that dizzying masculine scent.
"Rear... Admiral..." Her voice was trembling, carrying a hint of inadvertent coquettishness that she couldn't control.
"Focus."
Kane lightly patted her waist, his tone sounding perfectly stern.
"A swordsman must never allow themselves to be distracted at any time."
"Yes!!"
Gion jumped in startle and quickly straightened her back, but a strange sweetness welled up in her heart despite the reprimand.
He is taking so much responsibility for my growth! Is this the true teaching of a hero?
"And your stance! Your lower body is unstable, and your center of gravity is far too high! This is fatal in a real battle!"
As Kane spoke, his knee inadvertently nudged the back of Gion's leg to help her adjust her center of gravity into a lower position.
[Ding! discipline points +80!]
"Breathe! Your breathing is a mess too! Follow my rhythm exactly!"
[Ding! discipline points +60!]
Kane's heart was in a state of wild ecstasy. To become stronger, to protect the peace of this vast sea, what did it really matter if he sacrificed his reputation a little and got a bit handsy with a female subordinate? This was all for the sake of justice!
Meanwhile, outside the window.
Raindrops pitter-pattered against the glass, blurring the view of the base outside. On the central plaza of Marineford, a pink figure was struggling through the thick mud. Kakei was soaked to the bone, the wet lace dress clinging tightly to his body, outlining his far-from-aesthetic features and flab for any passing guard to see.
His legs felt as heavy as lead, but he still persisted in his task.
For the sake of justice! To prove himself to Gion!
As he ran his eighth grueling lap and passed under the shadow of the Headquarters building, he subconsciously looked up.
That window. That warm, inviting light. That was Rear Admiral Kane's office.
Kakei wiped the rain from his face and squinted his eyes. Through the shadow cast on the curtain, he clearly saw two overlapping silhouettes moving together. That tall figure was pressed tightly against the back of that slender figure. Their movements looked so intimate, so... crack.
It seemed something had completely and utterly shattered in Kakei's heart.
"No... no no no!"
Kakei shook his head frantically in the pouring rain, tears mixing with the cold rainwater as they flowed into his mouth, tasting incredibly bitter.
Gion...
You must... you must just be asking for swordsmanship guidance... right?
Gion is not that kind of shallow woman! And Rear Admiral Kane is the very incarnation of justice in this world!
I must be overthinking this! Waaaaah!!
Kakei let out a desperate, silent wail in his heart, but his legs could no longer move. He fell to his knees in the mud with a loud splash, letting out a shrill roar into the dark, rainy night that he didn't dare make too loud for anyone to hear.
"This damn justice!!!"
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