Why Aren't You Laughing?

The two did not spend long exchanging pleasantries. After a few words, Isshin Shiba stated his request.

Though she was a woman, Kūkaku was quite forthright. She raised her tobacco pipe without much hesitation.

"I understand why you're here. Please follow me."

Kūkaku stood, and Dōsan hurried to his feet as well.

As soon as he raised his head, he nearly bumped into Kūkaku's pretty face. The tips of their noses almost brushed. At that distance, he could even feel her breath, and the faint scent of tobacco on her made his nose twitch.

Dōsan's cheeks reddened, and he quickly leaned back. What was this lady trying to do?

Thinking it through reasonably, could it be that he had to sell his body before becoming a Soul Reaper?

Kūkaku rolled her eyes at Dōsan and flashed back to the front. "Kid, if you ever look at me that rudely again, I'll gouge your eyes out."

As she spoke, Kūkaku stretched her graceful neck, then raised a slender finger and crooked it threateningly toward Dōsan's eyes.

"My deepest apologies, Lady Kūkaku."

Kūkaku thrust out her chest, flipped back to the front, and waved them along. She led the two down the corridor to another room.

Kūkaku placed her hand on the sliding door and pulled hard. It slid open with a clatter.

"Ganju, come on out!"

"Uncle Isshin, and hello to you too, guest. My name is Ganju Shiba."

As though he had prepared for this, a man in a green bandanna, who bore a sixty-percent resemblance to Isshin Shiba, appeared at the sound of the door opening. Wearing a cheerful smile seventy percent like Kūkaku's, he knelt at the doorway in perfect form to greet them.

Dōsan Hanyū hurriedly returned the greeting.

"You want Ganju to teach Dōsan?" Isshin Shiba's mouth twitched. He wanted to laugh, but couldn't.

He had originally wanted Kūkaku's help. His niece couldn't use Bankai yet, but her Zankensoki was close to Captain-level, making her more than qualified to teach Dōsan the basics.

"What?" Sensing that her younger brother was being looked down on, Kūkaku was visibly displeased. She proudly thrust out her chest. "He hasn't amounted to much yet, but he's already at the level of a Seated Officer in a combat division."

This was their first meeting, and she hadn't had much of a favorable impression of Dōsan to begin with. His gaze just now hadn't been full of lust; otherwise, even for Uncle Isshin's sake, Kūkaku would have already thrown a punch.

Now, with Isshin's recent "assist," Kūkaku's impression of Dōsan had sunk to rock bottom.

"Gomen, gomen." Isshin Shiba waved his hand and looked at Ganju, whose face was seventy percent like his own but still somewhat youthful. "Then I'll leave Dōsan to you. He's only just begun training his Spiritual Pressure."

"Please leave it to me." Hearing that Dōsan had "only just begun training," Ganju relaxed his slightly tense face.

Seeing Isshin and Kūkaku about to leave, Dōsan Hanyū couldn't help calling out to them.

"Captain Isshin."

Dōsan Hanyū raised the two flasks of sake tied to his hand, which he had brought from the tavern, and offered them to Isshin Shiba. "These are gifts I prepared to thank you and Miss Rangiku."

Isshin Shiba looked the two flasks over. They were the crudest kind of clay sake flask, their surfaces smooth from repeated polishing, but they still inevitably looked battered and worn.

The normally irreverent man made no teasing remarks at Dōsan Hanyū's gesture. His facial muscles tightened, and he bowed his head with great respect. Accepting the gifts in both hands, he said solemnly, "Thank you for your gifts. I'll accept them on Rangiku's behalf."

Isshin Shiba knew that these might be the only things the boy before him could offer.

Kūkaku was also somewhat taken aback by Dōsan's abrupt gesture. She glanced at the many patches on his clothes.

Her impression of him improved a tiny bit.

Her older brother Kaien had once said that a man was never measured by the wealth he possessed.

The two left, leaving only Dōsan and Ganju in the spacious area.

Dōsan Hanyū took another look at the "teacher" beside him. Ganju no longer looked the least bit courteous. He was leaning against the wall, picking his nose.

Dōsan looked at his "teacher" and his posture, an odd expression on his face.

Ganju's face looked much like Isshin's, but his build was considerably broader, making him look a little more simpleminded.

And the way he was picking his nose was exactly like Uncle Isshin.

Dōsan bit his lower lip tightly and lowered his head slightly. He wanted to laugh but couldn't, his face expressionless.

"Uncle said you only just started training. How far have you gotten?"

How far?

Dōsan Hanyū recalled the insight he had gained while facing a Hollow, as well as Rangiku Matsumoto's brief instruction, and held out his hand to gather Spiritual Pressure in it.

Spiritual Power formed channels, and the Spiritual Pressure throughout his body began to twist and release, gathering in his hand in an unceasing flow. Dōsan Hanyū immediately threw a punch. The air cracked with a bang, and the entire area trembled.

Dōsan Hanyū pulled back his fist and let out a long breath.

Hakuda.

"Not bad."

Ganju's eyes lit up. Though it clearly still needed time to mature, this was Hakuda without a doubt.

That would save him quite a bit of trouble.

Only then did he realize he might have misunderstood what Uncle meant.

He had been too nervous just now and hadn't performed well enough.

Uncle Isshin had meant "only just begun training his Spiritual Pressure" in the narrow sense.

In a sense, someone of mediocre talent who had spent six years at the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts could still only be considered to have "just begun."

Ganju raised his head and looked at Dōsan Hanyū with a touch of pride. "How long have you been training? Three months, or more than a year?"

Ganju made a reasonable estimate of Dōsan Hanyū's training time, deliberately keeping it a little short.

Come to think of it, his sister had kept him confined these past few days, and he hadn't shown off in front of anyone for three days.

"Three months? A year?"

Dōsan Hanyū, who didn't know much about Soul Reaper training, didn't quite understand what Ganju meant. He was even a little worried that Ganju might misunderstand something and affect the training to come.

After a moment's hesitation, Dōsan answered truthfully, "I might have only trained for ten minutes."

Ganju froze at first, snot running from his nose. Then, as though unable to hold it in, he snorted. His eyes squeezed into slits and his chiseled face twisted up. He clutched his stomach and laughed until tears and snot streamed down his face.

He had thought the kid was a quiet, brooding type, but he hadn't expected him to be so funny.

Ten minutes?

"Hahaha!"

Ganju laughed for a while. When he saw the somewhat puzzled look on Dōsan Hanyū's face, his laughter stopped abruptly. He stared fixedly at Dōsan. "Why aren't you laughing?"