Chapter 116
"..."
Fortunately.
Haruto didn't stand awkwardly at the door for too long, waiting for the gatekeeper, who looked still shaken, to return with the news:
"Please come in. The first building straight ahead from the main entrance is it."
――――
The Third Division is very busy.
There weren't many Soul Reaper in the barracks to begin with.
Seeing Haruto's unfamiliar face in the Shin'ō Academy uniform, he didn't pay him much attention.
As a support team, the Third Division usually doesn't charge into battle, but whenever something happens, they become just as busy as the Fifth Division.
The journey was short, and Haruto walked and looked around as he went.
"Chaotic yet orderly."
Shortly after entering the main gate, Haruto saw a notice board with many wooden signs hanging on it, and the team members were choosing tasks from the signs based on their abilities.
This method of claiming members, similar to the "Adventurers' Guild" in Western fantasy stories, feels somewhat out of place in the Soul Society's art style.
"As expected of the woman who could make Ōtoribashi cry, managing a squad so well is a piece of cake for her."
Haruto withdrew his gaze and followed the instructions toward his destination.
"Knock knock."
Haruto knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
A strong and assertive female voice came from inside the door.
"..."
It's understandable that the team members outside were scared; even Haruto was momentarily stunned.
"Excuse me!"
After mentally preparing himself, Haruto forcefully pushed open the heavy door of the barracks—
Two people.
There were two people in the room, one sitting and one standing.
Although it's smaller than Kotsubaki Clan's dojo, its traditional Japanese decor is far superior to the latter's industrial minimalist style.
Among all the decorations in the house, the dragon and tiger paintings hanging on the left and right sides of the wall are particularly striking.
Coupled with the huge word "Renxia" directly opposite, anyone will regard this place as the base of the traditional Yakuza.
"..."
Haruto quietly walked into the house.
The female Soul Reaper facing him, with a weathered face but sharp eyes, and dressed in a pure black furisode that differed in detail from the Shihakushō, was the target of this mission:
The Chikane Iba.
Not far from him, a young man was kneeling prostrate on the ground... Haruto couldn't see his face, but that overly distinctive pompadour hairstyle, paired with the same wing-shaped sunglasses Jin'emon Kotsubaki—
He's clearly the future Captain of the Seventh Division, Tetsuzaemon Iba.
"Haruto, right?"
"Yes!"
Haruto, who was still Tetsuzaemon Iba, was startled by Chikane Iba's sudden call to stop him.
It's like being caught daydreaming in class by the principal peeking through the window.
"Are you going to join the Third Division after you graduate?"
"... Huh?"
"It doesn't seem so."
Chikane Iba 'Haruto reaction gave him the answer.
"The Hakuda techniques I teach are not a closely guarded secret of the Iba family, but to even begin to learn them, one must at least be a member of my Third Division."
Chikane Iba resealed the letter of introduction that he had already read.
It has to be said that her presence and demeanor as she sat there made her seem more like a captain than several others Haruto had ever seen.
"Jin'emon sent you here probably because he thinks your physical talent is enough for me to make an exception... So what price are you willing to pay to satisfy me?"
Chikane Iba was quite blunt in his words.
But there was a subtle, almost imperceptible complexity in his tone.
It wasn't that she was deliberately targeting Haruto, but rather that she maintained the same attitude towards everyone; if it weren't for that letter of introduction, judging from the attitude of the two gatekeepers, Haruto, as a student, probably wouldn't have been able to enter the Third Division's barracks at all.
"Um..."
Haruto roughly understood the situation from this.
"Can I help ease the tension between you two?"
Haruto glanced down at Tetsuzaemon, who was kneeling motionless on the ground, and asked directly without any probing.
"If you could get him to leave the 11th Division, that wouldn't be out of the question."
Upon hearing such a frivolous answer, Chikane Iba did not immediately refuse.
But as soon as she finished speaking—
"Mother, I will absolutely not join the Third Division!"
Although Tetsuzaemon's voice wasn't as imposing as Chikane Iba's, it was still incredibly loud.
They practically ripped the roof off the house.
"..."
Haruto understands very well.
Chikane Iba doesn't think much of the current 11th Division, while Tetsuzaemon doesn't want to join the division his mother belongs to.
Haruto wasn't particularly clever, but he considered himself quite good at understanding other people's thoughts; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to remain undefeated in verbal battles.
A mother who doesn't want her son to fall into depravity, and a son who doesn't want to be sheltered under his mother's wing.
Add to that Tetsuzaemon's sunglasses, which are only slightly different in color from Jin'emon's... just based on their attire and names, you could easily believe they're father Haruto.
Certainly.
For Tetsuzaemon, who was clearly still quite young at the time, the latter was more like a target he imitated, learned from, and even wanted to surpass.
Since that's the case.
"Why don't we each take a step back and let the Iba... your son join the Seventh Division?"
Haruto offered his very constructive advice.
"..."
"..."
The two people, one sitting and one kneeling, remained motionless like stone statues.
"Do you want to work under Kotsubaki?"
Finally, it was Chikane Iba who spoke first.
"I do."
"Good!"
Chikane Iba's answer was much more concise than Tetsuzaemon's.
"Tetsuzaemon, go and serve the guest a cup of tea."
"Yes!"
Watching the mother and son quickly reconcile—
"Was I really set up?"
Haruto couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Even without the above analysis, considering Jin'emon Kotsubaki's smile and hints before leaving, Haruto could easily guess the value of his presence at this moment:
"Please let the guests act as lubricant..."
"Those two are really cunning."
――――
It's a temple fair again.
Haruto has been to similar places three times today.
Chikane Iba meant by "serving a cup of tea" was indeed just a cup of tea; after Haruto completed her instructions, Chikane Iba very cleanly and efficiently took Haruto directly to the training ground of the Third Division.
"Zanpakuto is an extension of the arm."
Chikane Iba stood opposite the training ground, still wearing that long, fitted haori that was not conducive to movement.
Her opening remarks were no different from those of Jin'emon Kotsubaki.
In other words.
"No matter how strong your Zanjutsu is, it's useless without the corresponding physical attributes; but if your body is strong enough, you can shatter your opponent with a single punch even without a weapon."
However, the content that followed was completely different from what Jin'emon Kotsubaki had told him.
"For the past five hundred years, all the Hakuda of the Third Division have been passed down from me."
Chikane Iba spoke as if it were a trivial matter.
But Haruto knew that this age was quite extraordinary even among Soul Reaper — Captain-level Ginrei Kuchiki was about the same age, and Chikane Iba, whose Reii was less than third rank, had lived this long...
This shows that she is indeed very skilled at fighting with her Hakuda hands.
"Movement? Killer move?"
"These are the most superficial manifestations of Hakuda."
Chikane Iba's words didn't align with Haruto's understanding of Hakuda, but they were more like the "martial arts" he remembered.
"True Hakuda involves constantly cultivating one's body to extend one's lifespan."
"As long as lifespan increases..."
"Your Reiatsu will eventually reach the limit of your talent."
Even if you're not exceptionally talented, by using your potential to compete against your perceived limitations, you can put up a fight against any opponent.
Chikane Iba recounts his understanding of hand-to -Hakuda.
"Pity."
"Young people these days are all impatient; they insist on using up decades of their youth to burn through their instincts and peacefully pass through hundreds of years."
"I can't help but feel a little regretful," said Chikane Iba.
Only a few Soul Reaper can live for hundreds of years, and since Hakuda a type of Shinigami) cannot quickly improve the user's combat power, fewer and fewer Soul Reaper are willing to study it—the current Gotei 13 members have an average age of less than 100 years old, so you can imagine how exaggerated their casualty rate is.
As for whether her views are right or wrong, that's a matter of opinion.
"Haruto."
"I'm going to teach you Hakuda technique called 'Bone Strike.'"
"Um?"
Upon hearing the name, Haruto's interest was immediately piqued; it was remarkably similar to a certain Hakuda he knew.
"Several hundred years ago, I had the privilege of witnessing Captain-Commander Yamamoto use Hakuda... After all, it's rare to find an opponent who can prevent him from Zanpakuto."
When Captain-Commander Yamamoto was mentioned, a glint clearly flashed in Chikane Iba's eyes.
"My research on Hakuda -and-run) is based on Captain-Commander Yamamoto's combat condition at the time, as well as the ideas proposed by Unohana- senpai."