A Plus's Life Is Long, So First, Some New Clothes

Half a month is neither a long nor a short time.

Amber's Kidō training has reached Sequence Forty. He can basically unleash Hadō and Bakudō as long as he has time to chant them completely. Cilian's requirements for him go beyond that—maintaining the ability to chant while fighting is the focus of his training during this period.

"Again."

Cilian's blade slashed from the side. Amber used Shunpo to retreat, conjuring Phantom Blade in her left hand to block Cilian's attack while rapidly chanting a prayer.

"You ruler! Masks of flesh and blood, myriad forms, wings soaring high, things bearing the name of humanity! Scorching heat and strife, surging southward across the sea, marching forward! Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

A crimson sword aura shot out with the swing of the Phantom Blade. Cilian dodged to the side, the blade grazing Amber's shoulder.

"Change your habit of hastily releasing the Kidō as soon as you finish chanting! Make good use of the Phantom Blade's characteristics; you've been doing quite well with Kidō up to Sequence Ten, haven't you?"

"I know!" Amber gritted her teeth, "But the Kidō after level 10 wasn't taught to me by Shaoling. It's really too awkward to rely on prayers to build a structure and then do nothing after shouting them out."

"Hey kid! This is a fight, not some show-off! Get serious with me!"

Cilian gave him no chance to catch his breath, and the blade flashed again. Amber parried while chanting, the prayer broken and intermittent, indicating that Amber's words had truly displeased Cilian.

Amber crouched on the ground, panting, Cilian sheathed her knife and stood before him.

"Your progress in learning the Kidō isn't slow, but you still need to hone your skills in real combat," Cilian said, stroking her chin. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be transferred to the Feimou Corps."

Hu was taken aback. "The Feimou Corps?"

"The Stealth Force Fourth Division, the Feimou Corps. Primarily responsible for search missions, and routinely handling the periodic confirmation of Soul Reaper stationed in the World of the Living realm and the search for missing Soul Reaper," Cilian explained slowly. "You've already reached Sequence Forty in your Kidō course at the academy, which is theoretically sufficient. Joining the Feimou Corps, because you'll be frequently on the World of the Living, will allow you to experience more low-intensity combat missions. You can try honing your skills in real combat."

Hu stood up, somewhat reluctant. "But I wanted to go to the Onmitsukidō... Instructors Sakiro and Tessai are both Onmitsukidō."

Cilian glanced at him.

"With your current temper, going to the Onmitsukidō or other units will almost certainly only cause trouble. The Feimou Corps can at least run around, and even if you cause trouble, it won't be too serious. Besides, you haven't graduated yet; you're still an intern. How can you let an intern do infiltration and assassination work? What kind of talk is that?"

Hu opened her mouth, but it seemed she really had nothing to refute.

"The Feimou Corps and the Inner Court Corps, you choose. Forget about the other squads, they're not for you." Seeing Amber's reluctant and hesitant manner, Cilian didn't indulge her. " In the Inner Court Corps, all you can do is run errands and deliver messages within Seireitei."

Hu thought for a moment. Running errands and delivering messages was nowhere near as interesting as going to the World of the Living.

"... Then let's go with the Feimou Corps."

Cilian scoffed at his reluctant expression. "You've even picked one."

Hu chuckled twice.

"You'll have your Kidō class as usual tomorrow morning, and report to the Feimou Corps in the afternoon." Cilian turned and left. "Go home early tonight and get ready."

Hu stood there, watching Cilian's departing figure, and suddenly realized that although the past two weeks had been tiring, he had indeed learned a lot. He looked down at his left hand; the blue light of the Phantom Blade flickered in his palm. He really needed to check out the academy's library sometime.

The higher the Sequence the Kidō, the more complex it is and the higher the precision required. This is the significance of the existence of special forces like the Ghost Kidō Kidō Corps.

Few people can use high -Sequence Kidō in close combat; the vast majority of Soul Reaper use Kidō as a long-range restraint technique.

According to Cilian, this is almost a unique ability of his. When casting Kidō, the caster tries not to change direction and maintain distance from the target to ensure accuracy. But he is different—he can store Kidō in Phantom Blade, imbuing the slash with the characteristics of Kidō, or he can directly unleash Kidō as sword energy. This gives him an extra output window in battle, thus gaining an advantage.

Satisfied, Hu sheathed the Phantom Blade and headed towards the academy.

When Amber arrived at the academy gate, Shimizu was already waiting there.

Half a month has passed, Shimizu has changed a lot. His Shunpo has finally reached a usable level. Although he is not yet proficient, it is enough for him to travel. He has also returned the dormitory assigned by the academy and goes back to Bamboo Creek Plain with Hu every day.

"You're up early today?" Shimizu asked.

"Instructor Cilian talked to me about the platoon transfer." Hu briefly recounted what happened that afternoon.

Shimizu's eyes lit up after hearing this. "The World of the Living? Isn't that great? I've been dead for almost sixty years. All my family and friends are long gone. You've only been here for a little over two months. Are your family still here? Isn't it possible to..."

"Well, my situation is a bit complicated. My family isn't in this World of the Living... hehe..." Upon hearing this, Hu thought about how Cilian had recommended him to the Feimou Corps, perhaps there was a reason behind it: she hadn't expected Instructor Cilian to be so considerate...

"I see." Shimizu didn't think too much of it, assuming that Amber's background was due to the early death of her family. "Then you must have had a tough time..."

The Soul Society is vast, and the Plus settlement point for each Soul Society is random, making reunion almost impossible. That's why Soul Beasts form temporary families. Shimizu knew this and didn't elaborate, afraid of touching on Amber's sore spot.

The two hurried towards Bamboo Creek Plain. Shimizu looked at Hu and suddenly realized something.

"Hu, your clothes..." After arriving at Bamboo Creek Plain, Shimizu pointed to Hu's school uniform, "You've been wearing this one since the beginning of the semester?"

Hu looked down at it. This uniform was made by Keiko using fabric from the Fon Clan when he enrolled. It had tiny Fon Clan Crest embroidered on the collar and was very comfortable to wear. He usually wore the plain clothes provided by the Fon Clan for training, and he wore this one to the academy because he really had no other clothes.

"I don't have any special requirements for clothes," Hu said. "As long as they're wearable, they're fine."

Shimizu sighed, thinking that the reason why Amber was like this was due to her lonely life in the World of the Living.

"No matter what, you still need a few outfits." He pulled on Hu's sleeve and led her forward. "Come on, let's go to the store. Let Keiko take a look at some clothes for you."

Hu was being pulled along, looking completely bewildered. "What are you looking at?"

"Clothes!" Shimizu said without turning her head. "You can't wear the same thing forever, can you? You should have something to change into. Besides, a lifetime is much longer than a person's life. You should live a more vibrant life. It's not like we don't have the means."

Hu thought about it and realized that made sense.

Keiko was arranging fabrics in the shop when she saw Shimizu pulling Amber in. She found it a bit strange, as the two rarely entered the shop through the front door.

"This is..."

"Make him some clothes," Shimizu said. "He's only had one uniform since the start of the semester, and usually just a few plain clothes that the Fon Clan gave him."

Keiko glanced at the clothes on Ko's body, then at Ko himself, and smiled.

"Okay, leave it to me."

She made Hu stand in front of the mirror and looked him up and down. Hu felt a little uncomfortable being stared at.

"Don't move." Keiko circled around him. "Nice figure, broad shoulders, and a well-defined waist. You look good in anything."

Hu scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

Keiko took several bolts of cloth from the shelf and held them up against him. Dark blue was too dark, light gray too plain, and black—

"This is nice." Keiko draped the black cloth over his shoulders. "Black suits you."

Shimizu nodded in agreement. "Black is indeed a good color."

Keiko then selected several fabrics, including thick cotton, lightweight linen, and a piece of fine dark gray wool.

"One set for everyday wear, one set for training, and one set that's a little more formal," Keiko said, taking notes as she spoke. "Any style requirements?"

Hu thought for a moment. "Keep it simple."

"Keep it simple..." Keiko glanced at the Jiku'a his waist, then at his posture, and suddenly had an idea.

She picked up a measuring tape, had Hu stand up straight, and began to take her measurements. She carefully measured her shoulder width, arm length, chest circumference, waist circumference, and even the length of her trousers and the circumference of her ankles.

"You need to change your shoes too." Keiko looked down to write down the measurements. "The straw sandals you're wearing now don't look good with your new clothes."

Hu looked down at the simple straw sandals on his feet. Well, they were fine. He also felt that the sandals were too thin and the ground was too hard.

"I'll make him a pair," Keiko said. "Boots, to his calves, with laces. They'll be stable when he walks, and they'll look good too."

Shimizu added from the side, "Good quality leather is also much more durable."

Keiko smiled. "I know. We're all family, so we'll definitely use the best materials."

Keiko asked Ko and Shimizu to sit down and have some tea before going into the inner room.

Hu held his teacup, looking at the clothes hanging in the shop. Each piece was carefully sewn, with neat stitches and carefully selected fabric. He remembered how Keiko made uniforms for him and Shimizu before the start of the school year, every stitch meticulously embroidered even the smallest Fon Clan Crest patterns.

"Keiko's cooking is really good," he said.

Shimizu smiled. "That's right. Keiko used to make clothes specifically for daimyo. Her craftsmanship would be a true intangible cultural heritage by today's standards. And look at the subtle patterns on your clothes; those are black dye lines, all applied by Keiko herself."

Hu examined her clothes closely. Both her white top and pants were densely covered with Fon Clan Crest, making them appear uniform from afar but revealing intricate designs up close.

"That's really amazing!"

"Impressive, isn't it? This is a craft from the Edo period, and Keiko was one of the developers of this technique."

"Eh, the Edo period? When is that?"

Around 1600 AD.

"1600 AD!? That's almost as old as Instructor Cilian's birth year!"

Shimizu quickly covered Amber's mouth, "Are you trying to kill yourself? Shouting so loudly! Keiko is sensitive about age, don't shout so loudly."

Amber had her mouth covered and could only nod, but then it suddenly occurred to her: Keiko was from the Edo period, Shimizu was from the 1960s. This wasn't just an ordinary older woman-younger man relationship... Amber couldn't help but give a thumbs up. This was truly amazing.

At that moment, Keiko came out from the inner room, carrying a stack of neatly folded clothes, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Give it a try."

Hu put down his teacup and took the clothes.

The first item was a light gray shirt worn close to the skin, with a simple collar, narrow cuffs, and a light and breathable fabric. It fit perfectly when I put it on.

"Not bad." Keiko looked him up and down. "Turn around so I can see you."

Hu turned around, and her shoulder line was right at the edge of her shoulder, with her armpits neither too tight nor too loose.

Keiko nodded and handed him the second item. It was a black stand-up collar coat with a clean cut and distinct shoulder lines. When Hu put it on, the hem reached above his knees, with slits on both sides, and the hem swayed naturally when he walked. There were subtle patterns on the collar and cuffs, which were faintly visible in the light.

Keiko took two steps back and tilted her head to look for a while.

"It's alright, but still a little short."

She stepped forward, turned up the collar of her coat, and adjusted the belt at her waist. The coat was now more fitted at the waist, and the hem had a more natural curve.

"That's much better."

Hu stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. A black stand-up collar coat, a light gray shirt, clean lines, and a simple silhouette. Completely different from her previous loose and baggy look.

Keiko took another box from the shelf, opened it, and inside was a pair of black boots.

"Here, try this."

Hu sat on the stool, took off his straw sandals, and slipped them into his boots. The boots reached his calves, had laces on the sides, and were made of soft but not sagging leather. He stood up and tested them; the soles weren't hard, making walking stable and movement agile.

"How is it?" Keiko asked.

Hu looked down. The black boots and black coat instantly changed her entire aura.

"It looks good," he said.

Keiko smiled. "There's one more thing."

The last item is a dark gray wool coat with a stand-up collar, a fitted waist, and a slightly shorter hem than the black one, just covering the hips. The fabric is thick but not heavy, and it looks very crisp when worn. It's suitable for everyday wear, whether to school or to meet people.

Hu twirled in front of the mirror; three outfits, two styles, all fit her perfectly.

Shimizu, watching from the side, suddenly said, "Amber..."

Hu turned to look at him.

Shimizu smiled and said, "In Soul Society, no matter what problems you encounter, Keiko and I will do our best to help you. Treat us like your older brother and sister, don't worry about anything, and feel free to rely on us anytime."

Hu looked down at her new clothes, then at the boots on her feet.

"Um!"

"Sister Keiko, thank you for making the clothes."

Keiko waved her hand. "No need to thank me, we're all family."

She tidied up the remaining fabric on the table and neatly folded Hu's old uniform.

"If you ever run out of clothes, just come to the store and I'll make you some."

The sun had already set, leaving only a touch of orange-red on the horizon. Amber helped Shimizu and Keiko close the Clothing Atelier and then left.

Wearing new clothes, Hu's steps were lighter.

"The Feimou Corps..." Hu muttered to himself, "Can they really go to the World of the Living?"

Hu looked down at his new boots, his footsteps on the stone pavement making a steady sound.

He gripped the Jiku'a scabbard at his waist; it was still the same one made of Hongming leather, dark red with fine cracks. It matched his black clothes and boots quite well.