Sweet Potatoes and Sake

Morning · Kidō Classroom

The Advanced Class course on the Kidō Path has progressed to Sequences 50 to Sequence.

Kito Ryūji wrote the prayer on the blackboard, turned around, and looked at the four students in the classroom.

Hachihachihara Kumayu stared at the textbook, her lips moving rapidly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She was not good at Kidō to begin with, and being able to release it was already her limit, but memorizing the text was harder for her than fighting. The prayers were swirling in her mind, and she would forget the previous one as soon as she remembered the next.

Rindō Yo sat quietly, his gaze shifting across the pages of his book, occasionally glancing up at the blackboard. His expression remained unchanged, as if these Kidō were merely things he needed to go through once.

Shimizu frowned slightly, his fingers tracing patterns on the table. His foundation was the weakest, but his strength lay in his diligence. If once wasn't enough, he'd try twice; if twice wasn't enough, he'd try three times. He had already memorized the prayer, but his Reiatsu manipulation wasn't smooth enough. He was already used to gritting his teeth and persevering; success was just a matter of time.

Of all the victims, Hu was the most tragic.

His face was pale, and the veins on his forehead were slightly bulging. Jiku'a lay across his lap. As long as it wasn't an extremely intense battle, he could basically maintain his state of Concentration indefinitely, and he had long since memorized the prayer. But ever since Tsukabishi placed the Restriction Seal, he could only exert 20% of his Reiatsu, and each time he used Reishi, it was like squeezing a dried-up riverbed.

If you use too little spiritual pressure, you can't release the Kidō. If you use too much, various side effects of excessive Reiatsu will follow, such as dizziness, nausea, and blurred vision. The higher the Sequence, the more obvious the side effects.

"Hadō #54: Haien-- "

Blue flames shot out from his palm, flickered, and then went out.

Another failure.

Hu steadied himself on the table, his vision blurring. He had only experienced this feeling before, after his battle with Hongming, but now he was going through it several times a day. He missed the days when he could freely squander his Reiatsu —back then, at least he wouldn't be unable to stand up after unleashing a few Kidō.

Kito Ryūji looked at the four students in the classroom and sighed.

Yayoiwara was still struggling with the prayer, the book containing it was almost crushed in her hands, and Amber was swaying and about to faint. Shimizu was frowning and gesturing repeatedly, only Rindō Yo very relaxed.

"Take a one-hour break."

As soon as Yayoiwara heard there was a break, he was the first to rush out of the classroom, running almost faster than Shunpo. Rindō Yo his drawer and quietly opened it. Shimizu stood up, stretched, walked to Kou's side, took his arm, and helped him up.

"Let's go out for some fresh air."

Hu did not refuse. He really needed to get some fresh air.

"Have you been working too hard lately? You've been looking dizzy and lightheaded a lot these past few days, and you don't seem to have any energy."

"No, that's not it. It was just to train my Kidō abilities. I placed Restriction Seal on them, restricting my Reiatsu. I overused it, and that's how it is."

"Is that so? Don't push yourself too hard."

"Yes, I'll be careful."

The two walked through the corridor and went around to the back of the school building.

There is an open space here, planted with a few old trees, where sunlight filters through the leaves, creating dappled patterns.

A pleasant fragrance filled the air.

Hu stopped in her tracks.

"This is... a sweet potato..." He sniffed, "A roasted sweet potato!"

Shimizu also smelled it. The two followed the aroma and saw an old man wearing the robes of a teacher from the Shin'ō Academy sitting on a rock with a small fire burning in front of him. Several sweet potatoes were roasting by the fire, their skins slightly charred and emitting a sweet aroma.

Hu dashed over to the flames, squatted down, and stared at the sweet potatoes, his mouth watering.

"Um..." Shimizu had no choice but to step forward, looking somewhat embarrassed at the teacher's robe that resembled the vice principal's. "I'm so sorry to bother you, teacher."

The old man looked up at them and smiled.

"I won't bother you. Please have a seat."

Hu's eyes were already fixed on the sweet potato, unable to look away.

The old man picked out the most charred one from the fire, took it, and handed it to Hu.

Hu paused for a moment, then looked at him with a questioning gaze: Is it really possible?

The old man smiled and nodded.

Hu took the sweet potato, his hand trembling from the heat, almost dropping it. "Ouch—it's so hot!"

He fiddled with both hands, making hissing sounds, and finally managed to steady himself.

"Grandpa, these sweet potatoes are so hot, don't you feel the heat when you scoop them up with your hands?"

The old man laughed loudly, so loudly that the leaves on the branches trembled.

"I've practiced swordsmanship for years, and my hands are covered in calluses. I can't feel this little bit of heat."

Shimizu asked, "Having practiced swordsmanship for so many years, are you perhaps a swordsmanship instructor?"

The old man thought for a moment. "I can teach both the Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō. However, I'm busy with official duties in the team, and I can only teach a few classes a year. To be honest, I'm not very competent."

Hu had already started eating. The sweet potato was very sweet, soft and melt-in-your-mouth. He mumbled, "Grandpa roasts sweet potatoes so well, class will definitely be interesting. What a pity."

Shimizu felt that this was a bit rude to a teacher, and quickly said, "I'm so sorry, he just doesn't think before he speaks—"

"It's alright." The old man waved his hand and looked at Amber. "You Advanced Class are Shimizu and Yexing Hu, right? I'd like to ask, what are you two doing outside right now? All the other classes should be in session at this hour."

Shimizu briefly explained the situation regarding the Kido (Kidō) class.

Hu swallowed a mouthful of sweet potato and complained, "Controlling Reishi is too difficult. Grandpa, do you have any simple training methods? Teach us, please. It would make up for the fact that you haven't been able to attend many classes."

"Hu, no matter how you look at it, this is too much to ask of you. Besides, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Shimizu felt this was simply making things difficult for him and was about to stop him when the old man laughed.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's rare to have a student seeking my guidance," the old man said, touching his head where a cross-shaped scar marked his forehead. "Let me think... think... a simple method for improving self-control..."

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the sweet potato that Hu had broken open in his hand, and his eyes lit up.

"Got it."

He picked up a long, raw sweet potato and told Hu and Shimizu to keep an eye on it.

The old man gently stroked the sweet potato with his hand.

The sweet potato was cut neatly in two. The cut was smooth and even, without a single crack.

Hu looked at it, then clapped his hands. "Amazing, grandpa!"

Shimizu was also amazed.

The old man held out the sweet potato to the two of them and asked, "How is it? What do you think of my method? It doesn't require any brainpower, and the consumption of Reiatsu can be kept very low."

Shimizu nodded. "You're really amazing, coming up with such a method so quickly."

Hu looked at the Shimizu, then at the old man with a blank expression. "What method?"

The old man fell silent.

He has lived for over two thousand years and taught countless students, but this is the first time he has encountered a child with such a smooth brain.

Shimizu, Shimizu could only explain to Amber, "What this teacher means is—to try cutting an object with a small amount of Reishi until you can cut it cleanly without damaging anything else."

The old man nodded. "This child is quite good; he's rather clever."

Hu suddenly realized. "Oh--I see!"

He excitedly picked up a raw sweet potato, his Reishi gathering in his palm, and squeezed it hard—

The sweet potato exploded. Crumbs flew everywhere.

"Oh, it failed. I'll try again."

As Hu spoke, he reached out to take another one.

Shimizu slapped his hand away. "Don't waste food. Besides, it belongs to someone else."

He found two stones nearby and handed one to Hu. "This will do."

Hu took the stone, sat cross-legged, and began to try to use his Reishi to cut it. Shimizu also sat down next to him, touching his own stone and activating his Reishi.

The old man ate a roasted sweet potato nearby, occasionally interjecting, "A little lighter." "Don't let the Reishi disperse, gather it at your fingertips." "Yes, that's the feeling."

Faint scratches gradually appeared on the surface of the stone.

Hu's forehead was sweating with tension, but he gritted his teeth and kept trying.

The old man watched Hu diligently doing his exercises and nodded. "He's a bit slow, but he's quite earnest."

The two didn't stand up until the break was almost over.

"Thank you, teacher." Shimizu bowed.

Hu bowed as well. "Grandpa, I'll come back for your sweet potatoes again next time."

The old man smiled and said, "Okay."

The two turned and left. The old man watched their retreating figures, his gaze distant.

He recalled a long time ago when he had two students, one lively and the other calm, who always appeared in front of him together.

Shunsui Kyōraku. Jūshirō Ukitake.

"So much like Shunsui and Shisi back then..."

At this time, a figure came out from behind the tree and stood respectfully beside the old man. He was holding a folded white captain's feather coat with the word "" written in the center.

"Captain-Commander, it's almost time for the Captains' Meeting."

The old man turned around. The smile on his face had vanished, replaced by his usual stern expression.

Let's go.

The old man took the captain's feathered robe and put it on, then folded the teacher's Sasakibe and handed it to the Sparrow Division. The flames on the ground seemed to come alive, leaping into Genryūsai's hand and transforming into a walking stick. This old man was none other than the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai

His Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe, followed behind him, and the two disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

In the afternoon, it was Hu's turn to enter data and compile reports in the Feimou Corps's Office Area.

The clerical tasks assigned to him by Xitang were not heavy, but they were trivial. He had to classify Reiatsu data, archive the contact records of the stationed Soul Reaper, and occasionally deal with a few emails.

While tapping on the Terminal, Hu used one hand to gather Reiatsu and scrape the stone that Shimizu had given him that morning.

It was time to leave work. He packed his things and walked out of the barracks. The food street in Seireitei was most lively in the evening. Amber was just about to find a restaurant here for dinner when he saw a familiar figure coming towards him.

"Renji- senpai!"

Renji turned around, saw Ko, and smiled. "Oh, you're here for dinner too?"

The two found a noodle stall and sat down. Renji a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, and Amber ordered two bowls. They started chatting about recent events.

"How have you been lately? Is your internship with the Second Division going smoothly?" Renji asked while eating his noodles.

"Hmm, not bad, going back to the World of the Living every other day." At this point, Amber remembered that she hadn't told Renji about being in charge of Rukia's scheduled communications.

"By the way, Renji- senpai, I'm going to Karakura Town tomorrow afternoon. Rukia- senpai is quite busy lately, so I'll probably run into her. Is there anything you need me to tell you or bring with you?" Amber asked while stuffing noodles into her mouth.

"No..." Renji thought for a moment and replied, "Her deployment is over, and she'll probably be back in a few days. There's no need to bring her. By the way, you're only telling me now? It's been almost a month."

Amber chuckled, "We haven't had many chances to meet, have we? So when I see her this time, I'll tell her that Renji -senpai misses her a lot, okay?"

"No need—" Renji almost choked on his noodles, "I was just saying it offhand. Don't mind it."

Hu smiled, "I understand."

After they finished eating their noodles, they parted ways at the street corner.

"I'll treat you next time," Renji said.

"Good."

When Hu returned to Bamboo Creek Plain, it was already completely dark.

A commotion was coming from a roadside liquor stall. He didn't want to get involved, but when he heard a familiar voice saying, "Hey~ I already said I'm losing money, what more do you want?" he stopped in his tracks.

He squeezed through the crowd and saw Gin Ichimaru being grabbed by the sleeve by the liquor stall owner, looking helpless. The owner's face was flushed, and his voice was getting louder and louder.

"You, laughing like that, you're just here to cause trouble! What's so great about the Soul Reaper! This is the Fon Clan's territory, you dare touch me and see what happens!"

"I didn't," Silver's voice remained in that light, airy tone. "I said I'd pay you back."

Do you look like you're about to lose money?

Hu quickly stepped forward, pulled the silver from the shopkeeper's hand, and showed him the Fon Clan family crest. "Sir, how much does he need to pay? I'll cover it."

The shopkeeper glanced at Hu, then at Yin, snorted, and announced the price. Hu paid and pulled Yin out of the crowd.

"Brother Yin, what's wrong with you?"

Yin sighed. "I was just passing by~ I never expected the wine jar to break. The shopkeeper insists I did it, but I didn't want to argue with him, and he just kept getting more and more worked up."

Hu suppressed a laugh, "Brother Yin, you need to tone down your smile a bit, otherwise people will think you're mocking them."

Yin pointed to her face. "I was born this way."

The two found another wine stall, and Hu ordered a pot of bamboo wine, Bamboo Creek Plain.

"What brings you to Bamboo Creek Plain?" Hu poured Yin a cup.

Yin took a sip. "Being a team leader is tiring. You need to take a break sometimes. I can't forget the bamboo wine I had at the Fon Clan last time, so I thought I'd come over for a stroll after work."

Hu also took a sip. The wine was clear, with a faint bamboo fragrance.

After drinking for a while, the two felt a bit hot. Yin stood up, picked up the wine pot, and found a breezy spot to sit down. Hu followed and sat down next to him.

A gentle evening breeze rustled the bamboo leaves. The moon hung in the sky, round and bright.

Yin suddenly spoke up, "Xiao Hu, why aren't you wary of me?"

Hu was taken aback. "What are you talking about? We've all fought tough battles together, why are we being so wary?"

"My face," Yin slapped his face hard, "Won't people suspect I have ulterior motives? Since I was little, many people have thought my smile was creepy, and even as I grew up, many people said behind my back that I was Viper. Even after becoming captain, my own team members don't really trust me. I have terrible interpersonal relationships."

He took a sip of his drink, and his usually squinted eyes opened, revealing a hint of melancholy.

"I'm not the kind of person who judges others by their appearance." Hu poured some more into the cup he was holding and gave Yin a silly grin.

"Besides, a man who only has one woman in his heart can't be all that bad."

Silver paused for a moment. He looked at Amber, his eyes widening slightly for a second before returning to a smiling expression.

"That's why I hate intuitionists." He picked up his glass. "You guys are ridiculously wrong when you're wrong, and incredibly accurate when you're right."

Hu chuckled twice, "Brother Yin, you keep calling me 'annoying,' but you're actually quite intuitive, aren't you?"

"Xiao Hu, if I do something to hurt you in the future, will you still believe me?" Yin asked seriously this time.

"Brother Yin, as long as you're still a man who dares to face everything for the woman in your heart, I'll believe you," Hu replied earnestly, looking at Yin.

"Besides, 'Viper' sounds awful. Our Brother Yin is clearly a handsome man with fox-like eyes, at most an old fox~ Hahaha..."

"Old fox is pretty awful too, you know... hahaha..."

Under the moonlight, the two sat on the ground, drinking together. The wine in the pot gradually dwindled.

In the distance, the lights of Bamboo Creek Plain went out one by one.