Some Trivial Matters

Afternoon - Captain's Office

The corridor of the Second Division barracks was quiet.

Hu pushed open the door to the captain's office. Fon Shaoling was sitting behind the desk, with a thick stack of documents spread out in front of her. She was wearing a light blue kimono, her hair was loose, and her golden eyes were staring at the report in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Shaoling, I've come to see you. Are you still busy?"

Hu walked in and sat down on a chair nearby. Today, it was his turn to do paperwork as an intern in the Feimou Corps. He had already finished the tasks assigned to him by Xitang, so he came to the office. Ever since Fon Shaoling had spoken to him about the last time, he had been handling the paperwork and other matters.

"Oh, it's amber. Luckily, there's not much left. Please have a seat."

Fon Shaoling didn't look up, continuing to review the documents.

Hu didn't say anything, but brewed two cups of matcha, placing one on Fon Shaoling's table and holding the other himself.

He sat down in the chair by the window, leaned back, and looked out. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the table and beside her hand.

After a while, Fon Shaoling put down her pen, picked up the tea beside her, and took a sip.

"You don't have much to do today?"

"Yes, ever since we encountered Grand Fisher, everything seems to have suddenly calmed down," Hu said. "According to Xitang, the weekly targets used to be barely met within seven days, but now everyone can have some small activities in the office in the afternoons."

"Oh? A small event? What kind of event? Do you know?" Fon Shaoling calmly took a sip of tea.

"If I get off work early, I usually come here. I didn't participate, but I heard from Senior Xitang that there's ping-pong, cards, and a swivel chair race today."

"Swimming chair race? What's that?" Fon Shaoling paused in her tea-drinking motion.

"It's like sitting in swivel chairs and racing around the office to see who can run the fastest."

Fon Shaoling, its veins slightly bulging, said, "Office supplies aren't toys. Who came up with this activity anyway?"

Hu smiled and pointed to herself, "Me."

Fon Shaoling flicked Amber's forehead. "You still have the nerve to say that!"

Hu chuckled twice, "I noticed that the seniors work too hard usually, so I came up with a few activity suggestions for them."

"Several?"

"Hmm, there's a ballpoint pen darts competition, a calculator music festival, a transparent tape obstacle course..." Amber counted the crazy ideas he offered on his fingers, and Fon Shaoling bulged with each one she heard. When she heard the third idea, which would obviously waste a lot of transparent tape, she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"So I'm telling you! Don't treat office supplies like toys!" This was a powerful punch to Hu's head.

Fon Shaoling looked at Hu, who was squatting on the ground covering her head, and stretched her neck.

Let's go.

Where to?

"Training ground." Fon Shaoling walked out. "I finished my work early today, let me see how your training has been going."

Hu touched his head and followed.

On the training field,

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people.

Fon Shaoling stood opposite Amber, dressed in her training uniform. Her hair was tied into two braids, with Suzumebachi hanging from her waist.

"Let's begin." With that, Fon Shaoling moved.

Her steps were incredibly fast; in a flash, she appeared behind Hu. She threw a punch, but Hu turned to the side and blocked it with one hand.

"Not bad, that's a good response." Fon Shaoling's voice came from beside me. "By the way, we've known each other for so long, but we've never actually fought before."

She didn't stop, using Shunpo to create distance again, and attacked from the side. Hu closed his eyes, Concentration his mind.

Left.

Amber dodged to the side and counterattacked at her waist. Fon Shaoling Shunpo retreated, landing three meters away, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes.

"Able to predict?" she said.

"It's just that I react quickly," Hu grinned, his silver eyes and a tuft of white hair on his forehead emitting a blue glow.

Fon Shaoling didn't speak again, and her attacks became even more ferocious, each strike precise and swift. While Kodama 'Reiatsu was restricted, making him prone to fatigue in battle, his movements were much smoother than before, and the rhythm of the fight had improved thanks to Yoruichi's previous training.

Fon Shaoling withdrew her hand and took a few steps back.

"Your Hakuda rhythm has improved a lot; you're no longer relying solely on Beowulf's raw power," commented Fon Shaoling, combining her observations with the report Tessai had given her earlier.

Amber nodded. "Well, it's all thanks to a wonderful cat teacher I recently met."

Fon Shaoling's brow twitched slightly. "Nyanko-sensei?"

"Yeah. They're jumping around like crazy, I'm completely helpless."

Fon Shaoling was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly. The smile was brief and fleeting.

"Go on, let me see your Beowulf too!"

This time, she didn't use the Shunpo, but attacked head-on. Hakuda, with fists and feet clashing.

"Shaoling, you'd better watch out, Beowulf is more than just good-looking!"

Fon Shaoling didn't speak again and attacked once more. Fists and feet clashed, back and forth. Amber's Beowulf were all imbued with the explosive power of compressed Reishi, each punch creating a muffled sonic boom as it struck the air. Fon Shaoling's fighting style was different—she didn't have Amber's explosive power, but each strike was precise and deadly, targeting joints and weak points.

After a dozen or so rounds, Fon Shaoling suddenly created distance between them.

"Amber, that's about enough for your warm-up."

Hu was panting, his forehead covered in sweat, but he was in good spirits.

"Hadō #4: Byakurai".

Lightning shot from his fingertips, heading straight for Amber's face. Amber did not dodge; instead, he conjured Phantom Blade in his left hand and slashed through the lightning. Arcs of electricity swept past his sides and exploded behind him.

"The Phantom Blade is condensing faster than before," commented Fon Shaoling.

"You can't stay stagnant forever after practicing." Hu flicked the lingering lightning on his sword.

"Then let's see how much you've improved." Fon Shaoling gave him no chance to catch his breath, unleashing a barrage of Kidō.

"Hadō #31: Shakkahō"

A fireball erupted from her palm, and Amber dodged it with Shunpo, simultaneously unleashing Summoned Swords from her right hand, aiming straight for Fon Shaoling's shoulder. Fon Shaoling sidestepped, but the second Summoned Swords was already upon her, then the third, the fourth—

Five Summoned Swords shot out in turn, blocking her movement path. Fon Shaoling used her Shunpo to dodge between the sword flashes, but Amber did not stop after firing five swords. The Summoned Swords quickly dissipated after being fired, and Amber continued to condense the next one, causing the Summoned Swords to be fired in a seemingly endless barrage.

Fon Shaoling felt a slight pressure from the pure dodging, and placed her right hand on the hilt of Suzumebachi's sword.

The sword was drawn.

With a single slash, he cleaved the incoming Summoned Swords in two. Amber was taken aback—he rarely saw Fon Shaoling draw her sword. The Suzumebachi was a short sword used for assassination, unsuitable for direct slashing, but Fon Shaoling's swordsmanship was sharp, precise, and without any unnecessary movements.

Amber also drew his Jiku'a. He couldn't Shikai, but the sword was still there. The blade was plain, without any blue light; it was just an ordinary Zanpakuto.

The two charged forward simultaneously.

Blades clashed, sparks flying. Amber's swordsmanship was wild and swift, each strike carrying the explosive power of Beowulf. Fon Shaoling's swordsmanship was different—she used the Suzumebachi, a short sword that was more agile in close combat, each strike coming from unpredictable angles, forcing Amber to constantly change her moves.

"Your Zanjutsu has improved," said Fon Shaoling while parrying, "But you still rely too much on strength."

Hu didn't answer, and slashed horizontally with his sword. Fon Shaoling dodged to the side, and stabbed at his waist with her backhand. Hu blocked with his sword, and retreated to create distance.

The two looked at each other, both panting.

"That's about it for today." Fon Shaoling sheathed her sword.

Hu also sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Your Phantom Blade is much more stable than before," said Fon Shaoling. "Although its strength is still insufficient, your control has improved."

"Mr. Tsukabishi had me practice in the Dangai. The resistance to the Kōryū was great, but after getting used to it, it became much easier in normal environments," Amber explained.

Fon Shaoling looked at him and remained silent for a while.

"Dangai?"

"Yes. The time density inside is two thousand times that of the outside world. Training inside is much more efficient."

Fon Shaoling didn't ask any more questions. She turned and walked out of the training field.

"Next time you come to the office, bring some tea."

Hu paused for a moment. "Tea?"

"Tea. We've been going through it pretty fast lately. The tea in my office is also from Bamboo Creek Plain, so remember to bring some next time you come. If you don't know how to choose, let Keiko help you; she's a veteran of Bamboo Creek Plain." Fon Shaoling put on her captain's robe and left the training ground.

Hu stood there, watching her retreating figure and smiling, "Okay, I'll bring you some next time I come."

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

He encountered Shimizu on the way, who was on her way to Qinghui Clothing Shop. Shimizu looked like she had just returned from the academy, carrying textbooks in her hand. When she saw Hu, she waved.

"What a coincidence, Amber, you're back so late today." Shimizu said with a smile, "How have you been lately?"

"It's alright, I was just practicing with Shaoling today, so it got a bit late."

"With Princess? Hu, no matter how close you are to the princess, it's best to go easy on her during sparring, after all, our princess is so petite."

"Should I turn down the water for her?" Hu was a little embarrassed, unsure how to explain it to Shimizu.

"I didn't ask you to do it intentionally, just give her some openings from time to time."

"Well... hahaha... I'll try my best..."

Although Hu said that, he was thinking to himself, "It's good enough that she didn't go easy on me. If I go easy on her, I'll definitely get a beating."

The two walked side by side toward Bamboo Creek Plain.

"How's your internship going lately? Have you encountered any problems?"

"Overall, it's alright," Hu said, recalling the events. "I was quite busy before the internship, but since our encounter with Grand Fisher, I've had fewer activities. I don't know if it's related, but our Feimou Corps has had a bit more free time."

"Grand Fisher? Oh! I heard he escaped again? I heard he was killed by three Soul Reapers this time, and even after being cut in half at the waist, he still managed to escape. He's really good at running."

Shimizu noticed that Amber's expression was a little off, and suddenly realized, could Amber be one of those three?

Shimizu quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Amber, let me tell you, recently at the academy, Mr. Kito has been teaching me a lot of new things. I can basically release all the Hadō and Bakudō spells up to Sequence Forty smoothly now. And I can now activate those up to Sequence 20 without chanting."

Hu glanced at him. "Such rapid progress, and it's only been about a month?"

Shimizu smiled. "Mr. Kito said I have some talent in Kidō, but my foundation is too weak. I'll get used to it with more practice."

"That's good." Hu patted him on the shoulder.

"And—" Shimizu paused, "Captain Aizen comes to give lessons in the Advanced Class from time to time."

Hu paused for a moment.

Aizen?

"Yes. He said he was very interested in Zanpakuto that are also of the Water-Type and wanted to see my Daku. He gave me some pointers a few times and even Shikai us his Shikai... I feel like he has a really deep understanding of Zanpakuto."

Hu was silent for a moment. "What did he teach you before?"

"It's mainly about the flow of Reiatsu," Shimizu said. "He said my Daku is water-based, and the characteristics of water are flow and containment. Don't confront it head-on; let the Reiatsu flow naturally. He also demonstrated the release of Kidō several times. For Kidō of Sequence 60 and above, he released them without chanting, as naturally as breathing. He's truly amazing."

Amber nodded in agreement, offering no further comment. He couldn't tell Shimizu Aizen what kind of person he was, nor could he tell him to "stay away from him." That would only confuse Shimizu further.

"That's good," Hu said. "Study hard."

Shimizu smiled. "And you? Have you encountered anything while traveling around the World of the Living lately?"

Hu thought for a moment and then omitted some information.

"We did encounter some interesting things. We met a little boy who was trapped inside Parakeet. Someone rescued him."

"Another time, we encountered Gillian and a Quincy in Karakura Town. It took several of us working together to defeat them."

Shimizu's eyes widened. "Gillian? Are you alright? Didn't you say you were Restriction Seal, and your Reiatsu couldn't keep up? You were at Menos Grande."

"It's nothing," Amber said, "But the Reiatsu was indeed quite high."

Shimizu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Just be careful."

After walking for a while, Hu spoke again.

"A few days ago, I encountered a Void. It can disguise itself as a human and specifically target people to deceive them."

Shimizu slowed her pace. "And then?"

"The World of the Living who assisted the Soul Reaper —his family member was killed by that Hollow." Amber's voice was calm. "That day happened to be the anniversary of his death. That Hollow disguised itself as his family member."

Shimizu fell silent.

"The last one managed to escape," Hu said. "I cut it down to its upper body, and it ran away."

Shimizu looked at him, knowing that Amber was telling him about Grand Fisher, and he remained silent for a long time.

Are you... alright?

Hu was taken aback. "What could be wrong with me?"

"You always say these things in a very calm tone," Shimizu said, "But I feel like you're not really like that inside."

Hu did not answer.

The two continued walking, as dusk deepened.

"Amber." Shimizu suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"If one day you need help, don't bear it all alone."

Hu looked at him and smiled.

"Knew."

In the distance, the lights of the Fon Clan were already on.