Hakuda, Yoruichi (Three Updates, Asking for Votes)

Soon, the morning classes came to an end.

And until the kendo class was over, no one had come to spar with Lu Li. Still, he had not spent the whole time sitting there brooding over the past. He had taken the initiative to exchange moves with Aizen.

In the end, he had won decisively on the surface, but what had truly happened was hard to say. Aizen might still be young, but who knew what level his combat mastery had reached?

"Lu-kun really didn't hold back. I thought I could last a few more moves."

On the way to the Cafeteria, Aizen complained. Yet despite his complaining words, he wore a faint smile that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"But I always feel that Sōsuke's strength is more than this. I hope we can spar again when you're in better form."

Lu Li did not expose Aizen's mask, merely revealing his desire to face the strong.

"Then I'll do my best to learn more kendo techniques from Lu-kun."

Aizen said with a smile, taking the lead at a corner. "Lu-kun hasn't been to the Cafeteria yet, has he? I'll take you there. The Spirit Arts Academy serves fairly plentiful meals."

Lu Li perked up at once. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything, especially a proper meal.

By the time Retsu Unohana had brought him to the True Spirit Arts Academy yesterday, it had already been quite late. After giving him a few instructions, she had asked the dormitory teacher to help him settle in. This morning, Aizen had told him not to eat breakfast and taken him straight to class.

Aizen had most likely told him to skip breakfast because he had guessed Teacher Fujimoto would test his kendo. But he had not anticipated the outcome.

"It's so big..."

Upon entering the Cafeteria, Lu Li was stunned. His eyes swept over the rows of serving windows while his nose caught the fragrance of food in the air, and he swallowed.

"Sōsuke... does this place charge money?"

Lu Li asked. Just yesterday, he had still been a drifter from the Rukongai District, without a single coin to his name.

Aizen did not slow down as he led Lu Li toward a serving window. "Don't worry. Since some students at the Spirit Arts Academy come from drifter backgrounds, there are quite a few free windows here. And I think the tofu here is rather good."

"Free? And unlimited?"

The moment Lu Li heard the word free, he was energized. He was starving, and during his time imprisoned by the company, he had not eaten anything fit for a human. Now his stomach was growling embarrassingly.

Aizen heard Lu Li's stomach as well. Seeing his expression, he felt rather strange. He had originally been somewhat suspicious of Lu Li's drifter identity, but now the other man truly looked like some country bumpkin who had never had a full meal.

"Free and unlimited. Eat as much as you want, but don't waste food. Otherwise, the serving aunties here might get angry."

Aizen said. By then, they had reached the front of the line. The serving auntie seemed to know him and regarded him favorably, greeting him with a smile.

"One serving of Mapo Tofu."

"You really do love tofu."

The serving auntie smiled as she dished out Aizen's food. The portion was neither too much nor too little; she clearly knew Aizen's appetite well.

Then it was Lu Li's turn. His gaze swept over the food behind the counter before he looked at the auntie and spoke somewhat sheepishly. "Auntie, may I have one serving of everything?"

The auntie was taken aback. "Everything? Should I give you a little of each?"

Lu Li shook his head and, under Aizen's strange gaze, said, "Give me one serving of each, using Sōsuke's tofu portion as the standard. And a basin of rice too... is that okay?"

The auntie was dumbfounded. Her gaze swept over the handsome, masculine young man before her, mainly lingering on his stomach. Can this kid really eat that much?

Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, Aizen unexpectedly spoke up. "Auntie, Lu-kun only arrived at the academy yesterday. He hasn't eaten properly in a long time, and he has quite a big appetite. Please serve him first. If he can't finish it, I'll help him."

Lu Li was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Aizen to help him. He did not know whether Aizen was maintaining the image of a helpful model student or had some other motive.

But no matter what, he really did want to have a good meal right now. He would accept this favor.

"Since Sōsuke says so..."

The auntie seemed to like Aizen very much, and her tone softened in concession. She began serving Lu Li's food, eventually filling several iron trays along with a large iron basin of rice. Then she pushed them toward him with a doubtful look. "...Don't waste it."

"Thank you, Auntie. I'll definitely finish it."

Lu Li thanked her. Then, using his fingers to grip four iron trays, he picked them up. Just as he was about to balance the basin of rice on his head, Aizen had already lifted it.

"Let's go. There are still seats over there. You'd better really be able to finish this, or I won't be able to help much."

Aizen glanced at the basin of rice in his hands. Just how confident is this guy in his stomach?

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Lu Li carried his food with Aizen to a table. As soon as they sat down, he practically snatched the basin of rice from Aizen's hands and began wolfing everything down under Aizen's odd gaze.

It was not just Aizen. The other students nearby were also so shocked to see Lu Li eating from an iron basin that they forgot to swallow.

Halfway through, as if noticing Aizen's gaze, Lu Li swallowed a mouthful and looked up at him. "Sōsuke, why aren't you eating?"

"Oh... I was thinking about something."

Aizen came back to himself, then scooped up a spoonful of Mapo Tofu and put it into his mouth.

He was rarely surprised, but today he had been shocked again and again. First by Lu Li's extraordinary combat skill, then by Lu Li's extraordinary appetite...

Watching Lu Li bury his head in his food, he thought that among the entire True Spirit Arts Academy, Lu-kun was probably getting the best deal out of anyone eating at the free windows.

Before long, every scrap of food before Lu Li had been wiped clean. He contentedly rubbed his slightly bulging belly, feeling as though he had been reborn.

When the company had imprisoned him, they had only injected him with nutrient solution. In that era, old-fashioned meals had already become difficult to find. This meal at the True Spirit Arts Academy was probably the most lavish meal he had ever eaten in his life.

After eating his fill, he felt warmth spreading through his stomach as energy continuously flowed to every part of his body. That was the wondrous nature of Soul Society cuisine.

Everything here was made of Spirit Particles. Eating these meals was equivalent to replenishing Spirit Particles, making it a decent recovery method. If one regularly ate high-quality food, perhaps it could even benefit the growth of one's Reiatsu.

Of course, cultivation was certainly the mainstream method of increasing Reiatsu. He simply had not attended any relevant classes yet, so he did not understand it for now.

On the way back to the dormitory, Aizen walked behind Lu Li, light flickering in his deep eyes like a child who had discovered a new toy.

He felt that his roommate might, in a certain sense, be a genius like himself. At the very least, a combat genius.

His kendo was so formidable, but what about Hakuda? Shunpo? Kido?

The corners of Aizen's mouth rose unconsciously before instantly returning to normal.

Lu-kun... it seemed the next few years would become more and more interesting.

"In complicated combat situations, we sometimes require offensive or defensive methods besides the Zanpakuto..."

The teacher on the podium was conducting a theoretical lesson on Hakuda. Perhaps someone had put in a word beforehand, but the first half of the class covered quite a lot of basics. This time, Lu Li was genuinely drowsy from listening.

In contrast, Aizen beside him looked very serious. He even took notes from time to time, the perfect model student in the teacher's eyes.

"...Now, we'll begin practical drills."

As the instructor spoke, his gaze swept across the students. It paused briefly when it reached Lu Li, then shifted to another girl. "Shihouin, your Hakuda grades are the best. Guide the new student."

Lu Li followed the instructor's gaze. The girl who had been called on sat by the window. She had healthy chocolate-colored skin, short purple hair, and an appearance and style that should have given off a youthful, lively impression...

Yet at that moment, she was lazily tilting her head back with her eyes half-closed and a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth. She was plainly taking a nap, and she seemed to be having a good dream, judging by the silly smile on her lips.

"Shihouin!"

The instructor's voice rose several decibels, clearly irritated. Yet he did not take any further action. The other students were unsurprised, as though this girl who slept during class had every right to be somewhat "unserious."

"Huh? Present!"

The girl was finally startled awake by the instructor's voice. Like a startled cat, she jerked upright and sprang from her seat, only to land lightly on both feet.

Lu Li's expression changed as he watched. Things were starting to get interesting. A chocolate-skinned beauty with the surname Shihouin—judging by her age, could she be Yoruichi Shihouin?

He had read the original work, but the manga was vague about the timeline, and the ages of the Captains could only be roughly estimated. Based on the age ranges, Aizen and Yoruichi were indeed from the same generation. He just had not expected them to have been classmates.

No wonder Yoruichi had spoken so teasingly when she met Aizen in the original story. So they had known each other for ages.

Lu Li had not seen Yoruichi in the morning kendo class. He did not know whether she had skipped it.

At that moment, the teacher looked at the still-damp trace around Yoruichi's mouth with a headache and a sense of helplessness. "We have a Transfer Student today. Spar with him and teach him some basic Hakuda techniques."

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