Hearing Asano Kiyoshi's answer, Head Captain Yamamoto paused slightly. His lips parted as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. All that remained was a kindly smile.
The sun shone brightly outside the window, bathing the willow tree and making its slender branches seem covered in golden blossoms. The bamboo clapper was pressed down by the flowing water with a soft thunk, while a clear breeze stirred the old man's beard, making him narrow his eyes slightly.
One old, one young, their eyes met. There was only silence, yet silence was all they needed.
After a long while, Head Captain Yamamoto finally broke the tranquility. Looking at Asano Kiyoshi, he slowly said, "Hold fast to your true heart. The Soul Society of the past had no light at all, so it needed a sun hot enough to blind the eye. But the Soul Society now is different. It has changed greatly. It needs a gentle spring, a vibrant summer, a crisp autumn, and a quiet winter. But those are things that blinding sun cannot provide..."
Hearing Yamamoto's words, Asano Kiyoshi only paused briefly. Then he suddenly looked out the window at the dappled light and said to him with a smile, "Teacher, the sun is very warm now, isn't it?"
The old man looked at the boy before him, shook his head helplessly with a smile at the corner of his lips, then nodded lightly. "Yes, it's a very warm sun. But soon, you'll be hot."
Hearing Yamamoto's words, Asano Kiyoshi instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Looking at Yamamoto's smiling face, he asked reflexively, "Why?"
Asano Kiyoshi's answer came in the form of a wooden sword flying toward him, along with Yamamoto's upright stance as he prepared to train...
Time flew by, and