Lin Nan was taken aback at first, then immediately understood where Katori's confusion came from. In her eyes, he had only arrived in Soul Society recently, yet he kept using archaic terms from two hundred years ago. Of course that seemed suspicious.
"Oh, when I lived in Rukongai, I often heard a few of the older people nearby mention the 'Gotei 13,' so I just picked up the habit of calling it that," he said casually, without batting an eye.
The two of them reached the door, just as someone pushed it open from inside. Noticing the white haori on Katori, the person hurriedly bowed in alarm.
"Good day, Captain!"
Who could have imagined that this dojo, which hadn't had a visitor in eight hundred years, would receive two visitors in one day? And one of them was a captain, no less?
"Who are you?" Katori asked coolly.
"I'm the dojo's manager. When the master isn't here, I take care of the dojo's daily affairs."
"Is the dojo closed today? Why is it so quiet?" Lin Nan listened to the sounds from the courtyard and asked in confusion.
He didn't know much about dojos. The only one he could think of was Hongkou Dojo, which had been taken down by a single person in a movie he'd watched as a child.
But a dojo should at least be similar to a martial arts school, with the sounds of people practicing, right? This place was so quiet that if Lin Nan hadn't seen the sign before entering, he would have thought he'd walked into a nursing home.
"Uh, it isn't a day off. It's just that the master is usually away, so the daily practice has naturally become rather lax..." The manager hesitated, unsure how to explain.
"Even if practice is lax, it shouldn't be this quiet... How many students are inside right now?" Hearing the silence in the courtyard, Katori noticed something was off and asked in confusion.
"Uh... o-one person..." The manager seemed embarrassed to say it, but under the imposing authority of a Court Guard Squad captain, he stammered out an answer.
"The master isn't here, and only one person showed up?" Lin Nan was surprised.
Putting everything else aside, the master of Gen Private School was Captain-Commander Yamamoto, a figure famous throughout Soul Society. When he wasn't around, the students actually dared to skip class so openly? Was the learning atmosphere really that lax?
Lin Nan thought about it, then found the situation rather amusing... No matter how old you got, skipping class was always tempting.
"Something's not right..." Katori muttered under her breath, then asked again, "How many students are there in the dojo altogether?"
The manager didn't dare speak. He only trembled as he held up one finger.
"Hahahahahahahahaha... Hic... Old Man Yama, so this is what's become of you!"
Katori immediately understood what was going on and burst out laughing. "A dignified Captain-Commander, and there's only one student in his dojo! Hahahahaha... How tragic!"
Faced with the manager, who didn't know whether he should be nervous or laugh along, Lin Nan felt awkward. How did this woman manage to seem nothing like a captain once she left her squad barracks?
"Only... one student? How can the dojo stay in business like that? I doubt one person's tuition would even cover the rent," Lin Nan said, puzzled.
Before the manager could answer, Katori wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said gleefully, "How else? He must be making up the difference with his captain's salary! The Captain-Commander earns twice as much as an ordinary captain. This is what it means to put that money to good use! Pfft..."
Lin Nan frowned at Katori, who was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. "An estate this large in the First District of Rukongai must cost a fortune to maintain, too, right?"
"Definitely! No wonder he likes rubbing his skin with a dry cloth to get his blood flowing... He must be avoiding the hot springs so he won't waste money on a bath..." Katori laughed so hard she could barely stand, slapping her thigh. A faint flush had spread across her cheeks.
"Hey, that's a bit of a stretch... There are other people here. Aren't you worried about getting on the Captain-Commander's bad side for talking about him like that?" Lin Nan's face was streaked with awkwardness.
It seemed Katori had used her merciless mockery to put her little dispute with Yamamoto behind her. Her laughter echoed through the courtyard without restraint.
Meanwhile, the manager had squeezed his eyes shut and hunched his shoulders, wishing he could pretend he hadn't heard a thing. He kept repeating to himself, "I wasn't here. I wasn't here."
Lin Nan couldn't help sighing. There was no way he could control this situation.
"Who's making all that noise? I can hear you from the room in the back courtyard! How am I supposed to sleep?"
With a string of complaints, a tousle-haired boy opened the door in front of them. Eyes closed, he stuck his head out of the room, yawning as he spoke.
"It's broad daylight! Keep it down, please. Some of us are trying to sleep in!"
After saying that, he pulled his head back inside, ready to find a comfortable place to lie down again.
The moment Katori saw the boy's face, her laughter abruptly stopped. With a mixture of surprise and seriousness, she asked the manager, "Is he the dojo's only student?"
The manager nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes! The young master has been here for about two months. I heard his family insisted that he be sent here."
"Hmph! No wonder the dojo can stay open with only one student! Yamamoto really is lucky!" Katori furrowed her brow and stamped her foot lightly.
"What do you mean? Is his family wealthy, and does he pay enough in tuition?" Lin Nan asked, curious at Katori Batsunsai's sudden change in expression.
"Mm. From his looks, he resembles a noble I know. And in age, he's about the same as the second son in their family." Katori pouted indignantly. "If it's really him, it's just not fair! Gen Private School actually managed to recruit a rich kid!"
Lin Nan inwardly spread his hands. What was that about how only a rival could inspire such naked envy?
"So he's been the only one at the dojo this whole time, and he just sleeps all day?" Lin Nan asked the manager, puzzled.
"Yes. The master is busy, and his family gave him a strict order that he must not leave the dojo under any circumstances.
"So young Master Kyoraku has basically had nothing to do lately, and spends every day sleeping." Since he didn't know who the person accompanying the captain was, the manager was polite to Lin Nan as well.
"Look at him. He has no ambition! What future could he have, studying at a dojo like this and learning from an old-timer like him?"
Katori seized the opportunity to whisper in Lin Nan's ear. "And from the looks of it, he's a reckless rich kid. Be careful he doesn't bully you! You can't underestimate school bullying!"
Lin Nan clicked his tongue, feeling that the whole thing had become rather dull. He was just about to turn around when a thought flashed through his mind. He promptly turned back to the manager and asked, "Wait. What did you just call that student?"
"Huh? I... I called him Young Master Kyoraku..." The manager looked bewildered, afraid he'd said something wrong.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Nan's face. The Kyoraku family's second son... How interesting. It suddenly felt as if the wheels of fate had begun to turn.
Seeing Lin Nan's knowing smile, Katori felt a sudden, inexplicable tightness in her chest. For some reason, she had the feeling that he wouldn't be going with her.
She clapped her hands and looked around, feigning nonchalance. "All right! Now that I've brought you here, I should be on my way!
"Not many people come here, but at least Yamamoto will teach you personally. Plenty of people in Soul Society would love to have that kind of treatment!"
Katori's sudden farewell caught Lin Nan off guard. She'd just been trying to steal him away, so why was she leaving all of a sudden? For a moment, he didn't know whether to tell her to take care or ask her to stay a little longer.
Noticing Lin Nan's conflicted expression, Katori smiled. "It's all right. If you ever want to visit my dojo, just let me know ahead of time. I'll take you to see the splendor of our Cloud Style dojo!"
She gave Lin Nan a gentle smile and a light wave before quickly turning and walking away. She didn't let him see the trace of disappointment on her face.
You idiot. You're really not going to ask me to stay? You didn't notice I was testing you at all?
Lin Nan pretended to casually inspect the inside of Gen Private School as he quietly pondered.
Deep down, he knew that in Soul Society, only becoming a Soul Reaper or a noble could guarantee a life free of hunger and hardship. He still remembered all too well what it had been like to starve in Rukongai. After just two days of eating his fill, he already didn't want to go back.
But he hadn't made it into Shino Academy, so he hadn't earned the status of a Soul Reaper trainee. That meant the Soul Reapers still hadn't fully stopped suspecting him.
Had Yamamoto taken me into his private school as a way to keep an eye on me? So he could get rid of me the moment he noticed anything suspicious?
Then... should I take advantage of Yamamoto being away and make a run for it?
"What? Someone like you is actually a new student of Old Man Yama's?"
A boy in indigo clothes asked lazily from nearby, his face slack with drowsiness as he yawned.
Lin Nan was still thinking. He turned and smiled, giving the boy a perfunctory answer. "Yeah! I guess he took me because I've got lots of hair and it's easy to style. You've got pretty good hair, too..."
He continued to survey the area, looking for a convenient place to climb over the wall and escape.
Kyoraku ignored the joke from his peer and said with a sullen expression, "I'm Kyoraku Shunsui. I like drinking. From now on, you're the new kid here, and I'm your senior..."
Seeing that Lin Nan wasn't paying attention, he clicked his tongue, stepped forward, and grabbed Lin Nan by the shoulder, looking down at him arrogantly.
"Your senior's talking to you! Show some respect! From now on, you do what I say and buy me drinks every day, got it?"
Lin Nan looked at the shiftless Kyoraku Shunsui with a half-smile. "Oh? I suppose I could...
"But why don't you buy them yourself, Senior?"
"How could I afford that... I mean, what kind of senior pays for his own drinks?" Kyoraku Shunsui nearly let slip that his family had cut off his allowance. He lifted his chin and curled his lip. "Don't ask your senior questions. Just do what I tell you, understand?"
"Understood."
Lin Nan smiled, inwardly snarking, So even the future Captain-Commander was a problem child when he was young!
"Go to the kitchen in the back and boil some water for me first. Your senior's going to soak his feet later." Kyoraku leaned carelessly against the wall and gestured in a direction with his thumb.
Lin Nan's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. "I don't know where it is yet. How about I get familiar with the place first?"
Kyoraku frowned tightly. "Is the old man's eyesight failing these days? How could he take someone this stupid as a student?
"What's your name? What do you like?"
"My name is Lin Nan." Smiling, Lin Nan slowly walked toward Kyoraku and answered in a quiet voice.
Thump!
Crash—
Kyoraku Shunsui fell to the ground. A string of blood droplets spilled from his nostrils, tracing a perfect arc through the air.
Lin Nan held his right hand in a punching stance and looked down at Kyoraku Shunsui. Calmly, he said, "I have a lot of interests. My three favorites are beating up three kinds of people:
"First, people who act like the boss; second, people who drink; third, people who act like the boss after drinking..."
Before you continue