Frail, Sickly Teachers

As he gazed at the gentle, kind-hearted, beautiful face before him, Kisaragi Akira looked a little dazed.

Out of nowhere, she'd stopped pursuing the debt and had come to give him a perk instead.

Could this be the legendary reward for being a good person?

"Is something the matter, Kisaragi?"

A knowing smile appeared on Unohana Retsu's face.

She was always infinitely tolerant of geniuses in Kaido.

Compared with Hado and Bakudo, geniuses in the field of Kaido were rather scarce.

"Not at all."

Kisaragi Akira shook his head, then held out both hands to indicate his readiness.

"Captain Unohana, I'll begin, then."

Unohana Retsu gave a slight nod.

Then, amid countless envious gazes wishing they could take his place, Kisaragi Akira spread his fingers and gently enclosed Unohana Retsu's injured left hand between them.

A faint green glow appeared, and the injury began healing at a visible pace.

Snow-white skin and crimson blood intertwined, creating a strangely beautiful contrast.

What struck Kisaragi Akira as odd was that Unohana Retsu was the First Kenpachi, one of the most skilled swordsmen in the Soul Society.

Yet there wasn't a single callus on her right hand.

Normally, someone who spent years gripping a sword or blade would have thick calluses at the base of their fingers, along with all sorts of scars.

But Unohana Retsu's hand felt entirely different.

Soft and smooth, like a flawless piece of white jade.

Unlike Kisaragi Akira, who was focused on her hand, Unohana Retsu knit her beautiful brows slightly, her puzzled gaze fixed on the glow of Kaido.

Something unexpected had happened.

Kawai was right. This kid was strange.

So strange that it was impossible to understand how he was using Kaido.

His Reiatsu was abundant, at least at the level of a high-ranking Seated Officer.

But neither his movements nor the flow of his Reiatsu showed any sign of proper technique.

His technique was full of flaws, yet somehow his results were better than those of ordinary basic Kaido.

How was that even possible?!

Unohana Retsu sank into thought, thoroughly perplexed, and completely failed to notice that her right hand had already healed.

Nor did she notice that someone was carefully appraising it.

Mm, top-quality jade. Nearly flawless. A rare find!

"Is it pretty?"

Kisaragi Akira nodded, quite pleased.

"How does it feel?"

"Perfect!"

Kisaragi Akira's expression suddenly froze, and his neck creaked stiffly like a rusty hinge.

When he looked up, he found himself face-to-face with a beautiful, smiling visage.

What were you supposed to do when you got caught touching someone's hand?

Asking for a friend. It's urgent.

Under Unohana Retsu's calm gaze, Kisaragi Akira let go of her right hand with an awkward laugh.

She hadn't said a word, but he felt like he was sweating bullets.

He stood obediently to one side, waiting for her to pass judgment.

Fortunately, Unohana Retsu didn't dwell on it. Instead, she turned to the students below the podium and continued the lesson.

At long last, class ended. Kisaragi Akira had barely begun to breathe a sigh of relief when Unohana Retsu suddenly spoke.

"Kisaragi, could you come over for a moment? I have a few things I'd like to ask you."

Kisaragi Akira's face fell, his expression growing long.

Considering the difference in their strength, he swallowed the refusal that had been about to leave his lips.

Shizune really hadn't lied to him.

Gentle women were the most dangerous.

One walked ahead of the other as they made their way down the corridor.

When they arrived at the teachers' office, they found it empty.

"I wanted to ask you in the classroom, but I thought that bringing up this question might have some effect on your life."

Unohana Retsu smiled gently, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened.

"Since we're alone, I thought I'd ask what you think."

"Would you be interested in joining the Fourth Division as a Fifth Seat?"

Kisaragi Akira froze. He hadn't expected Unohana Retsu to ask him something like that.

On the way over, he'd wondered if she was going to suggest something like an after-school session with a female teacher.

Alas, he'd gotten his hopes up for nothing.

"Isn't it a little too soon?"

Kisaragi Akira said in surprise. "I've only learned the most basic Kaido techniques so far."

"And besides, Kendo is more my strong suit than Kaido..."

Halfway through his sentence, Kisaragi Akira suddenly realized something.

When he looked back at Unohana Retsu, the gentle captain's eyes had taken on a sudden intensity.

"You just said you were better at Kendo?"

Kisaragi Akira's mouth twitched. He held back the words that had risen to his lips.

He'd let that slip without thinking, forgetting Unohana Retsu's original identity.

Obviously, Kendo was far more appealing to the First Kenpachi than Kaido.

He knew exactly how good he was at Kaido.

In fact, compared to his Kendo, his Kaido was nowhere near as impressive.

After all, the difference in levels said it all.

[Kendo: lv32]

[Kido: lv23]

The nearly ten-level gap said everything.

What's more, his Kido level included both Bakudo and Hado, and they made up a large part of it.

Kaido accounted for only a tiny fraction.

When Kisaragi Akira didn't answer, Unohana Retsu nodded slightly.

"I understand."

"Let's leave the question of joining the Fourth Division here for now."

"Class is about to start again. Go back and prepare for your next lesson."

Kisaragi Akira breathed a sigh of relief, promptly said goodbye, and turned to leave without a second thought.

Sister Hana was lovely, but he valued his life more.

Being alone in a room with this dangerous woman made his Danger Instinct shriek every so often, keeping his nerves stretched to the limit.

"Good thing she didn't press the issue."

Kisaragi Akira paused in the corridor to think. "Wait, what's the next class again?"

"Never mind. I won't think about it."

"I'll find Sosuke first. He'll definitely remember."

There was no one more familiar with Aizen's Reiatsu than him.

Even if Aizen deliberately concealed the strength of his Reiatsu, Kisaragi Akira could still pinpoint traces of his presence in a sea of people.

"You actually made it back alive."

Seeing Kisaragi Akira unharmed, Aizen looked surprised.

After doing something so offensive, the guy had gotten off without a scratch.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Kisaragi Akira said indignantly. "You were hoping I'd die so you could inherit my estate, weren't you?!"

Aizen sighed helplessly and rubbed his forehead.

There it is. That familiar feeling.

"By the way, what's our next class?"

Kisaragi Akira followed Aizen, wandering aimlessly ahead.

"Teacher Kaede's Kendo class."

Aizen replied calmly, "Let's pick up some bamboo swords from the storeroom first. We'll probably be doing sparring today."

At that answer, Kisaragi Akira's heart suddenly gave a jolt.

He stared at Aizen blankly and murmured,

"Sosuke, do you think..."

"Teacher Kaede won't get sick, will she?"