Chapter 206
After finishing his meal, Yuta returned to his residence on the mountainside.
This residence was near the Kidō Corps. Since Yuta was now both the Grand Kidō Chief and the Captain of the 12th Division, he had set up residences in both places. The 12th Division compound was quiet and secluded on the mountainside, a place where no one would disturb him.
When he returned home, Rukia Kuchiki and Rangiku Matsumoto had already prepared a meal. It had to be said, if a man surrounded himself with women, he would need the appetite to match.
The next day, Yuta went to train in swordsmanship with Unohana Retsu as usual. Under the guidance of a master like her, his swordsmanship improved rapidly.
In the first three days, he copied and practiced every sword technique of Unohana's one by one.
In the next three, he began to blend her techniques into his own style.
By the last three days, his swordplay had stripped down to the simplest movements-slashes, thrusts, cuts, and parries-executed with fluid precision.
Elusive yet consistent, his movements carried a presence that was difficult to track.
"...I am not your opponent."
Unohana spoke with a trace of frustration. It had been centuries since she felt such powerlessness-the sense of being unable to win no matter how much she tried. At first, she had exchanged blows evenly with Yuta and even pressed the advantage. But as time passed, she became less and less capable of keeping up with him. In these last three days, Yuta easily placed the cold edge of his blade at her throat with only a few strikes.
The fine hairs of her nape felt the chill of steel, and cold sweat formed unbidden across her skin. Stiff, sword slackening in her grip, Unohana hated that she was no longer Yuta's equal.
He could grant her the thrill of battle, but she could not return that feeling to him.
Yuta noticed the shift in her mood.
"Do you know what kind of person the Unohana I know is?"
He sheathed his sword slowly and clasped his hands behind his back.
Unohana froze at the words. The Unohana he knew?
Yuta continued, "She may not have been the strongest at the start, but she never admitted defeat. No matter how often she was brought down, she found ways to rise stronger. With time, her skills became the accumulation of countless battles. That is why she defeated those who once defeated her instead of ever giving up. Otherwise, she would never have earned the name Kenpachi."
Unohana's whole body trembled at hearing that name. He was right. How could she lose her resolve after being defeated once? In the past, she had no rivals in the Soul Society. But she had not begun with the name Kenpachi. That name was one she had earned through failures, through battles survived and lessons carved into her blade. Step by step, she had grown until no one could give her the release of fighting on the edge of life and death.
Now, facing Yuta, she had finally returned to that place.
She should have been grateful that someone existed now who could push her again.
"Thank you, Yuta."
"You're welcome. But I'm the one who should thank you for teaching me so much about swordsmanship," Yuta said, taking a seat at her side.
Unohana quietly sat beside him as the blood-red sunset painted the sky. For a moment, she simply thought that being with Yuta each day was enough. If he could have been her lieutenant, it would have been ideal. But he was now a captain in his own right.
…
On the path leading to the mountaintop, stone steps rose between thick groves of trees that cast long shadows-perfect for hiding one's presence.
Two sets of footsteps echoed on the stone steps. One was uneven, heavy and light in turn. The other was steady and measured.
It was Omaeda Marechiyo and Yuta.
"You mean Captain Soi-Fon invited me?"
Omaeda walked ahead of Yuta, holding a packet of snacks and speaking with her mouth full, crumbs falling as she chewed. "Yeah, I don't know why either. Anyway, Captain Soi-Fon is terrifying. Every time we train, she beats us half to death. Honestly, everyone under her is scared of Captain Soi-Fon."
"Scared of her?" Yuta thought to himself. In his eyes, Soi-Fon was more endearing than frightening.
As they arrived, an explosion rang out from the kitchen, startling Omaeda.
"Wha-? Enemy attack?"
She stuffed the last of her snack into her mouth, tossed the wrapper aside, and drew her Zanpakutō before rushing inside.
The next moment, her large body was sent flying back, crashing down the hillside in a roll with a loud thud.
"Tsk." Yuta glanced at her tumbling figure and then turned his attention forward.
The shadowy figure that had attacked Omaeda darted forward again, this time at Yuta. But Yuta was faster. Had he not minded dirtying his hands, he could have seized her immediately.
"...Isn't this Captain Soi-Fon herself?" Yuta said evenly. "Strange-she looks more like a street brawler right now."
"You…!"
At his words, Soi-Fon's expression flushed beneath the soot on her face.
"You must be enjoying this." Her voice trembled with both anger and embarrassment. "You walk in and see me like this... I shouldn't have bothered making honey-grilled fish for you. Someone like you doesn't deserve it. Who would cook for you just to thank you?"
If not for the soot covering her face, her cheeks would have been burning red. If her subordinates had seen their normally composed and cold captain in this state, they would have been stunned to silence.
"All right, enough," Yuta said as he gently caught her ash-darkened hand. "You want to eat honey-grilled fish? Let me make it for you."
Soi-Fon froze at his calm tone, lowered her head slightly, and shifted her feet with hesitation. She had expected laughter and ridicule from him-not gentleness.
For her, the sight of him carried a new weight, something that stole her words for a moment.
"...Yuta," she muttered quietly, gripping his sleeve with sudden determination. "Don't look down on me or i'll start biting."
Her words carried more than her pride-they carried the mix of frustration and the unwillingness poured into her training as she stood inches away from him.
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