"I'm flying!"
Liltotto sped through the air, standing on a glowing skateboard under her feet.
"Just like that. Keep your eyes open," Sora said. "Don't focus entirely on your feet. You don't just stare at your feet when you walk, right?"
Liltotto's talent was very high. It only took her one morning to learn Hirenkyaku.
Sora sensed someone outside the shop. He turned his head and saw a patrol team of military police.
"Who are you?"
The lead officer seemed to remember the shop owner. Seeing an unfamiliar face sitting inside, he immediately came forward to question him.
"I'm just watching the shop temporarily."
Sora was sitting right by the courtyard door, able to watch the shop and guide Liltotto at the same time.
"What's your name?"
The officer looked inside suspiciously and took out a notebook.
"Kurosaki Usaki."
Sora answered calmly.
"Liltotto is in the sky."
Another officer, a woman with long, grass-green hair, noticed Liltotto flying above and pointed it out to her comrade.
The lead officer's expression relaxed slightly, believing Sora's words.
"New here?"
He wrote down the name, finding it unfamiliar.
This patrol team was permanently stationed in this block and was quite familiar with the residents.
"Yes, came from the human world. Just got assigned here."
Sora nodded.
"Came back from the human world... Don't cause any trouble here. But if anyone gives you trouble, you can come find us at the military police station."
The lead officer led his team away, continuing their patrol.
Sora paid no mind to this small interruption.
However, the female officer with the long, grass-green hair had caught his attention.
She had actually sensed Liltotto in the sky.
Liltotto was flying quite high, and her own spiritual pressure was not strong.
An ordinary Quincy, if not paying close attention, would easily overlook her.
Yet, that female officer had sensed her even before the team leader did.
"This officer's perception is a bit sharp..."
Sora found her appearance somewhat familiar and had a guess.
As the officers were leaving, he opened her panel to check:
[Candice Catnipp]
Talent: S
Reishi Manipulation: Lv 50
Affinity Level: Stranger
"My luck these past few days has been really good. I've found three S-rank potential seeds without much effort!"
Sora's eyes lit up.
He hadn't guessed wrong. It was indeed another S-rank talent!
The officer with the grass-green hair was the future Sternritter, Candice Catnipp.
With her aptitude, after serving in the army for eight or ten years, she should at least have the combat power comparable to a seated officer-level Shinigami.
Based on the panel, Candice's situation was likely similar to Meninas's; she was probably also a relatively new recruit.
"Liltotto is young and easy to fool. Candice will be harder to approach... She patrols around here. I'll have to come by more often..."
Sora considered how to take Candice as his disciple.
If this were the Soul Society, countless Shinigami would want to become his disciple.
But in the Wandenreich, his identity was an unknown Quincy. He needed to create opportunities to display his strength.
"I've learned it," Liltotto landed from the sky. "Did the military police give you any trouble?"
As she landed, she saw them leaving the shop.
"No, just routine questioning," Sora said.
"Our district is close to Silbern, so the security is quite good. The officers around here are also easy to talk to," Liltotto looked at the clock in the shop. "It's getting late. Stay for lunch."
"Alright," Sora did not refuse her kindness.
"Come inside," Liltotto hung a 'Closed' sign outside and shut the door.
"They're really strict here, even regulating shop hours," Sora remarked.
If the patrol found a shop closed during business hours, it would be recorded. Too many such records, and the shop would be repossessed.
"That's just how it is here," Liltotto said matter-of-factly. "These shops belong to the army. To put it bluntly, I'm actually working for them."
The two went into the house behind the courtyard. Liltotto's home wasn't large, but its three-story structure made the interior space feel quite roomy.
"Just so you know, my cooking is average. I only know how to make bread."
Liltotto went into the kitchen, took out some ingredients, and started cooking.
Sora watched for a while, his brow furrowing.
"Is this how you usually eat?"
He felt that with her method, the only bread she could make would be as hard as a baguette.
"Is there a problem?" Liltotto asked, confused. "It tastes pretty good this way."
"Then you must have strong teeth," Sora decided to show off his skills and broaden her horizons. "I'm quite good at cooking. Let me do it."
"How could I trouble you..." Liltotto said, but her body had already moved, stepping aside.
Her cooking skills were average, but she had a big appetite. Hearing that Sora was good at cooking, she couldn't help but want to try his food.
Some time later.
Using the ingredients available, Sora made apple pie and pudding.
Just smelling the aroma made Liltotto start to drool.
After taking a bite, she was completely mesmerized.
"How is it?"
Sora smiled slightly and glanced at the notification on his system panel.
[Liltotto Lamperd's Affinity Level has increased. Current Affinity Level is Friendly]
In Sora's memory, Liltotto was often seen eating. Like Kana Azashiro, she was a glutton.
Even her codename was 'The Glutton'.
"Is your food really this delicious?!" Liltotto looked utterly shocked.
In the Wandenreich, everything prioritized the army. Good chefs were also within the military, so it was usually difficult for Liltotto to eat such delicacies.
"If you like it, have some more," Sora took a piece of apple pie and ate it.
Through his Quincy power, he connected with the senses of his Reigai puppet, allowing him to experience even its sense of taste.
"Not bad," he said nonchalantly. Limited by the ingredients, the food could only be rated as 'not bad'.
"It's more than just 'not bad'..."
Liltotto's mouth was stuffed with food, her cheeks puffed out.
"The ingredients are limited..." Sora shook his head gently.
"Is it the ingredients?" Liltotto's eyes darted around. "If I can get better ingredients, can you make even more delicious food?"
"I can spend merit points!"
Her expression was no longer dull, but full of anticipation and craving.
"Well..." Sora pretended to hesitate. "I also have to teach my disciple... running back and forth is a bit of a waste of time."
"Disciple?" Liltotto paused. "Aren't you from the human world?"
After some conversation, Liltotto had already learned some basic information.
She didn't quite understand why a Quincy who had just come from the human world would have a disciple in the Wandenreich.
"A disciple I just took in. I saw her talent and couldn't resist," Sora continued.
"I see..." Liltotto slumped, but the craving in her heart had been awakened. The thought of even more delicious food being so close yet unattainable made her itch with desire.
"My talent is also very good! I learned Hirenkyaku in just one morning! That older sister next door spent several months learning it in the army!" Liltotto, in a moment of quick thinking, shouted, "Can you take me too? I want to become your disciple!"
A professor who could make such delicious food was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Liltotto had to seize it.
"Your talent... is indeed sufficient to become my disciple," Sora agreed. "But you must think carefully. Becoming a disciple is a serious matter. Once you enter my school, you must not betray it, or I will personally clean house. In return, I will teach you everything I know and help you train."
There was the issue of factions among the Quincy. Sora was giving her a heads-up.
"I will be loyal to my professor!" Liltotto nodded repeatedly. "Please accept me as your disciple!"
Putting aside the food factor, this was also a powerful Quincy. Liltotto could find no reason to pass up this opportunity.
[Liltotto Lamperd requests to become your disciple. Accept as a direct disciple?]
"From now on, you are my disciple. You must not slack off in your training," Sora thought of Liltotto's listless appearance when he first met her, a stark contrast to her current state, and said, "If you perform well, I'll cook for you."
"Great!" Liltotto cheered. "Praise the Professor!"
Sora glanced at his panel. Two more messages had popped up.
[Liltotto Lamperd's Affinity Level has increased. Current Affinity Level is Close]
[Current training mission added: Guide Liltotto Lamperd to complete basic training (In progress)]
Under the lure of delicious food, Liltotto's affinity had increased again.
"Your courtyard is nice. I'll have your senior sister come here to train too, so I can guide you both at the same time,"
Sora looked at the courtyard and said.
"No problem!" Liltotto's clever little head quickly came up with an idea. "I'll go buy some ingredients to celebrate this wonderful day!"
"Let's go together," Sora chuckled.
...
In the evening, Sora returned to his residence to check on Meninas's training progress.
Meninas had requested leave for a period to prepare for the Sternritter recruitment event. She planned to stay at her professor's place to train during this time.
The Sternritter placed great importance on this recruitment. When her superiors heard she was preparing for it, they immediately approved her leave.
"Professor, I've already adapted to the first stage!"
Seeing her professor return, Meninas shared her progress.
She opened her palm, and the surrounding reishi gathered towards it.
In a short while, the reishi condensed into an arrow.
"Good progress!"
Sora nodded with satisfaction.
"I've also got some clues about the second stage!"
Meninas smiled.
If her professor had returned a little later, she would have been able to crack the spiritual pressure frequency to unlock the second stage.
"Very impressive, to be able to figure it out on your own!"
Sora was somewhat surprised.
"The 'Patient Guidance' ability also works on Quincy... Meninas's learning ability has improved."
Sora thought to himself.
He suddenly remembered that Yhwach and Haschwalth also had similar abilities that could assist others in their growth.
Yhwach did it through bestowing power, which he could then reclaim through Auswählen or death.
Haschwalth's 'The Balance' was a one-way bestowal with no recovery function, and he also depleted his own power when granting it to others.
Sora's 'Patient Guidance' could also assist others in growth, but only his own disciples.
"I can improve myself... through my disciples' growth..."
Sora's ability was quite different from Yhwach's and Haschwalth's. Including the system rewards, taking disciples was a win-win situation, beneficial to both parties.
"Professor, look. Am I doing it right?"
Meninas took her professor's hand and adjusted her own spiritual pressure fluctuation to a certain frequency.
"Hmm... very close..." Sora sensed the flow of spiritual pressure within her. "The last part needs to change faster."
As soon as he finished speaking, the flow of Meninas's spiritual pressure changed accordingly.
The next moment, her face fell.
"Adding another 20% block makes it this much harder?"
After the bracers adjusted to the next stage, Meninas felt that controlling her spiritual pressure was like trying to draw water from ice; it was simply uncontrollable.
"Get used to it first," Sora suggested. "Don't take them off even when you sleep. Your subconscious will help you adapt."
"I won't sleep tonight!" Meninas was full of determination. "I'll finish it before morning!"
"Remember to balance work and rest. This kind of training consumes a lot of stamina. Let's go eat first," Sora said.
"Eat?" Meninas took out some dry rations from her bag. "I'm already prepared!"
To hire a private tutor, Meninas had been saving merit points frugally and had been eating the free food issued by the army during this time.
"Is this what you ate for lunch?" Sora pressed his forehead, gaining a new understanding of this disciple's poverty. "I took in a new disciple outside. Let's go eat at her place."
"I'm a senior sister now!" Meninas was curious about her professor's other disciple.
A moment later, Sora brought Meninas to Liltotto's house.
The two places were close, only a few hundred meters apart in a straight line.
"So Liltotto is the disciple the Professor took in!" Meninas said in surprise.
"You know Liltotto?" Sora asked.
"Not really... it says 'Liltotto's General Store' up there..." Meninas pointed to the sign above the shop. "But I've bought things here before."
As soon as they entered the house, Meninas smelled the aroma of delicious food.
"What is this? It smells so good!"
Meninas felt that her dry rations no longer smelled appealing.
"Is she the senior sister?"
"Liltotto, what are you doing?"
Sora saw Liltotto lying motionless on the floor.
"Just went dormant," Liltotto got up from the floor. "I almost couldn't hold back!"
Her professor hadn't returned yet, and Liltotto didn't feel right eating first. With a table full of delicious food in front of her, she had reached her limit.
"Then let's eat," Sora poured himself a glass of hand-squeezed orange juice.
"Hooray for the Professor!" Liltotto immediately pounced on the food like a hungry tiger.
"Delicious!" Meninas also started eating.
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The Bleach story will come to an end in December. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this project; your support has been crucial in getting to this point.
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