So that's Tachikawa Nobu…
Kotetsu Isane looked at the refined-looking boy and thought to herself—it wasn't hard to pick him out.
She'd reviewed Nobu's file, which included a photo, but the real person was far more striking. It wasn't just his appearance—his reiatsu and bearing were exceptional as well.
And Nobu, sensing the way Isane's gaze lingered on him, immediately understood: She's seen my Zanpakutō's file. The Fourth Division must have it by now.
But seriously… she's tall!
Standing next to a girl like that would be seriously intimidating…
Isane rarely ever substituted as a teacher, but she'd prepared ahead of time for this visit.
Kaidō, or healing Kidō, was technically a subcategory of Kidō studies and wasn't as prioritized as Hadō or Bakudō. The Academy didn't cover advanced Kaidō techniques either.
"Today we'll be going over the theory behind advanced Kaidō," Isane began. "It's quite different from the basic healing methods you've learned so far. Mastering it can significantly improve your effectiveness in treating injuries. I hope this lesson can help spark your interest in the subject."
After speaking, she turned to the blackboard and began writing with chalk. In no time, the board was covered in densely packed lines of text and formulas.
The students, staring at it, quickly began to feel overwhelmed.
"…This is pretty intense," Hisagi Shūhei muttered after trying to make sense of the material.
"Seika, can you follow it?" he asked the student with the top Kaidō grades in their class.
Seika frowned, thoughtful. "Barely."
Shūhei looked around—many students, Kaisawa included, looked thoroughly lost. Whispers began to fill the room:
"What the heck is she even writing?"
"I don't get any of this…"
Isane, however, had already begun her lecture and dove straight into complex theory, skipping the basics entirely.
For students who struggled with Kaidō to begin with, it may as well have been ancient gibberish.
Shūhei jotted down what he could from the board, then noticed Nobu actually paying close attention to the lecture.
"You're following this?" he whispered.
"Barely. But this is all new to me," Nobu replied.
His usual training and library research hadn't really included much on Kaidō.
Shūhei knew Nobu wasn't lazy. Back when they first entered the Academy, they'd been in the same class. Nobu had been extremely diligent back then, serious about every subject.
Isane, for her part, wasn't particularly good with words. Asking her to substitute a class like this really put her on the spot—but this had been Captain Unohana's request, and she intended to do it right.
About halfway through her lesson, she noticed many of the students nodding off. Her heart sank a little.
Was I… doing that badly?
But the content is accurate… or is it that no one's interested in Kaidō?
And what she called "advanced Kaidō" was already simplified for the Academy level. If she'd really gone into the high-level stuff, they'd be even more lost.
Isane's nerves started to creep in. She scanned the classroom—and saw Nobu's eyes fixed on her, alert and focused.
He understands. He's interested…
That gave her a bit of comfort. After all, Nobu was the reason she'd come here.
And really, it made sense. Someone with a Kaidō-type Zanpakutō had to be interested in healing arts.
[Affection Level: 14]
Nobu raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile.
He smiled! He totally understands!
Isane caught the expression clearly. It reinvigorated her—and she carried on with the lecture, confidence restored.
The one-hour class passed in a blur of Kaidō theory.
When the dismissal bell rang, Isane blinked in surprise. How did I go over time? She'd been watching Nobu's reaction the whole time and had ended up extending the lesson beyond her original notes.
But then she looked around and saw the students exhaling in relief, their faces shouting "Finally!"—and she couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment.
So they really aren't interested in Kaidō…
Still, she closed on a professional note:
"That's it for today's class. Thank you all for your attention. Kaidō is a deep and fascinating discipline—if you put in the effort, it will reward you in unexpected ways. I hope you'll keep exploring and learning beyond this lesson."
With that, Isane left the classroom.
Shūhei stretched and groaned, "That might've been the hardest class I've ever taken."
He'd studied Kidō before, and the instructors usually built things up step by step. It was rare for him to struggle.
But this lesson? It had escalated so fast that by the second half, he'd been completely lost.
Seeing Nobu deep in thought, Shūhei asked, "Are you really that into Kaidō?"
"It's fine," Nobu replied. "Learning more is always a good thing."
Next to him, Seika added, "I actually thought Vice-Captain Kotetsu's lecture was great. Our usual teacher never goes into this kind of depth. I wish she could sub more often."
Kaidō was his best subject—he genuinely enjoyed the material.
"Spare me," Shūhei muttered.
The three of them chatted a bit as they got up to leave, but just then, the class rep came rushing in.
"Tachikawa! Ōizumi-sensei wants to see you!"
"Got it," Nobu said.
At that moment, in the faculty office, Ōizumi Rensuke was talking to Isane.
"Vice-Captain Kotetsu, thank you again for substituting today. That said… I'm afraid the material might've been a little too advanced for most of our students. They haven't been exposed to high-level Kaidō yet."
Isane replied calmly, "But they have to be exposed if they're going to understand Kaidō's full potential. It can spark their interest. And some of them did understand—like Tachikawa Nobu. He was very attentive the whole time."
"Wait—Tachikawa Nobu? Attentive?" Ōizumi looked like he'd just heard something absurd.
Isane nodded. "Yes!"
"..."
Then Ōizumi remembered: Nobu's Zanpakutō was Kaidō-type. That fact had already made its way around the Academy. Maybe that's why he suddenly cares about Kaidō class.
Just as they were speaking, Nobu entered.
Ōizumi waved him in with a thoughtful look.
He himself had once served in the Fourth Division, only later transferring to the Academy as an instructor. Naturally, he still hoped more talented students would choose to join his old squad.
And Nobu… was an exceptionally talented one.
"Well then, I'll leave you two to talk. I've got things to take care of," Ōizumi said before exiting.
Now alone, Isane took the chance to get a better look at the boy in front of her.
His features were clear and composed, with a presence that made people feel at ease. Thinking that this student might one day be a part of her division, Isane's face softened into a sincere and gentle smile.
"Tachikawa-san, do you like Kaidō?"