Waking up in the morning, Kensei Kenzuru got up and saw Aizen was still sleeping. He couldn't help but praise himself inwardly for being both talented and hardworking. How could Sōsuke, so lazy, possibly compare to me?
Today was a day off. Normally, Kensei would sleep in too, but he had to go to Old Man Yamamoto's for instruction later, leaving him only to envy the still-sleeping Aizen.
After Kensei finished washing up and left, Aizen got up, put on his glasses, and prepared to begin his own plan. Today, he needed to move all the Central 46's research equipment to the secret base he had prepared last night. Moreover, he had to be careful not to let Kensei notice anything amiss. Although he knew in his heart that one day Kensei would find out about his actions, Aizen merely hoped to delay that day's arrival for as long as possible.
"Old Man, I'm here!"
Yamamoto, who was practicing calligraphy, was startled by Kensei's sudden shout. Normally, no fool dared to shout like that in his presence. Looking at the ruined calligraphy piece, Yamamoto took a deep breath, mentally repeating 'I chose this disciple, I have to bear with it' to suppress his anger. Then he saw Kensei, who had noticed his darkened expression and was preparing to make a run for it.
"Get in here!"
Yamamoto's decades of cultivated composure were utterly useless against this brat Kensei. The kid was even more slippery than Kyōraku in his youth. Pained, he tossed the ruined draft aside and glared at Kensei, who had already lowered his head in apology. He wanted to scold him, but the words wouldn't come.
"Next time you come, don't shout. I'm not so old I can't hear yet."
Taking out a fresh sheet of white paper and resuming his writing, Yamamoto reminded Kensei, lest this kid disturb his calligraphy practice every time he visited.
"I observed your Shunpo yesterday. There are still many areas needing refinement. I've invited a teacher for you today. Make sure you learn well."
Although the Shunpo Kensei had modified himself was astonishingly fast among ordinary Shinigami, in Yamamoto's eyes, it still seemed somewhat immature. Only by delving deeper could he master the most suitable Shunpo.
Kensei looked curious. Yamamoto, the strongest Shinigami who didn't know how many centuries he'd lived, was proficient in all the Shinigami arts. Why would he need someone else to teach him?
"Yo, old man, I'm here."
Kensei's ears caught an unfamiliar female voice, but he couldn't locate the speaker. Had she trained Shunpo to its absolute peak, becoming invisible to others? No wonder the teacher invited this person to teach me Shunpo. If I master this, it would be incredible—killing unseen!
"Hey, kid, are you the old man's new student?"
Feeling someone pat his chest, Kensei finally looked down to see a brown-skinned girl with short purple hair looking up at him as if observing a rare animal. If he hadn't noticed she lacked an Adam's apple, Kensei might have thought she was a master of voice disguise.
Oh... it was just because she's too short that I didn't see her...
"Hey, hey! Kid, what's with that look?"
The girl, sensing Kensei's subtle glance, immediately bristled like an angry cat, hissing at him. Standing at only 156cm, she was a good 30cm shorter than Kensei. Who in their right mind would dare mock her height so blatantly?
"Shihōin Yoruichi, mind your status."
Yamamoto, still writing, reminded her calmly. He had specifically arranged for the Shihōin family's young mistress to instruct Kensei. On one hand, their ages were relatively close, so they wouldn't be bored interacting. On the other, the Shihōin family indeed had a deeper understanding of Shunpo than he did.
Hearing the girl's identity from Yamamoto, Kensei was utterly dumbfounded. You're telling me this completely ordinary-looking girl is the well-endowed 'Goddess of Flash,' Yoruichi? Apart from her hair and skin color, what matches? The anime made Yoruichi look pretty tall, so why is she actually so short? Is this false advertising?
"Tch—"
Hearing Yamamoto's reminder, Yoruichi looked at Kensei reluctantly, then seemed to think of something fun, a mischievous smile curling her lips.
"Old man, since you want me to teach him Shunpo and Hakuda, I get to arrange the training methods, right?"
"Just ensure he remains in one piece."
Receiving the confirmation, Yoruichi laughed and suddenly kicked Kensei's legs. Caught off guard, Kensei's body began to tip forward, only to be caught by Yoruichi, who hooked an arm around his neck and proceeded to drag him out of the 1st Division barracks. As for Kensei's own opinion, no one cared.
Dragging Kensei to the Shihōin family's training ground, Yoruichi stood atop a stone pillar, looking down at him.
"Kensei, I'm a responsible teacher. These next few days, I'll take good care of you."
Yoruichi, who could now take personal revenge under the guise of duty, was in excellent spirits. Laughing, she shot towards Kensei with Shunpo so fast her figure was a blur. Kensei, who had had his Asauchi removed by Yoruichi on the way, could only use Hakuda to counter.
Though her intention was to teach Kensei a small lesson under the pretext of duty, Yoruichi didn't use much force, only enough for Kensei to feel slight pain. It had to be said, Yoruichi's Hakuda skills were indeed superb, able to make Kensei feel pain without leaving any marks on his body's surface.
Yoruichi truly lived up to her reputation of possessing the most outstanding Hakuda talent in generations of the Shihōin family. She could seamlessly integrate Shunpo and Hakuda. Her attacks enveloped Kensei like a rainstorm, preventing him from using Shunpo to escape the encirclement. If not for his robust physique, Kensei would have long been lying on the ground.
Getting into the rhythm, Kensei gradually grew familiar with Yoruichi's offensive patterns, rapidly learning her Hakuda techniques and fusing them into moves most suited for himself. With his extraordinary combat intuition, Kensei could sense the direction of Yoruichi's next attack in advance. Defense, counterattack—executed in one fluid motion. Yoruichi, whose cheek was grazed by his fist, Shunpo'd back to the stone pillar.
"Hey! Don't you know how to be gentle with a girl?!"
Yoruichi put her hands on her hips, scolding Kensei discontentedly. If she hadn't reacted quickly, that punch would have landed squarely on her face. However, the only response she received was another fist whistling towards her. The offensive/defensive dynamic between them instantly reversed. Yoruichi used Shunpo to swiftly dodge Kensei's attacks while countering with Hakuda. Relying on Shunpo speed superior to Kensei's, she managed to hold her own relatively easily.
"What, giving up?"
Seeing Kensei standing still, Yoruichi teased him, inwardly noting, No wonder Old Man Yamamoto took him as a disciple. This kind of talent would make anyone jealous.
"Something feels off. Hakuda should have stronger forms. Don't you have more powerful Hakuda techniques, Yoruichi?"
"Hah?! Kid, what do you mean by that?"
Taking advantage of Kensei being lost in thought, Yoruichi Shunpo'd directly onto his shoulders from behind, her plump, warm thighs pressing against his neck, even through her black thigh-high socks.
"Don't think just because you have some talent you can get cocky in front of me!"
Choked and gasping for air, Kensei could only pat Yoruichi's legs while struggling to beg for mercy.
"Cough, cough... I'm gonna die."
Seeing Kensei yield, Yoruichi snorted and released the grip of her legs, adjusting her slightly sagging thigh-highs.
"There are levels beyond current Hakuda, but they're still just my personal conjectures, unproven."
Yoruichi frowned, her expression turning serious as she warned Kensei.
"Don't go trying to secretly develop new techniques on your own. That kind of move is very dangerous. You could ruin both your arms."
Kensei quickly nodded in agreement. He wasn't a fool. Developing such techniques definitely required Old Man Yamamoto's supervision to be safe.
"But you haven't even mastered my Shunpo yet, so don't think about that for now."
The more powerful the Hakuda technique, the more it required ultra-fast Shunpo to complement it. Otherwise, if you couldn't hit the enemy, it was just a waste of your own spiritual pressure.
"Enough for now. Let's eat."
Feeling her stomach was completely empty, Yoruichi pulled Kensei up from the ground and headed towards the Shihōin family residence.
"By the way, Yoruichi, do you know Urahara Kisuke?"
Urahara Kisuke was a rare scientific research talent. If he could recruit him to work for him, who knows what kind of black tech he and Aizen could come up with together.
"Haven't heard of him. Do you know him?"
Yoruichi shook her head. The names the Shihōin family's young mistress remembered were never ordinary people. She'd only start paying attention to the movements of average Shinigami after she succeeded as the head of the Onmitsukidō.
"Never mind then."
"Alright, let's go. I'm starving."
Urahara Kisuke isn't going anywhere in the Soul Society. There'll be a chance to meet him eventually. No need to rush right now. Temporarily giving up on finding Urahara Kisuke, Kensei let Yoruichi drag him into the dining hall. Looking at the lavish table already laden with exquisite dishes, Kensei couldn't help but sigh at the decadent lifestyle of the nobility. Then he sat down and, with a heart full of 'pain,' proceeded to wallow in the same mire as this great noblewoman, Yoruichi.