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Aozaki Reiji nodded, his gaze shifting from Jūshirō Ukitake.
Looking at Kyōraku Shunsui, he seemed to recall something and went straight to the point:
"Teacher is busy. Do you have time, Senior Brother Kyōraku? I remember Teacher saying that Senior Brother Kyōraku also learned Sokotsu."
"You mean that..." Kyōraku Shunsui burst into laughter, then suddenly said seriously, "Actually, I don't know how!"
Aozaki Reiji and Jūshirō Ukitake were both momentarily stunned.
Jūshirō Ukitake thought back carefully, confirming his memory was correct—Kyōraku Shunsui had indeed learned Sokotsu—and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Shunsui, there's no need to hide things from your junior brother, is there?"
"I don't want to hide anything, but I really don't know how."
"What do you mean?" Jūshirō Ukitake still didn't understand.
After studying for so many years and passing the Teacher's test, how could he suddenly not know?
"Actually, I didn't really learn it seriously back then. Practicing basic Hakuda was fine, but learning Ikkotsu and Sokotsu was too tiring. I just practiced the posture and then pretended to have learned it to fool the Old Man." Kyōraku Shunsui spread his hands lazily.
"You can fake learning that?" Aozaki Reiji asked.
Kyōraku Shunsui subconsciously glanced into the training hall, as if confirming whether Yamamoto had come out, then whispered:
"The Hakuda test back then was completely different from now. They used Kido-enhanced tools for the test. I tampered with the tools beforehand, so..."
...Jūshirō Ukitake looked at him with a shocked expression, his teeth gritting in frustration.
The thing I wanted to learn but couldn't, you didn't even learn seriously because you wanted to be lazy, and you even cheated to fool the Teacher.
Kyōraku Shunsui was also a bit embarrassed by Jūshirō Ukitake's gaze. After awkwardly scratching his head, he said with a smile:
"Although I didn't learn it, I still remember a bit of the theory. I have a few bottles of good wine stored in a bar in West Rukongai District 1."
"How about this: we can drink and talk. It's close to the Shin'o Academy, so Junior Brother can go straight back to rest after drinking."
"Or you can come to the Eighth Division. I have a lot of good wine hidden in my room, and Lisa Yadomaru's room has some good-looking stuff too—I guarantee Junior Brother will like it."
"Our Eighth Division is much safer than the Shin'o Academy. You can sleep directly when you're tired, with no worries about encountering danger."
Jūshirō Ukitake waved his hand, quickly refusing:
"Let's not. If the method for cultivating Hakuda is wrong, it will definitely cause physical damage."
"Back then, Teacher's Hakuda cultivation method wasn't taught at the Shin'o Academy because it wasn't suitable for everyone; insufficient talent would harm the body. That's why he didn't let the Shin'o Academy teach the Hakuda he created."
"Don't mislead him. Let Junior Brother go back and rest well, and learn from Teacher next time."
Kyōraku Shunsui sighed:
"In that case, there's nothing to be done. However, Reiji, if you want to come to the Eighth Division, you are always welcome."
Then, the two bid farewell to Aozaki Reiji and left the training hall along the long corridor.
...
"Since that's the case, why don't you come to my place?"
Hearing the voice, Aozaki Reiji looked up at the beam.
A short-haired girl jumped down from it.
"You've been waiting for me?" Aozaki Reiji mused.
"That's right." Yoruichi Shihouin admitted generously, "Anyway, I had nothing to do, so I just wandered around the First Division and waited for you to finish class."
Aozaki Reiji asked in confusion, "Then why were you waiting for me? Do you want to spar again?"
Yoruichi Shihouin sighed, "Can't I have other reasons for looking for you? This matter will benefit both of us."
Seeing her serious expression, a slight warmth stirred in Aozaki Reiji's heart. Perhaps this time wasn't just a simple prank.
Yoruichi Shihouin continued, "Seriously, don't you think it's troublesome to always use medicine and Healing Technique to treat injuries after every training session?"
Aozaki Reiji scratched his head, "So, have you come up with a good solution?"
He remembered that in the original work, Yoruichi Shihouin's "playground," which was her underground training ground, was supposed to have a recovery hot spring.
That was a replica created by Kisuke Urahara, imitating Tenjiro Kirinji's bathhouse, which could quickly heal injuries.
Tenjiro Kirinji, a former Shinigami of the Gotei 13, was promoted to the Zero Division and became a "Royal Special Forces" due to his contributions in creating Healing Technique and medical hot springs.
The two types of hot springs he invented, White Bone Hell and Blood Pond Hell, the former could squeeze out spiritual pressure and blood, while the latter could replenish spiritual pressure and blood.
But Kisuke Urahara had been talking about building a hot spring for half a year, and Reiji hadn't even seen a shadow of it.
"It's too crowded here; it's not a good place to discuss such things." Yoruichi Shihouin said each word clearly, "Let's go to the Shihouin Family. That's my territory. We'll find a quiet place where no one will disturb us, and I'll tell you slowly."
Aozaki Reiji was silent. He didn't need to think much to know this was going to be troublesome.
"If you want to cultivate, you must first solve the problem of injuries and illness," Yoruichi Shihouin tempted.
Leaving the First Division, Yoruichi Shihouin no longer walked leisurely as she had arrived. Instead, she wrapped an arm around Reiji's waist.
Reiji pondered for a moment, ultimately choosing not to resist.
Their figures vanished from the Squad Barracks guards' sight in an instant.
Leaning in her soft embrace, a faint fragrance lingered at his nose. Aozaki Reiji's arm rested against her softness, and he could even touch her hair with a slight tilt of his head.
"We've arrived."
They reached the Shihouin Family almost in the blink of an eye. Yoruichi Shihouin seemed to take a breath before letting go of Reiji and saying:
"This is the Shihouin Family. How is it? Not bad, right?"
As they spoke, the two walked through the Shihouin Family's main gate, and what greeted their eyes was an endless complex of Japanese-style garden buildings.
Aozaki Reiji couldn't help but recall his memories from the Human World.
The family he was born into in the Human World was not only a sword-fighting family but also a minor noble family, yet it couldn't compare to the extravagance of the Shihouin Family at all.
Aozaki Reiji lamented, "This is truly too sinful. All the hard work of the common people has been squandered by you nobles."
"What's even more hateful is that I don't even have any of these things!"
Yoruichi Shihouin rolled her Byakugan, letting out an annoyed "Tch."
For a moment, she had thought Aozaki Reiji hated nobles because he came from Rukongai.
Now, coming back to her senses, she realized.
Although Aozaki Reiji wasn't a noble, his standard of living wasn't much different from some minor nobles. He was definitely not someone who liked to live a hard life.
He often taught Yoruichi Shihouin: "You must learn to enjoy life."
When he wasn't cultivating, this guy indulged in food, drink, and entertainment, unwilling to endure any hardship.
Watching Aozaki Reiji sighing and shaking his head at her family's magnificent mansions, muttering, "The sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise."
Yoruichi suddenly seemed to think of something, her eyebrows twitching:
"If you want to become a noble, enjoy wealth and luxury, and live a life of extreme extravagance, I do have a good idea."
"What idea?" Aozaki Reiji's eyes immediately lit up.
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