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Even until the evening of the next day, accompanying Yoruichi Shihouin to the Fourth Division, Aozaki Reiji's mind was still somewhat dazed.
He was not a novice who knew nothing, but a sword genius seasoned by many battles.
Given his situation, he shouldn't have had his mind disturbed by Matsumoto Rangiku last night.
Could it be that she had discovered the power of her 'fingernail'? What a disaster...
Aozaki Reiji clutched his head, feeling a headache. He had a hunch that Matsumoto Rangiku might awaken strange powers.
Beside him, Yoruichi Shihouin, dressed in night clothes, walked calmly through the streets, showing no intention of hiding herself.
Some Shinigami on the road seemed to recognize her, their expressions changing drastically as they hurried away, evidently knowing that this young woman was trouble.
Aozaki Reiji watched Yoruichi Shihouin's leisurely stroll; even wrapped in night clothes, she still looked incredibly charming.
"After we give the hot spring to Kisuke, when will we be able to use it?" Aozaki Reiji asked. "It can't be that by the time I surpass my teacher, the hot spring is still an empty pool, right?"
"It shouldn't take many years," Yoruichi Shihouin said softly. "Kisuke has almost finished researching the relevant documents from the Urahara family; now, all that's missing is the actual hot spring as experimental material."
"So where exactly is the hot spring?" Aozaki Reiji asked.
"In the safest and most dangerous place in the Fourth Division—the Captain's quarters. So that's my target," Yoruichi Shihouin said.
Safety and danger are relative.
Safest for the Fourth Division, most dangerous for an intruder.
"No wonder you wanted me to distract Captain Retsu Unohana," Aozaki Reiji said. "Then, the remaining dangerous person in the Fourth Division is Vice-Captain Yamada Seinosuke."
"That guy is a fanatic who worships Captain Retsu Unohana."
Yoruichi Shihouin, who had just thought of a character with a name in the original work, heard him and thought he was intentionally reminding her. She nodded:
"He's not the fighting type. His spiritual pressure is only Vice-Captain-class. With his strength, he shouldn't be able to detect me."
Reiji shook his head: "I have confidence in you. But we're almost at the Fourth Division. Shouldn't we show them some respect and part ways here?"
"I'm going first," Yoruichi Shihouin gave him a side-eye. "You be careful, don't let that woman Retsu Unohana train you to death."
"Uh..."
Aozaki Reiji secretly thought that everyone in the Fourth Division was a bigmouth. Even Yoruichi knew about the embarrassing state he was in under Retsu Unohana's guidance.
On that note, it was late at night and not the time for Zanjutsu lessons. Would it be inappropriate for him to suddenly go find Retsu Unohana and say he wanted to learn swordsmanship?
It seemed a bit too easy to arouse suspicion.
After much thought, Reiji had other ideas and decided to turn back first.
"Hey, where are you going?" Yoruichi Shihouin asked.
"I'm going to buy something. You wait for me outside the Fourth Division," Aozaki Reiji smiled faintly. "Don't act on your own. Wait for me to find Captain Retsu Unohana first."
"Alright then," Yoruichi Shihouin shrugged. "I'll go wait for you."
Aozaki Reiji turned his head and looked around, his eyes lighting up as he found his target deep in the street.
Fifteen minutes later, Reiji, carrying a bouquet of colorful flowers, arrived at the main gate of the Fourth Division Squad Barracks and announced himself to the Shinigami on guard duty.
"What is this guy buying so many flowers for?"
Yoruichi Shihouin, hiding in the shadows, was puzzled and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Captain Retsu Unohana is over a thousand years old. Does he have such intentions?"
She lay on the rooftop, watching Reiji's retreating figure, frowning slightly and letting out a displeased "hmph," though it was unclear whom she was annoyed with.
Under the escort of the Fourth Division Shinigami, Aozaki Reiji quickly entered the Squad Barracks.
Opening the training hall door, Retsu Unohana looked at him strangely: "You're quite popular..."
Aozaki Reiji thought for a long time before understanding Retsu Unohana's meaning. He shook his head: "Where did your mind go? These weren't given to me by a girl; I bought them to give to you."
Retsu Unohana tilted her head and looked at him for a while, her expression growing stranger: "Between you and me, though there's no formal teacher-student title, there's a teacher-student reality. Giving me these flowers..."
She glanced at the flowers, a light pink branch not particularly noticeable, each cherry blossom endearing.
"You really don't think anything is wrong?"
Aozaki Reiji pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "I really don't think so."
"I don't know much about flower arrangement either, and I wasn't sure which kind of flowers you'd like, so I simply bought them all."
"If there's any you don't like, you can tell me, and I won't buy them next time."
Retsu Unohana was stunned. Now that he put it that way, it was true; there were all sorts of flowers in that bouquet. Who would give chrysanthemums when expressing romantic feelings?
Giving flowers might not be normal for others, but for her, it was perfectly normal! After all, the entire Fourth Division knew she enjoyed flower arrangement...
Retsu Unohana maintained her smile and said casually:
"Why suddenly give me flowers? You've been learning swordsmanship from me for so long, and I've never seen you give me anything."
"..." Aozaki Reiji didn't know what to say.
He felt a hint of exasperation in her words, but he couldn't understand where this anger came from. He just assumed she was reminding him to respect his teacher.
Speaking of which, he truly felt guilty towards her. Even though he spent more time with her, he was closer to Old Man Yamamoto.
Anyone who values themselves would likely feel uncomfortable being treated so differently.
But when this woman taught him swordsmanship, she would occasionally leak killing intent. How could he dare to act shamelessly with her as he did with Yamamoto?
Now it seemed he had misunderstood her. The killing intent might have been accidentally uncontrolled during practice. He should be closer to her.
"I receive Captain Retsu Unohana's guidance daily, and today I'm bothering you at this hour. These flowers are just a small, insignificant token of my appreciation."
Aozaki Reiji smiled:
"I heard that the Fourth Division holds flower arrangement gatherings every week. I wonder if an outsider like me can participate."
"You are Captain-Commander Yamamoto's disciple; how could you be an outsider? If you're interested, you can come and participate."
Retsu Unohana shook her head, as if feeling that getting angry with a young person was not the right mindset for her, and then she also smiled.
When swordsmanship was mentioned, she suddenly found Reiji pleasing to the eye again.
A man so engrossed and devoted to her lifelong path was a rare find, perhaps one she might not encounter again in this lifetime.
Even the child she met centuries ago couldn't compare to the man in front of her.
A little fellow who fought by instinct, compared to someone truly walking on the 'Dao,' was ultimately a bit lacking.
For someone like her, who could dedicate her life to exploring swordsmanship, discussions about swordsmanship were truly a soul-level enjoyment.
The man in front of her was the one who could bring her this enjoyment; not only did she impart swordsmanship to him, but he also provided feedback to her.
In fact, her swordsmanship, which she had long felt had reached its peak, had recently glimpsed a path for further refinement.
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