"Beautiful!"
Even the instructor watching from the sidelines couldn't help but exclaim. Yoruichi's counterattack was flawless — perfection born from instinct and experience. Pinned hard against the floor, her only chance to reverse the situation was through a grappling technique… and she had found the smallest opening to do exactly that.
Yoruichi's movements were lightning-fast. Her legs tensed, muscles coiling like springs, and in the next instant, she locked both legs tightly around Arata's torso, twisting upward like a serpent made of silk.
Arata's eyes narrowed. He hadn't dropped his guard, but even so, Yoruichi's move had seized the one gap in his defense.Of all the fighters he had ever faced, the most troublesome were those who specialized in ground fighting.
In his old world, he had defeated several masters of that art — but he never believed grappling was weak. He had only won because his raw strength far exceeded theirs. It was brute force triumphing over technique.
But this time, things were different.Yoruichi's spiritual body strength was roughly equal to his own — perhaps even slightly greater.He no longer had the overwhelming physical advantage that once let him crush skill through sheer power.If she succeeded in locking him down, he would lose.
For a split second, his instincts took over.
Arata twisted his body and leapt into a sudden backward flip, forcing Yoruichi's long legs — already looping toward his neck — to stall mid-motion. The tables turned in an instant.
If Yoruichi failed to adjust, her head would hit the floor first. But if she tried to adjust her position, her lock on him would fail.
That brief hesitation — less than the blink of an eye — decided the match.
No one expected what happened next.Arata's hand shot out midair, palm bracing against the floor before the impact. Instead of the crash Yoruichi had anticipated, he pushed off, his waist snapping with coiled power.Yoruichi's balance broke — and with a smooth pivot, Arata hurled her aside.
Before she could even rise, a fierce gust of wind pressed against her face.Arata's fist hovered just an inch from her cheek, the displaced air lifting strands of her violet hair. Sweat from her brow slipped into her amber-gold eyes, still wide in disbelief.
Arata straightened slowly from a half-crouch."Good match," he said evenly.
He had pulled the final punch not out of mercy, but out of pragmatism — remembering the spar he'd had with Instructor Fujimoto.If he had followed through with that blow, it might have been his own hand, not Yoruichi, that got injured.
The dojo fell into utter silence.Then, several heartbeats later, the air filled with sharp, collective gasps.
"The demon girl… actually lost!?"
"The Shihōin family's master of Hakuda — beaten by a transfer student!?"
"Impossible! Isn't Yoruichi the Shihōin clan prodigy? How could she lose…?"
"I heard she even beat an instructor once in Hakuda sparring!"
The murmurs rose into an incredulous roar.
Among the crowd stood Aizen Sōsuke — calm-faced, unreadable. Yet beneath that expressionless surface, his mind was far from tranquil. His gaze followed Arata's retreating figure, eyes narrowing.
He actually defeated Shihōin Yoruichi…Even in Hakuda, he's this strong?What else are you capable of, Arata?
"You've really never studied Hakuda before?"Yoruichi asked as she stood, her expression complicated — a mix of shock, pride, and the sting of defeat.From the whispers around them, she had already pieced together the story: this transfer student had come from Rukongai — a mere common soul.
"In Rukongai, no one teaches Hakuda," Arata replied calmly. "I just picked up a few hand-to-hand techniques on my own."
It wasn't a lie, but not quite the truth either.He could hardly reveal his origins from another world.And since he aimed to graduate early, unlike Aizen, who preferred to hide his strength, Arata had no reason to downplay his abilities. To stand out was the only way to move forward faster.
"Hmph. Don't get cocky," Yoruichi snapped, crossing her arms. "I underestimated you this time, that's all. Next time, I'll win."
Her tone was sharp, but her eyes betrayed curiosity — and maybe a flicker of respect.She didn't quite believe his story. His fighting style might look wild and instinctive, but to her, it was far too structured to be untrained. He had definitely undergone some kind of disciplined combat training.
Arata couldn't help but smile at her expression. He hadn't expected the famously confident, teasing Yoruichi of legend to have this fiery, competitive side — like a stubborn kid."Then let's talk again after you beat me," he said lightly.
He turned and called out, "Aizen, up for a spar?"
Yoruichi's teeth ground audibly as she watched him walk away.Yes, she'd been careless — but even if she'd fought seriously from the start, she couldn't say for sure she would've won.That transfer student was undeniably a Hakuda prodigy.
From childhood, she had never lost a single hand-to-hand duel.That record ended today.
No — she refused to let it end like this.It wasn't about clan honor anymore.She just couldn't swallow the humiliation.
Her thoughts turned dark as she remembered that infuriating leg strike aimed low. Her fists clenched.Next time, she swore, she'd kick him so hard he'd regret ever being born.
Arata, meanwhile, was sparring with Aizen — when a sudden chill crawled up his spine.His movements faltered just enough for Aizen's casual punch to tap against his chest.
Aizen blinked, faintly puzzled. Was Arata… holding back? Trying to spare his pride?
The rest of the class passed with Arata partnered with Aizen.Surprisingly, Aizen asked many sincere questions about Hakuda — not out of false humility, but genuine curiosity.
Of course, Arata didn't actually know this world's version of Hakuda.He simply demonstrated some of his own close-quarters combat methods, techniques emphasizing leverage, timing, and adaptability.Aizen's performance in practice was modest, but Arata couldn't tell whether that was real… or yet another layer of the man's disguise.
More than once, Arata nearly blurted out, Aizen, aren't you tired of pretending? Just fight seriously for once.
After class, Aizen smiled faintly."Arata, you'd make an excellent instructor. I learned quite a lot from today."
The compliment sounded mild, but his tone held genuine respect.He had indeed learned something — though he hadn't shown it in the spar.Arata's unconventional, unpredictable way of fighting intrigued him deeply.Such freedom of thought… might one day prove useful to his own ambitions.
"Oh, by the way," Aizen added, adjusting his glasses with a calm smile, "have you studied Kidō before?"
The next class left Arata genuinely stunned.
Standing at the front of the lecture hall was a tall, broad-shouldered man with reflective glasses and an unusual cow-horn hairstyle, dressed in a deep blue robe.
Wait a second…That's Hachigen Ushōda's mentor — Hōrin Tessai, the Grand Kidō Chief himself!He was still teaching at Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy at this point in time?
"Pay attention in this class, Arata," Aizen murmured from beside him. "Tessai-sensei only teaches for one month each year. You don't want to miss it."
Arata's eyes widened slightly. So the man who later works under Urahara was already this important, even now?Judging by the reverence in the students' eyes — backs straight, eyes locked on the front, afraid to miss even a single word — Tessai's reputation clearly carried immense weight.
"I hear we have a new transfer student today," Tessai began, his voice deep and commanding. "I'll start with the fundamentals of Kidō. Those who've heard this before, don't be disappointed — truth often hides in the basics."
As he spoke, his gaze flickered briefly toward Arata, a faint spark of curiosity in his eyes.Though it was only Arata's first day, word of his duel with Shihōin Yoruichi had already spread across the academy.
None of the students showed impatience. They sat straight and listened intently as Tessai began explaining the foundations of Kidō.
Arata leaned forward, absorbed.This was his first real exposure to supernatural arts — the manipulation of reiryoku, spiritual energy itself.Though his background was in martial combat, he wasn't blind to the potential of these techniques.If used properly, Kidō could dramatically change the outcome of battle.
To his surprise, Tessai proved to be a gifted lecturer — precise, methodical, yet vivid in his explanations.Arata soon grasped the general principles of Kidō.
There were three main branches: Hadō, Bakudō, and Kaido.Hadō focused on offensive techniques; Bakudō, on binding and defense; Kaido, on healing.
At its core, Kidō was the art of shaping spiritual energy through incantation.The chant wasn't strictly required — it served as a mental framework, a mold to stabilize the flow of energy and give it form.A master of Kidō could skip the chant entirely, achieving instant-cast results.
But that level of control was rare.Most Shinigami lacked the innate finesse to do so.Even talented practitioners could only omit chants for low-level spells.Only true prodigies — those with monstrous talent — could skip incantations for high-level Kidō.
Arata's gaze drifted sideways.For example… the harmless-looking student sitting next to him: Aizen Sōsuke.
"Since Aizen-kun seems close with our new student," Tessai said from the podium, "why don't you guide him through a few low-level Kidō exercises?"
Aizen merely nodded. He wasn't surprised.Even when holding back, his marks in Kidō were among the academy's best.
And truthfully, he was curious.Just how deep did Arata's potential go?This time, he would test it for himself.