"Uh? Oh, alright."
She probably wanted to confirm it was true first, right? As the person in charge of that section, it was natural for her to have a strong sense of duty.
Arima Shinya rolled up his sleeve, revealing the bruises left by the wooden sword strikes.
"This is…"
The girl's body leaned slightly forward, and her thick eyebrows knitted together.
"Impact marks from a blunt object… You didn't apply any sort of emergency treatment?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like cold compresses, for example. If you leave these kinds of bruises untreated, are you trying to get lasting damage?"
Seeing Arima Shinya's embarrassed expression, she sighed deeply.
"Are all the freshmen this year so reckless…? Anyway, sit down."
Without giving him a chance to object, she guided him to sit, rolled up her own sleeves, and assumed a more serious expression.
Her exposed arm was pale and smooth, thin like a woman's — to the point that Arima almost couldn't look away.
Long… and slender arms.
"I know a bit of [Kaidō], so leave it to me."
Although he didn't know her, from the way she had acted until now, she didn't seem untrustworthy.
Sitting down, Arima watched her hands wrap around his forearm.
Spheres of green light began to expand between them.
The wound began regenerating before his eyes — which made Arima express pure astonishment.
"How does it feel?"
Seeing her step back and sit again, Arima lifted his arm and moved it slightly.
"Incredible…"
It still hurt a little, but compared to before, when even the slightest touch was unbearable, it was a huge relief.
Arima smiled genuinely.
"Senpai, your [Kaidō] is amazing!"
And it wasn't mere flattery.
Having personally experienced Aizen's [Kaidō], Arima already had a good point of comparison — and he could affirm that her mastery far exceeded the average student level.
Upon hearing the compliment, her expression tensed; she stepped back slightly and turned her face away.
"N-no, it's nothing like that. I just… take an interest in this kind of thing."
Half her face turned to the side showed some embarrassment, and her right hand trembled slightly as she scratched the corner of her lips.
She seemed so normal before, and now she gets shy over this?
How… cute.
Arima straightened his posture and spoke respectfully:
"My name is Arima Shinya, Class 1 of Group 5. May I know your name, Your Honor…?"
She quickly turned her face back, returned the hurried greeting, and forced an awkward smile.
"I am Kotarō Yoruine, Class 3 of Group 6. I'm also one of the administrators of the Student Council."
Upon hearing the name, Arima immediately remembered.
So she was the vice-captain of the Fourth Division!
Kotarō Yoruine — her appearance in the original storyline had been minimal. She had barely started fighting and was easily defeated by the impetuous Kurosaki Ichigo.
A true representative of the "supporting character of the supporting characters."
Although she became the captain of the Fourth Division after the Thousand-Year War, the impression Arima had of her had never been deep.
To be honest, his most vivid memory was… "that swimsuit scene."
He never imagined she would be studying at the Shin'ō Academy at this time.
After all, Shinigami lived long — the timeline between past and future events was almost impossible to define.
Coughing lightly to dispel his thoughts, Arima returned to the matter at hand.
"This might sound a little demanding, but… could you help me once more?"
Lifting his shirt, Arima revealed his torso. Kotarō's eyes widened, and instinctively, she turned her face away.
"H-hey, hey, hey! What are you—"
"In fact, I have several injuries like this all over."
Her gaze trembled; looking away, she saw the bruises and swelling on Arima's waist and abdomen.
A slender body — and yet injured enough to make her frown.
Returning to her professional stance, Kotarō's expression became serious.
She didn't launch [Kaidō] immediately; first, she extended her hand and gently touched the wound.
Arima's face contorted immediately.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch…"
"There are several broken bones. This… was someone who beat you up?"
With a firm and determined look, the girl displayed an expression of pure indignation.
"Even if there aren't explicit rules against bullying in the Academy, this is definitely too serious to ignore…! Come with me — I'll take you to administration, they'll make justice for you!"
Without a doubt, Kotarō Yoruine was someone with a strong sense of justice.
Arima, however, just smiled and waved lightly.
"It's nothing like that. It's just the result of training. I underestimated my opponent — it's nobody's fault."
She gave him a strange look.
Lost badly and still trying to act strong? Especially since the location of the injuries clearly showed it was direct combat.
"If that's the case… fine. But first, let me treat you."
Being the future vice-captain of the Fourth Division, it was no surprise her [Kaidō] was so refined.
And for Arima, who had finally found a reliable healer, it was time to take advantage!
Furthermore, he had already noticed that Kotarō was the type "cold on the outside, warm on the inside."
Perhaps due to her height and neutral features, she didn't know how to smile naturally — she seemed shy and reserved.
And Arima could feel it: she wasn't the type to say "no."
"Senpai Kotarō, you're amazing! Healing wounds like these so easily…"
"Your [Kaidō] must even be better than some teachers'!"
"Wow, it's like I'm soaking in a hot spring… Senpai Kotarō, you're incredible!"
In just a few words, she was already smiling uncontrollably — her face red as a tomato, letting out small embarrassed laughs.
It was far too easy to make her happy.
After finishing the treatment, Arima stood up feeling completely renewed.
There were still occasional twinges of pain, but compared to his previous state — it was like being reborn.
No wounds, light body!
He was about to thank her, but seeing Kotarō wiping sweat from her forehead, he realized how much effort she had put in.
"Thank you for your help, Senpai Kotarō."
She just smiled and waved.
"You're welcome, it was simple. Besides, I still have much to improve — it's rare to have someone to practice on. If you need help again, you can come find me."
She was too good.
So kind that Arima even felt guilty.
Before he could respond, Kotarō stood and pointed to the clock.
"Save the thanks for later. Time is tight — you should already be on your way to class, right?"
"Ah, right…!" Only three minutes left!
"And what about you, senpai?"
"I have an external training class today, so I can stay a bit longer."
With no other choice, Arima bowed and ran off.
...
"The path of [Kidō] is vast and deep, divided into three major branches. Mastering any one of them is already enough to become a master on your own."
After classes, satisfied with the content, Arima sought out Aizen.
When in doubt — consult DoraAizen.
"Looking for someone skilled in hand-to-hand combat… and willing to train with you?"
Sitting in his chair, Aizen raised his eyebrows, as if hearing a truly difficult request.
"If it's just finding someone skilled, there's no problem at all."
"With my contacts, it's not hard to get in touch with such people."
"But… convincing someone to train with you is another story."
After all, pair training required mutual consent.
"With all due respect, at Arima-kun's current level, any professional would just use you as a punching bag."
No surprise there.
In fact, that was exactly what Arima wanted.
How can you get stronger without taking hits? That's my path!
Beat me, Gongjin!
Even without a verbal response, Aizen noticed everything just by looking into his eyes.
A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"I understand. With that determination, I imagine you're already prepared."
Aizen stood and gave a light pat on his shoulder.
"It might be a bit too much for others, but if it's you, Arima-kun, maybe you can handle it… Come with me. Today we have a very special visiting lecturer."
…Who?
The answer came soon.
During lunch break, Aizen led him through several buildings of the Academy.
As far as he remembered, this was the fifth-year student area.
We're still in the Spiritual Japan, right?
While thinking this, Arima entered a vast dojo.
And there, he saw an imposing figure — dozens of students lying defeated at their feet.
"Too weak! You're almost graduating and this is all you can do?!"