"Arata-kun seems to take great care in maintaining good relationships with others? Whether it's with the captains and vice-captains of Gotei 13, or with the students and teachers at the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy… he handles it quite smoothly."
Unohana Retsu's voice was gentle, like a feather brushing over the top of Arata's heart, but alarm bells were ringing in his head. Had she noticed it too?
As she spoke, she poured water, warmed the cups, and brewed tea with extremely skilled and elegant movements. Every gesture was smooth, pleasant to the eye, and carried a special sense of rhythm.
As if this wasn't a tea preparation, but a performance of an ancient sword technique.
The sleeves of her yukata swayed gently in sync with her movements, and the line of her arm wrapped in dark blue fabric revealed just enough for a flash of skin to glimmer occasionally, white as fine porcelain.
Arata was under a psychological pressure he couldn't describe. He chose his words carefully, moved to the other side of the table, and knelt down, cautiously lowering his gaze to her skillful hands that held terrifying power within them.
"In my opinion, maintaining the necessary interpersonal relationships in this world is essential for survival and is also part of the path of spiritual cultivation."
Because of his kneeling position, Arata's gaze was just about level with Unohana's. When she leaned in to pour water, the collar of her yukata casually revealed a deep, seductive shadow of her collarbone, which also entered his line of sight.
Arata quickly looked away and swallowed hard. "Just like… just like when Captain Unohana taught me kendo, every encounter is a rare opportunity for enlightenment. If I hadn't built a good relationship with you, how could I have benefited from your serious and dedicated instruction?"
He was referring to that kind of close combat training that was almost "hand over hand," when kendo techniques are passed on step by step, making them impossible not to absorb.
Especially when combined with that blue vial filled with Reiatsu essence, and the feeling of pushing the body to its limits, painful enough to leave an indelible memory.
"Captain Unohana has helped me a lot. She is not only a mentor to me but also an important friend."
When it came to kendo, Unohana Retsu's hand movements paused for a moment, but soon returned to their usual calm.
She raised her gaze to Arata. The eyes that usually bore a gentle smile now revealed something deeper and darker in the moonlight.
Ever since she and Arata had first grown close, certain emotions sealed away for a thousand years had quietly risen beneath the calm surface of ice, now becoming increasingly restless.
That gaze was like a hook, and Arata felt as if something in his body had been softly touched.
Unohana Retsu no longer mentioned the tea ceremony. Instead, she lightly raised her eyebrows and changed the topic: "Arata-kun, you truly possess exceptional talent and understanding, at least on the path of the sword. In a very short time, you managed to master the knowledge I taught you."
"Even today, facing Captain Aizen's kendo instruction, you performed very well and made a notable impression. Still, you must have noticed your own weaknesses from that, haven't you?" When she mentioned Aizen, Unohana Retsu's tone remained calm, but something faintly stirred within it.
She somehow felt an instinctive caution and unease toward Aizen, like when a lion's territory is invaded.
More precisely, a lioness.
"Ah… As Captain Unohana said, Captain Aizen's kendo is outstanding, far beyond what I imagined, and his Reiatsu is unfathomable. Faced with such an absolute gap in strength, my kendo seems to lose its effectiveness." Arata maintained a humble stance and conveyed his thoughts to Unohana Retsu with a slightly troubled expression.
Arata's words were half-truth, half-strategy. Aizen's swordsmanship truly exceeded his, but the emphasis was on the latter part of the sentence. He indirectly told Unohana that the pressure Aizen exerted on him was far greater than it appeared.
And he particularly emphasized the word "Reiatsu."
He remembered well that in the original story, when Aizen faked his death, among the many captains and vice-captains in the Seireitei, no one noticed anything suspicious.
Even the old Yamamoto was fooled by Aizen's illusions.
Unohana Retsu was the only one who sensed something was wrong.
Maybe she discovered the problem during the autopsy, or maybe someone who practices the sword simply possesses the pure heart of a swordsman.
Arata felt that if he shared information about Aizen with Unohana Retsu earlier, perhaps he could somewhat alter her fate and help her realize sooner just how terrifying this man was.
It's just that right now he was small and insignificant, his words meant little, so he didn't dare speak too clearly or categorically, he could only convey it little by little like this, indirectly.
Unohana Retsu was a being who had lived for thousands of years. Although Arata's words sounded cryptic, after a brief moment of thought, she understood the meaning behind them.
"In your opinion, whose Reiatsu is deeper and deeper, Captain Aizen's or mine?" Unohana Retsu spoke softly, slightly leaning toward Arata.
She gently placed her palm over the back of his hand, and the immense Reiatsu in her body flowed into his in a way Arata had never experienced before.
Like a mother gently cradling a baby, like the sea embracing a small fish returning home.
Even though that Reiatsu was strong enough to destroy an average captain, Arata didn't feel any pressure, only immense warmth and softness.
As she moved, the collar of her dark blue yukata naturally slipped a little, revealing snow-white skin and full curves.
Of course, you are still far more unfathomable…
Arata, of course, didn't say that. He resolutely looked away and calmly met Unohana Retsu's gaze. "I don't want to offend you, but judging from today's kendo class experience, Captain Aizen's Reiatsu might be much stronger than yours."
To better illustrate his point, Arata took a pinch of tea leaves from the tin on the table. "If your Reiatsu is compared to this pinch of tea leaves, then Captain Aizen's Reiatsu is the entire tin full of ice."
Arata spoke with the utmost caution; had he been more direct, he would have only hurt her.
Upon hearing this somewhat sharp comment, Unohana Retsu's hand on his backhand lightly tightened, and Arata felt a twinge of pain, but the grip soon relaxed, and the flow of Reiatsu slowly quieted.
Unohana Retsu's expression no longer bore a smile; instead, it turned cold as ice, spreading chill along with the moonlight. "Arata-kun, are you serious about what you just said?"
Arata's eyes were earnest. "Captain Unohana, I will never lie to you."
At most, omit the truth.
Unohana Retsu withdrew her white palm and ran her fingers over the tea leaves scattered on the table. She became so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the leaves crumbling into dust beneath her touch.
Only after a long time did she return from her thoughts and slowly utter a shocking piece of information.
"Arata-kun, do you know what Captain Aizen's performance was like when he was promoted to captain?"
Arata shook his head.
"I'll tell you: he barely passed, and the Reiatsu he displayed at the time was only one-fifth of mine."
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