West District of Rukongai, outskirts.
A tall young woman in standard Shinigami uniform stood beneath the open sky, twin pigtails swaying lightly behind her. She gripped her Zanpakutō with both hands, chest rising and falling as she panted, eyes locked stubbornly on the young man before her.
"Hmph~"
Tamura Yao's delicate face was covered in fine beads of sweat. It was obvious that Ito Makoto's training had pushed her to her limits.
"Yao, take a break. Communicating with a Zanpakutō isn't something you can force in a single day."
Ito Makoto regarded the slender girl calmly, offering practical advice rather than comfort.
Tamura Yao bit her lower lip, a stubborn glint flashing across her fair features.
"Makoto-kun… I can still continue. Please."
Ito raised a brow, then chuckled softly.
"If that's the case, I won't hold back. Be careful."
The next instant, holding only his scabbard, Ito vanished with Shunpo. His figure blurred across the grass and reappeared within her guard. The sheath in his hand snapped forward toward her chest and abdomen in one fluid motion.
Tamura Yao hurriedly lifted her Asauchi to block.
Bang!
The seemingly casual strike carried precise force. The vibration traveled straight through her blade, numbing her wrist. Her grip faltered, and the Asauchi flew from her hand.
"So strong… The gap between me and Makoto-kun is actually this wide…"
She had not expected his rhythm to shift so completely. Just one controlled strike with a sheath had disarmed her.
Looking at the bright-eyed young man before her, frustration welled up from the depths of her heart.
"With strength like this… how can I ever stand beside him?"
Gritting her teeth, she rolled across the grass, retrieved the fallen Asauchi, and rose again.
"Yah!"
With a soft cry, she charged once more.
"Still not giving up, Yao?"
Ito merely extended the sheath again. A precise thrust landed against her lower abdomen.
"Ah!"
Pain exploded through her core. Tamura Yao clutched her stomach and dropped to her knees on the grass.
The sharp impact left her gasping, mouth open as tears and saliva dripped downward. She curled in on herself, trembling.
Ito watched without intervening.
After all, she had insisted on this special training. She wanted to master Shikai sooner—wanted to close the distance between them.
With the Noble Hunting Tournament approaching in half a month, Ito had used his spare time to assist her cultivation.
But he knew no shortcuts to Shikai.
All he knew was battle.
So battle was what he gave her.
Before long, Tamura Yao forced herself upright again.
"Makoto-kun… let's continue…"
Seeing her persistence, Ito rolled his neck and grinned faintly.
"Yao… I'm starting to admire that stubbornness."
She staggered forward once more, blade raised despite the openings in her stance.
Ito didn't even stand.
Seated casually on the grass, he lifted two fingers and pinched the incoming blade between them.
"So soft. So powerless. Planning to trim my nails with this, Yao?"
Clang!
He flicked the steel lightly with his index finger. The force rippled through the blade and into her arms, launching her backward.
Tamura Yao tumbled several times across the grass. The ribbon tying her twin pigtails snapped loose, and her dark hair spilled freely around her shoulders.
Disheveled, dust-streaked yet somehow even more striking.
"Cough—cough!"
She choked on dust, breath ragged, but still she rose again, hair scattered, sword lifted.
Ito remained composed. When she rushed him, he calmly guided her blade into the open mouth of his sheath, trapping it.
With a light flick of his finger against her chest, he disrupted her balance again. The impact sent her flying once more.
"…I underestimated you."
The fleeting sensation under his fingertip made him blink in surprise.
"I thought you were all height and uniform."
He shook his head lightly.
"Slender branches bearing abundant fruit. Rare indeed."
Tamura Yao's face burned crimson as realization dawned. Even exhaustion could not hide her embarrassment.
"Why are you blushing? Attack."
Red-faced, she used Shunpo again but this time her wrist was struck mid-motion by the sheath. Her blade slipped from trembling fingers.
She was at her limit now. Sweat soaked her uniform. Even her arms quivered uncontrollably.
"That's enough for today."
Ito stood, a faintly wicked smile touching his lips.
Then, without warning, he stepped forward and pushed her lightly.
Plop!
She fell backward into the shallow stream behind them.
Moments later, Tamura Yao emerged from the clear water, soaked through. The white Shinigami uniform clung to her form, outlining graceful curves that made Ito swallow reflexively.
"…She really does."
He cleared his throat.
"For now, forget forcing communication with your Zanpakutō. We'll change the method."
Her face flushed even deeper.
"Makoto-kun… this is the wilderness…"
"…Or we could go to my quarters in the Fifth Division…"
Ito's eye twitched.
"To the Fifth Division? What, and give Captain Aizen a live demonstration?"
In his mind, the Fifth Division was a dragon's den and tiger's lair. If it could be avoided, it would be avoided.
"No need to move."
He drew his blade.
"All apparitions, all phenomena, all gods and saints turn to dust. Annihilation God!"
Reiatsu surged outward.
"Four Directions Realm!"
A gray-black square barrier unfolded around the stream, enclosing water and shore alike. The outside world vanished beyond its walls. Not even a strand of spiritual pressure leaked through.
Though not designed purely as a sealing barrier, unless Ito permitted entry, anyone below Captain level would struggle to intrude.
Surely no Captain would appear here at random… right?
Tamura Yao gazed at the Realm in awe.
"So this is Makoto-kun's release… It's overwhelming."
A trace of envy and inferiority stirred within her.
"The difference between myself and a true genius… it really is a chasm."
Ito, however, was already stepping into the stream.
Plop!
Cool water rose around him.
Since transmigrating into the world of the Shinigami, this was the first time he had truly allowed himself such closeness.
Tamura Yao stood in the flowing water, cheeks flushed, eyes soft.
"Makoto-kun… please be gentle…"
"I'm still a first…"
Her voice trembled.
Ito looked at her, water shimmering around them inside the silent Realm, and stepped forward without hesitation.
"Then let's continue our battle."
The stream rippled beneath the sealed sky.
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