Space rippled like the surface of a pool. One second he was in the world of Saint Seiya, and the next, soft light and the familiar scent of wood greeted him.
Hiroki opened his eyes.
This return was different from his previous unconscious states.
His consciousness hadn't been interrupted, nor did his body feel the heaviness of a long journey. He confirmed his location almost instantly—he was in Shihōin Hiroki's personal meditation room at the clan's main house in the Human World.
Looking around, everything remained as it had been before they left. The crane pattern on the screen was still elegant, the low table was positioned correctly, and even the brush he habitually left on the corner of the desk was at the same angle. What made Hiroki's heart tremble slightly was the cup of unfinished tea on the low table in front of him.
He reached out and lightly touched the side of the cup.
It was warm.
Wisps of steam were still rising, as if only a few seconds had passed. Or rather, the long time they spent in that thrilling battle across worlds in the Sanctuary was, for this room, only an extremely brief "extraction."
"Hiss..." A suppressed groan of pain broke the frozen silence.
Hiroki turned his head sharply to see several Uchiha elite guards who had returned with him, struggling to support themselves as they landed.
Seeing these subordinates, who were considered outstanding even in the Soul Society, in such a state, the subtle sentimentality Hiroki felt because the "tea was still warm" instantly vanished.
That cup of warm tea, contrasted with the undeniable wounds on the Uchiha Clan Members, coldly reminded him of the distortion of time and space and the price of traveling between worlds. They had indeed experienced a life-and-death battle, and their physical injuries were the cruelest evidence.
"Fugaku, immediately arrange for everyone to treat their injuries and rest," Hiroki said in a low, powerful voice, carrying an unquestionable sense of command.
Although no battle occurred during the trip to the Sanctuary, many Uchiha Clan Members were injured when they fled Saori Kido's mansion earlier.
Uchiha Fugaku straightened his injured back and gave a simple bow to Hiroki. "Yes, Lord Hiroki. Please take care of yourself as well." He wasted no words, his gaze sweeping over several core members and guards. "Shisui, Itachi, follow me to the main residence to recover. The rest of you, listen up: line up and register based on the severity of your injuries. No acting tough! I'll have the Shadow Guards who are resting in the clan take over the patrol posts immediately."
An aura belonging to a clan head naturally emanated from him. Without Hiroki needing to give further orders, the Uchiha elites began to act quickly and orderly. The sounds of fast but light footsteps, low-voiced exchanges, and instructions came from the hallway. The injured supported each other as they left, and the air was filled with a mixture of herbs and blood.
In an instant, the bustle faded, and the meditation room returned to silence, though it was now weighed down by a sense of gravity and a faint scent of blood.
Hiroki's gaze fell on the only figure who hadn't left with the Uchiha team—Isayama Yomi.
She stood there, looking at the Japanese-style room with a hint of confusion and curiosity. It was completely different from the grand, cold architecture of the Sanctuary or the luxury of the Kido estate.
Her condition was actually quite good. The startling power fluctuations from her Hollowfication had completely subsided, now contained beneath a steady Spiritual Pressure. She just seemed a bit unaccustomed to the sudden shift in time, space, and environment.
"Yomi,"
Isayama Yomi turned her head at the sound, her eyes filled with inquiry. "Hmm?"
Looking at this young face that had already weathered many storms and harbored great power, Hiroki made a decision. He walked to the low table, sat down, signaled for Yomi to sit as well, and then poured her a fresh cup of hot tea. The green liquid steamed, softening the atmosphere.
"Do you have any plans?" Hiroki asked directly.
Isayama Yomi held the teacup and was stunned for a moment, her eyes becoming even more vacant. "Huh? Plans?" She hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly processing this sudden "future planning" question, before eventually shaking her head slightly. "I don't know."
Over the past few days, Hiroki had indeed briefed her on the basic situation of the Soul Society—the nobility, commoners, Rukongai, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and the Central Spirit Arts Academy—like telling a warrior who had fallen into an alien world about its social structure.
But in her heart, all of this was still a distant and blurry concept.
She had been suddenly thrown into a daily environment where she needed to think about "what to do next."
She was used to being ordered, fighting, or acting for a specific goal. This kind of active "choice" was somewhat foreign to her. "Whatever you arrange, Hiroki-kun," she added, her tone carrying a hint of indifference.
Hiroki picked up his own cup of still-warm tea and blew gently on it, causing tiny ripples on the surface. "Would you..." He paused, organizing his words. Looking into Yomi's eyes, which were full of wildness and a swordsman's resolve, he offered his suggestion: "be willing to go to school?"
"School?!!!" Yomi's voice instantly rose several octaves, filled with disbelief and intense resistance. The hot tea she had just sipped almost choked her. She slammed the cup down, making a crisp sound against the table.
"No way?! I have to go to school again?!!" Her expression vividly portrayed the meaning of "Oh god, spare me." She had finally escaped the shackles of maintaining a student identity in her original world, thinking that with her terrifying power, she could freely do what she wanted. In the end, after all that, she had to go back to being a student? This contrast felt utterly absurd to her.
"I don't want to wear a school uniform and sit in a classroom every day!"
Hiroki wasn't surprised by her intense reaction. Instead, he watched her flare up calmly before slowly speaking: "'Continue' being a student."
"..." Isayama Yomi fell silent, but her tightly pursed lips and clenched fists showed her extreme reluctance. She glared at Hiroki as if demanding an explanation.
Hiroki knew he had to explain in detail to convince her of the deeper meaning. He set down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and his gaze became exceptionally serious. "Yomi, I'm arranging for you to go to school—specifically the 'Central Spirit Arts Academy'—not to waste your time. It's for the development of your own power and the best path based on the reality of the Soul Society."
"First, what I value most is your unparalleled talent for swordsmanship." Hiroki's gaze became sharp, as if piercing through her soul to see the blade's edge within. "Your Zanjutsu is displayed as S-rank on the panel. This is strong, very strong, enough to run rampant in the Soul Society for a time. But..." He changed his tone. "Yomi, do you think this S-rank swordsmanship is worthy of your current First Class Spiritual Pressure?"
Isayama Yomi was slightly stunned. She hadn't yet fully familiarized herself with this massive Spiritual Pressure that had suddenly surged to the First Class level; she was mostly driven by instinct.
At Hiroki's question, she subconsciously felt the surging sea of power within her and compared it to her habitual fighting style. It seemed... indeed a bit top-heavy?
Vast power is certainly strong, but without matching exquisite techniques to guide it, it's like a giant swinging a crude wooden club—ultimately unable to reach the pinnacle.
Hiroki didn't give her much time to think and continued to explain, "The swordsmanship system of the Soul Society, as far as I know, doesn't end at S-rank."
His voice lowered slightly, carrying a solemnity as if revealing a secret. "There are only two beings who have truly surpassed S-rank and reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship:
One is the Captain Commander who founded the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. His Zanjutsu, 'Genryu,' is the ultimate form of violence and rules;
The other is Fourth Division Captain Unohana Retsu. Her 'Yachiru' is the ultimate swordsmanship that blooms in silence and death.
What they use are the true 'Secret Techniques' that transcend regular 'Zanjutsu'; they are existences that touch the very source of power."
He changed the subject and spread his hands. "My Shihōin Clan has a deep foundation, especially excelling in 'Onmitsukidō' and 'Shunpo' within the Soul Society.
In the art of Shunpo, the techniques collected by the family represent the very peak; no one can surpass them.
However, the Four Basic Skills of a Shinigami: Hakuda, Shunpo, Kido, and Zanjutsu..." Hiroki counted them off one by one.
"For Hakuda, the top-tier Secret Techniques are also in the hands of Captain Commander Yamamoto."}],
"Regarding Kido, incantations are scattered among the major noble families and the Kidō Corps. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads only teach the commonly used portions. Mastery depends on the practitioner's own research, but its upper limit is influenced more by talent and breadth of knowledge than by specific heritage."
"As for Zanjutsu... unfortunately, although the family collection is rich, those reaching S-rank level are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. There is still an insurmountable chasm between them and the 'transcendent' realm of Old Man Yama and Captain Unohana."
"If you wish to learn that supreme swordsmanship, it is absolutely impossible relying solely on the family collection."
Isayama Yomi's brow gradually furrowed. She understood Hiroki's subtext: the Shihōin Clan could not give her the ultimate swordsmanship she desired. At the same time, she captured Hiroki's expectations for her—not just S-rank, but for her to pursue that 'transcendent' swordsmanship that surpassed common sense!
"Therefore, my plan," Hiroki said with emphasized tone, his eyes burning as he stared at Yomi, "is for you to join the Central Spirit Arts Academy under the identity of an 'ordinary soul from Rukongai'! I am fully capable of masking your origins and your true connection to the Shihōin Clan. Right now, in the entire Soul Society, besides me and those Uchiha Clan Members just now, no one knows who Isayama Yomi is!"
Seeing the look of realization and contemplation in Yomi's eyes, Hiroki continued: "After entering the academy, with your talent in swordsmanship—even if you only show the tip of the iceberg—you will surely be a radiant, peerless genius of swordsmanship in practical training, entrance tests, and even graduation exams! Who do you think such brilliant light will attract?"
Hiroki said almost categorically, "It will surely be Captain Commander Yamamoto, or Captain Unohana who is looking for a successor to her swordsmanship! As long as you are favored by either of them and taken as a disciple or personal student, then learning that supreme swordsmanship beyond S-rank will no longer be a pipe dream!"
He paused, looking at the fire of fighting spirit ignited in Yomi's eyes, and poured some necessary cold water: "However, there is a huge obstacle here—your Second Class Spiritual Pressure in your normal state, and First Class after Hollowfication!"
Hiroki's expression became grim: "The entrance standards for the Central Spirit Arts Academy are not that high. Most of those who can become Lieutenant upon graduation have Spiritual Pressure at the Seventh to Sixth Class level. A recognized genius like Shiba Kaien only showed a peak Sixth Class Spiritual Pressure when he first entered!"
He looked at Yomi seriously: "Once your First Class Spiritual Pressure is exposed, that's not enrolling; that's going there to be the Academy Head! The entire academy will be alarmed by you, and Captain Commander Yamamoto will immediately 'invite' you for tea as an extremely suspicious and dangerous existence. Let alone taking you as a student, whether you can keep your freedom would be a question."
"As for enrolling under the name of the Shihōin Clan?" Hiroki shook his head, revealing a trace of a mocking smile.
"That's even more impossible. Captain Commander Yamamoto's vigilance against noble forces is etched into his bones. If he knew you were a peerless genius 'hidden away' by our Shihōin Clan, his first reaction would definitely not be joy at taking a student, but scrutinizing the noble schemes hidden behind it."
"He might even deliberately suppress and distance himself from you out of consideration for balancing various parties, to prevent any noble force from touching his inheritance of the highest power! In the eyes of the Captain Commander, the brand of nobility is a double-edged sword, and more often an obstacle than a help."
"Then what should I do? Do I have to cripple my own cultivation to suppress my Spiritual Pressure?" Yomi couldn't help but ask, her tone carrying irritability. To make her give up the power she had worked so hard to gain just to cater to entrance standards was simply putting the cart before the horse!
Hiroki revealed a confident smile. With a flip of his wrist, a strangely shaped dark red collar appeared in his palm, looking like it was made of some kind of alloy, with a crystal stone flickering with a faint blue light embedded in the center.
"Of course, crippling yourself won't do. However... we have this." He placed the collar on the low table and pushed it toward Yomi.
"What is this?"
"An early gadget researched by Urahara Kisuke—Spiritual Pressure Regulation and Suppression Device 2.0 Trial Version," Hiroki explained. "It can construct a sophisticated 'isolation field' on the surface of your soul, compressing your true Second Class Spiritual Pressure inside. From the outside, only a very stable and 'appropriate' intensity can be detected."
"According to my calculations and Urahara's explanation, it can easily keep your manifested Spiritual Pressure constant at the Sixth Class level. This perfectly matches the 'genius' standard of Shiba Kaien when he first enrolled—bright enough to attract attention, but not too shocking."
"It perfectly fits our requirements."
Yomi looked at the small collar with a complex expression.
To rely on an external object to disguise her true power? She picked up the collar; it was cold to the touch, and she could feel the sophisticated technological field contained within.
She tried to move her Spiritual Pressure slightly, and as expected, it was flexibly suppressed back by an invisible force, as if she had been put in a heavy set of shackles.
When she stopped trying to activate it, this layer of shackles invisibly vanished.
"Besides the path to learning top-tier swordsmanship," Hiroki added, "there is another important reason. Your fighting style, Isayama Yomi, is one of pure, grand, and relentless frontal assault! This requires a battlefield, a stage where you can openly brandish your sword and slay, and a need to constantly challenge stronger enemies to sharpen your edge! Unfortunately, the Onmitsukidō controlled by the Shihōin Clan is more suitable for the Ninjas of the Uchiha Clan."
Hiroki pointed at himself and the empty room. "The Shihōin Clan are the supreme controllers of the Onmitsukidō in the Soul Society. What is the core responsibility of the Second Division? Assassination, intelligence gathering, infiltration, tracking, surveillance... these are like a solo dance in the shadows, emphasizing silence and a one-hit kill."
"This is completely polar opposite to your 'Matchless' path of grand, extreme frontal confrontation! The battlefield of the Second Division simply cannot allow you to use your strengths to your heart's content, let alone provide the continuous, high-intensity pressure and combat opportunities you need."
Hiroki said categorically: "By joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, especially a division that focuses on frontal combat (the internal management of the Thirteenth Division is strict, but sparring between Lieutenant and even conflicts during missions are common, not to mention Hueco Mundo subjugation missions), you can fight honorably within the framework of the rules. That is where you can grow fastest and release your talents to the fullest!"
"There, you will have plenty of practical combat opportunities and challenges from colleagues, from Hueco Mundo, and even potentially from internal competitors! Your sword can only be continuously tempered and sublimated in that kind of environment! It won't be bound hand and foot by the stealth regulations of the Second Division!"
Isayama Yomi fell silent. Hiroki's reasons were extremely sufficient, almost blocking all her possible reasons for refusal. She looked at the Spiritual Pressure suppressor in her hand again, her fingertip stroking the cold metal surface.
She could understand Hiroki's painstaking efforts: sending her to the top academy was not the goal; obtaining swordsmanship that transcended limits was the core.
Suppressing her Spiritual Pressure was to avoid unnecessary trouble and to display her talent in a more reasonable manner.
Choosing the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was a development platform tailored specifically for her.
It was just that... the word'school' felt far too out of place for an exorcist like her, who was used to storms of bullets and had personally slashed countless demons and spirit beasts to pieces.
She could imagine herself sitting in a classroom wearing a school uniform; it was simply... embarrassing.
However, thinking of being able to chase the peak of swordsmanship, thinking of being able to fight heartily in the future and challenge Captain Commander Yamamoto or the strongest Yhwach... this desire overwhelmed her resistance to 'academy life'.
"..." Yomi let out a long sigh filled with deep helplessness, her shoulders slumping slightly. She didn't voice any more intense opposition, but her expression seemed to say: "Fine... although I'm very annoyed... for the sake of that stronger sword... I'll accept it."
She tucked the Spiritual Pressure suppressor into her robes, which served as a tacit acceptance of the arrangement.
Seeing her look of 'forced cooperation,' a smile curled at the corner of Hiroki's mouth. He picked up the cup of clear tea that had been by his hand, still maintaining a faint warmth, and took another sip.