And so—
After the homeroom teacher finished handing the class over to the instructors stationed at the training grounds,
the first lesson on the Four Great Soul Reaper Combat Arts officially began.
"Listen up."
Standing at the center of the training field was the Hakuda instructor.
True to his discipline, the man was built like a fortress—broad shoulders, thick arms, and muscles knotted together like iron cables. Just standing there, he radiated pressure that made the students instinctively straighten their backs.
"I'll be your Hakuda instructor for the foreseeable future," he said in a booming voice. "And I'm also the resident instructor assigned to this training ground."
"Hakuda, put simply, is close-quarters combat."
"In plain terms—fist-to-fist, body-to-body combat."
"In other words… martial arts."
As he spoke, his voice carried clearly across the field, explaining the fundamentals of Hakuda in the most direct, practical way possible.
The students listened with rapt attention.
No one dared slack off. Every word felt important—miss one detail, and you might fall behind on the very first day.
Everyone—
except Bai Chen.
Standing among the group, Bai Chen's eyelids drooped slightly, his expression lazy and unfocused.
Ever since receiving the Four Arts Mastery through the system, everything the instructor was explaining had already been engraved into his mind.
To him, this lecture was little more than a recap.
There was no real need to listen.
Meanwhile, beside him—
Hinamori Momo was completely absorbed.
Her eyes sparkled with focus, and whenever the instructor emphasized a key point, she unconsciously raised her hands and mimicked the movements.
The sight made Bai Chen chuckle quietly.
A moment ago, she looked like a soft, sweet girl.
Now she was practicing punches like a rookie martial artist.
That gap—
was unexpectedly cute.
Compared to zoning out during class, Bai Chen quickly found a better way to pass the time.
He watched Hinamori.
Very attentively.
About an hour later,
after thoroughly covering Hakuda theory,
the instructor swept his gaze across the class.
Then his eyes locked onto Bai Chen.
"Bai Chen."
"I've heard plenty about your so-called 'genius feats'."
The praise came first—
then his tone hardened.
"But during the lecture just now, you were clearly distracted."
"You weren't listening at all."
"And you were very obviously focused on the girl next to you."
The moment those words fell—
Hinamori let out a soft gasp.
Her face instantly flushed red, like an apple ripened in seconds.
Even though Bai Chen was the one being called out—
she somehow felt even more embarrassed.
That shy, flustered reaction only made Kira Izuru freeze on the spot.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
"Flirting during class too?"
"This is getting excessive."
Watching Hinamori's reaction, Kira could tell—
she wasn't embarrassed because the teacher mentioned her.
She was embarrassed because Bai Chen had been watching her.
At that moment, Kira had already accepted it in his heart.
Even if they weren't officially together—
Bai Chen and Hinamori were already that kind of couple.
And for someone harboring a quiet crush…
every shade of red on her face felt like another stab to the chest.
Single dog pain was truly indescribable.
Renji, however, was paying attention to something else entirely.
He grinned, elbowing Kira.
"Oi, Kira—snap out of it."
"Can't you tell? The instructor's clearly unhappy."
"If I had to guess, he's about to use Bai Chen to establish authority."
Sure enough—
the instructor raised his voice.
"Bai Chen."
"Since you seem so unconcerned, I assume you've already mastered Hakuda."
"In that case—step forward."
"You'll be my sparring partner."
He continued, perfectly justified:
"I'll demonstrate Hakuda through a mock battle."
"So everyone can see how it's meant to be used in real combat."
The instructor didn't realize—
his earlier remark had accidentally hit the truth dead-on.
Bai Chen had already mastered Hakuda.
Completely.
"Sure," Bai Chen replied calmly. "No problem."
The answer caught everyone off guard.
Without hesitation, he stepped out of the group and walked to the center of the training field, standing across from the instructor with a relaxed posture.
"…Confident, aren't you?"
The instructor narrowed his eyes.
Yes, Bai Chen's reiatsu was terrifying—
Third-Rank Rei'i, captain-class potential.
But this was a Hakuda lesson.
Reiatsu would be restricted.
Pure physical combat.
Experience versus technique.
With decades of combat and teaching behind him, the instructor was confident—
Bai Chen wouldn't last long.
But the moment the rules were announced—
and Bai Chen was given permission to move first—
the instructor's expression shattered.
BOOM—!!!
Reiatsu surged.
Reishi detonated.
The air itself screamed as violent pressure rippled outward.
Even under strict reiatsu limits—
thanks to Monstrous Strength and flawless control—
Bai Chen condensed his reiatsu directly onto his body.
His limbs were wrapped in a visible, near-solid layer of reiatsu.
Then—
he clenched his fist.
BANG!!!
The air around his knuckles exploded.
The shockwave cracked outward—
and the ground beneath his feet fractured.
"What—?!"
The instructor's face twisted in disbelief.
"This level of integration… Hakuda fused with reiatsu to this degree?!"
"Every movement is like a Kidō being cast!"
The violent air pressure slammed toward him.
The instructor swallowed hard.
For the first time—
fear crept into his chest.
This isn't Hakuda.
This isn't anything I know.
And with that realization—
the instructor's heart screamed a single thought:
"This… is NOT the Hakuda I know!!!"
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