After saying goodbye to Grandma, Sombravida walked Momo home.
Grandma did not question how Sombravida knew about Shiro's leaking spiritual pressure. She never asked how he sensed such things. She never pressed him about the composure in his voice, nor the quiet authority he carried.
In her eyes, Sombravida was already family.
That was enough.
Back home, Sombravida collected the dried pigskin and secured it indoors before pushing the cart back toward the forest.
Tonight's purpose was twofold.
First: transport more reishi-rich soil to expand the watermelon plot. The seedlings had sprouted successfully—proof that the forest soil retained spiritual density even after relocation.
Second: Kira Izuru.
Sombravida intended to request the insulating fabric tonight.
In noble households within Seireitei, especially among minor clans, it was common for attendants without spiritual power to wear reishi-treated cloth to prevent accidental harm from fluctuating reiatsu. Such materials weren't rare among nobles.
For Kira, acquiring some should not be difficult.
Upon entering the forest, Sombravida set his traps first.
At the stream, his fish trap had succeeded again. Two bluefish flopped inside.
"Good start," Sombravida muttered, collecting them.
He arrived at the clearing.
Kira soon followed.
But his steps were heavy.
His legs trembled slightly.
Sombravida sat beneath a tree, expression neutral.
"You practiced stance again."
Kira blinked.
"You can tell?"
"Your footsteps drag. Your reiryoku pools unevenly in your thighs."
Kira smiled awkwardly.
"I wanted to improve faster."
"Can you stand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Warm up."
Kira immediately handed over today's bento.
"Tsukishiro-nii."
Sombravida accepted it without ceremony. Pork cutlet rice again—generous portions.
"Horse stance. Thirty minutes. Circulate reiryoku downward."
Kira obeyed.
Sombravida ate calmly.
He did not bring extra food home because compressed reiryoku demanded far greater intake. Momo and Shiro could not digest that density efficiently. Overconsumption without compression would destabilize them.
After finishing the bento, Sombravida grilled the bluefish.
When Kira finished his stance, Sombravida handed him one.
"Kira. Your family is noble."
"Yes."
"You have reishi-resistant cloth?"
"Yes. It's used for attendants."
"I need enough for two outfits. Bedding as well."
Kira did not hesitate.
"I can get it."
Sombravida studied him carefully.
It was not arrogance. It was sincerity.
"Good."
Kira asked quietly, "For your family?"
"Just in case."
That answer was enough.
Kira nodded.
Sombravida leaned back.
"I seem to be asking you for more each day."
"You're not," Kira said quickly. "These things are insignificant. I even considered inviting you to tutor me at home."
Sombravida chuckled.
"And abandon my own Academy preparation?"
Kira laughed nervously.
"Then this is fine."
Sombravida's tone shifted slightly.
"When you bring the fabric tomorrow, I will teach you a practical reiryoku application. Something usable before entering the Academy."
Kira froze.
"Before… becoming a Shinigami?"
"Yes."
Kira's eyes widened.
Even Academy students struggled with basic reiryoku weapon infusion. And this blind man was offering to teach something functional.
"It is not a named technique," Sombravida clarified. "Just structured usage."
They resumed training.
Sombravida corrected Kira's bow stance punch mechanics.
Foot rotation.
Hip alignment.
Shoulder relaxation.
Reiryoku compression upon impact.
Gradually, Kira's movements sharpened.
Later, Sombravida transitioned to reiryoku sensing.
"Extend perception outward," Sombravida instructed. "Differentiate static from dynamic. Plants have stable reishi flow. Animals fluctuate."
Kira concentrated.
Moments later—
"There. Movement. Slightly right."
Sombravida nodded.
"Correct."
Together they captured a pheasant.
Kira's joy was obvious.
"Good," Sombravida said. "You're improving."
After two hours, Sombravida dismissed him.
"Practice again upon waking. Bring the cloth tomorrow."
"Yes, Tsukishiro-nii."
They parted.
Sombravida returned home earlier than usual.
Momo was asleep.
He lay beside his bedding and stared at the ceiling.
Peace.
Warmth.
A fragile illusion.
"Nelliel…" he whispered faintly, recalling white dunes and a silver-haired figure standing beneath Hueco Mundo's moon.
Then he closed his eyes.
The next morning, Momo was already working on the well pulley system.
She had traded pork for wooden rollers and iron brackets.
"Good work," Sombravida said.
"Big brother, once this is done, fetching water will be easy."
He nodded.
"Afterward, we dig one for Grandma."
Momo smiled.
They worked together with Shiro that afternoon and completed Grandma's well quickly. The groundwater there was shallower.
Dinner was lively again.
Sombravida had Shiro exchange surplus pork for preserved goods and cloth. He deliberately let Momo manage transactions. She handled them efficiently.
In the evening, Sombravida entered the forest once more.
He waited.
Midnight.
Kira arrived.
He carried three things.
A folded bundle of pale cloth.
An ornate bento.
A brand-new katana.
Sombravida's smile widened.
"Kira. You've worked hard."
"It was nothing."
Sombravida accepted the items.
The fabric was dense yet light. Properly woven with reishi-stabilizing thread.
This would protect Grandma.
"Now," Sombravida said, standing, "your lesson."
Kira straightened eagerly.
"First. Condense reiryoku in your palm."
Sombravida demonstrated.
He gathered spiritual pressure inward—compressing rather than expanding. A visible distortion shimmered briefly above his palm before stabilizing.
Kira replicated it quickly.
"Good control," Sombravida said.
He drew his sword.
"Next. Infuse your blade."
Kira hesitated.
"I've heard of this, but I cannot maintain it."
"That's normal. You're forcing reiryoku outward. Instead, think of it as extension. Your blade is not separate."
Sombravida pressed the flat of his sword against Kira's.
"Channel through the arm. Do not push. Let it flow."
Kira inhaled.
Spiritual pressure traveled from shoulder to wrist.
The blade flickered faintly.
"Again."
The aura stabilized slightly.
"That's the foundation," Sombravida said calmly.
"We can take it slowly."
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