Bang!
A lightning-strike-like swing landed on Ichigo's body. If it were a real sword, he would have been cut with a huge gash from shoulder to abdomen, severing his ribs and exposing his internal organs.
So he was glad he was facing a wooden sword.
There was still some possibility of turning the tide.
"I won't be defeated by the same move twice!"
Blocking the slash, steadying his stance, and quickly counterattacking in the gap where the opponent's move was overextended—from this perspective, his fighting will and reaction time were not bad, earning him an "Excellent" rating from the Kendo master next to him.
However, Shimiya Takeru was simply not human. He steadily blocked Ichigo's continuous barrage, his body not even swaying, like a reef battered by waves.
Once he got used to this attack rhythm, after one block, he suddenly stepped forward, like a police officer with a riot shield, using his physique and weapon size to forcibly push the criminal back until he stumbled.
Then, with a sudden retraction, he created enough space for a swing and knocked him down with a standard "Tang Bamboo" strike from the front.
However, the result looked more like simply knocking the opponent over with brute force.
"Damn it, even though your swordsmanship and fighting skills aren't as good as mine, I can't beat you no matter how hard I try."
Ichigo rubbed his sore wrist joints, feeling both indignant and helpless.
"That's the charm of stats," Shimiya Takeru said, taking the towel Hachihara handed him and wiping away his sweat.
"But you're improving quickly. You can fight me for so long. At first, you were defeated in one move. I think it won't be long before you can…"
"Before I can beat you?"
"Before you can lose more gracefully."
Hearing this, Ichigo couldn't hold back. A vein throbbed on his forehead, and he said with a forced smile, "Oh, really? Want to try? I feel like I can fight again. You can use your previous strategy again and see if it works."
Shimiya Takeru looked back with pity.
"Don't waste your energy. Even if I don't use any strategy, just sparring with you, I can win by endurance. I just don't want to waste time, which is why I haven't done that."
"You bastard…! Just you wait!"
Ichigo gritted his teeth, secretly vowing to find an opportunity to mock him back later.
"You guys are really motivated. Are all Human World students like you?" Hachihara commented, seeing the situation.
"That depends on the country, but this guy is simply disgusted by his own Kido. He feels that with his self-destructing Kido, he's destined to not be able to get stronger in all aspects, so he can only desperately try to make up for it in other areas."
Shimiya Takeru mercilessly exposed Ichigo's thoughts.
This past week, everyone's classroom performance fully demonstrated the importance of talent.
Take their small group, for example.
Hachihara was lively and active, with keen senses and boundless energy. He learned everything quickly, but he was also very willful, only interested in basic training like Hakuda and Shunpo, and had little interest in Zanjutsu and Kido classes, so his grades were average.
This type of academic imbalance was even more of a headache for the teachers, who quickly labeled him a "problem child."
Rindo Yu, as a deaf-mute, possessed an unexpectedly strong inner spirit and an abnormally strong ability to control spiritual power. He was practically a born Cursed Technique Saint, learning Kido as if guided by a deity.
But in other areas, he was unremarkable, only living up to his status as a Class 1 student.
However, compared to Hachihara, he was at least willing to study hard and practice diligently.
Ichigo, on the other hand, specialized in Zanjutsu and Hakuda, with visible combat talent overflowing. Any teacher who saw him was amazed, praising him as a natural strongman and the best successor for the Gotei 13 Captains.
However, after learning that he almost blew up the entire training ground with a Shakkahō in Kido class, they fell silent.
The evaluation of "Captain successor" was not withdrawn, but a parenthetical note was added in their hearts, stating "Eleventh Division only."
Finally, there was Shimiya Takeru.
His performance was worthy of the highest entrance exam score in history.
He was the traditional genius in people's perception.
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kido—he was proficient in everything.
Furthermore, due to the physical specialization and growth buff granted by the Dragon's Blood from the fairy tale, he had a significant natural advantage in the two major fields of Zanjutsu and Hakuda.
This led to the bankruptcy of Ichigo's plan to take first place in these two subjects, get stronger, and regain his lost face.
"You only know Shakkahō. It's not like your Kido is much stronger than mine. Besides, when it comes to fighting desperately, you're not qualified to talk about me."
Ichigo pouted.
"You secretly train at night without sleeping. I don't know where you get your stamina."
"?"
Hachihara's eyes widened, looking at Shimiya Takeru with an incredulous gaze.
In her opinion, Ichigo was already very diligent, spending most of his extracurricular time studying, not at all as rebellious as he appeared, surprisingly honest.
She didn't expect there to be someone even more competitive.
Practicing all night? It had only been a week since they enrolled.
Was it really necessary?
"I only tried it once, and you happened to find out."
That was an experiment with "compound potions."
It proved that this stuff could only alleviate the fatigue caused by staying up late, not replenish the energy lost throughout the day.
So Shimiya Takeru decisively abandoned this plan.
At this moment, Rindo Yu wrote a line of text.
"There's a calligraphy class this afternoon. Are you all going?"
"Calligraphy class… I'm not very interested. Although the teacher is said to be a very popular Captain, I don't want to miss the Human World goods that just arrived today, so I'll pass~"
Hachihara tapped his chin with his finger, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head regretfully.
"Me too. I've already arranged a sparring session with the Zanjutsu instructor, so I can't break the appointment. However, I have something to discuss with the calligraphy class lecturer, so I'll go after class."
Although the Headmaster opened up conveniences, "cultural literacy" was Ichigo's weak point.
This was also reflected in his daily studies.
Sometimes he couldn't understand the grammar in the textbooks and found it difficult to comprehend, often having to ask Shimiya Takeru for help.
Ichigo never liked to trouble others.
Fortunately, the Headmaster had foresight and had already found a tutor in advance.
It was precisely the calligraphy class lecturer.
Because he didn't come to class often, he only had the opportunity to meet today.
"Then Rindo and I will go take a look."
Shimiya Takeru thought for a moment. An ordinary calligraphy class could be skipped, but he definitely had to go to "that adult's" calligraphy class to broaden his horizons.
"Oh! See you after class then."
Ichigo's spirits lifted, feeling that while the other party was in a cultural class, his own training progress had caught up a little bit.
Little did he know that Shimiya Takeru also had a "Physical Growth +1000" buff. At least in terms of basic Zanjutsu and Hakuda training, there was likely no hope of catching up through normal means.
Chapter 6: Aizen-sensei, how do you like my "Collapse" character?
From a first impression, the calligraphy class felt more like a club gathering than an elective to Shimiya Takeru.
Because too many people came.
The entire lecture hall was packed, and those who didn't get a seat could only leave with regret.
Shimiya Takeru and Rindo Yu, having no classes in the afternoon, arrived early and unceremoniously occupied the prime seats in the front row center.
"Most of the people here are senior students."
It seemed the longer one stayed at the Spirit Arts Academy, the more one could appreciate the charm of this course.
Without making the students wait long, the special lecturer, clad in a Captain's haori, appeared early on the podium. His opening words immediately made everyone feel a spring-like warmth.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
"As per tradition, I'll introduce myself to the new students."
"I am Aizen, Aizen Sōusuke. I serve as the Captain of the Fifth Division in the Gotei 13, but today I stand here purely as a teacher."
"I feel deeply honored and also very gratified to be able to share my understanding of calligraphy with all of you."
"Because more and more people are joining, this is a tremendous encouragement to me, proving that I am walking the right path with all of you."
"Without further ado, let us begin—"
Shimiya Takeru watched him pull a roll of white paper from his sleeve, spread it out, and hang it on the blackboard. The visual impact of the two extremely contrasting colors, white paper and black ink, was far less shocking than the character itself.
"…"
As a young master who had some understanding of both Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, Shimiya Takeru felt what true mastery was.
The white paper Aizen displayed had only one character written on it— "Mountain" (mountain).
But anyone who looked at it at first glance wouldn't recognize it as the character "mountain." They would only feel as if they were seeing a landscape painting, with the dark mountain body leaping off the paper, creating an extraordinary visual experience.
Then their brain would finally react, realizing, "This is actually the character 'mountain'!"
"In past classes, I've said many times that calligraphy is an art, not a technique, because it focuses more on spiritual cultivation."
"For this character, I didn't use any special techniques. I merely wrote my understanding of a mountain on paper, that's all."
Aizen, without any pretense, said playfully, "That's why our class has no textbook. As long as you show up, it's fine. Newcomers don't need to worry about falling behind."
Whether these words dispelled the concerns of other newcomers, Shimiya Takeru didn't know, but he certainly felt the charm of this class.
Aizen was truly just sharing his calligraphy experience.
Even if Ichigo came, he wouldn't be unable to understand…
…No, he couldn't be that absolute.
But at least Shimiya Takeru understood.
Japanese calligraphy originated from Chinese calligraphy, but later, its path gradually veered towards the artistic track. It's not to say that Chinese calligraphy isn't art, but can fine art and performance art be compared?
Japanese calligraphy is the performance art of text.
Through bold deformation and transformation, it breaks through the constraints of traditional characters, expresses more diverse emotions, and takes innovation to the extreme.
For example, it can be full of imagination like a child's doodle, or full of a disturbing sense of distortion, or even split characters in half.
There are plenty of examples more abstract than abstract painting.
It's no wonder Aizen didn't adopt a formal teaching method; being even slightly formal would easily make the written characters too "ordinary" and unremarkable.
"Rindo, do you think the Spirit Arts Academy invites people to teach calligraphy to let them vent stress through it?" Shimiya Takeru leaned back and whispered.
Rindo Yu thought for a moment and responded.
"I find it very interesting."
"Alright, that's one reason too."
In the Spirit Arts Academy, where there were no club activities, finding something interesting to do wasn't easy.
At this moment, Aizen suddenly spoke from the podium, "…Regarding the importance of calligraphy for spiritual cultivation, I'd like to invite a student to assist in writing a character. Which student would be willing to help?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, almost all the students stood up excitedly, afraid that Aizen wouldn't see their raised hands. Some even impulsively shouted, making the classroom chaotic for a moment.
Aizen smiled, unconcerned, like a gentle good-natured person. He looked around and finally pointed to Shimiya Takeru in the front row.
"This student, then."
The others subconsciously looked over, almost twisting their mouths in frustration.
Shimiya Takeru sat there silently, expressionless, with one hand raised high. He looked like everyone else, but he was conspicuously holding a white paper with a character already written on it, openly facing Aizen. How could he not be noticed, like a cue card held up for a host by a production team?
And that wasn't all.
Before Aizen even asked, Shimiya Takeru calmly stood up and nonchalantly displayed his written character to everyone.