The training grounds were lit up by the morning sun. There were rows of dummies, open fields, obstacle tracks, and reinforced sparring rings. None of this was here the last time they were here.
That made Daiki question if half of it was legal.
Then he remembered NOTHING about this place was legal.
Kojiro stood in the center of the field with his hands behind his back, looking far too excited for someone who was about to torture teenagers.
His voice bloomed across the grounds.
"Welcome, to the foundation of your rebirth."
Daiki whispered, "Rebirth. Sound painful already."
Ren whispered, "If he pulls out a ritual circle... I'm running."
"No you're not."
"You're right, I'm not.
Kojiro clapped once, silencing everyone.
"As you already know, you're all weak."
Another stab wound straight to the heart.
"You lack the physical conditioning, tactical discipline, mental resilience, and Reiki control required to function as Exorcists. Most of you would be eaten alive if a Class III Yurei looked at you funny."
Daiki flinched.
Ren flinched.
Yui flinched politely.
Kojiro continued, pacing like a drill sergeant evaluating a platoon of newborn puppies.
"But weakness is far from a curse."
He stopped.
"It is a starting point."
Daiki perked up slightly.
This was starting to sound motivational.
Then Kojiro added:
"A wretched, humiliating, shit starting point—but a starting point nonetheless."
Daiki deflated like a balloon.
Nevermind.
"Phase One: Conditioning."
Kojiro slammed his foot into the ground.
"LINE UP."
They scrambled into a row.
"Class 1-A spends two hours every morning conditioning, sparring, bettering themselves," Kojiro said, hands behind his back. "Class 1-B spends one. Class 1-C spends forty minutes."
He turned to face them fully.
"For you? Fours hour will suffice."
Everyone's soul left their bodies.
Daiki's almost fell from his knees buckling.
That was the reaction Kojiro wanted.
"Five weeks from now, I want your bodies to move before your brains remember they're scared."
He pointed towards the track.
"Run."
Daiki blinked, terrified to speak up.
"...How many laps...?"
"Yes."
"...Sir, that's not a number."
Kojiro raised a brow.
"Run until you meet a version of yourself that no longer wants to ask stupid questions."
Daiki inhaled, accepting his fate.
"Okay. Let's go die."
They sprinted.
And sprinted.
And eventually sprinting became runnning.
And running eventually became jogging.
An Hour Later.
Daiki collapsed face-first onto the grass.
"I can't... I can't feel my legs... Ren, am I floating..."
Ren turned his body over and put two fingers in his face.
"Fushino, how many fingers am I holding up!"
Daiki squinted. "...Three...?"
"That's not good."
Yui fell onto her knees beside them, panting.
She didn't have the energy to even speak.
Everyone else?
They were dealing with similar or worse symptoms.
Kojiro appeared over them like a menacing cloud.
"Good. You stopped sounding like pussies halfway through. That's progress."
After letting that sink in for a couple seconds, he starting barking commands in a snap.
"Everyone get up. Hands off your knees too."
Daiki lifted a trembling hand into the air. "...Ren. Pick me up."
Ren grabbed him and pulled him upright.
"Phase Two: Combat."
They returned to the sparring ring.
Kojiro demonstrated a stance. Balanced and rooted.
"This is a basic combat stance that all combatants should have a form of before anything else. Something that allows you to shift to offense or defense in a snap. It's not the horseshit some of you guys do when you fight. Stay grounded and ready, or you'll break."
He pointed at Daiki.
"Fushino."
Daiki jumped. "Y-Yes?"
"Attack me."
Daiki blinked.
"Are you sure?"
Kojiro's eyes narrowed.
Daiki rose his fists immediately, heart hammering. "Y-Yea, I gotcha...!"
He charged.
Fast.
Way too fast.
For a second—
Daiki thought he had him.
Then Kojiro moved to the side.
That was it.
Daiki was face-down on the floor.
Ren put his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh.
Yui gasped.
Kojiro crouched beside him.
"You attack with your instincts instead of your brain," he said flatly. "You fight like a drunk street-fighter."
Daiki groaned. "...Understood."
"Good."
Kojiro stood and pointed at Ren.
"Takagi."
Ren jogged up, nonchalantly cracking his knuckles.
"Alright, sensei. I've been fighting since I was a—"
Ren was flat on his back before he even finished his sentence.
"I did... better than Daiki... right?"
Daiki turned his head away.
He knew it was best for him not to laugh.
Kojiro didn't answer Ren's question and went out to his next victim.
"Yui Tsukiko."
Yui squeaked. "M-Me?!"
She stepped forward timidly.
She launched with a swift step—
Kojiro gently caught her wrist, redirected her momentum, and placed her safely on her back.
Yui blinked at the sky. "That was... surprisingly gentle."
"Yes," Kojiro said. "Because you actually thought about your footing. Better than these two gremlins."
One by one, he repeated the process with everyy single person in Class 1-F. Calling them forward, challenging them to hit him, flooring them instantly, then moving on without breaking stride.
When the last student crashed to the mat, Kojiro clasped his hands behind his back.
"Not a single one of you lambs managed to even touch me."
He surveyed the heap that was Class 1-F.
"Five weeks," he said flatly. "By then, I expect every single one of you to be able to land at least one hit on me."
Several students paled.
"And until the Inter-Exchange Event," Kojiro continued, "you will all spar me every single day. No excuses. No exceptions."
Ren whispered, "We're so dead..."
Kojiro continued to the next phase of his torture session.
"Phase Three: Control."
Kojiro stood before the exhausted class, voice low but powerful.
"Many of you are weak because you fail to understand what makes each of you unique."
His gaze sharpened.
"Your Reiki and Ketsugojin."
He pointed at their chests.
"It is not a 'finisher', or an last resort technique."
A long pause.
"It is apart of you."
A hush fell over Class 1-F.
"You treat it like something separate," Kojiro continued. "Something you detonate like a bomb."
His eyes narrowed like a snake's.
"That is why you lose control."
Daiki was listening.
He had to.
This applied to him more than anyone else.
"Your body doesn't listen to you. Your mind doesn't guide you. Your power doesn't obey you."
He let that seek in before continuing.
"The other classes? They aren't strong because they hit harder," Kojiro said. "They're stronger because they are in control."
A smile grew on his face, wild and challenging.
"When they finally see you in the Inter-Exchange Event, I want you to be able to take away their one strength."
Daiki felt something ignite deep inside his chest.
A spark.
A challenge.
A reason to continue moving forward.
Yui nodded firmly, breath finally steadying.
Ren cracked his knuckles, determination burning in his eyes like a fire.
Kojiro clapped once.
"That is enough for today. Tomorrow, we begin real training."
Daiki's voice cracked. "..That wasn't real?"
Kojiro smirked.
"Today was just the warm-up."
The entire class groaned.
Daiki stood there, fists clenched at his sides and nails digging into his palms.
His body hurt.
Everything hurt. It always did.
But he was ready.
To finally climb out of hell.