Today, the moment Moriyasu’s group arrived at the training grounds, Renji Abarai turned visibly excited.
His eyes kept darting toward Moriyasu Tokoyo, standing at the front, his brow and the corners of his mouth twitching in a way he couldn’t quite hide, clearly thrilled about something.
The odd behavior finally got the better of Kira Izuru beside him.
“What’s up with you?
Did something good happen today?” Renji’s mouth split into a grin, teeth bared, eyes locked firmly on Moriyasu’s back.
“Today’s when they teach Zanjutsu.” Kira tilted his head, and it took him a moment to catch on.
He said nothing, just glanced past Rukia in front of him, then further ahead to Moriyasu, and let out a quiet sigh inside.
Renji probably had feelings for Rukia, but he’d never once worked up the nerve to say so.
On that front, Kira wasn’t so different himself.
The thought made him steal a glance at Momo, then he leaned toward Renji and asked quietly: “You seem pretty confident about Zanjutsu?” Renji let out a hot breath through his nose.
“I grew up in Inuzuri, District 78 of the Rukongai.
You know how it goes, the higher the number, the rougher the district.
We learned to fight before we learned much else.
Don’t let Rukia’s size fool you either, she’s a serious fighter.
And obviously, so am I.” Kira nodded, conceding the point.
“District 78 really is a rough place, from what I’ve heard.” He vaguely recalled Moriyasu mentioning back in the dining hall that where he used to live, there hadn’t even been water or food.
Even Zaraki, District 80, the most vicious district of all, at least had water and some food to speak of.
Moriyasu had likely come from somewhere even more remote, even more barren than that.
He glanced at Renji beside him and opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But seeing how happy Renji looked, he closed his mouth again in the end and said nothing.
Gengoro Ounahara clasped his hands behind his back and spoke with real seriousness.
“You’re all in luck today.
Your Zanjutsu lesson is going to be taught by someone at captain level from the Gotei 13.
Make the most of this chance and pay attention.” “Captain level?” The students immediately straightened up.
After everything they’d been through in class so far, they now understood exactly how extraordinary Fifth Division Captain Sosuke Aizen, who’d shown up on their first day, really was.
And now, apparently, another captain-level figure was coming to personally teach them Zanjutsu.
Naturally, they’d need to take this seriously.
Ounahara raised his voice at once, opening his mouth wide and shouting with everything he had.
“Please welcome, from the Gotei 13, Lieutenant of the Tenth Division, Rangiku Matsumoto!” The moment the words left him, a streak of gold light swept in from the corridor and into the training grounds.
By the time the figure had fully crossed the corridor and stepped onto the training grounds, every student sucked in a sharp breath.
Rukia murmured, stunned.
“How is that even possible?
What did she eat growing up?” Momo glanced down quickly at herself, then back up at the newcomer.
“Do we even stand a chance?” Rukia’s head snapped around at that, and she barked at her, “What do you mean, ‘we’?” Momo turned to look at Rukia too, then just shrugged.
The meaning behind it was obvious enough: the two of them were in the same boat.
“Damn it…
the gap’s just way too big.” Even Rukia, the highest spiritual power rank in the entire year, couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of defeat rise up in her the moment she laid eyes on Rangiku Matsumoto.
The gap between the two of them was like comparing flatland to a mountain range, not even in the same category.
Renji’s face had gone bright red beside her, and even Kira, head tilted slightly down, couldn’t keep his eyes from staying fixed on Rangiku.
It even felt to them like the air on the training grounds itself had turned sweeter.
Rangiku walked up beside Ounahara and stopped, one hand on her hip, sweeping her gaze across all the students.
When her eyes reached the front row, her brow lifted slightly.
“Congratulations.
You actually made it into the academy.” Her gaze had landed on Moriyasu Tokoyo.
His spiritual power rank of nineteen had, in fact, been enough to clear the academy’s entrance test.
But the reason she’d suddenly said that was because of the group standing behind him, Rukia and the others.
It was obvious enough, one of those small friend groups that formed at the academy, and this one clearly revolved around Moriyasu Tokoyo.
The red baboon standing three steps behind him said plenty on its own.
“Thanks again for pointing the way that time, Lieutenant Matsumoto.” Moriyasu answered with a gentle smile.
Seeing that Moriyasu apparently already knew the lieutenant, the others beside him looked like they wanted to say something.
But right then, Rangiku clapped her hands and called out, “Swordsmanship, put simply, is just the art of fighting with a blade.” “And Shinigami have to fight Hollows, fallen souls, out on the battlefield more often than not.
You put your life on the line just to make it out alive.” “So pick up a weapon, pair off, and go at it.
I’ll be over here watching and offering pointers.” With that, she simply turned and walked off toward the corridor, where a low table had appeared out of nowhere, along with a cushion, and a pot of hot tea set on top.
Rangiku strolled over, sat herself down on the cushion, poured a cup of tea, and settled in to watch the training grounds at her leisure.
The whole scene looked less like someone here to teach and more like someone here to relax.
She took a sip of tea, then called out toward the training grounds.
“What are you all just standing around for?
Get started already.” Only then did the students head over to the weapon rack nearby and start picking through the various wooden practice weapons.
Swords, spears, glaives, halberds, axes, hooks, hand forks, three-section staves, every kind was there.
Renji rushed straight over, grabbed a wooden sword with one hand, and turned to march toward Moriyasu.
He held the sword out in his left hand, mouth pulling into a grin.
“Let’s spar, the two of us.” “Renji, what are you trying to pull?” Rukia jumped in at once to stop him.
Renji had nothing but raw strength going for him, and he’d been fighting since he was a kid.
Back then it had been a stick, sure, but a wooden sword wasn’t all that different from a stick in his hands now.
The lieutenant hadn’t taught them a single thing before throwing them straight into sparring, and that put Moriyasu at a serious disadvantage.
Moriyasu glanced down at the wooden sword being offered to him, then brought his eyes back up to Renji’s face, brow furrowing slightly.
“What, don’t tell me you’re scared?
Caboose.” Renji pushed the sword forward another inch, raising his voice.
His shout drew the attention of every student nearby.
Moriyasu had, after all, shone so brightly in Kido class.
Everyone was curious to see how his Zanjutsu would measure up.
“Hey, Caboose, don’t tell me you don’t even have the guts to pick up a sword?” Renji hollered again, even louder.
Moriyasu reached up, dug a pinky into his ear, and opened his mouth.
“Red Baboon, quit shouting your mouth off so much.” He pulled the pinky from his ear, brought it up to his mouth, blew a light breath off it, then reached out and took the wooden sword, going on.
“That’s only going to make you look weak.”