Silas frowned faintly and crushed that restless Spiritual Pressure down at once.
At the same time he gave ground several steps to open distance, and breathed slowly.
“Senpai?”
Kaien caught the change in his expression and pulled his attack up short.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
Silas settled the surging blood and the restlessness of that wisp of Spiritual Pressure.
“I just got tired all of a sudden. Sorry, Kaien, let’s leave it there for today.”
Kaien looked at how pale he was and felt ashamed of himself.
“My apologies, senpai. That’s on me, I didn’t notice how long we’d been at it…”
“It’s nothing. I got a great deal out of this spar. We’ll pick it up again when there’s a chance.”
Feeling that his body had settled, Silas’s mind eased, and he answered with a smile.
Seeing the state Silas was in, Kaien’s expression relaxed at once.
He rubbed at the sore places on his body.
“Tonight was exhilarating. I never expected you to be this strong, senpai.”
His tone was sincere, with a touch of admiration under it.
“With strength like yours, senpai, you could join the Gotei 13 as you are. Why are you still buried away at the Shin’ō Academy?”
Kaien was rather curious.
“I have been hiding my strength at the academy, yes. What I want is a peaceful life, so I have no interest in standing in the spotlight.”
“You’re the first person to know what I can really do. I hope you’ll keep it to yourself, Kaien.”
Meeting the trust in Silas’s eyes, something shifted in Kaien.
Everyone holds to different things.
Since this was the path Silas had chosen, he wouldn’t speak carelessly about it.
Kaien thumped his chest.
“Don’t worry, senpai. I won’t.”
Silas looked at Kaien.
His presence had steadied, but he plainly still had strength in reserve.
Silas had come away from this spar enormously well paid.
He glanced at the system.
Every category except Kidō had climbed sharply.
[Spiritual Power Level EXP +580]
[Zanjutsu EXP +320]
[Hakuda EXP +380]
[Shunpo EXP +350]
A single spar with a genius like Kaien returned far more than daily training and picking up ordinary fragments ever had.
The two of them tidied themselves briefly and headed down the mountain toward the Shiba residence.
By the time they got back, the night had grown late. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Kūkaku was sitting by the courtyard entrance, a warm yellow lamp left burning in the corridor.
“Brother, Silas, you’re back.”
Seeing the pair return covered in dust, Kūkaku yawned and waved at them.
Kaien glanced at the sky.
“Senpai, why not stay the night? We can head back together tomorrow.”
“That sounds good. I’ll impose on you, then.”
“Haha. Why stand on ceremony between us?”
Kūkaku looked at the two of them, whose relationship seemed to have grown much closer, and felt rather bewildered.
When did my brother get so friendly with Silas?
“Alright, it’s turning cold. Get inside.”
Kaien saw to the arrangements, and Silas took the guest room.
Lying on the bed, Silas quietly went back over the day’s gains.
The experience he had earned ran past what he had counted on.
It seemed he could seek Kaien out every few days from here.
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō were all closing on the Lv4 breakthrough.
Once they crossed it, his strength would be enough to stand against a mid to high-ranking Seated Officer.
The anomaly with the Hollowfication Spiritual Pressure during today’s match, though, forced him to take the matter seriously.
As he remembered it, a Shinigami needed a Spiritual Power Level at lieutenant rank or above to hold Hollowfication stable.
His own level wasn’t high.
He had the system to fall back on, but he still had no idea what would happen if Hollowfication were triggered.
But if…
if there were some deeply secluded place that could seal off Spiritual Pressure, perhaps he could try it.
That called for careful planning and preparation.
The number of people in the Seireitei capable of arranging such a thing was very small.
The next day, Silas and Kaien returned to the Shin’ō Academy together.
In the days that followed, Silas’s life fell back into its usual track, with slight differences.
In everyone’s eyes he was still that unremarkable fifth-year.
Nanao, though, sensed that something about him had changed.
She couldn’t be sure whether she was imagining it, but Silas seemed to have grown far more diligent than before.
Lately in particular he had been seen training seriously on the grounds, which was unheard of.
Though of late he had reverted to that lazy manner of his.
On another front, Silas’s dealings with Shiba Kaien had grown more frequent.
These days he was forever off with Shiba Kaien.
The two of them often slipped out of school, and nobody knew what they were doing.
On rest days especially, Silas would vanish first thing in the morning.
The time he spent with her in the library had dropped off sharply as well.
Which left Nanao with a great many complaints. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Could this man be sneaking off to see Shiba Kūkaku?
Every time the thought surfaced, Nanao felt unaccountably agitated, as though something were lodged in her chest.
Silas had said he was training with Kaien lately, but that reason couldn’t convince her.
She decided to follow them in secret.
After class that day she hurried home to change into casual clothes, took her pass for entering and leaving the Seireitei, and quietly lay in wait near the West Gate.
Before long she did indeed see Silas and Kaien come out together.
The two of them walked through the busy streets and reached a secluded wood.
The next second, both vanished from where they stood with Shunpo.
Nanao’s pupils contracted.
Their speed was such that even she, a member of the Elite Class, could barely catch a glimpse of them.
It was faster than the teachers who ran the classes.
Nanao wasn’t surprised that Shiba Kaien could show this much strength.
After all, someone at a Spiritual Power Level of Six shouldn’t have been able to reach it.
But…
Silas?
Nanao rubbed her eyes to be sure she wasn’t seeing things.
Her mind was a mess at the moment.
Could it be that what Silas said about training with Shiba Kaien was actually true?
While she was lost in thought, a finger poked her shoulder.
“Huh?!”
Nanao jumped out of her skin.
Turning around, she found Silas standing behind her, smiling.
Once she saw it was him, the embarrassment of being caught spying rose up through the fright, and then turned into a trace of anger.
Nanao froze for a moment, her face flushing bright red, then raised her small hand and punched him twice, hard.
That’s for scaring me, that’s for scaring me…
“Alright, Nanao. Why were you following us in secret?”
Once her temper had run out and her expression had gradually settled, Silas asked it gently.
Nanao heard the question and turned her face slightly away, though her voice came out somewhat strained.
“It’s nothing. I just… wanted to know what you were doing. You’ve hardly spent any time with me lately…”
“Ah, no! That isn’t what I meant…”
Looking at Nanao flustered and red-faced, Silas found it funny even as he sighed inwardly.
He really had neglected her recently, caught up in grinding experience with Kaien.
He patted her head gently.
“I’ve just been doing some private training with Kaien. Don’t read into it. It’s getting dark, let’s head back early.”
“Don’t worry. After the Konsō internship, I’ll go to the library with you the way I used to.”
Nanao didn’t understand what any of what Silas had been doing amounted to, but at this moment, looking into his eyes, she felt as though something had filled her chest.
Nanao pressed her lips together and finally gave a small nod.
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”