Time passed, and the day came for another training session with my master.
“Hah!”
I was right in the middle of training.
This time, the exercise was to dodge my master’s attacks.
He wasn’t using a weapon, either—just his bare hands.
And I could tell he was holding back.
A lot.
A whole lot.
An absolutely ridiculous amount.
Even so, he was a Soul Reaper renowned as one of the Seireitei’s gatekeepers, not to mention a giant of a man.
There was real force behind every blow.
If one connected, I wouldn’t be walking away unscathed.
So I kept dodging for all I was worth.
The instant I avoided one strike, I took a quick step back to make some distance.
By the time I’d steadied my stance, his next blow was already coming.
This time I used my arm to deflect it as I moved out of the way.
Don’t let the dodging throw me around.
Keep my centre of gravity in mind.
Don’t lose my balance.
I tried to move so that every action flowed into the next—and the one after that.
Eventually, after I’d lost count of how many attacks I’d avoided, my master stopped.
“Hmm.
Well, that’ll do.
You’ve passed.”
“Th-thank you!”
I was so happy to have finally passed that tears sprang to my eyes.
“Well, it has been a whole year.
It was about time you passed.”
“Ugh…
I’m sorry I’m such a hopeless pupil…”
And there came the tears again.
This time, from sheer embarrassment and guilt.
Yes.
A full year had already passed since the day my master first began training me.
I spent my days practising on my own, my evenings helping out at the izakaya, and occasionally received lessons from the anma practitioner.
I’d kept that routine up for an entire year, and finally…
finally…
“Now we can finally begin training you as a prospective Soul Reaper.”
Finally, I was ready to start proper training.
That’s right.
Up until now, all I’d done was build up my body and practise controlling my spiritual power.
It had taken me a year just to reach the level of an ordinary person.
Incidentally, a normal person could apparently get this far in a month.
Someone talented could do it in a matter of days.
And yet, here I was…
No, it’s not as though I hadn’t improved at all!
It’s just that while an ordinary person goes from Level 1 to Level 2, I seem to go from Level 1 to Level 1.1…
At this rate, even a baby might be stronger than me…
…Go on, laugh if you want!
You’re wrong, though!
I’m just a late bloomer!!
I’m the type whose growth shoots through the roof once I reach Level 101!
Just you wait!!
“Well, you are moving better, little by little.
At this rate, you might even pass the entrance examination for Shin’ō Academy—”
“Really!?”
“—Hmm.
It would…
take some time, mind you…”
A sarashi really is a wonderful thing.
I can move so much more easily with my chest bound up.
Oh, and I’m wearing a fundoshi underneath.
A mokko fundoshi, to be precise.
It really makes you feel properly braced, body and mind alike.
But even taking all that into account, this was as far as I’d got…
I’d jumped on my master’s words before he could finish, and now he was giving me a troubled look as he somehow managed to nod.
Sorry for making you worry about my feelings.
“Well, putting that aside, we’ll begin your training in earnest today.
First, how to swing a sword.”
My master handed me a wooden sword.
He’d actually had it ready for me for about six months now…
But because I was such a disaster, the lesson had been postponed again and again until today.
I’m really sorry.
Right, then.
Wooden sword in hand, time for a practice swing—
“Mm!?
Awa-wa-wa-wa-wa!?”
—I nearly lost my balance before I could even manage it.
I somehow dug in my feet and stayed upright, but the resulting swing was a spectacularly ugly sight.
My master’s expression instantly turned into the look you give something deeply disappointing.
This time for sure!
Or so I told myself.
The result was exactly the same.
I just couldn’t swing the sword properly.
M-my boobs!
My boobs are getting in the way!!
Ghhh!
You’re still standing in my way, even now!?
I thought I’d overcome this problem with the sarashi!!
“…Well, I suppose we’ll just have to keep at it, one step at a time.”
My master’s voice sounded philosophical, if you wanted to be generous.
If you didn’t, it sounded like he’d given up on everything.
Either way, his words pierced my heart.
The nightmare that was physical training finally came to an end, and it was time to work on spiritual power instead.
“From today, we’ll begin more serious training with your spiritual power as well.”
“Yes!”
“Well, when it comes to controlling spiritual pressure, you are…
how shall I put this?
Compared with swordsmanship and the like, it’s something you’re relatively good at.”
“Master…
I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings, but…
you can just say it plainly.”
If you’re going to hesitate and put it like that, you might as well come right out and say it!
I know how bad I am!!
After all my independent practice since then, I’d made an amazing breakthrough: I could now fire two shots of either Cero or Bala without collapsing.
They’d even grown more powerful.
These days, I could just about knock a leaf off a branch with a Cero.
…Yes, that’s all!
What?
Go on, laugh if you want.
“Well, don’t get so discouraged.
Alongside your spiritual-power training, I’ll teach you one Kidō technique.”
“Wha—!?
R-really!?”
“Of course.
Mind you, I fight by making use of this enormous body of mine, so Kidō isn’t my strong suit.
And you’re not even a Soul Reaper trainee yet.
Naturally, I’ll be teaching you the simplest, most basic technique there is.
Is that acceptable?”
“Yes!
Of course!
Absolutely!”
Perhaps it was only to be expected from the way he looked, but Kidō apparently wasn’t my master’s speciality.
And teaching powerful Kidō to an ordinary person like me—who’d only finally managed to take a step forward today—would be problematic in all sorts of ways.
Everything he said made perfect sense.
But I was finally going to learn Kidō!
Why would I object?
Why would I ever turn that down!?
“Then watch closely…
Hadō Number One: Shō.”
As he spoke the technique’s name, spiritual pressure shot from the fingertips he’d extended in front of him.
It struck the ground with an impact like a fist slamming into the earth.
“I’ve kept the power quite low and omitted the incantation.
Well?
What do you think of seeing Kidō for yourself?”
This was…
this was real Kidō!
Amazing!
Nothing like my imitation Cero!
I was so delighted, so moved, that I couldn’t even find the words.
My master seemed satisfied by my reaction.
“I may have mentioned this before, but there are two types of Kidō: Hadō and Bakudō.
Hadō is used for attacks, while Bakudō is used for defence and similar purposes.
Each type has techniques numbered from one to ninety-nine.”
Oh, so ninety-nine was the highest number?
I hadn’t known that.
“The higher the number, the more advanced and powerful the technique, and the harder it is to control.
As you saw just now, it’s also possible to cast one immediately by omitting the incantation.
The effect is weaker as a result, though, so it takes training.”
Ah, so I had remembered that correctly.
There really was a drawback to skipping the incantation.
You could cast more easily, but the technique would be weaker.
In fiction, shouting the name of your attack is practically a convention.
But if you’re actually fighting, of course it would be useful to have a way of unleashing a powerful attack quickly and easily.
Ideally, I’d like to skip not only the incantation, but the technique’s name too.
In other words, leave out even the “Hadō Number One: Shō” part and still have the technique work just as well.
Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Is there any way to do that?
“Um, Master.
Is there a way to cast Kidō without an incantation and still keep its full power?”
“Wahahaha!
It certainly would be ideal if you could!
But I’ve never heard of such a method myself.”
“So there isn’t one after all…”
“Well, things can’t always work out quite so conveniently.”
Hmm.
I suppose not.
Still, I won’t give up on looking for a way.
Maybe my master simply doesn’t know about it.
There could be a Soul Reaper who’s especially skilled at Kidō and has come up with just such a method.
“Trying to learn the easy way from the very beginning rarely ends well.”
It’s not that I want to take shortcuts right from the start, you know.
I just wondered whether there might be a useful advanced application on top of the basics.
“Besides, Kidō is an art you only learn to handle through repeated training.
If there is a convenient method like that, I’d wager it can only be reached through steady effort.
Now, give it a try.”
“Yes!”
I extended my fingertips just as my master had done, channelling spiritual pressure into them—
“Hadō Number One!
Shō!!”
—*Pfft!*
A pathetic little sound, like a fart, came from my fingertips.
At the same time, I produced a tiny, tiny impact no stronger than a gentle breeze.
…Even skipping the incantation, which ought to make it easier to use, this is all I can manage…
So this really is the extent of my talent.
“…Well, as I said, you won’t improve without steady, consistent practice.”
I’m truly sorry for making my master work so hard to console me.
—Wait a minute!
That noise and that little puff of air…
He doesn’t think I actually farted, does he!?
I didn’t!!
I swear I didn’t!!
Author’s Note
● Mokko fundoshi
To put it very roughly, they’re like string panties with a knot on only one side.
They were worn by *onnagata*—male kabuki actors who played female roles.
Sarashi and fundoshi are the stuff of dreams.