"Ready?"
Saito, head tilted, stood with zero guard, her body slouched, grinning cheekily at Fujimiya Makoto across from her.
"The old lady's coming for ya!"
Fujimiya's pupils shrank, his spiritual senses fanning out in all directions.
The instant her words landed, Saito the Immortal's aura shifted dramatically.
Her loose, carefree stance snapped taut, her small frame crouching like a leopard, delicate fingers grazing the floor.
But Fujimiya stayed calm.
Whatever else, he'd survived countless battles in Zaraki's hellscape.
Though he trusted his panel's four-arts stats, his past-life knowledge and experience gave him a sliver of hope.
Zan, Ken, Ki, Ho.
Ken, hand-to-hand, or hakuda.
In close combat, the goal is to land a hit.
Height, reach, leg length, weight—these still set the bar for mastery.
He'd learned that the hard way against Zaraki's lunatics.
Sure, this loli had captain-level skills, but her tiny frame…
His thoughts cut off.
Saito let out a mocking "Kuh."
Under her bare feet, a shockwave of reiatsu erupted like an air barrier. Her body, nearly parallel to the ground, vanished with a deafening boom.
When she reappeared, her slender fist buried itself deep in Fujimiya's left cheek.
In slow motion, you'd see his cheek ripple under the unnatural force of that small fist, his head warping in an instant.
"Bang—"
The impact spun Fujimiya's body, flipping him mid-air several times, his consciousness blanking out.
"Yahoo!"
Saito's bloodthirsty, thrilled grin burned into his vision.
[Harder, dig deeper into my body, flat-chested snake-tongue sis!]
[Hakuda +10]
The stats showed a crushing gap in hakuda.
"Thud… bang bang bang!"
Tumbling across the floor, splintering countless planks, Fujimiya barely regained his senses, shaking his head and propping himself up.
"That reaction speed's trash."
From the instructors' seats, Nobutaka Shikon, looking like a sickly ghost, muttered, cheek on his hand. Sore from his lost bet, his tone dripped with disdain.
(Illustration available here, viewable after update)
Thinking of something, he smirked at his neighbor:
"Hey, Kinroku."
"Another round? Just 10,000 kan."
Kinroku Yanhara, as usual, kept his hands tucked in his sleeves.
(Illustration available here, viewable after update)
He watched, detached.
But under his half-closed lids, a faint scorn gleamed.
Hearing Nobutaka, he chuckled:
"20,000 kan. Play or pass."
"20,000? Fine, I'm betting he loses!"
"Hah?!"
Most instructors, veterans who'd roamed the Soul Society for centuries or millennia, were apex figures. Save for a few freeloaders, they had razor-sharp judgment, seeing through Fujimiya's level in a glance.
Only Unohana Yachiru kept her smile.
It was starting.
Saito, unimpressed after one punch, crossed her arms, waddling forward, annoyed:
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"That's it?"
"That weak, how'd you survive that dumbass Yachiru?!"
"Give me everything! EVERYTHING!"
Fujimiya took a deep breath.
That punch wasn't just raw force.
An explosive burst of reiatsu had flooded his head on impact, like a grenade going off in his skull.
Even at his current level, he'd nearly blacked out.
But… he'd learned.
"Tch!"
He stood shakily, beckoning her.
"Keep going."
Saito squinted, seeing he could still take it, and a bloodthirsty grin spread:
"That's the spirit."
The next moment, her tiny body lunged, so fast she left only an afterimage.
But this time, Fujimiya, with experience, reacted on instinct. His hand chop sliced toward her flank.
"Bang!"
A burst of spirit particles tore through the air.
Saito tilted her head, effortlessly blocking with one hand, unfazed. Her other arm, in a whirl, hooked Fujimiya's wrist, and her small foot shot through his armpit, slamming his face with a boom.
[Feet! My beloved feet!]
[Hakuda +10]
But this time, Fujimiya seemed to handle the blow. His head barely reeled, and he countered instantly, driving a knee toward the airborne girl.
"Oh?"
Saito, caught off guard, blocked his knee with a hand, her body flipping mid-air like a nimble monkey.
Her legs clamped around Fujimiya's head.
The moment her thighs gripped him, Fujimiya felt a warm softness and darkness.
But before he could process, Saito's waist flexed, using her spin's momentum to hurl Fujimiya, far larger than her, into the floor with brutal force.
"Boom!"
His upper body sank into the planks, kicking up a cloud of sawdust and dust.
Saito hopped back, her cute face growing more excited:
"Hey!"
"More!"
This time, it wasn't just Saito.
Every instructor caught the improvement in Fujimiya's last strike.
Kinroku Yanhara adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp.
Nobutaka frowned.
No one mocked anymore.
"Crack—"
Fujimiya, leaning on the shattered planks, stood with effort, shaking off dust.
That power… damn, what a hit.
No.
She wasn't even going all out, was she?
A spark of fighting spirit lit his eyes.
Then, his move stunned everyone.
He crouched low, mimicking Saito's starting stance, body near the ground, fingers braced on the floor, inhaling deeply.
"Hhh—"
Saito blinked.
Then, her grin widened exaggeratedly, her eyes blazing with excitement.
"Boom!"
A reiatsu shockwave erupted under Fujimiya's feet.
He vanished.
He reappeared to Saito's left-rear, his hand chop slashing down with lethal intent, as if to sever her neck.
Saito, thrilled, dodged fluidly, her purple twin tails swaying. Her fist struck, blocked by Fujimiya, followed by a relentless barrage of reiatsu shockwaves, rattling the dojo.
[Hakuda +10]
[Hakuda +10]
[Hakuda +10]
[Hakuda: Level 3 ↑]
[Hakuda Bottleneck Period · Phase 1]
[Training in progress, bottleneck breakthrough ↑]
[Hakuda: Level 4 ↑]
[Hakuda +5]
A flood of notifications buzzed in Fujimiya's head, the system's chatter nonstop.
But he had no time for it.
Her frail-looking arm unleashed terrifying reiatsu waves. Her soft fists carried blows that could level buildings.
Her speed, reflexes, experience, and footwork outclassed him by miles.
Only total focus let him keep up.
Until he left an opening.
"Swoosh!"
A bare foot shot up, her legs nearly in a full split, aiming for his face.
As if he'd seen it coming, Fujimiya dodged sharply, grabbing and trapping her knee with one hand while his other fist rocketed toward her forehead, blindingly fast.
But in that critical moment, Saito's thrilled grin held. Her small hands clutched his robe, her tiny body twisting mid-air with her core strength.
Dodging the punch, her free leg surged.
Using the spin, she freed her trapped leg and swung a heel like an axe, smashing Fujimiya's cheek. His body lurched, his neck stretching like a pulled rubber band.
The floor under his left foot spiderwebbed, his calf sinking into the planks.
He stood his ground.
The whole dojo shook.
[Crush me! Quick, rub your cute little foot on my face! What're you waiting for!]
[Hakuda +5]
[Hakuda: Level 5 ↑]
This time, the instructors watched intently.
Though Saito had dialed her strength down to Fujimiya's level, they all saw it.
If he'd been a fraction faster, he'd have hit her face.
And more.
"Even his damage resistance is skyrocketing…"
"Damn guy!"
Nobutaka cursed under his breath:
"A monster who can steal his opponent's experience just by fighting? That's real?"
"I thought Genryusai was freaky enough."
Kinroku nodded gravely, adjusting his rattled glasses:
"His hakuda is at least a tier above where he started."
"Yeah."
"Scary, today's kids."
Kinroku turned toward the voice.
A bald giant, even sitting taller than others, muttered. Lipless, he flashed gold teeth. His muscles bulged under his loose robe, his round wooden-framed glasses clashing with his eerie grin.
(Illustration available here, viewable after update)
At the fight's center, Saito flicked her head, tossing her twin tails off her shoulder, her laughter growing freer.
A monster with such insane growth…
So…
Freaking awesome!
"Hey!"
"Where you looking?"
Fujimiya's voice, hoarse with blood, rasped.
As Saito eyed her opponent with excitement, he tilted his head, flashing a savage grin, blood trickling from his torn mouth.
Saito paused, caught off guard.
Then, he yanked his leg free from the floor and, riding his tilt, swept a kick across the ground, kicking up a dust cloud that hid them.
"Hah!"
"Cheap tricks don't work on the old lady!"
As expected, Saito, laughing, crouched in the dust, dodging a punch from the haze. Her purple twin tails whipped like lashes.
Her bare feet hit the ground, power surging from her legs through her spine, and she threw a punch backward.
It aimed for his gut.
But as her pale fist closed to within an inch, Saito froze.
An invisible force seemed to hold her, locked at that inch.
In her peripheral vision, she saw her braid, grabbed.
"My hair!"
Her pupils shrank, her focus snapping.
In that split second, Fujimiya's other hand, clenched, struck.
"Gotcha!"
His eyes flared, his bloodshot gaze gleaming with ferocity.
This fist, dense with spirit particles, carried his full power.
He'd pay back every hit!
The next moment, his fist slammed into Saito's tender cheek.
A reiatsu explosion roared, the shockwave bursting from the impact, forming a visible tide. You could almost see the air ripple on the other side of her face.
"BANG—!!"
The sound was deafening.
He landed it!
The shockwave kicked up the robes of nearby instructors.
Everyone sat still, eyes wide, watching.
Many showed clear surprise.
Nobutaka, out another 20,000 kan, gaped, croaking "Gah…"
Kinroku chuckled softly, quietly glad Nobutaka had bet first.
"…"
But Fujimiya froze.
Saito slowly turned her head.
On her pale cheek, just a faint scratch.
She flashed a crazed, ecstatic grin.
Her battle-fueled excitement, sparked by that slight pain, hit its peak.
Her purple pupils shrank to pinpricks, glinting with blood-red light.
At her waist, her slender fingers curled into a fist.
She struck.
At that moment, Yamamoto, still seated, opened his eyes.
"It's over."
With those words, Saito's body seemed to hit a kill switch.
Her dainty fist stopped dead, an inch from Fujimiya's nose.
"BOOM—"
A condensed reiatsu wave grazed his cheek and neck, its roar nearly bursting his eardrums, raising goosebumps.
His blood sprayed.
His survival instinct screamed danger.
His body locked up.
That single punch obliterated a chunk of wall behind him, exposing the outside.
[Not thrilling enough! Come on, snake-tongue sis, give me a couple more hard kicks!]
[Hakuda +10]
Only then did Fujimiya realize how much Saito had held back in this "test."
A hair more, and he'd be dead.
"Ugh, seriously!"
Pulling back her fist, Saito hopped in frustration, slapping her thighs:
"The old lady got careless!"
"Didn't dodge!"
"Grr, my favorite hair…"
Grumbling, she rubbed the braid Fujimiya had grabbed, her cute face pouting pitifully, a stark contrast to her earlier bloodlust.
"But…"
Mid-rant, Saito's single eye flicked to the boy.
She straightened, stepping closer.
"What do you want?"
Confused, Fujimiya frowned, instinctively stepping back.
But Saito closed in, grabbed his robe, and stood on tiptoe. Her thin tongue darted out, sliding over his cheek's wound, tasting his blood.
"Slurp!"
"Wha?!"
Fujimiya recoiled, his face stiffening.
"Nice flavor."
Saito, utterly satisfied, cupped her cheeks, blissful.
Her small fists tapped his chest with dull thuds, giggling dumbly:
"Good job!"
"The old lady loves your taste."
"Next time, we'll do it with blades!"
"I won't lose again."
Fujimiya, dazed by the lick, twitched at her words. Glancing at the wrecked wall behind, he muttered:
"I'd rather not."
"…"
"Oh, right."
Heading back, Saito picked up her tabi and tossed them to him, hands on hips, laughing:
"Take both."
"Next time, I'll wear new ones!"
(Illustration available here, viewable after update)
Fujimiya's eyes widened, outraged, ready to snap:
"Your stinky socks, I don't…"
But a sickly sweet, almost flirty voice cut him off, shyly shouting:
[I'll take 'em home and brew tea with 'em forever! Huge thanks!]
Turning, he saw the instructors, who'd been eyeing him with respect, now wearing complex looks.
Such a good kid.
What a waste, a pervert.