Soon, Yoriichi's heart gradually cleared.
To be honest, he really didn't want to accept this task.
Simply because he knew nothing about Marechiyo, he didn't know what kind of person he was.
Even if he was a lively character, he shouldn't have sought him out.
There were so many Shinigami in the Seireitei.
He originally wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that Ōmaeda had somewhat of a guiding relationship with him...
Coupled with Yoruichi's subsequent words, Yoriichi, out of helplessness, could only agree.
Of course, all of this would have to wait until he met Marechiyo before making a final decision.
The guidance was also limited to within the divisions.
Marenishin Oomaeda, on the other hand, stated, "That's enough!"
Once Ōmaeda retreated, the whispers around them grew louder.
Yoriichi could even clearly hear those nobles repeatedly speculating about his identity.
In fact, their voices were extremely low, limited to whispers between two people.
But Yoriichi's extraordinary keen perception meant that even the slightest sound could not escape his ears.
The words were all something like...
"Underestimated..."
"I thought he was Yoruichi-sama's subordinate..."
"Didn't expect him to be another master..."
And so on.
They subtly elevated his status to the same level as Yoruichi Shihouin.
This truly made Yoriichi feel incomprehensible.
He gently shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness and emotion.
After Ōmaeda left, Yoruichi also departed, running off to interact with Hisana nearby.
Not long after, the birthday celebration slowly began.
Yoriichi saw the child, Yushiro Shihouin, and beside him, the maid who had always followed Yoruichi closely—Soi Fon.
That should be her name.
She was slender, and if he remembered correctly, she was also a lower-ranking noble.
She had been nearby whenever Yoruichi appeared before.
She just rarely showed herself.
Yoruichi stepped forward again: "I almost forgot something. Speaking of which, Yoriichi, your Zanjutsu should be very strong, right?"
"Especially in terms of combining footwork with Zanjutsu."
"Average," Yoriichi's reply was concise and calm.
Yoruichi sighed, "Being too modest is no fun. I know you don't want to stir up trouble, but please, I'm begging you."
"You should recognise this child, Soi Fon."
"Her Zanpakuto is quite special; it cannot slash, only thrust."
"My Second Division doesn't have a suitable teacher to teach her Zanjutsu, but you are different..."
"Teaching one is teaching, teaching two is teaching, so how about..."
"Why does everyone want to find me?" Yoriichi sighed slightly.
"Because you're strong, and you're easy to talk to," Yoruichi's smile was as warm as sunshine.
"Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto has praised you. Those Shinigami with similar temperaments aren't as strong as you, and those stronger than you have bad tempers..."
"To be honest, if I weren't uninterested in Zanjutsu and the like, I'd want to learn from you too."
"..."
"Have you asked her?" Yoriichi looked up, "If I'm not mistaken, she should admire you greatly, so it's unlikely she'd learn Zanjutsu from me."
"Don't worry," Yoruichi revealed a confident smile,
"She will agree. It won't take up much of your time, and it's not like she needs to start learning now. Just whenever you have free time..."
As the two spoke, Soi Fon seemed to sense something, and her bright gaze turned towards Yoruichi.
When she saw Yoruichi-sama chatting animatedly with a man, a hint of jealousy immediately welled up in her heart.
You are the head of the Shihouin Clan!
How can you show such an expression?
Such a lapse! Too much of a lapse!
Her expression constantly changed with her mood.
But due to the solemnity of the venue, she couldn't speak, so she could only make a mental note of it.
When the ceremony ended, they looked at the two again, and the conversation had already concluded.
Only that man remained in place.
Soi Fon was about to step forward, but the next second, Yoruichi Shihouin suddenly clapped her on the shoulder.
Slap.
Soi Fon, who was engrossed in her own world, was startled by this sudden clap.
Immediately after, she heard good news.
"Congratulations, Soi fon."
"I found you a Zanjutsu teacher."
"If all goes well, he should be able to teach you how to perfectly use your Zanpakuto."
"Hmm?" Soi Fon slightly raised her eyebrows, her eyes filled with disbelief, "Yoruichi-sama, Zanjutsu... teacher?"
She felt like she had misheard.
She had been practising Zanjutsu since she was a child...
What use was a teacher now??
Seemingly noticing the confusion in her eyes, Yoruichi smiled and explained:
"Don't underestimate the profession of a teacher. His help to you will far surpass that of the Second Division."
"You should still remember, not long ago, when you mastered Shikai, the probability of hitting the same spot with your Two-Hit Kill?"
"Because the changed weapon caused all the Zanjutsu techniques you cultivated since childhood to be lost, you need to learn from scratch."
"Moreover, there is no Zanjutsu in the Second Division that primarily uses thrusting as its main attack method..."
"Under normal circumstances, for you to pick all of these up and recover your usual combat power, it would take at least three years or more."
"But with a teacher, you can master it perfectly in at most a month."
"Do you still think it's unnecessary now?"
Upon hearing this, Soi fon's expression changed several times; she felt a bit conflicted, but at the same time, a hint of joy welled up.
The sudden change in her Shikai combat style was indeed a problem she had been worrying about recently.
She had never expected that decades of Zanjutsu techniques would vanish overnight.
Although she had heard of some examples, like someone diligently practising swordsmanship for a hundred years, only to awaken a hammer in the end...
This seemingly amusing incident, once it happened to her, became quite bitter.
Even if it wasn't a hammer, but a weapon like a hidden blade worn on a finger, it still wouldn't work!
—She simply couldn't use it!
Now... hearing Yoruichi-sama bring this up, Soi Fon took a deep breath and asked, "Who is it?"
"Is he a very famous Shinigami?"
Yoruichi chuckled, her posture quite carefree: "It's a secret."
"You'll know when the time comes."
Soi fon nodded, suppressing her curiosity, but her heart was still constantly speculating.
A Shinigami recognised by Yoruichi-sama must be very powerful, right?
Perhaps he uses the same type of weapon as her?
At this moment, she completely overlooked Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Because in her eyes, Tsugikuni Yoriichi was just a Shinigami who was somewhat strong but had a very ordinary combat style.
...
...
Soon after.
The birthday celebration gradually came to an end.
As the crowd dispersed, Yoruichi brought Hisana and Rukia, who had been playing somewhere, to Yoruichi's side.
The two of them held many gifts in their hands, not expensive ones, but mostly girls' toys, like cute dolls...
Faint smiles appeared on their faces, as if they hadn't been so happy in a long time.
When they saw Yoriichi, they ran forward with smiles, telling him what had just happened.
It was only then that Yoriichi remembered that even Hisana, who was over thirty, was still a childish child in front of the hundreds-of-years-old Shinigami.