"Brilliant!"
Even the instructor watching from the sidelines exclaimed in admiration.
Yoruichi's response was textbook perfection. When she had been pinned to the floor, the only way to turn the situation around was ground fighting—and she had actually seized that tiny opening!
Her movements were lightning-fast. With a burst of force from her legs, she clamped onto Kurosaki Rei, then wrapped around him like supple vines.
Kurosaki Rei's gaze sharpened.
He hadn't been careless—but this move truly caught one of his openings. Among all types of opponents, the ones he found most troublesome were those skilled in grappling.
Back in his original world, he had defeated several experts in that field. But that wasn't because grappling was weak—it was because his raw strength vastly exceeded theirs, allowing him to overpower finesse with brute force.
This time, however, the situation was different.
Yoruichi's spiritual body strength was currently on par with his. In truth, she should have been even stronger. He no longer had the advantage of simply crushing everything with overwhelming power. If he got locked down, the loser would be him.
In a split second—almost purely instinctive—Kurosaki Rei suddenly leapt backward into a backflip.
The pair of long legs that had been wrapping toward his neck stalled for an instant, and the situation reversed once again.
If Yoruichi didn't adjust her posture, her head would smash into the floor first.
But if she did adjust—she couldn't complete the lock.
That single moment of hesitation decided the outcome.
No one expected this.
Mid-air, Kurosaki Rei planted a hand on the ground. There was no collision as Yoruichi had anticipated. The instant she adjusted her posture, Kurosaki Rei changed his move—driving his waist and shoulders, he flung her away.
Before Yoruichi could even get up, a straight punch stopped just inches from her face.
The gust of wind lifted her bangs. Sweat slid down into her amber eyes, the shock within them still un-faded.
From a half-kneeling stance, Kurosaki Rei slowly rose.
"Thank you for the lesson."
Pulling his punch at the final moment wasn't an act of gallantry. He simply remembered his spar with Instructor Fujimoto—if that punch had truly landed, the one who would've been injured probably wouldn't have been Yoruichi… but him.
The dōjō fell deathly silent.
After several breaths, sharp inhales echoed one after another.
"The demon girl… lost!?"
"Shihōin clan Hakuda… lost to a transfer student?"
"Isn't Yoruichi the Shihōin family's prodigy? How could she lose…"
"I remember… she even beat instructors in Hakuda sparring, didn't she?"
"..."
Amid the uproar, Aizen stood expressionless.
But his inner world was anything but calm. His eyes followed Kurosaki Rei's retreating figure closely.
He beat Shihōin Yoruichi…
Even in Hakuda, he's this terrifying?
Just what is there that you're not good at?
"You really never learned Hakuda?"
After getting up, Yoruichi looked at Kurosaki Rei with a complicated expression. From the surrounding discussions, she had already pieced together his background—this guy had only recently been a vagrant from Rukongai.
"No one in Rukongai teaches Hakuda," Kurosaki Rei explained. "I just figured out some unarmed techniques on my own."
Naturally, he couldn't expose his identity as someone from another world, so he could only brush it off vaguely.
Besides, if he wanted to graduate early, he couldn't afford to hide his abilities like Aizen did. He had to shine as brightly as possible to achieve the unprecedented feat of early graduation.
"Hmph. Don't get cocky. I was careless at the start. Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
Yoruichi snorted coldly. She clearly didn't fully believe his explanation. To her, Kurosaki Rei's style—though wild and instinctive—had structure. This was someone who had definitely undergone systematic training.
Seeing her expression, Kurosaki Rei couldn't help but smile.
So even the mature, teasing Yoruichi from the original story had such a girlish phase. Like a stubborn kid.
"Let's talk after you win," he said lightly.
Then he turned toward Aizen. "Sōsuke, want to spar?"
Watching Kurosaki Rei's back, Yoruichi ground her teeth.
Yes, she had underestimated him at the start—but she couldn't honestly say that going all out from the beginning would guarantee her victory either. This transfer student truly was a Hakuda expert.
She had never lost to anyone in Hakuda in her life.
No—she had to win.
Not for the honor of the Shihōin clan—she just couldn't swallow this humiliation.
Thinking of Kurosaki Rei's ruthless attacks aimed at the lower body, she clenched her teeth even harder, vowing that next time she would kick his balls into oblivion.
Meanwhile, Kurosaki Rei—now sparring with Aizen—suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His movements slowed by half a beat, and Aizen's casual punch landed on his chest.
Aizen glanced at him in mild confusion.
Is Rei-kun… holding back to spare my feelings?
For the remainder of the class, Kurosaki Rei sparred with Aizen. Aizen, in turn, humbly asked many questions about Hakuda.
Of course, Kurosaki Rei didn't actually know this world's Hakuda. He simply taught Aizen some practical close-combat techniques based on his own understanding. But Aizen's performance during sparring remained unremarkable, making it hard for Kurosaki Rei to tell whether he'd actually learned anything.
Several times, Kurosaki Rei almost couldn't resist asking:
Isn't it exhausting to pretend like this? Can you just fight properly already?
"Rei-kun might make a good teacher," Aizen said after class, smiling. "I gained a lot today."
He truly had gained quite a bit—he just hadn't shown it during sparring.
Kurosaki Rei's unconventional, free-form combat thinking was something he felt he absolutely needed to learn. It might prove extremely useful for his future plans.
"Oh, right," Aizen added. "Rei-kun, have you ever studied Kidō?"
The next class was Kidō.
...
Kurosaki Rei looked at the towering middle-aged man before him—wearing reflective glasses, sporting a bizarre horn-like hairstyle, and dressed in a deep blue robe—and felt once again how marvelous this world was.
Good grief… isn't that Tessai Tsukabishi?
And at this point in time, he was still teaching at the Shin'ō Academy?
"Rei-kun, you really shouldn't zone out in this class," Aizen reminded him. "Instructor Tsukabishi is the Grand Kidō Chief. He only teaches at the academy for one month each year."
Kurosaki Rei inwardly marveled.
Who would've thought that the uncle who'd later work part-time at Urahara's shop was already the Grand Kidō Chief at this age?
Judging from the students' reverent posture—backs straight, expressions solemn, afraid of missing even a scrap of "Kidō truth"—it was obvious just how esteemed Tessai Tsukabishi was.
"I heard there's a transfer student today," Tessai said, his voice booming. "I'll start by briefly explaining the fundamentals of Kidō. Those who've heard this before needn't be disappointed—truth often lies hidden within the basics…"
As he spoke, Tessai's gaze paused on Kurosaki Rei for an instant. Clearly, despite it being Kurosaki Rei's first day, he had already become something of a celebrity within the academy.
None of the students showed impatience. They listened attentively as Tessai explained the basics.
Kurosaki Rei listened with keen interest as well.
This was his first real exposure to supernatural abilities. Though he was a fanatic for martial combat, he wasn't uninterested in Kidō. If used well, it could be incredibly effective in battle.
This oddly dressed uncle turned out to be an excellent teacher. Through clear, step-by-step explanations, Kurosaki Rei quickly grasped what Kidō was.
First, Kidō was divided into three types: Hadō, Bakudō, and Kaidō.
In simple terms, Kidō used incantations to guide and shape the spiritual power within one's body, forming various spells.
Incantations weren't strictly required. Their main purpose was to act like a mold—helping Shinigami "shape" the Kidō. With enough mastery, one could abandon incantations and cast instantly.
However, most Shinigami lacked the control to do this. Even talented ones could only omit incantations for low-level Kidō. Only those with absurdly high Kidō aptitude could do so for advanced spells.
For example—
The seemingly harmless student sitting next to him: Aizen Sōsuke.
"Student Aizen," Tessai said as the lesson drew to a close, "you seem to be on good terms with the new student. You'll guide him in casting low-level Kidō."
Aizen didn't seem surprised.
He had concealed his abilities in every class, but even so, his Kidō grades ranked near the top.
And he was very curious—
Just how strong was Kurosaki Rei's Kidō aptitude?
Now, he could test it personally.