Watching the scene between Fujiwara Tatsuma, Hanako, and Oki, Fūjin Taichi suddenly remembered a story that had long circulated around the academy—a rather famous love triangle.
The protagonists were three sixth-year students at the Shin'ō Academy:
Shūhei Hisagi, the male lead
A supporting rival named Aoga.
And the heroine, Kanisawa Hotaru
According to rumor, the heroine had always admired Hisagi, the man known as the strongest of his class.
But Hisagi's heart wasn't in romance.
All he cared about was joining the 9th Division of the Gotei 13, serving the captain who had once saved his life—
Kensei Muguruma.
As for Aoga, he had secretly loved the girl for years.
He originally possessed great talent in medical studies, but for the sake of the girl he admired, he began training relentlessly in swordsmanship and Hakuda.
Unfortunately…
When flowers fall with affection, the flowing water rarely returns the feeling.
Kanisawa Hotaru loved Hisagi and no one else.
No matter how hard Aoga tried to please her, the most he ever received in return was a polite smile.
Nothing more.
As Taichi thought about the story, a sudden realization struck him.
Wait a second…
Isn't this exactly like the situation between me, Hoko, and Kibune Makoto?
Dammit!
And I still had the nerve to laugh at other people?!
Turns out I'm the clown here too!
"Whoosh!"
Cold sweat instantly drenched Taichi's back.
He didn't even bother wiping it away.
In a hurry, he bid farewell to Fujiwara and the others before rushing off.
But he didn't head back to the dormitories.
Instead, he followed the path along Mirror Lake and returned to Dojo No. 34.
Inside the dark dojo, Taichi lit an oil lamp.
Under the dim yellow glow, he gripped his Asauchi and began swinging again.
Over and over.
Again and again.
He practiced the Heavenly No-Mind One-Sword Style taught by the mysterious woman in red—relentlessly, obsessively.
Until finally, his body gave out and he collapsed unconscious on the floor.
...
Hiss—
No one knew how much time had passed.
Suddenly, the temperature around him skyrocketed.
It felt as if he had fallen straight into a volcanic hell, surrounded by rivers of molten lava.
"…Wait."
Taichi gripped his sword with both hands, staring in shock.
"This… is supposed to be my Jinzen space?"
He stood on a barren island, where not a single blade of grass grew.
Above him hung a blazing sun in a cloudless sky.
The ocean surrounding the island had turned into an endless sea of boiling magma.
Under violent winds, waves of molten lava crashed against jagged black reefs, roaring like furious beasts.
The air itself was suffocating.
Thick.
Hot.
Like breathing in boiling water.
The ground beneath his feet was so heated by the sun that stepping barefoot on it left trails of white smoke.
Taichi wiped sweat from his face and muttered hoarsely,
"Can someone please tell me…"
"Is this the afterlife, or is it my Jinzen space?"
The deserted island offered no answer.
The woman in red was nowhere to be seen.
Yet as Taichi stared at the crimson magma churning below the cliffs, a strange thought crossed his mind.
"…Is that you, Akainu?"
A voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Not quite… My name is…"
It was the voice of the woman in red.
It sounded close.
Yet distant.
Floating in the air like a whisper carried by the wind.
"Quit playing mysterious games," Taichi said, raising his voice over the thunderous roar of the magma.
"Just tell me your real name already!"
His voice wasn't loud.
Amid the roaring winds and rumbling earth, it was almost impossible to hear.
Yet the other party heard him clearly.
"My name is…"
"Did you leave your vocal cords at home or something?" Taichi snapped. "If you're announcing your name, say it louder!"
Now that his suspicions had been confirmed, Taichi pressed forward relentlessly.
For some reason, he had the strange feeling that today was the day.
"My name is…"
The woman began again.
But when it came to the name itself—
The sound vanished.
It was as if she had spoken.
And yet, at the same time… as if she hadn't said anything at all.
Still, Taichi seemed to understand something.
He slowly turned around.
Behind him stood the woman in red.
Completely silent.
Taichi looked at her calmly and said,
"The storm clouds in the sky are gone. The sea has receded."
"So… it's about time you told me your true name, isn't it?"
"Taichi."
The woman in red didn't even look at him. Her voice was cold.
"Are you really prepared?"
"Prepared for what?"
"I can feel it…"
She turned slowly and fixed her gaze on him.
"Within the Seireitei, there exists an ancient and terrifying Zanpakutō… one that has been suppressing me all this time."
"An ancient and terrifying Zanpakutō?"
Taichi frowned, completely baffled.
"What's it called? And who's its wielder?"
"The blade is called Ryūjin Jakka."
"And its master is the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13—
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto."
"Ryūjin Jakka?!"
Taichi's eyes widened.
"The so-called strongest fire-type Zanpakutō?!"
Realization hit him immediately.
So that's why I couldn't hear my Zanpakutō's voice…
That old geezer Yamamoto was suppressing it from afar!
Dammit!
"So… it's the strongest fire-type, huh…"
The woman in red suddenly raised her hand and grabbed Taichi's Asauchi tightly.
A fierce battle spirit ignited in her emerald eyes.
Then she stared at him seriously.
"Taichi, the reason you couldn't hear my name before… is because my power is simply too great."
"To be precise…"
"I possess two attributes at once."
"Wind… and fire."
"But unfortunately, your current self can't handle both."
"Oh really?" Taichi snorted. "Then what's the point of telling me all that?"
"I can seal part of my power," she continued calmly, ignoring his sarcasm.
"By temporarily separating half of my strength…"
She looked straight into his eyes.
"…you'll be able to release a portion of my power by calling my name."
"I see."
Taichi didn't hesitate.
"Then I choose fire."
The decision came instantly.
After all, he had once read in the records of the Great Archive that Ryūjin Jakka—as a fire-type Zanpakutō—was monstrously powerful.
Absolutely ridiculous levels of destructive power.
"If that's your choice… so be it."
The woman's grip on the blade tightened.
Her green eyes now glowed with blazing light.
"Then… do you wish to know my name?"
"Obviously!" Taichi grumbled. "If I didn't want to know your name, why would I be standing here talking with you like this?"
Muttering under his breath, he suddenly recalled a list he had once seen in the academy's records.
"As far as I know," he said casually, "besides Ryūjin Jakka and other fire-types, there are all kinds of Zanpakutō in the Soul Society."
"Like the illusion-type Kyōka Suigetsu…
the poison-type Ashisogi Jizō…
the ice-type Hyorinmaru…
the water-type Nejibana…
the snow-type Sode no Shirayuki…
the petal-type Senbonzakura…
the summoning-type Tenken…
the sound-type Suzumushi…
the versatile Benihime…
and the totally overpowered Zangetsu…"
"Zangetsu?"
"Yeah. The name came from some ridiculous novel called Windblade Chronicle. I found it in the academy library."
Taichi was just about to launch into the bizarre story he'd read—
"Shut up already!"
The woman in red suddenly tightened her grip on the Asauchi.
Blood seeped between her fingers, dripping down the blade.
The steel slowly turned crimson red.
"Hey—what are you doing?!"
"Enough nonsense!"
Her voice sharpened.
"Call my name. Now."
The blood had already spread across the entire blade.
At that exact moment—
A surge of electricity seemed to race through Taichi's entire body.
His muscles trembled.
His teeth chattered.
Yet he still shouted the name at the top of his lungs.
"Burn the Eight Desolations, Kyūjūkyū!"
Clang—!
A phoenix of blazing orange flames erupted skyward.
The scorching air was instantly purified.
Thunder faded.
The raging magma calmed.
The once barren island—once filled with broken swords and rusted blades—transformed in an instant.
Lush crabapple trees burst forth across the land.
Green grass spread beneath them like a carpet.
Wildflowers bloomed everywhere.
Among the broad green leaves hung clusters of delicate crabapple blossoms, shaped like tiny trumpets.
A gentle breeze passed through.
Their fragrance filled the air—
fresh, sweet, and utterly intoxicating.
...
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