Your support on Patreon keeps me inspired and working hard! 🥰
By joining, you'll get access to 10+ advanced chapters and help me continue creating more content.
Check it out here 👉 https://patreon.com/HACKDWORLD
_____________
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Kurotsuki Renya had fully adapted to life and training at the Shin'ĹŤ Academy, settling into his daily routine.
At this moment, Renya was gripping a bamboo shinai, standing alongside the other students of First-Year, Second Class, their movements echoing through the Zanjutsu training hall as they struck in unison.
In the past month, thanks to consistent spiritual food intake, Renya could feel his Reiryoku rising steadily — already approaching the threshold of Fifth-Class spiritual pressure, impressive for his age.
After thirty minutes of relentless drills, sweat dotted his forehead. Their instructor, Tsuruta Hiroshi—a veteran Shinigami specializing in swordsmanship—finally called out,
"That's enough for now. Everyone, you've worked hard. I'll be pairing you for sparring practice."
He began calling out matchups.
"Asanjing Rensuke, you're with Kiriyama Ihei."
"KondĹŤ, you're with Kugo Youmu."
"…Kurotsuki Renya, you'll be sparring with Hinamori Momo."
Renya was small for his age—barely 1.45 meters—making him one of the shortest boys in the class. Hinamori Momo, though also short among the girls at around 1.50 meters, was still older than him.
When their names were called, Renya walked forward, facing her calmly. Hinamori's black hair was tied neatly at the back, her complexion pale, her brown eyes lively and intelligent.
Compared to Renya's focused expression, Hinamori seemed more casual. She clearly regarded him as "just a kid" and didn't appear to take the match seriously.
She smiled warmly.
"Didn't expect you'd be my opponent, Renya. You can have the first strike."
Renya didn't hesitate. His right foot shot forward, the ball of his left heel pivoting as his bamboo blade came down in a fast, precise arc. The strike blurred with speed, aimed straight for her guard.
Bam.
Hinamori barely managed to lift her shinai in time to block, but the impact rattled her arms and nearly tore the weapon from her hands. Before she could fully recover her grip, Renya's shinai tip was already touching the side of her neck.
She blinked in surprise, unable to hide her astonishment. A moment later, her lips curled in a small, rueful smile.
Renya stepped back and bowed slightly.
"Forgive my forwardness."
Hinamori frowned slightly, feeling both embarrassed and intrigued. She had underestimated him badly.
Her cheeks flushed faintly as she took her stance again.
"One more round."
This time her posture was tense, her eyes sharp. She reminded herself—Renya might be younger, but his Reiatsu and technique were no joke.
Renya stepped forward again, using a swift Okuri-ashi footwork, closing the distance in one step. His shinai came down in a controlled overhead cut, twisting his wrists inward to concentrate strength into the blade's tip.
Bam.
The force made her arms tremble again. He's even stronger than before, she thought, gritting her teeth.
Renya immediately withdrew, retreating one step to avoid her possible counterstrike. His reasoning was simple—distance control was as important as offense in Zanjutsu, and withdrawing after a heavy strike forced the opponent to choose between overextending or resetting their stance.
She pressed forward, attempting a strike of her own, but he again gave ground, her blade stopping less than a centimeter from his face. In that same instant, his shinai darted forward and tapped her chest.
It was simple, efficient, and decisive.
Hinamori bit her lip. Too careless again.
"Again."
She came at him a third time, then a fourth, but the result was the same—within ten exchanges, his blade always found its mark. As she grew more familiar with his patterns, she could prolong the bout, but the moment she attempted to attack instead of defend, he punished her openings instantly.
Frustration began to seep into her movements. Sweat trickled down her temple as she finally saw an opening and lunged at his chest.
Renya sidestepped smoothly, pivoting left. His shinai swept toward her neck in a decisive counter.
Her eyes widened. She was too slow to block—unless…
Without thinking, Hinamori let her Reiryoku surge. Her speed spiked, and she caught his strike just in time, the clash knocking his shinai from his hands. She instantly countered, cutting toward his shoulder.
He hadn't expected her to use Reiatsu reinforcement in a spar—there was no time to dodge completely.
Thwack.
Pain shot through his shoulder as the impact crushed bone. His face went pale.
"Ah—!"
Renya dropped to one knee, clutching his shoulder, breathing sharply.
Hinamori's expression froze. She hadn't meant to injure him—it had been an unconscious reaction.
"I—are you alright?!"
She tossed aside her shinai and rushed to him, but before she could reach him, a figure shoved past her.
"Move."
It was Asanjing Rensuke, Renya's closest friend in the class. He knelt immediately, supporting Renya's weight.
"Renya, talk to me. How bad is it?"
Renya's voice was tight with pain.
"Clavicle… broken."
Hinamori's eyes brimmed with guilt.
"I swear I didn't mean to—"
Asanjing glared coldly.
"The instructor clearly said no Reiatsu enhancement during sparring. You expect me to believe that was an accident?"
"It was! I didn't—" she tried to explain, but her voice trembled.
Instructor Tsuruta arrived then, crouching beside Renya. His experienced hands probed the injury, earning a pained hiss from the boy.
"Clavicle fracture, shoulder bone damage. Not life-threatening, but serious enough."
Asanjing's jaw tightened.
"What do we do?"
"The Fourth Division has a special training detachment stationed here," Tsuruta replied calmly. "Their medical officers can handle injuries like this. Rensuke, go fetch them immediately."
"Understood."
Without another word, Asanjing sprinted toward the medical training wing, leaving Hinamori kneeling beside Renya, her expression a mix of worry and regret.
________________
Enjoying the chapters?
Support me on Patreon to unlock early access—we're currently at Chapter 20, with 5 new chapters released every two days. I'll also be uploading advanced 30+ chapters soon.
Prefer a one-time purchase? You can get lifetime access to the full fanfic collection on Patreon—no subscription required.
Don't miss out—own the complete journey and support its creation!
đź”— patreon.com/HACKDWORLD