"Professor, I'm coming in!"
Kana Azashiro's voice rang out from the courtyard.
Sora peeked out and saw Kana climbing over the courtyard wall again.
"The dojo has a front gate," Sora reminded her.
"Professor, what are we eating today... I mean... what are we practicing today?" Kana asked, flipping down from the wall and immediately asking about her primary concern.
"You still need to polish your fundamentals and do some targeted training," Sora said.
"But... I've already learned the stances and footwork. Do I still have to practice those?" Kana asked, waving her hands and mimicking the sword technique Professor Katori had demonstrated in class. "When can I learn sword techniques?"
"The technique I used in class is called 'Shungeki.' I will teach it to you, but your foundation needs more work. Otherwise, even if you learn the technique, it will be all form and no substance, and you won't be able to unleash its true power," Sora explained.
In fact, he was facing this issue himself. His Shunpo skill was insufficient to fully utilize his Grandmaster-level 'Shunpo Iaijutsu.'
"Then how should I practice?" Kana asked curiously.
"We'll need some auxiliary tools." Sora led Kana to the warehouse to retrieve the training equipment. The warehouse was in the room to the left of the kitchen.
When Sora pulled the door open, a layer of dust fell from the doorframe. He had been focusing on his sword techniques lately and hadn't been here in quite some time, so a lot of dust had accumulated. The warehouse was cluttered with many items, some of them older than the history of the Gotei 13 itself.
"This place hasn't been cleaned in a while. I need to find where the 'Marlins' are. I remember they were over here..." Sora said, feeling a headache coming on as he looked at the mess.
Fortunately, he remembered correctly and soon found what he was looking for.
"Why are these wooden swords so big?" Kana was shocked. This row of wooden swords was exceptionally wide and thick, varying in size, with some even taller than her.
"These 'Marlins' are not ordinary wooden swords. Try holding one," Sora said, pulling out a sword with a ten-centimeter-wide blade that looked more like a large cleaver. These wooden swords were called "Marlins" because when laid horizontally, their shape resembled that of a marlin.
"What's so special about them... It's so heavy!!!" Kana took the wooden sword with one hand, only to find it much heavier than she expected. She quickly used her other hand to support it but still couldn't lift it. Her center of gravity shifted, and she started to fall towards Sora.
With quick reflexes, Sora reached out and pressed against her forehead before she could fall on him, holding her steady.
Kana froze in a strange posture, her hands clutching the heavy wooden sword, her body bent at a sixty-degree angle, as if she were bowing. "So heavy!" she wailed.
"You can let go," Sora said helplessly, realizing his disciple could be a bit dense.
"Oh, right!" Kana finally realized and let go, allowing the sword to fall to the floor with a heavy THUD that shook dust from the ceiling.
"Cough, cough—" Kana stood up, covering her mouth and nose. "That's definitely not a wooden sword!"
"Indeed, it's not. It just looks like wood. It's made of a special composite material," Sora said, picking up the Marlin with one hand, leaving Kana dumbfounded.
"Professor, are you that strong?" she said in disbelief. "To hold it with just one hand!"
"'Marlins' are used for practicing suburi," Sora said, swinging it. "Its material is special. When you infuse it with Spiritual Pressure, its weight becomes lighter."
"I see. Let me try," Kana said, taking the Marlin from Sora again. After infusing it with Spiritual Pressure, she found that she could indeed lift it.
"Take this 'Marlin' to the dojo. From now on, you will use it for your suburi practice. You need to practice for one hour today," Sora reminded her. "Don't think it's easy. You'll need to maintain a constant infusion of Spiritual Pressure to swing it."
Many Katori Style techniques required condensing Spiritual Pressure onto the blade, and practicing suburi with the Marlins would naturally teach the necessary skills.
Kana had yet to realize what was in store for her. She thought it would be easy. What was so hard about practicing suburi? Once she finished, she could freeload a meal here! She was already mentally looking forward to what delicious food she would get to eat tonight.
...
"Hah... Professor... hah... is it... an hour... yet?" Kana Azashiro panted.
Kana's face was flushed red, and her forehead was covered in beads of sweat. The sweat constantly trickled down her fair, youthful skin, disappearing into the collar of her white top. Her simple white crossover top was already soaked with perspiration, and the damp fabric clung to her, offering faint glimpses of the skin underneath.
"Not even close. Only 20 minutes have passed~" Sora's smile was bright. He had suffered plenty from Marlin suburi when he was building his foundation, and now it was his disciple's turn.
Ordinary suburi was nothing for a Soul Reaper's body, but using a Marlin required a continuous infusion of Spiritual Pressure to swing it, which was very draining. If one didn't carefully manage their energy, they wouldn't last long. Kana had fallen into this exact predicament. When she first started, she didn't take it seriously and didn't pay attention to rationing her energy. By the time she realized her mistake, it was too late. She could only try to reduce her Spiritual Pressure input, which made the Marlin much heavier, but this, in turn, greatly increased the strain on her stamina.
"What??? Only 20 minutes? It feels like a whole day has passed!" Kana shouted, her speech suddenly becoming fluent again as she got worked up.
"Just hold on a little longer. I've already started the rice. Once it's cooked, I'll start stir-frying the dishes," Sora encouraged her. "If you don't meet the standard, you don't get to eat~"
At this moment, Sora was wearing a pair of special leg guards he had found in the warehouse, made of a material similar to the Marlins. They were used to train Spiritual Pressure control in the legs, which would help improve his Shunpo skill.
Hearing about food, Kana found new strength in her hands: "I'll do my best!"
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