Ayane Kotetsu knelt before the tea table, boiling water and washing the tea leaves with fluid, graceful movements that were a pleasure to watch. She poured the brewed tea into a sharing pitcher to even out the flavor, then distributed it into two cups: "Katori-kun, please have some tea."
"Thank you," Sora said, accepting the cup.
Isane Kotetsu entered the tea room with a plate of sliced fruits, placed it in front of Sora, and then sat down beside her mother.
"Katori-kun, this is my daughter, Isane, whom I wanted you to instruct. She is now at an age where she should be building her foundation. I hope you can help her with that," Ayane said with a smile. Sora had come today because Ayane had invited him to be Isane's private tutor.
"Please rest assured, Headmaster Kotetsu. I will guide Isane well," Sora said, first smelling the aroma of the tea before savoring its taste. Isane was an excellent candidate for a disciple, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. Although he had no disciple slots available at the moment, he could build a good relationship with her now and take her on later.
"Isane, from now on, you will be training with Professor Katori," Ayane said.
Isane was a bit reserved. She quickly stood up and bowed, "Professor Katori, please take good care of me."
"There's no need for such formality, Isane. I will help you build a solid foundation," Sora said with a smile.
"Katori-kun, you are now teaching Professor Murata's class and the advanced swordsmanship course. Your duties are heavy. If I weren't so unskilled at teaching swordsmanship, I really wouldn't want to trouble you," Ayane said.
"The Katori Dojo has reopened now. I have three students with excellent talent in my class, so I've taken them as my disciples. Teaching one more, Isane, is not a problem," Sora said.
"Three students with excellent talent? I remember that the students in your class are mostly from the Rukongai, right?" Ayane was surprised.
"One is from the Azashiro family. The other two disciples are from the Rukongai," Sora said.
"That's wonderful news. The Katori Dojo is getting some fresh blood," Ayane said, then added thoughtfully, "In that case, you might have a chance to compete for the position of Head of the Swordsmanship Department. Head Ashido will be returning to his squad soon for the Hueco Mundo expedition. At that time, the position will be vacant."
"Head of the Swordsmanship Department? I've heard about that, but I'm just a newly hired Professor. Am I qualified to compete?" Sora asked.
Ayane said, "The Head of the Department is also responsible for the advanced course, so a Professor with good results will be chosen. After Ashido returns, the most qualified person would be Professor Murata, but he is old and has fallen ill. Given his current health, he will probably have to retire soon."
"Professor Tanuki has rich teaching experience, but he is a bit lazy and his teaching ability is somewhat lacking. He is not quite up to the task," she continued. "So, in reality, your only competitor is Professor Tsunayashiro, who also just joined this year."
"If the students in your class can achieve good results in this year's and next year's assessments, and if the graduating class you've taken over also performs well, it will be very helpful for your bid."
Sora asked, "Is the evaluation standard based on the overall student results, or the results of the top-ranking students?"
Ayane said, "Both the overall class results and the individual student rankings will be included, but the latter has a higher weight." The academy was a place for training Shinigami, so it placed more emphasis on the cultivation of high-end combat power.
Sora thought for a moment. If individual student performance was more important, then he had a good chance of winning. He had great confidence in his three disciples. Although Professor Tsunayashiro's class was full of students from the Seireitei, his three were exceptionally talented and, under his guidance, should be able to stand out.
After chatting for a while, Sora began to guide Isane in her basic training in the courtyard. He found that her personality was very different from his other disciples; she was more reserved and serious, following his instructions to the letter and rarely asking questions. Ayane did not disturb them and instead went to cook, having invited Sora over to thank him with a meal.
...
The next day, Sora had to teach the advanced swordsmanship class.
"Student Shihōin, I didn't expect you to be interested in the way of the sword," Sora said, surprised to see Yoruichi there.
"Not really. I'm not actually interested in swordsmanship, but if I went to the advanced Shunpo or Hakuda classes, it would just be a waste of time," Yoruichi shrugged. "I just chose the least boring advanced course among swordsmanship, Kidō, and Kaidō." Yoruichi had great talent in Shunpo and Hakuda and was already at a level surpassing ordinary squad members, so those classes were of no use to her.
"Student Shihōin is really direct. To say 'I'm not interested in swordsmanship' in front of the swordsmanship instructor," Sora said with a slight smile.
"Although I'm not very interested, I'll learn it properly. After all, as a Soul Reaper, the Zanpakutō is still quite important," Yoruichi said with a wave of her hand. Hearing her words, Sora couldn't help but remember that he had no impression of her future Zanpakutō at all. The future "Flash Goddess Yoruichi" completely abandoned it in her fighting style.
There were fifteen students in this year's advanced class, and all had arrived.
"Hello everyone. Some of you have already met me, but there are still some who are taking my class for the first time. First, let me introduce myself..." Sora began, as this was his first time teaching the course. After his introduction, he assessed the students' swordsmanship level, mainly to see if they had mastered Spiritual Pressure control in combat.
After a round of assessment, he found that only one-third of the students had preliminarily mastered the technique. Sora then began to teach them separately. Those who had not yet learned it would continue to train in it, while the others would have their mistakes and shortcomings corrected in sparring sessions.
[Completed Advanced Swordsmanship Class lesson. Reward settlement.]
[Reward obtained: 100 Zanjutsu experience points.]
[First time completing an Advanced Swordsmanship Class lesson. Obtained extra reward.]
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