"Katori-kun, I never expected your cooking to be this good! This is even more delicious than the sukiyaki you get at a restaurant!" Kyōraku Shunsui exclaimed.
"This isn't sukiyaki, it's called 'hot pot'. With sukiyaki, the ingredients are generally simmered together, whereas with hot pot, you cook them as you eat," Sora explained, adding a plate of sliced beef into the pot.
There were many people eating today, and he had gotten back late, so Sora had prepared hot pot and barbecue, which were relatively convenient. However, even a simple meal like hot pot, after being seasoned by Sora, was enough for everyone to feast heartily.
"So it's called 'hot pot'. No wonder it's different. I never thought a tomato-based broth could be so delicious," Shunsui remarked.
"Delicious!" Kana Azashiro's cheeks were puffed out like a hamster hoarding food.
"The swordsmanship exam is over, right? How did you all do?" Batsunsai asked, taking a sip from her wine bowl. The deer antler wine she was drinking was brewed with the antlers of a special, spirit-energy-infused deer and was slightly beneficial for restoring Spiritual Pressure.
Kana held up two fingers. "I made it to the finals and got second place! Shinji made it to the top four. Kensei had it rough though; he ran into Sōjun Kuchiki in the first round. That guy is too strong, he took first place."
"Oh?" Batsunsai was surprised. "I heard from Ayane that many of this year's new students have a very good foundation. It wasn't easy for you to achieve such results."
"That's because those strong opponents probably aren't putting all their energy into swordsmanship..." Shinji Hirako mused. "If you factor in abilities like Shunpo, Hakuda, and Kidō, there would surely be a huge gap."
"That's still very good. I also heard that many of Tokinada Tsunayashiro's students come from families with strong martial traditions," Kyōraku Shunsui said, refilling his empty wine bowl.
"Captain Kyōraku, do you know Professor Tsunayashiro?" Sora's interest was piqued. He had no memory of this man from his past life, but he had a vague feeling that he was not a good person.
"Tokinada Tsunayashiro, huh..." Shunsui brought the bowl to his lips, a reminiscent look on his face. "He was my classmate."
"Professor Tsunayashiro was your classmate?" Sora was surprised. How could someone with that seniority only be a regular Professor now? "But he's a new Professor who just started this year, the same as me."
"Ah, this is good wine," Shunsui said, draining his bowl, his cheeks slightly flushed. "That Tokinada... he was previously confined by his family for wantonly killing commoners in the Rukongai."
"Don't the upper nobility have the right of 'discourtesy kill' over souls in the Rukongai?" Shinji suddenly asked.
"That right can only be exercised when they have been wantonly offended," Shunsui shook his head. "Well, you don't have to think of the Seireitei's rules as being that bad. In reality, the souls in the Rukongai are just ordinary spirits. Why would they actively and without reason offend a noble Soul Reaper?"
"As for Tokinada... that guy claimed an entire street of souls had offended him. He said something like being offended by their gazes also counted, so he cut them all down!"
"What a vile personality..." Sora had had very little contact with Tokinada, but he hadn't expected him to be so deranged.
"He is exactly that vile," Shunsui said, pouring another bowl. "So, Katori-kun, you'll have to be careful from now on."
"Are you saying he might come after me?" Sora was taken aback.
"That guy is extremely petty and holds a grudge over the smallest thing. I heard he's aiming for the position of Head of the Swordsmanship Department. Your disciples' outstanding performance in the exam will very likely affect his chances..." Shunsui's voice turned chilly. "At that time, you and your disciples might just have some 'accidents,' if you know what I mean."
"How dare he do something like that in the academy! Won't the Seireitei do anything about it?" Kensei said indignantly.
"We can't just arrest him now, can we?" Shunsui shook his head. "So you all have to be on your guard!"
"Thank you for the warning, Captain Kyōraku. We will be careful," Sora said seriously.
"I thought the academy was a safe place, but I didn't expect you to be drawn into such a mess," Batsunsai frowned, briefly considering if she should use her temporarily suppressed strength to go and finish off that Tokinada. But that would inevitably provoke a backlash from the Tsunayashiro family. If she were gone, Sora alone would not be able to withstand them.
"Urp—" Shunsui finished another bowl and let out a burp. "Don't worry too much. I've been keeping an eye on him too. I have a feeling he's still up to no good."
...
The following days were the exams for Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo. As Shinji had predicted, the students of Class 1-1 were well-rounded and had good foundations before even enrolling. The students of Class 1-2 hadn't been studying for long and didn't perform well in these exams.
After the exams, there was a two-day holiday.
"Professor, the exams are over! Please teach me a new sword technique!" Kana Azashiro didn't sleep in during the holiday but got up early in the morning. Sora had let his disciples pick out rooms at the dojo so they could stay over when they trained late.
"The process of learning 'Shungeki' was to give you a preliminary grasp of Spiritual Pressure," Sora said with a smile. "Now that you've mastered the basics of it, it's time to learn a new technique. However, the one I'm about to teach you requires even higher control to master. Therefore, it has its own unique training method."
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