Chapter 10: The Mushroom Girl of the Inner World
Fifth Division, Reiryoku Recovery Room.
The polished floor shone like a mirror, reflecting the physical appearance of the person sitting cross-legged on it.
Sōma held a calligraphy copybook, staring at the painting-like characters for a while before closing his eyes.
The copybook was written by his own hand.
Before each use of the Reiryoku Recovery Room, without any hesitation, he would write the first character following his intuition.
Then, with complete focus, he would visualize in his mind the object depicted by the character.
Doing this with the determination to "make it real."
Without the slightest wavering.
Shiba Ganju had said that imagination is the fundamental key to Kidō.
And Michibane Aura had demonstrated through practical action that the manipulation of spiritual particles and souls is the essence of Kidō.
Therefore, one could draw a conclusion.
The so-called Shinigami's Kidō is using personal will to command one's own soul and spiritual particles, thereby creating various spiritual particle phenomena as incredible as supernatural occurrences.
So where should the focus of training lie? The answer was already clear.
Sōma's training covered everything.
―Relying on instinct to write characters, then gazing at them, was an attempt to activate instinct and resonate with it.
―Visualizing the objects represented by the formed characters in his mind was comprehensive mental training.
―Prolonged visualization, while seemingly to improve concentration, was actually about self-mastery, making it easier to "command the soul (oneself)."
―Then, the mental energy consumed in this process tested personal will.
Even the only aspect not directly involved—"manipulation of spiritual particles"—wasn't neglected either.
The environment of the Reiryoku Recovery Room was miraculous. Inside, it felt as if invisible power permeated the air, seeping into the body.
Not only did it alleviate the physical burden of mental energy consumption, but it also quickly restored spiritual energy during the tedious ordeal, allowing training to continue for extended periods.
It also seemed to create a chain reaction affecting Reiatsu, activating it on the body's surface as if ready to respond to its master's will at any moment, materializing objects along with visualization.
It closely resembled the preparatory steps for activating Kidō.
Only missing the incantations and catalysts to make it real.
One could easily imagine.
When body and mind adapt to and remember this feeling.
Performing Kidō would definitely become very smooth.
Just like the demeanor only an expert would possess.
"Giving non-geniuses the hope of becoming strong—this hope is what maintains the emotional stability of squad members."
From this statement, it was clear Aizen hadn't been speaking idly.
The secrets he taught had such effects.
Worth mentioning.
The simplified and improved version of this technique was also recorded in the sixth-year textbook of Shin'ō Academy, regarded by Ise Nanao as the timeless truth of Kidō.
After all, without the Reiryoku Recovery Room, this kind of training would only harm oneself, completely not worth the cost.
Due to deficiencies in instinct or calligraphy talent, even most Fifth Division members used the further simplified version.
...
The white sky appeared particularly turbid, like stirred concrete.
Sōma blinked, shifting his gaze from the sky to the ground.
The earth was dry and cracked, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Countless cap-shaped... that is, mushroom-shaped wonderful things stood unevenly like trees and flowers, growing in profusion.
Sōma felt somewhat uncomfortable. If this were a painting, it would be quite eerie—only mushrooms covering mountains and fields, with the turbid white background, monotonous yet tinged with strangeness.
Especially since it was so deathly silent.
No wind, no insects—a completely lifeless land, as if all vitality here had been drained by the mushroom-shaped creation. Even so, that creation itself lacked any vigor, clearly a withered, dead object.
Sōma slowly remembered.
He had been training, but suddenly found himself here.
In...
His inner world.
"You don't seem very happy... Well, the scenery here isn't particularly beautiful."
The clear voice was momentarily indistinguishable in gender, instead evoking the image of a naturally proud, crying hawk in an instant.
And indeed, this voice came from the sky.
Sōma lightly lifted his gaze. From the previously dizzying, turbid sky, a figure slowly descended.
Flowing long hair, wrapped in a white mottled cloak, with an unusually large mushroom cap on the head—unclear whether it was a hat or growing from the scalp.
High-concentration spiritual particle blue light filled the interior of the cap and the inner side of the cloak.
The black hair was streaked with blue highlights, and a sapphire-like core hub was embedded in the chest.
A pair of brilliant blue eyes shone far more noticeably than the delicate feminine appearance.
Beneath the cloak, the legs were clad in black long boots, contrasting with snow-white skin.
A section of the calves was exposed, with faint blue patterns visible.
This woman, with an extremely peculiar yet beautiful appearance, wore a haughty smile as she hovered mid-air, looking down at Sōma.
Her posture was more like the master of this world.
...No, to be precise, a "god."
"I've never thought of myself as particularly beautiful, nor am I unhappy. I don't care what my inner world looks like. Given my circumstances, no matter how bizarre it is, it wouldn't be surprising."
Sōma showed no trace of surprise, speaking as if in front of an acquaintance, stating the obvious.
"But I am very unhappy, trapped in such a world, unable to leave even if I wanted to."
The mushroom woman tilted her head, her smile not revealing any anger.
"Do you really want to leave?"
"Of course, who would want to be trapped in such a world?"
"I've heard that powerful Zanpakutō view their masters as restraints. Are you that type?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you're not."
"Not?"
"Not."
Sōma's firm response made the mushroom woman's smile exceptionally radiant. She spun and danced in the air, finally descending like cherry blossoms before her master.
The distance between them was less than a meter, their gazes intersecting, with only each other's figures in their eyes—the world itself seemed superfluous.
"Zanpakutō are the master's power. There are only fools swallowed by desire, no masters abandoned by their Zanpakutō. I once wavered between these notions, but now you've made the choice for me."
The mushroom woman whispered softly.
Sōma frowned in dissatisfaction.
"I don't like hearing that. It makes it sound like I was a fool on the verge of being swallowed by desire until now."
"Weren't you?"
"No."
"Hahaha~ Indeed not. Far from being describable by mere 'desire,' that's the equanimity possessed from a perspective surpassing even that of a god."
"What's wrong with equanimity?"
"Nothing at all. Even if there were originally issues, as long as I'm here, they will cease to exist."
The mushroom girl leaned in, pressing her forehead against Sōma's, enveloping his figure beneath her expansive cap as if the two had merged into one.
"Conversely, to wield me requires this state of ordinary calm."
"So when calling upon me, speak softly—just as now, whispering to the other self within your heart."
"Then I shall become you, and you shall become me. Together, we will... eradicate every unpleasant thing outside, leaving not a single trace...!"
As her words faded, Sōma's vision blurred, and he abruptly returned to reality.
Inside the Spiritual Power Recovery Room, everything remained unchanged, yet the mushroom girl's violently clear voice still echoed in his ears.
"..."
Sōma glanced down at the Asauchi at his waist.
It had undergone subtle changes since he first received it.
The hilt had turned blue, the guard now a perfect square reminiscent of the mushroom girl's cap.
He slowly drew the blade, gazing at its gleaming edge as his lips twitched with an irrepressible urge.
But Sōma restrained the impulse.
He had a clear premonition—if he uttered the release command here, not only this recovery room but the surrounding buildings might instantly turn to dust.
"Shirogane-kun, is your training complete? It's time for dinner."
A clear-voiced young woman appeared before him.
Her identity was unmistakable from the Lieutenant badge on her shoulder.
This was Hinamori Momo, Lieutenant of the 5th Division.
Due to frequent use of the recovery room—and even borrowing Aizen himself on occasion—Sōma and Ichigo had inevitably become acquainted with this Lieutenant.
Their relationship had gradually deepened over time.
Sōma could sense the genuineness in her smile had grown compared to their initial meetings.
She'd even come to notify him about meals like this.
"Captain Aizen's methods place great strain on the body. Please don't push yourself too hard. With Shirogane-kun's perseverance, you'll surely catch up to me in a few years."
Whether Momo's words were meant as encouragement or boasting remained unclear, but they carried a warmth that made even her pride in current Kidō mastery feel unoffensive—more like a young girl's innocent delight.
"Though demanding, one must admit this is precisely what makes him our teacher."
Sōma paid it no mind, lifting his Zanpakutō meaningfully.
"He claimed calligraphy study could aid both Kidō and sword meditation, but I never expected results this quickly."
"..."
Momo stared blankly. With her excellent memory, she clearly recalled—despite only glimpsing it briefly—that Sōma's sword hadn't originally looked like this.
This transformation could only mean one thing.
"Shirogane-kun... have you achieved Shikai?"
"Indeed, somewhat faster than I anticipated. I thought it would take several more months of grinding."
"..."
Even taking several more months would have been astonishingly fast.
Since Shin'ō Academy's founding, how many had achieved Zanpakutō release during their first year?
At this efficiency and Reiatsu level, he might even touch the ultimate Zanpakutō technique—Bankai—before graduation!
"Now I understand Captain Aizen's perspective. Such talent truly can't be left unattended..."
Momo watched the imposing young man with both admiration and frustration.