"Huh? Why?"
Kurosaki Rei asked. After spending two days with Aizen, if nothing else, having him around as a Shinigami encyclopedia had been incredibly convenient. And now they were splitting up.
"The first class this afternoon is an elective," Aizen explained. "I chose calligraphy. Rei-kun, didn't you want to study Kaidō? The two classes happen to be at the same time."
Only then did Kurosaki Rei notice that Aizen had been carrying a small bag all day—it held his calligraphy tools.
"Who's teaching Kaidō today?"
Kurosaki Rei asked, consulting the Aizen-brand encyclopedia out of habit.
"Rei-kun…"
Aizen looked a little helpless. "I don't know everything, you know. The elective instructors are always changing—basically whoever has time comes to teach. How would I know who it is today?"
"Oh, I see. That's fine—once class starts, I'll find out."
Kurosaki Rei stood up and rubbed his stomach. "I won't go back to the dorm at noon. I want to get a better feel for Shunpo."
Watching Kurosaki Rei's retreating back, Aizen muttered to himself. He'd always thought he was already hardworking enough—who would've thought his roommate was just as much of a grinder?
The only difference was that Aizen grinded in secret, while Kurosaki Rei did it openly.
...
"We meet again. Are you adjusting well to life at the Academy?"
A gentle, pleasant voice drifted down from the podium. The owner of that voice was smiling warmly at Kurosaki Rei.
Kurosaki Rei glanced at the 'Luck: 1' stat on his personal interface and wondered—did he count as someone with good luck?
He had just wanted to learn Kaidō, and the substitute instructor for this class turned out to be the absolute pinnacle of the field.
"That's all thanks to Captain Unohana. Otherwise, I'd still be starving in Rukongai. The Academy's food is great."
Kurosaki Rei spoke sincerely. Without Unohana, even if he could've entered Seireitei, getting into the Shin'ō Academy would've taken far more effort—and worst of all, he'd probably have gone hungry for a few more days.
"Your main point of gratitude is the food?"
Unohana smiled faintly. "And while you're here, you should call me Teacher."
She thought to herself that this really was a strange child. Over the past two days, she'd heard quite a bit about Kurosaki Rei's performance at the Academy—and found it fascinating.
That was precisely why she'd deliberately come to the Shin'ō Academy today to teach. She wanted to see Kurosaki Rei again. What she hadn't expected was to see him right there in class.
She'd initially thought he was just an exceptional combat talent. Yet he had also chosen the Kaidō elective.
So then…
Was his purpose in choosing Kaidō to become a support specialist?
Or was it… like hers?
At that thought, a dangerous curve appeared at the corner of Unohana's smile, sending a chill down Kurosaki Rei's spine.
"Bakudō and Hadō have strict tiered systems," Unohana lectured from the podium, "but Kaidō does not. It is a healing Kidō that requires no incantation…"
She explained the fundamentals of Kaidō. Even though many students already understood the basics, not a single one raised an objection.
Most of them revered the gentle and beautiful Captain Unohana. A small number, however, found her faintly terrifying at times and didn't dare act out.
Kurosaki Rei listened intently, constantly jotting notes into a new notebook he'd "borrowed" from Aizen.
After Unohana finished explaining the basics, Kurosaki Rei realized that Kaidō might actually be the most difficult of the three Kidō disciplines.
Precisely because it required no incantation, Kaidō was harder to cast—it relied far more heavily on the Shinigami's control.
In its simplest form, Kaidō in Soul Society was the repair of spiritual bodies—using Reishi to mend a spirit form. This was an extremely delicate operation, not something ordinary people could manage.
According to Aizen, across all grades each year, hundreds of students chose the Kaidō elective—but in the end, only a handful ever achieved a passing grade.
Simply put, Kaidō was the most talent-dependent of the three Kidō disciplines. Without aptitude, it was impossible to make progress.
"I'll demonstrate a simple Kaidō technique next," Unohana said. "I'll need one volunteer."
As soon as she finished speaking, several students raised their hands—clearly fervent fans of Teacher Unohana.
Yet Unohana didn't choose any of them. Her gaze shifted and settled on Kurosaki Rei.
"Let the new student experience it first. Kurosaki Rei, come up."
Kurosaki Rei didn't resist at all. This was a rare opportunity to experience Kaidō up close. Using his own body as the demonstration would let him more clearly feel Teacher Unohana's… technique.
Unohana smiled gently at Kurosaki Rei.
"Hold out your arm."
Kurosaki Rei obediently extended his arm—only for Unohana to seize it. That jade-like hand was far stronger than it looked, leaving Kurosaki Rei unable to resist as he was pulled slightly closer.
Next, with one hand gripping Kurosaki Rei's wrist, Unohana's other hand brushed upward from her sleeve. Along with a faint tickling sensation, she rolled up Kurosaki Rei's sleeve, revealing an arm with perfectly defined musculature.
"You've trained quite well…"
Her tone was gentle and smiling—yet it made Kurosaki Rei's scalp tingle.
Unohana extended a finger and lightly traced it along Kurosaki Rei's arm. Kurosaki Rei knew exactly what she was about to do, and all he could think was: Can you hurry up? This is itchy.
Just as he was about to speak, sharp pain flared. Crimson blood slid down his arm, the pain extending along its length.
Unohana's finger moved from his wrist up to the middle of his arm, leaving behind a long, deep gash.
Kurosaki Rei didn't frown or lose focus from the pain. Since beginning martial training, he'd suffered countless injuries and had an extremely high pain tolerance. At this moment, his concentration was absolute—because he knew Unohana was about to demonstrate Kaidō.
Seeing that Kurosaki Rei showed not the slightest reaction to the pain, Unohana's eyes—at an angle no one else could see—gained an extra hint of color… as if she were yearning for something.
But her movements didn't pause.
"Watch carefully, everyone."
A soft, pale-green glow lit up in her hand as she gently and slowly brushed it over Kurosaki Rei's wound.
Like magic, wherever Unohana's hand passed, the wound vanished completely—leaving only traces of blood behind.
Kurosaki Rei's expression grew serious. Even though this was just a simple demonstration, the technique and control Unohana used were extraordinarily refined. And for him, the actual recovery effect could already be called miraculous.
Even after the wound had fully healed, Kurosaki Rei remained lost in thought, savoring the sensation from moments earlier.
"Alright, Student Rei. You can go back now."
Only when Unohana released his arm and spoke did Kurosaki Rei finally come back to his senses.
Ignoring several inexplicable looks of envy, he returned to his seat deep in thought.
So this is Kaidō…
But how, exactly, had Unohana succeeded?
Yes—this was the biggest question in Kurosaki Rei's mind right now.
Because he knew one thing very clearly:
He wasn't a spiritual body at all.
He was a genuinely, truly living human.
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