"Yoruichi, come and worship my wisdom!"
Having woken up early and arrived at the Shihōin Clan training ground ahead of time, Jie Chengxian stood with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at Yoruichi with a very pretentious air.
Yoruichi looked strangely at the chuunibyou-stricken Jie Chengxian, wondering if yesterday's training had been so intense that it had driven the kid insane. Jie Chengxian swatted away Yoruichi's hand as she tried to feel his forehead and voiced the hypothesis he had come up with last night.
"So it's that. I had the same idea before, but it's currently still in the verification stage."
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Jie Chengxian immediately deflated. He had been hoping Yoruichi would be awestruck by his peerless wisdom and bow down to him in respect; it turned out to be nothing but a pipe dream.
"I didn't expect you to figure it out yourself. I was planning to teach you once it was perfected."
Yoruichi shrugged, indicating her innocence. Who would have known that in just one night, Jie Chengxian could think of the prototype for advanced Hakuda that her family had only managed to grope toward through years of extensive practice? If anyone was to blame, it was Jie Chengxian for being such a freakish genius.
"Alright, I'll teach you something fun today."
It wasn't that Yoruichi was unwilling to continue teaching Jie Chengxian Hakuda and Shunpo, but the kid learned so fast that at this rate, she'd be squeezed dry within a few days. Yoruichi also wanted to use teaching Jie Chengxian as an excuse to relax for a few more days, so she wouldn't be nagged every day about preparing for the Shihōin Clan's trials.
"Watch closely."
Jie Chengxian watched in shock as Yoruichi's figure vanished from his sight, leaving only the black tight-fitting clothes she had been wearing scattered on the ground. Then, a "meow" came from beneath the clothes.
A black cat crawled out from the clothes and elegantly licked its paw.
"How about it? Pretty impressive, right?"
"Holy crap, mao die!"
Yoruichi had thought Jie Chengxian would be curious about her Transformation Technique and beg her to teach him with eyes shining, but instead, she only heard a nonsensical term pop out of his mouth.
"What is 'mao die'?"
"Uh... it's just a term used to describe cute and gentle cats. Is this transformation a complete change into a cat?"
Jie Chengxian didn't want to waste words on that term; it had only come out because of a slip of the tongue. He grabbed the cat Yoruichi from the ground with both hands and held her high above his head.
"This cat transformation is quite thorough... Ah!"
Realizing where Jie Chengxian was looking, Yoruichi stepped directly onto his face. Even though she had turned into a small cat, Yoruichi's strength had not diminished. She kicked Jie Chengxian's cheek hard with her front legs and used the momentum to perform an elegant spin, landing back on the ground.
*Poof—*
A circle of white mist filled the air, and Yoruichi, having returned to human form, walked out, looking triumphantly at Jie Chengxian, who was still rubbing his face.
"How about it? My move is pretty amazing, isn't it?"
Looking at the completely naked Yoruichi, Jie Chengxian nodded in agreement. This move was indeed amazing in a certain sense. Then, he walked up to Yoruichi and draped his outer coat over her.
"Don't go showing your body to people recklessly."
Yoruichi stood frozen in place in surprise, feeling Jie Chengxian carefully put the clothes on her. An indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.
"Hehe, have you noticed your big sister's charm and fallen for me?"
To alleviate the strange feeling in her heart, Yoruichi made a joke with feigned nonchalance, trying to shift the awkward atmosphere back to normal. However, she saw Jie Chengxian think seriously for a few seconds, then shake his head and nod again.
"It's not exactly love yet, but what if I fall for you later? Wouldn't it be too late then?"
"You—"
For the first time, this usually boisterous girl felt her heart race. If it weren't for Yoruichi's brown skin masking the faint blush rising on her face, Jie Chengxian would likely have teased her for a long time.
Jumping up in embarrassment and anger, she gave Jie Chengxian's head a punch. Yoruichi took a deep breath and quickly regulated her heartbeat.
"You've grown bold, haven't you? Daring to flirt with your teacher! Do you still want to learn the Transformation Technique?"
Jie Chengxian nodded hurriedly. The Transformation Technique was a good thing; it was most convenient for doing bad things. Who would normally expect a person to be able to turn into a cat?
"You should know that a Shinigami is a lifeform composed of high-concentration spirit particles. Therefore, the essence of transformation is to change your own spirit particles composition. Imagine you are a lump of soft mud, and the shape you want to change into is a mold. Just adjust your body according to the mold."
Jie Chengxian looked strangely at Yoruichi as she rambled on about the key points; he felt like she was insulting him in a roundabout way. However, Jie Chengxian immediately focused on the Transformation Technique and closed his eyes to feel the flow of spirit particles in his body. Yoruichi, who was still explaining the technique, stopped and was about to ask if there was anything he didn't understand, only to watch in shock as Jie Chengxian's hand became shorter and rounder amidst a glow. Curved claws grew from between his fingers, which were then covered in orange fur.
For a moment, Yoruichi couldn't tell who the true Shihōin heir was. This was simply unfair.
Back when she practiced, it had taken her several months, and that was with her being quite talented. The step of making a Shinigami perceive the spirit particles that composed them was enough to stop the vast majority of people, let alone breaking down and reorganizing that spirit particles.
Yoruichi could only watch helplessly as Jie Chengxian's cat-ification gradually covered his entire body, lamenting the gap between people. A few seconds later, Jie Chengxian, who had transformed into an orange cat, lay on the clothes. He seemed a bit unaccustomed to a cat's body, swaying from side to side as he walked.
"Yoruichi, is my situation normal?"
"It's fine, a normal phenomenon. You'll be okay once you get used to it."
Yoruichi answered weakly. Seeing Jie Chengxian's movements become increasingly agile as he adapted, she only felt her heart grow weary. Looking listlessly at the frolicking Jie Chengxian, and remembering what she had done to him in his cat form earlier, Yoruichi picked up Jie Chengxian, who was chasing his tail, by the scruff of his neck with one hand.
"Let big sister have a good look."
Jie Chengxian looked at Yoruichi, who was smiling like a female hooligan, and felt his innocence was at stake. As expected, handsome boys should protect themselves when out and about... Yoruichi laughed loudly as she toyed with the cat-transformed Jie Chengxian. Her crisp laughter carried a hint of wicked playfulness, as if this was the only way to vent the slight frustration in her heart.
Jie Chengxian, wanting to cry but having no tears, could only try to break free from the bully Yoruichi's meddling hands. But in his cat form, how could he withstand Yoruichi's 'devil claws'? He had to try undoing the Transformation Technique. This was simple enough: just break down and reorganize back into human form.
Noticing the white mist emanating from Jie Chengxian, Yoruichi quickly placed him on the ground nearby, lest she be holding something inappropriate when he turned back into a human.
Yoruichi watched Jie Chengxian scramble to put on his clothes after changing back, thinking that the kid was developing quite well physically. She immediately shook her head to toss the unhealthy images out of her mind, feeling that she was a bit abnormal today.