The first day of the new semester.
Early in the morning, Soifon appeared at the teaching district of the Shin'ō Academy.
She made no effort to hide her presence, her iconic Captain's Haori fluttering as she walked slowly down the corridors, occasionally casting her gaze toward the training grounds where lessons were already underway.
Not only the new students, but even the teachers currently conducting classes felt a prickling sense of pressure, as if needles were pressing against their backs.
It was only when passing Class 2 that Soifon's footsteps paused for a moment. She concealed herself in the shadows beneath the eaves, observing the onion-top girl for a few seconds as she practiced Shunpo with great effort.
Upon hearing footsteps from the corner of the gallery, Soifon resumed her pace, moving toward the Class 1 training grounds.
When she stepped into the open-air training field reserved for Class 1, the second-year student Shūhei Hisagi, acting as a teaching assistant, was currently demonstrating basic Shunpo power-generation techniques to the freshmen.
"Captain Soifon!"
The moment his peripheral vision caught the Haori, Shūhei Hisagi immediately cut his explanation short and bowed ninety degrees toward her.
"Mm." Soifon maintained a majestic expression. "Good work. While at the Academy, just call me 'Teacher.'"
The freshmen in the field were stunned for a moment before they all followed suit, bowing in a clatter of movement and shouting in unison, "Good morning, Teacher Soifon!"
Soifon gave a slight nod in response.
She couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at the trio of Momo Hinamori, Renji Abarai, and Izuru Kira. Having taught so many years of freshmen, she finally had some familiar faces in this current crop.
Since she was the teacher now, she figured she'd find an opportunity to see if Momo Hinamori really was the legendary damage sponge people spoke of.
Soifon walked to the front of the formation and stood tall.
"I am Soifon, your part-time instructor for Hakuda and Shunpo."
"From today onward, I will be in charge of Class 1's Shunpo curriculum."
…
"Too slow!"
"That point of exertion is wrong!"
"Your spiritual power output is too violent; you're overshooting!"
"With that much noise, are you afraid the enemy won't hear your Shunpo?"
"Renji Abarai! You're just stomping your feet hard; that's not Shunpo at all!"
"Izuru Kira! Stop looking at the birds in the trees!"
"Momo Hinamori, doesn't that hurt…?"
Holding the school-issued teaching stick, Soifon's hands moved so fast during the hour-long class that the rod became a blurred afterimage. Six strikes per second wouldn't even begin to describe her speed.
By the end of the lesson, the red-headed Renji Abarai was the one sporting the most bruises, his ankles nearly swollen red.
Clang—
Soifon tossed the stick onto the ground.
"You are truly the worst batch of students I have ever taught."
"Class dismissed!"
By custom, Soifon said this to every graduating class.
After having Shūhei Hisagi distribute the specially made medicinal salves, Soifon left the training ground without offering a single word of encouragement.
"Are we… really that bad?"
Momo Hinamori was the student with the lightest injuries today. She couldn't tell if it was because her Shunpo practice was going well or if Captain Soifon had shown her some mercy.
"I don't think so." Izuru Kira applied the salve, nudging Renji with his elbow. "You, buddy—what you said yesterday must have been overheard by Captain Soifon."
That's why Captain Soifon is giving us such a hard time!
Of course, Izuru Kira didn't dare say that part out loud. He couldn't guarantee just how sensitive the Captain's hearing actually was.
"Me, yesterday?" Renji hissed as he applied the medicine to his aching limbs, then his face filled with shock. "Hiss… then doesn't that mean I'm doomed?!"
At that moment, Shūhei Hisagi walked up to the three outstanding juniors with a beaming smile.
"Actually, Teacher Soifon says that to every class. Don't lose heart."
"The fact that you three could already use Shunpo in your very first lesson is actually quite impressive."
Shūhei Hisagi could tell that Captain Soifon had actually paid a bit of extra attention to these three. As their senior, he naturally felt the need to build a good rapport with them.
…
After finishing her morning classes, Soifon glanced toward the Class 2 training grounds again on her way back.
That onion-top girl was still in the training field, bitterally practicing Kendo even after the lunch bell had rung.
The girl's movements were textbook and disciplined; it was clear she had put in hard work to mimic the standard forms, but she lacked a certain fluid sense of coordination.
Sweat had already soaked the hair on Rukia's forehead, yet she still gritted her teeth, repeating the basic movements of slashing and thrusting over and over again.
After standing there and watching for a while, Soifon confirmed one thing—Rukia truly had no talent for Kendo. She was a specialized student with uneven grades.
Being a specialist wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Wipe your sweat."
Soifon stopped hiding herself and walked to Rukia's side, handing her a handkerchief.
"Who?!"
Rukia, who was completely focused on her practice, jumped in surprise. Her hand shook, and her wooden sword almost flew out of her grip.
When she clearly saw who the visitor was, her eyes widened instantly, and her mouth hung open in a daze, unable to speak for a long moment.
"Ca—Captain Soifon!"
Rukia instinctively snapped to attention, the flush on her face making it unclear if it was from exercise or excitement.
"I am so sorry! I didn't recognize you just now!"
Her speech had become a stuttering mess.
"Wipe your sweat first."
Soifon reached out with the handkerchief in her right hand and pressed it against Rukia's small face.
Even with her face covered, Rukia didn't back away. "Yes! Thank you very much!"
After wiping the girl's smooth forehead, Soifon's handkerchief stopped at Rukia's chin before she patted it against the girl's collarbone, signaling for Rukia to finish the job herself.
At this, Rukia's face turned even redder, feeling like she had done something stupid again.
"I watched your Kendo just now. You work hard."
After all, Soifon really couldn't find anything else to praise regarding Rukia's Kendo.
"I've made a fool of myself…" Rukia said, sounding a bit dejected. "My talent for Kendo is too poor. No matter how much I practice, I can't get it right…"
"There's nothing funny about it."
"Talent is simply that cruel of a thing."
Soifon led Rukia over to the shade of a tree at the edge of the training ground, and they sat down side-by-side.
"I remember you, Rukia. Rank one of Class 2."
"Except for Kendo, your grades in all other subjects are better than many people in Class 1."
Rukia snapped her head up, her eyes filled with overwhelming surprise. "You… you know who I am?"
"Anyone would be curious about a student with such extreme grade disparities." Soifon's tone carried a hint of disdain. "The Academy's class-placement standards are indeed mediocre. I see plenty of idiots in Class 1."
Rukia could only listen to such remarks from the side; she didn't dare agree.
After all, the person speaking was a Captain, while she was just a freshman.
"By the way, let me see your Shunpo. Did you learn it today?"
"Yes! I did."
Rukia immediately pulled herself together. She placed the wooden sword on the bench, recalled the key points the teacher had taught in class, and began to condense spirit particles beneath her feet…
With a shing sound, Rukia's figure appeared in the sunlight several meters away.
For a beginner, it was already quite good.
Just as Rukia was preparing to use Shunpo again to return to the shade, a hand was placed gently on her lower back, then lightly patted its way down to her calf.
With every pat, Rukia's posture was corrected slightly, moving from her initially awkward exertion to a form that gradually became quite decent.
Finally, Soifon tapped Rukia's slightly trembling calf. "Here. Tighten this and exert force."
Rukia forced herself to ignore the strange tactile sensations on her waist and legs, as well as the pleasant, sweet scent of honey emanating from Captain Soifon.
She closed her eyes and focused her mind.
In the next second, the spirit particles beneath her feet exploded. Her silhouette blurred, and she instantly appeared over ten meters away.
Though she stumbled slightly upon landing, her speed was like heaven and earth compared to her Shunpo just moments ago.
Rukia steadied herself and turned back to look at Soifon in surprise.
"Not bad. You progress much faster than you do in Kendo." Even when Soifon offered praise, it was a bit awkward. "Who says someone bad at Kendo can't become a Captain? I have high hopes for you, Rukia."
"..."
'Captain'—was such a lofty, unreachable position something she could even fantasize about right now?
"Yes, Captain Soifon!"
Rukia used her school uniform sleeve to wipe the corners of her eyes, unable to distinguish if the moisture there was sweat or tears.
Having lived in the slums her whole life, this was the first time someone had recognized her talent so highly—and that person was a figure standing at the very peak of the Soul Society.
_____
New Story: Starting from Their Seventeen Years Old
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan