Two more years have slipped by since then. It has now been five years since the seed planted by the Soul King and that Baldy Monk took root in my land of peace and quiet.
Five years is enough time for a sapling to grow into a sturdy tree. It's enough time for a flower to bloom brilliantly, wither away, and return to the dirt.
The thing about those two is that once a tree becomes a sapling, it's usually hauled off to be sold, and once a flower blooms, it scatters its seeds far and wide as it dies.
By doing so, they leave their original home and depart for distant places.
So, why is it that my dear disciple hasn't left my side even after five years? Is he still in some kind of mandatory education phase? Ha-ha.
Or has the seed simply not germinated yet? Or maybe this seed isn't that kind of seed? God damn it.
I stole a brief sideways glance at Tsunayashiro, who was sitting right next to me carving wood, before turning my eyes back to my own sculpture. Having spent nearly ten years carving, I'd reached a level where there wasn't much I couldn't make.
Ah, of course, despite reaching a level where I could make almost anything, I still couldn't craft something that would finally drive this disciple of mine away.
If it doesn't exist in this world, even I can't build it. Ha-ha.
Suppressing the sigh that threatened to burst out, I finally spoke.
"…Do you still have questions left?"
"It was you who told me that there is no end to learning, Master."
Drop dead, past me.
Why did I have to say something like that and turn this kid into this?
Sigh… Seriously, if I hadn't opened my mouth back then, I'd be living a leisurely life of solitude right now…
I shut my mouth for a moment and began sketching out 'what-if' scenarios in my mind.
'Eh? You're abandoning me? Tsunayashiro will remember this.'
'Eh? You won't teach me? I'm… I'm so scared…! At this rate, you'll die…!'
'Eh? Why are you taking the Soul King's side? I trusted you, Master…! Die!'
Wow, holy shit, there isn't a single path that ends well.
I guess what I did back then was the best move after all. Good job, past me.
As I sat there half-dazed, letting my brain rot with nonsense, I felt a familiar presence for the first time in a long while and lifted my head.
Finally, he's here. My savior, a presence like a smartphone screen at maximum brightness in the dead of night, like saltwater entering a scraped knee after a fall at the beach!
I stared straight in the direction of the presence, and the moment that familiar, pale, washed-out face entered my sight—
"Good to see you, Soul King!!"
I shouted and slammed my sculpture and carving knife down on the ground, launching myself forward. Just one hit. Really, no more and no less, just let me hit you once!
The Soul King blinked as he looked toward me belatedly, but my fist was already lunging toward his abdomen.
However, as always, my fist was halted by an invisible wall.
As I pushed a bit harder, feeling as if it might shatter, I saw the empty air begin to splinter—*crack*.
But I knew if I swung with my full strength, this would turn into a life-or-death duel with no ranks held back, so I deliberately pulled my power and stopped at a light tap.
―Good to see you, Soul King!!
*BOOM!*
A roar that sounded like the heavens being split in two shook the forest, but the Soul King didn't even flinch. Only when the sound caught up to my movements a moment later did the Soul King finally look at me.
"Why do you attack?"
"Resentment for dumping your chores on me and running away."
"I understand."
"Ah."
That's the phrase I've hated hearing most lately…
Come to think of it, this guy was the original 'I understand' guy.
I let out a deep sigh and scratched my head. No point in thinking about it; it only makes my head hurt.
"So, what kind of shit is our great Soul King here to scatter this time?"
"I do not engage in bowel movements."
"That's not what I meant."
As I said that, I tapped the Soul King's shoulder with the back of my hand. Since I didn't intend it as an attack, that invisible wall from earlier didn't manifest.
"Hmm?"
I felt something approaching rapidly. When I turned my head toward the sensation, I saw a pitch-black shadow leaping between the trees.
Looking closer, it was a person. A dark-skinned fellow…? No, a girl? Ah, her hair is a bit short, but she's definitely a girl. Regardless, this dark figure charged straight at me.
"You! What insolence before the Soul King!"
"What the hell is this now?"
She came out so boldly with a flying kick that my true thoughts slipped out of my mouth. I didn't want to counter too hard and risk breaking something on her, so I simply shifted my body to the side.
But the dark one didn't stop there, using the tree on the opposite side as a foothold to spring back at me again. And when I say 'dark one,' it's not racial—her skin is literally a deep, dark brown.
'Wait a minute.'
If we're talking about the most famous dark-skinned characters in the world of Bleach…
"Shihoin?"
"Wh-! How do you know my name…! Bastard! You must be a sorcerer!!"
The Shihoin girl seemed startled that I knew her name and stammered for a second, but the leg she had extended to kick me didn't waver for a moment. As expected of an ancestor of Master Yoruichi—the one responsible for my childhood 'curiosity' with those bursting thighs—her martial arts were top-tier.
"Hmm. Slow."
I shifted my body slightly to dodge the kick again, and the Shihoin girl's eyes went wide.
"How did you evade my fastest strike…! You…! I won't let you get away with this!!"
Fastest strike, huh? It was fast, sure—fast enough to impress most people—but to me, it was just a speed I could watch and avoid casually. Speed aside, her attacks were so straightforward that once I saw her initial leap, I could dodge them without even looking.
"Soul King. Her name is Shihoin, right?"
"You are correct."
"I told you before. Fix that damn way of talking."
"Scoundrel!! How dare you use such language toward the Soul King!!"
A kick aimed at the back of my head this time? Predictable. I tilted my body to evade the obvious trajectory and looked down at the brazen brat passing in front of me.
I'd moved out of the way ages ago, but the brat was still staring at the spot where I used to be. I let out a deep sigh and scratched my head.
"You need some sleep."
Ah, by the time these words reach her, she'll probably already be unconscious.
Well, not like I care. I reached out, gripped the brat's face in my hand, and gave her a light shake.
The moment I let go, the brat's eyes rolled back and she passed out instantly, as if falling into a deep slumber. Of course, because she went unconscious mid-air, she couldn't stick the landing and tumbled across the ground, rolling until she slammed into a tree on the far side.
"Ouch, that looks like it hurt."
She was just a kid in terms of size, and I felt a twinge of guilt wondering if I'd gone too far. But then I remembered she was the one who attacked first. I didn't throw the first punch; she jumped in without measuring the gap between us, so it's her own fault.
"You have become much faster than before."
The Soul King drifted closer as he spoke. I just shrugged my shoulders.
"I train every day."
"I see."
'I see,' 'is that so,' 'is it,' 'indeed.' Hearing that infuriating manner of speech again, I almost instinctively threw a punch.
The moment I raised my fist, I felt that strange barrier manifest—he'd already reconstructed the invisible wall I'd cracked earlier. I gave up on hitting him.
Fine, I'll be the bigger man. It's not like we're fighting to the death…
"…By the way, it feels like every time you visit, you bring an extra piece of baggage?"
"I have brought no luggage."
"That's exactly the problem."
Why doesn't this guy realize that's a bigger issue? This bastard.
"A King does not understand the hearts of people…"
Frustrated, I sighed and quoted the famous line of a certain red-haired blacksmith before shaking my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my disciple staring intently at me from behind a tree before nodding and backing away.
'I have understood.'
He didn't say a word as he hid himself, yet I felt like I could actually hear him saying that. Heavens, have I gone and done it again?