"Sawada Tsunayoshi, forgive my bluntness," Ryūken said directly.
"There's no need for you to continue down the path of the Quincy. You simply have no talent for it."
"Father!" Uryū protested immediately.
"Hasn't Tsunayoshi already condensed a Reishi bow prototype? As long as we kill a Hollow, we'll officially become Quincy. How can you say that?"
During the time he had spent training with Tsunayoshi, Uryū had already learned that those monsters were called Hollows.
Ryūken pressed a hand to his forehead, forcibly suppressing the twitching vein there. Since the incident with Kanae's Auswählen, this was the first time he had looked so close to losing his composure again.
"You call that tiny thing a Reishi bow prototype?!"
He pointed at the object resting in Tsunayoshi's palm.
A palm-sized Reishi bow lay quietly in Tsunayoshi's hand.
With such a ridiculous size, it looked no different from a toy. Forget shooting arrows—Ryūken even doubted whether a Reishi arrow could be properly nocked onto it.
Tsunayoshi himself was confused.
His training had gone smoothly this entire time. This was the first real problem he had encountered.
Compared to his arm-length Reishi arrows, this palm-sized bow was like using a toy cart to pull a horse—it offered almost no assistance for archery.
"It's only his first time forming one!" Uryū argued for him.
"As long as he keeps practicing, the bow will definitely get bigger! Father, was your first spirit bow already a perfect longbow?"
At that, a trace of pride appeared on Ryūken's face.
"I already told you—my lack of interest isn't the issue."
"You two simply lack talent."
Without even using a Quincy Cross, Ryūken casually manipulated Reishi and instantly condensed a longbow—one far beyond what Uryū could currently achieve.
The longbow dissolved back into Reishi particles, leaving Uryū staring with undisguised envy.
"Normally, Quincy rarely rely solely on bows formed directly from Reishi," Ryūken explained.
"Instead, we use the spirit bow as a prototype to craft our own Quincy bows. These bows form faster and can increase the power of our arrows."
"Uryū, once you return home, you should start learning how to craft your own bow. Otherwise, after firing three arrows you'll be completely out of combat capability."
Then he turned to Tsunayoshi.
"As for you… honestly, I don't believe your spirit bow has any value as a base for crafting."
"Even if you tried to turn it into something like a crossbow, your arrows wouldn't fit it. And if you shrink your arrows to match the bow—then it truly becomes nothing more than a toy."
Ryūken stared at the miniature bow in Tsunayoshi's palm, clearly unable to make sense of it.
Tsunayoshi had performed excellently in Reishi control training.
He had even mastered Hirenkyaku.
Yet somehow he had produced this absurdly small spirit bow.
Ryūken genuinely didn't know whether to call Tsunayoshi's training a success or a failure.
"Maybe I just don't have the talent," Tsunayoshi said lightly.
"I'll keep training in the future."
He took it surprisingly well.
During his training, however, something interesting had happened to the system panel he relied on.
The section labeled Quincy had changed.
After a long stretch of blacked-out entries, two new visible skills had appeared:
Heilig Pfeil
Hirenkyaku
However, the blacked-out portions had not revealed themselves the way his Fullbring abilities once had.
Tsunayoshi suspected he simply hadn't discovered his true Quincy ability yet, which was why those hidden entries remained concealed.
But Quincy powers weren't that numerous.
And the abilities Ryūken had taught him were newly added.
That meant the hidden entries could only be two things:
Schrift and Vollständig.
Just like Fullbring abilities, they were unique powers belonging to each individual.
Meanwhile, universal techniques like Heilig Pfeil and Hirenkyaku didn't appear in the panel's special ability slots.
After understanding that, Tsunayoshi no longer felt discouraged by the size of his spirit bow.
For Quincy who used Vollständig, Heilig Pfeil was merely one combat method among many.
As long as his Schrift and Vollständig were powerful enough, that would be sufficient.
"You've already learned Heilig Pfeil and Hirenkyaku," Ryūken said after thinking for a moment.
"What remains are the creation and use of various Quincy tools."
"But given the size limitation of your spirit bow, I don't think it's worth expanding further."
"For now, you can stop your Quincy training."
"Perhaps Urahara Kisuke might be a better option for you."
After careful consideration, Ryūken voiced his suggestion.
Uryū panicked immediately.
Since Tsunayoshi arrived, Ryūken had spoken with him far more often.
If Tsunayoshi left, things would likely return to the cold distance they had before.
Before Uryū could object, however—
Everyone present suddenly sensed a foreign Reiatsu appearing in Karakura Town.
Tsunayoshi and Ryūken exchanged glances instantly.
It was the spiritual pressure of a Hollow.
After a brief moment of thought, Uryū realized the same thing. His eyes lit up with excitement.
"A Hollow?!" he asked eagerly.
"Can I handle it?"
He was still determined to defeat one and earn the title of Quincy.
"Go ahead," Ryūken said calmly.
Uryū had just formed his spirit bow and was riding a wave of excitement. Letting him clash with a Hollow might serve as a useful lesson.
With permission granted, Uryū immediately rushed toward the Hollow's Reiatsu using Hirenkyaku.
However, his Hirenkyaku was still unstable. His movements looked clumsy, as if he might fall at any moment.
"You're really letting him go alone?" Tsunayoshi asked.
Having fought many Hollows himself, he knew their strength well.
Even with beginner Quincy powers, defeating one wouldn't be easy.
"You're there too, aren't you?" Ryūken replied.
Blue Reishi light had already gathered beneath his feet.
"As his father, do you think I'd actually let him go alone?"
Tsunayoshi activated Hirenkyaku as well.
The two followed behind Uryū at a distance.
While flying alongside Ryūken, Tsunayoshi answered his earlier suggestion.
"Uncle, I'll pause my Quincy training for now. But you shouldn't stop either."
"Your father's research notes—make sure you study them all."
"If you want to read them, they're open to you," Ryūken replied.
"Let's not," Tsunayoshi said helplessly.
"Academics really aren't my strength."
Between daily Hollow hunting and school classes he mostly slept through, his academic performance was… not impressive.
"I'll continue researching Still Silver," Ryūken said.
Recently he had already dissected every mixed-blood Quincy corpse he could locate, extracting all available Still Silver.
However, he had yet to discover a method to forge it into a weapon.
"Still Silver isn't the only thing," Tsunayoshi continued.
"Urahara mentioned that Shinigami can awaken unique abilities through their Zanpakutō, right?"
"Quincy have something similar."
"A power that draws out each person's hidden potential."
"Equivalent to a Shinigami's Zanpakutō, Quincy call it a Schrift."
"And above that is another ability called Vollständig."
"Your father had already begun researching Vollständig for Quincy in the Human World."
"The Sanrei Glove was a byproduct of that research."
"By using the glove, a Quincy can forcibly enter a subjugation state, enslaving the surrounding Reishi and gathering it onto their body."
"That creates a temporary Vollständig form, granting power comparable to Bankai."
"However, it's incomplete—a Half-Vollständig at best."
"Unfortunately, your father died before he could complete the research."
Tsunayoshi shared everything he knew.
If Ryūken could complete the research early, their strength would increase significantly.
Ryūken stopped mid-air and looked at him.
Even he—the son of Ishida Sōken—hadn't known these details.
Yet Tsunayoshi had shared them openly.
Now he finally understood why the Kurosaki family trusted this boy so much.
"Will the outcome be good?" Ryūken asked.
"I'll do my best," Tsunayoshi replied with a warm smile.
If change was possible, then he would do everything he could to protect the people he cared about.
With that answer, Ryūken resumed chasing after Uryū.
His previous indifference toward the Quincy path slowly began to change.
Tsunayoshi had saved Kanae.
In return, Ryūken would give his full support.
Meanwhile, Uryū had already reached the scene.
The Hollow was a giant serpent-like creature.
Excited, Uryū summoned his spirit bow and prepared to finish the Hollow with a dramatic mid-air shot.
His idea was good.
But his execution was far too inexperienced.
The moment his spirit bow appeared, the serpent Hollow sensed him.
It turned and roared furiously.
Uryū's unstable Hirenkyaku immediately faltered, and he fell to the ground.
Rolling quickly to his feet, he drew his bow.
The Hollow lunged toward him.
Uryū's expression hardened.
He released his arrow.
The Heilig Pfeil struck the Hollow's body and sank deep into it.
The Hollow recoiled in pain.
Uryū quickly drew again and fired straight at the Hollow's mask.
In his mind, this arrow would shatter the mask and destroy the Hollow instantly.
His father would praise him—and he would finally earn the title of Quincy.
But—
The arrow shattered into scattered Reishi the moment it struck the mask.
Insufficient power.
Uryū immediately remembered Ryūken's words about his lack of talent.
If he had been stronger… would the arrow have pierced the mask?
There was no time to think.
The Hollow lunged again.
Uryū hurriedly tried to fire another arrow—but his spirit bow was already beginning to collapse.
His spirit bow was still just a prototype.
His power couldn't sustain repeated shots.
What should he do?
Uryū froze.
Overwhelmed by panic, he stood completely still.
Just as the Hollow's massive jaws were about to swallow him—
A Reishi arrow tinged with red light slammed into the Hollow's forehead.
The mask shattered instantly.
The Hollow dissolved into Reishi particles before Uryū's eyes.
He turned around.
Floating in the air nearby, Tsunayoshi stood in the exact heroic pose Uryū had imagined earlier.
In his hands was a longbow formed of white bone and red light.
Ryūken raised an eyebrow.
No wonder Tsunayoshi had shown no frustration over his tiny spirit bow.
The bow he had just summoned could completely replace a Quincy spirit bow.
Combined with his skilled Reishi control and mastery of Hirenkyaku, Tsunayoshi already qualified as a true Quincy.
In fact, that bow skipped the entire Quincy bow-crafting process.
Adjusting his glasses, Ryūken studied it closely.
If he wasn't mistaken, that bow even gave the arrows a special attribute.
Tsunayoshi had used his Fullbring—G's Bow.
The arrows fired from it carried the Storm Flame's disintegration property, which caused the Hollow's mask to crumble apart rather than being pierced directly.
"Congratulations, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Ryūken said calmly.
"You are now a Quincy."
He pulled out a long cylindrical device and handed it to him.
"A Seele Schneider. Consider it your graduation gift."
"Thank you, Uncle," Tsunayoshi said sincerely as he accepted it.
Since he hadn't learned how to craft Quincy equipment, he would likely need to obtain tools from Ryūken or Uryū in the future.
"One more piece of information," Ryūken added.
"Uryū was affected by Auswählen."
"It was Kanae who chose him."
"She transferred Uryū's weakened condition onto herself."
"That may have been the power you mentioned earlier—a Schrift."
"What?!"
Even Tsunayoshi was stunned.
That wasn't how things happened in the manga.
Did that mean the Schrift "A" (The Antithesis) originally belonged not to Ishida Uryū, but to Kanae?
During Auswählen, Kanae had exchanged her condition with Uryū—
Possibly even transferring the Schrift to him.
"Uncle Ryūken… when did you learn this?"
"On the first day you began Quincy training," Ryūken replied.
"As Kanae gradually recovered, she told me about the decision she made."
"Work hard, kid."
"There's still a lot you don't know about this world."
With that, Ryūken left with Uryū.
Tsunayoshi remained behind—standing alone in the wind, completely stunned.