Luke's expression stiffened for a moment. "Shikai takes a lot out of you, doesn't it? Don't waste the effort, Sosuke. Tell me more about how to increase Spiritual Pressure instead."
What the hell? Aizen had actually admitted that he had mastered Shikai—and now he wanted to show Luke his prized weapon.
Luke was willing to believe that, with Endspace's miraculous power, Kyoka Suigetsu's effect would definitely be removed once he completed his mission and returned. And Aizen probably would not pull anything inside the academy.
Still, there was no way he wanted to be "completely hypnotized" by his roommate.
He was here to speedrun the academy, not get hypnotized through it.
Aizen seemed somewhat surprised by the refusal. "Oh, then never mind. I thought you would be interested. If you run into trouble resonating with your Zanpakuto later, I can release mine for you as a reference."
It happened to be lights-out. Once the dorm room went dark, Aizen sat cross-legged and began grinding away as usual. Luke copied him and sat down as well, but rather than trying to absorb Reishi, he focused on sensing his Asauchi.
According to Aizen, resonance was difficult to explain. What Luke needed to resonate with was not his Asauchi itself—there was nothing inside an Asauchi yet. What he truly needed was to resonate with the deepest part of himself, with his own soul.
Once he accomplished that, the next step would be to pour his soul into the Zanpakuto. Then he would learn its true name and master Shikai.
In the pitch-black room, Aizen opened his eyes and watched Luke across from him, studying Shikai. A trace of confusion flickered in his gaze.
Luke was so eager to learn, yet he had refused Aizen's offer to demonstrate Shikai. Did he know the true ability of Aizen's Zanpakuto?
Impossible...
...
Facing the morning sun, Luke rubbed his brow.
He had not slept all night. He had maintained intense focus in meditation, trying to feel the rhythm of his own soul.
The result was... nothing.
He had assumed that with his talent, Zanpakuto resonance would not pose much of an obstacle. He had not expected it to be this difficult.
So Aizen had been right. Shikai really did demand a high Spiritual Might rank?
In theory, seventeenth-rank Spiritual Might was enough to achieve Shikai—but only barely. Luke simply could not touch the deepest part of his soul. It was hard to describe. He had no idea what Aizen saw when he examined his own soul.
But when Luke used the Soul Reaper resonance method for Zanpakuto, all he could see in the depths of his soul was... an endless expanse of black.
The all-nighter had drained a great deal of his mental energy. Luke was the kind of person who could go days and nights without sleeping while training martial arts, but yesterday's Kidō class had consumed a considerable amount of Soul Source. He only had thirty percent left now.
"Luke, you have only just begun practicing. It would be best if you got at least some sleep at night."
Apparently noticing that Luke was not in great shape, Aizen offered a reminder.
Luke stretched, trying to shake himself awake. "You seem pretty energetic, Sosuke, even though you never sleep at night either."
"I only got used to it gradually. And if you meditate correctly, it can be considered a form of rest in itself."
Aizen added, "There are a few tricks to it. I'll teach you when we return tonight."
They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the classroom for their first lesson of the morning.
Today's subject was Flash Step.
Luke had already heard Aizen's general explanation of Flash Step yesterday.
A Soul Reaper's Flash Step differed from a Hollow's Sonído. It primarily relied on physical strength, using refined force application and footholds to achieve rapid movement.
In the manga, every Soul Reaper who used Flash Step had looked so cool, appearing to teleport from place to place. But after Aizen explained it, Luke learned that Flash Step was not really like that at all.
For the overwhelming majority of Soul Reapers, learning Flash Step only meant they could... run a little faster.
Luke currently understood Flash Step as an advanced footwork technique. Only when a Soul Reaper possessed extremely powerful Spiritual Pressure—or, put another way, absurdly high stats—could it produce an effect resembling teleportation.
And even then, it only worked for steamrolling weaker opponents. To true experts, they were still merely moving at extremely high speed.
Only rookies would fail to see them completely and mistake it for teleportation.
There was another important point. If you wanted people to think you had teleported, then when you stopped using Flash Step, you had to maintain an elegant pose—as though you were simply taking a stroll. No frantic movements. No exaggerated motions.
Put simply, you needed style. Looking cool was extremely important.
Like Byakuya Kuchiki in the original story. After using Flash Step, his robes remained immaculate, only the tips of his hair stirring lightly in the air, his posture as upright as ever. That was how one achieved a "perfect Flash Step."
Of course, Luke was not chasing some perfect Flash Step. He was simply very interested in the principles behind it. Once he mastered this footwork, his mobility in battle would improve dramatically.
The substitute instructor for this class was a noble from the Omaeda family. He currently served as the Third Seat of the Onmitsukidō and possessed considerable mastery over Flash Step.
And just like the other instructors, this teacher took special "care" of Luke, the genius transfer student who had already become famous throughout Shin'o Academy. Rather than personally guiding Luke, he chose the class's best Flash Step student to "teach" him.
"Luke, what is with that look on your face?"
Yoruichi Shihouin walked up to Luke. Her expression was calm, but the teasing in her lively eyes could no longer be concealed.
"Nothing. I was just thinking Sosuke could teach me too."
Luke turned to look at Aizen.
But Aizen merely pushed up his glasses and smiled. "No, no. It would not be an exaggeration to call Shihouin's Flash Step the finest in the academy. She is the best person to teach you, Luke."
Damn it, Aizen. You sold me out.
How could Luke not realize that Aizen was enjoying this? Still, he was telling the truth. The girl standing before him was Yoruichi, the future Flash Goddess. Even in her youth, her mastery of Flash Step could not possibly be weak.
Yesterday, they had sparred in Hakuda. This proud girl had not used Flash Step from the beginning, and afterward Luke had pinned her to the floor before she had the chance to use it. That was why he had beaten her.
But this was different. She would definitely bring out her finest Flash Step techniques to "teach" him a lesson.
Wait. This was Flash Step class. No matter how much Yoruichi wanted revenge, she could not beat him up, could she?
Steadying himself, Luke forced out a smile. "Then I'll be in your care, Shihouin."
"Are we that close? You should call me Shihouin."
Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him. "Or you can call me Yoruichi."
Luke felt mildly irritated. He had overlooked that point. When he read the manga before, he had only remembered the name Yoruichi and had never paid much attention to her surname. Besides, Yoruichi already sounded like a full name to him.
Japanese naming conventions were such a pain.
Seeing Luke fall silent, Yoruichi's lips curled upward. "How about this? I'll keep my Spiritual Pressure at your level, and I'll teach you properly throughout this lesson. At the end of class, we'll race. If you're slower than me, then from now on, every time you see me, you have to respectfully call me Yoruichi."
"No deal. You're from the Shihouin Clan. You've been practicing Flash Step for who knows how many years."
Luke spread his hands. "That isn't fair. I'm not an idiot. Besides, you only mentioned the penalty if I lose. What if I win?"
"Win?"
Yoruichi's gaze swept over Luke from head to toe. "You think you can beat me in speed?"
"Why not?"
Luke considered footwork part of martial arts, and he believed he had a strong talent for learning it. Beating Yoruichi in this field today was unrealistic, but after practicing for a while, he did not think it was impossible.
As if she had heard something hilarious, Yoruichi let out a pleasant laugh.
"That is impossible."
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