"Huh? Why?"
Luke asked. After spending two days with Sosuke Aizen, he had to admit that having the man around as a living Soul Reaper encyclopedia was incredibly convenient. And now they were splitting up.
"The first class this afternoon is an elective. I chose calligraphy. Didn't you want to study Kaidō, Luke? The two classes overlap."
Only then did Luke notice the small bag Aizen had been carrying all day. His calligraphy supplies were inside.
"Who's substituting for Kaidō today?"
Luke turned to the Aizen-brand encyclopedia with curiosity.
"Luke..."
Aizen looked at him with a hint of exasperation. "I don't know everything. The instructors for electives change all the time. Whoever has time fills in. How would I know who's teaching today?"
"Oh, got it. No big deal. I'll find out when class starts."
Luke got to his feet and rubbed his stomach. "I'm not heading back to the dorm at noon. I want to keep working on my feel for Flash Step."
Watching Luke walk away, Aizen muttered inwardly. He had always thought he worked hard enough. Who would have guessed his roommate was just as obsessed?
The only difference was that Aizen kept his effort hidden, while Luke made a spectacle of his.
...
"We meet again. Are you adjusting well to life at the academy?"
A gentle, pleasant voice came from the lectern. Its owner was smiling at Luke.
Luke glanced at the "Luck: 1" on his personal menu and wondered whether he really counted as one of the lucky ones.
He had to, right?
He had just decided to learn Kaidō, and the substitute instructor for the class turned out to be one of its supreme masters.
"I should be thanking Captain Unohana. Otherwise, I'd still be going hungry in Rukongai. The academy's food is excellent."
Luke meant it sincerely. Without Retsu Unohana, even if he had managed to enter Seireitei, getting into Shin'o Academy would have taken some effort. More terrifyingly, he would probably have had to go hungry for another few days.
"The food is your main concern? And while you're here, you should call me Instructor Unohana."
Unohana thought he was a strange child. Over the past two days, she had heard quite a few stories about Luke's performance at Shin'o Academy, and every one of them had interested her.
That was why she had specifically come to substitute at Shin'o Academy today. She wanted to see Luke again, only to find him sitting in her classroom.
She had assumed he was merely a promising student with exceptional combat talent. Yet he had also chosen Kaidō as an elective.
So... why had he chosen Kaidō? Did he want to become a support specialist, or was he... like her?
The thought curled Unohana's lips into a dangerous smile, sending a chill down Luke's spine.
"Bakudō and Hadō have relatively rigorous ranking systems, but Kaidō does not. It is a healing form of Kidō that requires no incantation..."
Unohana explained the fundamentals of Kaidō from the front of the class. Even though many students already knew the basics by heart, no one voiced an objection.
Most of them revered the gentle and beautiful Captain Unohana. A smaller group simply found her frightening at times and did not dare make trouble.
Luke listened with rapt attention, constantly taking notes in the new notebook he had "borrowed" from Aizen.
Once Unohana had finished explaining the basics, he realized that Kaidō might be the most difficult of the three branches of Kidō.
Precisely because it required no incantation, Kaidō was harder to cast. It relied far more heavily on a Soul Reaper's control.
In Soul Society, Kaidō was essentially understood as repairing spiritual bodies—using spirit particles to mend them. It was an incredibly delicate operation, not something just anyone could perform.
According to Aizen, more than a hundred students across all grades chose Kaidō every year. Yet fewer than ten Soul Reapers ultimately earned a passing grade in the course.
Put simply, Kaidō was the branch of Kidō that depended most on talent. Without the gift for it, you could not make it work.
"Next, I'll demonstrate a simple Kaidō technique. I need a volunteer."
The moment Unohana finished speaking, several students raised their hands. Clearly, they were devoted fans of Instructor Unohana.
But Unohana did not choose any of them. Her gaze swept across the room before settling on Luke.
"Let's let the new student experience it first. Luke, come up here."
Luke had no objection. This was an excellent chance to experience Kaidō up close. If she used his body for the demonstration, he could study Instructor Unohana's... technique in even greater detail.
Unohana smiled at him. "Hold out your hand."
Luke obediently extended his arm, and Instructor Unohana seized it. Her hand looked soft as white jade, yet its grip was so strong that Luke could not resist. In an instant, she pulled him closer.
One hand clasped around Luke's wrist, while the other brushed upward from his sleeve. With a ticklish scrape of fabric, she rolled up his uniform sleeve, exposing an arm lined with perfectly defined muscle.
"You've trained well..."
Unohana spoke with a gentle smile, but Luke's scalp prickled.
She extended a finger and lightly traced it over his arm. Luke knew exactly what she was about to do, but he could not help thinking, Could you hurry it up? That tickles.
Just as he was about to ask, pain flashed through his arm. Bright red blood ran down his skin, and the pain continued to travel upward.
Starting at his wrist, Unohana's finger drew a line all the way to the middle of his arm, leaving behind a long, deep cut.
Luke neither frowned nor lost focus from the sting. Since beginning martial training, he had suffered more than his share of injuries, and his tolerance for pain was extremely high. Right now, he was completely focused, because he knew Unohana was about to demonstrate Kaidō.
Seeing that Luke had not reacted in the slightest to the pain, Unohana's eyes gained an even deeper gleam where no one could see it... as though she were longing for something.
But her movements did not pause.
"Watch closely, everyone."
A soft, pale blue glow appeared around her hand. Slowly and gently, it passed over Luke's wound.
Like a magic trick, the cut vanished wherever Unohana's hand touched. Only the bloodstain remained.
Luke's expression turned grave. Even though this was only a simple demonstration, the control and technique Unohana used were exquisite. As for the actual healing effect, it was already nothing short of extraordinary in his eyes.
Even after the wound had fully closed, Luke remained lost in thought, carefully savoring the sensation he had just felt.
"All right, Luke. You can return to your seat."
Only when Unohana released his hand and spoke did Luke slowly come back to himself.
Ignoring several inexplicably envious stares, he returned to his seat, deep in thought.
So this was Kaidō...
But how, exactly, had Unohana succeeded?
That was Luke's greatest question right now, because he knew one thing for certain.
He was not a spiritual body at all.
He was a living human being, through and through.
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