In Soul Society, love and bond begin

The second punch.

"Boom."

The power of this blow was more concentrated and solid than the previous two punches, and it had extraordinary penetrating power.

Under the extreme force that ordinary people could hardly imagine, countless white fragments were swept away by the violent shock wave and shattered into pieces along a straight path forward.

It turned into a pure white smoke path.

The last punch!

Along with the loud noise, there was a hoarse cry full of resentment from Bai, who had been beaten with an electric whip for dozens of days.

"Yamamoto! Sparrow!"

"Fuck your ancestors!!"

"..."

Until the end, Yamamoto kept that wide-eyed look of astonishment, unable to close his mouth for a long time.

Quebu's eyes almost popped out of his head.

However, after hearing his voice.

Yamamoto's eyes became brighter and brighter.

The corners of his mouth, which were always gloomy, suddenly turned up.

"... Brat!"

Chapter 20: The Sly Boy (Big Chapter!)

"oh--!!!"

Almost at the moment the boulder was exploded, the two people present cheered in unison.

Miss Kadori's expression was even more exaggerated than Fujimiya Makoto's.

What does it mean to have three updates every day that come out of nowhere?!

The girl's eyes seemed to be shining behind her glasses.

Fujimiya Makoto was almost crying with joy.

What he just said about the quintessence of the nation came from his heart.

If he had known that this move only required one talent point, why would he have endured that bastard Quebu's lightning whip day after day?!

Do you know how painful a whip is?

Not only himself, but even his Zanpakuto, who normally couldn't even fart, started shouting.

[Yamamoto! I'll hang your teeth!]

[Wait until I learn all your skills, and then I'll see if I can usurp your throne!]

[Such nonsense! If you had demonstrated it to me earlier, I would have learned it by now!]

Fujimiya Makoto couldn't help but reveal an expression of surprise on his face.

This was the first time in history that this broken knife had spoken a few human words, which truly represented his inner voice!

"That's right!"

"That's it!"

On the contrary, Miss Kadori was stunned when she heard these words, and her expression, which was originally full of joy, froze.

The girl reminded weakly:

"Um, Fujimiya-kun?"

"Isn't this a bit...?"

Fujimiya Makoto sat down on the ground and lay on his back.

At that moment, he felt as if all the strength in his body had been drained by the punch just now. He waved his hand nonchalantly, "It's okay, let it be! I've already inquired about it. Mr. Shan went on a long trip the day before yesterday."

"If I curse at this broken knife a few times, can that stinky old man fly back from District 40?"

"Besides, even if he were standing here, I would..."

"No, that's not what I meant!" Lu Quba Yunzhai's voice became smaller and smaller, and he couldn't help but reveal that weak expression, "It's, that... behind you..."

"what?"

Fujimiya Makoto responded lazily at first, but his roundabout tone suddenly stopped halfway.

think carefully.

This broken sword seems to only work when there are many people around...

Before he could finish his thoughts.

In the moonlight, a muscular figure loomed over his head.

Yamamoto Shigekuni bent over with a smile and looked down at Fujimiya Makoto who was lying on the ground.

The smiling expression on that ferocious old face looked even more hideous and terrifying against the backdrop of the night and shadows, revealing a silent murderous aura.

Without even a moment to mourn the death of the murderous boulder, the one who immediately arrived at the scene was—Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni!

"..."

The old man looked down at him with a smile and asked:

"You too what?"

【Using your position as head coach! 】

The Zanpakutō uttered that sickly, childish sound without hesitation.

Fujimiya Makoto was completely at a loss.

The next moment, after less than half a second of thinking in his blank brain, the part of his human rationality made him make the decision to surrender immediately, immediately, and quickly.

His brain had never been working as fast as it was at this moment.

"...I, too, will unhesitatingly thank Master Yuanliuzai for his sincere guidance and care. I will follow what I have learned in Yuanzi Academy and from now on wholeheartedly support the supreme Chief Instructor!"

Fujimiya Makoto's voice was resolute, his tone was firm, and there was no hesitation in his eyes, as if what he blurted out was some world truth that he believed in from the bottom of his heart, and even his back straightened up while lying on the ground.

Quebe, who was following behind Genryūsai-sama, covered his face.

I can't bear to watch it.

Why hadn't he noticed before that Chengjun was so... worldly-wise?

"Slippery little devil."

The old man kicked him in anger, motioned him to stand up, and walked ahead with his hands behind his back, shaking his head, and said bluntly:

"Come with me!"

"Yes."

Fujimiya Makoto immediately got up from the ground and tried to look in the direction of Suzube.

Sparrow Department! Help brother!

However, Chojiro Suzuki pretended not to see it, as if he was seriously admiring the broken boulder.

Shikatori Bayunsai had the look of someone visiting a brave warrior.

I secretly gave him a thumbs up.

You're so brave! As expected of Fujimiya-kun!

In desperation, Fujimiya Makoto had no choice but to follow the old man in the mountains and take a walk with him.

The bamboo forest in the backyard of Yuanzi Academy covers a considerable area. On weekdays, not many people come here. There is only a gravel path through the bamboo forest. Occasionally, a breeze blows through, making it feel quite cool.

The surrounding bamboo leaves made a rustling sound and swayed gently.

Yamamoto walked a long way ahead without saying a word.

Fujimiya Makoto felt a chill down his spine.

Is the old man going to find a place to bury him?

"Sincerity."

"How long have you been born in this world?"

I'm so tired, so alone

The old man in the mountain neither praised his achievements nor appreciated his talent. Instead, he asked about something completely unrelated.

Fujimiya Makoto was a little confused, but he still told the truth: "I don't know. I've been running away since I appeared in [Zaraki]."

"There's no day or night there, and I can't tell the time."

"Zaraki..."

The old man in the mountain was a little surprised, but he felt it was natural.

A guy like him can live well no matter where he is.

"But you probably haven't seen how ordinary people in Soul Society live, right?"

"Ordinary people?" Fujimiya Makoto was getting more and more confused. What did he want to say?

The old man stood still and pointed at the villages in the distance with a few wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. "Those are the ones that can survive on just drinking water, and the very few that need a small amount of food."

“No.”

Fujimiya Makoto was telling the truth.

As soon as he left [Zaraki], he was taken to Motoji Academy.

"That's it."

The old man sighed with some regret: "So what do you think of them?"

Fujimiya Makoto's voice faltered: "Just... ordinary people?"

"Ordinary people."

The old man chewed over the answer and nodded slightly: "Just treat them as human beings."

"Ah?" Fujimiya Makoto was stunned.

As the old man in the mountain said this, he sat down on a large bluestone by the roadside and waved to him casually, indicating that he should relax.

"When I was born, I was adopted by a kind couple in Koifu Mountain in the West Third District. We lived together and depended on each other—most ordinary people in Rukongai were like this, considering each other family."

When the old man recalled the past, his eyes would narrow involuntarily, as if he could see something from afar: "Later, as time went by, my spiritual power talent became increasingly apparent. Drinking water alone was no longer enough to satisfy my life, so I had no choice but to leave my hometown alone and go elsewhere to find a place where I could get enough food."

"At first, I worked for merchants in Runlin'an (District 1), and later I ran errands for others. However, because I could never find a way to learn to wield the power of the Death God, even after working to barely fill my stomach, I was often hated by others because of my uncontrolled powers... I even burned innocent people to death."

"But I have nowhere to learn. The nobles control all avenues of power. Even if ordinary people want to be their lackeys, they have to rely on luck... and that's it. Most people can't even get a chance."

"It wasn't until later that I met my master in the wilderness and found my own Zanpakutō that things started to get better."

“When you have power, you will want to return home in glory.”

The old man turned his head and looked at Fujimiya Makoto, saying calmly: "But when I went back, I couldn't find it anymore."

"Can't find it?"

Not dead, nor moved away.

Fujimiya Makoto, who had been listening to the story, couldn't help but frown.

The old man in the mountain narrated bluntly, "My hometown, Lifu Mountain, was designated a 'hunting ground' by the local nobles several years ago."

"They released a lure of Voids on the mountaintop to perform a coming-of-age ceremony for the eldest son of a noble family. All the people in the area became part of their 'prey.' The Voids spread across the mountain, devouring everything in the area. The nobles, in order to prove their bravery, then slaughtered them all."

"When I returned, all traces of it in my memory had almost disappeared."

"Village, acquaintances, pond, earthen slope..."

"It disappeared completely, leaving no trace."

Just listening to the plain narration, Fujimiya Makoto couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.