"—!!"
Simultaneously swinging my sword down with great force, I release Reiatsu and launch a flying slash.
"...Just kidding."
Of course, that was a lie.
Ah, the Getsuga Tensho part was a lie, but I did actually attack.
What I did was simply launch Reiatsu in the manner of Hado \#78, Zangerin, timing it with the slash. Thanks to Shikai, my blade turned black, so I just felt like trying it out to match the look.
Currently, I am in the middle of self-practice deep in the mountains, far away from Rukongai.
Practice for what? A special move, of course!
What's wrong with that! Even if I think up one or two things like a special move!!
After all, you want one or two techniques that are unique to you, don't you!!
If I can perform Shikai, I want to learn at least one method like that!
So for the time being, I tried imitating the protagonist's technique, but—
"I can't use this..."
—It's not necessarily bad. But a normal Shinigami could substitute for it.
"Hado \#78: Zangerin!"
This is a spell where you coat the Zanpakuto in Reiatsu and release it as if launching a slash.
What it does is the same as Getsuga Tensho. Probably.
The fine details might differ, but you can do the same thing with Kido. Most likely.
Actually, when combined with Kido, most things can be substituted... Is there no usage that is original...?
'Doesn't my Lord have me?'
Nubatama! That is true, but that can't be used in combat!
...Hmm? Wait, wait a moment... If I use Nubatama...
"Ah, right!"
You never know until you try! If you don't know, try it!!
So, I lightly slash the ground and coat it with Nubatama's mucus. Then I concentrate my mind...
'Ah, my Lord...? I have a very bad feeling about this...'
"Hado \#33: Sokatsui!"
I fire flames at the spot smeared with mucus.
I thought I could intensify the fire by utilizing its property of igniting even at low temperatures, but it seems to be a failure.
"Hmm... did the firepower go up...? Is this actually weakening it?"
It flares up in an instant and burns out, so at best, it serves as a fire starter. If only it had an effect like scattering gasoline or kerosene, that would have been good.
'It is a combination technique between myself and my Lord!! As for the name, let's see... How about 'Wildfire'!?'
"If it were that easy, I wouldn't be struggling..."
If I could output destructive power like '4 lands and 4 damage', that would be fine.
With no other choice, I coat my palms with mucus instead.
"It's difficult for now. Well, I can use it for this kind of swordsmanship, but—!!"
Next, I hold the Zanpakuto with one hand and swing it vigorously.
Normally, it would look like it's about to fly out of my hand, but I have raised the friction significantly there. As long as my grip strength holds, I won't make a blunder like that.
After confirming that I can keep a firm grip even when swinging it around wildly, I pick up small stones rolling on the ground until my hand is full, then lightly toss them upwards.
"...Hah!!"
I flash my Zanpakuto at the falling stone gravel.
"This is difficult."
I intended to cut them all in half, but perhaps because they lacked sufficient weight, they just went flying the moment I hit them without being cut.
"I want to be able to cut all of these..."
I succeeded in hitting all of them, at least.
'Isn't that practically impossible...?'
"The Captain would cut them down, you know?"
For some reason, Nubatama asked with concern, but was something strange?
Sure, considering my growth rate until now, one might think reaching that level is incredibly difficult.
But I want to go into the mountains in autumn, kick a gingko tree with all my might, and cut all the falling leaves in mid-air and call it 'Secret Sword: Falling Leaves' or something.
I want to cut a dummy target vertically and horizontally in an instant for a 'Cross Slash', or unleash three thrusts in an instant like a certain Wolf of Mibu's 'Avidya Sword: Three-Stage Thrust', or shout "Snow! Moon! Flowers!" while slashing magnificently.
Ah, if I kick a gingko tree, gingko nuts will fall too. I have to pick them up. They are delicious, but the prep work is a pain.
'My Lord!? Weren't you thinking about special moves and swordsmanship just now!?'
...Hah! No good, no good. Before I knew it, my thoughts were heading in a completely different direction. I have to think properly...!!
"—Ah! I see! My way of thinking was wrong! If Nubatama produces mucus continuously from the blade without rest, and I ignite it with Kido, it becomes like a sword of flames!!"
'Ah, my Lord!? Please, please spare me from that!! I am not that vigorous... I will become like a mummy!! I will become a dried fish exposed to the sun!!'
"It's fine, I generally prefer my dried fish air-dried. It'll work, it'll work! Also, we have to soak you in salt water, and seasoning with mirin, sake, and soy sauce would be good too."
'Ah, indeed. That sounds like it would go well with sake... wait, my Lord!! Your thoughts are heading toward cooking again!!'
Come to think of it.
Regarding the rice balls I brought when training with the Captain, she said they weren't enough, so the amount I brought gradually increased, and recently I've ended up bringing a multi-tiered food box.
I wonder if her palate has become more refined.
"Hmm."
It seems special moves were still too early for me.
Since I'm a slow learner anyway, I think the correct answer is to steadily improve my basic abilities and master a path that isn't flashy but is strong.
I haven't even fully mastered my Shikai abilities yet.
...Since I can manipulate friction, I should be able to nullify attacks, so why is Captain Unohana able to land attacks right through my defense?
This might be the result of this world's favorite rule: "If the Reiatsu is overwhelmingly high, most things can be nullified."
Because—
"Damn it!! Why can't I hit this Shinigami!!"
"Punching, kicking, slashing!! Nothing gets through!!"
"I didn't hear about this!! I didn't hear there was a Shinigami like this!!"
—The attacks of three Hollows.
I am nullifying every single one of them with Nubatama's ability.
Currently, I am in the middle of an extermination mission for the first time in a while.
As a celebration of learning that I can perform Shikai, the Captain brought a request from another squad.
Ah... I still have the Fourth Division duties too... and the new recruit training is in progress... I'm so happy...
The opponents this time have the appearance of wild beasts. Perhaps they met by chance and hit it off, because their characteristic is attacking simultaneously as a trio.
Their coordinated attacks, imitating a wolf pack hunt, are actually quite decent.
They are decent, but it seems their strength as Hollows isn't that great.
A Shinigami of my current level can see through their movements easily just by concentrating a little. There isn't even a need to activate Shunpo.
"Just by changing the angle slightly, attacks can be completely parried. Even if I meet an attack at a right angle, it slides off and is far from an effective hit..."
So, under the guise of practical combat training, I am testing the defense of Nubatama's ability.
The result is excellent, or rather, a huge success.
"Hey, you guys... is this the best you can do?"
"Wh... What did you say!!"
Hmm hmm, a little provocation and they get angry easily.
Then the attacks truly are genuine. I had grasped that much, but these were indeed attacks meant to kill me, filled with killing intent.
"C-Calm down!! This one has drawn a sword but hasn't attacked even once! In other words, a decoy or a scout!"
"Is... Is that so!"
"Then there's no need to keep dealing with a guy like this!!"
Oops, looks like I eased up too much.
Judging that I wouldn't attack and deciding there was no need to fight any longer, the three Hollows ran off in separate directions as if they had planned it.
"No, you don't."
However, if I let them escape here, who knows what the Captain will do to me—or rather, what she will say to me.
I use Shunpo to grab the head of the nearest Hollow and throw it with full force toward where it came from.
"Gueh!?!?"
"Brother!? Since when!?"
"F... Fast!!"
As expected, their speed isn't much either.
It must have realized what happened around the time I grabbed its head and threw it; only then did a scream go up, and it slammed into the ground without being able to break its fall.
"Wh... What is this!?"
I had liberally applied Nubatama's mucus to that spot beforehand.
Moreover, the viscosity and slipperiness are maxed out. It's sticky, slimy, and gooey.
'Personally, I hate touching a guy like this... If it has to be done, a woman would be better.'
I agree with that opinion a little bit.
"Now, next is your turn, okay?"
"Uwoh!? You're here already!?"
I capture the second one in the same way and throw it just the same.
"Guwah!? B-Brother, move out of the way!!"
"What is this... Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!?!?!?"
Wow... two Hollows are entangled on the slimy, sticky, messy ground, struggling together. From the front and from behind.
What a sight; it's hard to look at directly.
The remaining one is also watching with a dumbfounded expression.
"Now then, you are the only one left. You can be defeated quietly, or do you want to try running away alone, abandoning your comrades?"
"Ku... Kukukuku!! Shinigami really are stupid!!"
"...?"
What on earth is it saying—
"Eh!?"
"We have no intention of losing!"
"And no need to run away!"
"None at all!!"
—Surprisingly, the Hollow in front of me multiplied into three bodies as if splitting apart. At the same time, the figures of the two that had been enacting a thick entanglement earlier vanished without a trace.
"I am, we are, three as one! All are real!! All are fake!!"
"It means there ain't a Shinigami who can defeat us!"
"See ya! You stupid Shinigami!!"
I see. I thought their coordination was unusually good, but that was the trick.
If one is safe, it doesn't matter what happens to the other two. Since they can increase again if they split, and the baseline is the one that remained safe, as long as that one is fine, it's good.
It's a tactic where two draw attention while the third escapes or attacks.
Well, it's probably impossible to keep splitting forever, so if I kept defeating the decoys endlessly, they would eventually run out of Reiatsu and fall.
However, there is a standard tactic for defeating this kind of opponent.
"Too slow!!"
Just as the three took a step to flee, I instantly swung my sword and slashed all of them simultaneously.
"Gueeehh!?"
"Wh... Impossible...!?"
"With this... we can't split..."
"Secret Sword: Falling Leaves—just kidding."
The Hollows collapse powerlessly.
Practicing a little was worth it.
As expected, the theory for this kind of opponent is to defeat them at the same time. The slashed Hollows breathed their last simultaneously.
'My, splendid! Truly splendid!! My Lord, for all that talk, aren't you still lingering on special moves! Take that!!'
Well, you know...
'And to defeat such Hollows with a lone sword! Won't this increase your evaluation!?'
Ah, that won't happen.
'...Huh?'
This is a job passed on from another squad. It doesn't count towards my evaluation.
So it just adds a little color to the official assessment. Well, Captain Unohana might evaluate it separately, but for an opponent of this level...
'Wh-What... (No, these Hollows should have been quite strong... My Lord, aren't you being used conveniently...??)'
At this rate, I wonder how many years it will take to reach Bankai... Hey! Are you listening, Nubatama?
The training isn't the only thing.
When you become a seated officer, you are given your own room, albeit a small one.
It feels like a room in an apartment, but compared to the squad dormitory, the freedom is incomparable.
"Nn... Haa... that feels... good..."
"Around here?"
"Ah, there... Yukawa-san, more..."
So I can offer massages openly like this.
It doesn't compare to when I was doing it in a dorm room.
My salary has gone up, so I have them wear disposable paper underwear and do oil massages there.
The oil is a special homemade blend too.
Using plenty of thick, gooey oil, I slowly and carefully touch the limbs of the female squad members.
The slippery sensation transmitted through my fingertips is indescribable.
Almost everyone who receives my treatment once becomes a repeat customer, and the reputation is spreading by word of mouth.
It's to the point where squad members from other divisions come to ask, "Can I make a reservation?" during work hours.
I'm so happy to be able to touch the skin of various girls—
—Ahem. It is tough work, but it makes me very happy when everyone is pleased.
Besides, the reputation has been good lately.
They say their skin becomes smoother than ever, like a baby's skin...
...Hm, slippery...?
'Tee-hee ★'
I knew it, it was your doing!!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]