It's finally complete! The Reiatsu Absorption Room!!
It's a Kisuke Urahara special! The fact that he can whip something like this up casually is outrageous.
...Ah, I did pay for the materials properly, just so you know... though Yoruichi-san covered more than half of it.
So, as a maiden of marriageable age (a granny who's been a Shinigami for about 500 years), training takes precedence over fashion or sweets.
Today is my day off. I'm going to train from the morning.
I enter the Reiatsu Absorption Room built in a corner of the garden of the house I rented after becoming Lieutenant.
The inside is really just a shack, or rather a dilapidated hut.
It has no decorations or charm.
I ordered it to ignore design and everything else, specializing in performance and maintainability! So it's only natural.
"Then, start up!"
'Pushing the button!'
...Ooh... I can tell the surrounding Reiatsu is disappearing.
Is this what a decompression chamber feels like? I feel somewhat suffocated.
Nubatama, how does it feel over there?
'Let's see... it's like, mellow yet not persistent, rich yet crisp. Clean and refreshing, goes down smoothly! Like that...'
In other words, you don't really know.
'That's cruel!! Even looking like this, I am desperately earning points to contribute to my Lord even a little!!'
Yes yes, are the points on a stamp card for mochi?
...You don't need to worry about strange things like that; I'm happy just having you by my side...
'Unexpected arrival of the dere phase!?!?'
Oh my, how rude. I'm always lovey-dovey and sweet.
...Well, enough with the silly talk—
'Wait!?!?'
—Let's leave it at that.
The performance is top-notch.
When I tried releasing just a little Reiatsu as a test, a sensation like spiritual power being scooped out from the depths of my body assaulted me.
Wow... it comes all at once, this...
In other words, if I let my body learn like this, conversely, the fear of leaking Reiatsu wastefully disappears!! That leads to efficiency!!
This room sucks up leaked Reiatsu, but it doesn't react to Reiatsu inside the body. And when using Shunpo, circulating Reiatsu inside the body is key.
Then if I train here, I should be able to suppress wasteful spiritual power consumption to the limit and increase the effect even more.
Reduce energy loss to the limit and turn even the part that was wastefully consumed until now into power. For an ordinary person to fight against end-game enemies like Harribel or Bambietta, it's impossible unless I do this much.
And one more thing.
"Wow... this is effective... it feels like my weight has increased a hundred times..."
I think I mentioned before that putting too much power when activating Shunpo becomes a burden, and that it might improve training efficiency.
By putting in too much Reiatsu more efficiently, I use it as an intense load.
If I push that further, it becomes like this.
Assaulted by a sensation like my whole body is being tightened creakingly, I can't even move properly. Swinging a sword in this state makes me want to ask what kind of torture this is.
"But recently, unless it's this much... I don't feel like I'm training..."
Because daily training is too light and unsatisfying.
If I train plenty in this room, I should surely be able to reach my dream! I should be able to grasp my dream with these hands!!
"Agu... s-sucked out..."
Even this absorption is bearable if I think like that!!
Bearable... bear...
My limit was until the morning.
Well, is this about right for the first time...?
"I hope some interesting new works have come in..."
Since I still had time even after lightly washing off the sweat, I went to the Shino Library in the afternoon.
I've almost given up on methods to use Kido easily and powerfully.
I did find some to a certain extent, those kinds of methods themselves. But what I found was that despite the effort, the power was less than casting without incantation, or even if it became powerful, it could only be used after taking plenty of time for preparation...
I don't think I'll find a means that takes the best of both worlds, being easy, simple, and powerful.
So now, I visit the library seeking new entertainment.
Since becoming Lieutenant—or rather, since becoming 4th Seat—I've been busy all the time, so the frequency has dropped significantly, though. Sometimes I almost forget the return deadline and get scolded.
"Umm, the display shelf for new works is... oh my?"
While looking around the bookshelves, a single Shinigami suddenly caught my eye.
A female Shinigami concentrating on reading a book at the reading seat—for some reason, I can't take my eyes off her.
I feel like I've seen her somewhere...
Inadvertently stopping my search for books, I ended up staring at her, wondering where I had seen her.
"...What is it? Do you have some business with me?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's not like I have any particular business..."
As expected, she noticed.
Since she turned only her gaze from the book toward me, I apologize for the time being.
"I felt like I had seen you somewhere, so I just happened to look. I'm not intending to disturb your reading, so rest assured."
"Is that so? ...Hmm? No, speaking of which, you too look like I've seen you somewhere..."
Before I knew it, now it was my turn to be stared at.
She raises her face completely from the book and stares at me intently. Just when I thought I was being looked at silently for a while, eventually she showed an expression as if she understood.
"Ah, that's right. The Fourth Division's... umm... name was... from the Extermination Operation."
"I am called Yukawa."
"Right, right, it was a name like that. I am Lisa of the Eighth Division. Even like this, I am your equal, a Lieutenant."
"I'm not wearing an armband, though," she says and laughs a little.
Not just her, but there are quite a few Shinigami who don't wear armbands despite being Lieutenants. In my case, since the Fourth Division is looked down upon even normally, I wear an armband to make it even a little easier to understand.
Or rather, Lisa Yadomaru. I remembered with that name.
In the original work, she is a Shinigami who appeared as one of the Vizards. At that time, she had black braided hair and wore glasses, and moreover, she wore a sailor suit-like outfit, looking like a very serious student... an appearance like "a class representative of some school?"
That hasn't changed even now—chronologically, this should be the base, though—black braids. Her features also feel serious and cool.
However, she is wearing a Shihakusho, but this... the bottom has become like a mini-skirt. Her thighs and such are fully visible; is that okay...
'No no, my Lord!! This is fan service, fan service!! So first, please stare at them as if licking them all over and calm down. When I saw these thighs, I surely felt something like a "flutter" that cannot be expressed in words!!'
Yes yes, is your order bourbon?
But well, I understand Nubatama's feelings too.
Male squad members are definitely looking at this, absolutely. But since the Eighth Division has many female squad members, maybe she becomes dull to that sort of thing?
"Do you like reading too?"
"Yes, well. Work is busy so I can hardly find time, though."
"Just push such work onto the Captain or subordinates and do it casually. I do that."
Push onto the Captain... (shiver)
'Oh my, was it midwinter now...? An indescribable chill runs down my spine...'
Yup... let's try not to think about it. I still value my life.
"The Eighth Division is Captain Kyoraku, right? That person also has an image of playing around, but is it okay?"
"Don't know. If the Lieutenant doesn't work, it's the Captain's responsibility; if the Captain doesn't work, it's the Captain's responsibility. See, no problem at all."
"No no, Lieutenant Yadomaru... that is bad, I tell you..."
As expected, that's no good... well, it's another squad's business, so as long as the bill doesn't come to me, it's fine already...
"It's fine, it's fine. Or rather, since we're equals, Lisa is fine. In return, I'll call you Airi too."
"Of course, I don't mind. Nice to meet you, Lisa."
...I see. My awareness was thin until now, but both she and I are Lieutenants.
From now on, if Captains' meetings or such are held, I'll accompany Captain Unohana...
And interact with familiar faces among fellow Lieutenants... oh, I'm somehow getting excited.
'Ora, wakuwaku suzzo!'
Yes yes, remember the excitement.
"Right. Airi, do you know any interesting books? In return, I'll introduce my recommended books too."
"Recommended... umm..."
She likes books, huh.
Come to think of it, even in the original work, she seemed to be reading books... wait!? But the books she's reading seem like nothing but ero-books, why!?
Was she reading ero-books?
'Here, let us follow our intuition and introduce recommended ero-books!!'
Why!? Also, I don't particularly have recommendations or anything!!
...Well, whatever.
"Let's see... then, daringly aiming for the eccentric..."
Prefacing with that, I introduced several erotic books and pornographic books.
"This one is recommended. Like, a mollusk with many arms, and with those countless arms—... ah, this one is an old man but has matchless vigor—... this story about illicit love—..."
I haven't been reading ero-books just for show.
Lisa also disliked it at first, but that was only at first. Or rather, disliking it was just a pose.
In the blink of an eye, she began to read devouring it.
"...Master."
"Huh?"
"Please let me call you Master!"
For some reason, it turned out like this.
...Why?
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]