Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 126 - Asking for a Favor

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Six

After saying goodbye to Granny, Wayne brought Momo home to rest. Granny had not asked Wayne how he had known about Shiro-chan's Reiatsu leakage. As for Wayne's identity, Granny did not concern herself with it, she only cared whether her little family of four could live together in harmony and warmth. And Wayne had already given her exactly that feeling. So no matter how deeply Wayne concealed himself, Granny would never pursue the matter. In her eyes, Wayne was already her own grandson.

Back home, Wayne put away the pig skin that had been drying out all day, then loaded up his cart and headed to the forest once more.

Today Wayne needed to haul another cartload of soil. The watermelon seedlings in the test plot had already begun to sprout, which confirmed that the soil he had brought back was suitable for planting. Going forward, the seedlings would need to be cultivated and the planting area expanded. Of course, that was secondary, the main purpose was to meet with Izuru Kira. Today, Wayne intended to try asking Kira for fabric that could provide a shielding effect for Granny. As a noble, Kira's household should have something of that sort, so it should not be too much to ask.

Arriving at the forest, Wayne first set his traps as usual, then walked to the stream. Checking the fish-trap basket he had set earlier, he found it had yielded a catch, and he happily pulled out the two crucian carp inside. Then he headed toward the spot he had arranged to meet Izuru Kira.

Before long, Kira arrived at the forest. His legs were slightly unsteady, showing a hint of discomfort, it was clear that after returning home, Kira had continued practicing his lower-body foundation drills, and his body had not yet fully recovered.

"How are you holding up? Can you manage today?" Seeing Kira walking with a stiff gait, Wayne sat beneath a tree and asked in an unhurried, composed manner.

"Mm, I think I can," Kira replied. He had no idea Wayne had observed his condition with the naked eye; he assumed Wayne had judged it from his footsteps and the fluctuations of Reiatsu within his body.

"In that case... let's continue." Wayne stood up. "Start with the warm-up. I'll have something to eat."

"Yes, Master." The earnest Kira called out the title on instinct, and at the same time handed over the lunch box he had brought.

"Just call me Tsukishiro." Wayne accepted the bento without ceremony. Today it was a pork cutlet rice, a quite generous meal.

"Ah — right, got it, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira nodded.

"Same as before — horse stance. Hold it for half a shichen first. Once your full-body Reiatsu is activated, begin practicing the bow-stance punch. You should know: the fist is the foundation of martial arts. Learn your fist and footwork first, then pick up the blade — it becomes an extension of your limbs."

"Understood, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira nodded and obediently did as he was told. He had no hesitation whatsoever regarding Wayne's words. Whatever the case, Wayne's ability had been demonstrated beyond any doubt the day before. Slaying a Hollow beast without yet being a Soul Reaper, that alone said more than enough.

Kira worked on his warm-up to the side while Wayne ate under the tree. It was not that he could not bring food back for Momo and the others; rather, Wayne, who had compressed his Reiatsu, consumed far more Reishi than Momo did. Momo could not finish this amount anyway, so Wayne decided to eat his fill in the forest.

The bento disappeared quickly. Wayne cleaned the two crucian carp, then propped them over the fire and started grilling.

By the time everything was done, Kira had more or less finished his warm-up. During the break, Wayne passed one of the grilled fish to him.

"Kira, your family is nobility, right?" Wayne asked casually by the fire.

"That's correct," Kira replied, eating as he spoke.

"Then does your household have something, clothing, or fabric — that can block the negative effects produced when someone's Reiatsu leaks outward?"

"Yes, we do. After all, among noble households there are many servants who possess no Reiryoku, so certain protective measures are necessary." Kira nodded.

"Could you get me enough fabric for two sets of clothing? Color doesn't matter — as long as you have it."

"Is it for family members?" Kira asked. For someone like Wayne, who had extraordinary control over Reiryoku, this was nearly an impossible problem to have.

"As a precaution." Wayne replied lightly. "Would that be inconvenient?"

"Mm, it should be no problem." Kira nodded.

"Then I'll leave it to you. Heh — I'm only teaching you the basics, yet I find myself asking you for more and more things."

"Not at all, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira quickly waved his hand. "Everything you mentioned is quite ordinary, none of it is difficult for me. In fact, I had once considered whether to invite you back to my estate and have you serve as a resident instructor, but that day you said you were also planning to sit the Shin'ō Academy entrance examination, and that made me abandon the idea. As for the food and fabric, it really is nothing worth mentioning."

"That's kind of you to say, but I can't just take your things for nothing. How about this, when you bring the fabric, I'll teach you a Reiryoku ability that can be used before you even become a Soul Reaper."

"Wh, what?!" Izuru Kira went pale with shock. At this stage, neither his own Reiatsu nor Big Brother Tsukishiro's had reached the level of a Soul Reaper squad member. Creating one's own Reiryoku ability was something only a Soul Reaper could do after awakening their Zanpakutō, yet the man before him was claiming he had already created one, and that he could teach it. Izuru Kira was so startled he could not find words.

"It's just a simple application of Reiryoku. No need to be so shocked." Wayne seemed to read Kira's thoughts and simply waved his hand. "Let's get back to the fist work first. We'll talk about the Reiryoku ability tomorrow."

"Yes, Big Brother Tsukishiro." With that, Kira, having finished his grilled fish, stood up and returned to the clearing. He began practicing the bow-stance punch in earnest.

"Lead foot forward, torso upright, generate force through the rotation of the foot, leg, and waist, relax the shoulder, deliver power to the face of the fist..." Wayne sat to the side and began instructing. After correcting Kira's form, Wayne watched him repeat the punch over and over, then taught him the second technique and the third.

Before long, Wayne had taught Kira a complete set of basic fist techniques. He then began sparring drills with Kira, feeding him combinations, letting his body commit them to memory. Gradually, Kira's speed picked up. His form grew more precise.

Through an entire night's work, Wayne set aside hunting and devoted himself fully to instructing Izuru Kira. Of course, Wayne could not return home empty-handed, so he let Kira finish class two hours early and had him come along for the hunt.

It was called hunting together, but during the process Wayne also taught Kira how to use Reiryoku perception to sense the presence of things in the outside world. In this regard, Kira's already solid Reiatsu control allowed him to catch on quickly. Though he could not concretize all his senses the way Wayne did, he was already able to make a basic distinction between the Reiryoku of stationary plants and that of living creatures in motion.

And so, in the final two hours, Kira followed Wayne and successfully used Reiatsu perception to catch a pheasant. He did hand it over to Wayne afterward, but the enormous gain had left Kira overjoyed.

"All right, that's it for today. Kira, you've worked hard." Wayne said with a smile, a wild rabbit in each hand and a pheasant in the other.

"Not at all, you're the one who worked hard, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira straightened up and gave Wayne a slight bow of thanks.

"Go home and rest well. When you wake up, remember to run through the punch and the Reiatsu perception exercises again. As for the lower-body stability foundation work, just practice it whenever you have free time."

"Yes, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira confirmed. "Regarding the Reiryoku-shielding fabric you need, I will bring it tomorrow."

"Ah, then I'll count on you." With that, Wayne gave a nod and left. Kira soon set off in the direction of Seireitei.

Another quiet night.

Wayne returned home, placed the game he had caught on the wooden stand in the yard, then went inside to rest. Tonight he had come back a little earlier than usual. When he arrived, Momo was still asleep. He walked softly to his own bedroll and quietly lay down.

He turned his head and looked at Momo, still deep in sleep. The corner of Wayne's mouth curved upward without him noticing.

Wasn't this the peaceful life he had always been chasing?

A shame it could not last too long, not unless he could cut down that person, not unless he could return to that barren yet free and untamed sanctuary.

"Nel... are you still alive?" Wayne looked up at the ceiling, thoughts drifting to that snow-white lotus that had bloomed from the mud. He let out a soft sigh, closed his eyes, and sank into deep sleep.

The next day, when Wayne woke again, Momo was still at home. The well they had dug the day before was now complete, and today Momo needed to help make the wooden bucket and frame used for drawing water. The work itself was not complicated, mainly what was needed were a rounded drum and a crank handle, and those would have to be obtained from the market.

From the wild boar Wayne had brought back the day before, a good amount of meat still remained. Momo cut off a large chunk, went to the street to trade it for the necessary materials, and was now in the middle of assembling everything.

"Momo, you've been busy." Wayne stepped out of the yard.

"Big Brother, you're up." Momo was testing the sturdiness of the crank handle while greeting Wayne. "Today I traded some pork for these materials. From now on, drawing water will be much easier for us."

"Ah, so we won't have to spend so much time on fetching water anymore." Wayne nodded in agreement. "Once this is done, let's go help dig a well at Granny's place too. Honestly, Granny's side needs it even more."

"Sure!" Momo agreed, and also mentioned that after their own well was finished, she had already discussed digging a well at Granny's house with Shiro-chan. Today Shiro-chan had also gone to the street to trade for materials such as bluestone slabs and stone bricks, and they planned to start work today.

Hearing this, Wayne naturally felt it was his duty to help as well. After washing up, he headed over to Shiro-chan's house to help dig the well.

Three people working together was far faster than one. It took only a single afternoon for the three of them to finish the well.

The well at Shiro-chan's house was considerably shallower than the one at Momo's. Wayne had only dug four or five meters before he felt fresh spring water bubbling up. The workload was at least half that of his own well, which was why the three of them finished so quickly. After a few days of settling, the well would be ready for use.

Dinner was naturally shared at Shiro-chan's place again. The ingredients, naturally, were ones Wayne had brought. There was still pork left over from last time, and to keep the meat from spoiling, Wayne had already sent Shiro-chan on a trip to the market to trade for other storable foods, clothing, and some household necessities. That way it would also help improve life for Shiro-chan and Granny, a benefit to everyone. Wayne had not drawn up any particular list of what to buy, however; he handed full responsibility to Momo. And Momo completed the task perfectly.

In the evening, Wayne loaded his cart and headed to the forest to wait for Kira. The two of them had agreed that tonight Kira would bring the fabric that could help Shiro-chan and Granny, the fabric to shield against Shiro-chan's leaking Reiatsu.

It was not that Wayne could not teach Shiro-chan to control his Reiryoku. The problem was that once Shiro-chan learned to control his Reiryoku and awakened Hyorinmaru, his Reiatsu would surge instantly. At that point, at his current age, Shiro-chan's Reiatsu might go berserk with even greater intensity, and Granny could very likely lose her life as a result.

What Wayne could do for now was help ease the impact of the Reiatsu on Granny, and wait for Shiro-chan to grow a little older before sending him to take the Shin'ō Academy entrance examination. By then, Shiro-chan would be able to exert as much control over Hyorinmaru as possible, and his Reiatsu would not run wild.

Regarding Wayne's approach, Granny expressed her gratitude. After all, she too wanted to spend more time with her grandson. If Shiro-chan was fortunate enough to enter the Gotei 13 in the future, Granny might even be able to move to a new home.

Deep into the night, Izuru Kira arrived as promised. Today Kira had brought not only the fabric Wayne needed, but also a box of finely made food and a brand-new katana.

"Heh, sorry to put you to all this trouble, Kira." Wayne accepted the three items Kira handed over and could not help but feel pleased. This way, Wayne had solved his most basic needs. In the future, Wayne would also be able to practice swordsmanship and reclaim his original fighting style.

"Not at all, it was nothing." Kira scratched his head with an awkward, self-conscious look.

"Now that I've taken your things, I'll naturally hold to my word and teach you the Reiryoku ability I mentioned." Wayne rose from his spot beside the tree.

"Yes, yes, of course!" Izuru Kira was visibly excited. Perhaps the technique he was about to learn would rarely be used in the future, but mastering it now meant that when he entered Shin'ō Academy, it would certainly add a great deal to his standing. It might even earn him a place in Class A and make him an outstanding student.

"First, I need to confirm, are you able to concentrate your Reiryoku into the palm of your hand?" As he spoke, Wayne flipped his wrist and channeled his Reiryoku, gathering it into his palm to form a glowing orb of Reiryoku.

"Ah, yes." Kira followed suit, and quickly succeeded in gathering a glowing Reiryoku orb in his own palm.

"Good. With that foundation, you'll pick this up quickly." Wayne drew his long blade. "Infuse your Reiatsu into a weapon, make it feel like an extension of your own arm. Channel the Reiatsu into the blade. It will increase your striking power."

"I've heard a previous teacher mention this, but at the moment I haven't been able to do it yet."

"No matter. We can take it step by step."

➤ Next: Slash Gleam