Masatsuki Aozaki led Suì-Fēng away from the gathering crowd, distancing themselves from any unnecessary trouble.
As they walked, he rubbed his chin.
"Suì... Shāolíng Fēng, can I just call you Suì-Fēng from now on?"
He had always referred to her as Suì-Fēng in his previous life, and changing how he addressed her so suddenly felt a bit unnatural.
Shāolíng Fēng was briefly taken aback before nodding. "Of course."
The codename "Suì-Fēng" originally belonged to her grandmother, and she had inherited it upon joining the Onmitsukidō.
As a lower noble family, the Fēng clan had a long history of serving as executioners and assassins. Anyone who failed to join the Executive Militia was exiled. Because of this, members of the Fēng family underwent Onmitsukidō training from an early age.
For someone like Shāolíng Fēng, who had grown up under strict family training, using codenames was second nature.
So when Masatsuki made his request, she didn't think much of it.
Masatsuki nodded. "Suì-Fēng, let's skip the office area for now. Next up are the training grounds and the Nest of Maggots. Where do you want to go first?"
"Where to go... I heard that Aozaki 3rd Seat and Lady Yoruichi are quite close. Is that true?" Rather than answering, Suì-Fēng posed a question of her own.
Masatsuki immediately sensed hostility, but he remained composed and openly admitted, "That's right."
Suì-Fēng stopped in her tracks. "I want to go to the training grounds—seeing Aozaki 3rd Seat's strength would be even better."
Masatsuki was momentarily stunned but quickly understood.
So, she sees me as a romantic rival and wants to test me.
If it were anyone else, he would've beaten them into submission and left them in the dirt without a second thought.
But since it was Suì-Fēng, he was willing to show a little more patience.
Leading the young girl, Masatsuki stepped into the training grounds. "Wait here for a moment."
With that, he walked over to the Shinigami guarding the area.
The guard seemed a little surprised to see him but said nothing, simply leading the two of them to one of the best training grounds in the 2nd Division. A wooden sign with the character "三" (Three) hung at the entrance.
—This was the exclusive training ground for the 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division.
Masatsuki had always treated the Nest of Maggots as his personal training space, so he had never actually been here before—hence why he needed guidance.
Many of the squad members who had been training turned their attention toward them.
They had never seen Masatsuki Aozaki in this training ground before.
And now, seeing him bring a beautiful girl inside, curiosity spread among them.
Wasn't Aozaki 3rd Seat afraid that the Commander-in-Chief would be angry if she found out?
In the crowd, a short, chubby young man with short black hair—who didn't seem much older than Suì-Fēng—watched the scene unfold with a look of impatience.
"Don't break anything, or our family will have to pay for the repairs."
Marenoshin Ōmaeda smacked the boy on the head. "You brat, all you ever think about is money. Pay attention!"
"Don't underestimate people. Even I wouldn't dare say I could definitely beat Masatsuki!"
The chubby boy clutched his head, eyes wide with surprise.
His father's strength had been recognized by the head of the Shihōin Clan.
The Ōmaeda family had held the position of Lieutenant of the 2nd Division for generations, not just because of their wealth but because each generation produced individuals with the talent to join the Onmitsukidō.
And his father, Marenoshin Ōmaeda, was a rare genius within the family.
Marenoshin smirked. If only this kid had more ambition.
But he knew that was wishful thinking.
This brat only cared about money and food—who even taught him to be like this?
He shook his head, causing the large gold chain around his neck to jangle.
...
Meanwhile, seeing that Masatsuki Aozaki had no intention of attacking, Suì-Fēng made a decision.
—She would strike first and teach this villain, who had stolen Lady Yoruichi's heart, a lesson.
Suì-Fēng took a deep breath, shifted her stance, and in the blink of an eye, vanished.
As expected of someone raised in the Fēng family, trained in Onmitsukidō from childhood—her Shunpo was executed with impressive precision.
She disappeared in an instant, reappearing right in front of Masatsuki Aozaki the next second.
With a flick of her right hand, cold steel gleamed.
At some point, the Zanpakutō that had been at her waist was now in her grip.
As an assassin-type Shinigami, Suì-Fēng specialized in close-quarters combat. She struck swiftly and fiercely, refusing to give Masatsuki even a chance to counter.
Her Zanpakutō was small and compact, and every slash and thrust demonstrated the danger of a shorter blade—speed and precision over brute force.
Masatsuki had to admit, her assassination technique was excellent.
Unfortunately, against overwhelming strength, these slashes barely qualified as attacks.
No matter how tricky her angles were or how lethal her strikes seemed, without sufficient speed and power, it was meaningless.
Besides, it was clear that while she disliked him, she had no intention of actually killing him.
Though her blade aimed for vital spots, the angles were slightly off.
Her strikes lacked the force that should have accompanied her Reiatsu level—it was obvious she was holding back.
Even if her attacks landed, they wouldn't be fatal.
Masatsuki didn't believe for a second that a professionally trained assassin couldn't control her own strength.
This wasn't a serious assassination attempt.
She had simply heard rumors, believed she had lost her beloved, and in her frustration, was venting her emotions—yet in the end, she couldn't bring herself to truly hurt him.
She's surprisingly gentle.
Masatsuki suddenly found her even more endearing.
Suì-Fēng's pupils shrank.
In her disbelieving gaze, Masatsuki smiled and effortlessly grabbed her wrist.
To avoid accidentally hurting her fragile Reiatsu, he applied only a controlled amount of force.
This girl was still young, yet her strength and speed already surpassed many Executive Militia members.
But Masatsuki remained completely at ease as he pressed down on her sword hand before letting go.
"Do you want to continue?" He scratched his head and smiled. "If so, go all out. I am the 3rd Seat, after all. You don't have to worry about hurting me."
Suì-Fēng nodded. She seemed calmer now, but she didn't back down. With unwavering resolve, she raised her blade and charged at him again.
Now, she genuinely wanted to see how strong Masatsuki Aozaki was.
Flashes of steel filled the air.
The battle had only just begun, yet the intensity had already reached its peak. Their clash grew fiercer with each exchange, drawing the full attention of the watching squad members.
After another rapid sequence of slashes, Masatsuki casually extended a single finger and lightly tapped the side of her blade.
A simple motion.
Yet in that instant, Suì-Fēng completely lost control of her Zanpakutō.
With a sharp clang, the blade was sent flying, and the training ground fell silent.
Suì-Fēng's expression grew serious.
She now understood—this man's strength was far beyond ordinary.
From start to finish, he had remained utterly composed. He hadn't even drawn his Zanpakutō or used Hakuda, yet he had effortlessly suppressed her the entire time.
The gap between them was like the difference between heaven and earth.
She briefly considered abandoning her sword and switching to Hakuda for close-combat instead.
But before she could act, Masatsuki stepped forward, placed a hand on her shoulder, and spoke in a calm, encouraging tone.
"You did well. You're more than qualified to serve as Yoruichi's personal guard."
"However, your swordsmanship still has some flaws. The coordination between your blade work and footwork could use improvement..."
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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