In the rear courtyard of the Katori-ryu Dojo, an ancient red maple stood silently against the wall, its age unknown.
Katori Nanatsuki gripped the sheath at his waist with his left hand, thumb pressed lightly against the tsuba of his blade.
A breeze passed through the treetops. The maple leaves swayed gently to its rhythm, and a few were startled loose, drifting into the air.
In the blink of an eye, a flash of sword light lit up the courtyard.
The falling leaves split cleanly in two, fluttering to the ground, joining the sea of red already blanketing the earth.
Nanatsuki twirled his wrist, sheathed his sword, and counted the severed leaves.
When he finished, he realized one leaf had remained whole.
He'd missed one. A rare slip-up.
"Lack of focus ruins the feel," Nanatsuki sighed inwardly.
His nose twitched—he caught the scent of freshly brewed medicine drifting from the kitchen.
The decoction was ready. He needed to deliver it.
Moments later, Nanatsuki arrived at the room to the left of the courtyard, carrying a bowl of medicine that pulsed with rich spiritual energy.
He slid open the door. A pale beauty lay on the bed inside.
"It's medicine time again, huh?"
She'd already awakened when she sensed his presence approaching.
This was Batsu'unsai Katori, the former captain of the 8th Division.
Her face was bloodless, her body frail. The imposing aura of a former captain was nowhere to be seen.
Nanatsuki lit the lantern on the table, brightening the room.
"The medicine's ready," he said, placing the bowl in front of her.
Katori drank the medicine, and a bit of color slowly returned to her cheeks.
After a short rest, her spiritual pressure settled.
Nanatsuki, who had been tense, finally allowed himself to relax just a little.
"How long have I been out this time?" Katori frowned slightly, unable to remember how many doses she'd taken. "Feels like I've been in bed forever… I want to go for a walk. Help me up."
Her voice was soft and pleasant, despite its weakness. It reminded Nanatsuki of a voice actress he'd liked in his previous life—Yui Kiritani.
She reached out to him like a child asking for a hug.
"It's been thirty-two days," Nanatsuki said as he helped her sit up.
Every time he fetched medicine from Captain Unohana, it was a week's worth. This was his fifth trip—she'd been sick for over a month.
"Looks like it's gotten worse again. I used to recover in just twenty days or so…" She glanced at him, then changed her tone. "Nanatsuki, I'm okay."
"You think I can't tell if you're okay or not?" Nanatsuki replied helplessly.
Her health was steadily declining. Each time her condition worsened, her recovery took longer.
The core of one's spiritual pressure—the very foundation of a soul body—had been deeply damaged over hundreds of years of battle, to the point that even healing arts couldn't repair it.
Captain Unohana of the 4th Division was the most skilled healer in the Gotei 13.
But even she could only suppress the damage in Katori's body. She couldn't cure it.
And now even that suppression was starting to fail.
"It's been about a year since I retired, hasn't it?"
Katori ran a hand through her hair, tying her long black strands into a series of neat braids with a red cord.
She usually kept her hair styled, but she hadn't had the energy lately.
The braids fell naturally over her right shoulder, resting against the full curve of her chest.
She picked up a white silk sash and tied it around her narrow waist, knotting it neatly at the front.
Their faces were quite similar—only the shape of their brows and eyes were notably different.
Nanatsuki had strong, sharp features, full of heroic spirit.
Katori's features were soft and elegant, with a sweet, youthful beauty.
It was their resemblance that had first connected them.
Ten years ago, Nanatsuki had transmigrated to this world and wandered the outer districts of Rukongai.
There, by chance, he encountered Katori during a patrol mission.
Struck by their resemblance, she adopted him as a younger brother in the name of her late father.
Since then, Nanatsuki had followed her, learning swordsmanship under her guidance.
"Still two weeks short of a full year," Nanatsuki said, picking up the glasses beside her pillow and handing them over.
With her worsening health and rapidly diminishing strength, Katori had stepped down from her position as captain last year and remained at home to recuperate.
After learning about her condition, Nanatsuki had also begun studying healing arts.
But her injuries were beyond what even the 4th Division could cure. All Nanatsuki could do was help ease her pain when it flared.
"How's your training with Thousand Petal Shedding going?" she asked as she put on her glasses.
"Almost there. I still miss a strike or two when I'm off rhythm," Nanatsuki replied, taking a haori from the coat rack and draping it over her shoulders.
"Not bad progress." She paused, then added, "Ayane Kotetsu visited a few days ago. She mentioned the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy still needs a swordsmanship instructor. I recommended you for the job."
Kotetsu Ayane, once her vice-captain, was now the head of the academy.
She had come to visit recently, though Nanatsuki had been away fetching medicine at the time.
But she had visited often during past illnesses, so Nanatsuki was familiar with her.
"You want me to teach at the Academy? But what about the dojo…" Nanatsuki hesitated.
After Katori's health began to fail, even handling 8th Division affairs became too much. The dojo had long fallen into disrepair.
Training Nanatsuki herself was her way of preparing to pass it on.
"Nanatsuki, I'd love to see the dojo restored one day. But without strength, no one will come—even if you reopen the doors."
"My spiritual pressure is growing way too slowly… It's dragging me down," Nanatsuki said quietly.
In his previous life, he had watched Bleach. While he couldn't remember every detail, he still remembered the major events.
This world was not safe. A massive crisis would one day engulf the Soul Society.
That's why he trained relentlessly.
His swordsmanship already rivaled that of seated officers.
But his spiritual pressure was still at the level of a low-ranking foot soldier.
"You've only been a Shinigami for a short time. Spiritual power takes time to build," Katori reassured him, then continued,
"But with your swordsmanship, you're more than qualified to teach at Shin'ō. And if you want to find promising talent, there's no better place than the Academy. Maybe you'll find a student worthy of the blade."
"Alright then. Another paycheck wouldn't hurt. We still owe Captain Unohana quite a bit," Nanatsuki said with a wry smile.
The medicine to suppress her condition was exorbitantly expensive. Katori's savings had already run dry, and they were deep in debt.
Just then, Nanatsuki blinked. A line of text appeared before his eyes.
He focused, and the text became clearer.
[Recommendation from Batsu'unsai Katori received. Teacher System activated.]
[Teach students to receive feedback rewards.]