A Time for Games (Solo)

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Jinzen. The act of communication between a Shinigami and its Zanpakuto by combining their minds together as one. It can be achieved in many ways, with a few experts even being capable of doing so with only but a thought, but it is typically done through the use of meditation by placing one's spiritual weapon onto their lap then followed by sheer focus. It can also be ignored or neglected, but it is ultimately not advised to do so for many obvious reasons. In order to prevent this latter option to often be chosen by their students, the teachers of the esteemed Shin'ō Academy have counted many horror stories of officers of old that dared to never implement Jinzen during their daily commune. Some of these stories were told in jest almost akin to childish tales while others were obviously told a bit more more seriously, yet all led to the same lesson to be learned by all. As such, throughout a reaper's career within the Gotei 13, it is imperative that they be aware of this technique in order for the relationship between they and their blade be as healthy as possible.

And yet, Kimiko has still yet to actually communicate with her Zanpakuto through Jinzen.

For many weeks now, the rookie Shinigami trained and refined her skills as much as she could to fit within the echelons of the Eleventh Division. She followed all the training regimens she could, made unique changes to her schedule to better fit the ones that she has grown accustomed to while training with Celes during her Academical years, started getting used to everything her superior officers and fellow squadmates were throwing at her during spars and exercises... and yet she still could not communicate with the spirit within her sword. For as much more she knew about Inner Worlds thanks to her having been allowed to visit Celes' and converse with Yunorashi's spirit, for as hard as she focused onto communicating with her blade, for as almost desperate she was in trying to find some sort of solution to this problem, she simply could not understand what the problem even was to begin with. It has become such a problem that even her squadmates have been noticing her woes and mocking her (albeit in a moderately-friendly fashion) for still having not resolved the matter just yet. Fortunately, she was spared much of the mockery today.

Today was like any other day for Kimiko. She trained in the early morning, completed the paperwork that she had to fill during the morning, and trained again during the afternoon. Her daily commune had become a constant quest for mastery, for further knowledge of the blade, for the betterment of her skill, something which was admired by a notable amount of her compatriots despite the aforementioned mockery. At times, she would spar with others to get a better grasp of her strengths and weaknesses, and at times, she would simply focus onto one of the many wooden targets set about the coliseum that formed the training grounds of the Eleventh Division. Normally, by the evening, the woman would have stopped training and would have instead gone to read one of her many books. However, ever since the time she has spent with Celes' Inner World, that has been replaced by a few of multiple attempts to conduct Jinzen throughout the day.

The sun had started to set in the sky once the rookie Shinigami finished hitting the wooden target before her with her Zanpakuto. By the time she was done doing so, many scratches were present on the wooden figure. They were not deep, yet were incredibly numerous. It was as if it had suffered a thousand slices throughout the majority of the day at unrivaled speeds. Slowly, her body tensed down and sheathed her Zanpakuto back in its scabbard before analyzing the figure with a light exhausted pant. Eventually, she would let out a simple sigh as she noted her results. Looks like I still need time before I can rival Kawada-fukutaicho's speed, she concluded on a rather moderate note before stretching herself and tensing down. She remained there for a moment seemingly lost in her thoughts, allowing the exhaustion to somewhat get to her in the process, then exhaled and lightly shook her head. I only need to conduct Jinzen again and I'm done for today... Hopefully.

As she would prepare to head towards her most favorite area of the training grounds to begin her meditation, a rough voice would call out to her from the main doors. "Nakajima!" It shouted loud enough to seemingly cause the entirety of the coliseum to vibrate with its power, prompting Kimiko to comically cringe and look over her shoulder to identify the source of the voice. Naturally, she did not need to identify man's thick eyebrows and short hair to recognize him. He was a large brutish man, an arrogant one who she has met some time ago at the joint training that was held back then between the Tenth and Eleventh Division. Not the friendliest of fellows, to say the least. Tolerating him was easy enough to an extent, but Kimiko couldn't really say that she was presently in the mood to converse with someone like him.

"Yeah...? What do you want, Bushida-san?" She called back to him with a tired tone, hoping that that alone would be enough to get the man to leave. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be enough, for the man took absolutely no hint of her tired state.

"Tch, stop using that honorific with me! It's senpai! Senpai!" He quickly ranted with comical anger, prompting Kimiko to give him a long emotionless stare.

"... Right. Again, what do you want...? I don't really have time for this," the young woman simply replied without taking his rant seriously in the slightest, which caused Bushida to temporarily redden in rage. However, before he could allow herself to succumb to his wrath, he'd seemingly remember something painful and wince before clenching her teeth.

"You...! Tch! That Binita girl is going with the weirdo and the freak-show to drink in Rukongai, and she's inviting you to join them," he spoke quickly almost as if he wanted to get that filthy information out of his mouth as soon as possible. "DON'T ask why I'm delivering you this! I... lost a stupid bet!"

Kimiko stared at him for a moment as she considered the offer. On one hand, the idea of heading out with a few of the squadmates she most trained with sounded interesting, but on the other hand, she couldn't really say she was fully into the idea. Drinking was not something that she was used to do. It is common in Japan for office workers to drink with their coworkers, but she hadn't even started working at a job yet before she died. Since then, she has never really bothered to drink anything but water, and so the prospect of suddenly going somewhere to drink alcohol with others was... well, a bit uninteresting. She was already completely focused onto finishing her training regimen for today too, and since there was barely anyone around this evening in the training grounds, she really wanted to focus onto that rather than to go somewhere and break her flow in the process. There was also still a chance she could potentially achieve Jinzen today. Yes, she was better off here for now.

"Sorry, but not now. Tell them I'll come with them another time. I... really want to train today," she eventually responded to him before she started moving towards what she considered to be her favorite spot for Jinzen in the entire area, an overgrown patch of grass that hadn't been tended to just yet. These words took Bushida aback, seemingly because he was expecting her to just say yes and be done with it. Eventually, however, he huffed before shaking his head.

"Ugh, suit yourself! Damn it! Now I have to go back to that she-devil...!" He visibly winced before turning his back to Kimiko and shouting as he closed the doors: "I will not forget this, woman!"

And with that, Bushida and was gone and Kimiko was truly alone in the training grounds. The weight that had come upon her while she was listening to the man had immediately disappeared the moment he had left. Finally, she could not hear him anymore. She could finally focus on the task at hand and not whatever that was supposed to be about. Missing out on getting a drink with Binita, Charles and Gideon was unfortunate, but the fact that she still hadn't successfully achieved communication with her sword significantly preoccupied her thoughts. She wanted to this matter settled, to fix this problem right away. She wanted to know why she had once heard its voice and now was hearing it less and less, and why she had never been granted access to the Inner World just yet. If the problem was somehow something related to her, then she wanted to know about it so she could fix. She just really wanted to know more about her sword.

Consequently to this pressing state of mind, Kimiko sat onto the patch of grass and commenced her evening Jinzen session.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Since she began regularly conducting Jinzen, Kimiko was practically able to achieve a good understanding of how to properly use the technique. Much like all rookie Shinigami of her rank, she employed the general position of sitting cross-legged onto the ground below with her unsheathed Zanpakuto set upon her lap, and much like most Shinigami who understood the technique, she knew what steps she was supposed to follow. It was all a question of focusing her reiatsu onto the single focal point that is her blade, awaiting the sensation of her soul becoming one with her Zanpakuto's spirit's, and then maintaining that focus for at least five to ten minutes. In essence, it was quite simple, simpler than the time when Celes conducted the Kyōshin variant of the technique with her. She was even following the steps to the letter, enough so that in any other circumstances, she would have already reached her Inner World several times over... and yet her entrance to it did not come.

For several minutes, the swordswoman stood there on her favorite patch of grass with a tired frown of confusion and frustration as what she feared was seemingly coming to be again. Once more, it would seemed that her Inner World would not come forward, would not generate, would not be intruded upon, and once more, she was left sitting there with no explanation as to why that was. Whereas she was back then only mildly bothered by her first failed attempts, she was instead now starting to become more impatient. There were only so many Jinzen attempts she could process every single day without any success in sight. Why isn't this working? I've done everything right! Why can't I do it? Why can't I reach it?! Her thoughts huffed then as a frown formed above her shut eyes and her teeth clenched behind her closed lips. Eventually, her anger grew at a point that brought her out of focus, enough so to completely break her Jinzen and simply sit there onto the training grounds with frustration burning within her eyes. This wasn't working... This wasn't working at all!

No! No, no, just calm down. Getting angry is not going to get you anywhere. All it is going to do is just going to get you in trouble. Even if she gets angry at her sword for being somehow prevented to enter her Inner World, it won't achieve anything. As such, it is best for her to calm down and ponder about this a bit further. The thoughts brought her to eliminate her anger as quickly as she generated it, prompting her exhaustion to wash over her again. In her tiredness, she looked down towards the sword that rested upon her lap, this mystical blade shaped for her use and hers alone. As she did so, she allowed the thoughts that presently filled her mind to become words directed to her weapon. "I don't know your name... I don't even know who you really are..." she first started as she spoke as though she was lost, dazed. However, soon after, her words became more resolute, determined.  "...but I will not give up on trying to talk to you... so please...just let me in."

With that said, the woman attempted to conduct Jinzen again. The determination to see that she succeeds in her endeavor to communicate with her Zanpakuto was enough this time to both bring her forward and believe that this would be it, her first true Jinzen. Call it the culmination of her impatience, call it instead a meager attempt to push herself towards a successful procedure, it did not matter to her. She just wanted to stop having to worry about her potentially somehow screwing this up or her Zanpakuto refusing to communicate with her. Whatever the reason may be, she has now grown beyond waiting for her problem to somehow correct itself on its own. It has simply gone for far too long now, too long for it to be acceptable for someone of her caliber. It was her Zanpakuto, her Inner World, and therefore, it was her responsibility to ensure that she and her blade both communicate between one another on a frequent basis.

As such, with newfound determination, Kimiko focused all of her being, all of her soul onto the act of performing yet another Jinzen again. She would properly cross her legs again, set the blade appropriately on her lap again, collect the reiatsu again and form a connection between herself and her blade, this time doing so with a drive that previously was not present within her actions. Her exhaustion had almost seemingly-vanished from sight and so had her dissatisfaction with her previous failures. The emotions that flared within her core steadied the connection to an extent, also fueling it with purer spiritual energy. There was no way to tell from her point of view that the usual burst of spiritual energy that came from her body whenever she tends to become more motivated to complete something in particular, but she didn't care, or rather simply couldn't care, since she was too focused onto the act of maintaining the connection properly.

Minutes passed as the young woman maintained her connection to her blade, doing so with great focus and concentration. A bead of sweat slowly dripped from the top of her head onto the side of her face as she surpassed her physical exhaustion. From an outsider's point of view, an impressive amount of reiatsu would be seen emanating from her body, a telltale sign of her innate potential, though from Kimiko's point of view, there was only the darkness of her eyelids and nothing more. For a moment, she believed her efforts to be futile, though soon, she felt a shift in her surroundings. Slowly, as though suddenly rendered without weight, her body was liberated from the earth. She felt it slowly rise so as to allow her to stand onto her feet. The air around her grew different, and the light of the training grounds grew somehow brighter. Taken aback by the sudden outburst of sensation, the Shinigami could only do so much as remain still during the entirety of this event... until she felt the shifting stop, beckoning her to open her eyes.

Finally, for the first time in her spiritual life, she was granted access to her Inner World.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko took a moment to behold what laid before her in the seconds that followed the opening of her eyes without moving an inch. All that she could see was a lush green field, one whose beauty rendered the Shinigami briefly mute. The grass that once only formed beneath her back onto the previous training grounds she was previously located into had seemingly expanded indefinitely into the abyss of white and blue which formed the skies above. There were many hills, many of which sported naught but grass, but she could see that there were some areas here and there that were flatter than others, allowing for easier movement. In the distance, she saw a few trees of bright pink beaming underneath the sunshine, with petals of sakura seemingly falling infinitely onto the ground resting above their roots. To top it all off, even the temperature seemed to be beautiful. From what she could guess, it was in the twenties: not too hot, not too cold.

Slowly, as though attempting to break her own astonishment, the Shinigami brought herself forward onto the field, descending the hill that she was standing on. Her walk was leisurely, allowing her eyes to wander from one direction to the other as she further admired the fields. This was just breathtaking, a paradise-shaped apology for all of the exhaustion she has felt in order to reach it. Like Celes' Inner World, she somehow felt a great part of herself reflected into every nook and cranny of the grass field, yet unlike her, she was somewhat unable to properly detail them in their entirety, almost as if it represented her so well that her self could not describe it into words. No... rather, it represented her well, but not in her entirety. The only thing she could tie to herself in this moment was the quietness of the place, the silence. It was so quiet that not even the wind seemed to have much of an effect on the sound of the area, giving the place a surprisingly-serene and tender tone.

For a few minutes, the swordswoman found herself merely walking around this Inner World with only but the crunching of grass following her wake. She wasn't really sure of what to do, what to think or what to say, so she had concluded that the only logical thing that she could do was to just move further into this paradise to find the spirit that she was looking for. Somehow, she knew that it was here, yet she could not yet see it. Since this was her first time here, there were no real clues for her to follow in order to find the spirit, no hint, no advice, but at the very least, she knew that she would find it eventually. There was faith to be had in that belief, especially since it was doubtful that even Celes herself was able to find Yunorashi very quickly during her first time in her own Inner World. At the very least, this experience allowed her to admire the place further. She could not believe that, all this time, there was something as beautiful as this grass field lying within herself. If it was not for her duty and the temporary state of her presence in this world, she would have gladly wished to remain here for eternity.

The young woman found herself wondering why her presence here was forbidden for so long as she further reached for the eternal horizon. As happy as she was for finally being here, she still could not understand what she had really done to suddenly succeed in her efforts to truly achieve Jinzen. Was it her sudden motivation? Was it the rise of spiritual energy that followed it? Was it her frustration, her impatience? Was she at fault? Was the spirit at fault? Was her inability to reach this Inner World the work of an entity unknown to her? Perhaps the suddenness of her growth was what kept her from coming here. Perhaps the spirit could not agree with that, her rather, her very soul couldn't. So many questions, so many answers to be found, as always. It all seemed so endless, just like this plane of existence. It hurt just to think about it. Maybe one day, once she rids herself of this terrible inexperience she has with the spiritual world, she will find a solution to this constant barrage of inner questions. Maybe one day.

A cloud briefly shadowed the land below once her eyes noticed something in the distance. There, on one of the flatter parts of this eternal grass field, stood something unnatural, something foreign. It took her a moment to reach it properly, though once she did, she could only stand there in confusion. A chabudai...? Her thoughts stammered, generating another question lacking answers. The table itself was small, low, a kind that Kimiko has only seen primarily used in older times within her country of origin. She could vaguely remember the times her family tended to use one of these, but it was so long ago that she could only guess that the memories came from her childhood before they moved to Tokyo. The major differences between the one her family used and this one were its size and color. Judging by its smaller rectangular shape, she guessed that it could only be used by two people at once. It was also brown rather than see-through, seemingly made of a wood she could not identify.

What was perhaps more intriguing than the table's presence here itself was possibly what it supported. On top of it lied four specific items that seemed alien to the rest of this world, yet incredibly old. The first was an iron teapot, a spherical object with a large handle on the top of it above the air hole, and a design reminiscent of a dragon surrounding its body. It was of a much grander design compared to the second and third object which merely seemed to be typical cups of tea. Tall strays of grass were seemingly depicted on each cup, but aside from that, they were most unusual. As for the fourth object... Well, it was a bit more unique compared to the others, as it resembled a board of shogi. It was properly set with its own pieces, and seemed ready to be played with at any time. In short, for all intent and purposes, this entire table seemed to have been made for play. It was a table solely for relaxation, for leisure and peace. With that in mind, it made its presence much less alien and instead more fitting for this world, almost as if it has always belonged here rather than elsewhere.

Still, this did not make its presence any less unusual. With the way the table was presenting its content, it clearly intended to welcome two users. Two cups for two drinkers to share tea between one another, and two sides for two players to use the shogi board. Kimiko has never really played shogi, or at least not beyond playing the game with her father way back then when he was not... what he was for most of her Human life, but she wasn't daft enough to not understand that the game was designed for two players. A game of generals should not be played by a single general, else it shifts from a duel between two warlords to a mere self-afflicted battle between one's selves. So then, why is it here? More importantly, why did it feel so familiar, like it has been designed to welcome her from its very creation? It was easy for her to assume who the second person was, but she found it more difficult to think of its creator as the spirit of her sword.

Another cloud passed by the sun in this instance, causing another patch of dark to cover the swordswoman's surroundings as she further analyzed the table and its contents. Slowly, then, she approached the table and simply sat behind one of its side. She was tired of being beckoned towards the table at this point, and wanted to know more about the reasoning behind its existence; as such, she felt it only natural to participate in whatever activity this table had for her. Maybe this would bring the spirit to talk to her. If it didn't... Well, it was worth a try, seeing as it was the only hint that was at her disposal for the time being. With that in mind, she sat onto her knees, a method that she was most used to back when she was Human, though she eventually absentmindedly decided to adopt a cross-legged position ironically akin to Jinzen. The training must have gotten her to get used to sitting in such a way. After this was done, then quietly placed one of the two cups of tea nearest to her and waited for something to happen. The waiting lasted for some time, though eventually as she unconsciously raised her head towards the cloudy sky, a voice brought her to raise it back down towards the other side of the table.

"And so, we meet at last," the voice said calmly with a kind tone as Kimiko's eyes finally reached him. The Shinigami remained quiet as she looked at the person sitting before her. He was a smaller man with strong features, an elder with a many grey hairs and many scars. His legs were crossed much like the the swordswoman's, though his posture was slightly slouched as though left heavier by time. His robes, ancient and clearly of Japanese descent, were of a bright white which contrasted well with the silver of his eyes. A sword rested upon his hip sheathed in a scabbard colored with a white similar to his robes, causing it to blend in his wear. Everything about him exhumed the times before, the eras of Japan passed long ago. It was like a real, true samurai - at least truer than any Shinigami who Kimiko previously spoke to - sat before her in this very instant to give her some of his time. As one who followed the Bushido Code... it was something almost akin to a dream.

"I... Yeah," the young woman let out quietly as she maintained eye contact with the elder, unsure of what to say. She wanted to say more, but her choice of words was limited. What was she supposed to say? This was the spirit of her blade, the very same who followed her throughout the Academy, transformed into what it is now from the blank state which was the Asauchi, and now accompanies her everyday during her duties as a member of the Eleventh. To see her sword's true self, this part of her soul rendered tangible and physical, was something so great that she could not find the words for it. It was too great, and the old man noticed, causing his smile to become greater too in the moment.

"Are you surprised by my appearance, Kimiko-chan?" He commented lightheartedly then in an attempt to chase his wielder's shock away. From the way he allowed himself to appear amused to her reaction, it was easy to assume that this was an honest man, one that Kimiko could trust with every fiber of her being. It was also easy to see that he was just as analytical as Kimiko herself. She had only muttered one true word to him, and yet he immediately was capable of telling what her current emotional state was, even going as far as to voice his analysis out to her. There was thus no point in hiding things to him, and there was no point in lying to him.

"I've... been surprised ever since I arrived here," she decided to equal her own honesty with his in that moment. It was too early to tell if she could be fully honest with him, but she so far found no reason not to. "The fields, the trees... everything has surprised me."

 

"So I have gathered," he acquiesced as his hand reached for the teapot's handle. As he raised it above the table and directed it towards the tea cup nearest to him, steam slowly started to be expelled from the air hole. "That is not a thing to be ashamed of. It is your first time here, in this place." He calmly raised himself from his sitting position to bring the teapot near Kimiko's cup. "Here, have some tea. I have made it myself."

"Thank you," she found herself replying automatically to the offer as she raised his cup to him. She had no idea of what his tea would taste like or if it would even taste anything at all, seeing as she doubted this was true tea but rather only but a piece of this Inner World, but she found no point in denying it. Who knows: maybe she will like it. As her tea cup was filled, it slowly grew hotter to the touch, yet not hot enough to cause her hand to burn, naturally bringing her to bring it near her face. The smell of the tea was enough to bring her lips near the cup's edge and take a small sip. She instantly felt the bitterness of the substance crash into her throat, causing her to lightly cringe at first. This was not at all what she was expecting from it. Then again, she has never actually drank tea before, so perhaps it was just a question of getting used to. "N-Not bad... I should drink more tea," she commented then, trying her best to appear as polite as possible. Her reaction made the old man let out a quiet laugh.

"It is an acquired taste, yes," he admitted with an enlarged smile which was not mean, only friendly, before taking a sip of the drink himself. Unlike Kimiko, he was not at all bothered by the tea, and instead visibly savored it. This comically intrigued the Shinigami. Yeah, it was probably indeed an acquired taste, as he said: he must have been drinking that tea for a while if he really liked it that much. No way can anyone like something this bitter from the get-go. At the very least, she could appreciate the fact that he was not mocking her for not being used to the taste. In any case, after he finished gulping the down the tea, the elder would let out a quiet sigh before he looked towards Kimiko again. "May I interest you in a game of shogi?" He asked with a smile. "It has been a time since I last played, and I believe you could be quite a challenge for me."

The Shinigami blinked at that statement. There was a lack of understanding in her eyes in that motion. Has he played against someone before? No, nevermind that. There was a more pressing matter. "I don't know... I've never really been good at shogi," she said then with all the honesty she could muster. She was good at video games, not board games. Board games were an entirely different matter. The competition they hold have always been enticing to her, but she never considered herself sufficiently strong enough to participate in any of them.

In response to this, the old man hummed and started stroking the grey hairs beneath his chin, pensive. There was something humorous about seeing him act in such a way which amused Kimiko, though she preferred not to show her amusement to him for fear of disapproval. After momentary silence, the elder lowered his hand onto the table and smile. "Then let's make this a bit more interesting," he proposed before then staring right into Kimiko's eyes. "If you manage to win a single game of shogi against me... I will grant you my name."

Kimiko's eyes widened then. The man's name...? If she can get him to give her his name, then that would mean she would have access to her sword's released form, its Shikai. The fact that this spirit was willing to not give his name in a cruel challenge or anything of the sorts, but rather merely through the act of winning a game of shogi against him... As naive as it was for her to do so, it was enough for her to completely chase away any questions she was holding for him prior to this conversation, any doubts she may have had of him. Pointing her head back towards the shogi board, she stared at it for a moment, then raised it back up towards the old man's gaze. "Alright... I accept your challenge," she said with a sharp stare, one which made the man's kind smile widen with excitement. 

"Then let us begin."

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Shogi is a board game heavily inspired by the likes of chess. That, one can imagine is the most obvious thing about it, as it is widely considered to be a variant of the classic game. Much like its inspiration, it takes the form of a contest between two contestants both befitted of a variety of pieces all representing a position within a medieval army such as generals, knights, queens and finally, the king. All of the pieces have a certain amount of moves they can do, and all of the pieces can also be captured by the other in order to eventually accomplish the primordial objective of the game. This primordial objective is quite simple: achieve checkmate via the act of capturing the king. Once a player's king is captured, the game ends and the one who captured the king is declared the winner. It is, in essence, a very simple game, one whose basics can be learned relatively quickly if given enough attention. However, it is also a game which becomes much more complex over the course of time.

Kimiko was not unfamiliar with the concept of games which are "easy to learn, hard to master". In fact, she was not at all unfamiliar with it, as most of the video games she tended to play back during her Human days more or less often tended to adopt that philosophy. She enjoyed more complex games as well, but there was something about these simpler games that she found to be more alluring in comparison. They required less overt mastery of the game's intricate design and ridiculous mechanics, and more so creativity and logic from the player, for the player did not require to spend hundreds of hours just to learn how to play the game. In other words, they required planning and skill to be adopted over the course of time, ingenuity. It was why she preferred the latter games of one of her favorite fighting game series of all time, Gear Brawler, which made sure to remove unnecessary mechanics and streamlined movesets to make it more manageable.

Conversely, she was also aware of games which are "hard to learn, easy to master", games that have over-complicated rules and mechanics which are actually pathetically easy to take advantage of. They are rare, but they are there, and she has interacted with a few of them back then. Naturally, she did not like them very much as they typically tended to make beginners feel... well, awful for not understand it all appropriately. As such, when the elder spirit challenged the rookie Shinigami to a game of shogi, she honestly believed that shogi was exactly that kind of game. The sheer number of rules that the old man kindly explained in detail before they began was simply overwhelming. There were so many things to remember, so many things to take into account. The name of the pieces themselves, their movement, the dropping of pieces, the promotion system... It was all so much to take in in a single go, and it was perhaps why the old man kept it brief. "Think of it only as chess for the time being," he would say shortly after giving her the rundown of the rules after noticing her worry. "You will understand soon enough."

The first few games that she's had with him were deliberately designed to be short and sweet, a sort of tutorial meant to get her to understand how to play. His kindness showed in his eagerness to teach her how to play. Although he would never let her win a game, he would purposefully make easy mistakes so as to let her understand what to do. She saw through his mistakes and punished them accordingly, and in doing so, she slowly understood the basics a bit better. In time, they slowly became less and less threatening and intimidating, and instead more so just overwhelming at first more so than anything else. Maybe the game wasn't so bad after all. Sure, there were a lot of rules, but as long as she understood the basics, it would seem that she would be fairly capable of beating the Zanpakuto spirit fair and square. Unfortunately, it was then that she understood that the game was firmly apart of that first philosophy, and in doing so, she realized how bold that thought was once she saw what real shogi was all about.

She could still remember that very specific moment. In the final moments of her basic learning phase, back when their games only lasted about five minutes at best, she had almost beat him. Somehow, in some way, she had almost reached his king through the use of a single courageous pawn running through his defenses. It was close, but if she would have had just another turn or two, she could have beat him by having the pawn kill the king. Even the elder spirit himself seemed surprised by the sheer audacity of such a move. There really wasn't any tactic behind the move, no strategy, just a bold endeavor that almost worked out. It was akin to using sheer brute force in order to solve a problem. Kimiko didn't really like doing this, seeing as brute force is not the kind of tactic that she likes to do, but she was somewhat glad to see it almost worked. It meant that she had a chance to beat him.  "Ah... So you now understand. I commend your learning skills, Kimiko-chan. However, it seems it is now time for me to play a bit more seriously," she then heard the spirit say... and in the following games, that hope of hers was crushed into a thousand pieces.

For the following minutes, the man proceeded to beat Kimiko to a pulp for several games in a row. She was never able to reach his king. No matter what she would do, his pieces would capture hers to leave her with absolutely nothing noteworthy to interact with. Her rooks? Each taken by his bishop. Her pawns? They never reached the spirit's half of the board. The meager strategies that she had conceived were destroyed one by one with only but a few moves, and every time she believed she could get one piece moving forward to turn the momentum in her favor, that belief would immediately be left trampled on. There was no mercy in this, no chances given, just a massacre unfolding before her very eyes. He's... He's too good... the Shinigami's thoughts could only mutter in horror at the situation unfolding before her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't beat him. With her current skills, it will take her a decade to get anything done, let alone even win. This is hopeless.

The spirit stopped playing at that moment. Right when he was about to win the game, he simply looked back up towards Kimiko and started at her. His gaze had grown a bit softer. The sight of the softness in his eyes alone was enough to cause the young woman to gaze back at him in shock. "Why did we...?" She tried to ask, though there was something about his gaze that hinted at why this was happening. Silence followed her words as clouds soon covered the once-bright sky. Only the shadow of the whites above covered the ground below now, with not even a single stray of sunlight in sight. The two remained quiet then for a moment, though eventually, the old man's voice rose above the speechless grounds.

"Since this is our first meeting, I will make myself clear. I do not tolerate weakness," he explained then not with harshness, but rather with disappointment. He seemed to be genuinely hurt by Kimiko's behavior during the last few games they've had together. "To answer your question... We stopped because I believed this session to be no more worthy of my time. You allowed fear to cloud your judgement, render your plays meaningless, and in doing so, you permitted it to rid yourself of your power. I allowed you to play a few more games to prove to me that you were capable of overcoming this weakness, but I see that you are still too inexperienced."

Kimiko remained quiet then, unable to respond. All she could feel at this point in time was a wave of shame and embarrassment crashing down into every sense of her being. It was true... Everything he has just said was true. She has allowed fear to overcome her senses, allowed her opponent to notice how desperate she had become, and was unable to make any good plays after that. In other words, she has allowed him to corner her, force her to remain on the defensive until she would crack, and then simply punish her for acting recklessly. When was the last time this happened, that an opponent actually fought seriously against her and proved to her how inferior her skills were in comparison to theirs? She could not remember, and it made the experience so much soul-crushing. This wasn't the same thing as losing against Celes or Vice-Captain Kawada, as they were both often pulling their punches while fighting against her. This was totally different.

Upon arriving to this conclusion, the Shinigami looked down away from the spirit for a moment with a hand clenched into a fist. No. She was not going to allow this game to break her. She had a goal, an objective. She did not win today, no... but she was not going to give up. Not like this. Not until she gets a win out of this spirit. Giving up would only mean failure, and failure is not something that she can tolerate. The only way that she can move forward in this spiritual world is to win, to achieve victory at any cost in whatever battle she may face, be it physical or technical. Her gaze rose to meet the elder's, and once it did, her eyes grew sharper. "I will not let you beat me like this," she declared as a pulse of spiritual energy emerged from her exhausted body. Ambition and motivation could be felt in the tone of her voice then, two things that she has not had in a while. "Tomorrow, we play. If I lose, we play again. We will play every day until I win, and once I do, you shall give me your name."

The spirit stared back at the Shinigami with a glint of surprise in his eye at that moment. Something about the way he stared at his master seemed admiring, and eventually, his mouth formed a shining smile of pride. It would seem that his lesson has been understood. "Then we shall play to your heart's content," he affirmed then with a bright smile before his figure and the world surrounding the both of them started to dissipate. "Now go. Get some rest. I shall await your return."

By the time he had finished his sentence, Kimiko found herself in the training grounds of the Eleventh Division once again. The fields have returned to the patch of grass below her, and the beautiful skies from before became a ceiling of mere wood and stone. It seemed late now, perhaps close to curfew as the Shinigami could somewhat guess by glancing briefly at one of the windows of the coliseum; as such, it was no wonder that the training grounds were still void of any other presence but her own. She remained there in her Jinzen position for a moment with her eyes fixated onto the walls which stood far away from her, then comically slouched forward as she tiredness violently punched her in the gut. "Uuuuugh..." she moaned out like a zombie who could barely remain awake, then slowly pushed herself off the ground. As she did so, she would grab the handle of her sword and hold it up in front of her. It seemed shinier than before, whiter still. The sight made her frown again.

"Tomorrow... we start again."

[Nakajima Kimiko]

A certain Human politician once said that to master a game, you must first to first learn of its rules, then play better than everyone else. Two simple steps to achieve what one can consider to be an ultimate goal. Due to its sheer simplicity, this proverb has not yet failed to last the test of time to this day, but also the test of relevancy, for it can be applied to any game of any sort. It can be applied to a children's game, a board game, a video game or even the more complex kind of games that transcend the boundaries of what it is for something to be considered as a game, such as politics or criminal activities. With that in mind, it is thus natural for anyone who wishes to win master a game in some way or another to think in a similar fashion, as after all, to master a game is ultimately to be the game's best player or at the very least among the best that its players can challenge in one way or another, be it directly or indirectly.

Kimiko never has had any problems when it came to learning the rules and somehow being better than everyone else at whatever she did. She was a fast learner when she was younger, someone who was able to get good grades in a respectable amount of time without any problems at all, and one could certainly say that she was still a good student to this day. As such, whenever she played any game, she tended to learn the basics fairly quickly and thus quickly dominate the competition with her basic understanding. Sure, she got better over the course of time that allowed her to apply these basics even better, but in the end, she never really had to face anyone in a proper game that she could consider to be a legitimate problem. In one way or another, even if she would somehow lose, she'd always learn something that'd give her a sort of direction as to what she needed to correct. For example, there were many times back in the earliest days of playing Gear Brawler that she would use her main character incorrectly. It took time to apply corrections to that use, but after a while, it had been perfected into something more tangent.

This time around, however, she was proven that it was possible to lose without actually learning anything substantial about the game itself; rather, she would instead learn something about herself. Whereas back when she played fighting games, it was always something technical, here, it was instead something emotional. It was an emotional error that led to her constant defeats against the spirit within her Zanpakuto, not a lack of knowledge on the basics per say. Like he had explained to her, she had allowed fear to consume her thoughts and render the entirety of her play obsolete. She had panicked, misjudged her own ability against a superior opponent, and so had unconsciously capitulated before him. Him not wishing to continue playing against her in that moment was not an act of hatred, but rather of mercy. Much like how what she decides to do whenever she notices that she is playing against someone who is clearly not having fun playing the game at all against her, he deliberately stopped playing in order to avoid hurting Kimiko.

Well, that is not going to happen again. She was not going to stand for this, to let this fly. Some would have given up and simply called it quits right there and then, but the Shinigami's principles prevented her from going anywhere that is not forward towards victory. If she wanted to become stronger, to achieve recognition and success within this Soul Society, then she needs to learn the spirit's name. She is not going to waste that opportunity solely because she can't win a single match of shogi against him. He may be sitting at a level which currently surpasses any and all skill she may possess in the game, but she will no more be the victim of the ridicule she has suffered in that moment again. Failure shall no more be ever tolerated, and total surrender shall never become an option again! No more shall she fear this game once unknown to her, this skill still so incomprehensible to her, and no more shall she allow fear to conquer her thoughts ever again.

It was thus with this mindset that the rookie Shinigami then went to work. Now driven by her resolve to see this to the end, she marched onward onto the path to victory of a single game of shogi against the elder spirit. In essence, she was doing exactly what any other Shinigami was fated to eventually complete should they survive long enough to witness it. However, rather than simply seeing it as the normal thing to do, she instead preferred to perceive it as a means towards self-enhancement, a means to learn to end - or at least quell - the fear in her heart whenever she faces an overwhelming foe. It is true that she had it potentially easier than some other Shinigami who had to face their Zanpakuto's spirits in order to learn their name. This is no clash of blades, no physical struggle that could possibly leave her wounded or injured. However, it was a battle all the same, just not one in the conventional sense of the word, and in order to become better, she needs to win this battle at all cost.

The path to victory was long and arduous. Every day, she would join the elder spirit through Jinzen and challenge him to a set of matches until exhaustion prevents her from going any further. It did not matter whether she had tons of paperwork to do, a lengthy patrolling task within Rukongai or a mission in the Living World to complete: she would complete at least one game of shogi with the old man before respecting the curfew set by the Eleventh Division. At first, it was difficult to get used to it since a good game of shogi can last almost an hour by itself, but she eventually was capable of fitting it well-enough within her schedule, and by then, time started passing quickly. The days quickly became months of constant use of Jinzen, the months eventually turned into a year, and eventually, the year which was once only singular in number became two. Indeed, the old man was a grandmaster, someone that would not allow himself to lose easily.

In a way, it was easy to think of this as a sort of obsession for Kimiko. To play shogi everyday with the spirit only to face the same outcome every single day towed the line between routine and insanity. The hope to win was there, but there were so many losses that the Shinigami had long since given up counting. It had even gone so far that she started reading books about shogi, tomes that depicted Human set ups and strategies, and a collection which depicted the biographies of a few notable players such as the deceased Shinigami Takahashi Mei, the Human Yoshiharu Habu and particular Hollow only known as Dryad which was depicted as possessing a power related to the game before it was sent to Hell. She even soon started asking some of the people she knew to play shogi with her, though much to her dismay, most of the officers within her division refused since they believed shogi to be a game not worthy of their time. For a while, if the rookie was caught talking to somebody, it was easy to assume that she would talk about shogi. She was lucky to have a few key individuals who were kind enough to give her the attention that she somewhat required. Sir Siegfried was among them, as he wanted to see Kimiko become strong enough to achieve Shikai in this strange method... though he proved to be a comically-inept opponent. The poor man simply could not differentiate shogi from chess and thus often could not comprehend the basics of the system.

Despite the social hurdles, the swordswoman slowly became fonder and fonder of the process. The old man was ruthless in his play, yet kind and encouraging, and he always welcomed her to try again. It never felt wrong to ask for a rematch and it never felt as though he disrespected her in any way. At times, they would take a break and simply converse. They would talk of mundane things, of her duty as a Shinigami, of Celes, of Vice-Captain Kawada, of the other officers the rookie conversed with. It was all... normal, yet so enlightening. In the spirit's serene environment was found tranquility like no other, peace underneath the infinite azure of her endless Inner World. There was no hostility, no rivalry to be had, just plain conversation. In comparison to the barracks of the Eleventh Division, this place was just that quiet, that serene. It was nice. She didn't have to worry about endless spars here, endless challenges from opponents that she has long since deemed as too lame for her to fight any longer.

The elder spirit was the catalyst behind it all, the thing which completed the puzzle. While this place would be hollow without him, he brought to it something which Kimiko could not explain properly with excruciating detail. Emotionally, it felt as though it was the perfect place for her to talk to a relative, to a grandfather whom she never had the chance to meet in the past, someone that was ready to listen to her and give her some of their time without any slightest regret. She could talk of her past with more honesty and no humility, and could bring about subjects that she believed to be simply too awkward to bring up in a conversation outside of this Inner World. In fact, she could simply talk with more clarity with the old man, and that was enough to make her feel simply happy to talk to him at all. In such a short amount of time, this man - a stronger whose name was unknown to her for a very long time - became a friend, then a close friend. If it was not for the fact that her purpose in her Inner World was to beat him via shogi, she would have seen it less as a means to beat him or more so as a subject of conversation in of itself.

And then, roughly two and a half years later, it finally happened.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko entered her Inner World today the same way she has entered it ever since she was finally able to successfully conduct Jinzen on a consistent basis: calm and collected with a clear conscience. The paperwork that she had scheduled to complete today was taken care of, the Hollow that she was sent to kill earlier this afternoon was killed quickly, and the training sequences that she has executed shortly after went well. In short, it has been a totally normal day. Well, a normal day for a super-powered ghost spirit samurai thing, she supposed. Nothing out of the ordinary happened today. A few of her squadmates challenged her to a spar as usual, namely the brutish Dai and some of his friends, but she was able to take them out fairly easily without really trying. She has also read a few books about shogi and stories of ancient samurai too in her spare time, though really, given all the reading she does in her spare time, it was difficult to quantify that as unusual.

Her arrival was as welcoming as usual. The quietness of the infinite fields stretched before her in tandem with the soothing light of the sun above immediately brought serenity to her soul, enough so to make her stand there and simply admire the place again. There was naught a sound but the fleeting noise of the flowing wind blowing by her ears. Even though she had become used to coming here everyday, she still found its beauty to be unrivaled. The forest within Celes' own Inner World perhaps equaled its majesty, though she found it to be was not as clear or as resplendent as the green of the grass and the distant pink of the sakura trees in the distance. Maybe it was bias or simply pride in the magnificence of the realm only normally available to her, but she simply could not help it. Eventually, however, the time to admire the scenery ended and she found herself moving forward towards the spot where she first met the elder spirit.

The trek towards the spot in question did not take very long, roughly about two or three minutes. Without any more wonder for the Inner World, it was only natural that she traveled so much more quickly even if she wasn't necessarily heading towards her destination much faster. Eventually, her eyes would cross the sight of the table set firmly onto the flatter piece of ground it was located onto, and behind it and his teacup sat the spirit. At first glance, he seemed to be resting with his eyes closed and his head lowered towards the ground. However, once the Shinigami was close enough, his gaze would open and raise itself towards hers. "Ah, good evening, Kimiko-chan," he greeted cordially, yet amicably as a soft smile formed onto his lips. "I see that you have completed your duties today."

"Good evening," she greeted back with a light wave before she sat down onto the floor with a light sigh. "Yeah, I should've finished everything for today. Hunting report, patrolling report, inventory report... Yeah, that should be it."

"Hm, those must have been quite tiring," he hummed with a light drop of sweat slowly descend onto the side of his head as he noticed Kimiko sound more and more deflated as she listed every piece of paperwork she has completed throughout the day. It wasn't really surprising for him to hear her displeasure of paperwork be told yet again; after all, they have conversed about the subject a few times over now. "The creature you have fought today was at the very least of commendable power."

"I guess," she somewhat acquiesced as she briefly recalled today's skirmish with the aforementioned creature she was sent to hunt down. "It could have gone better, though." The creature, a Hollow named Roadhog, was a literal hog who was eating any driver who would dare cross a particular road within the Shiga Prefecture of Japan. At first, she had honestly thought that the creature was worthy of her time, especially after it showed her its ability. Unfortunately, not even a moment after she decided to fight it seriously, its power was rendered useless and its mask was broken shortly after. Considering that it seemed to be pretty proud of its ability too, it made for quite the disappointing conclusion.

"Perhaps, but it at least died with honor," the old man simply commented on the matter before tea magically materialized in his teapot, allowing him to fill the cups with the liquid. After he made sure that the second tea cup was nearest to Kimiko, he would then collect five pawn pieces from his side of the shogi board with his right hand. "I do not believe that we have witnessed many Hollows being capable of doing such a thing."

"You're right. The most of the ones we've seen so far have been either mindless beasts or cartoon villains. It's kinda lame," the Shinigami lightly pouted as she positioned herself better for what's to come, taking her tea cup with both hands after she did so. "None of the Hollows I've fought so far were much of a challenge..."

"Patience is a virtue. One day, you shall face a beast of great power," the old man reminded before he briefly shook the pawns and lightly threw them towards the middle of the board. Three of the tokens were promoted pawns while the other two were unpromoted. Upon noticing this, the man chuckled quietly. "Besides, there is a more pressing matter at hand."

Kimiko could only smile back at his words as she took a sip from her tea cup. He was not wrong. It was nice to talk about what kind of Hollow she could face in combat, but there was already a battle to be fought right here and there. Sure, by that point, it was really just a bit of background noise for their conversations; however, it still carried a significant amount of importance that the Shinigami was glad was not ignored by the spirit. "Right," she could only say as she settled her tea cup down onto the table, ready to play. "Let's tackle the matter at hand, then."

"Then proceed with your first move," the elder spirit said with a smile before he got ready as well, and after a few seconds, they both started playing.

Today's game started off like any other game since Kimiko started becoming a bit more skilled. At first, they would somewhat focus onto the board and instead simply continue their conversation, drinking tea and enjoying the time they were spending together. However, as the match went on, the elder spirit would quickly notice how much his master had grown and how much more powerful she had become in the art of playing shogi. Two years ago, she could barely use any strategies or set anything up to take him down, but now, she was downright using tactics employed by professionals. She would construct a castle with ease and make sure to send off her pieces to quickly attack any of the weaknesses that might show in his own fortification. In fact, she seemed to be so good at picking at his weaknesses that over the course of their conversation, he was forced to slowly let go of the subject of their talking and instead completely focus onto the board.

Pensive, the old man's reticence in continuing the conversation then eventually turned into complete silence as he focused entirely onto the game alongside Kimiko. What was once an amicable match started turning into a battle of skill and wits as the Spiritual Pressure around them raised high enough for the skies above to become cloudier from the sheer energy in the air. This was not the first time this had happened; after all, the growth of the Shinigami's skill had not been unnoticed. However, for the first time ever since they began playing, the spirit saw that he was forced to play more carefully. Every time he would try to form some sort of strategy, his opponent would immediately take notice of it and destroy any chance for him to perform it. As he played more seriously, this eventually started happening less and less, but the sheer advantage that Kimiko had over him throughout the match was not to be understated. He had never seen anything like it in any of the games that they have played so far.

She is playing perfectly, the old man thought the further the game went forward. Indeed, this was most likely one of the Shinigami's absolute best matches she has ever played against him. It sounded like an overstatement, but it really wasn't. Her offensive was perfect, her defense was perfect, she was using appropriate tools against the right strategies and she was not making any mistakes. Although the elder sometimes pushed forward in an attempt to get himself out of what one could only refer to as a sticky situation, she would respect his attacks and act accordingly against them. Usually, after a while, her defenses would break and he would be able to break through her pieces to take down her king with ease, but no matter how heard he tried, it was not happening. One by one, his pieces would fall and her own would be promoted, and as the game proceeded, he eventually saw where this was going. Nevertheless, he continued to play, for he believed Kimiko at the very least deserved a true win than a pitiful victory through surrender.

A few more minutes passed, and by then, most of the spirit's pieces had been captured. The only thing that remained were a couple of pawns and his king. He was surrounded from every corner by Kimiko's pieces. No matter what opportunity he believed would present itself to him, it would immediately be closed by the Shinigami once her turn would end. Eventually, not only would the opportunities be closed, but they would also be followed by a clear, resounding "Check" that would echo throughout the area. Surprised, the spirit simply stared at the board as the endgame continued. A sense of pride in his master swelled in his heart. There really was no way out. He was being beaten through and through without any mercy. Through sheer skill, the swordswoman was starting to prove that she was at the very least becoming his complete equal in shogi. As the number of checks raised, he would continue to at least fight the best he possibly could; however, the checks turned into what Kimiko has been awaiting for so long.

"Checkmate," the young woman muttered then as she placed the final piece of the puzzle down onto the board before the spirit's king. Her eyes were wide open. She could not speak, could not even so much as express the shock that boomed within her flesh and bone: all she could instead do was simply stare at the board in silence. She won. She actually won. This silence remained for a moment before she eventually raised her gaze towards the spirit's. In return, the spirit stared back with a bright wide smile.

"That was a perfect play," he complimented as the skies above slowly lost all of its clouds to instead be rendered completely clear. "The work of masters."

Kimiko could only still remain silent as the spirit continued to simply smile at her. This all felt... otherworldly. It was an emotion so unknown to her that she could not describe it in words. It was not really shock, it wasn't really disbelief either. All she could say was that in that strange emotion, she felt true happiness. She wanted to scream, to cry, to make it so that everyone that could possibly remain in this Inner World other than she and the spirit before her heard of this news, and it took every single inch of her being to not do so in order to appear respectful to the spirit. Finally, she had beaten him. Finally, she had become strong enough in shogi to beat him. It was the exact same feeling that she had felt back when she had won her first fighting game tournament. "... I suppose now that you will tell me your name," she concluded as she maintained her gaze on the man, the wind blowing quietly around them.

In response to these words, the spirit chuckled quietly. "A promise is a promise. It would be unkind of me to not do so now," he said then as they soon both began to be bathed in sunlight. His test had been thoroughly accomplished and his expectations have been surpassed in the matter of only two years. If he refuses to give her his name now, it would be both a betrayal to her victory and a stab at his own ideals.

"Then please... tell me," the words came automatically from the Shinigami's mouth, almost as though in haste. As she said those words, the world around them seemed to slowly fade away into nothingness, with the spirit continuing to smile to her in the meantime. He could sense her excitement, her pride in herself, and of course, he too felt both of those things. She deserved what came next, and she deserves the bond they will share in the near future. As such, he allowed his kind features to grow sharper, and with a brief inhale, he spoke loudly.

"Then listen well, for I will not repeat myself! Listen well, for my name shall bring you power and victory! Listen well, for my name is..."

---

The training grounds of the Eleventh Division were particularly noisy today. There was a surprising amount of soldiers training by themselves or sparring at the ring which had been specifically prepared for duels despite the time of day, mostly due to the fact that many of them were part of Dai's gang. Many were tall and broad, many others were a bit smaller, but ultimately, they were all like Dai: brutish meatheads that spend more time fighting and bickering between one another than actually training. After having been beaten by Kimiko, many sought petty revenge for their comrade, and so they awaited for the young woman to finish her Jinzen to challenge her in what they personally consider to be a "mass spar", which is another way to describe a brawl. Among them was, of course, Dai himself who was stared at her from a position not too far away from hers. His face was twisted in a grimace of anticipation and frustration as he rested nearest to the walls of the coliseum by the side of two of his comrades.

"The plan is simple! We wait for her to wake up, and then we spar her until she cannot fight anymore! No choice, we just go in for the beat down!" He said again as a mark of anger was firmly displayed on his forehead. Combined with the foreboding grin on his face, it made for quite the demonic visage, something which made the other two officers snicker to themselves.

"Yeah, she'll pay for what she's done! Stupid bitch got lucky last time and that's not gonna happen again," the first exclaimed as the other gave a look at the swordswoman.

"Right! We should be able to overwhelm her easy!" He said with a smirk before he huffed. "Well, I hope at least. I swear, she's ridiculous, taking us all down like that one-on-one. We have a plan to take her out if the numbers don't work, right?"

The sheer idea that overwhelming Kimiko would not be enough to take care of her made the anger mark on Dai's forehead grow significantly. "Oh, please, look at her! She is just a stupid woman!" She pointed at her in that moment with a look of complete disdain. "The last time we lost to her, she just got lucky! All we need to do is rush her down all at once! Just don't worry, we are going to be fi-"

"SHIZUKAKANE!"

Kimiko's voice suddenly resonated throughout the entirety of the training grounds as she declared a name not known to any of the officers that were currently training to beat her. The grounds, once noisy, immediately went silent as the attention turned towards her slowly-waking frame. Slowly, her eyes opened onto the numbers of officers who just stood there, unsure of what that was about and what was happening to her. They could swear that her blade and scabbard were not this strikingly white only about a few seconds ago, and they also swear that the blade's guard was not ornamented at all. The sound of the grass crunching underneath her feet as she stood up also somehow become quieter, less easy to perceive by hear. Upon realizing this, confusion turned into shock, and shock started turning into awe. The name, the sudden ability... It could only mean one thing and one thing alone.

"No way," Dai could only mutter as he stared at the white mist - no... it looked like ink - emanated from Kimiko's body. "She... She just..."

Upon hearing his voice, the swordswoman turned her gaze towards him, then analyzed the whole area again as the rustling from the patch of grass grew even quieter, almost mute. The crowd, the attention... Yes, it was somewhat easy to understand what was going on here now. With a deep breath, she would straighten herself before staring at everyone. Once done, she would let out a loud war cry before rushing towards them with reckless abandon. This was the perfect time to test her new power, the perfect time to test her new ability, and she was going to make sure all of these meatheads are going to regret trying to gang up on her like a band of dishonorable idiots.

Well, at least enough so that they never try to do this again.

[ E N D ]

[Deleted]

Dear lord you've put in a lot of work for this one. I genuinely think this is the longest Solo Training I've seen, so kudos to you for that one~! I counted 80 paragraphs, so that'll be 400 TP to spend as you see fit~!