Meian's academy thread

[Nakazawa Meian]

Finally, today was the day Meian would enter the academy for the first time. He would soon enter not a normal school, but rather a school that would teach him new ways of fighting; the ways of the shinigamis. For a previous samurai of the Edo period who always kept training himself, this mere thought was satisfying. However, this was not his only reason as to why he was so nostalgic; for Meian, this day marked the beginning of a new life. Instead of always training for survival, he would now train for a purpose, for a goal, and that goal was what he really wanted to fight for since the very beginning of his existence: Balance.

Unfortunately, even though Meian was really happy, some details made him anxious. The very first thing that disturbed him was the fact that the academy is technically a school, and Meian never got in school in his entire lifespan. What awaited in the academy was as such, for him, a complete mystery. Furthermore, some of his classmates would likely be members of the Noble families which, for someone who lived the past four hundred years in Rukongai, could be intimidating.

However, both of these details didn’t worry him much, since he was convinced he could get through anything the academy would throw at him, and he knew the nobles wouldn’t bother him as long as he did not bother them. No, what Meian feared were the numerous tales that circulated through Rukongai about the shinigamis. Most of them involved shinigamis using abilities greatly above what humans were capable of to defeat their foes, and even though Meian had great skills when fighting, he was still far from that level. If he wanted to become on par with other shinigamis, he would have to overcome a great challenge, and that barrier was what upset him.

This was not the time to think about such things, though. After quickly putting on his academy uniform and making sure he had many sheets of his vocabulary, Meian departed toward the academy, wearing his usual leather harness and a bokuto above his clothes. He tried to hurry to get to his class, but once at the academy, being fast became impossible, since he had to pay attention to the building’s layout in order to prevent getting lost. After taking a look at his schedule, Meian slowly moved in a casual manner toward his first class of the year, the travel class.

Travel was one of those classes where Meian had no idea what he would do. The name implied that it would probably be focused around movement, which Meian would in this case appreciate since it could enhance his skills in battle, but he knew too few to actually have a solid opinion on that class. On his way to the classroom, Meian mainly focused on where he was going, but he also kept an eye on those he crossed path with. He wanted to get an idea of the average behavior of the others and, if possible, get an overall idea of how strong most other students would be in a battle. No matter the results, he would wait at the classroom until the class began, and maybe discuss with someone if he had the opportunity.

SPOILER: Click to show

Abilities

• Iaijutsu Level 1
  
  
• Battle Analysis Level 1
  
  
• Hoho Level 1
  
  
• Stealth Level 1
  
  
• Survival Level 1
  
  
• Kido Level 1
  

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Strength – (70 x 0,5) = 35 Points

Speed – (60 x 2) = 120 Points

Spiritual Pressure – 20 Points

Reiatsu Strength – (30 x 2) = 60 Points

Light Aura – 60 Points

Dark Aura – 40 Points

Instinct – 60 Points

Senses – (40 x 0,85) = 34 Points

Energy Sensory – 0 Points

Healing Expertise – 0 Points


Total SP: 280 Points

SPOILER: Click to show

Year 1 Schedule

1- Travel 1-2 SP
2- Kendo 1-2 SP (Transfer to SPR as soon as possible)
3- Speed
4- History 1-2
5- Reiatsu Focus
6- Spirit Communication 1-2 SP
7- Kido 1-2 SP (Transfer to SPR as soon as possible)
Same for all days

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: I will be handling your Academy thread, and do my best to keep up. Hopefully we will speed you through it quite quickly, provided you are an apt enough student. Best of luck to you!))

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Meian would find himself alone, standing before the classroom as he waited for the period to begin. No one would approach him; even on the first day of classes, even with the new batch of arrivals, cliques had formed and had already begun their rejection of anyone not important enough to be a part of them. Meian, having no friend, no established social group, would find that he was already unwelcome. No one spoke to him, and if they looked his direction, they did so only briefly before returning to hushed tones. The student would find himself shut off on all sides, with no one to speak to him or approach him. It would remain such as the bell rang, indicating the start of classes, suggesting that Meian was going to have a rough start at the rate things were going.

Students filed into the classroom, filling the seats immediately. The back rows were the first filled, and it was obvious by the cut and make of their robes that those who occupied the “favored seating” away from the teacher’s eyes were of high standing; their clothing was of the finest threads and cloth, and while they fit the minimum standards required for the Academy uniform, they were delicately embroidered and patterned, far finer than the rest around them. The middle row was filled quickly as well, leaving only seats up at the very front of the classroom, should Meian choose not to contest his placement. The wooden desks up front were neat, if a bit dusty, suggesting that most students preferred to avoid this placement in the teacher’s immediate attention.

As everyone became seated, the door slammed open, and a stern woman, of general youth with only a touch of age to her face, strode through the door. Raven-black hair fluttered at shoulder length, the woman’s bangs held back by a pair of small crystal pins to leave her brilliant green eyes exposed. She was dressed as a teacher rather than a student, and it showed not only in her uniform, but in her attitude as well. The teacher’s stance was confident, bold, and challenging, as if she was secure in the authority her position provided her. Clearly this woman was not someone to be underestimated, and she expected to have all of her commands and instructions followed to the letter.

“Greetings, Class. My name is Sekai Kirita. You may call me Professor Sekai. Any other form of address will not be tolerated.” Striding over to the blackboard, the teacher wrote her name in strict, perfectly straight lines, before turning to the class. Her eyes, like cold mirrors, slid over the students before her hand came up, pointing at a student and drawing attention to her. “You. What is the Senkaimon, and what is its purpose?” The girl froze, unsure how she was supposed to answer. She stuttered a few times, trying to organize her thoughts, but Sekai had already moved on to the next target, a young man from the nobles who was forced to face her stare. “You. What is world that stands between both this world and the material world, and what threats lie within it?” Again, her harsh demands and quick, clipped words left her victim speechless.

“All of you.” Numerous students jumped, though several managed to maintain their cool as they were addressed. “You have thirty minutes to write a paper on what you know about traveling between this world and the material world. This is a graded exercise, meaning that I will judge each of your papers strictly in order to assess your knowledge and fitness for this class. Length does not matter, only quality. Do not leave out a detail, and include everything you know; what knowledge you possess may determine whether you are fit to remain or whether you are dismissed. Your time begins now; make use of every minute.”

All around Meian, pens were put to paper, and students began to write quickly. It seemed unusually harsh for them to be forced into a pass-or-fail system on the first day of their first class, but then again, the Shinigami were the best of the best. Only so many of them passed the Academy to join the illustrious Gotei Thirteen, so perhaps such tests were to be expected. It was certainly awe-inspiring, and likely a cause of nerves for many of the students; how many were ready to give up after their first lesson, and the harsh tones in which they were addressed? Even the nobles were stunned, left speechless, and frantically writing anything they could think of.

[Nakazawa Meian]

[OOC: I sure hope I'm an apt enough student ^^! What color did you use for the teacher's talking? The closest I've been able to get is the Seagreen color, but I'm not sure if it's the right one.]

Once at the classroom, Meian had already seen some persons in the hallways, but most of them had completely ignored him, and even avoided eye contact. This was entirely unusual for Meian, who could normally discuss with anyone he met on the roads back in Rukongai. In fact, he was even a little shocked deep inside himself, since these actions were completely out of his traditional Japanese customs of nodding toward strangers as a sign of courtesy and approval. If this was how his days in school would be, he would have a hard time getting accustomed to it.

When he heard the bell ring, Meian calmly followed the other students inside the classroom. As he entered, he quickly noticed that all the desks in the back rows were already taken, and that most of the students sitting there were wearing clothes made of a much higher quality than the other students. It didn’t take long for him to understand that these persons were probably of noble families. Nobles, huh? As he moved toward the front desks, the only ones that were still available, Meian soon saw that these were really dusty, as if they had not been used for centuries. Why are those so dirty? Do academy students really avoid the front rows so much? Finding no answers to his questions, he sat in the first row, a little bit on the left but still close to the center.

Soon, though, the classroom’s door slammed open, and a black-haired woman entered the room. Just by her attire and her serious attitude, it was already clear that she was the travel class’s teacher. As she advanced to the board and started writing, she said: “Greetings, class. My name is Sekai Kirita. You may call me Professor Sekai. Any other form of address will not be tolerated.” She soon glared through the students, as if she was an hawk searching for its prey. Oh… Now I understand why the front rows are feared so much… Finding a target, she pointed at her and asked “You. What is the Senkaimon, and what is its purpose?” The girl seemed to have been taken by surprise, as she was unable to organize a single word, but the teacher didn’t leave her time to do so anyway, having already someone else in her aim. ”You. What is world that stands between both this world and the material world, and what threats lie within it?” The man was left speechless, as was the first victim.

”All of you.” Meian sighed, knowing that what followed would be bad. ”You have thirty minutes to write a paper on what you know about travelling between this world and the material world. This is a graded exercise, meaning that I will judge each of your papers strictly in order to assess your knowledge and fitness for this class. Length does not matter, only quality. Do not leave out a detail, and include everything you know; what knowledge you possess may determine whether you are fit to remain or whether you are dismissed. You time begins now; make use of every minute.”

As she finished talking, Meian could hear the other students behind him start to write frantically. Fearing what would happen if he looked behind him, Meian didn’t bother about it, and kept focused on his task. Faintly writing the question at the top of his sheet, Meian kept returning to it to ensure that he didn’t diverge from his subject, and he wrote everything he could remember from his discussions with the shaman in his past life. However, after writing a little, he understood that, although he remembered the basic idea of travelling between worlds, he forgot most of the complicated names the shaman taught him.

He started to feel a little bit anxious. Would this teacher, who showed to be extremely strict in terms of procedures, still accept his answers if some names were missing? Meian could easily remember the names of each species and each world, since these words were used often in Soul Society, and he managed to remember about the Senkaimon because the teacher mentioned it earlier, but aside from that, he had no ideas of the names of each other things he mentioned in his text. After pondering for a while, he finally managed to remember the words “Hell Butterfly” and “Soul Burial”, but everything else he mentioned, the rifts between worlds, the black train that goes through it and even the travelling ability of the hollows, he had no idea what their real names were. After finishing his text, Meian would keep thinking about those names for the rest of the time, in a last hope of remembering something, but it wouldn't lead to anything. He would then hand over his text to the teacher some minutes before the end of the allowed time, fearing the result.

SPOILER: Click to show

Travel class

Nakazawa Meian

Write on what you know about traveling between this world and the material world.

To travel from Soul Society to the World of the Living, shinigamis use the Senkaimon, which require an authorization. It is a big portal that allows his user to cross worlds safely when accompanied by a Hell Butterfly. If no butterfly is accompanying its user, then the user will be required to cross the worlds by going through the rifts between worlds. The rifts are long black tunnels where time is greatly slowed, and where a black train travels each week, instantly killing any persons staying in the rifts for too long. Also, Hueco Mundo, the world where the hollows reside, is located between Soul Society and the World of the Living, and since hollows are able to tear dimensions in order to access other worlds, it could be possible, although it is a very unlikely and very dangerous action, to travel in or out of Soul Society by following a hollow in his travels. Finally, a Soul Burial can also be used to reach Soul Society without using any of the aforementioned means, even though it can only be used once on a wandering spirit, and it cannot be used in the opposite way to send someone to the World of the Living.

SPOILER: Click to show

“Meian talks in Darkgoldenrod”

Meian thinks in Slateblue

SPOILER: Click to show

Meian write texts in spoilers

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: You’re correct. Sekai speaks in sea green.))

Thirty minutes passed. The entire time was spent in the sound of silence broken only by the scrape of pencils against paper, and occasionally punctuated by heavy and worried breathing from the other students. Not a one dared speak up, especially with the teacher’s eyes roaming across the room, daring just one student to step out of line. Several times, her eyes crossed over to Meian, who was alone in the front row. The student would be able to feel her gaze and the intensity of her glare as time ticked by slowly, forcing him to draw on every ounce of concentration he had not to falter beneath it. He had already noted it, but it was obvious why students avoided the front row of the Travel class.

Finally, time was up, and papers had been handed in. There were a few students who tried to write a last few hurried sentences, but suddenly Sekai was gone, moving in two quick Shunpo steps to collect their papers before they could react. Each was left with a chilling sensation of disapproval at their tardiness, and more than one head fell in self-disappointment as they realized that they had either not done exemplary work or that they had been delayed in completing their assignment. Either way, there was a sense of dread over the majority of the classroom, though a few of the students held their heads high; clearly, they were those who were confident in their answers, and felt that they had aced their first test.

Once the tests were collected, Sekai stood at the front of the room, the stack in her hand. “Alright. Before I begin my grading, I have one thing to say. Those of you who feel that you do not have what it takes to succeed in this class, please leave now. If you wish to be Shinigami, this day will mean nothing compared to the rigors you will face throughout the rest of the Academy. Thus, if you cannot complete this course, you will not graduate. You may even die.” The professor waited, and immediately three or four students stood, exiting the room quietly. They looked subdued, sad, but it was understandable; they had just given up on the Shinigami Academy on the first class of the first day. The majority stayed, however, determined that they would try anyway.

Once the last student left, Sekai closed the door and turned towards her class. “Those of you who are still here… you pass my first test.” There were several sighs of relief, a few gasps, and murmuring among the students. They had passed? “There was not one, but two tests in this assignment. The first was a test of your courage, your willpower, your determination to become Shinigami. You were offered the chance to leave, but you remained, unwilling to give up your goal. I commend you all for your determination or your stubbornness; whichever it is comes down to all of you.” More murmuring, and Sekai didn’t seem to notice, nor did she make any effort to silence them. “The second part of the test was to assess you on your knowledge and skill; while this is graded, it does not make any impact on your GPA; instead, it allows me to determine where to begin for the class by gauging how much the students know as a whole. I will be using these documents to create the curriculum.” The teacher’s frown broke slowly, but it was like the sun shining after a storm as a slight smile creased her lips.

“You all did well. Now, I will list four names, based on the information within their tests. These four students will remain after class; I wish to speak with them privately. Hiratasuka Rei. Takashi Mihoko. Shigi Matsuta. Nakazawa Meian.” The last would draw Meian’s attention; he had been told to remain after class. “The rest of you are free to go; I suggest you prepare for your next class.” With that dismissal, the class broke into conversations among peers as they began to file out, looking back over their shoulders with a look that said they did not envy those who were to remain behind with Sekai.

The door was closed once more, and Sekai laid the four tests out on the table before her, indicating that the other students come forward. Once they were in front of her, the teacher began to speak once more. “As I said, everyone passed this test, but you four provided exceptional work compared to that of the others, as most do not know much about traveling prior to joining the Academy. Of the four, Shigi Matsuta had the best results, while Nakazawa Meian had the lowest, but regardless of that, all four of you show great potential and knowledge that suggests an interest or previous study in this subject. Even as an unranked member of Squad 13, I am also a scout for the squad, and wanted to note my interest in any potential first-year students, to encourage your progression and hopefully your interest in joining the squad. You four have exceeded expectations, and I encourage you to apply yourselves further in this subject if you intend to join Squad 13 after graduation. I hope to continue seeing this quality of work from all four of you.”

With that, they were dismissed, and the other three that Meian had stayed with had their heads held high, proud of the compliment they had been paid. They spoke among themselves happily, discussing their willingness to continue the hard work, and started coordinating times for study sessions. There was still some time until the next period, as the Travel class had let out early for its first day, so if Meian wanted to talk and start making friends in the Academy, this was his chance, especially since the other three were starting to go their own ways. There was the young-looking Rei, whose short black hair tied into a ponytail and slim figure made her look almost like a child despite likely being in her twenties, or the mature-looking Mihoko, whose long brown hair and glasses combined with a freckled face and average body to give the impression of a studious learner. There was also the quiet, but friendly-looking Matsuta, who had been listed as the top of the class on the first impression; short black hair and light skin marked him along with his simple clothing, which suggested he was not from a family of wealth, but had earned his work. Meian could choose to speak with any of them for a few minutes while they were between classes, or he could head to his classroom and wait there. What he did was up to him.

[Nakazawa Meian]

A little before the end of the allowed time, Meian handed over his text. It had been a strange first school experience, since he felt stressed about his lack of memory over certain important details of his text. The feeling that the teacher kept looking at him at all times, with a glare that could pierce through his very soul, didn’t help either. He had to keep all of his concentration focused on his task, or else he would have had troubles with the exercise. Fortunately for him, though, it wasn’t enough to distract him from his goal, he had enough self-control to prevent this from affecting him.

When the time was over, Meian turned around and saw students still writing on their sheet, but before Meian could even think about something, Sekai had appeared in front of them, taking their exam. The movement the teacher did was so fast that Meian’s mind couldn’t even keep up with it, but it wasn’t his first time seeing this, although those who used it on him before were far from having mastered it. So, this is what a real shunpo looks like, the famous move of the Shinigamis… The classroom’s atmosphere suddenly became cold as most students lowered their head in a feeling of disappointment, a feeling that Meian also felt. He kept telling himself that, had he remembered each detail the shaman told him, his text would have been much better, and he was frightened of the teacher’s reaction after reading his text. After all, this was the first time Meian was even graded for something, it was normal for him to be scared of something he never did before.

Once she had every test, Sekai got to the front of the class, starting to speak. ”Alright. Before I begin my grading, I have one thing to say. Those of you who feel that you do not have what it takes to succeed in this class, please leave now. If you wish to be Shinigami, this day will mean nothing compared to the rigors you will face throughout the rest of the Academy. Thus, if you cannot complete this course, you will not graduate. You may even die.” As she finished her last sentence, Meian could hear some chairs moving and some students standing, probably to leave the class. What would Meian do, would he really leave so soon? No, I won’t leave like that. It is my goal, no, my duty to become a Shinigami and spread my mentality, and I won’t let that task fade so easily. I already came too far to back down now. Having set his mind, Meian didn’t move at all, waiting for the teacher’s next assignment.

”Those of you who are still here… You pass my first test.” Wait, what !?! This sentence added to the awkward feeling of Meian’s first exam experience, as it left him stunned and speechless. ”There was not one, but two tests in this assignment. The first was a test of your courage, your willpower, your determination to become Shinigami. You were offered the chance to leave, but you remained, unwilling to give up your goal. I commend you all for your determination or your stubbornness; whichever it is comes down to all of you.” Meian regained his focus, noticing that the other students were whispering among themselves, whispers to which the teacher didn’t pay attention. ”The second part of the test was to assess you on your knowledge and skill; while this is graded, it does not make any impact on your GPA; instead, it allows me to determine where to begin for the class by gauging how much the students know as a whole. I will be using these documents to create the curriculum.”

”You all did well. Now, I will list four names, based on the information within their tests. These four students will remain after class; I wish to speak with them privately. Hiratasuka Rei. Takashi Mihoko. Shigi Matsuta. Nakazawa Meian.” Of course, Meian’s attention focused on the teacher as soon as he heard his name, uneasy about remaining after class. However, Meian was wondering much more about another detail the teacher revealed, probably without noticing herself. ”The rest of you are free to go; I suggest you prepare for your next class.” As the other students left the classroom, discussing with others, Meian kept thinking about that hint of Sekai’s ability he observed. …based on the information within their tests… How could she have read their texts already, if she had just collected them a couple of minutes ago? She certainly had some sort of sensory ability, or else she would have required much more time to read everyone’s text. After pondering about it a little more, he remembered the feeling he had for the whole exam, as if she was looking right through his soul. Maybe it wasn’t just a feeling; could it be the side-effect to a skill she had? No matter how she did that, Meian now knew for sure that Sekai Kirita wasn’t a teacher to be underestimated, she could probably keep an eye on everyone in class at all times.

As Sekai placed the four texts on the front desk, Meian and the three other students approached. ”As I said, everyone passed this test, but you four provided exceptional work compared to that of the others, as most do not know much about traveling prior to joining the Academy. Of the four, Shigi Matsuta had the best results, while Nakazawa Meian had the lowest, but regardless of that, all four of you show great potential and knowledge that suggests an interest or previous study in this subject. Even as an unranked member of Squad 13, I am also a scout for the squad, and wanted to note my interest in any potential first-year student, to encourage your progression and hopefully your interest in joining the squad. You four have exceeded expectations, and I encourage you to apply yourselves further in this subject if you intend to join Squad 13 after graduation. I hope to continue seeing this quality of work from all four of you.”

Those words greatly encouraged Meian, as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He quickly understood that he had misunderstood the purpose of the school, which was to teach the way of the Shinigami by starting with the basics. If he already had knowledge before joining, good for him, but the classes were designed to start from the bottom and gradually go up, allowing students to obtain some essential information they may lack. Although stressful, this experience was meaningful, as it would help Meian to better gauge the difficulty of an exam in the future.

As he looked at the back of the room, however, he saw that the three other students were already leaving. This was his chance of talking with someone and gets a friend, and he was not going to let it slip by. As he reached the hall, each of them was going in a different way, which meant Meian could only follow one. After taking his map and schedule and making sure that he wouldn’t be late for Kendo, Meian decided to catch up to Rei. As soon as he got close, he started the conversation. ”Hello, I am Nakazawa Meian. What is your name, if I may ask?” Not knowing much about this person, Meian kept a polite tone of voice, in case she was of the serious type, but he would smile if she looked at him. ”What is your next class, maybe we’ve got the same? Mine is Kendo.” Waiting for answers, Meian didn’t move. This would, he hoped, engage a discussion with her.

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: Rei speaks in pink.))

“Huh?” Rei looked up, a bit startled at being addressed, and noticed Meian coming towards her. Turning, the young woman gave a half-vacant smile at her fellow student, pausing in her walk to speak with him. Up close, her blue eyes seemed half-clouded at all times, as if she were a constant daydreamer, though judging by the quality of her work, she was less vacuous than she appeared at a first glance. “Oh, hello there. You’re um…” A finger went thoughtfully to the woman’s cheek as she tried to remember Meian’s name, and if he was observant, he would notice that her fingernails were a light blue, and looked as if they were freshly painted. “…Oh, I’m terrible with names, I’m sorry. You were one of the other students Sekai-sama asked to stay after, right?”

The vacant, half-empty smile returned, and Rei gave a polite smile back at her fellow classmate. “You sound so formal, like the servants back home… I think I’ll call you Kerai-san.” With a wave of her hand, she indicated that Meian should follow her as they walked. If he chose to desist, as it was in the opposite direction from the Kendo classroom, one of the young woman’s hands would wrap around her classmate’s wrist and tug him in that direction anyway, leaving him to either be dragged along as an involuntary escort or fighting free and causing a scene, which could potentially estrange him from the only person who had even begun to talk to him so far today. If he went along with it, however, Meian would find himself quickly being dragged down a side hall; Rei didn’t look it, but she was fast, forcing the student to keep up a fast walk just to maintain the pace.

“I don’t have Kendo next, though, Kerai-san; I have it at the end of the day, though I wish I didn’t have to take it at all.” Rei spoke as she talked, her tone unhurried despite her pace. “I don’t really like fighting with swords and things. Beating up people with weapons is so hard and tiring; I want to be a healer in Squad Four instead, and save lives, instead of ending them.” As she spoke, the young woman didn’t even look back; it was like he was just there to listen, almost like a diary to be written in vocally rather than another person to listen to. Rei had mentioned servants before; perhaps she was used to thinking of others as lower, or insignificant, and didn’t mean it in a rude or harmful way? “I think it’s brutish how men like to think with their weapons, and just bash each other until the other gives up. Women handle it much better, with words instead of violence, don’t you think?”

In the entire walk, Meian wasn’t able to get a word in edgewise, whether it was to correct Rei on his name or to answer her inquiries about the philosophy of swords versus words in resolving conflicts. Even as the young woman paused in her speaking, the student realized that they were in front of another classroom, one that was labeled for first-year History classes. Rei released Meian’s hand in a heartbeat and vanished within the classroom with only the briefest wave good-bye before she was seated in the back with a group of two other girls she seemed to know well. Meian was just left to stare, and it was hard to tell if he had just made a friend, or had been used as a listening ear while wasting his time. Either way, he would have to head back and hurry down to the opposite end of the Academy, as his Kendo class would be starting soon. He would have to jog if he wanted to make it there on time!

[Nakazawa Meian]

As she heard Meian talking to her, the girl stopped walking and turned around to face him, giving a faint smile. ”Huh?” Judging by her attitude, Meian could easily see that, although she was talking to him, she was mostly vacant, as if she was daydreaming. ”Oh, Hello there. You’re um…” As she placed her finger on her cheek, Rei seemed to be thinking about something, probably his name. Is she trying to remember my name? If Meian had been a little more attentive, he would have noticed the light blue color of Rei’s fingernails, but he was unfortunately too concentrated on her attitude to see it. As he was to remind her of his name, however, she spoke again. ”…Oh, I’m terrible with names, I’m sorry. You were one of the other students Sekai-sama asked to stay after, right?” ”Right. I a-“

Rei suddenly cut through Meian’s sentence. ”You sound so formal, like the servants back home… I think I’ll call you Kerai-san.” As she smiled, Rei asked Meian to follow her with a hand wave. ”Wait, My class is-“ Even though he protested, she quickly took his wrist and dragged him along with her, preventing him from going his own way. After the second time, Meian understood that he wouldn’t be able to talk, so he decided to simply listen. Rei was quickly walking through the halls, but Meian was able to keep up, since he was fast himself.

”I don’t have Kendo next, though, Kerai-san; I have it at the end of the day, though I wish I didn’t have to take it at all.” Meian wanted to ask her why she said that, but he kept it to himself, knowing that he would get the answer anyway. ”I don’t really like fighting with swords and things. Beating up people with weapons is so hard and tiring; I want to be a healer in Squad Four instead, and save lives, instead of ending them.” She wants to become a healer to save peoples instead of hurting them? A noble decision… As he thought about that, however, the word noble kept resonating in his head. She mentioned having servants at her home, maybe she was of high blood? In fact, he noticed that she didn’t even tell him her name yet. ”I think it’s brutish how men like to think with their weapons, and just bash each other until the other gives up. Women handle it much better, with words instead of violence, don’t you think?”

Even though Meian decided to let her talk, her last question was too tempting for him; he couldn’t resist trying to answer. ”Well, I think it’s true that-“ However, even though she didn’t cut his sentence this time, they had arrived in front of a classroom, which led her to leave him in front of the door and, after a brief hand wave toward him, quickly join two other girls located at the back of the room. When he tried to start discussing with her after class, Meian never thought it would lead to a monologue on her side! He hadn’t even been able to know her name, still doubtful about whether it was Hiratasuka Rei or Takashi Mihoko. At the very least, he knew that, although she talked a little too much, she wasn’t of the silent type and had concerns about her own mentality. Depending on how things would go, Meian knew they could become good friends.

Meian quickly understood, though, that he would be late for Kendo if he didn’t hurry. He took out his map and quickly located the first-year History class, and then determined the quickest path to reach his Kendo class. After making sure that he wouldn’t get lost on his way there, Meian started running, although he was not sprinting to prevent exhausting himself too much before a class that would likely be draining on stamina. If his travel went well, he should normally get there in time, even though there wouldn’t be much time left before the class began. Meian would enter as soon as he got there, keeping a hand on his bokuto’s grip, which was attached on the left side of his waist.

[Zeich Yajuu]

((OOC: Ichiyusai Meiji speaks in deep sky blue. Yoshimatsu Machiko speaks in turquoise.))

Meian was in luck; with it being the first day, students were nervous about being late for their own classes, and as a result the halls were mostly empty as people tried to arrive early. As a result, his run was uninterrupted, and he had a fairly straight shot across the Academy. While he had planned to get there only just in the nick of time, his lucky streak had him arriving in a few minutes early, just as the other students were heading into the classroom. This would allow Meian a moment to catch his breath and regain his composure before heading in, as a few of his classmates were shooting him odd looks after his run across the Academy. Whether or not these gazes had any effect on the young man’s morale was up to him, but it certainly showed that he had already made his first impression.

The classroom was different from the last, and for obvious reasons, as desks would be useless in combat training. The room was almost like a large gym, with four areas sectioned off with mats for use in sparring. The students were lined up against one side of the nearest mat, opposite a man who, without a doubt, was their teacher. Standing at six feet tall, the man’s thin body showed corded, strong muscles, even if he wasn’t particularly large in bulk. Blue eyes that were as cold as ice stared at each of the students as they assembled, lining up before him, and he seemed unbothered by the stares that were returned as the students attempted to size up their teacher, wondering if he would be harder or easier than their last.

Once the last student stood before him, the man finally spoke in a calm, quiet voice. There was no intensity in it like Sekai’s, only a humble patience that suggested he was far less aggressive. “Greetings, students. My name is Ichiyusai Meiji, and you will refer to me as Meiji-sensei. I will be your teacher for this year’s Kendo class, and in that time, I will teach you much.” The teacher cleared his throat briefly before resuming. “However, before we begin, I would like to clear up a misconception. What you will be learning in this class, despite its name, is not Kendo.” This would cause murmurs and confusion that were silenced by a raising of the teacher’s hand. “That does not mean you will not learn Kendo at all, students. However, I am here to teach you the art of the sword in all of its beauty, and no art is complete with only one type of stroke. I am here to teach you to use a sword to defend yourself in combat, and whether you use Kendo or another sword style, the lessons you learn here will serve you regardless.”

While the teacher was speaking, Meian would get an opportunity to look more closely at the teacher, to get a better idea of the man’s appearance. Tall as he was, Meiji stood easily above the other students, and despite the age that showed in the lines on his brow and around his eyes, his back was straight and unbent. His body was covered by a padded leather jacket, black in color, while his legs were shrouded in hakama of the same cut and type. The man’s stance was neutral, yet Meian would be able to sense a quiet wariness beneath the surface, that of a swordsman who was always ready to defend his life and his honor; student and teacher had a lot in common, at a first impression, suggesting that the two of them may have more of a future as master and student.

“We will start by introducing ourselves. Start from the left, and continue right, until all of you have spoken your name.” A chorus of name started, one at a time, going from left to right. Twice there were pauses as two important names were given: Kawada Shunsen, and Shiba Kazuma. The first name drew murmurs as the students spoke of a noble in their classroom, and of the Kawada family no less; they expected great things from the young man. The other drew a pause as they recognized another noble name, but there were no whispers afterwards. If Meian knew anything about noble families, he would recognize that the Shiba family wasn’t very well known, and had in fact become somewhat estranged and weakened lately, without much repute. However, they were slowly recovering their place; it was said that a Shiba had obtained Vice Captaincy within the Gotei Thirteen.

After Meian gave his name, there were two more students, and then the line was complete. “Good. Now that you have introduced yourselves, you will pair off with a person of your choice. Once you are ready, come see me to get your shinai; we will take this opportunity to demonstrate any skills you already possess, and evaluate your skills for the sake of the curriculum. This will be a non-graded assessment, so please give it everything you have so that I may better teach you.” With that, students broke up into pairs, scattering in a number of directions. Meian would find himself as one of only a few people who weren’t paired up, but only for a few minutes as a young woman approached him, her brown eyes serious as she sized him up in a glance.

“Greetings. My name is Yoshimatsu Machiko. Would you be so kind as to be my sparring partner?” The woman was serious, formal, and yet her posture exhibited calmness and inner peace. Her short black hair was bound back in a bun behind her head, and her clothes were simple as well, suggesting middle-class or poor family. If Meian chose to accept, the two of them would go collect their shinai from Meiji, and then wait their turn for a mat to open up. Once it did, Meian would be given the first strike, to attack as he chose; Machiko would wait to see what he did.

[Nakazawa Meian]

Fortunately, Meian didn’t meet anyone on his way to his Kendo class, which allowed him to arrive earlier than he had expected. At the very least, this would give him time to catch up his breath a little and prepare for the class. As he approached the room, though, Meian quickly noticed that some of his classmates were staring at him, as if he was unwelcome. Of course, he had already expected his race through the halls to be frowned by other students, and it would likely give them a bad first impression of him, but it didn’t bother him much since he knew he would have plenty of time in the year to change that. He would have to get to it fast, though, or it may get out of hand.

As Meian entered the class with the rest of his classmates, the classroom was as he thought it would be; a room devoid of any casual school furniture, having simply mats on the ground for sparring purposes. A line of students had assembled in front of the closest mat, toward a tall man who was likely their teacher. Once Meian joined the line, the teacher stared at him with a cold glare, a glare that Meian knew just too well; it was the glare of an experienced warrior. As such, Meian returned the stare, showing that he was confident in his abilities, and nodded slightly as a sign of respect.

After taking a look at all his students, the teacher started speaking. ”Greetings, students. My name is Ichiyusai Meiji, and you will refer to me as Meiji-sensei. I will be your teacher for this year’s Kendo class, and in that time, I will teach you much.” While listening to the teacher’s speech, Meian’s thoughts got stuck a little on his first name. Meiji was a familiar name for him, since it was a common name in the feudal Japan he lived in, which was normally given to a child believed to become a samurai later. Maybe the teacher had a past similar to his? ”However, before we begin, I would like to clear up a misconception. What you will be learning in this class, despite its name, is not Kendo.” Whispers could be heard all around Meian as the other students started talking among themselves. ”That does not mean you will not learn Kendo at all, students. However, I am here to teach you the art of the sword in all of its beauty, and no art is complete with only one type of stroke. I am here to teach you to use a sword to defend yourselves in combat, and whether you use Kendo or another sword style, the lessons you learn here will serve you regardless.”

Meian understood entirely what the teacher meant by that; always practicing a particular type of movement prevents a warrior from adapting to unusual fighting styles, and basic movements are often the most useful in battles, while the more advanced ones are specific to certain situations. As Meiji kept talking, Meian noticed that the overall attitude of this man was strange. In fact, it seemed like he had a behavior similar to Meian, being always cautious of his surroundings to prevent getting caught off-guard, ready to defend himself if the need arose. With this, Meian really started to believe this man may have been a samurai before, or something similar.

”We will start by introducing ourselves. Start from the left, and continue right, until all of you have spoken your name.” As he said that, Meian’s classmates started to say their names one at a time. Two names caused some reactions by the students, Kawada Shunsen and Shiba Kazuma. Meian knew that the former was from a noble family, since the Kawada were famous even in Rukongai, but the latter was a completely unknown name for him, he never heard of who the Shiba were. Once it was his turn, Meian simply said his name in a casual tone of voice, without any unnecessary words. ”Nakazawa Meian.” After two other persons, the teacher spoke again.

”Good. Now that you have introduced yourselves, you will pair off with a person of your choice. Once you are ready, come see me to get your shinai; we will take this opportunity to demonstrate any skills you already possess, and evaluate your skills for the sake of the curriculum. This will be a non-graded assessment, so please give it everything you have so that I may better teach you.” Meian’s classmates divided in small groups, each going on a mat to start fighting. Knowing that these were normal spars, Meian moved to a corner of the room and left his bokuto there, since it was too dangerous for this kind of training. As he moved back forward the battles, however, a young woman approached him.

”Greetings. My name is Yoshimatsu Machiko. Would you be so kind as to be my sparring partner?” When she came to ask him this, her serious tone and calm attitude slightly surprised Meian, who wasn’t accustomed to being addressed so formally. ”Of course. Let’s go take our shinai.” As they came back with both of their shinais, a mat had already opened, which allowed Meian and Machiko to get in their fighting stance and prepare for battle. ”I am Nakazawa Meian. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Since Meian had a shinai in his hands, he placed himself in a basic swordsmanship stance, the Chudan-Gamae. Although he could have done it with his bokuto, the very small guard of a shinai and the round shape of its blade, not to talk about the lack of a scabbard, prevented Meian from using effectively his Iaijutsu swordsmanship style, so he would have to fall back on his basic samurai training to defeat his opponent. However, there was still one advantage his Iaijutsu could provide him; he was taught to attack with his sword’s pommel, which could easily take an enemy off guard. As Machiko took her own fighting stance, she made him a sign to attack first.

Meian’s mind processed all the informations he had been taught in his training. Find the weaknesses of your opponent, deceive your foe into thinking you are weaker than you really are, attack an enemy’s weak point, prevent the target from catching his breath, counter any kind of retaliation, take him out in a single blow… After making sure he was ready, Meian charged toward his opponent, but slowed his movements to prevent Machiko from finding out the full extent of his abilities. As he closed the distance, Meian’s first blow would be a horizontal strike targeting directly her opponent’s sword with all of his strength, which would, if it connected, push her sword to her side, breaking her stance for a moment. Using his new position to his advantage, he would then perform a pierce attack with the tip of his sword, meant to hit her stomach, and at the last moment, he would regain his full speed. With those attacks, Meian’s goal was, with the first strike, to test her opponent’s ability to block against a blow with great momentum behind it, and with the second, to see if she’s good in evading blows instead of blocking them. Finally, his sudden increase of speed in his last attack would also allow him to know if his opponent’s reflexes are good. Meian also kept an eye on Machiko’s shinai in all of his attacks, in case she would find an opportunity in his movements.

[OOC: When Meian slow down his movements, consider it as being at a stat speed of 90 instead of 120. When he increase it to his full speed, it goes back to 120 as usual.

It may take some more time than usual for me to answer your next post, I have a formation for work for some days starting with tomorrow.]

[Zeich Yajuu]

SPOILER: Click to show

Machiko is of the Soldier type.

Strength - [40] (40) Points

Speed - [70 x 1.5] (105) Points

Spiritual Pressure - [30] (30) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [30] (30) Points

Light Aura - [100] Points

Dark Aura - [0] Points

Instinct - [60] (60) Points

Senses [50] (50) Points

Energy sensory - [0 x 0.7] (0) Points

Healing Expertise - [0] (0) Points


Total SP: [280] points

SPOILER: Click to show

• [Weapons - Katana] 1
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] 1
  
  
• [Damage Recovery] 1
  
  
• [Learning] 1
  
  
• [Strength of Will] 1

“Don’t take me lightly.” Meian’s first swing would have him moving in close, even at reduced speed, and his sword would come across horizontally in an attempt to knock his opponent’s weapon aside, using all his strength in the effort. Machiko took a half-step back, almost a hop as she removed herself just enough that when she dropped her weapon, Meian’s shinai wouldn’t hit her. The instant it was past, however, she darted forward with her shinai jabbing forward, the tip stabbing forward towards Meian’s stomach. The blow was well-aimed, allowing her to shove the end of the wooden rods into the man’s middle, a non-harmful but potentially bruising strike that would force the student to the defensive. It would be hard to dodge as well, as Meian had put his full strength into his missed swing, which would throw off his balance briefly upon finding no contact with his opponent’s shinai.

The attack was similar to the one that Meian had attempted to use in a follow-up to his own strike should he break Machiko’s guard, and it would likely surprise him that the two were thinking along the same strategies to take advantage of one another’s openings. Of course, there was no time to deeply consider this coincidence, as the young woman was already moving forward again, pressing the advantage she had taken from Meian. An overhead grasp in a basic jogeburi, a slash that was meant to simply come down from above, was telegraphed to Meian as the woman brought her arms above her head, but if the student struck in the opening provided at the torso, he would quickly discover its existence as a feint; while the jogeburi would go through if he did not act to strike out at it, Machiko anticipated a counterstrike.

Should Meian strike out at the opening provided, Machiko would step to the man’s left side and bring her blade around to the left as well before swinging horizontally into her opponent’s side. The blow would come rapidly, but the strength was limited very slightly, so as not to overbalance. It would be a sudden movement that only required a simple half-step to the side, giving ample time for her to react quickly to an opening provided. Meian would have noticed by now that Machiko, while no expert, was not a stranger to swordsmanship as well, and every one of her steps was carefully measured and taken so as to provide her with maximum efficiency of movement.

To their side, Meiji watched them carefully, his arms folded across his chest as he studied their respective combat styles to get an idea of their progress. The man’s face remained neutral as the two students sparred, but his eyes spoke volumes in slightly movements as he followed every step and judged them as their teacher. Approval at some actions came, while others earned a slight narrowing of the eyes, either out of curiosity or slight disapproval that would be followed with instruction for improvement. Either way, Meiji remained completely quiet throughout their spar, and while his eyes were a constant presence on both students, that presence was gentle, unlike the raptor-like stare with which Sekai had treated Meian before.

[Nakazawa Meian]

As Meian swung his sword, Machiko unfortunately evaded the attack by stepping behind herself and lowering her shinai, getting out of the blow’s range. ”Don’t take me lightly.” Her evading move was quickly followed, as soon as Meian’s shinai got past her, by her sword raising back, suggesting that she was going to counterattack. However, since her sword was down and she was one step away from being in range for an attack, it would take a small moment for her shinai to gain its full speed and reach Meian’s stomach. As such, even though he was off balance, Meian used his current state to his advantage and followed the flow of his previous attack, which he increased to his maximal speed to ensure he would be able to defend in time, in order to rotate his entire body by 360° and bring back his previous blow as a strike to deflect Machiko’s pierce attack to the side. Unfortunately, since she was aiming at Meian’s stomach and not lower, the deflecting blow would likely not stagger her, but it would give enough time for Meian to take two steps backward.

”I’m not taking you lightly; I am gauging your strengths and weaknesses.”, Meian said as he was catching up his breath. However, something was odd about this girl; her piercing move was exactly what Meian had planned for the same situation, which meant she had similar strategies. It wasn’t time to think about this, though, since she was already coming back for a next attack, this time being a jogeburi, a slash from up to down. Pushing me to exhaustion? Again what I planned to do… Considering all the similarities of their fighting styles, Meian quickly understood that he would have to rely on unusual moves to take her down.

Machiko’s second blow, a jogeburi, created an opening in her chest, at the same location she tried to hit before. Meian wasn’t going to fall twice for the same trap, though. Too straightforward. Because of their previous blows, Meian had already gauged that she had a similar speed to him and that she was skilled enough to evade his attacks while still counterattacking, and the fact she opened her defense like this meant she came to the same conclusions than him. With such information, understanding that this opening was a decoy was child’s play. In fact, he saw an opening elsewhere; in her jogeburi attack. The weakness of a slash coming from the sky is that it opens the sides of a person to counterattacks, a weakness that Meian would exploit. Performing a similar movement than Machiko, Meian would leave her blow come closer to him until it was about to hit him, at which point he would evade it by making a sidestep to his left. Since Machiko would need to slow her movement if she wanted to change her trajectory, Meian would use this opportunity to quickly strike her hands holding her shinai’s grip in a down-to-up slash. If the blow connected, it would surely disarm her and cause some pain, but Meian knew his strength was insufficient to actually send her shinai flying or prevent her from fighting.

No matter what would happen, Meian was now convinced his opponent had some sort of training with the sword at some point in her life. An untrained person would have never managed to push him so much on the defensive in their first blows, and furthermore, she was clearly too fast to never have fought in a battle. As they fought, though, Meian knew they had attracted the teacher’s attention. The feats he and Machiko both pulled in their battle proved that they were no strangers to fighting, and that would surely be noticed by those who themselves had some experience in battle, Meiji included. No matter the outcome of this battle, with such high-level opponents, Meian knew the Kendo class would be interesting throughout the year.