Let Us Kill Each Other

Then, under Akira's trembling stare, Minazuki, having swallowed the lunch box, spat two small bottles out toward Retsu Unohana. She caught them in her hand.

It was over.

Teacher Unohana had truly developed this strange use for her Zanpakuto.

She had completely turned Minazuki into some kind of living portable storage device, had she not?

In short: meat storage?

In the future, Teacher Unohana would not secretly develop some strange use for him too, would she?

Akira instinctively swallowed. For some reason, Retsu Unohana, who looked gentle and kind at this moment, seemed to be giving off an invisible dark aura. He quietly shifted his knees a tiny bit, instinctively moving a little farther away from her.

As expected, compared with a mature woman who cared for him in every possible way, simple, cute girls like Shao Ling and Risa Aoki were more comfortable to spend time with. Even if they were a little stubborn, that was not impossible to tolerate.

"Mm? Akira, are you moving away from me, or are you disgusted by Minazuki?"

Just then, Retsu Unohana's seemingly gentle, calm voice sounded, making Akira's insides tremble for no clear reason.

Akira's smile stiffened a little. "N-no, of course not. I like Teacher Unohana the most. The wind was just a little strong and pushed me away from where I was sitting."

Retsu Unohana examined him and said, "Is that so? Your smile also looks rather stiff."

"That is also because of the wind. This is my first time flying with Teacher, so I am not used to it yet," Akira said, forcing himself through the explanation.

"I see..."

Retsu Unohana smiled, then reached out and pulled Akira behind her, placing herself in front of him.

"But that is fine. For now, Teacher can still block some of the wind for you."

"Th-thank you, Teacher," Akira answered, the corner of his eye twitching.

"There is no helping it. You are already my disciple, after all. I cannot simply watch you fall off Minazuki and die, can I?"

Unohana's voice seemed to drift faintly, making Akira's eyes widen a little despite himself.

Was that a threat? That was absolutely a threat against her own disciple, right?

Dislike Minazuki, and he would die?

Akira hesitated for a moment, thought of something, and forced himself to say, "Thank you, Teacher. Also... Minazuki is quite cute."

"Is that so? I also think Minazuki is very cute. I had believed I was the only one who considered Minazuki a perfect creature that fits my aesthetic. I did not expect you to think so as well, Akira. Teacher is very satisfied."

Hearing Retsu Unohana's voice return to its usual gentleness, Akira secretly let out a long breath.

That was close. He had almost offended one of Teacher Unohana's inviolable taboos.

Also, he truly had been foolish.

In a certain sense, a Zanpakuto perfectly reflected the true inner heart of a Shinigami. Minazuki's form undoubtedly proved Retsu Unohana's unique aesthetic taste.

The flat, enormous, green, one-eyed manta ray really was ugly. But under Teacher's influence, if Akira observed it carefully enough, he gradually discovered a unique ugly-cute charm.

No good.

After returning, he would immediately make two giant posters of Minazuki and hang them in his room, fully displaying his absolute support for Teacher's aesthetic as her disciple.

While Akira was thinking about making posters, one of the bottles Minazuki had just spat out was placed in his hand by Retsu Unohana.

"Teacher... what is this?"

Akira shook the bottle and looked at the unknown white viscous liquid inside, somewhat confused.

"I made it overnight. Time was limited, so there are only two bottles. One is for you to use," Retsu Unohana answered.

"Teacher, how do I use it?"

Although Akira felt the unknown white liquid looked rather strange, he still forced himself to ask.

"Mm... to help you understand quickly, use it on me once."

As Retsu Unohana spoke, she turned toward him, opened the cap of the bottle in Akira's hand, and dipped one finger into it.

The moment Retsu Unohana's finger touched the white liquid, the viscous fluid rapidly turned green, almost centered on her finger.

Akira blinked and answered honestly, with all the innocence of a pure young man.

"Teacher, this... went green."

Retsu Unohana nodded, unsurprised.

"That is normal. The liquid in the bottle can detect the richness of emotion in a spiritual body. Different colors represent different degrees. The darker the color, the stronger the spirit body's emotions at that moment."

After a pause, Retsu Unohana glanced at Akira and said, "Also, your phrasing could be a little less strange."

"Yes, Teacher."

Akira shrank his neck slightly. He had simply never expected Retsu Unohana, who was proficient in Kaido and medicine, to develop something with such an odd use, so the words had slipped out.

"So I will use this liquid to examine those Rukongai residents later? I just have them dip in a finger. If the color is not green, that means a large amount of emotion-bearing soul was forcibly taken from them?"

"Not exactly. Some spiritual bodies normally maintain a relatively thin emotional state. It is best to stimulate them as much as possible first. That will make the result more accurate," Retsu Unohana added after some thought.

"How should I stimulate them?" Akira asked.

"Verbal stimulation, behavioral stimulation, scent stimulation, and so on. Anything capable of causing emotional fluctuation will do."

After a pause, Retsu Unohana seemed to think of something and said, "There is still time. You can also try stimulating me and obtain a normal reference value for comparison."

Hearing that, Akira hesitated for a moment, then said, "Teacher, you are so beautiful."

However, the moment Akira finished speaking, the faint green color in the bottle barely changed at all.

So Akira changed tactics and praised Retsu Unohana from every angle he could think of. Apart from causing a slight reaction when he praised Minazuki, almost nothing changed.

At that moment, Akira understood. As a thousand-year-old Shinigami, Teacher Unohana had probably changed lieutenants countless times. Simple tricks like these could no longer make her react.

Then Akira hesitantly pushed up his glasses, looked at Retsu Unohana, who still appeared gentle and kind on the surface, and spoke softly.

"Teacher, let us kill each other..."

In an instant, as those words fell, Retsu Unohana's gentle expression collapsed completely. Akira felt everything in his vision become covered by terrifying, blood-colored reiatsu.

The liquid in the bottle turned so black it almost shone.

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