Chapter 15: The Bet

"Oh? You just said it's impossible—then what's the point of competing?"

Ren found Yoruichi quite amusing. Is this what noble eccentricity looks like?

Yoruichi looked momentarily flustered but quickly recovered. Staring at Ren's face, she found him increasingly insufferable—almost more irritating than her lazy childhood friend.

"Fine... How about this? You run half the distance, and I run the full distance. Let's see who finishes faster. Fair enough?"

She added, "Although it's unlikely, if by some miracle you win, I'll… I'll call you 'Oni-sama.'"

Ren scratched his chin, envisioning Yoruichi's embarrassed face reluctantly calling him 'oni-sama'.

Hmm... better not. I'm not into weird stuff like that.

"That won't be necessary. If I win, just teach me some advanced Shunpo techniques," he said.

Ren was clear about his priorities—he wasn't here to tease a little girl. What he wanted was to learn Yoruichi's high-level Shunpo skill: Utsusemi.

Based on its portrayal in the manga, Utsusemi was fundamentally different from standard Shunpo, resembling more of a teleportation-like technique.

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, not expecting Ren to be so eager to learn. But after thinking it over, she realized she had nothing to lose in this wager.

If she won, she would regain her pride and could make this arrogant transfer student respectfully call her "senpai" in the future. On the other hand, if by some chance he won, she would simply become his mentor—which, on second thought, might even be rewarding in its own way.

"Alright, it's a deal," Yoruichi nodded, gesturing for Ren to come closer. "I'll start by teaching you the basics of Shunpo."

Ren stepped forward, ready for some hands-on training.

But as the lesson unfolded, he realized Yoruichi's teaching abilities were... subpar, to say the least.

Compared to Aizen's meticulous guidance, her instructions were like night and day.

Ichigo must have had some incredible natural talent to learn anything from her, Ren mused.

Despite Yoruichi's lacking teaching skills, Ren managed to grasp the fundamentals thanks to his strong aptitude for martial techniques.

"So that's how it works. Let me give it a try," he said.

Under Yoruichi's personal guidance, Ren walked over to the practice area, ready to test his newfound understanding.

Shunpo's basic principle was to use explosive muscular power at a 'pivot point' to propel oneself in a straight line to the next 'pivot point'. In essence, the technique wasn't particularly agile but required pre-planning of the target location.

Because of this, the practice field was divided into segments, each about 20 meters long, with a total of ten segments for a 200-meter course.

Yoruichi's earlier suggestion for the bet meant she would run the full 200 meters while Ren would run 100 meters, with the faster time determining the winner.

Settling into position, Ren focused his mind and body. He crouched slightly, tension coiling in his legs as his muscles bulged like a predator ready to pounce.

In the next instant, a surge of power exploded from his body, propelling him forward with incredible speed. He shot through the first segment like an arrow, landing precisely at the next support point.

Glancing at the nearby monitor, he saw his time for the segment: 0.973 seconds.

Ren frowned. Shunpo didn't seem to give him a dramatic speed boost. At his peak sprinting speed, he could already cover 20 meters in about a second. Moreover, his calves felt slightly sore after just one segment, indicating that Shunpo wasn't a technique he could sustain repeatedly in its current state.

"Oh? Not bad," Yoruichi remarked, a bit surprised. Ren had succeeded on his first try, and his speed, considering his spiritual power level, placed him in the upper-middle range of the academy.

Effortlessly, Yoruichi performed her Shunpo, arriving beside him with a recorded time of 0.491 seconds.

Ren pondered for a moment and realized he had fallen into a mental trap.

While he could indeed run 20 meters in about a second, that was after accelerating to his top speed. The real advantage of Shunpo was its ability to compress the acceleration phase into an almost imperceptible moment. It was a burst movement, perfect for quick repositioning or pursuing an opponent during combat.

Yoruichi's Shunpo performance, however, utterly outclassed his. And she wasn't cheating, either—Ren could sense that she had suppressed her spiritual pressure to match his level. Her speed came not from her attributes but from her technique.

No wonder she's the future 'Flash Goddess.' Ren couldn't help but admire her skill. But he hadn't given up on their bet—this was only his first attempt, and he could still improve.

After several more trials, Ren found that the soreness in his legs began to fade as he adjusted his technique. By his 20th attempt, he had made noticeable progress.

Rather than continuing to practice, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to meditate.

"Hey, there are only 20 minutes left in class. Aren't you going to keep practising? At this rate, you'll lose for sure~"

Yoruichi teased, standing beside him with a playful grin. She was in high spirits, having thoroughly bested Ren in Shunpo. Despite his repeated attempts, his improvement had been marginal.

"Don't worry. I never go back on my word," Ren replied, waving her off as though shooing a fly. "Let me have a moment of peace."

Yoruichi wasn't annoyed. On the contrary, she felt smug, practically assured that victory was already hers. To her, Ren's current actions and words were nothing more than the futile bluster of a sore loser.

As Ren meditated, his mind conjured an image of himself continuously practising Shunpo. He focused on observing this mental projection, analyzing every muscle movement and the flow of power in his body.

Just as the end-of-period bell rang, Ren opened his eyes.

Yoruichi, standing beside him, felt that something about him had subtly changed. His previously calm gaze now carried a profound depth, like the surface of a dark ocean concealing unfathomable currents.

Still, she didn't dwell on it for long. With a confident smirk, she strode to the starting line. A crowd of onlookers gathered, eager to watch the drama unfold in front of them.

With the faintest sound, Yoruichi moved.

Her afterimages lingered momentarily in the air, rippling like mirages, before disappearing altogether. A second later, her figure solidified at the finish line.

The monitor at the end flashed with a time: 4.396 seconds.

When she came to a stop, the thing still moving was the gentle sway of her beautiful violet-black hair.

Graceful. Incredibly graceful.

Even Ren couldn't help but be impressed. It was no wonder Yoruichi had once led the Onmitsukidō. With such masterful Shunpo, she could kill silently and invisibly.

"Your turn, kohai-kun~"

Yoruichi stood at the finish line, beckoning Ren over with a teasing gesture. Her tone was lighthearted, but her choice of words—'kohai-kun'—revealed her confidence in her victory.