She gestured for Yuichi to sit up, and as he did, she began to explain the basics of sensing reiatsu, irrespective of concealment. "As you know closing your eyes can enhance your spiritual senses. The lack of sensory information helps us feel the energy around us, sense the patterns in the reiki, and focus on anomalies such as a high concentration or lack of reiki. However, it's a skill that is impractical and can leave us vulnerable in situations like the one we just faced. So Lady Yoruichi devised a special verizon for the 2nd Divison. From the way she explains, it basically works in the same way a bat sees, you release a thin wave of reiryoku like a sphere around you and as you launch it out you pay attention to what it hits. Try it out."
As Yuichi followed Mei's guidance, he closed his eyes, focusing on the energy within, and tried to shape it in the way she described. Of course, he failed at the first try, however, due to his constant practice of pulling and shaping reiki Yuichi made significant progress during his second try. Mei continued to instruct him, providing insights into the subtleties of reiatsu detection.
"Good," Mei commended. "Now, that you understand how it works keep practicing and you can do all sorts of things with this technique so long as you’re creative enough. Rest for a few hours and we’ll continue to work on refining your Zanjutsu. Your attacks still lack the fluidity needed in real combat. I can’t teach you a good style, but the more you fight the more you’ll alter your Zanjutsu to fit your abilities. Here take this pill."
"Okay," Yuichi responded. "Mei, I’ve been wanting to ask. Did they find any traces of Kira yet?”
Mei shook her head, her expression turning solemn. "No, despite the captain's best efforts searching the Human World and Hueco Mundo, they haven't found her or the other students. It's a perplexing situation. We suspect she might have perished in Hueco Mundo, but without concrete evidence, it's hard to say. She could possibly be alright or equally she could have been devoured by a hollow. There’s no way to know at this stage for sure."
Yuichi sighed, a tinge of sadness in his eyes. "That's unfortunate. I hope she's alive and alright wherever she is."
‘Damn I had planned to possibly use her and now she’s dead. What a waste of time and effort,’ thought Yuichi.
Changing the subject, Yuichi asked, "What's going on with the situation involving her family, the Ankoku noble house?"
Mei's demeanor shifted, and she proceeded to share the developments. "Because of Kira's disappearance, the Ankoku house hasn't made any moves as of yet. Lady Yoruichi, however, tasked Young Master Yūshirō to find and destroy a few of their illegal businesses Kira informed her of. This has made the head of the Ankoku house quite paranoid, and as a result, he purged servants who seemed suspicious. Unknowingly this opportunity allowed us to place two spies in the household. Now, we're just waiting to catch them red-handed. Since Kira is missing, Lady Yoruichi no longer plans to use a soft approach. The Tsunayashiro noble clan is on the move, and Lady Yoruichi can no longer waste time. Unfortunately, the Ankoku household will have to be purged completely."
Yuichi stayed silent after that because there was nothing to gain from learning more about the situation and Mei also didn’t say anything so they rested. After their short break Yuichi noticed his stab wound although not fully healed had stopped bleeding so he placed his hand over it and used Kaidō to fully heal it.
“Now take your stance and we’ll spar for half an hour before I leave,” said Mei as she stood up and readied herself.
The spar was intense. Yuichi, fueled by the desire to improve, launched into a series of attacks. Taking Mei’s lesson to heart he didn’t just attack in a straightforward manner but also mixed in some feints and weak attacks. However, Mei effortlessly countered every move, her movements a dance of precision and grace. Her martial arts background allowed her to anticipate Yuichi's strikes and respond with swift and efficient defenses.
Half an hour later, Yuichi found himself lying on the ground, bruised and heavily breathing. Mei, on the other hand, looked relatively unscathed. She approached him and offered a hand to help him up.
"I'm heading back now," Mei stated. "I'll be busy tomorrow, so you should practice what you've learned, and we'll continue the day after."
Yuichi, still catching his breath, nodded in agreement. As Mei departed, he closed his eyes and began to use Kaido to heal the parts of his body that felt the most pain. After a while, a buzzing sound caught his attention, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a small insect.
The insect suddenly grew bigger and took on a humanoid shape. Its appearance was a striking embodiment of its insect-like nature. It stood at an average height for a human, with a slender, insectoid physique that boasted an exoskeletal appearance. It had four arms and wings on its back. Its body was a prominent yellow with black markings, resembling the coloration of a bee.
Yuichi, addressed the insect. "Miel, did Mei leave the underground training ground?"
Miel, nodded affirmatively, indicating that Mei had indeed left. Yuichi groaned as he forced himself to sit up. “Good, it’s been a while. You must have questions about why I disappeared for so long only to reappear so suddenly and ask you to hide.”
Miel looked nervous as she shook her head, “No, I know that you were most likely busy. So I did as you instructed hiding myself here and using that technique to feed myself.”
Yuichi chuckled, “No need to pretend. I know you were hoping I was dead and were waiting to verify it before you escaped. You didn’t want me to return and have to hunt you down.”
Miel's insectoid features seemed to twitch nervously at Yuichi's words. The humanoid creature shifted uncomfortably on its multiple limbs before finally admitting, "Well, you can't blame me for being cautious. You disappeared without a trace, and then suddenly you're back. It's not exactly a common occurrence."
Yuichi grinned, understanding Miel's apprehension. "Fair enough. I didn't mean to cause you any stress. I had some business to attend to, but now I'm back, and now I need you to help me find a location."
