"What is this?"
Arisawa Tatsuki stared at the object Asakura Yoh had placed in her palm, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
It was a necklace—a fine silver chain holding a crystal the size of a fingernail.
The crystal was transparent, but it refracted a faint blue light, and its surface was carved with strange patterns—some resembling runes, others like ancient totems.
She picked up the necklace, holding it before her eyes to examine it.
Then, for some reason, her ears began to flush a deep crimson.
'This guy... why is he suddenly giving me something like this?'
She instinctively glanced toward the training grounds, where Sado Yasutora was focused on throwing punches at the air. Inoue Orihime was sitting in a corner, seemingly being lectured by the little spirits she had summoned.
No one was paying attention to them.
Arisawa Tatsuki breathed a quiet sigh of relief, though her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
It was true they exchanged gifts every year for their birthdays.
But in the past, Asakura Yoh usually gave her things like game cartridges or CDs.
But a necklace...
She looked down again at the delicate piece in her hand.
This was clearly the kind of necklace meant for a girl.
"You..."
"I had it custom-made by Urahara."
Asakura Yoh's voice interrupted her wandering thoughts.
"Urahara? Who's that?"
"The middle-aged guy dressed in green with the wooden clogs from the tournament," Asakura Yoh gestured with his hands.
"Didn't you go see him too?"
Arisawa Tatsuki paused for a moment before remembering.
It was that strange man who ran the candy shop.
"That guy?" She frowned.
"Doesn't he run a candy shop? How could he make something like this?"
"Running a shop isn't his real day job," Asakura Yoh said, not wanting to explain too much.
"Anyway, it was custom-made at his place."
He pointed toward the necklace.
"The crystal on it can store Furyoku. The chain is designed to transmit Furyoku and sense spiritual energy—you can think of it as a 'Medium'."
"Uh... huh?"
Arisawa Tatsuki was still staring blankly at the necklace, not really processing his words.
"Tatsuki?"
"Ah, right, I'm listening!" she stammered, trying to laugh it off.
"Something about Furyoku and crystals, right? Haha!"
Asakura Yoh narrowed his eyes at her.
"Hey now, you're the one who said you wanted power to fight, so I went through the trouble of getting this for you." His tone carried a hint of helplessness.
"Helping that guy with his experiments was a real pain. I had to go back several times just for the calibrations."
"Alright, alright, my bad," Arisawa Tatsuki waved him off.
"Keep going."
She gripped the necklace in her hand, forcing herself to focus.
'But... since it was custom-made, when did he order it? How long has he been preparing this?'
The thought popped into her head, but she quickly suppressed it.
"You know I'm a Shaman, right?"
"Yeah," Arisawa Tatsuki nodded.
"The ability to control spirits and channel them into bodies or objects, right?"
"Basically. And the essential requirement to be a Shaman is having Furyoku."
He paused.
"But in this world, the only ones who can obtain Furyoku through training are those of the Asakura Clan. No matter how hard anyone else trains, they will never be able to gain it."
Arisawa Tatsuki was stunned for a moment.
"Then..."
"So that's why you got this thing," Arisawa Tatsuki said, pointing to the necklace. "So that I can use your Furyoku?"
"Exactly." Asakura Yoh snapped his fingers.
Arisawa Tatsuki lowered her head, re-examining the necklace in her hand.
Just this little thing?
She held the crystal, which was barely larger than a fingernail, close to her eyes for a better look.
Inside the transparent gem, those strange patterns seemed to come alive, flowing slightly under the sunlight.
"How much can it hold?"
"About a third of my total Furyoku."
As soon as Asakura Yoh finished speaking, he saw Arisawa Tatsuki pull a face of slight disappointment.
"Only a third?"
"A third is plenty," Asakura Yoh rolled his eyes.
"If you can master that third, even Ichigo and Uryu combined wouldn't be a match for you right now."
"Fine, fine..."
Arisawa Tatsuki's tone was skeptical, but the corners of her mouth had quietly curled upward.
"If you don't want it, give it back!"
Asakura Yoh made a move as if to snatch it away.
"Who said I don't want it!"
Arisawa Tatsuki instantly shielded the necklace against her chest, her movements as swift as a beast guarding its food.
"You can't take back a gift!"
Regardless of whether it was for combat or not, a gift was a gift, and a necklace was a necklace. Since he gave it to her, it was hers.
Asakura Yoh watched her protective display and couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Don't go thinking you can use as much Furyoku as is stored inside whenever you want."
"I can't?" Arisawa Tatsuki blinked—that was exactly what she had thought.
"Of course it's not that simple."
"The source of Furyoku is willpower. The limit of how much you can wield depends on the strength of your own mind."
"Willpower?" Arisawa Tatsuki frowned. "How do you train that? Is it like taming a wild hawk?"
She imagined herself in a staring contest with a hawk for days and nights on end and couldn't help but shudder.
"Uh..." Asakura Yoh was momentarily speechless at her bizarre train of thought.
"Well, that wouldn't be entirely useless, but generally, it's done through meditation. Just practice normally and don't think about weird stuff."
"What, that's boring—"
Arisawa Tatsuki dragged out her words but stopped halfway.
She looked up, staring at Asakura Yoh.
"Wait, you said 'generally'? Does that mean there's an unusual way to train?"
She leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling.
"Is there some kind of shortcut to power up fast?"
Asakura Yoh's expression instantly turned cold.
"You don't need to know that."
His voice was calm, but it was that very deliberate calmness that made Arisawa Tatsuki realize this was not a joking matter.
"You will never have to use that method."
He looked at her with an unreadable gaze. It held a warning, and perhaps a deeper emotion she couldn't quite decipher.
Arisawa Tatsuki opened her mouth, wanting to ask more.
But in the end, she didn't ask a single thing.
She simply nodded and began trying to meditate just as Asakura Yoh had taught her.
The moment she closed her eyes, she felt a cool sensation on her neck—Asakura Yoh was putting the necklace on her.
The crystal rested against her collarbone, feeling slightly warm.
'Whatever.'
She took a deep breath, letting herself sink into the state of 'clearing the mind' that Asakura Yoh had described.
Some questions didn't need to be asked right now.
After all—
She touched the necklace against her chest.
After all, there was plenty of time.
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
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