After seeing off Aizen and Ichimaru Gin,
Shinichi and Rukia returned to the student council office.
"That Captain Aizen is really kind," Rukia couldn't help but comment. "At first, I was nervous, but after being around him for a while, it just melted away."
Watching her speak so openly about her impression of Aizen, Shinichi thought to himself, You may have calmed down, but I've been on edge the whole time.
But thinking back, he realized maybe he had been overthinking things. He was just a student at the Spiritual Arts Academy—what could possibly make Aizen pay special attention to him? Perhaps all that inner tension had just been unnecessary anxiety.
If anything, the most natural attitude to take with someone like Aizen would've been the one Rukia showed—relaxed, respectful, but not overly guarded.
"The work must've been tiring for you too, Rukia," Shinichi said.
Rukia quickly shook her head. "Not at all! I didn't really do anything. And I even got to sit in on a class—I learned a lot. Captain Aizen's way of teaching is really different from our usual instructors."
She was referring to Aizen's lesson with Class A. Rukia was a student in Class B, so if not for her role in the student council, she likely wouldn't have had such an opportunity.
Shinichi could guess what she was thinking, so he said, "If you work hard, you can move up to Class A next year."
"I will!" Rukia nodded earnestly.
Renji and Hinamori Momo were in Class A—she wanted to catch up to them.
"If there's anything you don't understand while studying, feel free to come ask me. I might not be as good as Captain Aizen, but I might be able to help you figure things out."
"Really?" Rukia's face lit up with surprise.
[Affection Level: 37]
Shinichi smiled and suddenly reached out, patting Rukia on the head. She was petite, with her head only reaching his chest, so it wasn't hard at all.
Startled by his sudden gesture, Rukia instinctively shrank her neck a little—but she didn't pull away, letting his hand rest gently atop her head.
"Of course. As long as you'd like me to."
[Affection Level: 38]
Soft, smooth… Feels nice, Shinichi thought to himself.
4th Division Barracks
"Vice-Captain, this came from the Spiritual Arts Academy just now—it's a student file."
"The Academy?"
Vice-Captain of the 4th Division, Kotetsu Isane, had just walked into the barracks when a squad member stopped her. It was technically a rest day, but it was also the Soul Reaper Women's Association's team-building day—and today's venue happened to be the 4th Division.
Isane took the file and blinked in surprise. The school year just started not long ago. Why are they sending student files already?
"All right, I'll take care of it."
With sharp features softened by gentle eyes, silver-gray short hair braided at the sides, Isane was the picture of a kind and composed woman. But despite her gentle demeanor, she stood nearly 190 cm tall—head and shoulders above nearly everyone around her. It was something that made her a little self-conscious, especially since most male soul reapers weren't even her height.
She began examining the file—it was a student record from the Academy.
"Tachikawa Shinichi…"
She murmured the name aloud. It sounded familiar. Then she remembered—toward the end of the last school term, when the 4th Division was reviewing prospective graduates, this name had come up.
Back then, Tachikawa Shinichi had been listed among the top students eligible for early graduation.
Recently, the Academy's student council had gained quite a bit of attention—and its president, as it turns out, was also named Tachikawa Shinichi.
As the healing and medical squad, the 4th Division handled emergency treatment and general health care. Compared to the other divisions, they naturally had a harder time recruiting new members. Most students didn't list the 4th Division as one of their preferred destinations. As a result, many of their recruits were assigned there based on their scores in Kaidō (healing arts), rather than personal choice.
But as Isane reached the end of the file, her eyes froze.
Setting aside the already-impressive perfect scores in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, what stunned her was a note regarding his Zanpakutō:
"Specific ability unknown. Exhibits healing capabilities. Tentatively classified as Kaidō-type…"
Isane blinked in astonishment and read through the entire file again.
Healing-type Zanpakutō were extremely rare. Even as the Vice-Captain of the 4th Division herself, her own Zanpakutō wasn't a healing type—it was ice-based.
And this student wasn't just anyone—he was the top student of the Academy, excelling in all areas without any weaknesses. When was the last time someone this outstanding ever considered the 4th Division?
Without hesitation, Isane grabbed the file and rushed toward her captain's private quarters.
But the moment she burst into the room, she stopped in her tracks.
Her captain wasn't alone. Also present were:
Ise Nanao, Vice-Captain of the 8th Division
Matsumoto Rangiku, Vice-Captain of the 10th Division
Kusajishi Yachiru, Vice-Captain of the 11th Division
One of Captain Unohana Retsu's hobbies was flower arranging, and these women were essentially the core members of the Soul Reaper Women's Association. Each of them had a vase in front of them, and the floor was littered with flowers of every kind.
"Isane, welcome," Unohana greeted her with a gentle smile, unconcerned by the interruption.
"Captain," Isane greeted, nodding politely to the familiar vice-captains. Nanao was carefully studying Unohana's arrangements, imitating them with practiced grace. Rangiku, meanwhile, was slouched in her seat, idly tossing daisies toward Yachiru like she was feeding a pet.
Yachiru, in turn, was happily chewing flower petals.
It was quite the scene. Isane quickly averted her eyes and approached Unohana.
"Sorry to interrupt. This just came from the Academy. I thought you should see it."
Unohana paused her work and took the file with her usual serenity.
"You really work hard, Isane," Rangiku teased suddenly. "It's supposed to be our day off, isn't it? Still stuck dealing with paperwork?"
"Is that your way of saying I'm an incompetent captain?" Unohana asked with a placid smile.
"…Absolutely not!"
Rangiku shuddered visibly and waved her hands.
Isane explained, "I just happened to run into the courier on my way here."
Unohana finished reading the file and nodded calmly. "A Kaidō-type Zanpakutō… how rare. Tachikawa Shinichi would be a great fit for our 4th Division upon graduation."
Rangiku blinked.
"Who?"