“Hadō 31, Shakkahō!”
The flames tore forward like a shooting star, but they clipped the edge of the target and very nearly missed it altogether.
“Concentrate. Don’t let your mind wander.”
Hearing Silas’s voice behind her, Nanao gathered herself.
Damn it, and whose fault is it that my head is full of distractions in the first place…
In the next moment, the anger in Nanao’s chest flared past her control.
She saw Silas’s face on the target instead, and a Shakkahō fed by pure temper blew it to pieces on the spot.
“Good!”
The proctoring teacher couldn’t help praising the shot, excellent in both power and accuracy.
Turning back to find approval in Silas’s eyes, Nanao felt a wave of warmth rise in her.
Then she remembered yesterday, her mood swung again, and she gave a small huff and turned her head away pointedly, refusing to look at him.
Silas was rather bewildered.
Where had she suddenly picked up a tsundere streak?
Before long this batch of examinees filed off the field one by one.
It was nearly Silas’s turn.
He had put in plenty of preparation over the past few days for today’s test.
Silas glanced around.
Dozens of Elite Class students were gathered at the edge of the field, and the air was thick with nerves.
Just then a commotion broke out at the entrance to the training ground.
Several teachers hurried over, and their expressions turned respectful the instant they saw who had arrived.
The students turned to look as well, whispers spreading through the crowd like ripples.
“That’s… Lieutenant Aizen of the Fifth Division! Wow, he’s so handsome!”
“Why would Lieutenant Aizen come to the Shin’ō Academy?”
“I heard he comes now and then to look in on the freshmen and give guidance on their studies…”
Under everyone’s watching eyes, a figure walked slowly into the training ground.
Aizen appeared in his black shihakushō, several teachers accompanying him.
The proctoring teachers bowed, and the students in the middle of their assessment straightened their backs on instinct.
For a lieutenant of the Gotei 13 to come and inspect in person was a rare honor.
Aizen nodded to the teachers with a smile, his gaze traveling slowly across the students on the training ground.
His eyes were placid, as though he were only browsing idly.
But when that gaze passed the spot where Silas stood, it paused for an imperceptible instant.
Silas held the same respectful, curious expression as the other students, though he felt a flicker of dread inside.
Aizen…
why is he here?
Aizen did visit the Shin’ō Academy on occasion to observe classes, but he rarely seemed to turn up for these early-term assessments.
His bearing was unhurried and relaxed, as though he truly had only happened by to watch.
The testing went on.
When Silas’s turn came, he deliberately managed his performance.
He executed his Shakkahō in a thoroughly standard way, keeping both the spiritual pressure output and the accuracy at a middling level.
It was a steady, unremarkable shot he had carefully rehearsed over the past few days for exactly this, to hold a rank in the lower middle of the pack.
“Acceptable,” the proctoring teacher noted in his book.
“Next.”
As Silas withdrew to the sidelines, he felt a gaze settle on him.
He turned to look, and met Aizen’s gentle eyes.
Aizen gave him a small smile and a nod, as though in approval.
Silas lowered his head and eyes and returned it with a humble bow.
His heart, though, was anything but calm, and he couldn’t tell whether he was reading too much into it.
Aizen was casting his gaze over the examinees at random, yet Silas felt the frequency with which it landed on him ran slightly high.
Was Aizen paying him a little too much attention?
When the morning’s testing wrapped up and the students took their break, Aizen stepped down from the viewing platform.
He walked slowly across the training ground, talking with several teachers, stopping now and then to ask after a student’s results.
His gentle manner left many students overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
Then he walked in Silas’s direction.
Silas was chatting with Nanao, whose mood had thawed, when he noticed the stir nearby.
Nanao turned, saw Aizen approaching, and bowed hurriedly.
“Lieutenant Aizen.”
Silas bowed in greeting as well.
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony.” Aizen’s voice was gentle and resonant.
“You are fifth-years, aren’t you? Your performance in the test just now was quite good.”
Aizen’s gaze moved to Silas.
“And your name is?”
“Silas, Lieutenant Aizen.”
Silas felt the cold settle in him as he looked at Aizen’s smile.
In that moment he was finally certain.
Aizen had come here for him.
“I watched your Kidō test earlier.” Aizen adjusted his glasses.
“The incantation for Shakkahō was very correct, and your spiritual pressure control was very steady. However…”
He paused and smiled.
“It gave me the impression you weren’t using your full strength. I wonder if that was only my imagination.”
Silas’s chest tightened, but on the surface he produced a slightly embarrassed look.
“I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, Lieutenant. My command of Shakkahō isn’t practiced enough, and I was worried about making a mistake during the test, so I chose the safer approach.”
“Prudence is a fine thing,” Aizen nodded.
“I’ll take the lesson to heart, Lieutenant.”
“I didn’t intend it as criticism,” Aizen said, smiling.
“Besides, the ability to conceal one’s brilliance in service of a goal is a talent in its own right.”
He paused, and his gaze grew deeper still.
“Tell me, Silas, what are your plans for the future? Which division do you hope to join after graduation?”
The question made Nanao, standing nearby, prick up her ears as well.
Silas considered a moment and answered carefully.
“I don’t have anything specific in mind yet. There’s still some time before graduation, after all.”
“A very practical attitude.” Aizen nodded in approval.
“Each of the Gotei 13 has its own character. Finding the path that suits you matters.”
He looked directly into Silas’s eyes, his voice gentle and yet carrying a pull that was hard to refuse.
“The Fifth Division has always devoted itself to bringing along promising newcomers. If you find yourself interested, you might consider joining us after you graduate.”
The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment.
Nanao’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and the other students who had been eavesdropping wore looks of envy or shock.
Those words amounted to a personal invitation from the Lieutenant of the Fifth Division.
For a Shin’ō Academy student, it was an enormous honor.
Inside Silas, though, the alarm bells were ringing at full volume.
Why would Aizen, for no apparent reason, extend an invitation to a fifth-year with such unremarkable results?
Thinking back to that encounter in the valley of West District Two a few days ago…
Silas was all but certain now that the one hiding in the shadows had been Aizen.
He had been noticed after all.
“I’m very grateful for your regard, Lieutenant.”
“But as I said, there’s still time before graduation. I’d like to think it over further before I decide.”
“Don’t feel pressured by anything I’ve said. Simply follow your heart.”
Aizen looked at him, that gentle smile still fixed in place.
“Well then. I look forward to seeing what you do.”
He patted Silas on the shoulder and turned to go.
Silas stood where he was, watching Aizen’s retreating back.
That brief exchange, every word and every glance in it, had been like dancing along the edge of a blade.
What a turbulent fate.
“Silas, Lieutenant Aizen seems to think very highly of you. He even wants you in the Fifth Division. What do you make of it?”
Nanao’s voice from beside him brought Silas back to himself.
He thought about it for a moment.
“I’m scared to tears.”
Nanao: ?