Renji’s heart was very conflicted.
Entering the Spiritual Arts Academy with his Big Sis and making new friends there should have been two very happy things, so why did it turn out like this?
After Rukia was adopted by Byakuya, Renji met Kira Iziru, who had also joined the Spiritual Arts Academy, and the two quickly became good friends.
Although Renji appeared happy every day, Kira Iziru noticed that Renji often sighed when he was alone.
A month had passed since Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki Family.
Seeing Renji sighing alone again, Kira could no longer hold back.
He walked up to Renji and asked:
“What happened, Renji?
I see you sighing here all the time.
Is there something we can’t share and face together?”
“You, you, you!
When did you get here?
No, wait, when did you find out?” Lost in thought, Renji was startled by Kira’s sudden voice.
He scrambled to his feet and said with a look of surprise.
“I noticed it several days ago.
Besides, this place of yours isn’t exactly hidden.
I found it with just a bit of following.
You still haven’t answered my question: has something difficult happened lately?”
“Sigh…” Renji sighed, then said, “Izuru, do you know Rukia?”
“Kuchiki Rukia?
Of course I know her.
That ghost student who’s only enrolled in name.
She never comes to class, and nobody knows what she’s doing every day.
Damn, is the power of the nobility really that great?
Why, do you know her?” Kira said.
“Not only do I know her, I’ve known her since we were kids.
It’s just that back then she wasn’t a noble; she was a commoner from the Rukongai just like me.
But a month ago, I saw Rukia being taken away by a guy with an icy face.
I asked the Old Dean and found out he was the head of the Kuchiki Family.”
“So, you and Rukia are childhood friends?
Are you lovesick because you can’t see her every day now?
Or do you feel that since she’s a noble, you’re not good enough for her?” Kira teased.
“It’s not a matter of being good enough or not; there’s simply no possibility for the two of us.
Rukia said she doesn’t like men.
She always says that the opposite sex is just for reproduction, while the same sex is true love.
Besides, I’ve seen her as an older sister since I was a kid.
But now that she’s a noble, I don’t even know how to face her anymore,” Renji said troubledly.
“Has she come to see you lately?”
“Yes, and she’s come several times, but I’ve managed to avoid her.”
“Aiya, you’re really stupid.
If she’s coming to find you, she definitely has something to say.
What’s the point of you constantly avoiding her?
Tell you what, listen to me: the next time she comes to find you, you must go see her no matter what.
It’s settled.”
“Alright then,” Renji said helplessly.
Then, the two of them walked toward the Academy’s dormitory together.
Meanwhile, on Rukia’s side.
“Ye lord!
Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!
Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!
Hado #31, Shakkahō!”
As the incantation ended, a crimson fireball emerged from Rukia’s palm and shot rapidly toward the target.
With an explosion, only the wooden pole supporting the bottom of the target remained; the upper half had been blown into ash.
Seeing the entire target gone, Rukia looked very satisfied.
Then, she discarded the incantation and used Shakkahō again.
“Hado #31, Shakkahō.”
A similar crimson fireball shot toward another target, but Rukia was not satisfied with the result this time.
Not only was the flight speed slow, but its power was less than half of the original.
“As expected, the power of a discarded incantation is still too small,” Rukia grumbled unhappily.
After all, discarding the incantation meant the Kido’s effectiveness was only one-third of the original.
Although its power had improved significantly through practice, it still couldn’t compare to a full incantation.
However, there were benefits: the preparation time was short and very rapid, leaving the opponent with little time to react and creating a surprise effect.
She could use Hado and Bakudo of a certain level and could skillfully perform Shunpo.
For a Shinigami, Shunpo is an extremely important skill—useful for both chasing and escaping, making it a very versatile technique.
She then practiced Bakudo for a bit; currently, Rukia could use Hado and Bakudo below number forty.
Now, it was time for the lucky draw again.
Of course, Rukia didn’t expect to get anything good from a C-rank draw, considering the D-rank draw three weeks ago had produced something completely useless: a bicycle!
When the bicycle appeared before Rukia, she was truly dumbfounded.
What use could a bicycle have here?
Not only did the art style clash, but its speed wasn’t even as convenient or fast as her own Shunpo.
Ding—You have a new item.
Please check it.
Looking at the system notification, Rukia expressionlessly opened her mailbox.
Seeing the reward icon this time, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It looked like a piece of clothing, but being ranked as a C-grade item, it should be of some use to her.
Opening the item description, it read:
‘Spiritual Raiment—thousand illusions.
Ability: Myriad Transformations.
It can change its appearance according to the user’s will, but it possesses no defensive capabilities.
It is essentially just high-quality clothing that can slowly repair itself when damaged.
(Upgradable).’
Finally, something good.
Now I won’t have to change clothes so frequently.
I can usually turn it into a Kimono for missions and switch to a shihakusho during battle.
I just don’t know what’s going on with Renji.
I clearly just wanted to tell him I wouldn’t be returning to the Academy and see how he’s been doing lately.
But every time I look for him, I can’t find him.
He doesn’t reply to letters either.
I have no idea what he’s doing every day.
Then, I planned to stake out the Academy entrance again to see if I could run into him.
If I do, great; if not, so be it.
After all, if someone doesn’t want to see me, there’s nothing I can do.
I’ll wait until he snaps out of it.
I quickly arrived at the Academy and found it was currently break time.
Students were passing through the main gate one after another.
Seeing Rukia in her gorgeous black Kimono, they looked on with curiosity.
No one knew who this beautiful young girl was.
Although she was pretty, no one came up to flirt; the Zanpakuto at her waist made them abandon such thoughts.
Rukia’s attire seemed somewhat out of place here.
Renji and Kira, who were about to return to the Academy, also spotted the girl.
Just as Renji was wondering if he should step forward to talk, Kira noticed Renji’s strange behavior.
“Is that girl Rukia?” Kira asked.
“Uh, yes.” Renji was also shocked by the girl’s outfit; he had never seen Rukia dressed like this back in the Rukongai.
At that moment, Rukia used Shunpo to vanish from her spot, reappearing instantly in front of Renji and Kira.
The two were startled by Rukia’s sudden appearance.
They were over a hundred meters apart, and it should have taken some time to run over, especially since Rukia was wearing a Kimono that restricted movement.
However, they never imagined Rukia had already learned Shunpo; this distance was nothing to her.
Since Renji and the others saw Rukia, the girl naturally spotted them as well.
Undeniably, red and blonde hair were very conspicuous in a crowd, so they were noticed the moment they entered Rukia’s field of vision.
There was a bug when the previous chapter was uploaded, causing some lines to get mixed up; it has now been fixed.