The old man, as Kyōraku called him, didn’t really live up to his nickname in appearance.
At first glance, I would have put him at sixty, no more.
However, there was no point in deceiving myself.
I remembered perfectly well that Genryusai had already passed the age of several thousand years by now.
For some reason, our Captain-Commander was in no rush to begin his speech.
His gaze slowly slid over the rows of students as they soaked in the grandeur of the Gotei.
I don’t know what possessed me, but I suddenly decided to activate my sensory perception.
Standing in front of so many captains, and the general himself, I simply couldn’t resist.
I think everyone has at some point wanted to know just how strong an elite enemy is, even when an obviously ominous skull icon looms next to its name.
“Go away, you fool,” the game says.
“The enemies right now are much stronger than you.”
You understand this.
But you still ask yourself:
“And exactly how much stronger are they?”
All in all…
by a lot.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t prepared for this or harbored any false hopes.
Not at all.
The problem lay elsewhere.
In terms of sensory perception, what I experienced was far from a mere approximation of each one’s strength…
How best to draw an accurate analogy?
It was like standing in the middle of a fireworks warehouse as they all went off at once.
Right in your face.
Yeah.
This isn’t some backwater where there are only a dozen notable sources of Reatsu in the entire district.
This is literally a concentration of strong souls, this damn Academy.
And why didn’t I think of that sooner?
Outwardly, I tried not to let anything show.
I merely rubbed my eyes, attempting to clear away the phantom white spots before my eyes.
“I was told that the Gotei captains are terrifying monsters, and in appearance…
even worse,” came from somewhere behind me.
“But they’re all absolute beauties, aren’t they?”
“But those people are lying; they’ve never laid eyes on a captain.
But we see them, they’re right there in front of us,” someone snorted dismissively in response.
I felt a light nudge in the ribs.
I looked back and saw Kyoraku grinning.
What does this guy want from me now?
“Are such rumors really circulating among the civilian population?” He nodded toward the people who had been talking.
“There is some of that,” I admitted.
“Isn’t that why only the most attractive female captains were brought to the Ceremony…
along with Lord Shihoin?”
Kyoraku scratched his chin and glanced at the invited captains.
I followed suit.
As expected, Unohana Retsu, Captain of the Fourth Division, was among them.
She diligently maintained the image of a harmless healer, yet many still remembered her as the embodiment of Death.
And as for her attractiveness, well, that goes without saying.
Even though her figure was currently concealed by her baggy Shinigami uniform…
I, for one, remember the beach episode.
Next up is Furofushi Saito, captain of the Sixth Squad.
She’s a girl with long lilac hair tied into pigtails on either side of her head.
She reminded me a bit of Riruka Dokugamine from the Fullbringer arc…
but with darker hair, a flat chest, and an eyepatch over her left eye.
She’s probably much shorter, too.
Still quite attractive, but a nasty piece of work.
I can tell just by looking at her eyes.
And for some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that she’s a total tsundere.
Batsuunsai Katori, captain of the Eighth Squad.
A long black braid tied carelessly with a red ribbon, large round glasses…
and two rather impressive assets that swayed even when she breathed.
She looked a little awkward, even…
shy?
If I hadn’t known who she was, I could easily have mistaken her for a pretty girl from an art club.
And finally, Chika Shihouin, Captain of the Second Division.
White hair, dark skin, tall, slender and with a permanent mocking grin on his face.
His shihakushō was slightly open at the chest, and a bright orange scarf was wrapped around his neck.
“I understand what you’re talking about,” Shunsui mused, nodding knowingly.
“…But Lord Shihōin doesn’t quite fit that theory. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Don’t you think?”
“Well…
I wouldn’t exactly claim my version is the absolute truth,” I said, shrugging.
Meanwhile, the conversation continued behind us.
“So, who exactly is this ‘Lord Shihouin’?” asked the person who had started the conversation in the first place, sounding completely serious.
“You seriously don’t know?
It’s that guy over there with the white hair.”
“Is that him?!
I thought it was just a somewhat mannish woman…” the first voice wheezed.
“So he’s the one you called ‘your chocolate goddess’?” the second asked in surprise, immediately passing judgment.
“Hah, so you’re one of those… A sodomite.”
“I’ll kill you…
right now!” the offended man immediately flared up and was about to start a fight.
I don’t know exactly what Yamamoto had been waiting for, but he chose that precise moment to tap his peculiar cane lightly against the dais.
The very cane in which his Ryūjin Jakka was most likely “sealed.”
In an instant, the entire open-air arena fell into a deathly silence.
An invisible wave swept through us, chilling us to the bone.
Instinctively, we snapped our mouths shut, stood at rigid attention, and fixed our gaze on the Director.
With a capital D.
It is no exaggeration to say that even the mentors and teachers gathered behind him felt it just as keenly.
“First-years!” his voice boomed like thunder.
“You have been granted the great honor of becoming students of the Shino Academy — the Academy of Spiritual Arts!”
We listened, unable to summon the strength to move.
“Throughout its history spanning over a thousand years, the Academy of Spiritual Arts has produced outstanding members of the Demon Arts Corps, special operations units, and the Gotei 13!
We are a school with ancient traditions!” He struck his cane again, and once more, a wave of overwhelming power washed over us.
“It is the duty of every student to honor, preserve, and uphold these traditions!”
Well…
that is true, of course.
But not entirely.
For the first few hundred years, the Academy was merely a private Genji School under Yamamoto’s personal direction.
I doubt the student body numbered in the thousands back then.
The Captain-Commander finished his speech and yielded the floor to the captains.
“Do not seek out beauty in battle,” declared the mini-Riruka, or rather, the esteemed Captain Furofushi, in a ringing voice.
“Do not seek out virtue in death,” Unohana added thoughtfully.
“Do not think of your life as your own,” Batsuunsai Katori chimed in gently.
“If you desire to protect that which must be protected… then cut down your foe from behind,” Captain Chika Shihouin concluded, grinning even more broadly.
And so, the ceremony came to an end.
I admit, the scene would have impressed me far more had I been an ordinary first-year student rather than, well…
myself.
However, it was beautiful and majestic in its own way.
Not too pompous and without lengthy ranting.
But it was painfully obvious to me that the spectacle was designed primarily for naive laypeople.
That speech just didn’t square with Yamamoto’s persona.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the captains had been forced to memorize their lines and act them out like children in a school play.
Still, I was glad to witness something so grand and solemn.
Ten years spent in conditions bordering on the savage had taught me to appreciate such moments.
In any case, the academic year had officially begun.
Our supervisor led our group into the lecture hall, where we took our assigned seats.
I had wanted to sit next to Hachigen or Jushiro, but fate decreed that Shunsui would be the one to relieve my boredom.
It seemed the seating arrangement had been planned back when we were moving into the dorms.
Otherwise, how else could it be that I ended up next to him during both the roll call and the lecture?
They’re cutting corners.
They could have just let us sit wherever we wanted.
Or is this a quirk of Class #1?
“From this moment on, I am your group’s instructor.
My name is Goro Onabara.
You may address me as Goro-sensei or Onabara-sensei,” the teacher introduced himself, wrote the kanji for his name on the board, and turned to face the class.
Without waiting for the speech to end, Shunsui dropped his head into his hands, preparing to catch up on sleep for all his ancestors combined.
Goro-sensei’s hand twitched ever so slightly, but he restrained himself from pegging Kyoraku right in the forehead with a piece of chalk.
Well, that’s no fun.
To put it simply, I’m in an anime school here.
urely I can’t be denied the classic chalk-throwing trope?
“You are in Group #1 of Class #1!” the curator announced, raising his voice.
“That means you either achieved the highest scores on the theoretical entrance exam or demonstrated exceptional aptitude during the practical one.
We have high hopes for you!”
It feels good to be special, doesn’t it?
“In other words, you are this year’s most gifted students.
I hope each of you will study diligently…”
Is the whole lesson just going to be an introduction?
“…but also so that you can play a significant role in the squads you join!” The sensei went on, waxing eloquent.
I propped my cheek on my hand and tried to make my gaze look a little less glassy.
“…so you must work tirelessly, and above all else…”
The inspiring speech just wouldn’t end…
Seriously, this is just torture.
Yamamoto-sama, Captains…
thank you for your brevity.
Mini-Riruka, I’ll even apologize to you for my lack of respect.
…
“That concludes the introductory lesson.
That’s all for today; classes start tomorrow.
You’ll find your schedules right there on your desks,” Goro finally finished his tedious spiel.
Huh?
Really?
Had it been sitting there the whole time?…
Wait a minute… What?!
While everyone else was filing out of the classroom, I was poring over the schedule.
By the time I’d finished reading it over for the umpteenth time, I was the only one left in the room.
They couldn’t be serious…
“Goro-sensei, I have a question.” Clutching that wretched sheet of paper, I walked over to the teacher.
“Kaoru-kun, right?” He couldn’t have forgotten my name so quickly after this morning’s incident, even if he’d wanted to.
“What is your question?”
“Do I really need to take an additional course in the Japanese language and writing system?”
“That’s correct,” he replied calmly.
“Your exam answers were quite impressive, but the problem is that the examiners couldn’t decipher them on their own.
That’s why they recommended you for this course.”
“What, all four of them?!” I couldn’t help the sarcasm.
“All four of them,” he confirmed calmly.
“Okay…
I understand.
Thank you, Goro-sensei.” Sighing heavily, I headed for the exit.
Just great.
“You’ll manage, Kaoru-kun.
Most students who need lessons like these reach an acceptable level in about a year.
I have no doubt that a gifted student like you will take less time.” Either his talent for hypocrisy far surpassed mine, or he genuinely wasn’t mocking me.
That actually made it sting even more…
“Thank you for believing in me, Sensei…”
Three people were awkwardly waiting for me at the exit.
As one might have guessed, they were Shunsui, Jushiro, and Hachigen.
They didn’t know each other well, so it was unlikely they had exchanged more than a few words.
“Have you been detained, Kaoru-san?
” Ukitake asked first.
“It’s your first day, and you’re already being detained?
I must be losing my touch,” Shunsui snorted.
“So…
are you having some kind of trouble?” Hachi awkwardly chimed in.
I simply sighed in silence and held out the paper with my schedule.
It differed from theirs by only a single line…
but that line appeared for every day of the week.
And judging by the heir of the Kyoraku clan’s wheezing, snorting laughter, it was pure comedy gold.
The other two just looked at me sympathetically.
Which, for some reason, only made me feel worse.
“See you tomorrow, guys,” I waved goodbye and headed to my room.
Man, I shouldn’t have finished off that sake yesterday…
I could really use it right now.
Only a couple of drops remained in the empty bottle, landing sadly on my tongue.
̶F̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶”̶g̶i̶f̶t̶”̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶r̶o̶o̶m̶m̶a̶t̶e̶
Quest completed
All objectives met
Oh, go fuck yourself with jokes like that, Hero’s Diary!