When it came to Kaiser, even someone not in Class One like Rukia couldn't possibly not know about him.
In fact, not knowing who Kaiser was by now would be the strange thing—at least within Seireitei.
A newly enrolled Shin'ō Academy student possessing Spiritual Pressure Level Two—who would believe such a thing?
Rukia had heard the rumors. Even among those monster-like Captains in the Gotei 13, not all had reached Level Two.
It was said that Spiritual Pressure Level Three was already considered Captain-level. Level Two was something only a few of the very top Captains could claim.
And Kaiser?
He had just entered Shin'ō Academy, not yet joined the Gotei 13, and still had six full years until graduation—yet already possessed Reiatsu rivaling the elite Captains. It was simply unbelievable.
Rukia had heard it from countless people: that Kaiser was the greatest genius since the founding of Shin'ō Academy. Not only had he broken the thousand-year-old entrance exam record, it was predicted that he'd break the graduation record too—because no one had ever graduated with Spiritual Pressure Level Two.
Even putting aside the ancient past, at least within the last thousand years of Soul Society's history, Kaiser was undoubtedly the most dazzling genius—unparalleled by any.
Previously, Rukia didn't have a strong sense of this. But ever since entering Shin'ō Academy, with everyone around her constantly talking about it, she gradually came to understand just how extraordinary that person really was.
But Spiritual Pressure is one thing, actual strength is another. Rukia had originally thought Kaiser merely had high Reiryoku, strong Reiatsu, outstanding talent, and a bright future—that was all. She didn't expect him to also be that strong.
To make Renji this unwilling to accept defeat—the gap must have been truly huge, right?
Rukia had some understanding of Renji Abarai's swordsmanship. So seeing him this frustrated, she could imagine just how strong the other person had to be.
"So you're hiding here, swinging your wooden sword, training to get stronger—just to challenge him again?"
Rukia seemed to understand what Renji Abarai was thinking.
"...I don't know," Renji Abarai didn't nod or admit it directly. He just kept swinging his sword as he said with focus, "But I really can't accept losing that easily—especially to that guy."
"I heard he's also from Rukongai. From District 80, no less."
"You should know very well, Rukia—what kind of place that is."
Rukia fell silent again.
Every District 80 of the Rukongai regions was the furthest from Seireitei, and also the most lawless and dangerous.
She and Renji Abarai came from District 78 of South Rukongai—already close to District 80. The conditions there were harsh, and survival was extremely difficult.
Just to get enough to eat, she and Renji Abarai had endured countless hardships, suffering more than she could remember, just to survive until today. And that was only in District 78. The conditions in District 80 were surely even worse.
"Someone who had it even harder than us has already made it this far—how can I just sit still and accept where I am?"
Renji Abarai didn't turn to look at Rukia. He just focused on swinging his wooden sword, speaking word by word with conviction.
"Back then, I came to Seireitei and entered Shin'ō Academy because I wanted a better life."
"But now, I want to become stronger."
"At the very least—I can't fall too far behind someone like him."
In the end, though Renji Abarai was frustrated, he wasn't resentful.
Kaiser had defeated him head-on—cleanly and without controversy. Though Renji didn't say it aloud, deep down he was convinced and accepted the loss.
But just thinking about how he tried to show off and was casually dealt with in a matter of moments, and how Kaiser won so effortlessly and with such composure—Renji couldn't help feeling furious.
He wasn't mad at anything else—just at his own weakness.
"Clack!" "Clack!" "Clack!" "Clack!"...
Renji Abarai said no more and continued swinging his sword, devoting himself fully to training.
Rukia didn't speak again either. She simply looked at him, thinking silently of how he had been selected for Class One, while she had not—and she too felt a bit down.
The two of them each harbored their own thoughts. One was immersed in training, the other in contemplation.
Soon, dusk fell. The sky gradually darkened, announcing the arrival of night.
That night, many people drifted to sleep with thoughts weighing on their minds.
But the days of student life at Shin'ō Academy—had only just begun.
...
Time passed day by day.
As the buzz around the new student enrollment settled down, Kaiser, though still a prominent figure at Shin'ō Academy, no longer caused a sensation simply by showing up.
His academy life began to stabilize. Every day was filled with classes, or walks to class—a fairly fulfilling routine.
Kidō class, Kendō class, Hakuda class, Shunpo class... All the classes teaching the four fundamental techniques of the Shinigami, Kaiser attended on time without fail each day, steadily learning various skills and absorbing knowledge.
And honestly, some of these classes were actually quite fun—at least Kaiser thought so.
To be able to properly learn a supernatural power—that was something he had never truly experienced before. So he was very interested in it.
Kendō class was fine. This subject was basically useless for Kaiser. He didn't need to study swordsmanship—so long as he had a weapon in hand, he could instinctively use techniques that brought out the weapon's full potential. There was no need for grueling training.
Others, however, trained diligently—especially Renji Abarai. Ever since losing to Kaiser, he had been practicing seriously. Every time there was free practice during Kendō class, he would challenge Kaiser with passionate determination.
Unfortunately, he had never managed to defeat Kaiser even once. Even when Kaiser only wielded a wooden sword, even though drawing out 100% of its power didn't require any particularly advanced technique—his physical strength alone was more than enough to completely suppress Renji Abarai.
When using Authority to convert power systems, the only thing not converted was physical strength. However strong it was, it remained.
And Kaiser's physical strength... well, those who knew, knew.
A Genestella's physical strength was already far beyond ordinary humans. On top of that, Kaiser had absorbed vast amounts of Manadyte and Urm-Manadyte, and had undergone secondary body refinement through the power of two Sacred Gears, unlocking hidden potential. Under such conditions, he could easily crush High-Class Devils with just brute strength—let alone a group of ungraduated students.
If Kaiser didn't hold back, just swinging a wooden sword with full force would break it instantly.
Only by suppressing the majority of his strength could Kaiser even spar with others without snapping the training sword.
For Renji Abarai to beat Kaiser in this state—not just now, but even after becoming a Lieutenant in the future—wouldn't necessarily be possible.
Because of this, Kaiser made basically no progress in Kendō class. Even the instructor had nothing left to teach him.
The same went for Hakuda class. Though it taught unarmed combat techniques, it offered little help to Kaiser.
Because he would never be without a weapon—nor without the ability to use one. Situations requiring hand-to-hand combat were exceedingly rare. Even if he mastered Hakuda, so what?
At most, it would just be icing on the cake.
On the other hand, Kidō and Shunpo classes were genuinely beneficial to Kaiser.
Kidō, of course, needed no elaboration. Even without Kaidō, just learning Hadō and Bakudō, Kaiser gained a great deal—he didn't even know how many spells he had mastered.
He was often privately tutored by his Kidō instructor and other faculty. The teachers who saw promise in him invested heavily. Even the headmaster had met him several times and taught him quite a few special techniques in private.
Shin'ō Academy's Kidō curriculum didn't normally cover high-level spells—but these teachers and the headmaster knew them.
Kaiser had learned a lot of powerful spells from them, enriching both his combat and support capabilities.
Then there was Shunpo class...
"Shup!"
On the rooftop of a building in Shin'ō Academy, a figure darted across at astonishing speed.
"Shup!" "Shup!" "Shup!" "Shup!"...
The figure sprinted along the rooftops. As it ran, it would vanish suddenly—only to reappear on the roof of another building farther away. Then it would disappear again and reappear even farther, leaving a trail of faint afterimages across the rooftops.
The figure wasn't just fast—it moved like it was teleporting. Sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right. Sometimes it disappeared entirely, only to reappear ghost-like and elusive.
Running like that, the figure eventually flashed out of Shin'ō Academy and appeared outside.
Only then did the figure stop, landing on the ground and revealing its full appearance.
It was Kaiser.
"After so much training, I've finally fully mastered Shunpo."
Kaiser exhaled and smiled.
"That was not easy. Who would've thought—Kendō didn't stump me, Kidō didn't stump me—but Shunpo gave me a hard time for a while."
Kendō and Hakuda were either unnecessary or merely supplemental for Kaiser, so he hadn't paid much attention to them.
Kidō, on the other hand, he learned rapidly and smoothly thanks to his powerful Reiryoku and excellent control. He was never held back.
Only Shunpo had stumped him at the start. He just couldn't grasp it and struggled to even get started.
This technique, which allowed for high-speed or even instantaneous movement, really tested flexibility and natural aptitude. And in that area, Kaiser didn't have any cheats to rely on—so he wasted quite a bit of time.
But now, at last, he had learned Shunpo.
"Zan, Ken, Sō, Ki—now I've mastered them all."