After some casual banter, the group headed to the cafeteria.
Satoru bought two rice balls, a bowl of miso soup, and a plate of pickled radish, arranging them neatly on his tray.
Seinosuke and Aizen quickly picked their lunches too. The three carried their trays to a corner table and sat down together.
Sōjun was already seated there, with several exquisitely crafted bento boxes laid out before him, filled with gourmet dishes.
Unlike Satoru and the others who came from humble backgrounds, he was genuine upper nobility—the eldest son of the Kuchiki family. Every noon, someone specially delivered his meals to Shin'ō Academy.
Incidentally, many years later, he would father a somewhat famous son named Byakuya Kuchiki...
Gazing at Sōjun's lavish spread, Satoru wore a pained expression.
"Decadence! Such decadence!"
"Young Master Kuchiki, what a swordsman needs most is a resilient spirit. Indulging in such delicacies daily—how can you resist the temptations of this material world?"
Sōjun replied impassively, "Take whatever you want."
"You truly embody the spirit of a swordsman!"
Satoru's mournful expression instantly transformed into a grin as he showered praise. Swiftly, he used clean chopsticks to snatch a grilled fish and some tamagoyaki from Sōjun's bento.
Amused, Sōjun shook his head and turned to Aizen sitting beside Satoru.
Noticing the simple ochazuke in Aizen's bowl, he remarked, "Sousuke, you should have some too. With your talent, such meager meals won't sustain your growth."
As he spoke, he picked up some fish to offer Aizen.
But Aizen politely bowed his head, slightly withdrawing his bowl. "Thank you, but this is enough—"
Before he could finish, Satoru cut in, "Sousuke, why stand on ceremony with Young Master Kuchiki? To rich bastards like him, money might as well be dirt."
"If you really feel bad, just help him out if he ever gets into trouble later."
With that, he took the fish from Sōjun and placed it in Aizen's bowl.
Looking at the fish now in his bowl, Aizen wore a faintly resigned expression.
Due to his unique talent, his ability to absorb spiritual particles from the air far surpassed that of an ordinary Shinigami, so he didn't really need to rely on food for energy.
In fact, near the Seireitei, he could go years without eating without any adverse effects.
The only reason he came to the cafeteria every day was to avoid drawing attention.
However, these were words he could never voice aloud.
Raising his head, he looked at Satoru and Sōjun.
Under their gazes, he gave a slight nod:
"Thank you."
Satoru grinned. "Eat more, train more, work harder—make sure you live up to the guidance Teacher Kinoshita and I have given you."
Aizen cast him a calm glance.
For a moment, he was curious—what kind of reaction would Satoru have if he revealed his true strength right now?
It might be quite amusing.
Imagining the scene, Aizen allowed a faint smile to curl his lips.
After the meal, Sōjun set down his chopsticks.
"Satoru, Seinosuke, Sousuke—I plan to apply for early graduation at the end of this year."
The words left the three of them momentarily stunned.
Seinosuke blinked in surprise. "After just one year?"
The Shin'ō Academy was a six-year institution, but students were permitted to apply for early graduation.
Many talented Shinigami would apply in their third or fourth year to join the Gotei 13 and hone their skills.
But… someone like Sōjun Kuchiki, preparing to graduate after just his first year? In the entire history of Soul Society, such cases were exceedingly rare.
Sōjun nodded. "Yes. It's a bit early, but given the current state of affairs in Soul Society, there's no time to waste."
"I must graduate as soon as possible, join the Sixth Division, and fulfill my duty to the Kuchiki family. Only then can I repay my father's guidance."
Satoru suddenly seemed to recall something. "Isn't your brother-in-law incredibly strong? I've heard he's unstoppable on the battlefield—rebels flee at the mere mention of him."
"With him helping your father, dealing with the rebels shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
At this, Sōjun gave a bitter smile. "My brother-in-law is indeed powerful, but…"
He trailed off, shaking his head.
Not only was his brother-in-law's situation too sensitive to discuss openly, but he also disliked speaking ill of others behind their backs.
Seeing that Sōjun didn't wish to elaborate, Satoru didn't press further.
...
...
The first class in the afternoon was Zanjutsu—swordsmanship.
Kinoshita gripped a bamboo sword, demonstrating the key movements while loudly explaining the techniques to the students.
Satoru and the others knelt in a row on the wooden floor, their bamboo swords laid out before them.
Seinosuke leaned over—
"Hey, Satoru, have you heard? Apparently, some big shot is coming to Shin'ō soon as a guest lecturer to teach us."
"Big shot? How big?" Satoru kept his eyes forward, whispering back.
"Rumor has it, it's one of the Gotei 13 captains."
Satoru shot him a surprised glance.
It wasn't unusual for a Gotei 13 captain to lecture at Shin'ō, but they typically only taught fourth-years and above.
What had their first-year class done to deserve a captain's instruction…?
Unless it was a newly appointed captain, using them for practice.
Perhaps overhearing their conversation, Kinoshita paused his demonstration and glanced their way.
Seeing Satoru, he paused slightly, then suddenly raised his eyebrows as if remembering something.
"Satoru Mikami, you brat, get out here!"
Without hesitation, Satoru replied: "Sensei, it was Seinosuke who spoke to me first! I was just telling him to be quiet and pay attention!"
Seinosuke: "?"
Before he could react to Satoru's words, Kinoshita roared: "That's not what I'm talking about... I went to the infirmary before class and they said you never showed up!"
"You little punk, daring to skip my class? I'll break your legs!"
"Perfect timing—come up here and assist with the demonstration. Today's sword technique lesson will use you as the teaching material!"
Hearing Kinoshita's words, Satoru's face stiffened.
Seinosuke grinned broadly with delight.
"Go on, Satoru, don't keep everyone waiting!"
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Satoru clicked his tongue, picked up his bamboo sword, and walked toward the front of the dojo.
Sōjun gave him an encouraging smile.
Aizen showed no reaction.
He had little interest in Kinoshita's sword techniques and even less in the teacher's disciplinary theatrics.
After several days of intensive training, his power was on the verge of another breakthrough.
With nothing better to do, he slowly closed his eyes and began circulating his spiritual pressure, preparing to advance to the next stage!