"Satoru, how the hell did you pull that off?"
On the way back to the dormitory, Seinosuke ran up to Satoru, excitement in his voice.
Satoru pointed at Aizen. "He taught me."
Seinosuke blinked, then turned to look at Aizen.
A look of confusion appeared on Aizen's face, as if he had no idea what was happening.
Seinosuke cast a suspicious glance.
Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Aizen's wrist.
Closing his eyes, he sensed the spiritual pressure emanating from Aizen. When he reopened them, he shot a disdainful look at Satoru.
"Satoru, stop trying to mislead us. Aizen's spiritual pressure might be strong—comparable to Young Master Kuchiki—but compared to you, it's worlds apart!"
Satoru chuckled inwardly.
Foolish Seinosuke, completely deceived by Aizen's carefully crafted facade.
Perhaps in this world, only a man as wise and sharp-eyed as himself could see through Aizen's true nature.
With this thought, Satoru mentally distanced himself from the person he had been before today.
Sōjun walked beside the trio, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
Though he was deeply curious about what had happened to Satoru, just as Satoru wouldn't pry into his family affairs, he wouldn't casually question Satoru either.
After a moment's thought, he spoke up, "Satoru, you should be careful in the coming days."
"Careful about what?" Satoru turned to him with a puzzled look.
Sōjun said earnestly, "The Soul Society is currently in turmoil. All the major factions are eager to expand their influence and increase their say."
"Someone like you—young, immensely powerful, with limitless potential—is exactly the kind of target they're looking for."
"Those old men won't consider your well-being. Once you accept their olive branch, you'll become a weapon in their hands."
"What happens to that weapon, what fate it ultimately meets—none of that matters to the nobles."
"Once you reach that point, your once-bright future could be plunged into darkness."
"Not only that, but once you align with one faction, the others will inevitably try to eliminate you to prevent you from becoming an obstacle in the future."
"The struggles between nobles are just that filthy..."
At the end of his speech, a helpless look crossed Sōjun's face.
Truth be told, it wasn't just commoners like Satoru—even he, as the heir of one of the Four Great Noble Houses, was caught in this vast whirlpool.
He hated this reality but had no choice but to accept it.
That was precisely why he wished his friends could have more peaceful lives, unlike his own.
After some thought, he seemed to reach a decision.
"Satoru, if you trust me, you could nominally join the Kuchiki family."
"With the Kuchiki name, no other family would dare harass you."
"As for those who might scheme against you, they'd have to think twice about the Kuchiki's power."
"Don't worry—I'll speak to my father. It would just be in name; we wouldn't ask anything of you."
He quickly added this last part, afraid Satoru might misunderstand.
Looking at Sōjun, Satoru felt a pang of emotion.
He reached out and patted Sōjun's shoulder.
"Young Master Kuchiki, you're truly a good man."
"I just want to protect those around me... It's not as noble as you make it sound."
Sōjun shook his head slightly.
Satoru considered the proposal.
To be honest, Sōjun's suggestion was incredibly tempting.
As he'd said, the Soul Society was in chaos now. If Satoru had remained at his previous level, it might not have mattered.
Thanks to Aizen, today's events would soon spread among the noble families, making it impossible for him to avoid the fallout.
Rather than being harassed by various nobles, joining the Kuchiki family seemed the better option—at least he had acquaintances there.
But... if he joined, could he really remain an uninvolved bystander as Sōjun imagined?
Leaving aside whether Ginrei Kuchiki would accept it, he himself couldn't stomach the idea of reaping benefits without contributing anything.
Under Sōjun's gaze, he nodded and said, "I'll give it serious thought."
Hearing this, Sōjun sighed.
Satoru's response was clearly a polite refusal.
But since Satoru was adamant, there was little more he could say.
All he could do was offer assistance as circumstances allowed...
...
...
The Shin'ō Academy dormitories housed four students per room.
Satoru, Aizen, and two other classmates shared one room, while Seinosuke lived next door.
As for Sōjun... being the young master of a prestigious family, he naturally had a single room to himself—a privilege Satoru had envied countless times.
Back in the dorm, Satoru promised Seinosuke he'd find time to spar with him, finally placating the persistent fellow.
Sitting on his bed, he closed his eyes and began assimilating the skills synchronized from Aizen.
As part of his transmigrator's cheat system, the abilities copied from Aizen felt innate, etched into his very DNA and ready for use at will.
But merely knowing techniques didn't make one strong.
It was like playing a competitive game—an account leveled up from scratch meant understanding each skill's purpose, timing, and combo potential.
Buying a high-level account without experience would leave most of its power untapped, a tremendous waste.
As someone disciplined, Satoru couldn't accept such inefficiency.
Seeing Satoru dive straight into training upon returning, Aizen felt a twinge of pressure.
Without hesitation, he removed his shoes and socks, sitting cross-legged on his bed to refine his spiritual pressure.
Soon after, their two roommates returned.
They had intended to invite Satoru and Aizen for dinner, but upon seeing the duo's focused state, they quickly swallowed their words.
Exchanging glances, their expressions turned complicated.
While most played, some were quietly grinding away.
This world was truly unforgiving.
After roughly two hours, Satoru had mostly internalized the footwork techniques copied from Aizen.
For deeper comprehension and muscle memory, mental rehearsal alone wouldn't suffice—he needed practical application.
Perhaps he could spar with Sōjun later... as a noble, the guy should have decent footwork insights.
Glancing at the overachiever on the neighboring bed, Satoru decided against disturbing him.
After all, the harder Aizen trained, the more comfortably he could coast along...
With this delightful thought, Satoru left the dorm for the cafeteria.
But the moment he stepped out, he ran into their homeroom teacher, Kinoshita.
Spotting Satoru, Kinoshita's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.
"Satoru, come with me quickly."
"Wait a second... Teacher Kinoshita, do you even know where I'm going before dragging me along?"
Satoru took a wary step back.
Was this guy Kinoshita here as some noble family's lobbyist?
As if reading his mind, Kinoshita rolled his eyes.
"Kid, what kind of person do you take me for?!"
"When I say come, you come... Captain-Commander Yamamoto wants to see you!"
Satoru: "???"