Three days later, the Shinō Academy's Grand Hall held the entrance ceremony for the new class.
Shinomiya's acceptance was no surprise. Ichigo too, "as expected," passed with flying colors—ranking just below him.
From the moment their names went up on the announcement board, the two became the most talked-about prodigies.
Rumors even spread within the Gotei 13.
The Headmaster, beaming with pride, delivered his speech with gusto from the podium.
He didn't notice that the two students he valued most—one was staring blankly into space, the other fighting to suppress a yawn.
Shinomiya, however, wasn't spacing out. He was exploring his "golden finger."
[As great as you are, not only have you defied destiny's child, but you've also broken the Academy's all-time record, earning first place. You receive: Compound Potion]
Compound Potion: Restores a small amount of reiatsu and stamina upon use. Can be consumed twice. Refreshes the next day.
Setting aside the slander about "defying destiny's child," Shinomiya had spent the past few days working out how his golden finger functioned.
Simply put, it was like an "achievement log."
When he accomplished something grand or triggered a key event, calligraphic text would appear with a flourish of ink-painting narration, like a bard reciting an epic.
What followed could be loot, a gift from fate, or an offering to a legend.
The label didn't matter.
What mattered was that he got something useful.
Thus, he decided to call this golden finger [Machine Soul]—a name that felt perfectly in tune with Soul Society.
As for his second "entrance gift," he was quite pleased.
After all, while his transmigration gave him a miraculous head start, the true limits of his talent were still uncertain.
Though he had edged out the orange-haired "stat monster" beside him for now, he knew he'd need to work two hundred times harder not to fall behind.
An item that could accelerate his training progress was worth its weight in gold.
"Phew. I survived."
As the ceremony ended and they walked back to the dorms, Ichigo rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck.
"It was just an hour."
Shinomiya Takashi spoke casually.
"If I could zone out like you, I'd probably feel like time passes quickly too."
Ichigo rolled his eyes.
The two of them chatted idly as they walked along the tree-lined stone path of the Spiritual Arts Academy, eventually reaching the dormitories.
The academy admitted at most about a hundred students per intake.
Even if they all boarded, housing them wasn't any burden at all.
The dormitory was built in the Taishō-era style—basically the kind of old wooden school building you often see in anime.
It had three floors.
The first contained the courtyard, cafeteria, and the public baths for both men and women. The second and third floors were the dormitories, separated by gender.
Inside, the furnishings were reminiscent of a hot spring inn.
The place clearly felt like a communal living space, yet it still carried the cozy atmosphere of one's own living room or hallway.
Each student had a private room—classic four-and-a-half tatami mats.
"By the way, isn't the person in that room part of our living group too?"
Ichigo suddenly remembered something and pointed to the door next to his.
"That's right."
Shinomiya glanced at the nameplate, where the name was written neatly in brush calligraphy.
"Rindō Yuu. I recall seeing him—he was sitting right behind you during the assembly. I heard he's deaf and mute."
"What?"
Ichigo's face darkened.
"You should've warned me! The last thing I want is to be mistaken for someone who ostracizes his companions. I don't care much about my reputation, but that's one stigma I'd rather die than carry!"
The academy arranged students into groups of three for living—essentially roommates.
They were neighbors, and tasks like cleaning or various chores were often assigned by group.
It was both convenient and encouraged interaction and growth between students, which meant isolation was rare.
"Who says I didn't give you a heads-up? Turn around and see for yourself."
Shinomiya jerked his chin in that direction.
Ichigo turned instinctively—and there stood a delicate, quiet-looking boy.
"Wh—when did he…? I didn't hear a thing…"
The boy lifted his hand and traced characters in the air with spirit energy.
[ Nice to meet you. I'm Rindō Yuu. ]
"Uh, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. This here is Shinomiya Takashi… ah, sorry, I forgot you…"
Just as Ichigo fumbled to find pen and paper, Rindō wrote another line.
[ I can sense the emotions of others, so communication isn't a problem. No need to worry about me—I'll try not to be a burden. ]
"…"
Ichigo felt his throat tighten, unsure what to say.
Not because of Rindō's unique way of communicating, but because of the calm, natural way he lived, breaking Ichigo's assumptions about disability.
Soon enough, Ichigo broke into a genuine smile.
"Got it. From now on, let's get along, Rindō."
[ Pleased to meet you. ]
"Wait—then how did you two greet each other before?"
"Like just now—when I reminded you."
With Shinomiya's explanation, Ichigo suddenly realized.
"Ah… makes sense."
A tilt of the chin could mean "look over there," or "let's talk outside," or "keep up."
Much more convenient than words.
Though, for strangers, it might seem overly familiar.
In its own way, Shinomiya's easygoing attitude toward others was similar to Rindō's rare and valuable sense of "normalcy."
But that "normalcy" vanished completely when he received his asauchi.
The next day came.
The academy distributed asauchi to the first-years.
It wasn't like Shinomiya imagined, where they'd be taken to some dark chamber to pick a sword that resonated with them.
Freshmen simply didn't get that privilege.
After all, the asauchi were only temporary loans; they wouldn't officially belong to anyone until graduation and assignment to a squad. The academy clearly didn't prioritize compatibility at this stage.
Shinomiya suspected that the low number of Shinigami capable of shikai might even be tied to this system.
Still, he harbored no prejudice toward his asauchi.
The way he gazed at the blade could only be described as soulful.
His hand caressed the scabbard as gently as if stroking a girl's skin, yet also trembled with the urge to draw it and test its edge.
"Shinomiya, the way you're looking at it reminds me of one of those deranged samurai from the old days—testing their blades on people."
Ichigo's mouth twitched as he watched from beside him.
He too was excited, but only because of his hunger for Shinigami power.
The sword itself felt a bit too ordinary—he thought it looked more like a traditional craftwork from the living world than a weapon of legend.
"Are you really a high schooler?"
Shinomiya looked up at him with open suspicion.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Even an elementary school kid, when they see a straight branch on the ground, can't resist swinging it around."
"You just said it—elementary school kids. High schoolers aren't that childish."
"Not true. High schoolers are even more realistic. They can't resist the thrill of a cool fight, the allure of power surpassing ordinary people, the passion of protecting the world in style—and of course, the cool image of standing out and being praised."
"…You don't have to emphasize the word 'cool' that much, do you…?"
"And another thing."
"Another thing?!"
Ichigo widened his eyes. He hadn't even noticed that besides Rindō behind them, a curious blonde girl had also drawn close.
"Yes."
Shinomiya spoke with scholarly seriousness, as though discussing research.
"Didn't Professor Oonahara say? The zanpakutō and its wielder are one. You must engrave the essence of your soul into it to resonate and grow together. That's why they issue asauchi early—to hasten progress."
"But here's the real point: zanpakutō have souls. To a Shinigami, it's a partner, a comrade who never leaves your side."
"So imagine—what if that partner took the form of a beautiful girl? How do you think high school boys would react?"
Coolness, power, and a beautiful girl.
Gulp.
Those three elements together shook even Ichigo's heart.
Not enough to drool, though.
The next moment, Shinomiya, Ichigo, and Rindō all turned toward the source of an actual gulp.
The girl didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest. She wiped her mouth with a grin and said cheerfully:
"I'm Hachihara Kumoru! I heard the top two prodigies this year both came from the living world. Perfect, since I'm super into living-world gyaru culture. Mind if I join you guys as friends?"