The Headmaster of the Spirit Arts Academy is not a high-ranking figure in Seireitei.
Take a future Headmaster, for example, who was merely a Third Seat of the Fifth Division who transferred jobs.
The current Headmaster is a pragmatic officer who retired from the First Division and transferred jobs.
There are many Shinigami like him in Soul Society who quietly dedicate themselves but never even get a single scene.
Especially since, in the near future, he and most of the teachers will die at the hands of Quincy Holy Soldiers while protecting their students, he will never have a day to shine.
But this tough old man, who adheres to the spirit of "Original Flow," never cared about such things.
He only hoped that the Spirit Arts Academy could produce more outstanding students to contribute to the great cause of protecting Soul Society and maintaining the balance of the three realms.
Therefore, every year at this time, the Headmaster personally supervises the admission assessment on the front lines.
Day in and day out, until the assessment ends.
"Alas, ever since Captain Hitsugaya graduated, the quality of students has been declining year by year. How can I explain this to Genryūsai-sama?"
Even with an attitude of treating all students equally.
He knew that special talents like Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake, who possessed paired Zanpakutō, pure prodigies like Kaien Shiba and Gin Ichimaru, and super geniuses like Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who appeared once in a millennium, were accidental phenomena.
The current lukewarm situation was normal.
But the Headmaster was still not satisfied. He was not dissatisfied with the students, but with the current teaching methods.
In his view, work should be like kendō, advancing bravely and diligently without slackening. Once one stops moving forward, it means the path has gone astray or reached its limit.
With those geniuses as precedents, it was enough to prove that the current Spirit Arts Academy's ability to discover talent had not yet reached its limit, and there must be good prospects yet to be discovered in unknown places.
The Spirit Arts Academy should innovate its philosophy and make some new changes to bring these good prospects into its fold.
This way, the strength of the Gotei 13 would visibly grow.
It's a pity that, despite having the courage to innovate, the Spirit Arts Academy is ultimately one of many institutions under the jurisdiction of the Central 46, and as its Headmaster, he does not have the authority to change the rules.
This made him feel deeply helpless.
Seeing this, Urahara Gengō, an elite teacher accompanying him, spoke to comfort him:
"Headmaster, don't be discouraged. This year, aren't there two Freshmen with Seven-Class spiritual pressure? And in the upper grades, there are elite nobles like the Shihōin family heir. Overall, it's much stronger than before."
"You don't understand. This is just temporary glory; it changes nothing. Besides, the talents of nobles are not worth expecting. It's expected for them to be outstanding; the Spirit Arts Academy can't teach them much."
The Headmaster shook his head.
"Although those two Freshmen are neither as outstanding as those famous graduates of the past, and their academic performance is extremely uneven, making them genuine problem children, if I had to choose between them and the great nobles, I would rather choose them."
"Speaking of nobles, I heard that the Kuchiki family member went to the Human World to be stationed?"
"It seems so."
"She also came from Rukongai and was in Class Two back then. Although many people don't think highly of her now, I trust Captain Ukitake's judgment. She will be the best candidate to succeed as Vice-Captain."
"Her? Vice-Captain?"
Urahara Gengō disagreed, but with the Kuchiki Family as a backer, it wasn't impossible.
However, she was destined to be outshone by her peers like Abarai and others.
They are already Vice-Captains.
Even the two Freshmen named "Hachihara Kumajirō" and "Rindō Yū" this year could become high-ranking officers by sheer strength upon graduation, and then set their sights on the Vice-Captain position.
By all accounts, they had a more promising future than the adopted daughter of the Kuchiki Family.
The topic involving nobles did not continue.
For the rest of the time, the two walked around the examination hall and saw some "illiterate" candidates who were screened out because they couldn't read, write, or had poor cultural literacy.
Every year there are candidates like this.
The Human World has only just entered the 21st century; there are plenty of people who can't afford an education, let alone Rukongai, where resources are scarce, and education falling behind is perfectly normal.
While native residents born from the union of souls are more likely to possess spiritual power aptitude, they don't have any inherent advantage in cultural literacy.
The Spirit Arts Academy will not lower its requirements because of this.
The entire curriculum spans six years.
This amount of time is barely enough to learn the basic skills of a Shinigami.
If a portion of this time were to be used for a literacy class, it would inevitably impact the progress of combat skill courses, leading to a decline in the overall combat proficiency of graduates.
This is not conducive to the "Gotei's great undertaking"!
For the sake of the Gotei 13 and personal safety, these individuals can only be ruthlessly eliminated.
The Headmaster had no objections to this.
The entrance examination is neither particularly difficult nor particularly simple.
First, candidates must possess a certain degree of spiritual power aptitude and basic cultural literacy.
These are mandatory conditions.
Then, scores are assigned based on combat proficiency, such as physical ability and sensitivity to Kidō, and the top dozens of candidates are selected from highest to lowest scores, divided into Class One and Class Two for admission, while the rest are eliminated.
Those who are eliminated simply aren't skilled enough, so there's nothing to feel wronged about.
In a sense, not letting them pass is actually for their own good.
The same applies to illiterates.
The Headmaster wanted to change the admission method and expand the scale, but he never considered lowering the difficulty.
On this point, he firmly stood on the same side as the sages of Central 46.
Mentioning the changes, the Headmaster couldn't help but exclaim, "The detection device from the Research and Development Institute is much better than the old system!"
"As soon as a person sits in the chair, all the data comes out, which not only solves labor costs but also eliminates errors from misjudgment."
It could be said that it was the convenience brought by scientific technology that gave the Headmaster hope for a successful reform, but Central 46 did not see it that way.
"It's good, but it's too expensive," Urahara Gengō muttered. He strongly suspected that the Research and Development Institute had inflated the price and heavily overcharged the Spirit Arts Academy.
"Hmm… that face looks a bit familiar."
They were currently standing inside the testing room, observing the candidates through a glass window, much like in a laboratory.
The Headmaster looked at the orange-haired young man and couldn't help but stroke his chin.
Suddenly, an examiner exclaimed, "Spiritual Pressure Level Four?! Potential ability data failed, unable to assess?!"
The Headmaster and Urahara Gengō were stunned, then looked at each other, catching the undisguised surprise in each other's eyes once they reacted.
And the surprise wasn't over yet.
The next candidate to enter brought even more shock to everyone present.
"Spiritual Pressure Level Four… Potential ability data failed… Also unable to assess…"
The examiner swallowed, looking somewhat helplessly at the Headmaster.
At this moment, the Headmaster himself was also frozen in place, only snapping out of it after a while, taking a deep breath to barely calm himself.
"Have the background checks on the two candidates been completed?"
"Yes, they were two souls who were guided to the Soul Society yesterday. They are currently staying in Runlin'an, and obtained their entry permits through a local elder as their introducer. The preparation tickets and procedures are all in order."
The examiner quickly responded.
"It's good that there are no problems, it's good that there are no problems…"
The Headmaster murmured to himself, appearing relatively calm, but Urahara Gengō couldn't help but glance at him.
What the hell do you mean, "no problems"?
They aren't native residents from Rukongai, nor are they from the Four Great Noble Clans.
They are merely deceased human souls, yet they possess such high concentrations of spiritual power. Is this supposed to be normal?
Spiritual Pressure Level Five and Spiritual Pressure Level Four are only possessed by Shinigami of Vice-Captain level.
They haven't even obtained a Zanpakutō, nor have they touched Shinigami power, yet they can already rival Vice-Captain level Shinigami. Is this supposed to be normal?!
How embarrassing for people like Abarai, who worked hard for decades to reach the position of Vice-Captain!
Urahara Gengō's emotions were complex.
On one hand, there was the heartache of his proud students being surpassed by "mere" humans.
On the other hand, he was excited because these two monstrous candidates would certainly enter Class One, replacing people like Abarai and becoming his most proud students in the future.
"However, Headmaster…"
At this moment, the examiner stammered, seemingly having something difficult to say.
"What's wrong?"
The Headmaster frowned.
"Please see for yourself."
The examiner handed over a report.
The Headmaster took it and glanced at it, and Urahara Gengō also leaned in curiously.
"Kurosaki Ichigo… Kurosaki, a surname I haven't heard of. It seems looking familiar was just a coincidence. Spiritual Pressure Level Four, overall evaluation excellent."
"Takashi, Spiritual Pressure Level Four, overall evaluation excellent."
"All points deducted for Kidō talent… but compared to other Freshmen, they are still far superior. Where in the world is there a perfect genius? I believe that when they become Captains in the future, they will certainly be impeccable."
Wait!
The Headmaster suddenly noticed a note under Kurosaki Ichigo's report card that read "Cultural Literacy Failed" and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Urahara Gengō adjusted his glasses, his face also filled with astonishment.
"This…"
The two exchanged glances; the shift from extreme excitement to extreme depression was instantaneous.
"Didn't you say the Human World is very developed now…?"
"Headmaster, Teacher Urahara, the Human World is developing too quickly, and there might be some small differences in grammar."
The examiner explained tactfully.
"Then why isn't the other one affected?"
"Well… perhaps there's also a small difference in their cultural levels."
"Is that so? Is there a difference?"
The Headmaster asked, puzzled.
"…"
The examiner blinked, somewhat bewildered.
"Ahem, Headmaster, your insight is sharp. These two candidates differ in age by three years. The so-called difference wouldn't exist if their ages were the same. It's like you can't compare a teenager to an adult; the former certainly won't have as much life experience as the latter."
Urahara Gengō explained earnestly.
"However, the Spirit Arts Academy is a place for teaching and imparting knowledge. We cannot turn them away simply because they lack experience; rather, it should be the opposite."
"Furthermore, the mission of the Spirit Arts Academy is to cultivate Shinigami, and their Shinigami talent is unparalleled. Moreover, child prodigies are intelligent and quick-witted, so this level of backwardness can be quickly caught up."
"That's right! We cannot miss out on excellent students due to stereotypes and formalism. That would go against the original intention of Head-Captain Yamamoto when he founded the Spirit Arts Academy."
The Headmaster casually put the report into his robes and instructed the examiner, "Once you've finalized the grades, file them directly. Also, don't mention such erroneous remarks again in the future, or I'll have to consider giving you a different position to reflect on your actions."
"…Headmaster is wise."
The examiner was about to say, "Didn't you take the report card?", but upon hearing the latter part of the statement, his eyelids twitched.
…
"Why do you understand Ancient Japanese?!"
In the corridor outside the Spirit Arts Academy examination hall, it was a common phenomenon for candidates to discuss the exam content and their respective performances.
And discovering with surprise that one's roommate was a top student inevitably led to frustration.
"I am a cultured person."
Facing a dejected Ichigo, Takashi appeared very straightforward.
"Am I not? My grades were among the best in school."
"But I'm planning to become a folklorist in the future. The Archaeology Research Lab of the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters has already opened its doors to me."
"…Then I have nothing to say."
Ichigo had to concede.
"By the way, I won't fail because of this, will I? I just wrote down random answers based on feeling for many questions."
"Trust your feelings; your instincts are definitely fine. If there's a problem, it's the Spirit Arts Academy's problem, and they should solve their own problems."
"I hope so. I don't want to go through the Eleventh Division's route. Dealing with battle maniacs, please spare me. I dislike fighting the most."
"Exactly, we're both honest people. The higher-ups of the Spirit Arts Academy are also well-versed in the art of education. Wielding a teaching whip, they must also be of noble character and certainly wouldn't mind making appropriate exceptions."
Takashi nodded in agreement.