The Shin'ō Academy uniform was standardized: a kimono-inspired outfit that, paired with the wooden classrooms, gave the whole place the vibe of an old-fashioned cram school.
Of course, some people were just destined to clash with that vibe.
Like Soma. Like Ichigo.
And definitely like Akari Koyanagi.
When she claimed she loved Human World culture, nobody doubted her. Her whole look screamed gyaru—lip gloss, eyeliner, penciled brows, and all.
Her long blonde hair was tied in a side ponytail, her tanned skin had the warm glow of cocoa, and every detail radiated trendy, modern energy.
She looked exactly like a high school gyaru straight out of Shibuya.
So much so that Ichigo couldn't help blurting, "Wait… are you from the Human World too?"
"Nope!" Akari chirped. "Born and raised in Seireitei. My family runs a clothing shop. We pull a ton of inspiration from Human World fashion, and people love it! I got curious, so I started digging into the culture and… well, here we are~"
She waved her hand like a beckoning cat and giggled, zero shame in oversharing.
"Figures…" Ichigo muttered, lips twitching. He resisted the urge to say more about her makeup. To him, gyaru beauty was like dumping way too much sugar into coffee—sweet, sure, but hard to swallow.
"Human World fashion, huh? It's nothing like Rukongai. Seireitei's way more up-to-date than I expected," Soma mused.
"…That could be a problem," he added under his breath.
What do you mean? Atae scribbled at his desk.
"Nothing serious. Just thinking ahead."
"Thinking about what?" Ichigo asked automatically.
"Well, back in the Human World, didn't you sometimes pick up part-time jobs during breaks?"
"…Oh. I get it." Ichigo snapped his fingers. "You're talking about making money. Like, borrowing Human World business ideas so we can live it up here. Land one successful product and you'd never have to worry about allowance again."
"Exactly. But what Akari said reminded me—Soul Society only looks behind the times. Half that stuff already exists, or there's just no market for it. So money-making might not be as easy as it sounds."
Soma sounded genuinely disappointed. He'd been daydreaming about building the "Kiryu Conglomerate" in Soul Society, just to show those aristocrats clinging to old glory what a real capitalist looked like.
"Yeah, and our allowance comes from the Academy anyway," Ichigo realized, rubbing the back of his neck. "Enough to cover food and basics, but forget about extras. Like… buying a few sets of Human World clothes at Akari's shop."
"I'll give you guys a discount if you come by!" Akari chirped, flashing a peace sign and winking.
"…We'll talk about that later." Soma cut her off when their teacher entered, ending the conversation.
Still, that little exchange was all it took for them to start hanging out. Akari kept dragging them into Human World talk, and before long, people noticed.
To everyone else, it looked like the "prodigy duo" had recruited the fourth-ranked student of their year, forming the most eye-catching clique in the Academy.
Other students were envious, of course. But with Spirit Class 7 as the minimum entry level for their group, most didn't even bother trying to approach.
Before anyone realized it, a week of classes had flown by.
Soma barely noticed the time passing—he was too absorbed in every subject.
Kendo Hall, midday.
WHAM!
The wooden blade slammed into Ichigo like a thunderbolt. If it had been steel, the cut would've ripped from his shoulder down through his gut, ribs snapped, organs spilling out.
He was very, very glad it wasn't. At least with a bokken, there was still a chance to turn the fight around.
"I'm not losing to the same move twice!"
He caught the strike, dug in his stance, and countered fast. His fighting spirit and reflexes were solid—enough to earn him a "well above average" from the observing instructor.
But Soma wasn't fighting like a person. He absorbed Ichigo's flurry of strikes without even a tremor, like a stone cliff facing crashing waves.
Once he caught the rhythm, he suddenly surged forward—like a riot cop shoving back a suspect with a shield—forcing Ichigo off balance.
Then he pulled back, carved open space, and with a clean downward cut, sent Ichigo flat on his back.
Well… "clean" if you ignored the fact that it was basically brute force bowling him over.
"Damn it. Your swordsmanship and hand-to-hand aren't even sharper than mine. So why the hell can't I win?" Ichigo groaned, rubbing his aching wrist.
"That's the magic of raw stats," Soma replied casually, toweling off with the cloth Akari handed him.
"Still, you're improving fast. You've lasted way longer against me than at the start. At this rate, it won't be long before you can—"
"—beat you?" Ichigo interrupted hopefully.
"—lose with a little more dignity," Soma finished.
Ichigo's forehead vein throbbed. He forced a grin that was anything but friendly. "Oh yeah? Want to test that? I can go another round right now. Try using that same trick again, see if it works twice."
Soma just gave him a pitying look.
"Don't waste your energy. Even if I didn't use any tricks, I could outlast you. I only go for quick wins because I don't want to waste time."
"You bastard…! Fine. Just wait. I'll pay you back for this." Ichigo clenched his teeth, vowing silently to return the favor someday.
"You guys are seriously intense. Are Human World students all like this?" Akari teased.
"Depends on the country," Soma said smoothly. "But this guy? He's just salty because his Kidō style is all about blowing himself up. He knows it'll never make him well-rounded, so he overcompensates by grinding combat skills."
Brutally accurate.
Over the week, everyone's talents had started showing.
Akari was sharp, energetic, and a quick learner. But she was also fickle, obsessed with Hakuda and Shunpo while half-assing swordplay and Kidō. Teachers were already labeling her a "problem child."
Atae, deaf and mute, had an inner strength that was hard to imagine. His control of spiritual energy bordered on unnatural—he was practically born to excel at Kidō. But in other subjects, he was just… decent. Still, at least he put in the hours, unlike Akari.
Ichigo, meanwhile, was a natural fighter. His swordplay and Hakuda talent stunned every instructor. More than one whispered about him as a future Gotei 13 captain.
…Until he nearly leveled the entire practice field with a misfired Shakkahō. After that, the whispers came with a mental asterisk: "Captain material (Squad 11 only)."
And then there was Soma.
The prodigy of prodigies. Top scores in every subject. Kidō, Hakuda, swordsmanship—he mastered it all. And with the Märchen Dragon's blood powering his body, his physical growth outpaced everyone else's.
Which meant Ichigo's plan to at least reclaim first place in swordplay or Hakuda was already dead in the water.
"You're just hiding behind that one Shakkahō like you're miles ahead in Kidō," Ichigo grumbled. "And don't act like I'm the only one overdoing it. You're the guy pulling all-nighters."
"…Huh?" Akari blinked, wide-eyed. "He pulls all-nighters?!"
To her, Ichigo already seemed ridiculously hardworking. She hadn't expected Soma to be even worse. Pulling all-night training sessions after just one week of classes? Seriously?
"…I only tried it once," Soma admitted. "You just happened to catch me."
It had been part of a test with the Compound Potion. Turned out, it only dulled fatigue—it couldn't actually replace lost stamina. He'd abandoned the idea immediately.
Atae scribbled a note. We've got a calligraphy class this afternoon. Going?
"Calligraphy, huh? Not my thing. And yeah, the instructor's supposed to be super popular, but my shipment of Human World merch just came in. So… pass~" Akari said, tapping her chin before shaking her head.
"Same here," Soma said. "I promised a spar with the sword instructor. But I do need to see that calligraphy teacher afterward, so I'll stop by."
For Ichigo, culture classes were a weak point. He struggled to follow the grammar in textbooks, often dragging Soma into helping him understand.
He hated bothering people. Luckily, the headmaster had seen this coming and arranged a tutor.
That tutor just happened to be the calligraphy instructor.
Since the guy rarely appeared in normal classes, Ichigo hadn't met him until now.
"Then Atae and I will check it out," Soma decided. Ordinary calligraphy lessons weren't worth his time, but that man's calligraphy class? That was something worth seeing.
"Great! Catch you after class," Ichigo said, energized. If Soma spent the afternoon stuck in a culture lecture, then maybe Ichigo could gain some ground in training.
What he didn't know was that Soma still had a Body Growth +1000 buff running. In swordsmanship and Hakuda, catching up to him through normal training was… basically impossible.