Aizen Sōsuke thought back on the previous night's events, still finding it all incredible.
Originally, he had thought he might be taken to some secluded place and trained as a private soldier for a great noble.
Or, like his friend Katō, he would be given a "divine sword" that needed to be fed with his own flesh, blood, and spiritual energy.
To his surprise, Katori Sora had brought him to a seemingly ordinary dojo. He confirmed that there were no guards, at least not openly.
It was also possible they were simply too strong for him to sense. If that were the case, his chances of escape would be slim. He did not yet have the ability to escape from under the watch of such a powerful person, especially when their attention was focused on him.
But as the sun rose and more people began to fill the dojo, he started to feel that something wasn't right.
This really was just a swordsmanship dojo! And the people training here didn't seem to be official Shinigami.
Aizen scanned the area. Seeing that Katori Sora was not in the courtyard, he decided to take the opportunity to probe someone for information.
His eyes landed on the most suitable target. He walked over to a silver-haired girl who was practicing her sword forms and said with a very sincere tone, "Excuse me, miss. Could I have a moment of your time?"
"Today is my first day at the dojo, and I'm not very clear on the rules here."
"Ah, hello..." Isane Kotetsu was startled by the sudden voice. She quickly put away her wooden sword and replied politely, "Are you the professor's new disciple? Please, feel free to ask me anything."
"Thank you very much. My name is Aizen Sōsuke."
"It's no problem. I'm Isane Kotetsu."
Seeing her reserved and earnest demeanor, Aizen was certain he had chosen the right person.
"Professor... Katori left in a hurry and didn't have time to tell me much," Aizen said with a smile. "It would be wonderful if you could tell me about this dojo. By the way, is everyone training here one of the professor's disciples?"
"The professor has an advanced swordsmanship class to teach today, so he likely went to the academy. Everyone training here is a disciple," Isane answered honestly.
A class? Advanced swordsmanship? Aizen's mind raced. He had never heard that term before.
"What is an advanced swordsmanship class?" he asked. "My apologies, I'm from the Inuzuri district and don't know much about these things."
Isane explained, "It's an advanced course at the Shin'ō Academy. Starting from the 6th year, students can choose their own courses for a year of intensive training."
Aizen was taken aback. Katori Sora was a Professor at the academy?
Could it be... that he really had just taken a liking to his talent and wanted to take him as a disciple? Was this actually a legitimate swordsmanship dojo?
He then noticed a woman in a white robe emerge from the house. He initially thought she was another student, but when he tried to sense her, he found he couldn't detect her Spiritual Pressure at all.
Another powerhouse! Choosing not to escape immediately had been the wise decision. Perhaps this woman was the one assigned to watch him.
He had previously considered a possibility: that these students were, like him, forcibly brought here. If so, he could make use of that. With just a little provocation, he could cause chaos and create an opportunity to escape.
"Who is that person sitting on the veranda? She seems very different," Aizen asked, pointing to the woman who was washing tea cups.
"That's the professor's sister," Isane said. "Since you're his disciple, you can call her Grandmaster, because she was also the professor's Professor, in a way."
Aizen probed further. "I see. To have taught a master like the professor, she must be an incredibly powerful Shinigami, then?"
Isane said proudly, "Of course! Grandmaster is a First Generation Captain!"
Aizen's heart shook. This woman was a First Generation Captain! He understood the status of a captain.
His initial theory that these students were captives fell apart. Surely a captain wouldn't be assigned to watch over him. He knew he wasn't that important.
However, what he didn't know was that Batsunsai was indeed there to "watch" him.
Before leaving for the academy, Sora had asked her to keep a close eye on Aizen and not let him run off. After bringing him back, his Affinity Level had dropped to "Hostile"!
He had been too hasty in bringing Aizen back without earning his trust. But he felt it had been a now-or-never opportunity. A talent like Aizen was a walking treasure trove, and this might have been his only chance to ever recruit him.
He decided he would just have to build the relationship later. Crucially, the system had recognized the recruitment. Its condition for consent was purely verbal, and Aizen had "consented."
This made Aizen his first disciple with a "Hostile" affinity level. His recruitment reward, however, was still pending, as Aizen's affinity was too low to claim it.
"Hey, are you the professor's new disciple?" a cheeky voice rang out.
Aizen turned and saw a boy with long yellow hair. "I am Aizen Sōsuke, the professor's new disciple," he introduced himself.
Shinji Hirako raised an eyebrow. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable dislike for the smile on this person's face.
But remembering this was his new junior, he suppressed the feeling and said, "I'm Shinji Hirako. I heard what you were talking about. You're from Inuzuri?"
"I've been there too. It's not easy to survive in that place."
Aizen chuckled lightly. "The environment in Inuzuri is indeed a bit harsh, which is why meeting the professor was such an honor."
Shinji nodded. "The professor might be back late today. You probably haven't had any systematic sword training. I'll teach you some basic stances to practice for now."
"I would be very grateful."
"Don't be so formal."
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