"Lieutenant Urahara is so diligent..." Shunsui Kyōraku said with envy, looking at Sora. "How do you do it? To make your subordinate so willing to work overtime..."
"Research is Kisuke's passion. He works voluntarily."
Sora shook his head. He certainly didn't force his subordinates to work overtime.
"That's true. When I'm doing research, I tend to lose track of time..."
Urahara shrugged.
The Technology Development Bureau now had many projects that interested him, which was making him busier and busier.
Sōsuke Aizen looked at Urahara. He was somewhat wary of this seemingly lazy man.
He had heard his professor mention Urahara before.
He had never seen his professor praise someone's intellect the way he praised Urahara's.
"How enviable..." Shunsui sighed and looked at his own lieutenant. "If only Mirei were so understanding!"
The 8th Division's lieutenant, Mirei Takagi, was a woman with glasses who looked like an intellectual big sister.
"If the Captain could be like Captain Katori and not drink during work hours, not sleep during work hours, and not disappear during work hours... then I might have fewer complaints," Mirei pushed up her glasses and said calmly.
"Don't talk nonsense! I work very hard!" Shunsui's expression changed slightly, and he stole a glance at Yamamoto.
"Lieutenant Takagi, if someone drinks during work hours, sleeps during work hours, or cannot be found during work hours, please be sure to report it to me," Yamamoto said coldly.
"Mirei!" Shunsui was horrified. "Please, give me a chance to correct my ways!!!"
Mirei pouted and said no more.
"Hahaha... Captain Kyōraku is as energetic as ever!" Kenpachi Kuruyashiki laughed loudly.
"The two students who made it to the finals this time are both Captain Katori's disciples. The Katori style is truly full of talent!"
Jūshirō Ukitake looked at Aizen. "Lieutenant Aizen's performance in the last Shinken Taiketsu was unforgettable!"
After familiarizing himself with the affairs of the 5th Division for a while, Aizen had taken over the position of lieutenant.
Among Sora's disciples, he had the fastest promotion, second only to Yoruichi.
"Any success I have today is thanks to the Professor's guidance," Aizen said humbly.
"That blind student is a disciple you took in later, right?" Shunsui asked, puzzled. "He's quite a prodigy. Completely blind, yet his spiritual sense is incredibly sharp."
Shunsui had come to watch the semi-finals, so he had seen Tōsen fight.
"His spiritual sense is probably even better than many seated officers',"
Jūshirō Ukitake said with approval.
"I tested Tōsen's spiritual sense before accepting him as a disciple. It is indeed extraordinary," Sora nodded.
"I really don't know how you do it, finding so many geniuses!"
Shunsui's tone was sour.
The Soul Society was never short of geniuses, but to have so many of them gathered under Katori Sora was a spectacle.
"Perhaps he has some special trick for identifying geniuses..."
Retsu Unohana also felt it was a marvelous thing to have so many talented individuals gathered in one place.
"It's fate!"
Yoruichi giggled. "It was fate that brought us all together!"
"That's not wrong. Tōsen was introduced to me by another one of my disciples. He's a friend of hers," Sora chuckled.
Sora had worked at the academy before, so it was natural that he would meet these disciples.
The only difference was that he could use his foreknowledge to take them in before they had revealed their extraordinary talents.
"Fate, is it..." Aizen suddenly recalled the scene of his first meeting with his professor.
It was indeed an unexpected encounter.
Aizen had asked him about it later. The Professor had been searching for members of the Kasumiōji clan at the time and had accidentally found him, who had had indirect contact with them.
"Such a fate is truly enviable..."
Unohana had never formally taken a disciple, but she would sometimes teach a young Shinigami who caught her eye.
She had taught Sora healing Kidō for a time.
Now, she was also teaching Isane Kotetsu how to be a proper lieutenant.
"Professor, who is stronger between the two of them?"
Tōsen had joined late, so Yoruichi was not familiar with his strength.
"If we only compare spiritual pressure and the four basic combat forms, Sōya Azashiro is superior to Kaname Tōsen in all of them," Sora said.
"If Sōya is better in all those aspects, isn't it a complete victory for him?"
Yoruichi looked puzzled. "Is there another way to look at it?"
"Tōsen's combat sense is very sharp. He is a natural-born warrior."
Sora paused. "Perhaps it's because of his sharp spiritual sense, which gives him an extraordinary intuition."
Although Tōsen was blind, his combat intuition was terrifyingly strong.
Sora felt that Tōsen's combat intuition was no less than that of veteran lieutenants and high-seated officers with strong practical combat skills.
"Then this will be a very exciting fight to watch," Jūshirō Ukitake said with a light laugh.
A moment later, Sōsuke Tanuki walked onto the stage.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Spiritual Arts Academy for today's final match!"
Tanuki seemed a bit excited.
"The two contestants, Sōya Azashiro and Kaname Tōsen, have fought their way through the competition and have finally reached the final stage. Next, they will decide the victor here! Let us wait and see who will take the championship of this year's Shinken Taiketsu!"
Sōya and Tōsen walked onto the stage one after another.
Sōya had grown up a bit in the past two years and had the appearance of a young noble.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, cheers erupted from the student section.
"That disciple of yours is really popular with the girls!"
Shunsui glanced at the audience and gave up on the idea of recruiting Sōya into the 8th Division.
It was better to let such a heartbreaker cause trouble in another squad.
"Captain," Mirei Takagi pushed up her glasses and asked calmly, "you're not jealous of a boy who hasn't even graduated from the academy, are you?"
"What nonsense..." The corner of Shunsui's eye twitched, and he said seriously, "As the captain of the 8th Division, why would I be jealous of a kid who hasn't even graduated? I was just remarking on the enthusiasm of these young people!"
When Kaname Tōsen, Sōya's opponent, stepped onto the stage, the student section was relatively quiet.
"Come on! You'd better use your full strength. I won't be holding back!"
Sōya cracked his knuckles.
"Naturally."
Tōsen nodded slightly.
After bowing to each other, they drew their swords at almost the same time.
"Clang—!"
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