At noon, Arata returned to the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy cafeteria after a long time.
The last time he ate here was quite a while ago.
Back then, he was still just an ordinary sixth-generation student with no particular future.
Now, in less than a year, he had become the head professor of the Kendo Department at the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy.
"Saito-sensei!"
As soon as he entered the cafeteria, several bright students immediately stood up and greeted him.
Arata smiled and nodded, his gaze passing over Tōshirō and Kusaka in the corner. The two were completely focused on their food, their silver and black heads almost touching.
"Sensei Saito, will you sit with us?" Tōshirō suddenly looked up, a flicker of expectation in his eyes.
Arata approached with his tray and sat opposite the two of them. "What are you talking about?"
"Kusaka just said we'll be getting our Asauchi this afternoon." Tōshirō poked at his rice with chopsticks. "Sensei Saito, is that true?"
"It's true, but not entirely." Arata took a bite of ramen and said slowly:
"The Asauchi you receive this afternoon are only on loan. They will officially be yours only after you graduate and enter a squad."
"I understand." Tōshirō nodded thoughtfully, unconsciously stirring his miso soup with his chopsticks.
Kusaka suddenly jumped in: "Sensei Saito, I heard from the older students that Zanpakutō have their own personalities. Is that true?"
"Of course." Arata pointed at Meigetsu hanging from his belt.
"Every person's Zanpakutō is unique. Although that topic is still distant for most, for the two of you, it's not so unattainable anymore."
"Learning to talk to your Zanpakutō and truly understanding its personality and abilities is extremely important for the growth of a Shinigami."
The two boys, upon hearing that, stared at his face with expressions full of longing, even forgetting about their food.
Arata couldn't help but smile when he saw them like that, remembering the day he first made contact with Meigetsu.
But for some reason, apart from occasionally complaining that he and Rangiku were "too intimate," Meigetsu had been very quiet in the inner world for the past two months.
Arata tried asking her what was going on, but never got a clear answer.
Meigetsu only nodded and casually said she had been "very busy lately," which completely puzzled Arata.
You're a Zanpakutō spirit, you don't go to work, what exactly are you so busy with?
But the other side didn't clarify the confusion, only went silent again.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break, and Arata stood up, straightening his shihakushō.
"Come on, it's time to go to the sword storage."
Over thirty students lined up neatly in front of the dōjō, with Arata at the front.
After passing through several courtyards, an old Japanese-style building appeared before them. Above the lintel hung a sign with the characters "Asauchi Room" written on it.
"Everyone line up and enter according to your student numbers," Arata said sternly, standing at the door. "Remember, Asauchi is your future partner, your life literally depends on it. Take good care of it and don't lose it."
The first to enter was a boy with glasses. When he came out, he carried a plain Asauchi with his number engraved on the sheath.
The students after him also received their Asauchi without any problems, until—
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō."
The moment Tōshirō stepped into the sword storage, Arata felt the spiritual particles in the air begin to swirl strangely.
He immediately followed and saw Tōshirō standing in front of a shelf, his palm hovering over one Asauchi.
In appearance, that Asauchi didn't differ from the others in any way.
"This one." the silver-haired boy murmured quietly.
The moment his fingertips touched the hilt, a spiritual pressure far above the level of a regular officer burst from the blade!
The temperature in the entire sword storage room dropped sharply!
The sound of "crackling" ice quickly began to spread from the sword racks to the ceiling.
Arata reacted the moment he realized something was wrong.
"Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku!"
A thick golden chain in the shape of a serpent shot out from his hand and instantly wrapped around the Asauchi that was about to go berserk.
At the same time, he released his own reiatsu, raising a barrier that forcibly suppressed all the coldness in the storage.
Tōshirō stared in shock at the trembling Asauchi in his hand, his pupils slightly contracted.
"Don't let go." Arata said seriously, placing his palm on the boy's shoulder. "Try to envelop it with your reiatsu, like calming a frightened animal."
As Tōshirō slowly infused spiritual pressure, the Asauchi gradually stopped trembling.
When the last trace of cold breath disappeared, Arata released the bakudō.
By that point, the entrance to the sword room was already crowded; other students were pressing at the door and peeking inside.
"What happened?"
"I don't know, did something go wrong with Hitsugaya?"
"…"
After the Asauchi distribution, Arata calmed the excited students and brought them back to the dōjō to practice basic swings.
He noticed that every time Tōshirō swung his Asauchi, tiny ice crystals flickered along the blade, while Kusaka's sword emitted a gentle bluish light.
"That's enough for today." Arata clapped his hands as soon as the bell rang to end the class.
The students dispersed in groups, but only Tōshirō remained.
Arata approached and saw the boy staring pale-faced at the Asauchi on his lap.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Arata sat cross-legged across from him. "It's speaking to you."
Tōshirō looked up, confusion sparkling in his eyes. "But I can't clearly hear the voice… it's like there's a thick layer of ice separating us."
"That's normal." Arata motioned for him to lay the Asauchi horizontally across his knees. "Every Zanpakutō awakens at a different pace. People like you, who can establish a conversation with their Asauchi on first contact, are definitely a minority."
From his inner pocket, he took out a small porcelain vial and poured out two pills that gave off a refreshing mint scent.
"Swallow these. They'll help you concentrate better."
It was a medicine he had previously drawn from the system roulette, it had an effect similar to coffee, only several times stronger.
Tōshirō obediently swallowed the pills, and his eyes soon widened. "The voice is clearer now!"
"Now try to fill the blade with reiatsu," Arata guided him. "Imagine yourself standing on a snowy plain and listen carefully for its name."
The dōjō was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; only the two of them alternately breathed.
Suddenly, Tōshirō's Asauchi let out a faint moan, and frost began to form along the blade's surface.
"I can see him!" the boy shouted excitedly. "I see a strange man standing on an ice floe…"
The corner of Arata's lips lifted slightly, that was exactly the scene he had expected.
At that moment, a system notification rang in his mind.
"Ding!"
[Destiny Mission: Enlightenment of Ice and Snow (Completed)]
[Type: Side]
[Mission Target: Hitsugaya Tōshirō]
[Mission Requirement: Lead Hitsugaya Tōshirō to establish communication with his own Zanpakutō]
[Time Limit: One week]
[Reward: 300 destiny points]
This was one of several side missions that suddenly appeared on the task list after the freshmen enrollment was completed.
"Sensei Saito?" Tōshirō's voice brought him back to reality. "He said… his name is Hyōrinmaru."
Arata's pupils narrowed slightly. That was even faster than he had expected.
"Excellent, but don't rush to try Shikai." He warned very seriously.
"You currently don't have enough strength to control that power."
———
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