The next day, Arata got up early and prepared breakfast for three.
Congee with pickled mustard greens and fried dough sticks, plus various delicacies from land and sea.
The purest aroma of food filled the house. When Arata placed the final side dishes on the table, the door to the master bedroom quietly opened.
"Smells so good!" Rangiku came out rubbing her eyes. Her long blonde hair was loosely tied in a messy ponytail. "Why are you up so early today?"
"There's practical training this morning, I have to get ready early." Arata handed her a bowl of hot congee and added a bit of pickled mustard greens to it. "Where's Isane?"
"Still sleeping." Rangiku took the bowl, leaned in to smell it, and her eyes immediately lit up. "We talked late into the night, I bet Isane will laze around a bit longer."
Arata nodded, and his gaze unconsciously slid to the end of the hallway.
"Arata, what are you imagining?" Rangiku poked his hand with her chopsticks. "Are you thinking about Isane?"
"Ka–ahem!" Arata nearly choked on the congee. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm just thinking about today's practical class."
"Are you going to stay home and review Kido Department materials today?"
"Of course not. The paperwork piled up at the captain's is almost burying me." Rangiku spread her arms wide to emphasize. "But I'll definitely make time to drop by Shinō to watch your practical training~"
Arata laughed and ruffled her blonde hair: "Then I look forward to the visit and guidance from Vice-Captain Matsumoto."
"Stop showing off!" Rangiku pushed his hand away and then suddenly leaned closer, as if remembering something. "By the way, Isane was asking a lot about you last night~"
Arata blushed suddenly and was about to ask more when footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Isane appeared in a neat shinigami uniform and momentarily froze upon seeing their close interaction.
"Good morning." She stood awkwardly by the table, speaking a bit hesitantly.
"Isane, come, sit!" Rangiku cheerfully waved. "Arata specially prepared a popular breakfast from the world of the living."
The three of them ate breakfast in silence, the atmosphere subtle but harmonious.
Arata noticed that Isane occasionally sneaked glances at him, and whenever their eyes met, she would immediately look away.
"I'll take you to the Fourth Division barracks first." Arata offered after breakfast.
"No need, I'll go with Isane." Rangiku took her by the arm and grinned slyly at him. "You just focus on preparing for the practical class, don't embarrass yourself in front of the students~"
"Alright, alright."
Arata helplessly watched the two of them leave. As he turned to clean up the dishes, a system notification suddenly sounded in his head.
[Fate Mission: First Appearance in Practical Class (Activated)]
[Type: Side Quest]
[Objective: None]
[Task Requirements: Showcase your abilities in all areas during the first open practical combat class following the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy's reform]
[Task Reward: 100–500 Fate Points, depending on performance]
Arata raised an eyebrow. The system's missions had been refreshing quite often lately, it seemed today's class was more important than he thought.
…
Southern side of Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy, central grand martial arena.
This martial arena was funded and built by the Omaeda family and was officially completed a week before the start of classes. It's a circular stage that can simultaneously accommodate thousands of people.
Today was its debut.
In the stands, nearly all the Gotei 13 captains were dressed formally. Behind them sat teachers from various departments, as well as top students from each year.
Among them were the four from second year, and first-years Hitsugaya Toushirou and Kusaka Soujirou.
"It's just a practical class. Does old Yamamoto really have to show up himself?…" Arata stood in the center of the arena, feeling eyes on him from all directions.
Shiba Isshin was waving at him from the stands, while Zaraki Kenpachi yawned with a look of pure impatience.
"Silence!"
The moment Sasakibe Chōjirō's voice rang out, the noisy training ground immediately fell quiet.
Yamamoto Genryusai stood up with the help of his cane, and his deep voice echoed into every corner.
"Dear teachers and students, today marks the first open practical combat class since the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy's reform. The first instructor will be Saito Arata, head professor of the Kendo Department."
"The class is divided into two parts. I hope you all observe carefully and learn well."
A warm round of applause followed from the stands.
"Let's begin with the first part of the class," Arata, standing in the center of the field, raised his voice. "I will conduct a practical demonstration with a sixth-year student."
A whisper spread through the crowd. A battle with a teacher?
That had never happened in the Shinō Academy before.
"Which student would like to volunteer?"
After a brief silence, a tall, black-haired young man stood up.
"I will!"
"Tsunayashiro Kugyo, I ask for your guidance, Professor Saito!"
Arata gave a slight nod. That surname did surprise him a bit.
Did this mean that someone from the Tsunayashiro family, one of the five great noble clans, had come to study at the Shinō Academy?
Except for Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who was in the same class as Shunsui and the others centuries ago, it seemed this surname hadn't been heard in the school's halls for quite a while.
The black-haired youth lightly landed in the arena, the hem of his shinigami uniform rustling with the movement.
The Zanpakutō sheath at his side was adorned with elaborate family crests, glinting coldly in the sunlight.
"The rules are simple," Arata first explained. "Use everything you've learned in the Academy, kendo, shunpo, hakuda, Kidō, and even releasing your Zanpakutō if you've achieved it."
"I will do my best to suppress my strength to a level close to yours."
As he said that, Arata felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
As if, just a few months ago, a man with glasses had said the exact same sentence to him.
Tsunayashiro Kugyo grinned: "If Professor Saito says so, then I can really let loose without holding back!"
"Both sides, bow!" Sasakibe Chōjirō announced loudly.
Arata stood opposite the black-haired youth. In the moment of bowing, he clearly caught a trace of contempt in his opponent's eyes.
It had nothing to do with strength or the teacher–student relationship, but was purely instinctive, born from a difference in social class.
Quite fitting, and exactly what one would expect from someone of the Tsunayashiro family.
Even in front of Arata, who now formally belonged to the nobility, their attitude remained surprisingly unchanged.
"Begin!"
At Sasakibe Chōjirō's signal, Tsunayashiro Kugyo launched the first attack.
His shunpo was astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Arata, and when his Zanpakutō shot from its sheath, a blinding white light flashed.
"So fast!" Renji in the stands couldn't hold back.
"Way faster than us!" Kira beside him agreed.
Arata on the field remained completely calm. He sidestepped just as the blade nearly touched his throat.
Even all the subsequent strikes were deflected effortlessly with a finger cloaked in a thin layer of spiritual energy.
"Why won't Professor Saito draw his sword?" Tsunayashiro Kugyo stepped back, the dissatisfaction in his voice clear.
Though he was well aware of Arata's skill and talent through graduation exams and family channels, as someone born into the Tsunayashiro clan, he never thought he'd be weaker than the child of a fallen, albeit once high-ranking, noble family.
In his eyes, the only difference between himself and Arata was less time spent training!
Moreover, his private family tutor had already told him his current power level was equivalent to that of a regular officer, so how could he not even force his opponent to draw his sword?!
"When Tsunayashiro-san pressures me enough, I'll draw my sword on my own," Arata calmly replied, his left hand still tied behind his back.
Their conversation was clearly heard in the stands and immediately stirred a commotion.
Kugyo's face instantly darkened, and the spiritual pressure on his Zanpakutō abruptly rose.