"One! Two! Three—clack!"
"One! Two! Three—bang!"
"One! Two! Three—thud!"
Blinding sunlight streamed through the lattice windows, illuminating the otherwise empty Dojo No. 34.
In the middle of the hall, two figures drenched in sweat clashed again and again with wooden swords, charging at each other without giving an inch.
Smack!
Kibune Makoto suddenly lost his balance and landed hard on the floor.
His wooden sword had already flown who-knows-where.
Panting heavily, he clutched his chest with one hand and pointed at Fūjin Taichi with the other.
"I have to admit… the Special Advancement Class really is on another level."
He forced out a bitter laugh.
"Just three months… and your swordsmanship has improved this much."
"Even I… I'm not your match anymore!"
Taichi reached down and pulled him to his feet.
"Hard work makes up for lack of talent," he said calmly.
"The slow bird has to start flying early."
"If you swing your sword ten thousand times a day, your skill will improve too."
Kibune wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.
"Who even has time for that?"
"The training for Zan, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō is getting harder every day."
"I'm about to lose my mind here."
"Exactly why we need to work even harder."
Taichi was about to continue when a sharp wooden clapper echoed outside.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
A loud announcement followed.
"Emergency notice! Emergency notice!"
"All first-year students are to gather immediately at the main gate plaza for the Freshman Meet-and-Greet!"
"I repeat—All first-year students must assemble at the main gate plaza!"
The academy's loudspeaker repeated the message twice, its voice carrying clearly throughout every corner of the campus.
Taichi frowned.
"A meet-and-greet?"
"Do we really have to go?"
He had no interest in wasting time listening to captains bragging about themselves.
He'd rather spend that time improving how quickly—and how precisely—he could defeat an opponent.
Kibune thought for a moment.
"…I don't think we can skip it."
"These meetings are supposed to be important. I'm pretty sure the academy requires everyone to attend."
"Oh."
Taichi shrugged.
"Well, if it's mandatory, then let's go."
He picked up his Asauchi and headed toward the plaza.
By now the noon sun had softened, and a cool autumn breeze swept golden leaves through the grounds of the academy.
After hearing the broadcast, first-year students flooded toward the plaza.
Within minutes, two to three thousand students had gathered there, forming a massive crowd near the main gate.
Boys and girls alike craned their necks toward the entrance, trying to see what was coming.
Suddenly, someone shouted.
"He's here! He's here! He's here!!"
The already noisy crowd instantly exploded like a kicked hornet's nest.
Students shoved and pushed forward in excitement, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary captains.
"He's coming! He's coming! He's walking on auspicious clouds!"
"He's coming! He's coming! And now he's leaving without a trace!"
Amid the cheering of countless excited fans, Taichi finally saw him.
A man dressed in a black Shihakushō, with a pristine white captain's haori draped over it, slowly stepped through the gate.
It was Sōsuke Aizen.
He had short brown hair and wore black-framed glasses.
Combined with his handsome appearance and the gentle smile that seemed permanently etched on his lips, he looked every bit the image of a kind and refined gentleman.
Walking beside him was another figure—
A man with light purple hair, dressed in the same black Shinigami robes, with the vice-captain's insignia tied around his left arm.
His eyes were permanently narrowed into thin slits.
In a lazy Kyoto dialect, he chuckled.
"Well, well… looks like this year's freshmen have been completely dazzled by Captain Aizen's charm."
This was Gin Ichimaru.
"Gin," Aizen replied gently.
"Butterflies and bees that only chase after bright flowers are fragile creatures."
"Those who pay attention to the leaves beneath them…"
He glanced sideways.
"…are the truly strong—and frightening—ones."
"Just like you and Captain Tōsen."
"You both caught my attention from the very beginning."
Gin's smile widened even further.
"What an honor it is to receive Captain Aizen's favor."
Aizen merely nodded slightly and said nothing more.
He walked calmly through the sea of students and arrived at the center of the plaza, where the academy instructors were already waiting.
"My apologies for keeping everyone waiting," he said politely.
"No, no! Captain Aizen, the fact that you could attend despite your busy schedule is already a tremendous honor for the academy!" one teacher said with an eager smile.
"I see…"
Aizen smiled faintly.
Then he turned to face the thousands of freshmen gathered before him.
"Shall we begin, Ōunabara-sensei?"
The teacher responsible for organizing the event, Ōunabara Gengorō, stepped forward onto the stage.
As the homeroom instructor of the Special Advancement Class, he served as the main host of the gathering.
"Everyone," he announced loudly.
"This is Captain Sōsuke Aizen."
"He currently serves as the captain of the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13, and he is also an instructor of calligraphy here at the academy."
A wave of excited gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Waaah!"
Many of the female students squealed in admiration.
Even quite a few male students stared at Aizen with starry eyes—almost as if pink hearts were floating in their gaze.
From beginning to end, the smile on Sōsuke Aizen's face never faded.
It was as if he were basking in the pleasure of being admired by thousands.
Or perhaps… he wasn't.
Beside him, Gin Ichimaru had been standing there with that same narrow-eyed smile since the moment he appeared.
He seemed to be carefully observing the reactions of the crowd below.
Or perhaps… he wasn't.
Either way, his expression hadn't changed once since stepping onto the plaza.
That smile looked so obviously fake that anyone could see through it.
Whether it was deliberate… or simply his true nature—
Only Gin himself knew.
Hidden among the crowd, Fūjin Taichi silently observed the two men.
But most of his attention was fixed on Ichimaru Gin.
Decades ago, Taichi had crossed paths with him once.
This was the man who once described himself as:
A snake with cold skin and no emotions…
One that only searches for prey and swallows it whole.
Taichi couldn't help wondering—
How much pain must someone endure… to smile so brightly like that?
After what felt like an eternity, the long-winded speech from Ōunabara Gengorō finally came to an end.
He turned toward Aizen.
"Captain Aizen, could you please demonstrate the Shikai release of your Zanpakutō for the freshmen?"
"Of course."
Aizen agreed with his usual gentle humility.
His right hand slowly rested on the emerald-green hilt of the sword at his waist.
Smiling warmly at the students, he spoke.
"My Zanpakutō is called Kyōka Suigetsu."
"It belongs to the water-type category."
"It can use the irregular reflections of mist and flowing water to confuse the enemy… causing them to fall into chaos and attack one another."
"Kyōka Suigetsu…"
Taichi narrowed his eyes slightly.
A Zanpakutō that creates illusions through mist and water reflections…
Interesting.
"Now then."
After explaining its ability, Aizen slowly drew his sword.
He lowered the blade toward the ground.
A faint smile curved across his lips.
"Allow me to show you the power of a Zanpakutō release."
"Shatter… Kyōka Suigetsu."
A faint chime echoed.
A strange blue light shimmered across the blade.
Legend said that anyone who witnessed that blue light would become a prisoner of Kyōka Suigetsu.
But in that split second—
Taichi suddenly looked upward.
His gaze landed briefly on the blazing sun overhead.
Then he looked back down at the sword.
By the time his eyes returned—
Aizen had already sheated his Zanpakutō.
The captain simply offered a few encouraging words to the freshmen before chatting casually with several academy instructors as they walked toward the calligraphy classroom.
"Wow! Captain Aizen is amazing!"
"I'm definitely joining the Fifth Division after I graduate!"
Several love-struck students shouted excitedly, their eyes practically turning into hearts.
Taichi, however, said nothing.
He quietly slipped away with the dispersing crowd and headed back toward Dojo No. 34.
Compared to the others' idol-like admiration—
He preferred spending his days with the wind… with his sword… and with solitude.
Whoosh～
A gust of autumn wind swept across the plaza.
Several yellow leaves fluttered through the air.
Standing in the distance, Gin—who had been resting both hands inside his sleeves—suddenly extended one hand and caught a falling leaf.
He slowly lifted it above his head.
Then, for the first time, he opened his eyes.
His narrow pale blue pupils studied the dry leaf carefully.
After a moment, he whispered softly—almost to himself.
"Oh…"
"So that's how it is."
...
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