"This is absolutely unacceptable!"
Late that night, inside the faculty office of the Shin'ō Academy, the teacher on night dormitory duty—Kurosawa Shinichi—slammed the attendance roster onto the desk.
"This makes the fifth time this week!"
"The first-year student from Class 1, Fūjin Taichi, has skipped curfew five nights in a row!"
"I'm reporting this to the Academic Affairs Office tomorrow. Senior Mangetsu should expel a rule-breaking brat like him immediately!"
"Kurosawa."
Across the desk, Jūshirō Saitō finally looked up from the towering stack of homework he was grading.
His voice was calm.
"I'm already aware that Taichi hasn't been returning to the dorms on time."
"And he has my permission."
"…What?!"
Kurosawa pushed up his thick gold-rimmed glasses, staring at Saitō in disbelief.
"You're protecting a student who breaks academy rules?"
"And he's from Rukongai, of all places! His grades aren't even outstanding!"
"In my opinion, someone like him would be nothing more than a minor nobody even if he joined the Gotei 13."
"You should focus your efforts on cultivating true elites!"
"Kurosawa!"
Saitō's expression hardened instantly.
"My family has served Seireitei for generations by training Kidō practitioners."
"Do you really think I need you to tell me how to do my job?"
"O-Of course not, Saitō-senpai…" Kurosawa shrank back immediately.
"I was only… concerned."
"If you insist on shielding him… then I suppose I'll just pretend I didn't see anything."
"Hmph."
Saitō snorted.
He rose from his seat and walked to the window, staring out at the pitch-black night sky.
"Don't underestimate that boy, Kurosawa."
He spoke slowly, deliberately.
"In my opinion, none of the students in the Special Advancement Class will surpass his future achievements."
"You really think that highly of him?"
"Yes."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Saitō gazed into the vast sea of stars.
"Geniuses often blaze brightly… but only for a moment."
"Their futures are usually predictable."
"But late bloomers…"
He paused.
"…are full of unknown possibilities."
"I see…"
Kurosawa nodded politely, though the skepticism in his eyes remained.
Saitō could tell the man was simply humoring him.
But he didn't bother explaining further.
After a moment of quiet stargazing, he returned to his desk and resumed grading papers.
...
The Next Morning
Dawn had just broken.
The sun was only halfway above the horizon—like a sleepy girlfriend hiding beneath the covers, revealing just one alluring shoulder while peeking shyly at you.
"Whew…"
After staying up the entire night, Fūjin Taichi scooped up a handful of cold water from Mirror Lake and splashed it onto his face.
He rubbed vigorously until he felt somewhat awake.
Then he picked up the blade at his side and secured it to his waist.
Though calling it an Asauchi now would no longer be accurate.
Its true name was Zanpakutō — Kyūjūkyū.
Another fire-attribute Zanpakutō had been born in the Soul Society.
The scabbard hadn't changed much, but the blade itself had transformed into an eight-sided Han-style straight sword.
Three feet long.
The blade gleamed white like polished ivory.
Only the hilt stood out—shaped like a blooming crabapple flower, glowing faintly with intertwined red and black light.
Taichi couldn't help grinning.
Recently, an exciting rumor had been spreading through the Special Advancement Class:
Next Monday, the first-year Class 1 students would participate as interns in the graduation exam for the sixth-year students.
When that day comes…
With the power of Kyūjūkyū, I'll definitely shine during the internship!
And Hoko will finally see me in a new light…
"Heh heh…"
With his plan set, Taichi quickened his pace toward the dormitories.
After all, it was Saturday.
Most of his roommates were probably out dating.
No one would disturb a lonely single guy's sleep.
Tap… tap…
Tap… tap…
Taichi hurried down the path.
Fallen cherry blossoms and leaves drifted down from the trees, scattering across his shoulders like a gentle shower of petals.
Soon he arrived at the dorm.
He pushed the door open.
Just as expected—
No one was there.
Perfect.
Taichi stripped off his clothes, rinsed himself quickly, then crawled into bed with a satisfied sigh.
Just as he was about to drift into a blissful sleep—
"Hey! Fūjin!"
A voice suddenly called from outside the door.
"Who is it?!"
"Me!"
"…And who the hell is 'me'?"
"It's me, damn it! Don't push it!"
With an angry shout—
BANG!
The dorm door was kicked clean off its hinges.
Standing there was Renji Abarai, an Asauchi strapped to his back.
He glared at the stunned Taichi and shouted:
"Fūjin! If you're free this afternoon, come with us to Junrinan!"
Junrinan was District 1 of West Rukongai—the safest and most prosperous district in the area.
The streets were lined with lush trees.
It stood closest to the gates of Seireitei.
Children there often had the chance to enroll in Shin'ō Academy.
As people liked to say—
The Soul Society was like a fried egg.
The golden yolk at the center was Seireitei.
The surrounding white was Rukongai.
The former was home to nobles and Shinigami—
A place of beautiful scenery, exquisite food, and supreme honor and authority.
In contrast, Rukongai was the first destination for every wandering soul—every Plus—after leaving the human world. Guided there by a Soul Reaper through the ritual of Konsō, they would receive a registration slip and be sent to begin their new existence.
Rukongai was divided into four great regions—East, South, West, and North—each containing eighty districts.
District 1 was the best of them all: good public order, decent housing, and plentiful food.
But the higher the district number climbed, the worse conditions became.
Resources dwindled.
Living environments deteriorated.
And before long, the souls living there were forced to determine survival the only way left to them—
through violence.
It was said that District 80, the worst of the worst, was a barren wasteland where not even grass would grow.
Famine was constant.
Law enforcement barely existed.
Transportation meant walking.
Communication meant shouting.
And as for… certain private activities—
Well.
You were on your own.
What puzzled Fūjin Taichi, however, was something else entirely.
His relationship with Renji Abarai had always been lukewarm at best.
Not hostile.
But far from friendly.
So why had Renji suddenly come all the way here today just to invite him to visit Junrinan?
Taichi might have been descended from the royal bloodline, but even he didn't believe he possessed some mythical "kingly aura" that could make someone as proud as Renji suddenly bow his head in admiration after only three months.
In fact, since enrolling in Shin'ō Academy half a year ago, the two of them hadn't interacted much at all.
After all, they'd originally been placed in different classes.
Only later—when Taichi transferred from Class (2) into First-Year Class (1), the academy's so-called Special Advancement Class—did he end up becoming Renji's classmate.
That class also included students like Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, Rukia Kuchiki, as well as Kasumioji Hoko, Tsunayashiro Tokisei, and Saitō Tsukihatsu.
But even then, Taichi didn't interact with most of them very much.
So Renji's sudden invitation today left him completely confused.
Of course, none of that showed on his face.
Instead, Taichi forced an overly enthusiastic grin and shouted:
"Renji! I'm so touched—!"
"Call me Abarai."
Renji didn't even blink.
Arms crossed, he replied coolly.
"…Alright, Renji."
Truth be told, Taichi would've preferred to stay in the dorm and get some much-needed sleep.
But considering that his roommates might wander in and out all day, ruining any chance of rest, he reluctantly accepted the invitation.
Renji narrowed his pale gray eyes at him.
"You're still the same as always."
"Just call me Abarai. We're… not that close."
Then he added, almost grudgingly:
"Honestly… the only reason I came here is because of Rukia Kuchiki."
"She insisted I invite you."
"Rukia?"
Taichi scratched his chin, puzzled.
I barely even talk to her…
Why would she invite me over out of nowhere?
"Hey, Fūjin!"
Renji's temper flared when he saw the suspicious look on Taichi's face.
"If someone invites you out of kindness, you either accept it graciously or refuse outright!"
"What's with all this paranoid overthinking?!"
"Oh! Sorry, sorry."
Taichi stuffed the bedding he'd just laid out back into the cabinet and fastened his Zanpakutō to the red sword belt at his waist.
Then he followed Renji out of Shin'ō Academy, heading toward Junrinan—District 1 of West Rukongai.
Along the way, after chatting for a while, Taichi finally figured out what had happened.
Apparently, Momo Hinamori, who lived in Junrinan, had invited several of her close girlfriends over for a visit.
Those friends, in turn, suggested bringing along a few of their friends.
And so the invitations snowballed.
You invite me.
I invite him.
Before long, the gathering had ballooned into something far bigger than originally planned.
...
During the walk, Renji quietly observed the Zanpakutō hanging at Taichi's waist.
Something about it looked… different from his own Asauchi.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was different.
Could it be…?
Has this guy already awakened his Zanpakutō?
The thought sent a small jolt through Renji.
But the next second, he nearly laughed out loud.
No way.
Fūjin Taichi?
That loser who kept getting knocked flat on his back during sparring practice?
There's no way he'd form a Zanpakutō before a genius like me.
Renji smirked inwardly.
Sure, he might not be a prodigy who could graduate in one or two years like Kaien Shiba.
But compared to someone like Taichi—
He was leagues ahead.
After all, as Renji himself liked to say:
"Hey… you late-starting amateur."
"In the end… what's the difference between you and a wild dog staring up at the stars?"