The First Gate
Night gradually settled over the Eastern District of Rukongai.
Raizen Kō lay quietly on a tatami mat inside a clean, orderly guest room. The room was small, yet meticulously maintained far more comfortable than most dwellings in the Fifty-Seventh District. Hana-bāba had insisted on preparing it especially for him.
Iwasaki Eri, meanwhile, was sharing a room with the old woman herself.
As for the other long-term residents of the district, none had received such hospitality.
Raizen stared at the ceiling for a long time before slowly raising his right hand.
Resting in his palm was a tiny particle no larger than a grain of sand emitting a faint, unstable blue luminescence. Even without actively infusing spiritual power into it, the fragment pulsed softly, resonating with the surrounding Reishi.
Raizen's gaze sharpened.
Based on what he had witnessed earlier that day Tōsen Kaname's precise extraction, his deliberate concealment, and Aizen Sōsuke's unmistakable hand behind the scenes there was no longer any doubt.
This object was connected to an experiment.
"…Could this be a fragment derived from the Hōgyoku?"
Raizen slowly closed his fingers around the particle.
Even if it was only a defective byproduct, the fact that such a thing had appeared in Rukongai meant that events were already diverging—quietly, but decisively.
Fifth Division Barracks — Seireitei
Inside the Vice-Captain's private quarters, an oil lamp burned softly, casting warm light across the room.
Aizen Sōsuke sat calmly at his desk, brush in hand, recording notes with steady precision. His expression was gentle, almost scholarly, as though the chaos earlier that day had never occurred.
Whoosh.
A figure appeared behind him in a flash of Shunpo.
Tōsen Kaname knelt immediately, his posture respectful and solemn.
"Captain Aizen," Tōsen reported. "The Gillian that escaped containment entered the residential zones of Rukongai. Its presence vanished shortly afterward. It is highly likely that the fragment it carried was recovered by a Rukongai resident."
Aizen did not stop writing.
His brush continued to move smoothly across the paper.
"I see," he said mildly.
Only after finishing the final stroke did he set the brush aside and turn slightly.
"There is no need for concern, Tōsen," Aizen continued, his tone unhurried. "That fragment was unstable a flawed iteration. At most, it can only be activated once. It poses no real threat to our objectives."
He smiled.
"If necessary, we can simply produce another."
Hearing this, the tension in Tōsen's chest finally eased. He bowed deeply once more before vanishing from the room.
Aizen remained alone, gazing thoughtfully at the lamp's flickering flame.
Seven Days Later
Raizen Kō departed before dawn.
Today marked the monthly enrollment assessment for the Shin'ō Academy the institution responsible for training future Shinigami.
At the entrance of the residence, a petite figure had been waiting for quite some time.
"Iwasaki… Eri?"
The girl stepped forward, clutching a neatly wrapped bundle in her hands. When she looked up, her cheeks flushed faintly, just as they had on the day they first met.
"Raizen-kun," she said softly, "this is… a robe. I made it with fabric I earned from helping Hana-bāba these past few days."
Raizen accepted the package, his expression unreadable.
Having lived two lives, he understood her feelings all too clearly.
Yet his path was already set.
Transcendence did not allow for hesitation.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, offering her a faint smile. "I like it very much. Take care of yourself… Miss Eri."
Eri froze.
The countless words she had prepared vanished from her lips.
She could only watch as Raizen turned and walked away, his figure gradually shrinking into the morning mist.
"Raizen-kun…" she whispered at last. "Have a safe journey."
Raizen did not turn back.
He merely raised a hand in farewell.
Behind him, unnoticed, tears welled in the girl's eyes.
Seireitei Eastern Gate
"So this is Seireitei…"
Raizen stood before towering white walls that stretched endlessly into the distance. The architecture was majestic, refined, and utterly alien compared to the low, crowded dwellings of Rukongai.
This was the heart of Soul Society.
The military, political, and judicial center of the afterlife.
Raizen approached the Seiryūmon, the Azure Dragon Gate of the East. A long line of young souls had already formed each one an applicant for the Shin'ō Academy.
When his turn came, Raizen presented his identification to the massive gatekeeper.
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka nearly ten meters tall glanced down at him, grunted, and stepped aside.
"Go on."
Once inside, Raizen followed the flow of candidates until they reached the academy grounds.
The line stretched endlessly.
"…This is going to take forever," Raizen muttered.
At that moment, a loud voice cut through the air.
"You. You. You and you."
A burly, middle-aged Shinigami with spiked hair and dark sunglasses stepped out from a side corridor.
"Come with me."
Raizen was among those selected.
"These candidates possess recommendation tokens," the man said bluntly as he led them through a side entrance. "You're allowed to test early but don't get excited. Talentless trash fails just as easily."
The man continued grumbling under his breath.
"Tch. The higher-ups keep dumping these 'special cases' on me…"
Raizen's eyes narrowed slightly.
So this must be Oda Yū.
Shin'ō Academy — Assessment Hall
The hall was vast.
Many applicants were already assembled each one possessing either noble backing or special recommendations.
At the front stood four large spiritual pressure measurement devices, developed by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. Each was equipped with a Reishi scale and crystal reservoir designed to store and evaluate spiritual output.
"Grip the handle," Oda Yū explained impatiently. "Spiritual pressure is measured across twenty ranks. You must reach Rank Nine to proceed."
He scoffed.
"Not that I expect many of you to make it."
Nervous whispers spread among the applicants.
Raizen alone remained calm.
"Silence!" shouted the guards. "Any further noise will result in immediate disqualification!"
The hall fell deathly quiet.
Then
A figure wrapped entirely in white robes emerged slowly from the rear entrance.
And the first test began.