Hachihara burst in with a fierce demeanor.
Before anyone could scold him with a "Too loud!", he proudly held up a large food box, showing it off with full confidence.
"Ta-da~! Look what I brought!"
"Oh, let me see... Is this, pizza?"
Shimiya Takeru put away his Asauchi and toolbox, stood up, took the food box, and placed it on the table. Opening the top layer, he found familiar Human World food.
"Does Soul Society sell pizza?"
Ichigo was wide-eyed.
"There's more!"
Hachihara was very pleased with everyone's reaction and eagerly opened the other food boxes.
It was indeed too early to be surprised.
Besides pizza,
there were also tomahawk steaks, creamy pasta, fried chicken burgers, and fries...
These weren't rare items in the Human World, but Seireitei only favored traditional Japanese cuisine from before the 20th century. They didn't even have curry, let alone ramen, which was introduced to Japan around the same time, or even later items like fried chicken burgers.
"Is this the result of your entire afternoon?"
Shimiya Takeru was perceptive.
"Bingo!"
Hachihara gave a thumbs-up.
"You know I love Human World culture, but this isn't my doing from the start. My family is the same; they have special channels to order Human World goods from black market merchants. Don't tell anyone, though, it's a trade secret."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't tell even if I died!"
Ichigo swallowed, staring at the dazzling array of food, deeply realizing Hachihara's greatness.
To eat Human World cuisine in Soul Society, this was currently the only way.
Even putting that aside, he wouldn't betray a companion's secret.
"Even with a channel, it's still not easy to specially procure so many delicacies. Thanks, Hachihara."
Shimiya Takeru was quite moved.
"No problem~ We're friends, aren't we? It's only right to treat friends from out of town to a good meal in the Human World style. Don't be shy, enjoy!"
Suddenly, Hachihara slapped his forehead, remembering something, and pulled two large bottles of alcohol from a bag.
"Almost forgot, what's a party without alcohol!"
"Hey, hey, I'm still underage."
Ichigo was dumbfounded.
"You're already dead, who cares about Human World laws? Just pretend you've lived for a hundred years. The Shinigami who brought us here looked like a middle schooler anyway."
Shimiya Takeru scoffed.
"That's true... I don't care anymore!"
"That's the spirit! To celebrate our beautiful tomorrow as souls! I even specially ordered a drink called 'Water of Life.' How about that! Isn't it super meaningful!"
At Hachihara's words, even Shimiya Takeru's expression stiffened for a moment.
Ichigo's mouth dropped open even wider.
"Life... No, it can't be *that* one, can it... Hey, do you know how high the proof is? You won't feel any meaning after drinking that!"
"Oh my, Ichigo, are you scared?"
"!?"
Pushed to the edge of a cliff by a single sentence, Ichigo had no choice.
Shimiya Takeru, however, was very open-minded. If he could treat Aizen with a calm mind, what was a mere 96-proof vodka?
"Cheers!"
The four sat on the floor in the four-and-a-half-mat room. Each took a corner, and it didn't feel crowded; instead, there was a perfect harmony.
Although Rindo Yu sat quietly observing, it didn't stop him from joining the lively atmosphere, raising his glass and drinking heartily with his companions.
The fiery clouds outside the window had extinguished at some point, and the silently arriving night, illuminated by bright lights, was filled with warmth and tipsiness.
Chapter 8: The Fifth Division's Great Treasure
The first Sunday of April.
The weather after the rain was exceptionally refreshing.
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo were invited to the Fifth Division.
When they saw Aizen, he was standing on the veranda of the barracks, his hands clasped into his sleeves, as gentle and reassuring as ever, possibly comforting a subordinate who had made a small mistake.
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo waited at the other end of the corridor for him to finish his official business before going up to greet him.
"Si Gong student, Kurosaki-kun, welcome to the Fifth Divsion as guests. You didn't encounter any trouble on the way, did you?"
"No, not really, it's just a bit far. It would be convenient if there were some form of transportation, like a bus or something."
Ichigo scratched the back of his head, giving a wry smile.
"A very pertinent suggestion. I will recommend it to the Captain Commander and Central 46 at the next Captains' meeting."
Aizen mused.
This made Ichigo feel a little guilty.
"No... it's not necessary to go to such lengths. Actually, it's not entirely unacceptable, right, Shimiya?"
"Honestly, I don't even think buses would work. Trains would be better. Speaking of which, is there any potential for building a subway system under the various districts? It feels like a good investment project."
Shimiya Takeru's contemplative look was identical to Aizen's.
"Hey!"
"A very bold idea, but if it's you two, it might actually be possible."
"Aizen teacher, shouldn't you be discouraging your students from daydreaming at a time like this?"
"Kurosaki-kun, I need to correct a mistaken view of yours. As a teacher, one should encourage students not to give up on their ideals, no matter how wild they may seem. That is the privilege of a genius."
Aizen said meaningfully.
Ichigo vaguely felt the latter half of the sentence was a bit extreme, but before he could fully grasp it and retort, Shimiya Takeru interrupted: "This investment project can be discussed later. Let's talk about the main business."
"As Si Gong student said, but before we begin, let's move to another location."
Subsequently, Aizen led them to what could be called a thatched hut or a dojo.
It looked simple, but it occupied an entire independent courtyard and was located in the core area deep within the barracks, clearly not as humble as its appearance suggested.
"What are your thoughts on the Fifth Division after coming all this way?"
Aizen suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo exchanged glances.
The latter answered first.
"Thoughts, you ask... If I had to say, it's that although the uniforms are different from the Spirit Arts Academy, the atmosphere here seems similar."
"You mean 'academic atmosphere,' right?"
Shimiya Takeru took over the conversation.
"Exactly! It feels like an educational institution."
Ichigo's eyes lit up.
"Actually, I have a similar feeling, but I think I know roughly why."
Shimiya Takeru looked at Aizen, who smiled but said nothing.
"Through my observation, I found that the Fifth Divsion's members are all very emotionally stable. While their spiritual pressure isn't deliberately concealed, it also feels unreal, like breathing and heartbeats; you notice it but don't pay attention. Rather than lacking aggression, it's more like they intentionally avoid affecting others."
"This is completely opposite to Brother Kurosaki's situation, where he still can't fully suppress his own spiritual pressure."
"Say what you want, but don't use me as an example. I feel like I'm doing quite well now; even the Kido instructor praised me a few days ago."
Ichigo was a bit displeased.
"In your case, any slight improvement is enough to make a teacher happy... Don't interrupt me. Where was I? Never mind. In short, if you ask me what my thoughts on the Fifth Divsion are, my conclusion is that the Kido level of the Fifth Divsion members is most likely above the passing mark."
Shimiya Takeru's words were astonishing.
Even Ichigo, for a moment, forgot his indignation and immediately exclaimed, "You're kidding, right?"
Having been enlightened at the Spirit Arts Academy, he was no longer the Shinigami substitute without common sense. He clearly understood the value of Kido being above the average line.
To put it more directly:
At least half of the students who passed the graduation exam after six years would not meet this standard.
In such a situation, unless the Fifth Divsion only recruited Kido specialists, it would be absolutely impossible for all members to be truly proficient in Kido.
But would doing so really not get them reported by the Kido Corps?
Oh, the Grand Kido Master and Vice Grand Kido Master have defected. Now there's no one to lead the protest, so it's fine.
Soon, Aizen personally denied this seemingly only possibility.
"Si Gong student's observation is very meticulous, and his idea is very bold. To this, I only want to say... Indeed, the vast majority of the Fifth Divsion's members possess considerable Kido ability."
"And the reason, well, it has to do with the building behind me."
At these words, Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo subconsciously looked at the thatched hut dojo.
Aizen didn't deliberately keep them in suspense and directly revealed the mystery.
"—It has a name, called the 'Spiritual Power Restoration Chamber.'"
"As the name suggests, it's a training ground that can accelerate the recovery of the spiritual power consumed by using Kido."
"With its help, members can practice Kido with high intensity during a specific period, and by combining it with the theoretical knowledge they've learned daily, they can truly raise their Kido baseline."
"Even if they are limited by talent and cannot further master more difficult Kido, I believe that if they can abandon the incantation while still retaining most of its performance, combine it into new Kido, and then pair it with tactics and apply combat experience, it is still a remarkable achievement."
"Allowing those who are not geniuses to also become strong, this hope is the support point that keeps the members' emotions stable."
"It's no exaggeration to say that the Fifth Divsion's overall Kido strength is currently second to none among the Gotei 13. Of course, compared to the Kido Corps, it's still slightly inferior."
He didn't forget to be modest at the end, even though no one from the Kido Corps was present.
"I didn't expect the Fifth Divsion to have such a good thing."
Shimiya Takeru exclaimed.
The cost of over-exhausting one's mind during daily training is much more troublesome than over-exerting one's body.
Therefore, having a training ground that helps people quickly recover mental energy is undeniably beneficial.
Shimiya Takeru, who possessed "Compound Potions" and could complete high-intensity training daily without fear of overworking himself, deeply understood this.
It seems he'll have to visit the Fifth Divsion often from now on.
"So, Aizen teacher, this place can solve my problem, right?"
Ichigo was a bit impatient.
Aizen, however, shook his head: "I'm sorry, it cannot."
"Huh?"
"Its purpose is to restore the spiritual power consumed by using Kido, not to help people control their own spiritual pressure. While it can have an auxiliary effect, it's not at that stage yet."
"The more I listen, the more confused I get."
"Very well, let's be direct... Kurosaki-kun, give up Kido."
Chapter 9: Teacher and Student, The Gravitational Pull of Fate
"What... are you saying?"