"Welcome, new students. The Shin'ō Academy is a traditional institution with two thousand years of profound history, dedicated to cultivating young elites for the Kidō Corps, the Onmitsukidō, and the Gotei 13..."
In the classroom of Year Two, Class One at the Shin'ō Academy, Kōe was introducing himself to the students below the podium, but his words seemed a bit off...
"I am your instructor, Kōe Shihouin! Year One, Class One gathers all the top scorers from the entrance exam, truly a luxurious advanced class."
Standing off to the side, Ōunabara Gengorō finally realized what was wrong. Wasn't this the exact speech he had written a year ago?!
"Mr. Shihouin, Mr. Shihouin!"
"Hmm?" Kōe looked over in confusion, meeting Ōunabara's anxious face as the man leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Shihouin, this is Year Two, Class One!"
"..."
*'How embarrassing.'* Kōe knew he had messed up, but his face showed not a trace of panic. After all, he was a highly experienced veteran Shinigami; he could handle a little mishap like this. *'Small potatoes. This is nothing.'*
"You must all be very familiar with those words. That was Instructor Ōunabara's admonition to you a year ago, so I won't elaborate further!" Kōe said, tossing the materials in his hand onto the podium. He had assumed it was a speech Ōunabara prepared for him, but who knew it was the guy's own outdated script? He might as well just wing it.
"Bringing up the past is just to remind you that even though you are now second-year students, and even though I have become your new instructor, you must remember your original intentions. You cannot lower your standards in the slightest!" Kōe swept his gaze across every student in the room, his expression turning stern. "In fact, they must be even higher!"
Perhaps Ōunabara's script was just polite filler, but to Kōe, it carried a hint of prophecy.
The future Lieutenant of Squad 3, Kira Izuru; the future Lieutenant of Squad 5, Hinamori Momo; and the future Lieutenant of Squad 6, Abarai Renji. A class boasting these three could indeed be called a luxurious advanced class without any exaggeration.
And now, he had become their instructor. It was truly unexpected. Originally, he just wanted to go through the motions and idle away his seventy-two years at the Shin'ō Academy, but now he figured he could take it a bit more seriously. These little guys were definitely worth properly 'cultivating'.
"Now, I will distribute the schedules for the new year." As soon as Kōe finished speaking, Ōunabara tactfully handed out the schedules from the side, naturally giving a copy to Kōe as well.
Perhaps because of the new courses, the students below the podium began whispering among themselves. Even Renji and the other two wore bizarre expressions, as if they had just seen something unbelievable.
Kōe shook his head. No matter what grand achievements these people would reach in the future, right now, they were still far too green. Picking up the schedule in his hand, he thought, *'Isn't it just the old four fundamentals: Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hakuda, and Hohō?'* He wanted to see what new tricks the Shin'ō Academy could possibly pull out of its hat.
As the contents of the paper gradually entered his vision, Kōe's small eyes slowly widened, as if he too had seen something unbelievable.
*'Are my eyes playing tricks on me?'* After scanning the schedule again, the facts proved that the old Shinigami's eyesight was perfectly fine.
Compared to when Kōe was in school, the Shin'ō Academy really had come up with some new gimmicks. While keeping the old four fundamentals unchanged, they had added a hodgepodge of courses like tactical training and basic spirit tool usage. This setup really looked like they were trying to cultivate all-around Shinigami elites!
Of course, that wasn't why he was surprised. There was nothing wrong with the Academy wanting to train well-rounded elites, but what on earth was going on with the instructors listed under those courses?
Zanjutsu Instructor — Kōe Shihouin.
Kidō Instructor — Kōe Shihouin.
Hakuda Instructor — Kōe Shihouin.
Shunpo Instructor — Kōe Shihouin.
...
As long as it was a class on this schedule, the instructor was inevitably Kōe Shihouin—himself. At this point, even with an old Shinigami's composure, he couldn't help but lose it. *'What, to teach well-rounded students, you need a well-rounded teacher? Is the Shin'ō Academy this brutal nowadays?!'*
Waving Ōunabara over, Kōe leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Is there a typo on this schedule? Or is solo teaching the new trend at the Academy?"
"There are no mistakes, and the Academy has never had such a precedent," Ōunabara shook his head, continuing, "But since it's you, Mr. Shihouin, we figured this arrangement would be absolutely fine. The capable do more work, after all!"
"..."
Kōe was truly speechless. It was impossible for the Academy to arrange this on their own. He wouldn't believe it for a second if Old Man Yama or Central 46 hadn't orchestrated this behind the scenes.
Before returning to the Seireitei, he and Urahara had calculated the possible places he might be assigned. There were four in total.
The first was the Great Underground Prison. Though the probability was low, it was still possible. And if that happened, sorry, but Kōe would just have to helplessly sing the blues behind bars. After all, according to Urahara, it was highly unlikely they would storm the Seireitei for a prison break.
The second was serving as the Grand Kidō Chief of the Kidō Corps. The probability was equally low. Unless Central 46 completely changed their operating style, this possibility was almost nonexistent.
The third was returning to the Gotei 13, but not as a captain. He would only hold a sinecure in Squad 1, allowing Yamamoto to monitor him closely.
The fourth was the Shin'ō Academy. After all, Kōe's squad registration had been erased, and Central 46 couldn't possibly throw him into the Rukongai. They had to give him a position in the Seireitei. Excluding key locations like the Great Spirit Book Gallery, the Academy was the only option left.
This was about as likely as being placed in Squad 1, just with more idle time and less autonomy. But the question was, was coming to the Academy really going to be idle?
*'They're trying to bleed me dry!'* Thinking of this, Kōe couldn't help but sigh. Even having lived two lives, he had never experienced such 'heavy' course pressure, let alone as a teacher. No one would believe him if he told them.
*'Urahara and I were still too naive!'* His heart was filled with emotion, but he had to keep smiling and pretend he didn't care. After all, the capable do more work, the capable do more work...
*'But if I'm going to suffer, don't even think about having it easy yourselves.'*
"Yes, I will be in charge of all your courses." Looking at the students below, a brilliant smile suddenly bloomed on Kōe's face. "I believe we will get along *very* well. Hehe."
It looked like such a warm smile, so why did a chill rise in their hearts? Everyone present shuddered simultaneously, a bad premonition gradually clouding their minds.
This young instructor, who didn't look much older than them, was terrifying. Renji rubbed his arms; the man was even more terrifying than the Hollows they had seen.
It seemed this semester was going to be very difficult.