With a bang!
A deep crater exploded in the ground a dozen meters away.
Tsunayashiro Aofine stood still, stunned, looking back at the shattered ground as if foolish.
The Byakurai (Pale Lightning) just now had almost grazed his face as it flew past!
"I... I lost... I'm sorry."
Tsunayashiro Aofine lowered his head unwillingly.
No matter what, Kuchiki Shinji had shown him mercy, and Tsunayashiro Aofine understood this.
Otherwise, the Byakurai (Pale Lightning) just now,
wouldn't have grazed his face,
but would have hit his head or heart.
"Hey, hey, what a joke. Even the top ten A-grade honor students would find it difficult to pull off a Byakurai (Pale Lightning) like that, right?"
"Tsunayashiro Aofine actually lost?"
"Since when did a Byakurai (Pale Lightning) used by a slacker have such destructive power?"
The students' faces were bewildered.
[Oh no, did I show too much?]
[But I clearly tried my best to control the power.]
Kuchiki Shinji was also stunned.
Just as he was thinking about what excuse to use to get by, several students suddenly ran over from a distance, shouting excitedly.
"Great! Captain Aizen is here again to show us the power of his Zanpakuto.
"Well, Captain Aizen is truly approachable. He even takes time out to guide us in learning Shikai."
"I'd say Captain Aizen is the coolest, and you all agree, right?"
"Enough talk! In a month, I'm joining Captain Aizen's Fifth Division to follow him!"
The students discussed excitedly.
For these beginner 'rookies,' the Shinigami reserves, Shikai was almost an ultimate, unattainable skill.
Once Shikai is mastered,
the lowest rank they would achieve is Lieutenant in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
It was, in a word, a meteoric rise!
And so,
Shen Si rolled his Byakugan and lay on the ground.
"Teacher, my brother has fainted."
"I see. It must be that the White Lightning just now was an exceptional display, releasing all his spiritual pressure, which caused him to collapse from exhaustion. Take him to rest."
After the teacher's reminder, the previously stunned students all came to their senses.
"It was just a fluke, after all."
"I knew Kuchiki Shinji couldn't possibly beat Tsunayashiro Aofine."
...In the dojo's lounge.
"Your acting is terrible."
Rukia threw Shen Si onto the bed with a look of disdain.
"Is it really that bad?"
One second ago, Shen Si, who had been 'unconscious,' opened his eyes and leaned against the headboard.
"Even that idiot Renji's acting is much better than yours."
Rukia rolled her beautiful Byakugan, her ahoge twitching.
Shen Si stared intently, wanting to pat it.
"What are you looking at?"
As if guarding against a thief, Rukia's face flushed slightly as she covered her head, huffing tsundere-like, "Just because you stood up for me doesn't mean I'll let you touch me."
Shen Si: "..."
Girl, it seems like you're deliberately trying to get me to pat it, aren't you?
"Speaking of which, Captain Aizen is incredibly approachable, isn't he? He's come to the academy again to demonstrate the power of his Zanpakuto."
After a few seconds of hesitation, Rukia, with a few more seconds of fidgeting, finally asked curiously in her sweet, girlish voice.
"Well, maybe he just wants to show off..."
As if!
Shen Si was expressionless.
Aizen did this purely because he planned a hundred steps ahead, hypnotizing all the students who would become Shinigami to prevent any tiny, unforeseen incidents later on.
For example, every few decades,
the Spiritual Arts Academy would produce a few 'geniuses.'
Like Ichimaru Gin, or Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Pre-hypnotizing these geniuses who would eventually become high-ranking members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was just the tip of the iceberg in Aizen's flawless plan.
"What do you say, in a month, we join the Fifth Division too? Being able to follow a gentle Captain like Aizen, it seems like joining the Fifth Division would be a good choice."
Rukia tilted her head, her delicate little face looking very serious, as if she had carefully considered the idea.
"Absolutely not! You should drop that unreliable idea immediately!"
Shen Si refused emphatically.
Join Aizen's division?
What a joke!
Bang bang bang.
Just as Shen Si was about to complain about her, a knock came at the door.
A man wearing glasses stood at the entrance, dressed in a white haori coat, with a gentle smile on his face: "It seems I've arrived at an inconvenient time. My apologies for disturbing you."
Shen Si's face stiffened.
"Is... is that Captain Aizen?!"
Rukia's pupils contracted, and she quickly stood up.
Captain of the Fifth Divsion, Aizen Sōsuke, wasn't he outside demonstrating his Zanpakuto to the students?
Why was he here?
"Kuchiki Rukia? May I speak with your brother privately for a moment?"
"Don't worry, it won't be long. It won't take up your time with him."
Aizen pushed up his glasses, smiling as if making small talk.
"Who... who wants to spend time with him?"
Like a shy little girl, Rukia's face instantly steamed up, her head feeling like it was on fire, and she dashed out of the room, carefully closing the door behind her.
"How adorable, Miss Rukia."
After a compliment, Aizen's gaze fixed on the young man lying on the bed, his voice laced with temptation: "Lord Shen Si, come and work for me in the Fifth Divsion."