Soon, the morning classes came to an end.
Up until the swordsmanship class finished, no one came to spar with Kurosaki Rei—but he wasn't just sitting there lost in thought either. He took the initiative and asked Aizen for a sparring match.
The final result was that Kurosaki Rei won decisively on the surface. As for what the truth was beneath that surface—who could say? Aizen might be young, but who knew how deep his true combat attainments already ran.
"Rei-kun, you really didn't hold back," Aizen complained on the way to the cafeteria. Despite the words, there was still that faint, inscrutable smile on his face. "I thought I could last a few more exchanges."
"But I keep feeling that your strength doesn't stop there, Sōsuke," Kurosaki Rei replied. "I hope next time I can spar with you when you're in even better condition."
He didn't tear off Aizen's mask—he merely expressed his own yearning to face strong opponents.
"Then I'll do my best to learn more sword techniques from you," Aizen said with a smile, turning at a corner to lead the way. "You haven't been to the cafeteria yet, right? I'll take you there. The academy's food is pretty decent."
Kurosaki Rei's spirits instantly lifted.
He hadn't eaten properly in a long time—especially not real food.
Last night, when Unohana brought him to the Shin'ō Academy, it was already very late. After a few instructions, she handed him off to the dorm supervisor to settle in. That morning, Aizen had told him not to eat breakfast and brought him straight to class.
Aizen had probably guessed that Fujimoto-sensei would test his swordsmanship—but he clearly hadn't guessed how it would end.
"So… big…"
The moment he entered the cafeteria, Kurosaki Rei was stunned. His eyes swept over the long rows of serving windows, his nose filled with the aroma of food, and he couldn't help swallowing.
"Sōsuke… does this place charge money?" Kurosaki Rei asked.
Just yesterday, he had still been a vagrant of Rukongai—utterly penniless.
Aizen didn't slow his steps, leading Kurosaki Rei toward one of the windows. "Don't worry. Since some academy students come from Rukongai, there are quite a few free counters here. Personally, I think the tofu here is pretty good."
"Free? Unlimited?"
The word free lit a fire in Kurosaki Rei. He was starving. After being imprisoned by the Company for so long, he hadn't eaten anything that could be called human food. His stomach was already growling in protest.
Aizen heard it too. Watching Kurosaki Rei's expression, he felt a bit strange inside. He had once harbored some doubts about Kurosaki Rei's claim of being a vagrant—but now, Kurosaki Rei truly looked like a country dog that had never eaten its fill.
"Free and unlimited," Aizen confirmed. "Eat as much as you want. Just don't waste food—or the cafeteria aunties might get angry."
By now, they had reached the window. The serving lady seemed to recognize Aizen and greeted him with a smile.
"One serving of mapo tofu," Aizen said.
"You really do love tofu," the lady laughed as she served him—not too much, not too little. Clearly, she knew his appetite well.
Then it was Kurosaki Rei's turn.
His gaze swept over the food inside the window, then he looked at the lady, hesitating a bit before speaking. "Auntie… may I have one of everything?"
She froze. "Everything? Should I give you a little of each?"
Kurosaki Rei shook his head. Under Aizen's increasingly strange gaze, he said, "The same portion size as Sōsuke's tofu—for each dish. And… one basin of rice. Is that okay?"
The lady was completely dumbfounded. Her eyes traveled over the tall, broad-shouldered young man, lingering especially on his stomach, thinking: Can this kid really eat that much?
As the atmosphere grew awkward, Aizen actually spoke up.
"Auntie, Rei-kun just arrived at the academy yesterday. He hasn't eaten properly in a long time, and he has a big appetite. Please serve him for now. If he can't finish, I'll help."
Kurosaki Rei was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Aizen to help him like this. Whether it was to maintain his image as a kind, helpful model student, or whether he had other motives, Kurosaki Rei didn't know.
But one thing was certain—he desperately wanted a full meal. He accepted the favor.
"Well, since Sōsuke says so…"
The lady clearly liked Aizen. She relented and began serving Kurosaki Rei.
In the end, she piled up several metal trays of food, plus a large metal basin of rice, and pushed them over with a suspicious look.
"…Don't waste it."
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll finish everything," Kurosaki Rei said earnestly.
Using his fingers to clamp four metal trays together, he lifted them up. Just as he was wondering how to balance the basin of rice on his head, Aizen had already picked it up.
"Let's go. There are empty seats over there. You'd better really be able to finish it—otherwise I won't be much help."
Aizen glanced at the basin of rice in his hands, wondering just how confident this guy was in his own stomach.
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Kurosaki Rei followed Aizen to the table, sat down, then snatched half the basin of rice back from Aizen's hands and began to devour the food like a storm.
It wasn't just Aizen—nearby students who saw Kurosaki Rei hugging a metal basin and shoveling rice were so shocked they forgot to chew.
Halfway through the meal, noticing Aizen's gaze, Kurosaki Rei swallowed a mouthful and looked up. "Sōsuke, why aren't you eating?"
"Oh… I was just thinking about something," Aizen replied, coming back to himself. He scooped up a bite of mapo tofu and ate it.
Aizen rarely felt surprised.
Yet today, he had been surprised again and again—first by Kurosaki Rei's extraordinary combat skill, and now by his equally extraordinary appetite.
Watching Kurosaki Rei bury his head in food, Aizen thought to himself that in the entire Shin'ō Academy, Kurosaki Rei was probably the one who got the most value out of the free cafeteria.
Before long, every last bit of food in front of Kurosaki Rei was gone.
He leaned back, rubbing his slightly bulging stomach in contentment, feeling as though he had been reborn.
When the Company had imprisoned him, they only injected him with nutrient fluids. And in that era, Old Era cuisine had nearly vanished altogether. This meal at the Shin'ō Academy might very well have been the most sumptuous meal of his life.
After eating, his stomach felt warm, energy continuously flowing into his limbs and bones.
This was the marvel of Soul Society cuisine.
Everything here was composed of reishi. Eating it was equivalent to replenishing reishi—an excellent recovery method. Long-term consumption of high-quality food might even benefit spiritual pressure growth.
Of course, cultivation was still the main way to increase spiritual pressure—but he hadn't attended those classes yet and didn't understand the methods.
On the way back to the dorms, Aizen walked behind Kurosaki Rei. In his deep eyes, light flickered—like a child who had discovered a new toy.
He felt that his roommate might, in some sense, be a genius just like himself—at the very least, a combat genius.
Swordsmanship was already this strong. Then what about Hakuda? Shunpō? Kidō?
The corner of Aizen's mouth lifted unconsciously, then returned to normal in an instant.
Rei-kun… these next few years are going to get more and more interesting.
...
"In complex combat situations, sometimes we need offensive or defensive methods beyond our Zanpakutō…"
The instructor on the podium was delivering the theory portion of Hakuda.
Perhaps someone had given advance notice, because the first half of the lesson focused heavily on fundamentals. This time, Kurosaki Rei really was getting drowsy.
By contrast, Aizen beside him looked completely focused, occasionally taking notes—every inch the model student in the teacher's eyes.
"…Now then, we'll begin practical training."
As the instructor spoke, his gaze swept across the students. When it landed on Kurosaki Rei, it paused briefly before shifting to another student.
"Student Shihōin—your Hakuda scores are the best. Help guide the new transfer student."
Kurosaki Rei followed the instructor's gaze.
The girl who had been called out sat by the window. Her skin was a healthy chocolate brown, and she had short purple hair. Her looks and style radiated youthful vitality—
But right now, she was slouched back with her head tilted up, eyes closed, a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth.
She was clearly napping.
And judging by the faint silly smile on her lips, she was having a pretty good dream.
"Student Shihōin!"
The instructor raised his voice several notches, clearly annoyed. Yet he took no further action. The other students looked completely unfazed—as if this girl sleeping in class simply had the right to be inattentive.
"Huh? Present!"
The girl finally startled awake. Like a spooked cat, she jolted straight up from her seat—then landed lightly on her feet.
Watching this, Kurosaki Rei's expression shifted.
Things were starting to get interesting.
A chocolate-skinned beauty with the surname Shihōin… factoring in the age—
Don't tell me this is Shihōin Yoruichi?
He had read the original manga, but Bleach was notoriously vague about timelines. Even the captains' ages could only be roughly estimated.
By that logic, Aizen and Yoruichi really were from the same generation.
He just hadn't expected them to be classmates.
No wonder Yoruichi's tone toward Aizen in the original story was so teasing—turns out they were old acquaintances.
Kurosaki Rei hadn't seen Yoruichi in the morning swordsmanship class. He didn't know if she had skipped it.
Now, seeing the still-damp trace at the corner of her mouth, even the instructor looked helpless.
"Today we have a transfer student. You'll spar with him and teach him some Hakuda fundamentals."