Cherry blossom petals at the Seireitei Academy drifted gently with the early spring breeze, scattering across the bluestone-paved campus paths. It was the first day of the new academic year, and the air was thick with the anticipation and nervousness of the new students.
On the path leading to the Freshman training grounds, one figure seemed somewhat out of place.
That was Kuroki Rin.
Some time had passed since that terrifying day when she had learned far too many secrets about her elder brother—the newly appointed Captain of the 6th Division, Shihōin Hiroki.
The sheer volume of information from that day was overwhelming, weighing on her heart like heavy lead.
After returning to the Kuroki Clan, she had shut herself in her room for a long time, trying to digest those fragments regarding power struggles, family deals, and even bloody purges.
Fear coiled around her like cold vines, making her afraid to take the initiative to approach her brother, who was at the center of that vortex of power.
She deeply feared glimpsing some truth she shouldn't know again, leading to unimaginable consequences, or even... being silenced.
It wasn't until today, the official opening of the Seireitei Academy, that she forced herself out of the house, urged by her father's encouragement and the enrollment notice.
The family's glory needed to be inherited, and becoming an excellent Shinigami was her destined path; this responsibility temporarily suppressed her inner unease.
She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on her luggage, and with her head down, joined the flow of people with hesitant steps, trying her best to hide among the many freshmen.
However, the Seireitei Academy was no ordinary school after all.
On the first day of enrollment, what greeted the freshmen was often not a gentle welcome ceremony, but a practical combat drill intended as a show of authority.
At this moment, on the spacious training ground, the freshmen were practicing preliminary swordsmanship sparring in pairs.
Kuroki Rin's opponent was a slightly taller boy whose moves carried a bit of recklessness.
Absent-minded, Kuroki Rin's foot slipped slightly while parrying a thrust. Failing to fully deflect the force, she was forced back several staggering steps, nearly falling.
The momentary panic almost caused the asauchi in her hand to slip, drawing several scrutinizing or contemptuous gazes from those around her.
"Hey, newcomer!" the instructor's stern voice rang out. "Watch your center of gravity! Enemies on the battlefield won't care if you're preoccupied!"
Kuroki Rin's face instantly turned bright red. She quickly steadied herself and lowered her head, murmuring, "Yes!"
"Honestly, just like a startled little rabbit."
A clear, cool voice tinged with a bit of impatience sounded nearby.
Kuroki Rin instinctively looked toward the sound.
She saw that the practice group next to her had paused, and a girl was standing there with her arms crossed, watching her.
The girl was quite tall with a straight, lithe figure. Her smooth black hair was tied into a simple ponytail, revealing a section of her fair neck.
She had exceptionally sharp purple eyes that seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts, and her gaze carried a hint of innate pride and criticism toward the clumsy performance before her.
She wore the standard academy uniform, and a uniquely styled straight-edged long sword hung at her waist.
"You don't look like the type suited for frontal combat," the girl continued. Her tone wasn't polite, yet it lacked mockery; it was more like stating a fact.
"With that move just now, you clearly could have chosen a better direction to sidestep and deflect the force, or simply induced him to lose his balance. Why meet it head-on?"
Kuroki Rin froze for a moment. She hadn't expected the other girl to point out her flaws directly. Although the tone was cold, it seemed... she was giving advice?
Looking into those sharp purple eyes, the tension in her heart strangely ebbed a little. She whispered, "Is... is that so? I didn't really..."
"Tsk." The black-haired girl frowned slightly. Without waiting for the instructor to speak, she stepped directly to the spot where Kuroki Rin had been sparring and tilted her chin toward the boy who had attacked: "Do that move again."
The boy was intimidated by her sudden, imposing presence and instinctively followed her command, thrusting his sword out once more.
The black-haired girl's gaze instantly became as focused as a hawk's. She didn't meet the attack head-on; her body moved as gracefully as a drifting wind. Just as the tip of the sword was about to reach her, she sidestepped with an impossibly small margin to avoid the main force, while her right hand, shaped like a knife, struck like lightning at the weak spot on the inside of the boy's sword-wielding wrist.
"Ugh!" The boy let out a muffled groan, and the practice sword fell from his hand.
The movement was clean and efficient, filled with the simplicity and effectiveness of real combat. Like the girl herself, it carried a sharp, piercing edge.
"Do you understand now? Fighting isn't about brute strength or tanking hits."
She withdrew her hand, her gaze falling back onto the somewhat dazed Kuroki Rin. "Your eyes... seem more suited for observing and catching openings than for frontal slaughter."
"...Thank you." Kuroki Rin snapped out of it and thanked her sincerely.
The combat skills the other girl displayed and her sharp yet non-malicious attitude made Rin feel a sense of goodwill toward her.
"Hmph." The black-haired girl seemed unaccustomed to being thanked. She turned her head slightly, paused for a moment, but still spoke: "...Name?"
"Kuroki Rin," Rin answered softly.
Upon hearing the name, the tall girl's purple pupils constricted slightly. Her gaze lingered on Rin's face for a few seconds with a scrutinizing flavor.
"Kuroki... Oh? That bastard Hiroki's little sister?" Her tone remained calm, revealing no significant emotional fluctuations.
Kuroki Rin's heart skipped a beat. The shadow her brother cast over her instantly loomed again.
She lowered her head, her voice becoming even softer, carrying an undetectable hint of tension: "...Yes. Do you know him?"
To her surprise, the tall girl did not show the curiosity, awe, or aloofness that others might have.
"Not well!" She looked at Kuroki Rin again, her tone becoming unusually level.
"Here, strength is the beginning of everything. Caring too much about status... or escaping what status brings, will only become a shackle." Her words were pointed, as if she could sense the invisible unease and retreat within Kuroki Rin.
These words were like a faint light piercing through the gloom in Kuroki Rin's heart.
The other girl had not only refrained from approaching or distancing herself because of Rin's status, but had also seen through her inner struggle in one sentence and given her a simple truth—focus on strength itself.
It was a strange feeling; within Yomi's coldness was a clarity that went straight to the essence and a peculiar sense of reliability.
In the following practice sessions arranged by the instructor, Kuroki Rin followed the approach Yomi had suggested. She no longer tried to tank everything head-on but instead attempted to observe her opponent's movements to find gaps. Though still unrefined, her movements became smoother, and she successfully avoided several key attacks.
She couldn't help but peek in Yomi's direction. She saw the other girl standing alone at a distance, practicing basic sword swings. Her movements were as precise as if measured by a ruler, each strike carrying the sound of breaking wind, her expression focused and stern.
The surrounding freshmen seemed a bit afraid to approach her, forming a small vacuum zone around her.
During the lunch break, Kuroki Rin held her simple lunch box, still feeling a trace of joy over her progress in today's practice, while also feeling a bit embarrassed by the instructor's scolding and Yomi's sharp gaze earlier that morning.
She instinctively looked for that tall figure and finally found Isayama Yomi leaning alone against the trunk of a massive cherry tree in a corner of the academy, resting with her eyes closed.
Sunlight filtered through the sparse branches of the cherry tree, scattering spots of light on her, adding a touch of softness to her stern profile.
She seemed to be cradling a wrapped sword in her arms, looking more like a precious companion than a training tool.
Kuroki Rin hesitated for a moment, then summoned her courage and walked over with light steps.
Yomi didn't seem to open her eyes, but as soon as the faint footsteps stopped, her cool voice rang out: "Is something the matter?"
"Um... thank you for your guidance this morning," Kuroki Rin said sincerely. "My name is Kuroki Rin. Can we... get to know each other?" She held out her hand, palm up, in a friendly gesture.
Yomi finally opened her eyes, her purple pupils appearing translucent in the sunlight. She looked at Kuroki Rin's outstretched hand but didn't move immediately. Her gaze scrutinized Rin's face for a few seconds, as if assessing whether her determination was sufficient.
After a moment, she reached out. She didn't take Rin's hand but instead placed a large, still-warm rice ball wrapped in a handkerchief into Rin's palm.
It felt warm and soft to the touch.
"Isayama Yomi."
She clearly stated her name; this time, it was a formal response.
She looked at Kuroki Rin's surprised and joyful expression, then at her lunch box. Her tone remained flat, even a bit disdainful, yet it carried an undetectable hint of... awkward concern:
"Looking at your portion size, I'm afraid you'll faint from hunger during afternoon training and embarrass yourself." That small lunch box indeed didn't contain much.
Holding the unexpectedly offered rice ball, the warm sensation spread from Kuroki Rin's palm all the way to her heart, dispelling the last bits of loneliness and unease.
She looked up at Yomi, her face breaking into the most sincere and relaxed smile since the start of school, the apprehension in her eyes completely replaced by warmth.
"Mm!" She nodded vigorously and sat down by the tree roots not far from Yomi, carefully unwrapping the handkerchief around the rice ball.
A bond called "friendship" was naturally tied between the two girls, who had found an unexpected connection during their first conversation, right there in that sun-warmed corner of the academy as cherry blossoms fell.
Although Yomi remained her cold and aloof self, and Rin still carried some confusion about the future and fear of her brother, at this moment, at this brand-new starting point, they each had someone who could walk by their side.