That brief yet unforgettable exchange ended quickly. Once Aizen learned why Arima Shizuya had been late, he went to the course instructor and explained on Shizuya's behalf.
After all, Aizen was a seated officer in the Fifth Division.
Compared to some run-of-the-mill Academy teacher who coasted through life without learning much of anything, that status carried a certain pressure.
And with Aizen speaking so politely—so tactfully—what room was there to object?
In the end, the instructor could only accept Shizuya's apology, albeit reluctantly.
"Though the process was somewhat… roundabout, the outcome is good. Shizuya-kun, next time please be sure to weigh your studies against your personal life."
Shizuya was deeply grateful for Aizen's help. At the reminder, he answered solemnly.
"Yes, Aizen-sensei. I will."
As they were about to leave, Aizen seemed to remember something. He stopped, then smiled and added—
"Oh, right. There's a lecture tonight—someone I personally invited. Don't be late."
So that was it.
Aizen hadn't hosted yesterday's class meeting—perhaps this had been the reason.
"Aizen-sensei… did you go invite someone really important?"
Aizen only smiled modestly, then nodded lightly, his tone faintly teasing.
"Someone who may surprise you as well, Shizuya-kun. Think of it as a fresh experience. It's necessary to meet people from time to time."
To be praised that highly—what kind of powerhouse was coming?
He was curious, but he couldn't skip the afternoon lessons.
By the time the day rolled on, his basic skills had improved little by little.
That sensation—steady progress, visible results—was dangerously addictive.
Shizuya felt like a sponge, greedy and earnest, soaking up every scrap of nourishment around him.
And the answer to his questions about Aizen arrived only a few hours later—standing on the podium in the form of a lazy-looking figure.
The man slouched at the front of the room. He lifted his right hand and casually dug at his ear with his pinky, his face heavy with fatigue.
"What is this~? Making a Captain come talk to a bunch of freshmen? Don't you think that's a little… lacking in dignity?"
Long blond hair with straight bangs.
A strange, mocking smile.
Eyes lazy to the point of indifference.
The man stood there with an air of complete nonchalance, and his complaint was clearly directed at Aizen, who stood to the side.
Aizen, for his part, didn't show the slightest temper. Instead, he gave an awkward smile and soothed him.
"It is my first time serving as a guidance instructor. I feared that an ill-chosen remark might leave them with the wrong impression."
So—
Aizen adjusted his glasses and continued calmly.
"In that case, I thought it best to request someone of Captain-class standing—someone capable of providing advice that is both fair and valuable."
A flawless response.
Unfortunately, the other man wasn't operating on a "normal" wavelength.
"Tch. But even if they graduate, it's not like they'll definitely join the Gotei Thirteen, right? And even if they do, they won't pick the Fifth Division—unflashy and annoying as it is. Rescue work is boring. So basically I'm giving a speech just to help someone else raise subordinates…?"
"Captain," Aizen said carefully, "please don't say the quiet part out loud."
"What's the problem~? It's not like outsiders can hear."
The two of them chatted back and forth, casual as could be, as if rank and distance didn't exist at all.
But below the podium, everyone sat bolt upright.
Because the blond man was wearing a white sleeveless haori embroidered with the Fifth Division insignia.
And if Aizen called him "Captain," then his identity was obvious.
"Ah~ right, I forgot to introduce myself."
The blond man's face pulled into a trademark mocking grin.
"As you can see, I'm kind of frivolous—probably don't look very reliable. But I am, in fact, the current Captain of the Fifth Division."
"And the boss of your guidance instructor here—Aizen Sōsuke."
"No point hiding it: we're short-handed right now. Badly. So today I'm also here to say hello."
"If you decide to join the Gotei Thirteen after graduation, then please—please join the Fifth Division!"
"Oh, right, right. My name…"
He turned halfway and wrote it on the board.
Hirako Shinji.
The handwriting looked strange—almost as if it had been mirrored, written backward.
To be able to freehand mirrored letters that smoothly… he must have practiced a lot.
And that smug, taunting expression on his face made it feel even more deliberate.
"That's all. Looking forward to working with you."
The students below kept stiff faces. They wanted to complain about a dozen things—
Because that did not look like a name a normal person could possibly have.
But with the weight of a Captain's authority—and the intimidation of a first meeting—
Academy students who weren't even seated officers yet didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
Only one person broke the silence.
"Excuse me, about that…"
The voice came from the back row.
Heads turned.
The speaker was Arima Shizuya, seated in the last row.
He wore a hesitant expression.
It was clear he'd wrestled with it for a while before finally choosing to speak.
"Captain… did you write your name backwards?"
In a setting like this, speaking so casually bordered on insolence.
Yet the blond Captain only looked more amused.
He raised a hand and pointed lightly toward Shizuya, smiling broadly.
"Oooh~! You've got a sense of humor, huh! To catch the essence of my intent—listen, I practiced that backwards writing for a long time, you know! You… could it be you're a genius too?"
With a dead-serious face, he was saying something completely ridiculous.
Of course, he didn't wait for Shizuya to respond. He continued on his own.
"Anyway, I'm not some stiff old fossil. So you can all relax a little. It's fine. The Fifth Division is that kind of laid-back organization."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, speaking cautiously.
"Captain… that may lead the new students to misunderstand the rescue division in certain… unreasonable ways."
"It's fine~. Nobody likes joining a plain, un-cool division anyway. We never meet recruitment quotas each year!"
"No, no, no—Even if it's a joke, this is not the place for it…"
Shizuya watched the atmosphere finally loosen, his expression turning faintly strange.
Who could have imagined that these two—so harmonious here—would become what they became a hundred years later…?
Damn.
Time really was a butcher's knife.
The class meeting ended quickly.
As he'd claimed, Hirako Shinji's talk was nothing serious.
Forty-five minutes in total.
He simply spoke from the perspective of a past graduate, openly venting about cafeteria food, incompetent teachers, unreasonable schedules…
The entire thing reeked of resentment, drenched in a heavy personal style.
It was the kind of speech that made you unsure whether you were supposed to listen—or not.
But near the end, Hirako suddenly shifted his tone.
"Thinking back, it was all a bunch of unpleasant stuff. But no matter what, it's still an experience you won't forget."
"Train well. Rest well. Don't waste your time—and don't wait until after graduation to regret it, saying something like, 'Ah, if only I'd tried a little harder.'"
"Because that would sound stupid, wouldn't it?"
Not comfort. Not encouragement.
Just a teasing tone—
And for that reason, it stuck even deeper.
Time was up. Their already short evening period had ended.
At the very end, Hirako Shinji flashed that trademark mocking grin again.
"I said a lot, huh. Guess once you get older, you can't help getting wordy."
"Well—speaking as a senior who graduated before you, I'll wrap it up with this."
"Freshmen—do your best. That's all."
He came with no presence and left like a slob.
Just like his introduction, the utterly unmotivated man stepped down from the podium without hesitation.
When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something. He stopped abruptly, turned back to the class, lifted his right hand, and pointed toward Aizen at the side, speaking with complete indifference.
"Oh, and you lot—try to feel at least a little grateful to this guidance instructor, yeah? If he hadn't deliberately made time to come to the Fifth Division yesterday, I wouldn't have shown up for this boring event."
Seireitei was vast.
Back when Shizuya had only read the manga, he hadn't truly grasped the scale.
But after living here for years, he knew the rules and distances all too well.
If you traveled on foot, going from here to the Thirteenth Division barracks and back would take an entire day.
And given how each division's grounds were spread out according to duty and location, the routes between them were equally long.
Shizuya didn't know what method Aizen had used to travel—
But the intent, the effort, left a deep mark in everyone's heart.
If you asked what a responsible teacher should look like, then the Aizen of today was practically the perfect model.
Of course, Aizen himself didn't seem eager to invite unnecessary attention.
Faced with the "accusation," he could only smile wryly, his tone careful and helpless.
"Captain… next time, please do try to keep such things to yourself."
Hirako Shinji laughed as he brushed past him, completely unconcerned, and patted Aizen on the shoulder.
"If you're going to do something, do it proudly, you bastard~."
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