It was already around one in the morning at the sword training hall.
No matter how hardworking someone was, they should've gone back to rest by now—but for those obsessed with training, with climbing ever higher…
Midnight was when the body could burn at its fullest.
Another round of heated sparring ended, and the two of them—arms slung over each other's shoulders—dragged themselves to the edge to rest.
With his whole body aching, Shizuya went and bought two bottles of ice-cold green tea from the vending machine, then handed one to Tōsen.
"Yo. Yesterday's return gift~"
Tōsen fell silent for a moment before taking it.
"Thank you… You didn't have to spend money on me."
"Heh. Still being that polite?"
Twisting the cap open, Tōsen downed the bottle in one go.
As his body greedily absorbed the water, the artificial sweetness mixed with tea leaves jolted his tired mind back awake.
He wiped the corner of his mouth, expression still stern.
"Fair is fair. If I can't even manage something like this, how can I pursue justice and righteousness?"
"Well, having convictions is a good thing. I'm not gonna comment too much on your worldview."
Shizuya flopped flat on the floor, gulping air, and retied the hair that had come loose.
Tōsen angled his head slightly, uncertain.
"By the way… did something good happen to you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"When we were sparring, I could feel you making those disgusting smiles every so often. It made me nauseous, so I remembered."
He said the most vicious thing in the flattest tone. After two or three seconds of silence, he stabbed again—
"Six times."
"You even counted?!"
Seriously… what kind of 'blind guy' are you?!
Shizuya couldn't hide it from him. Laughing, he gave him the gist of how he'd found a job.
"Mostly handling some student council errands, and helping set things up when needed. It'll probably get busy during event periods. It's annoying, but it lines up perfectly outside class hours."
And it wouldn't interfere with sword practice at night either. He could squeeze every drop out of his free time.
For Shizuya right now, it was basically the ideal job.
Tōsen seemed pleased for him, but from an outsider's perspective, he quickly caught the odd part.
"Student council work isn't that simple… Arima, is it possible you got tricked?"
Shizuya froze, thinking of Isane's earnest, slightly simple smile.
"Probably… not?"
"Then there's only one other possibility."
Tōsen's lips curved into a teasing grin.
"That girl—Kotesu Isane—was looking out for you. She adjusted the 'work' hours for your convenience."
Without waiting for Shizuya's response, Tōsen chuckled.
"I don't know what this Kotesu looks like, but she probably has a bit of a soft spot for you… Hey, Arima Shizuya."
Tōsen didn't move his body, but he raised his left hand and pointed at Shizuya with an almost flirtatious air.
"The smell of spring… is coming off you."
…Tōsen Kaname, your jokes aren't funny.
Shizuya shot him a flat look, then lay back down, folding his hands under his head.
A soft hum escaped him.
A soft spot? Isane… for him?
He'd never considered it, but maybe he should at least entertain the possibility.
That tall, earnest girl…
Yeah… as scummy as it sounded, he had failed to keep his eyes to himself more than a few times today.
Her figure really was something.
And she lived on plain porridge—how did her body even work?
Putting everything else aside, just thinking about it made his heart stir.
"That's the smell of an animal in heat now."
"Are you a dog?!"
After their break, they went at it again with another intense round of sparring.
When he finally parted ways with Tōsen, Shizuya checked his gains for the day.
Another +2 in swordsmanship? Why is it so balanced…? By the pattern, it should've been only +1 left, shouldn't it?
It felt a little counterintuitive.
But Shizuya quickly realized the answer.
Tōsen Kaname was improving too.
Shizuya was certainly absorbing experience from Tōsen, but the reverse was also true.
Someone who would become a Captain in the original story wasn't going to have mediocre talent.
If anything… it would be strange if he wasn't progressing.
With that thought, Shizuya's grin widened.
Good. Keep this pace.
Step by step—this is the best route for me!
When he returned to the dorm, Shizuya took one last look over his status panel, tallying his progress so far.
[Zanjutsu: 33] [Hakuda: 22] [Hohō: 12] [Kidō: 2]
So neat it looked like someone had hit "sort descending."
Besides the first day's lectures, there was basically no more "audit" growth to be squeezed out of the four fundamentals.
Shizuya had thought it through.
Conclusion: the "teachers" just weren't good enough.
I mean, seriously.
If you put Aizen up there to teach me Kidō, I'd be getting +10 and +10 a day at minimum!
It was a shame—but it wasn't bad either.
After all, this was only first year…
There was plenty of time.
He slept like a rock.
The next day, before class, Shizuya went to the mutual aid area early again.
Isane was already waiting at yesterday's spot.
When she saw Shizuya, her face brightened visibly. She stood up and waved at him.
"Arima-kun!"
Keeping a woman waiting wasn't something a gentleman did.
Shizuya quickened his pace.
"S-sorry… I didn't expect you to come so early, Kotesu-senpai…"
He felt a little embarrassed.
But she waved it off completely.
"It's what a senpai should do. Besides, today I need to explain your work details, so I had to prepare in advance."
"Understood… Then I'll be in your care today!"
Isane looked genuinely happy, her smile impossible to suppress—so much so that her teeth showed, giving her a slightly goofy look.
"Y-yes! I'm the one who should say that—please take care of me too!"
Standing beside her, Shizuya skimmed through the tasks he'd be doing.
He listened seriously, but he also couldn't help noticing other things.
Like…
Isane smelled strongly of perfume today.
Not only was it more noticeable than yesterday, it wasn't the usual soap-pod scent either.
So she put on perfume?
And looking at her profile, her appearance seemed a little more refined too.
Even the ornaments braided into her thin hair-braids had changed.
It was meticulous.
And she'd clearly put in effort…
Remembering what Tōsen had said yesterday, Shizuya's expression turned a little odd.
Does she… actually have some kind of feelings for me?
—She's standing really close.
—Her gaze is really obvious.
—Isn't the perfume a bit… strong?
If only I hadn't listened to Kiyone… Is this going to look weird?!
After stiffly finishing the work explanation, Isane's heart felt like it had been shredded—by her own hands, no less.
She let out an awkward "eheh," and just as she thought she should hurry away—
Shizuya's voice came from beside her.
"I think I understand the work now. Thank you for teaching me, Kotesu-senpai."
Isane didn't dare turn her head. Her eyes darted around as she nervously toyed with the little ornament in her braid.
"Th-then I'll—"
"I feel like you're especially cute today, Kotesu-senpai."
"…?!!!"
Her heartbeat seemed to stop for half a beat.
Was that something you could just say?!
Isane nearly lost her footing. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing her face into a determined mask.
I'm not going to let him lead me around by the nose.
I'm a senpai, aren't I?! Kotesu Isane—be brave!
She whipped her head around, thick brows snapping up as if she was about to shout something like You insolent little—
But the words died in her throat.
Because Shizuya had pulled back his sleeve, revealing the swollen bruise on his shoulder.
He was smiling—bright and healthy, so dazzling she almost couldn't look directly at him.
"Kotesu-senpai, this is today's set of injuries. Sorry to trouble you."
Treating injuries outweighed scolding him.
The scale tipped instantly, decision made.
Isane could only frown and step in quickly, irritated yet helpless, as she began tending to Shizuya's wounds.
"You…! If you do this again, I won't help you next time…! Do you hear me?!"
It sounded less like a threat and more like a complaint.
So was she talking about him getting hurt…
Or him teasing her?
Better not ask.
"Got it!"
Watching her reaction, Shizuya couldn't help thinking—
The things I learned from Aizen really work… Dora-Aizen!
After Isane finished treating him, she left. Shizuya followed procedure, finished his work before class, and arrived at the classroom right on time.
For credits—and because he didn't want to get lectured by Aizen—skipping class was…
Not worth it.
When the morning classes ended, Shizuya was debating whether he should ask Isane to have dinner with him later—
When Aizen suddenly appeared, smiling as he beckoned Shizuya over.
"Shizuya-kun—one piece of good news, and another piece of good news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"…"
Was there even a point choosing?
Seeing Shizuya's expression, Aizen smiled a little wider.
"First good news: you won't need to attend afternoon classes. I've already arranged leave for you."
"Second good news: I've submitted your application to borrow an Asauchi, and now…"
"It has been approved. We can go collect the Zanpakutō that will be yours."
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