On the day the written exam results were announced, a massive notice board was erected in the plaza of the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Only a few dozen names were posted on it.
A sea of students surged forward to check the results—some faces fell in disappointment, others lit up with joy, and a few beat their chests in frustration.
Rukia was small and slight; there was no way she could squeeze through the crowd. She had no choice but to raise her voice and call out to the red-haired boy near the front.
"Renji! How is it?!"
"There's your name, Rukia! You passed!"
Renji turned his head with a wide grin and shouted back.
The tension that had been coiled inside Rukia instantly loosened. Her shoulders relaxed.
"And you?" she asked quickly.
Renji didn't answer.
He was still searching.
He scanned the board once. Then again. From top to bottom.
His name wasn't there.
"N-No way…"
His eyes widened as realization dawned.
After they stepped away from the crowd, Rukia asked softly, "What about you? Did you pass too?"
Renji scratched the back of his head. "No… I didn't. My name's not there."
Rukia froze. The faint smile on her face faded. She pressed her lips together.
"I see…"
She immediately tried to comfort him.
"Renji, don't be discouraged. The exam questions were really strange this time. At the Academy, we're mainly learning how to become Soul Reapers. You're already in Class A—you're amazing."
Renji waved it off, looking unconcerned. He placed both hands on her shoulders instead, encouraging her.
"It's fine. As long as your name's there, that's what matters. Rukia, you have to give it your all in the interview too."
Rukia hesitated.
"Actually… I never thought that much about joining the Student Council…"
"What are you saying?!" Renji interrupted her immediately. "So many people applied, and only a few dozen passed the first round. That means this Student Council must be something special. They wouldn't be this strict otherwise. Rukia, you can't throw away this chance so easily!"
"…."
Rukia stared into Renji's eyes.
They were filled with nothing but sincere encouragement.
In the end, she nodded lightly.
The day after the written exam came the interviews.
With only a few dozen candidates remaining, the workload wasn't overwhelming.
Shin, Kasumioji Kōgorō, and the heads of each department were all present. They borrowed two adjacent classrooms—one for the interviews, the other as a waiting room.
"Hello."
Rukia, who was sitting alone waiting her turn, suddenly heard someone greet her. She turned to see a girl about her age with her hair tied in a neat bun and an adorably delicate face.
"Hello," Rukia quickly stood and returned the greeting.
"My name's Momo Hinamori. I don't think we've met before—you're not in my class, right?"
The girl's smile was warm and friendly.
"I'm Rukia, from Class B."
Momo showed no hint of disdain at hearing that. Her enthusiasm didn't waver.
"I see. I'm in Class A. I wonder what the interview will be like. The written exam was already tricky enough—I honestly thought I wouldn't pass."
She naturally began chatting with Rukia. The reason she approached her was simple: there weren't many girls in the room to begin with, and Rukia seemed the most approachable.
"I didn't think I'd pass either."
"Then how did you answer that question about being assigned to a squad you didn't want to join?"
Rukia thought for a moment. "I wrote that it didn't matter. Any squad would be the same to me."
Momo tilted her head. "You can write that?"
"How did you answer, Hinamori?"
Momo looked troubled.
"I wrote a lot… Basically, that while at the Academy I would work toward my desired squad. But if I were assigned elsewhere, it must have been carefully considered by my superiors, and I would re-evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and do my best to serve that squad well… Was that too long-winded?"
Rukia shook her head quickly. "Not at all. I think you were very thorough. If it were me, I could never come up with something like that."
She couldn't help remembering how, after the exam, she and Renji had discussed the questions—and how his answer had been just one short sentence…
Maybe it wasn't so surprising he'd been eliminated.
"Momo Hinamori from Class A!"
A senior Student Council member called from the doorway.
Momo immediately stood up. "Here!"
She turned to Rukia. "I'll go first."
"Good luck!"
As Momo stepped out, she saw a senior speaking to a blond male student outside the other classroom.
"Congratulations on joining the Student Council, Kira. It's obvious the President thinks highly of you."
He passed already? He's from Class A too, right…?
Momo felt he looked familiar, but the semester had only just begun—she hadn't memorized everyone's faces yet.
They passed each other briefly.
Momo paused at the entrance of the interview classroom for a few seconds, took a deep breath, then walked inside.
The room was spacious and quiet.
At the front, near the podium, a row of desks had been neatly arranged. Seated behind them were the internal officers of the Student Council.
At the center sat the one person Momo recognized immediately—Tachikawa Shin, the Student Council President, who had delivered a speech at the entrance ceremony.
Facing them stood a single, solitary desk.
Momo walked up to it and noticed a sheet of paper placed on top—similar to the written exam sheet, but with only a few questions printed on it.
Before she could read carefully, someone from the panel spoke.
"Hello, Hinamori. Please begin by introducing yourself. You may talk about what you consider your strengths, your hobbies, and if admitted to the Student Council, which department you would like to join."
Because this was the very first recruitment cycle for the Student Council, there was no precedent to reference. Momo had spent the entire previous night imagining possible interview questions.
Now, standing under the gaze of so many upperclassmen, her heart tightened instantly. Even her breathing felt unsteady.
She stood stiffly for a moment before bowing.
"Good afternoon, senpai. I am Momo Hinamori from First Year Class A…"
Her introduction was ordinary. A little dry, even.
She said she enjoyed reading and studying, hoped to make more friends at the Academy, and added that she would be happy joining any department.
When she finished, she felt her performance had been mediocre at best. Her nerves only intensified.
"Don't be nervous."
Shin, seated at the center, spoke with a gentle smile.
"Everyone here is still a student. We're just a few years ahead of you. There's no need to be tense. This is only an introduction—just letting us get to know you. Don't overthink it."
The President…
Momo looked at Shin, surprised by how approachable he seemed. She relaxed noticeably.
From the side, Kanisawa cast Shin a brief glance.
Then Hisagi Shūhei spoke.
"There is a sheet in front of you. You have three minutes to read and think. After that, we'll begin asking questions. If you're ready sooner, you may inform us."
Momo picked up the paper.
There were only three questions.
First:
[As a student of the Spiritual Arts Academy, you encounter a Menos Grande while performing Soul Burial practice in the Human World. The senior leading your group chooses to stay behind and cover your retreat. What is your decision?]
Second:
[You are a member of the newly established Student Council. Many students at the Academy doubt its purpose and believe it to be useless. How would you change their perception?]
Third:
[You are the head of the Student Council's Finance Department. A festival is approaching. The Public Relations Department requests funding for a campus event, while Academy leadership asks you to allocate funds to purchase gifts for every teacher. The budget only allows for one of these. What do you do?]
After reading them, Momo felt a headache coming on.
Each question was trickier than the last.
She thought of the blond boy from earlier. How had he answered these?
There were no fixed answers. Everything depended on logic and persuasion.
She stood there thinking carefully, her mind racing.
"I'm ready."
She didn't wait for the full three minutes to pass.
Her gaze swept across the panel.
They were students like her—just older. But she didn't dare underestimate them.
If the President could stand on stage during the entrance ceremony—speaking right after the Headmaster—he was certainly not ordinary.
And the young man seated beside him wore refined clothing and carried himself with unmistakable noble bearing.
The questions were sharp—deliberately so.
Yet the sharper they were, the more convinced Momo became that coming here had been the right decision.
This was not some trivial student club.
Hisagi Shūhei spoke.
"Please answer the first question."