The Shin'ō Academy. Soul Society's only educational institution open to commoners — which, if you stripped away the formality, was just the Gotei 13's dedicated military school.
Since there were no ordinary schools in Soul Society for civilians, the Academy had to cover everything: combat training, basic literacy, etiquette, civic knowledge. A comprehensive operation by necessity. The Gotei 13 handled nearly all of the Seireitei's administrative and governmental functions, after all. Knowing how to swing a blade was only half the job.
The graduating class varied year to year — sometimes dozens, sometimes a handful, occasionally just a few individuals. But shinigami, as spiritual beings, lived for an extraordinarily long time. Barring an accident in the living world during a Hollow extermination, or some other unforeseen end, a shinigami could exist for several centuries before their reishi naturally gave out.
Because of that, most divisions weren't actually short-staffed. The exceptions were the Thirteenth, with its permanent assignment to the living world, and the Eleventh, which burned through members the way other divisions went through paperwork.
Speaking of which — neither the Eleventh nor the Thirteenth sent anyone today. Unusual.
Yoji let his gaze drift across the fifteen graduates lined up in three neat rows, and settled on the three standing at the front.
First was Yadōmaru Lisa. Black hair in a neat braid, glasses, expression composed and serious. Even at a glance she radiated a particular quality — the kind of student who had read every supplementary text and then found more on her own. Top marks in Flash Steps. Future member of the Visored, not that anyone here knew that yet. Capable, clearly. Easy on the eyes, too.
Next, Sarugaki Hiyori. Small frame, short blond hair, a slight pout already on her face and a look in her eyes that said she had opinions about being made to stand in a line. Top in combat. Also a future Visored. Also, famously, a short fuse attached to a very large amount of firepower.
And then, of course, Aizen Sosuke.
Standing there looking like someone's reliable older brother, warm smile and all. Yoji looked at him and thought: if he ends up in the Ninth, I will be sleeping with one eye open every night for the rest of my career.
He ran the numbers quickly in the back of his mind.
If he was being honest, the ideal outcome was getting Yadōmaru Lisa into the Ninth. Excellent marks across the board, clearly organized, clearly capable — she could probably cut the division's administrative backlog in half without breaking a sweat.
The problem was that she was exactly the kind of graduate who would be aiming for lieutenant from day one. And the Ninth already had a lieutenant. There was no pitch to make.
I was going to try to rope in a few talented people to handle the paperwork, but let's be realistic about today.
His gaze drifted back to Aizen, who was standing there being perfectly pleasant.
If I get through this without anything exploding, I'll consider it a success.
As if sensing the attention, Aizen turned his head slightly and offered Yoji a warm, unhurried smile.
Every instinct Yoji had fired at once.
He immediately shifted his eyes to the side, checking Hirako's back without making it obvious.
The three of them — Yoji, Hirako, and Kyōraku — got lumped together whenever the Seireitei's rumor mill was running, the kind of association that came from being seen drinking together one too many times. But Hirako was not actually an easy person to read. Neither was Kyōraku, for that matter. Both of them were playing games with far more pieces than they ever let on.
I'm just a guy who wants cheap drinks and a quiet life. Somehow I ended up in a group with two of the most dangerously perceptive captains in the Gotei 13. One wrong move and there won't be anything left of me.
Captain Ōtoribashi clapped her hands together with a pleasant smile, drawing the room's attention.
"You're all an impressive graduating class! Today we're here representing the Twelfth, Ninth, Eighth, and Fifth Divisions. That said, if any of you already have a specific division in mind, you're welcome to submit your application directly to the headmaster after we're done here."
She had a way of standing that made the space around her feel calm. Several of the graduates were already looking at her with the particular expression of people who had decided they wanted to work for someone before the interview had properly begun.
"With that said — if any of you are interested in joining us, please step forward."
Yadōmaru Lisa moved first.
She stepped out of line, stood straight, and spoke with the measured confidence of someone who had prepared for this.
"Good morning. I'm Yadōmaru Lisa. Flash Steps was my strongest area at the Academy, but I want to be clear that it wasn't my only focus. I've also put significant time into division administration, record-keeping, and financial management."
She hadn't finished speaking when Kyōraku cut in with a cheerful wave.
"Lisa-chan! The Eighth Division would love to have you. I've been keeping the lieutenant's position open specifically for someone like you~"
Lisa's brow moved, just barely. This captain... is a bit much.
Behind her, the remaining graduates reacted with poorly suppressed astonishment.
"Lieutenant — he just offered her the lieutenant's position outright?"
"That's incredible. First in Flash Steps really does open every door."
"I'm so jealous..."
When Lisa didn't answer immediately, Hirako spoke up with an easy smile.
"Yadōmaru Lisa — the Fifth Division would also be glad to have you. You'd come in as fourth seat." He didn't mention lieutenant.
Lisa looked at him. Something about the smile — practiced, effortless, just a few degrees too smooth — landed wrong. She filed it away.
She turned to Ōtoribashi, who continued smiling warmly and said nothing at all.
Lisa's eyes moved between the three captains, running the calculation.
Eight Division made the most sense. The lieutenant seat was on the table. Lieutenant Hisagi had made lieutenant within two years of graduating — Lisa had already decided she would do it faster. One year. That was the ceiling she was setting for herself.
She barely registered Yoji standing behind Ōtoribashi.
The Ninth Division wasn't in the running.
She stepped in front of Kyōraku and gave a short bow.
"Thank you for the consideration. Would you like me to demonstrate my abilities?"
Kyōraku laughed and waved it off.
"No need for any of that, Lisa-chan. Formalities are just a waste of everyone's time." He gestured to the space beside him, and she moved to stand there.
Normally the process involved the graduate presenting themselves, the captain outlining their division's priorities, and both parties making their decision from there. For graduates who were already known quantities, the ceremony tended to compress. For the unremarkable ones, none of this applied — getting accepted anywhere was the win.
Becoming a shinigami meant security. A position. A future with some predictability to it. The graduates who didn't make the cut had to look elsewhere — noble household guards, private employment, nothing guaranteed.
The second person to step forward was Sarugaki Hiyori.
She walked past Kyōraku and Hirako without acknowledging either of them, stopped in front of Ōtoribashi, and seemed about to say something.
Ōtoribashi smiled warmly. "The Twelfth Division is a very close-knit group — we look after each other like family."
Hiyori didn't respond to that.
Instead, her eyes caught something behind Ōtoribashi, and she leaned sideways to look around the captain's frame.
She pointed directly at Yoji.
"Hey. Why is there a fifth seat standing back there? Is that supposed to be some kind of insult?"
Yoji blinked.
What? This girl was clearly interested in the Twelfth. What does she want with me? When did I do anything to her?
"Oh my." Kyōraku's voice floated over, perfectly unhurried. "Yoji, are you looking down on the graduates? That's not a great look~"
"Typical," Hirako said flatly, not even glancing over. "He's always been arrogant."
Yoji's eyes went wide.
Excuse me? When did I become the arrogant one? I've been standing here quietly the whole time! You two are deliberately making this worse and you know it!
Ōtoribashi smiled, and with one graceful, unhurried step to the side, moved out of the way entirely, leaving Yoji fully visible to the entire training ground.
"Fifth Seat Yoji," she said pleasantly.
Yoji exhaled quietly. There was no way out of this.
He walked forward until he was standing in front of Sarugaki Hiyori, looked down at her from a calm, level expression, and spoke clearly.
"So. Why exactly should I, a fifth seat, have any particular reason to look up to someone who just graduated?"
The training ground went completely silent.
If they were going to put him on the spot, he was going to make it count. A fifth seat who got walked over in front of a full graduating class would never hear the end of it from his fellow seated officers. That wasn't a position he was willing to be in.
So. A lesson it was.