Aizen's Curiosity / The Class Placement Quiz

But he was different, so he didn't need to train that way.

His four friends all seemed to understand.

Renji Abarai let out a shout and charged toward the training ground, with Izuru Kira hurrying after him.

Momo Hinamori smiled and waved to Tokoyo Misao before rushing over as well.

Tokoyo Misao looked at Rukia, puzzled. "Rukia, why aren't you going with them?"

Rukia shook her head. "Right now, I should keep practicing Reishi control rather than making my meatball bigger."

She wasn't mistaken about herself. Rather than rushing to raise her Rei'i Grade, she needed to learn how to gain control over her own power.

"Good. Then keep practicing rock-paper-scissors."

Tokoyo Misao stood up and suddenly jabbed the chopsticks in his right hand at Rukia's forehead.

Thonk. Rukia crouched on the ground, clutching her forehead with both hands. "What was that for?"

"If you'd used Reishi to protect your forehead in that instant, it wouldn't have hurt.

"You need to make that reaction instinctive, so whenever I'm around, I'll launch sneak attacks on you." Tokoyo Misao turned around with a smile. "Want to take a walk by the river?"

Rukia got to her feet, grimacing, and followed him.

The two headed for the little river outside town.

Along the way, Tokoyo Misao flicked Rukia on the forehead one moment and rapped him on the back of the head with his fist the next.

Every time a blow hurt, Rukia cursed him out, but she never fought back, only gritting her teeth.

Likewise, every time Tokoyo Misao landed a hit, the pink Reiatsu trailing behind them gave a little twitch.

The captain was still tailing them even after class.

Chapter 15: Aizen's Curiosity

It was calligraphy class today in a classroom at Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts.

Although the vast majority of the students came from Rukongai and had never been to school, every one of them had shown up to learn calligraphy.

That was because their teacher was Sōsuke Aizen, the Fifth Division Captain of the Gotei 13.

He knelt properly before the low desk on the dais, his back straight, holding a writing brush in his right hand with impeccable form.

Stroke by stroke, he wrote the character for "heaven."

He gently set the brush beside the desk and spoke in a mild voice:

"Calligraphy isn't entirely useless to a Soul Reaper.

"It can help you regulate your state of mind and stay calm.

"Only then can you make the most precise judgments in battle. Everyone, give it a try."

As his voice faded, the students below picked up the brushes on their desks and began practicing.

Even Renji Abarai was behaving himself, his eyes filled with concentration, without a trace of restlessness.

Over the past few days, the more he practiced Kidō, Zanjutsu, cultivation, and Reishi manipulation, the more he understood.

Just how powerful Tokoyo Misao was in those techniques.

Catching up to him would be extremely difficult.

Even though his Reiatsu level had reached Grade 13, the gap between them hadn't narrowed—because Tokoyo Misao had now reached Grade 15 as well.

Every time he challenged Tokoyo Misao at the training ground, he ended up suffering a humiliating defeat.

So now, as long as it could help him improve, whether it was calligraphy or flower arranging, he would give it his all.

The room was utterly quiet, with only the faint sounds of grinding ink and brushes touching paper.

Sunlight streamed through the windows onto the students, giving the room the leisurely, peaceful feel of a summer lunch break.

Before long, Captain Aizen stood up and walked past the students' desks one by one, looking down at their work.

When he reached the window seat in the second row, he stopped, his gaze falling on the paper on Tokoyo Misao's desk.

The character for "heaven" was written on it as well.

Aizen tucked his hands into his sleeves in front of his stomach and leaned forward slightly. His gaze settled on the Eternal Eyes emblem on Tokoyo Misao's right wrist guard as he asked softly:

"Tokoyo Misao, the design on your right wrist guard is rather unusual."

Tokoyo Misao put down his brush and turned to meet Aizen's eyes through his glasses. He too smiled gently and replied softly:

"Captain Aizen, it's my family crest."

"Is that so? It seems I'm rather ignorant. I didn't know Soul Society had acquired a noble clan called Tokoyo."

Aizen questioned him again, his glasses reflecting white in the sunlight and obscuring his face.

In Soul Society, only nobles could have family crests.

Even the smallest noble family would design a crest for itself; it was a symbol of status.

Tokoyo Misao opened his mouth and sighed. "Perhaps it's because our family doesn't usually associate with outsiders that you haven't heard of us, Captain Aizen."

He grinned as he spoke. "But I believe you'll be hearing the Tokoyo Clan's name often in the future, Captain Aizen."

"If I have the chance, may I visit your home?" Aizen asked again.

The Great Spirit Book Gallery had no records of the Tokoyo Clan or Tokoyo Misao.

Although that was unusual, it wasn't unprecedented.

The library had always been guarded by the great noble Tsunayashiro Clan, and anything guarded by people was bound to have gaps.

At the very least, much of the history of the Tsunayashiro Clan and the other great noble clans had been erased from the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

What was unusual was Tokoyo Misao himself.

Even the Tsunayashiro Clan's current affairs were recorded in the Great Spirit Book Gallery; they merely cleared the records out regularly.

Yet there wasn't a single record of Tokoyo Misao, as though he didn't belong to Soul Society at all and was merely a phantom.

But Aizen didn't believe the Tokoyo Misao standing before him was a phantom.

Any great noble clan would have left traces in Seireitei, but he hadn't found any either.

That was why he had come to sound him out today. Perhaps he could find some information useful to him in this hidden noble family's home.

"I'm currently living in a dormitory assigned by the academy. I don't have a residence of my own. Once I've reclaimed the old family home, I'll invite you over for tea," Tokoyo Misao replied with a smile.

He made no attempt to hide the fact that he had no land reserved for nobles.

Nor did he feel inferior about living in a school dormitory.

He kept smiling as he replied.

Aizen looked surprised. "Do you mean someone has seized the Tokoyo Clan's residence?"

Tokoyo Misao's lips curved into a smile. He continued to meet Aizen's gaze without answering the question.

He had no idea whether the Tokoyo Clan actually had any property in Soul Society.

After giving him the Eternal Eyes, that old man had simply turned into black smoke and dispersed.

But since it had been one of the Five Great Noble Clans, ranked alongside the other four, it must once have been prominent and possessed a vast estate.

Since Tokoyo Misao had accepted their kindness, he had to reclaim the Tokoyo Clan's reputation and all its former property.

"I see. Then you'd better do your best, Tokoyo Misao." After speaking, Aizen straightened up and returned to kneel properly at the dais. He spread out a sheet of paper, picked up his brush, and quietly resumed writing.

In Soul Society, it was quite normal for noble families to fall on hard times and have their property seized.

Many lesser and middle-ranking noble families had been wiped out to the last member. Forget their property—not a single relative remained.

These so-called nobles were no different from starving wolves or wild beasts.

Still, he could start there.

Aizen took up his brush and wrote the character for "family" on the paper.

Aizen didn't entirely believe what Tokoyo Misao had said.

With his abilities, he could naturally tell that Tokoyo Misao wasn't lying, but not lying didn't mean it was the truth.

Now he was even more curious—were the Tokoyo Clan Tokoyo Misao had spoken of and that eye-like family crest real or fake?

Had they ever existed?

Aizen had always thought he knew Soul Society inside and out.

But now it seemed there were still many dark places within it, and many things he didn't know.

At that thought, the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile.

Below the dais, Momo Hinamori saw that smile and rested her chin in her hands, staring without blinking.

Tokoyo Misao merely turned to look out the window, a smile on his face as well.

He had no clues about the Tokoyo Clan, and he didn't even know what the dark space he had found himself in was.

Now he could use Captain Aizen's curiosity to help investigate.

He had great confidence in Captain Aizen's abilities.

Chapter 16: The Class Placement Quiz

A month passed quickly.

All twenty-six students in this intake had gathered at the training ground.

Ōunabara Gengorō stood on the platform with his hands behind his back, opened his mouth wide, and spoke loudly:

"Today is the quiz. You'll be tested on Zankensoki and potential. Only those who pass every part can enter the special training class."

"First is Kidō." Ōunabara Gengorō pointed at the row of targets. "Attack using the highest-numbered Kidō you can perform."

There were fifteen targets on the field, and Tokoyo Misao and his friends' turn came in the second round.

As if by unspoken agreement, none of them was the first to use Kidō. Everyone looked at Renji Abarai.

Renji Abarai took a deep breath and steadied himself, his eyes fixed resolutely on the distant target.

He raised his right hand and pointed a finger at the target, opened his left hand and gripped his right wrist, then settled into a horse stance and began chanting:

"Silver that tears the heavens, momentary rejection, reach the far beyond!"

"Hadō #4, Byakurai!"

Crackle! A streak of silver light shot from his finger and struck the target in an instant, sending thick black smoke billowing up.

Unfortunately, it didn't hit the center of the target.

He let out a heavy breath. For him, successfully casting it and hitting the target was already good enough.

Ōunabara Gengorō held a sheet of paper and wrote "pass" next to Renji Abarai's name.

Izuru Kira also extended a finger. "Hadō #4, Byakurai."

When he saw that his Byakurai had pierced the center of the target, he couldn't help smiling.

Ōunabara Gengorō wrote "excellent" next to his name.

It was Momo Hinamori's turn. She took an iron cord from her waist, with a dart tied to one end.

She held the cord in her right hand and spun it around and around like an electric fan.

The instant it reached its top speed, she let go. The dart shot toward the target and drove hard into the bull's-eye.

"No way. Has Momo learned a higher-numbered Hadō already?" Renji Abarai's eyes widened.

Izuru Kira smiled and said quietly, "It looks like she has."

Momo Hinamori extended two fingers and ran them along the chain at the end of the iron cord, chanting:

"Wind around, invisible threads of flame. Like a spider crawling through the void, at the instant of contact, bring down a curtain of calamity's fire."

"Race forth, dragon veins. From fingertip to blade tip, coiling violet lightning, become the chains that devour the enemy!"