The Kuchiki Clan's Invitation

Isshin Shiba was the head of a branch family of the Shiba Clan, one of Soul Society's Five Great Noble Clans, as well as captain of the Tenth Division.

The nervousness Rukia and the others had shown when he appeared earlier was the normal reaction.

He had noticed that the boy named Tokoyo Misao had remained seated, completely at ease.

Pouring him a drink and offering a toast as an equal could only mean the boy's identity was no ordinary one.

Unfortunately, he had never been interested in things like noble clan crests and had never bothered to memorize them.

But that raised another question. If Misao really was a child of a high-ranking noble family, he should have been able to get into the special training class.

After all, the high-ranking nobles and the Five Great Noble Clans enjoyed privileges in the Seireitei.

"Come, let me offer you another drink, Captain." Tokoyo Misao smiled and continued pouring.

He wasn't surprised that Isshin Shiba didn't know about the Eternal Eyes Crest.

Once he officially became a Soul Reaper, he could ask the Shiba main family about it. They might have information about the Tokoyo Clan.

In all of Soul Society, not even Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai knew as much history as the ancient Five Great Noble Clans.

They drank until late into the night before finally parting.

Early the next morning, Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori went to the special training class at the training ground next door.

Of their original group of five, only Tokoyo Misao and Rukia remained, sitting in a corner of the regular class.

Rukia was nervous all morning.

When the drinking party broke up the night before, Captain Shiba had solemnly promised to come by today and help ask what was going on.

She still cared a great deal about not being able to join the special training class.

"Misao, why don't you care at all?" Looking at Tokoyo Misao's indifferent face, she couldn't help asking.

"A school is fundamentally a place to acquire knowledge and learn how to cultivate. Whether it's the regular class or the special training class, both have the basic conditions.

"Apart from better food and teachers with higher Rei'i Grades, there's nothing special about it.

"And those teachers' lessons don't mean much to me. I'm here to teach you anyway, so it's all the same, isn't it?"

Tokoyo Misao answered calmly.

"You just don't like the high-Reishi food because it's all sashimi or boiled meat, and it doesn't taste good, right?"

After spending this time together, Rukia had long known that Misao liked good food.

Compared to food with a higher concentration of Reishi, he preferred things that tasted good.

But high-Reishi ingredients couldn't be prepared using complex cooking techniques, so they really didn't taste very good.

Misao spread his hands and shrugged, as if to say, "You already know, so why ask?"

The interruption gradually calmed Rukia's frustrated expression.

With Misao here, his teaching explained profound things in simple terms and was much easier to understand than those teachers'.

Whether she went to the special training class or not didn't really matter that much.

It was just that Renji and the others could all go, while she couldn't, and she couldn't help feeling a little frustrated.

Knock, knock, knock.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Rukia and Tokoyo Misao had just walked out the door when they saw Captain Shiba standing in the hallway, his arms crossed and his expression somewhat grave.

The two walked over, and Rukia bowed. "Captain Shiba."

Isshin Shiba turned around and lowered his arms. In a quiet voice, he said:

"I'm sorry, but I can't resolve this for you.

"Still, I hope that when you graduate, you'll choose the Tenth Division."

With that, he gave them an apologetic look, then turned and left.

Rukia stood rooted to the spot, her mouth open, unable to say a word.

Tokoyo Misao reached out and patted her head. "Come on, let's keep practicing Reishi control."

Isshin Shiba was still frowning after he left the academy.

A short while ago, he had gone to see the academy principal and asked directly why Tokoyo Misao and Rukia couldn't enter the special training class.

He learned that the Kuchiki Clan, foremost among the nobles, had specifically instructed that Rukia not be admitted to the special training class. The reason was unknown.

Isshin Shiba understood that since the Kuchiki Clan had spoken, there was nothing the principal could do.

Somewhat puzzled, he asked, "What about Tokoyo Misao?"

The principal's expression shifted for a long while before he took a deep breath. "Because his Rei'i Grade isn't high enough."

Isshin Shiba glanced at the principal's face again, asked no further questions, and turned to leave the office.

Now, walking down the street, he looked up at the clouds overhead.

When it came to the Kuchiki Clan, even a captain could do nothing.

Whatever else might be behind this, he had no intention of digging any deeper.

Because right now, Tokoyo Misao and Rukia were not his subordinates.

If they joined the Tenth Division after graduating and encountered something like this again...

Then he would never turn a blind eye.

Chapter 20: The Kuchiki Clan's Invitation

The academy hallway.

Tokoyo Misao and Rukia walked side by side toward the academy exit, about sixty centimeters apart.

The corners of Tokoyo Misao's mouth lifted slightly. Keeping a smile on his face, he spoke as they walked.

"Two months have passed, and you've reached Rei'i Grade 10. Do you want to try applying to the special training class?"

As he spoke, his right index finger was curled against the base of his thumb, which held a small stone.

Just as he said "Rei'i," his index finger snapped forward.

With a soft click, the stone whistled toward Rukia's temple.

Walking beside him, Rukia kept her eyes straight ahead and replied as she walked:

"There's no need. That's all up to the academy."

As she spoke, she raised her right hand with perfect ease and clenched it into a fist. She gathered Reishi over the back of her hand to strengthen its defense and easily blocked the stone.

"Really? Don't you want to go to the special training class and keep cultivating with Red-Haired Baboon, Momo, and Lemon?"

Tokoyo Misao continued speaking.

He gathered Reishi in his right index finger and jabbed it toward Rukia's shoulder like a spring.

"But the teacher made it very clear last time. I don't have enough potential, so I'll just let things take their course," Rukia replied calmly.

As she answered Tokoyo Misao, she opened her raised fist with perfect ease and gathered Reishi within a very small area of her palm.

She intercepted Tokoyo Misao's finger with a soft smack.

Her little bit of frustration had long since faded.

And their interactions like this had never stopped throughout the past two months.

Whenever Rukia was with Tokoyo Misao, he would attack her anytime, anywhere. Sometimes they were chatting, sometimes they were eating.

Even during training in class, Tokoyo Misao might suddenly attack her while sparring with someone else.

Rukia had practiced Reishi control to a very good level.

She had also trained herself to respond to sudden attacks almost instinctively.

Recently, Tokoyo Misao had often completely withdrawn his Reishi and attacked from places where Rukia couldn't see him.

She was still somewhat unaccustomed to ambushes like those.

Just as the two reached the academy gate, a white-haired old man wearing a long white coat turned to look at them.

Tokoyo Misao asked, "Someone you know?"

"How could that be? Look at the coat he's wearing. He's obviously from a noble family.

"How could a peasant from Rukongai like me know someone like him?" Rukia shook her head gently.

The two ignored the old man and walked past him without changing their pace.

They had only gone five or six steps when the old man in the white coat suddenly spoke.

"Miss Rukia, please wait a moment."

Tokoyo Misao smiled. "See? I knew he was looking for you."

As he said "see," he reached over and flicked Rukia hard on the forehead.

At the same time, Rukia had already concentrated Reishi between her brows, completely blocking the flick.

She turned around with some curiosity and looked at the old man. "Sir, what did you want with me?"

The old man turned, walked over, and stopped in front of Rukia. "Could we speak privately?" he asked softly, turning his gaze toward Tokoyo Misao.

Rukia frowned. "Is there something you can't say in front of my friend?"

"It's fine. You two talk." Tokoyo Misao waved a hand, then walked twenty or thirty meters away and stopped.

Rukia's brows furrowed again. "Whatever it is, just say it."

The old man placed his right hand over his chest and spoke slowly.

"Miss Rukia, I am the steward of the Kuchiki Clan, one of Soul Society's great noble clans. I came to speak to you about a matter."

"The Kuchiki Clan?" Rukia's gaze swept over the silvery-white Kenseikan at the old man's neck.

At the academy, they had learned how to recognize Soul Society's nobles, especially the Kuchiki Clan, foremost among them.

Members of the clan usually wore a Kenseikan around their necks. It was one of their distinctive symbols, and no one else in the entire Seireitei dared impersonate them.

After confirming it, Rukia nodded and asked, "What does someone from the great noble Kuchiki Clan want with me?"

The Kuchiki steward smiled without answering, staring at Rukia's face and nodding repeatedly as he looked.

Rukia found this somewhat baffling. "If you have something to say, hurry up. I still have to go train with my friend."

"Miss Rukia, I came here to tell you that the Kuchiki Clan wishes to invite you to become a member."

"I have only come to inform you in advance today, Miss Rukia. Tomorrow, our clan head, Lord Byakuya Kuchiki, will personally come to invite you again.

"We hope you can give us your answer tomorrow."

The Kuchiki steward stared at Rukia's face for another moment before turning to leave.

Rukia watched his back with her black eyes, her brows furrowing again.

She truly didn't understand why the great noble Kuchiki Clan wanted to adopt her.

Adoption wasn't particularly strange. People who came to Soul Society lost their memories, so the vast majority formed new families.

Even in Rukongai, many families chose to adopt.

Nobles from the Seireitei also came to the academy from time to time to look for someone they could adopt.

But this was the Kuchiki Clan, foremost among the nobles, not some arrogant minor noble family, much less an old woman in Rukongai.

They certainly wouldn't choose someone to adopt at random, or out of kindness because they were in a good mood. They definitely had a purpose.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Rukia said, "The Kuchiki Clan wants to adopt me. Help me figure it out."

Ever since coming to the academy and cultivating alongside Tokoyo Misao,

She had unconsciously picked up Tokoyo Misao's way of handling things, analyzing a situation first whenever one arose.

Any other student at the academy would probably be overjoyed to hear that a great noble clan wanted to adopt them.

But Rukia, who had spent so long with Tokoyo Misao, immediately assumed they must have an ulterior motive.