Rukia Kuchiki / Actually, I'm a Great Noble Too

Whether that purpose was beneficial or harmful to him, however, depended on the specifics.

The corners of Tokoyo Misao's mouth lifted slightly.

Of course he knew why the Kuchiki Clan wanted to adopt Rukia.

Rukia was the younger sister of Hisana Kuchiki, the wife of the current clan head, Byakuya Kuchiki.

And Rukia's brother-in-law had been following her every two or three days lately, hiding to the side and watching.

That he had held out until now before sending his steward to raise the matter was already beyond Tokoyo Misao's expectations.

But he simply looked at Rukia's face without saying anything.

After waiting a moment, Rukia suddenly looked up at him. "What is it?"

Tokoyo Misao rolled up his sleeve and showed her the Eternal Eyes emblem on his armguard:

"Remember how you asked me a few days ago what this emblem meant?"

"Of course. I was really curious about it, so I looked through the noble family registers after class, but your emblem wasn't in there." Rukia nodded.

A few days ago, she had asked Tokoyo Misao what the family emblem meant.

But he had said he didn't know.

One of his reasons for wanting to become a Soul Reaper was to investigate the history of the Tokoyo Clan.

Rukia understood that Tokoyo Misao wanted to find his roots.

"The Kuchiki Clan is the oldest clan in Soul Society and the leader of the nobles. I think they must have some very old documents in their family.

"Maybe there are records about the Tokoyo Clan in them." Tokoyo Misao finished speaking with a calm expression, his eyes fixed on Rukia.

"I understand. Then when the Kuchiki clan head comes tomorrow, I'll agree to join their family.

"Then I'll earn their trust and find a way to look into their family history, to see if there are any records about Tokoyo."

Rukia nodded and answered immediately, without a moment's hesitation.

Tokoyo Misao smiled. "Want to get some dango?"

"Sure, let's get some dango!" Rukia turned around excitedly and marched off.

But after taking two or three steps, she suddenly raised her right hand, gathering Reishi in her palm to block Tokoyo Misao's sneak attack.

The two continued their exchange of attacks and defenses as they walked toward Junrinan's snack street.

Chapter 21: Rukia Kuchiki

Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, and Izuru Kira had agreed to go find Tokoyo Misao and Rukia today.

They had just come from the special training class next door to the hallway outside the regular class.

There, they saw Tokoyo Misao with his arms crossed, leaning against a pillar at the side of the hallway.

Not far away, Rukia was bowing slightly to a handsome man with long black hair and noble attire.

A gray-haired old man stood behind him. One glance at their clothes was enough to tell they were extremely fine.

"Wow, what's going on? Why would a noble come all the way to the academy to see Rukia?"

Momo Hinamori was the first to stop. She felt a chill in the atmosphere over there, and her body stopped involuntarily, keeping her from getting any closer.

Izuru Kira felt the same, but he walked over to Tokoyo Misao and stood there waiting quietly.

Renji Abarai wanted to get closer, but after only two steps, he felt an enormous Reiatsu bearing down on him.

His eyes widened instantly. He bent his legs and braced himself against it, staring at the young black-haired man in disbelief.

How could his presence be so powerful?

Who was this guy?

His presence felt even stronger than Captain Aizen's back then.

He was only a little over three meters from Rukia, but he couldn't take another step and could only stand where he was.

"Brother Misao, will Renji be all right?" Izuru Kira asked worriedly. The man's Reiatsu was clearly directed specifically at Renji to keep him from coming closer.

Tokoyo Misao chuckled. "It's all right. As long as Red-Haired Baboon doesn't lose his nerve, this isn't a bad thing."

Izuru Kira nodded, only half understanding.

A moment later, the handsome man with long black hair quietly said, "Take care of your affairs at the academy quickly."

With that, he walked past Rukia and left down the hallway with the old man.

As he passed Renji Abarai, he didn't even glance at him, ignoring him completely like a stone by the roadside.

But when he reached Tokoyo Misao, he turned his face slightly and looked over, his gaze falling on Misao's family emblem.

It was an eye without eyelids, and it looked very distinctive.

He had no intention of stopping to chat with Tokoyo Misao.

The man continued on with measured steps and left.

Renji Abarai, standing nearby, couldn't move at all. Even though the man had withdrawn his Reiatsu, Renji's body was still rigid.

Only after the man had completely disappeared did he come to his senses. He hurried forward two steps and asked Rukia, "Who was that just now?"

Rukia smiled. "That man was Byakuya Kuchiki, head of the Kuchiki Clan, the foremost noble family in Soul Society, and the Sixth Division Captain."

Renji Abarai's eyes widened. "Why would someone that important come to see you? What's going on?"

"The Kuchiki Clan plans to adopt me as their daughter." Rukia's smile faded. "From now on, I'll be Byakuya Kuchiki's sister."

"Wow, congratulations, Rukia! They're the most prestigious family among the nobles. Once you're in, you won't have to worry about the rest of your life!"

Momo Hinamori and the others also walked over, shouting happily after hearing what Rukia had said.

Izuru Kira offered his congratulations too. "Congratulations, Rukia!"

Tokoyo Misao said quietly, "Thanks for doing this."

Rukia shook her head slightly to show it was all right.

If she hadn't wanted to help Tokoyo Misao, she wouldn't have wanted to become the Kuchiki Clan's adopted daughter at all.

She had no complaints about her current life.

Although being assigned to different classes meant she couldn't see her other friends often, meeting them only once or twice a month,

she had Tokoyo Misao in the regular class, and she trained alongside him every day. Compared to her life before, things were already much better.

But Tokoyo Misao had helped her all this time, and now that she had a chance to repay him, she had to try.

Renji Abarai stood stunned for a long time before coming to his senses. He reached out with both hands, patted Rukia's shoulders, and laughed:

"Isn't that great? We wanted to become Soul Reapers in the first place so we could live good lives.

"That's the Kuchiki Clan, a great noble family you couldn't join even if you became a Soul Reaper. You have to seize this chance!"

Rukia pulled at the corners of her mouth, reached out to slap Renji's hands away, then crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, smiling:

"I've already agreed. From now on, watch how you speak to me. You have to call me Miss Rukia Kuchiki, understand?"

Her words had grown somewhat distant and cold, with a touch of arrogance, making her look every bit the young noble.

"Huh?" Renji Abarai's hands froze in midair. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to respond.

"Sorry to have troubled you, Miss Rukia Kuchiki," Momo Hinamori said with a smile, immediately bending into a bow.

"Hahaha, rise, Momo. I'll allow you to keep calling me Rukia." Rukia patted Momo on the shoulder, her earlier manner nowhere to be seen.

She spun around and kicked Renji Abarai hard in the shin with her right foot.

Renji immediately rose onto his toes in pain, clutching his shin with both hands as he shouted, "What was that for?"

"Idiot, what was that look on your face just now? So what if I become a noble?" Rukia yelled at Renji.

Only when she saw Renji's expression finally return to normal did she turn to Tokoyo Misao and say:

"I have to go pack my things at the dormitory in a bit. The Kuchiki Clan's carriage will come pick me up later, so you'll be the only one left in the regular class."

Tokoyo Misao smiled. "Don't worry. I'll come see you at the Kuchiki estate from time to time."

"Brother Misao, the noble district isn't somewhere we can just enter. Even if you become a Seated Officer in the Gotei 13, you'd have to apply well in advance to enter the noble district and visit a great noble family like the Kuchiki Clan, and your application still might not be approved."

Izuru Kira had family members who had been Soul Reapers, so he knew more about such things than the others.

When Renji Abarai heard this, his expression immediately darkened.

At that moment, he understood that he and Rukia belonged to two different worlds.

If he wanted to stay by her side, he would have to become a Captain-level Soul Reaper at the very least for it to be possible.

At the thought, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Then he suddenly realized that he and Tokoyo Misao were now at the same starting point, and his mood improved.

He looked up, only to see Tokoyo Misao pull up his sleeve, revealing the family emblem on his armguard.

At the sight of the eyelidless eye emblem, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Tokoyo Misao smiled. "Actually, I'm a great noble too."

Chapter 22: Actually, I'm a Great Noble Too

"Misao, you can't say things like that! You absolutely mustn't joke about it!

"If the nobles find out someone's impersonating one of them, it'll end badly!"

Momo Hinamori shouted urgently, reaching out to pull down Tokoyo Misao's sleeve and cover the family emblem. Then she continued:

"There was a guy in our special training class who said he was a middle-ranking noble, and later some people from the Nobles' Association came to question him.

"After they confirmed he wasn't a noble, he disappeared that very afternoon. The teacher didn't even give us an explanation."

"Brother Misao, Momo's right. That happened just a few days ago.

"Students like us can't go around pretending to be nobles, and neither can Soul Reapers." Izuru Kira hurriedly spoke up as well.

"Do you have a death wish?" Renji Abarai also shouted urgently.

His feelings were complicated at the moment, but he still instinctively tried to use his body to block the family emblem on Tokoyo Misao's arm so no one else would see it.

Class was about to start, and there were quite a few people in the hallway. It would be trouble if anyone saw it.

"So, Misao, you're a great noble?"

A voice rang out from not far away.

Everyone turned to look and saw the Fifth Division Captain, Sōsuke Aizen, walking slowly toward them with his hands tucked into his sleeves and a gentle smile on his face.

He came to a stop in front of them, sunlight from outside the hallway falling on him.

It reflected off his glasses in a white glare, hiding his eyes from view.

Sōsuke Aizen spoke gently. "Today is my calligraphy class again, and it's almost time to start."

Rukia immediately bowed. "Captain Aizen, I can't attend class today.

"The Kuchiki Clan plans to adopt me as their daughter, so I have to go back to the dormitory and pack my things now."

She raised her head slightly and said respectfully, "Thank you very much for teaching me all this time, Captain Aizen."

"Well, congratulations, Rukia," Sōsuke Aizen replied gently, drawing a hand from his sleeve to pat her on the shoulder.

"Though I'll be a little lonely when you leave, if you ever want to join the Gotei 13, you'd be very welcome in the Fifth Division."

"Thank you, Captain Aizen." Rukia nodded to her friends, then turned and walked toward the dormitory.

Only then did Sōsuke Aizen beckon to the others and say:

"What is it? Don't you want to attend my calligraphy class?"

For the past few months, Sōsuke Aizen had come to the academy one day each month to teach calligraphy.

Occasionally, he also taught Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, and Shunpo.

His classes were open to both the regular class and the special training class.