Taking the Initiative / The Academy's Number One, Shūhei Hisagi

Rukia Kuchiki nodded solemnly. "Yes, teacher. I'll give some thought to practicing sword techniques."

She did not say she wanted to learn the techniques of her swordsmanship teacher's school.

In her view, though the teacher before her was fairly strong, the pressure he put on her was nothing compared to Tokoyo Misao's.

Even if she did want to learn sword techniques, she should seek out Tokoyo Misao, not the teacher before her.

A hint of disappointment appeared on the teacher's face. He had truly hoped Rukia Kuchiki would join his dojo and study his school.

She was the sister of Byakuya, head of the Kuchiki Clan, and was highly talented. It might not be long before she reached Fifth-Class Spiritual Pressure. Her joining the dojo would surely attract many nobles.

"That will be all for today, then." The swordsmanship teacher turned away dejectedly and walked out of the mansion.

Rukia Kuchiki put away her sword and let out a long breath.

Just then, a maid came over with cool water and a towel. Lowering her head slightly, she said softly:

"Lady Rukia, please remember your noble etiquette and wipe your face."

Rukia Kuchiki picked up the towel, dipped it in the water, and wiped her face, neck, and arms.

"Lady Rukia, all your favorite foods have been prepared." The maid turned and left with the basin.

To be honest, she still wasn't quite used to being waited on, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She sighed and returned to her room. The table was already laden with delicious food, and an elderly woman of the Kuchiki Clan stood beside it with her hands folded in front of her:

"Lady Rukia, when you eat, you must remember to..."

Rukia had only just sat down when she heard the old woman's nagging. She couldn't help straightening her back.

She then picked up a small piece of meatball with her chopsticks, opened her mouth slightly to put it in, and closed her mouth to chew slowly, trying not to make a sound.

These were the rules of a noble household. There really was no freedom at all.

After a few bites, even the delicious food seemed rather dull.

She stopped eating the fried chicken meatballs altogether and chose foods that were rich in Reishi but had little flavor.

After eating, she wiped her mouth and said, "I'm going to the library."

"Very well, my lady. An attendant will escort you."

After Rukia left the room, the old woman stared at the remaining fried meatballs, grilled chicken legs, and yakitori skewers. She abruptly turned and shouted to the maid outside:

"How did the cooks prepare the food today? Her ladyship didn't even finish it!

"Tell those people that if they can't make something her ladyship likes next time, they can all get out!"

The maid outside hurriedly said yes and turned to leave.

She rushed to the kitchen and shouted the old woman's words at the cooks, reproducing every word and her exact tone.

"Her ladyship didn't like it? That can't be right." The Kuchiki Clan's cooks looked at one another.

They had specifically studied what the young lady liked to eat at the academy to prepare for her arrival.

"It seems our skills aren't good enough. We have to learn! We'll go to the tavern in Junrinan later."

"That's Lady Rukia, Lady Hisana's sister—it's time to repay her kindness, understand?!"

"Yes!"

Chapter 26: Taking the Initiative

In a hallway at the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts, Tokoyo Misao scratched his head.

Another three days had passed, and there was still no response whatsoever.

Nothing had come from the noble district or the Gotei 13, and the enemy he had been hoping for had not appeared either.

No, at this rate, he was simply wasting time.

Although Rukia was already helping, to be honest, he didn't hold out much hope that the Kuchiki Clan had preserved any information about the Tokoyo Clan.

The same went for the Shiba Clan.

The Tokoyo Clan, the fifth of the Great Noble Clans, was probably hidden in the darkness of Soul Society. Information about it definitely wouldn't be easy to obtain.

In that case, he had to find a way to take the initiative and see if he could get someone else to help him dig deeper.

Should he find a way to get Shunsui Kyōraku, captain of the Eighth Division, to look into it too?

The man was the captain of the intelligence unit, after all, and he was a deep thinker.

If Misao showed that he posed a certain threat, Kyōraku should investigate with everything he had, right?

That seemed workable. But how much of a threat should he show himself to be?

"Big Brother Misao, what are you doing here?" Izuru Kira's voice came from behind him.

Tokoyo Misao turned to see Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori, each carrying a backpack for an outing.

"Where are you going?"

Renji Abarai laughed. "Our Special Training Class is going to the World of the Living. You regular-class students have to wait until at least your third year. That's the difference between us."

"Misao, we're going with the sixth-years this time. First, we'll be slaying Hollows and practicing Soul Burial," Momo Hinamori explained with a smile.

"We'll be going now. We can't get to the meeting point later than the sixth-years."

Renji Abarai waved, and the other two waved with smiles as well before heading outside.

Tokoyo Misao watched the three walk away, lost in thought.

If he remembered correctly, someone had actually arranged their trip to the World of the Living to practice Soul Burial and slay Hollows.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he hurried after the three.

He had just been thinking that if all else failed, he would demonstrate the threat he posed and get Shunsui Kyōraku to investigate the Tokoyo Clan.

But Kyōraku was, after all, a deep-thinking, mature and prudent captain. Even if he found something, he might do nothing and simply keep it to himself.

The man behind this trip to the World of the Living, however, was Fifth Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen.

His curiosity was just as strong, and his abilities were among the very best.

Besides, after uncovering Misao's secret, he would definitely come over to show off, saying something like:

"I know everything, Tokoyo Misao."

The reason he hadn't made any moves lately was most likely that he was laying plans for something else, and also that Misao hadn't aroused enough of his curiosity.

So Misao might as well take the initiative and ruin his plans, giving him enough interest to investigate the Tokoyo Clan more deeply.

The more Tokoyo Misao thought about it, the more excited he became.

Who was Sōsuke Aizen?

He was someone who would become a transcendent being in the future, with exceptional intelligence, a calculating mind, immense strength, and extremely powerful subordinates.

If Misao could disrupt his plans while achieving his own goal...

The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.

Sōsuke Aizen was strong. Even if Misao absorbed a vast amount of Reishi and raised his Rei'i to the pinnacle of Soul Reapers, he might still be no match for him... Should he abandon the plan?

Tokoyo Misao's eyes widened, and he quickened his pace, his pupils gleaming.

Giving up because his opponent was strong—that was how the weak thought!

It was precisely because Aizen was strong in every respect that Misao had all the more reason to make his move!

When Tokoyo Misao followed the three to the meeting point, he discovered that the Special Training Class had more than a dozen students.

Directly in front of them was a door, with three people standing before it.

One of them, an upperclassman with spiky black hair, the number 69 tattooed on his left cheek, and a sharp gaze, looked over and asked:

"You're not in the Special Training Class. Regular-class students should head back. The World of the Living field exercise isn't a game; it's extremely dangerous."

When the Special Training Class heard the spiky-haired student's words, they all turned and spotted Tokoyo Misao standing at the back of the group.

But none of them looked surprised. Instead, they thought it only natural for him to take part.

After all, among this year's new students, Tokoyo Misao's combat ability was simply too strong.

They had all seen him fight in the training grounds. The other students couldn't even beat his three punching-bag lackeys.

Those three punching-bag lackeys were, of course, Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori.

Upon seeing Tokoyo Misao, Renji Abarai immediately turned around, stood straight with his hands behind his back, and shouted:

"Senior Shūhei Hisagi, Senior Kanisawa, Senior Aoga, I believe Tokoyo Misao is absolutely capable of taking part in the World of the Living field exercise. Please let him join us."

"I think Tokoyo Misao is strong enough too!" Izuru Kira immediately shouted.

"Misao is really, really strong!" Momo Hinamori called out as well.

The other students nearby remained silent, but their expressions made it clear.

They saw nothing wrong with letting Tokoyo Misao join them in the exercise.

Shūhei Hisagi, who was leading the group, frowned. "No. The academy set the rules, and no one can change them."

"But Senior, if we're talking about combat ability, we..." Renji Abarai shouted again.

"Rules are rules. Keep arguing, and you won't be going either!" Shūhei Hisagi's voice grew stern, and he stared straight at Renji Abarai.

A powerful Reiatsu radiated from him and bore down on Renji Abarai and the other two.

The sixth-year Shūhei Hisagi had already reached Seventh-Class Rei'i. He could become a high-ranking Seated Officer as soon as he graduated, and was extremely strong.

The three found the Reiatsu oppressive. They stood their ground, gritting their teeth.

Just then, a hand lightly patted each of them on the shoulder, and they felt somewhat relieved.

Tokoyo Misao had come to the front.

He seemed completely unaffected by the Reiatsu. With light steps, he walked before the group and looked up at the three upperclassmen standing by the door.

He smiled and said, "If a rule is unreasonable, then we should break it.

"We came to the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts to become Soul Reapers.

"And Soul Reapers need to risk their lives fighting enemies.

"But if we can't defeat the enemy, there's no point.

"The same goes for this exercise in the World of the Living.

"Rather than worrying about who's in the Special Training Class or the regular class, shouldn't the stronger people be the ones to go?"

All three upperclassmen stared at Tokoyo Misao.

Shūhei Hisagi said, "Kid, are you saying you're stronger than us?"

"On paper alone, of course I can't beat you. But when it comes to actual combat..."

Tokoyo Misao looked at the three of them and smiled.

In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood, and a voice rang out from between Shūhei Hisagi and the other two:

"I'm indeed much stronger than you."

At some point, he had already extended both hands, striking with their edges at Senior Kanisawa and Senior Aoga.

Thud, thud. The two felt a wave of dizziness and went limp, collapsing onto Tokoyo Misao's outstretched arms.

Tokoyo Misao laid the two down in front of the door, then turned back with a smile to look at the wide-eyed Shūhei Hisagi:

"I should be strong enough, shouldn't I?"

Chapter 27: The Academy's Number One, Shūhei Hisagi (Please keep reading)

Gulp.

The sound of students swallowing rang out again and again.

They had always known Tokoyo Misao was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this strong.

It was true that Senior Kanisawa and Senior Aoga were only ninth-grade Rei'i Grade, two grades below Senior Shūhei Hisagi.