Don't Bow Your Head, or Your Crown Will Fall
"I'm thirteenth class." Izuru Kira reached up and scratched the back of his head.
"I'm thirteenth class too," Momo Hinamori replied with a smile.
After that, everyone turned to look at Misao.
"Me? Nineteenth class," Misao said with a smile.
The four around him froze, staring at his back.
None of them had expected this guy's talent to be so weak.
"Pfft, hahahaha! And you actually expected me to call you lord? I've got it! From now on, I'll call you Dead Last!"
Renji Abarai strode forward, quickly circling around in front of Misao to mock him.
He raised his eyes to look, but saw no sign of frustration on Misao's face.
Misao's expression hadn't changed at all. He was still smiling, with no sign of anger.
For some reason, that annoyed Renji. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd lost another round.
Misao replied, "Rei'i only represents the concentration of Reishi.
The strong don't need it. If there's any combat training later, watch my moves."
"You're not giving up on yourself, are you? I was only joking."
Hearing the baffling words coming out of Misao's mouth, Renji Abarai hurried to comfort him.
Before becoming a student at the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts, everyone learned just how indispensable Rei'i was to a Soul Reaper.
If you had Fifth-Class Spiritual Pressure during testing, you could even attract lieutenants and Captain-level figures from the Gotei 13.
Yet this guy was saying, "The strong don't need Rei'i. Watch my moves"?
When faced with an absolute gap in Rei'i, what the hell good were any moves?
"I'm not giving up on myself. We've reached the training ground."
Misao walked down the corridor and arrived at the training ground, where he immediately spotted a white-clad figure standing beside the homeroom teacher.
He had brown hair and wore black-framed glasses. A gentle smile always graced his lips.
He wore a white haori over a black shihakushō, with his arms folded across his chest.
He gave off an approachable air.
All of this year's first-year students had gathered at the training ground.
There were three classes, two regular classes and one special advanced class, with only twenty-six students altogether.
After a little thought, Tokoyo Misao could see that this was a normal number.
The whole of Seireitei was nowhere near as large as Rukongai.
And among the wandering souls, not even one in a million could reach Twentieth-Class Rei'i, the minimum required to become a Soul Reaper.
For all he knew, twenty-six students might already be a relatively large intake.
Because that was what the man on the platform said.
"Hello, new students. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Fifth Division Captain of the Gotei 13—"
"Sōsuke Aizen."
Chapter 3: Don't Bow Your Head, or Your Crown Will Fall
The Gotei 13 was the center of Soul Society's power structure and the official organization of Seireitei.
The Shin'ō Academy existed to train people to enter the Gotei 13 and become Soul Reapers.
The organization was divided into thirteen divisions.
Each division consisted of one captain, one lieutenant, twenty Seated Officers, and hundreds or thousands of ordinary Soul Reapers.
Among Soul Society's wandering souls, only one in a million had a Reishi concentration high enough to reach Twentieth-Class Rei'i, the minimum required to become a Soul Reaper.
Of those who could become lieutenants, there was at least only one in ten million souls.
As for Captain-level figures, they could be said to be one in a hundred million.
These captains were figures who held real power in Soul Society.
The Captain's Haori he wore alone was enough to make every student present understand just how remarkable the man standing on the platform was.
"On behalf of the Gotei 13, I welcome all of you new students to the academy.
I also hope that, after systematic study and training here, you will become qualified Soul Reapers and join our Gotei 13.
Together, we will protect the Soul King, defend Seireitei, and maintain the balance of order among the three realms."
Sōsuke Aizen stood on the platform with his body slightly bent rather than straight, his hands hanging naturally at his sides.
His words were gentle, making all the students present feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze.
He continued his welcoming address.
Almost every new student at the academy involuntarily lowered their heads, not daring to meet the eyes of the man on the platform.
For a long time, even the most ordinary souls in Soul Society had understood that the captains of the Gotei 13 had to be respected.
But among the students, one person's eyes remained fixed on the platform.
At the back of the group of new students, Izuru Kira noticed that Tokoyo Misao, standing in front of him, still had his back perfectly straight.
He couldn't help reaching out to tug at the hem of Misao's clothes. "Misao, hurry up and lower your head," he whispered.
Though his voice was quiet, the students around them heard him.
They turned to look at Misao too, and found that his expression was no different from when he had been in the classroom.
He didn't seem to have much respect for the captain standing on the platform.
Rukia also whispered, "Misao, hurry up and lower your head. That's the captain of the Fifth Division."
Tokoyo Misao calmly whispered back, "Red-haired baboon, onion, lemon..."
After a brief pause, he added, "Peach."
By Peach, he meant Momo Hinamori.
He went on, "You came to the academy because you wanted to study and become Soul Reapers, of course."
"But is becoming a Soul Reaper all you're aiming for?"
"Shouldn't your goal be to keep training after becoming Soul Reapers, become Seated Officers, become lieutenants, and eventually reach the position of captain?"
"I-idiot! Of course everyone has dreamed of becoming a captain, but we're only students right now. Naturally, we have to show a captain proper respect!"
Rukia took half a step back toward Misao, keeping her body slightly bent as she hurriedly argued back.
"Rukia's right. My goal is to become a Soul Reaper captain, but what does that have to do with right now?"
Renji Abarai was a little farther away. He tried hard to keep his voice down, growling his words in a rush.
Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira said nothing, both looking at Misao.
"In that case, your goal is standing right there on the platform, so clearly visible and so close to us. Why lower your heads?"
"The goal is right in front of us. All the more reason to look carefully, face him, become him, and finally surpass him."
"Isn't that right?"
Misao hadn't deliberately lowered his voice this time, and all the new students around him could hear.
The students turned their gazes toward him.
Some looked surprised, some disdainful, and some eager to watch the show.
His words naturally reached the front of the group as well.
The homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow and hurried half a step forward, opening his mouth to reprimand him.
But Sōsuke Aizen raised a hand to stop him and said gently:
"That student did well. There is no need for any of you to lower your heads."
"If you are doing it out of respect for me, then you have held it a little too long."
"Raise your heads and look at me."
Aizen waited a moment.
Only when all twenty-six new students had raised their heads and were looking at him with wide eyes.
He raised his right hand level and opened it, palm facing the sky.
"Just as that student said, if becoming a captain is your goal, then you must not lower your heads."
His gaze fell on Tokoyo Misao's face in the second row from the back, at the far left, and he gave a slight nod of approval.
Then he put his right hand to his waist, grasped the hilt of his Zanpakuto, and slowly drew it.
"Since a captain is your goal, simply standing here on the platform and talking to you would be too vague."
"So, allow me to demonstrate a little of a captain's strength, to give you students a point of reference and a clearer goal."
The homeroom teacher beside him immediately shouted, "Everyone, pay attention! Captain Aizen has graciously chosen to show you his Zanpakuto's Shikai. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
The teacher thought that the students had only just enrolled and didn't yet understand the significance of this.
He raised his voice several notches again:
"Watch carefully, all of you, and burn every image deep into your minds!"
As soon as he finished, he stepped back and stood three paces behind Aizen.
Aizen then slowly spoke in a calm voice:
"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!"
The blade of his Zanpakuto turned into turbulent streams of water, like two water snakes coiling around each other and surging rapidly.
At the same time, a fierce aura burst from him and spread in every direction.
The sudden, immense pressure crashed down on the shoulders of every new student present like a tsunami.
A moment later, it pressed down on them like a mountain.
The pressure forced many of the new students' legs to buckle, nearly bringing them to their knees.
Several students were slammed straight to the ground by the aura. They lay there, unable to get up no matter how they tried.
"Damn it, it's so heavy!" Renji Abarai clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
Bent over, he struggled to straighten up.
"It really is terrifying." Rukia was doing a little better, though she had driven both feet firmly into the ground and stubbornly kept her body straight.
"H-how are you completely fine?" Izuru Kira had both hands on his knees now, panting heavily.
Large beads of sweat welled up on his forehead, ran down his face, and dripped onto the ground.
But he noticed that something up ahead wasn't quite right.
He struggled to raise his head and saw Tokoyo Misao ahead of him, still standing just as he had before.
He wasn't even sweating, and there wasn't so much as a change in the ground beneath his feet.
"Misao, you're so strong!" Momo Hinamori reached up to wipe the sweat from her chin, exclaiming in amazement.
"How the hell did you do that, Dead Last?!" Renji Abarai whipped his head around and shouted at Misao.
The homeroom teacher and Aizen on the platform naturally saw it too.
The corners of Aizen's mouth rose slightly, and he activated his perception.
His senses, like invisible tentacles, quickly settled on Tokoyo Misao's body.
But in the next moment, his brow twitched slightly.
Nineteenth-Class Rei'i.
Nothing hidden.