Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu

With a rush of wind, a girl in a white Western-style dress smashed through an exterior window on the third floor and took an empty seat as though no one else were there.

It was the first day of the term at Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts.

The third-year students were curious about the commotion, but once they turned and saw who it was, they dared not stare. They lowered their heads and continued waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Rizukihime Kasumiōji, head of a branch of the Kasumioji Clan and the current clan head's younger sister.

According to the rules,

No one but a Soul Reaper could possess a Zanpakuto.

The Kasumioji Clan was currently, in name, the only arms dealer in Seireitei, with power and influence second only to the Five Great Noble Clans.

"Hey, Hikaru, why are you so listless when the term's only just started?"

Beside Rizukihime was a bowl-cut boy wearing an ordinary Academy of Spiritual Arts uniform.

The boy's name was Inorei Hikaru. With his bowl cut, straight bangs, and long face, he looked like a dwarf sitting beside Snow White.

"This morning, I practiced Shunpo for two hours while carrying a ton of weight," Hikaru said weakly.

Rizukihime's eyelid twitched. "So you're tired out?"

"No. It's just that I could already practice for two hours carrying a ton a month ago. A whole month has passed, and I haven't improved at all. It's torture."

Good grief.

Sure enough, the only way to enjoy a conversation with this idiot was to become an idiot herself.

Bored, Rizukihime picked up the class schedule, and her eyes went wide. Even as the head of a Kasumioji Clan branch, she couldn't ignore a teaching lineup like this.

[First period: Fifth Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen — calligraphy]

[Second period: Sixth Division Captain Kuchiki Ginrei — etiquette]

[Third period: Second Division Captain Soi Fon — flower arrangement]

[Fourth period: Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts First Vice Principal Ōunabara Gen'ogorō — third-year planning and discipline]

"Heh, hehe. What, is there someone with even better connections than this princess?"

As the head of a Kasumioji branch, one of the most prominent members of the upper nobility, her announcement that she was joining the Soul Reapers had drawn considerable attention in Seireitei.

She remembered that in the year she enrolled, Captain Aizen had made a special trip to teach her a class.

But compared to the treatment the person before her was getting, as if he were Old Man Yamamoto's own grandson, that seemed so paltry it made Rizukihime want to puke.

"Dōsan Hanyū, a new student who enrolled this year."

Hikaru's voice was still listless.

There was no one named Hanyū in noble circles.

Rizukihime lifted her smooth little chin. "What, is he richer than my Kasumioji Clan?"

"Apparently, he's the Shiba Clan's adopted son."

"Ahem, ahem." Rizukihime covered her mouth and looked around guiltily, checking whether anyone had noticed her earlier disrespect.

Only those at the top knew how firmly entrenched the upper class was. Never mind an adopted son—even a dog from the Shiba Clan would be treated as more important than her.

"There's no point talking about money among Soul Reapers. Is her talent as good as mine?"

Although she couldn't compare to geniuses like Gin Ichimaru and Kaien Shiba, Rizukihime only needed to study in class to keep up perfectly with her coursework.

Even making it through Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts in just six years without repeating a year was enough to be considered a genius.

She was only a third-year, yet a Vice-Captain-level Soul Reaper had already personally invited her to join a division.

"My brother said the Tenth Division's Third Seat has been vacant since Rangiku Matsumoto was promoted. A lot of people in the division have applied for it, but they've all been turned down. Apparently, it's being saved for Dōsan Hanyū."

Inorei Hikaru's older brother was the Tenth Division's Fifth Seat.

Rizukihime coughed twice more. This time, her eyes looked a little more sunken, and even her voice was somewhat weak. "Hehe, he's so impressive, he must be some middle-aged man, right? Is he as youthful and beautiful as me?"

As she spoke, Rizukihime tugged up the straps of her dress and stepped on Hikaru's foot, forcing him to turn his head.

Hikaru listlessly pulled a copy of Seireitei Communication from inside his clothes. "I don't want to pay attention to this boring stuff either, but this photo's been on the front page lately."

What photo?

Naturally, it was the one of Dōsan holding Soi Fon in his arms.

The Second Division Captain's lover couldn't be ugly, at least.

Even if he really was ugly, Rizukihime wouldn't dare compare herself to him!

"Hehehe, right, he's a new student, so he must be going to the first year. We must be overthinking it. Maybe the captains aren't here for him at all."

Hikaru waved a hand. Although he didn't think so, he couldn't seem to argue against it.

After a short while of silence, Fifth Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen arrived in the classroom. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Aizen got down to business.

"Congratulations on successfully advancing to your third year. During this school year, you will be introduced to Asauchi. Learning how to awaken an Asauchi into a Zanpakuto of your own will be a major focus of your studies over the next three years.

"Calligraphy is very helpful for controlling Spiritual Pressure, and a little later, I'll also introduce you to my Zanpakuto, the flowing-water-type Kyōka Suigetsu."

Hearing this, Rizukihime subtly puffed out her chest. She was one of the lucky people who had seen Kyōka Suigetsu before.

Sure enough, Lord Aizen hadn't come to teach the third years because of...

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I'll tell you in advance. This year, a transfer student named Dōsan Hanyū will be joining your class. I'm very fond of him, so please take good care of him." Aizen held a piece of chalk between his fingers and used the same chalk-dusted hand to push up his glasses.

Sitting below, Rizukihime felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. She couldn't take in a word of Lord Aizen's lesson.

Judging by the time, the third-year classes had already begun. Mitsui-san frantically wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

When a soul died in Soul Society, it lost all its memories and reincarnated in the World of the Living.

And by Soul Society's reckoning, a person's life in the World of the Living and their time in Soul Society after death counted as one lifetime.

Reincarnating again from Soul Society meant becoming a different life and soul.

But not every soul could reincarnate successfully.

Soul Society had made many efforts to protect the stability of the three realms, and this was one of them.

Age usually wasn't discussed in Soul Society.

But for someone under ten, frequent, intensive exposure to Spiritual Pressure carried a high risk of their soul being destroyed. This wasn't simply a matter of admission; even teaching him to cultivate Spiritual Pressure was a serious crime.

Watching Mitsui-san pace anxiously in circles, Dōsan raised his hand. "Excuse me, I should have been in Soul Society for more than ten years."

However frustrated Mitsui-san was, he didn't dare lose his temper with this young master, especially since he already had Sixth-Class Reiatsu while still a minor. With talent like that, he still had three years of rapid growth ahead of him.

"The thing is, some souls experience discrepancies in their memories when they first arrive in Soul Society, though the chances of a discrepancy as extreme as three years are very small."

Mitsui-san still trusted the instrument, mainly because other methods of measurement had confirmed the result.

There was no doubt that Dōsan was only seven.

Dōsan said no more. After all, he had forgotten almost all the memories of his previous life.

Mitsui-san was so worried he wanted to hang himself. Any other situation would have been easier to deal with, but he knew that three captains, plus his own immediate superior, were waiting to give him lessons.

Perhaps it was unlikely that they were there entirely for Dōsan Hanyū's sake.

But surely it was at least seventy percent.

Now the stage was set and the audience had gathered, but when it was time for the performance, Dōsan Hanyū, the lead actor, couldn't go onstage.

He could already imagine the looks on those captains' faces, as though they'd eaten shit.

And if he made those important people look as though they'd eaten shit, Mitsui-san worried he wouldn't even get shit to eat.

"The vice principal—has Vice Principal Ōuna still not arrived?" Mitsui-san asked urgently.

Aizen was in a fairly good mood. At least, as the lesson drew to a close, the students felt that Captain Aizen was in a fairly good mood.

"All right, my lesson is about to end. Finally, let me show you my Shikai."

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!"