Are Hollows Scary?

"Rizukihime Kasumiōji, what are you wearing?"

The bald-headed Vice Principal Ōuna rushed into the classroom, scanned the room but didn't see Dōsan. His sparse eyebrows twitched, and he turned to look at the blonde Rizukihime, who was sitting with her Jirō crossed, completely disregarding the power of the Kasumioji Clan.

You old man, you meddle in so many other people's business.

Despite her initial indifference, Rizukihime eventually lowered her head under Ōuna's fierce gaze.

"Okay, okay."

Even when the teacher was scolding Rizukihime, the other students all lowered their heads; that old bald man was too scary.

"As Soul Reaper, you must be mindful of your demeanor and behavior. You are guardians of Soul Society, not Soul Society."

People fell silent, as if shivering in fear.

"Report."

Dōsan had just finished his inspection at this point.

"Come in."

Ōuna was stern, his face lined with deep wrinkles, but when he heard Dōsan's voice, although he didn't smile, at least the corners of his mouth turned up and he wasn't as serious as before.

I was the one who received special treatment before!

Sometimes, we only realize the value of something when we lose it.

Feeling discriminated against, Rizukihime puffed out her cheeks and raised her hand, "Hey, bald guy, why is he allowed to wear his own clothes?"

Ōuna turned his face slightly to face Rizukihime. Rizukihime wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that Ōuna's face clearly turned cold again when he looked at her.

This is absolutely outrageous!

Rizukihime pointed a finger at Dōsan Hanyū, her finger trembling with anger. "Teacher, why is he allowed to wear casual clothes?"

"Because Dōsan will only stay at the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts for a full year, and given that he is still a minor and his height will change rapidly, providing him with a properly fitting uniform from the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts would be a waste."

Puff...

Can minors attend school?

Although Rizukihime Kasumiōji is a bit of a slacker, she still has basic common sense.

Vice Principal Ōuna glanced at this troublesome blond-haired brat, the most troublesome of the three graduates, and thought, "If you paid more attention to Spiritual Pressure cultivation, you would have graduated early by now."

"Dōsan is the first in history."

A flash of anger crossed Rizukihime's eyes. No one in her Kasumioji Clan had ever suffered such humiliation.

Rizukihime immediately stood up, looking arrogantly at Ōuna, then pointed at Dōsan Hanyū behind her without turning around, "I'll take care of all the Spirit Academy uniforms he wears at school. He'll need a new set every month, or even every week. I'll make sure he always has a suitable Spirit Academy uniform while he's at school."

Hiss...

The uniform of the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts is no cheap item; a Rukongai in the District 1 of Rukongai might not earn enough in their entire life to afford such a uniform.

Sitting in her seat, Rizukihime, who had once again captured the attention of the students, blushed slightly, feeling both proud and excited.

Although I spent money, I successfully stole everyone's attention away from Dōsan Hanyū.

This attack hurt the enemy by a hundred, but also resulted in significant losses for both sides.

But I, Rizukihime, gained happiness, so it wasn't a loss.

Behind me, Dōsan Hanyū, who hadn't said a word since entering the classroom, suddenly had so many sets of academy uniforms, which was quite a pleasant surprise.

There are still more good people than bad in this world.

As was his usual custom, Dōsan stretched out his head and whispered in Rizukihime's ear.

"Thanks."

As soon as she finished speaking, Rizukihime's smooth, golden hair, like a waterfall, suddenly exploded, with the ends of her golden hair curling up into wool curls.

"Alright, let's move on to the third-grade curriculum and introduction." We've already been delayed for a while. The first day of school already had a heavy workload because we had three team leaders teaching our classes.

First of all, congratulations everyone on successfully advancing to the third stage.

"But remember what I'm about to say: the two grades with the highest repeat rates are the three-year and six-year repeat students, and they also have the highest mortality rates."

Six rebirths are one thing, since six rebirths require entering and leaving the World of the Living, which is always accompanied by various unknown risks.

But why is it also dangerous to be reborn three times?

Ōuna first presented a life-or-death crisis, then gave the students time to think.

The students' minds were instantly cleared; all they wanted was an answer from Ōuna.

Except for Dōsan.

He was a little confused. How come he was in the most dangerous grade so soon after starting school?

"After two years of study, you've learned about the responsibilities of Soul Reaper, but you lack Soul Reaper experience and power. You possess Spiritual Pressure, making you highly desirable targets for Hollows outside of Seireitei."

"After two years of study, you've learned the basics of Zankensōki, but that's just the very basics. You think you have the ability to fight against the void, but you're nothing more than bait for the void."

Rizukihime knew that the bald man was right.

She now considers herself to have the strength of a mere Seated Officer-level, but she still doesn't believe she is a weak opponent.

More important than strength is the instinct to fight.

Hikaru, who was sitting with Dōsan, stared blankly when she heard the word "void," as if she had felt fear, and tightly gripped her left arm with her right hand.

But not everyone heeded these words.

Ōuna scanned the academy below, her gaze meeting the eyes of each student.

"Sanjō, stand up!"

Sōji Sanjō, who had just concealed the disdain in his eyes, was inexplicably called out by name. He was curious as to how the vice-dean, who was giving him his first lecture, knew him.

"Are you dismissive of what I say?" Ōuna's stern tone made Sanjō tremble.

No, no...

"To be honest."

Sanjō lowered his head, too afraid to look at Vice Principal Ōuna's face any longer. "I just think that while we definitely can't beat the really strong Hollows, most of them are probably weaklings. I feel that the top students from our third year of high school can definitely take them down!"

Ōuna wasn't looking at him; instead, her gaze swept over the other students. "You all hold the same foolish idea, don't you?"

Looking at Sōji Sanjō again, Ōuna continued, "You came in third place in your second-year graduation exam, right?"

The vice president knew about this?

Could it be that I've become so outstanding that I've caught the attention of the vice dean?

Sōji Sanjō couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"Inorei Hikaru, what's your opinion?"

The student who came in second place in the graduation exam for the second time stood up. The usually taciturn boy didn't say much, but instead tore off his clothes, revealing his left arm.

The arms were jet black, with strange patterns engraved on them. For some reason, the trainees felt a sense of disgust when they saw these patterns.

"A few years ago, I was attacked by a lowly villain. Because I had trained at the Kasumioji Clan for many years, I thought I had a fighting chance, but in the end, I was seriously injured and on the verge of death."

Watermelon Head straightened his clothes, his face expressionless but deathly pale and covered in cold sweat. "Later, the doctors at the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Institute saved me, but this scar can never be removed."

"The price of arrogance is that my body has been like a funnel ever since; for ten years, my Spiritual Pressure has not improved at all."

Hiss...

None of the classmates knew that Hikaru had such a past. They only knew that Hikaru was very diligent and practically practiced while eating.

I never imagined that Hikaru had such a tragic past.

After Xiguatou finished speaking, Rizukihime, who ranked first, also spoke up, sitting in her seat, swinging her little legs, her expression calm.

"I haven't encountered a Hollow myself, but my mother, the previous head of the Kasumioji Clan, died at the hands of a Hollow, and that Hollow's true Spiritual Pressure might not even be comparable to that of Seated Officer."

Is emptiness really that scary?

The students were astonished. The head of the Kasumioji Clan's branch family, even without Zanpakuto, should be at least a vice-captain level!

Dōsan Hanyū was also surprised, recalling the past when he was just an ordinary bartender and encountered that clumsy Hollow.

Is it really that scary?

"Dōsan Hanyū, looking at your file, before you started your training, you must have encountered a Hollow. Tell the class about it!"

Hiss...

The students' eyes all turned to look; right now, Seireitei Dōsan Hanyū was the key to high viewership at Seireitei.

What do I have to say?

That punch, the culmination of ten years of training...