First Meeting with Rukia

"Huh? Someone who knows Rukia? No way, Rukia and I grew up Little Ichi. All our friends besides us are gone. If Rukia knows someone, I should know them too." Abarai said to himself as he thought.

Ye Yang's expression turned cold. "Just go when I tell you to. Why all the nonsense? Do you want to keep training?"

Renji's body trembled instantly. If that inhuman training continued, he could forget about today. "But they're having class right now, aren't they?" Renji.

"It's okay, just tell her I'm looking for her, and her teacher will let her out."

Renji didn't know the exact situation, but from what Ye Yang said, it seemed that someone who knew Rukia wanted to see her. Since they were friends, there shouldn't be any problem. However, what Renji didn't know at the time was that he would regret this thought for decades.

"Abarai!" Ye Yang called out to Renji, "Call her to my office, and you come along too."

"Good!"

Ye Yang then said to the other students, "You all go back to the classroom first. I'll be there when I'm done with my business." After saying that, he went straight into his office and brewed a pot of hot tea.

A moment later Renji slowly walked inside and said, "Teacher Ye Yang, Rukia is here. Should we call her in?"

Ye Yang couldn't help but blurt out two words: "Nonsense!"

A girl slowly walked in from outside the door. She had short, black, upturned hair with a single fringe hanging down in front of her face. Her deep purple eyes were somewhat similar to Byakuya's. Despite her petite figure, she did not appear weak at all. On the contrary, she exuded a radiant and talented aura.

Her eyes held a hint of confusion but not panic, just as in the original work. She had the same face as Hisana, but no one would mistake them for each other. It was an aura that was immediately recognizable.

Although Ye Yang already knew, he still couldn't help but say, "Hisana..." They look so alike, they're practically identical. If you only look at their faces, they're practically the same person.

Rukia, somewhat confused by Ye Yang's words, asked, "Teacher, did you call me? My name is Rukia. Is there something you need?"

Realizing his lapse in composure, Ye Yang quickly composed himself and pointed to a seat on the side, saying, "You sit down first, and Renji, you sit down too. Have some tea first."

Rukia and Renji both sat opposite Ye Yang, with Rukia appearing somewhat flustered. After all, she wasn't sure what to expect.

Ye Yang continued, "Your name Rukia, right? You and Abarai are both from the District 78 of West Rukongai, right? Don't you have a surname?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Ever since I have memories, I only know that my name is Rukia. I don't have a surname. Everyone just calls me Rukia, and it's more affectionate that way." She wasn't bothered at all by not having a surname. Instead, she said it very frankly, which shows that she is an open-minded person.

Rukia, standing to the side, was full of questions. Renji had run into her classroom in the middle of class, saying a teacher was looking for him. She was still in class when, as soon as Renji mentioned the teacher's name, the teacher told her to leave.

Renji had mentioned it to her while they were walking, but given Renji's limited communication skills, she had no hope. Rukia still didn't understand what it was about even after they reached the office.

The fact that Ye Yang called her by a name she had never heard before as soon as she entered the room only added to her confusion.

Ye Yang interrupted her thoughts, "You said since you have memories? Then since you have memories, have you had any relatives? Parents, siblings?"

Rukia shook her head and answered with absolute certainty, "No!"

Ye Yang's lips curled up slightly. Anyway, the person had been found. He just needed to inform Byakuya, and then it was up to Byakuya to handle the rest.

Rukia had been answering Ye Yang's questions the whole time. After all, it was her first time meeting Ye Yang, and he was her teacher, so she was inevitably a little reserved. Ye Yang chuckled and said, "Hehe, don't be shy. I'm just confirming something. I know you must have a lot of questions right now. Ask away, and I'll answer you as long as I know the answer."

Rukia took a sip of tea, gathered her thoughts, and asked, "Teacher, what is it you wanted to see me about today?" As expected of Rukia, there's a difference between her and someone Renji, whose brains are all muscle; she immediately grasped the crux of the matter.

Ye Yang: "My name is Ye Yang Shihoin. You can call me Teacher Ye Yang from now on, though who knows in the future. The reason I asked you to come here today is because of a friend's request."

"A request?" Rukia looked at Ye Yang strangely and asked, "Teacher Ye Yang, what does your friend's request have to do with me?"

"Because she has been searching for someone named Rukia," Ye Yang said slowly.

"What!" Renji and Rukia exclaimed in unison. "Looking for me? Could it be someone with the same name? I remember that before coming to the Shin'ō was the Renji friend I had." Rukia looked puzzled; she didn't remember anyone she knew.

Rukia asked blankly, "Then, teacher, do you know who she is?"

Ye Yang smiled but remained silent. Rukia continued to press, "Teacher, you asked me if I had any relatives. Do you mean that I have a relative who is looking for me? Also, you called out a name when I just came in. If I'm not mistaken, she should be the person looking for me, right?"

After listening, Ye Yang couldn't help but admire her deductive abilities; she had already guessed most of the situation. Ye Yang nodded and said, "You guessed correctly, but I can't tell you too much right now. She will come to find you within three days. Just wait patiently at Shin'ō."

This time, it was Renji spoke up, "Teacher Ye Yang": "You said Rukia has relatives? Are they her parents?"

"I can't tell you that now, you'll find out later. But I can remind you, she's a noblewoman now. Once she finds you, she'll usually take you in, so you should be prepared."

"Nobles?" Renji asked. "You must be mistaken. Rukia and I have always lived in Rukongai, how could we possibly know any nobles?"

"We'll know tomorrow whether it's true or not. Alright, you guys can go out now." Ye Yang clearly didn't want to talk anymore, otherwise he would be tricked into revealing information later.

Rukia stood up and bowed to Ye Yang: "Teacher, we'll be leaving now. Thank you for telling me all this." With that, she led Renji out of the office.

Ye Yang nodded. They were indeed sisters. Although their personalities were completely different, they shared the same innate noble temperament and were always so proper no matter where they were.

"Byakuya, what will you do..."

At this moment, Rukia's feelings were even more complicated. It was like you were an ordinary orphan, and one day someone suddenly told you that your relatives were wealthy. No one could accept it all at once.

On one hand Rukia wondered what her relatives were to her, and on the other hand, she was wondering how to face these relatives she had never met. The word "relatives" had been an unattainable dream for her since she could remember.

Who doesn't want loving parents? Who doesn't want a sibling? For them, this is such a distant dream!

What Ye Yang said to her today undoubtedly ignited a flame of hope within her, and she even began to vaguely anticipate meeting her new family member, wondering who she might be.

She didn't really care whether someone was a noble or not; in her mind, there was a distinction between nobles and commoners.

Renji, on the other hand, had a different mindset. On one hand, he was happy that Rukia had found her family, because only people like them could understand how happy it was to have family. On the other hand, he was a nobleman, as Ye Yang had mentioned.

Rukia struggle to adapt to aristocratic life after being taken in by the family? Will they be able to treat her the same way as before once Rukia becomes a noble? What will become of me then?

He wanted to protect Rukia, but would Rukia still need him then? So at that moment, Renji made up his mind that only by becoming stronger could he protect her!

Meanwhile, Ye Yang was working on training plans for his students. Rukia's matter was finally almost resolved, so it was time for him, as her teacher, to take responsibility.

An hour later, Ye Yang slowly walked into the classroom, carrying a stack of papers. The classroom, which had been bustling with activity, immediately fell silent upon seeing Ye Yang. After all, Ye Yang had left a very deep impression on them today. His methods were ruthless and his actions were swift and decisive. Five students had already witnessed this today, and they didn't want to try it themselves.

Ye Yang stepped onto the podium. "Everyone performed well today, except for those few who left. Keep up the good work! Our training will only get tougher from now on, so if anyone can't keep going, they can quit anytime—it's completely voluntary."

At this point, no one in the class spoke. Ye Yang continued, "Today we tested everyone's abilities, and I have a general understanding of everyone's strengths and weaknesses." Ye Yang pointed to a stack of papers on the teacher's desk. "This is a training plan I developed based on everyone's abilities. You will practice according to this plan from now on."

"You must remember that the extra effort you put in compared to others is not in vain. There will be an assessment every week. As long as you train according to the plan I have given you, you will definitely pass the assessment. If anyone fails the assessment, as I said before, you are not needed in my class. Please leave." Ye Yang's eyes turned cold, and a chill flashed across his face.

No one dared to speak up; no one dared to provoke Ye Yang. "Alright, is there anything else you don't understand?"

"No!"

"Then everyone come up and get your copy of the training plan. Those who have it can go home." Ye Yang slammed the plan on the table forward and left. He didn't have time to say anything more; he still had to go to the Kuchiki residence to tell Hisana Rukia the news.