Gin Ichimaru

After all, the Shin'ō Academy's teaching was quite good, and laying a solid foundation there would be no problem.

Besides, a change of environment and the chance to fight more people would help him raise his proficiency faster.

This had already been part of Kyōsuke Kuchiki's plans.

Compared to those old hands and sly foxes, the newbies at the Shin'ō Academy truly had greater potential—the potential to become his perfect tools and top-tier beasts of burden.

With that thought in mind, Kyōsuke Kuchiki nodded.

"I understand, Grandfather."

Seeing him agree so readily, Kyōsuke Kuchiki was rather surprised and said with a smile,

"Kyōsuke, if you don't want to go, don't force yourself..."

Competition at the Shin'ō Academy was still fierce, and contests and even deadly fights were unavoidable.

Even though he knew Kyōsuke Kuchiki was strong and had first-rate talent,

Kuchiki Ginrei was still a little worried.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki smiled. "I may not train very hard, but if it comes to a real fight, I'm confident I won't be weaker than anyone. So there's no need to worry at all."

"Well said, Kyōsuke. In that case, your older brother will take you to the enrollment ceremony."

Kuchiki Ginrei very much wanted to accompany his grandson to the test himself.

But his status was special, and he would probably cause a sensation if he went.

As members of the Kuchiki Clan, they did not want to break the rules and cause unnecessary trouble.

"Kyōsuke, let's go."

Without another word, Byakuya Kuchiki nodded and turned to leave.

Of Zankensōki, the fundamental skills every Soul Reaper needed, Shunpo was the only one Kyōsuke Kuchiki could use proficiently.

Before long, the two used Shunpo to reach the Shin'ō Academy in the western district.

A grand classical Japanese building stood before them, occupying an enormous area. Countless students were at the school's main gate, streaming in toward the registration area.

As a noble, Kyōsuke Kuchiki naturally had no need to wait in line. He walked straight into the academy with Byakuya.

"I'm going to the viewing platform. Wait here for your test."

After giving him that instruction, Byakuya Kuchiki vanished into the air with Shunpo and arrived at the pavilions flanking the Reiatsu testing area.

They were filled with nobles and Soul Reapers of Seated Officer rank or above, chatting as they looked down at the crowd waiting to be tested.

Noticing the tall, imposing old man in the honored guests' seats, Byakuya Kuchiki nodded slightly. A trace of respect showed on his face as he greeted him politely:

"Captain-Commander."

The old man before him wore a pure white haori. His eyebrows and facial hair were white, two long strands of his beard hanging down to his chest. His bald head had not a single hair, and two scars crossed on his forehead.

With his head lowered and eyes closed, the old man gave the impression of a sleeping volcano. He was Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, captain of the First Division and founder of both the Gotei 13 and the Shin'ō Academy.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki."

He nodded in return.

Chōjirō Sasakibe, lieutenant of the First Division, was seated beside him.

So were Jūshirō Ukitake, captain of the Thirteenth Division, and Shunsui Kyōraku, captain of the Eighth Division.

"It's quite rare to see you here, Lieutenant Kuchiki. Is there a student you're interested in?"

After greeting him, Jūshirō Ukitake, whose health had always been frail, coughed softly.

"My younger brother Kyōsuke is taking the test today."

After that brief explanation, Byakuya Kuchiki took a seat nearby.

At his words, a nostalgic look appeared in Jūshirō Ukitake's eyes.

"Back then, Shunsui and I passed our entrance tests under the old man's watch, too."

"In the blink of an eye, we've become seniors ourselves."

Beside him, Shunsui Kyōraku smiled in an unrestrained manner and said,

"Save the reminiscing for later."

"The test is about to begin. Let's see if there are any promising seedlings among today's new students."

Chapter 3: Gin Ichimaru

The people in the honored guests' seats turned their eyes toward the testing ground.

Unlike Genryūsai and the others, who were watching all the students, Byakuya Kuchiki's gaze went straight to Kyōsuke Kuchiki.

By now, Kyōsuke Kuchiki had already found a place to sit.

He was young to begin with and did not look at all out of place among the students. However, the Kenseikan binding the ends of his hair at the back was far too conspicuous, and it soon drew the attention of many commoners from Rukongai.

"Look, it's a noble!"

"That strange ornament... he must be a member of the Kuchiki Clan, right?"

Hearing the commoners' discussion, several young nobles who were also waiting for the test looked over and gave derisive snorts.

"I was wondering why someone from the Kuchiki Clan would enter the Shin'ō Academy."

"He's a noble, but I can't sense a trace of Reiatsu from him?"

"Huh? No way. Plenty of kids in Rukongai have 30th-class Reii!"

"Could this guy be a peerless piece of trash?"

"So even the Five Great Noble Clans have people like that."

"Haha, if he can't even pass the entrance exam, he'll lose face in a big way!"

"..."

Wary of the Kuchiki Clan, or rather, of Byakuya Kuchiki, they kept their voices down.

But the teachers in charge of enrollment naturally heard every word, and their expressions immediately turned awkward.

One of them even walked over and asked in a low voice,

"Young Master Kuchiki, there are waiting rooms inside as well. Would you like to..."

Hearing that, Kyōsuke Kuchiki glanced at the people still gossiping and smiled faintly, looking as though he did not care in the slightest.

"Thank you, but there's no need."

"We of the Kuchiki Clan follow the rules above all else."

"A few wild dogs barking because they're powerless aren't enough to make me break them."

"With dogs like these, the louder they bark, the more useless they are. There's no need to avoid them."

"..."

The moment those few words fell, the air around Kyōsuke Kuchiki froze.

The young nobles who had been holding forth moments ago immediately turned sour. But with Byakuya Kuchiki sitting on the viewing platform, they could hardly make a move, so they could only glare daggers at Kyōsuke Kuchiki.

Ignoring them, he continued to sit there lazily, waiting for the test to proceed.

One Rukongai commoner after another stepped forward, but few managed to pass. The occasional few who did only barely qualified with 30th-class Reii. Even if they graduated and became Soul Reapers, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder, not worth remembering.

When assessing candidates' talent, the Shin'ō Academy used the Reii classifications that came from the nobility.

40th-class Reii was the level at which Reiatsu had barely awakened. Only those with 30th-class Reii were qualified to become Soul Reaper students.

20th-class Reii was the level of an ordinary Soul Reaper, while 10th-class Reii was the level of a Seated Officer.

4th- to 5th-class Reii was lieutenant level.

3rd class and above was captain level.

When Captain-level Soul Reapers died, their bodies could not turn into Reishi. Only through a divisional funeral ceremony could they be ushered into the normal cycle, their souls returning to hell.

For noble children, 30th-class Reii was the standard for infants.

Naturally, they looked down on the Rukongai commoners and Kyōsuke Kuchiki, who could not even meet that minimum standard.

Just as several young nobles wore mocking smiles, a slender figure walked onto the testing platform.

It was a boy who looked almost like a child.

The boy wore a foxlike, cunning expression.

His narrowed eyes were long and thin like a snake's, and his hair was short and silver.

Under the somewhat surprised gazes of the crowd, the boy slowly poured spiritual power into the nine spirit markers.

Clang—!

A fierce light suddenly burst from the first spirit marker!

Vast Reiatsu swept over the entire testing ground like a tide that blotted out the sky, swallowing it in the blink of an eye!

The noisy venue fell silent at once. Countless astonished gazes turned toward the platform, and even Byakuya Kuchiki looked slightly surprised.

One, two, three...

As though struck by a tremendous impact, the still spirit markers lit up brightly one after another, trembling ceaselessly in the air!

After several seconds of dead silence, the person recording the results swallowed and called out in a trembling voice.

"Gin Ichimaru!"

"Test result... 10th-class Reii!"

"..."

10th-class Reii was the level of a Seated Officer, and the final spirit marker was flashing with a dazzling light.

This meant that the boy, childlike as he looked, had Reiatsu on par with the top ten seats even among Seated Officers.

"Master Genryūsai!"

His eyes filled with delighted surprise, Jūshirō Ukitake coughed several times in his excitement, nearly passing out.

"Without exaggeration, he's a genius that appears only once in a century!" Beside him, Shunsui Kyōraku reached out and patted his back, somewhat amused.

"Hey, hey, Jūshirō, you'd better calm down."

Chōjirō Sasakibe also spoke up.

"Indeed. When you two took the entrance test, your Reiatsu was at Vice-Captain-level. You were no worse than this child."

Hearing the two of them, Jūshirō Ukitake, who also came from Rukongai, smiled. His voice was still filled with excitement.

"He came from Rukongai!"

"As for my circumstances, they're rather special. You can't lump them all together."

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai opened his eyes slightly and nodded.

"He is quite good."

"With talent like that, barring any surprises, he'll probably be the top student of this class."

Beside him, Shunsui Kyōraku could not help smiling.

"Old man, don't be too strict."

"To have this kind of Reiatsu at such a young age, he's already stronger than many nobles."

"...Uh."

At that, Shunsui Kyōraku could not help glancing at Byakuya Kuchiki.

The latter's expression was indifferent.

His expression did not change in the slightest at those words.

Seeing this, Shunsui Kyōraku grew all the more certain that the earlier rumors were true: the second young master of the Kuchiki Clan was a genius too.

His talent was not inferior to Byakuya Kuchiki's.

And just now, Kyōsuke Kuchiki's presence had also felt a little strange to his spiritual senses.