Chapter 2

Rough, somewhat dark skin, blue veins visible beneath it, and broad, callused knuckles—these features considerably subdued what should have been a handsome, "fresh-faced" look. Yet beneath his short, tousled black hair, which had a natural curl to it, the ever-present smile on his lips softened the faint sense of pressure he gave off.

That pressure came from the way Haruto occasionally narrowed his eyes, even without meaning to.

It wasn't his fault his eyes were small.

After all, whenever he smiled, the muscles around his eyes naturally curved into crescents.

On a cheerful girl with larger eyes, those crescent-shaped eyes might have charmed many a hot-blooded young man.

Unfortunately, on Haruto, they were more likely to frighten anyone who didn't know him:

As though the moment he opened his eyes, he would draw his sword and cut someone down.

"Students called below, prepare to enter—"

The training ground used for the assessment was fairly large, but there were a great many students.

"It's my turn."

Haruto heard the examiner call his name.

"Mm..."

After glancing at the students gathered by the entrance, Haruto turned around, bent down, and gently patted Ise on the head. His touch was so light that not a single strand of the girl's somewhat loose hair slipped out from behind her ear and fell beside her eyes.

"You don't need to wait here."

"The Kidō advancement exam won't be difficult for me at all. You know that better than anyone, don't you, Nanao?"

"But—"

The girl had barely begun to speak when Haruto stopped her with a raised index finger.

"No buts."

"Hurry over to the main auditorium. The Eighth Division is here today."

"If you miss this chance, who knows when you'll get to see your beloved Lieutenant Kyō... Yadōmaru again."

Haruto changed the subject without drawing attention to it.

As the "intelligence division," the Eighth Division dealt with many classified matters and suffered relatively low combat losses among the Gotei 13, so it rarely recruited directly from Shin'ō Academy. This time, a Captain-level figure had even come in person.

"Then... I'm going?"

"Go on!"

Haruto gave the still-hesitant Ise a gentle push from behind and watched her leave with a smile.

"..."

Only when the girl's figure had disappeared completely into the crowd did Haruto gradually lower his waving arm, much of the smile quietly fading from his face.

It couldn't be helped.

Only his name belonged here.

At the entrance to the training ground.

Haruto was much bigger than the average student, and even surrounded by a crowd, he still drew plenty of attention.

And his height wasn't the only reason:

Haruto, who came from a remote part of Rukongai, was close to some of the academy's few noble-born students.

Haruto had excellent grades, but because of this, certain student groups held him in very low regard... Though his own inner monologue put it differently—

It's not that I wanted to latch onto nobles. The people I latched onto just happened to be nobles.

Before long, it was Haruto's turn to enter.

"Sensei."

"Oh, hey~"

The examiner's eyes lit up at the sight of Haruto.

"You got lucky with the draw."

The teacher Haruto had addressed was a female Soul Reaper dressed in a black uniform.

Judging by looks alone, there might have been quite a few students at the Spiritual Arts Academy who could match her. But when it came to the towering expanse of her chest, a ridge from the front and peaks from the side, she could instantly crush the unworldly youthfulness of all the youngsters with a terrifying, overwhelming advantage.

"Please don't tease me, Mutsuki-sensei."

The examiner before him was the homeroom teacher of Haruto's fifth-year Class 1, as well as the Fifth Division's seventh seat: Mutsuki Shōkaku.

Being Class 1's homeroom teacher was no easy job. The students in that class were among the very best in their year.

The abilities of an ordinary Seated Officer weren't enough to earn their respect; it had to be a high-ranking Seated Officer capable of releasing a Zanpakuto's Shikai.

Mutsuki Shōkaku was a Soul Reaper with precisely that ability.

"I'm not using Shakkahō because I really am no good at intermediate Hadō."

Haruto explained with a wry smile.

"Can you swear to that?"

"..."

"Oh, never mind. I'll stop teasing you."

Mutsuki gave Haruto a hearty pat on the shoulder, and the insignificant recoil sent the mountains swaying quite noticeably.

While the cleavage drew the attention of quite a few students, Mutsuki's right hand, resting on Haruto's shoulder, gave it a seemingly casual squeeze.

"Keep working hard."

Her fingers, carrying a faint scent of lilies, withdrew as soon as they touched him.

"You're still quite a ways off."

"...Thank you, Sensei."

In front of the Seated Officer and homeroom teacher, Haruto remained as modest as ever.

"So—"

Tossing the ponytail that hung over her shoulder and across her collarbone behind her, Mutsuki yawned and asked in a somewhat languid tone:

"Are you sure you don't want to use a different Kidō for the assessment?"

"..."

Haruto didn't answer directly, but Mutsuki had already gotten her answer from his attitude:

"Still Byakurai?"

"That's right."

Haruto nodded under Mutsuki's piercing gaze.

"If I remember correctly, you've used Byakurai for every assessment since I started teaching you in your first year, haven't you?"

"Of course you're right, Sensei."

"Stop buttering me up!"

Mutsuki Shōkaku's nonchalant expression grew somewhat more serious than before.

Mutsuki took considerable care of Haruto, having personally taught him from his first year to the present. He was one of the few students whose assessment results had been good enough to keep him at Class 1 level for five consecutive years.

"You saw how difficult the assessment was just now. Only a handful of people have gotten top marks so far. No matter how good you are at Byakurai, it's still only the most basic Hadō. If you want to get top marks in Kidō with that..."

"Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're my student!"

Mutsuki's tone suddenly turned sharp, but Haruto could tell that Mutsuki-sensei was genuinely worried about his results.

"Thank you for the advice, Sensei."

"But please don't worry. I picked up quite a few Byakurai techniques from the young master, so this assessment shouldn't be too hard for me."

"The young master?"

Mutsuki didn't immediately understand Haruto's choice of words.

But soon—

"You mean Kuchi..."

"That's right."

Before Mutsuki Shōkaku could finish, Haruto cut her off.

"..."

Mutsuki had naturally heard about Haruto's attitude toward nobles, and she couldn't tell whether he was joking or not.

"Forget it."

Mutsuki let out a soft sigh.

"It's not my place to meddle in that sort of thing. As long as you know what you're doing."

"Thank you for your concern, Sensei."

"Journey of the Spirit"

"Mr. Carmen"

"So What If I Reincarnated as a Honkai Beast?"

"Genshin Impact: Making Trouble in Inazuma"

Volume one: 002, Shin'ō

On the training ground.

The students who had just entered were staring intently at the targets opposite them.

Using Kidō required not only loosening up the body, but also a high degree of concentration. As for warming up, they had already done that before entering the training ground.

With each breath and heartbeat, Soul Reapers could absorb Reishi from their surroundings and convert it into their own Reiatsu. They then stored the Reiatsu in a special organ called the Hakusui, drawing on it and expending it when needed.

There was a specific procedure for releasing Kidō.

Take the Shakkahō the examinees were about to use: before releasing it, they not only had to form the corresponding "hand gesture" to keep their Reiatsu flowing freely through their bodies, but also had to use an "incantation" to focus and strengthen their concentration, ensuring the Kidō didn't fail.

Of course.

Most of the knowledge recorded in Shin'ō Academy's textbooks applied only to Soul Reapers during their time as students. Those capable of rising to a high-ranking seat would naturally have opportunities to study more advanced Kidō techniques afterward.

Aside from such people, geniuses who distinguished themselves at the academy were also capable of discarding the unnecessary steps.

For example—

Haruto.

"Prepare your Kidō!"

As soon as Mutsuki-sensei's command rang out,

All the students around Haruto immediately raised their arms, aiming at the targets more than thirty meters away.

"O sovereign!"

It was the familiar Shakkahō incantation.

Chanting together didn't increase a Kidō's power, but in a "resonant" setting like this, it did help improve concentration, allowing the students to control their Reiatsu output for Shakkahō more easily.

By the same token,

A discordant note among the group could disrupt and distract those chanting—

"Hadō #4"