Chapter 47

"Why don't we find somewhere to sell it?"

Haruto had seen through Byakuya's little scheme long ago. If old man Ginrei found out, he would give Byakuya a thorough beating.

"...It really doesn't bother you when it's someone else's property, does it?"

Haruto first chided Byakuya, then immediately asked:

"Do you have connections?"

"Tch, you're no different... I wouldn't call them connections, but I know a place like that."

Haruto hadn't expected the nobles of the Seireitei to use flea markets, too. Of course, calling it that was somewhat disrespectful to nobles. A grander name befitting their status would be more appropriate: an auction.

"Can you get us in?"

"Don't you know who I am?"

Faced with Haruto's doubts, Byakuya immediately thumped his chest and gave him a firm answer.

"Aren't you afraid your family will find out?"

"..."

"Looks like we'll have to reconsider."

Seeing Byakuya fall into an awkward silence, Haruto spoke with some regret. He was quite interested in this sort of scenario, common in novels but something he'd never experienced himself.

"Wait! It's just a couple of invitations!"

Hearing Haruto say that, Byakuya hurriedly changed his tune.

"Can't I just get a couple from the lesser nobles?"

"Those retainers have been throwing our family's weight around for ages anyway. They must have at least that much access."

If the nobles who had sworn allegiance to the Kuchiki Clan heard their future head describe them that way, they might well cough up blood—

Even if everything Byakuya said was true.

"Aren't you afraid they'll tell old man Ginrei?"

"They wouldn't dare!"

"...All right, we'll do it your way."

Just as Byakuya had said.

Now that Haruto had learned Dankū, the Kidō Orb was no longer very useful to him.

It seemed Haruto's friends wouldn't be able to use it for a long time either. After all, not everyone had spiritual power as absurd as his. Besides, by the time they could learn Dankū, there was no telling how far Haruto's strength would have advanced. Having him teach them in person would definitely be more effective than the Kidō Orb.

So when Byakuya suggested selling it, Haruto readily agreed.

Of course...

"Wait!"

Haruto called out to Byakuya, who, having gotten his way, was eagerly about to turn and leave.

"What else?"

"I'm the seller, after all. You should at least tell me things like the time, the place, and the rules first, shouldn't you?"

Haruto had at least seen how these things worked.

But Byakuya's answer gave Haruto the distinct impression that this was unreliable.

"I know the place. The rest can wait until I get the invitations."

"...Have you actually been there or not?"

"Are you kidding? I went with Grandpa loads of times when I was little!"

By "when I was little," Byakuya basically meant when he was kindergarten age.

Back then, Kuchiki Sōjun's health had been far worse than it was now. The task of educating and caring for Byakuya had fallen to the already busy Ginrei Kuchiki, and that situation had only changed in recent years.

As a result, Byakuya had started making appearances in noble circles at a fairly young age.

That said, although Byakuya had plenty of spending money, he rarely bought anything unrelated to training. After all, the Kuchiki Clan had eyes and ears throughout the Seireitei. If old man Ginrei found out he was spending money on fancy contraptions that did nothing for his training, he might even cut off Byakuya's food allowance.

But if the money didn't come from his family, Byakuya wouldn't have to worry about that. He had been planning something like this for a long time; he simply hadn't found a suitable target to act on.

"All right, I'll wait to hear from you."

Byakuya left with a jaunty stride.

It wasn't long past early morning, and judging by how Byakuya had looked when he arrived, he had surely intended to come here to train—

That was a fixed part of his daily routine, without fail.

"Look how pent-up that kid is."

The life Byakuya led was nothing like the life of a great noble that those beneath him imagined.

"Oh well."

"Even if I'm taken for a bad influence... For someone in the Kuchiki Clan's position, improving their strength is certainly very important, but fooling around and doing whatever they want is also very important to a child's growth."

Haruto smiled and shook his head.

"The great nobles have too much. While fearing they'll lose it, they've already lost the most important freedom of all."

Haruto turned his gaze to the second Kidō Orb, the one containing Kyōmon.

"But I'm different."

"When I came to Soul Society, I had nothing to begin with. It was no different from losing everything."

With the experience of mastering Dankū just now, he was already familiar with the whole process.

"Freedom?"

"Doing whatever I want?"

The smile never left Haruto's lips.

"My understanding of it..."

"Has been to keep getting stronger from the very beginning!"

The Soul Reaper's Reiatsu triggered a change in the Kidō Orb.

As an ethereal voice rang out, the Kidō Orb, infused with two streams of Reiatsu, once again guided Haruto's spiritual power into that familiar space of consciousness.

Only this time...

The Soul Reaper with the indistinct features, dressed in a Shihakushō and Captain's Haori, was no longer chanting Dankū.

Instead, it was...

The self-created Kidō, "Kyōmon."

Upper volume: 031, entrance ceremony

"It's lively."

Haruto walked out of the dormitory and remarked on the bustling crowd.

Two days had passed since his return, and today was the start of the term at Shin'ō Academy. The newly enrolled students, especially the qualified souls recruited from remote parts of Rukongai, were full of anticipation for their new lives at the academy.

"Yes."

"At this time every year, I feel a little more at ease."

Beside Haruto, a woman who was exactly as tall as he was, with short silver-gray hair, agreed. Although Shin'ō Academy's student dormitories were divided by gender, the dormitory buildings were actually connected, not separated from each other.

That was how Haruto came to run into someone he knew on his way out:

A woman with a "JR" that ranked among the best in their year, yet with thick, rather masculine eyebrows. Her outward appearance exuded elegance and composure, but inwardly she was timid and introverted, to the point of being somewhat indecisive.

She was also one of the rare female heirs among the middle-ranking nobles:

Isane Kotetsu.

As for why she felt more at ease...

It was naturally because, as they grew older, her classmates had finally begun to catch up to her in height. When her peers had still been around 120 or 130 centimeters tall, Isane Kotetsu had already reached an extraordinary 170 centimeters. Now she was on the same level as Haruto, who stood at 187.

"Oh, right."

The two walked side by side toward the Shin'ō auditorium. As a pair of tall people, they stood out quite a bit in the crowd. As was customary, the Spiritual Arts Academy had no classes scheduled that morning, with the time given mainly to things like the headmaster's speech.

"I heard you're giving a speech onstage today, Haruto?"

"...That's right."

Haruto gave a wry smile.

After the Live-Blade Match two weeks ago, Haruto had become the undisputed top student among the new sixth-years.

That shouldn't have been a big deal in itself. Haruto's grades had already been number one among the fifth-years, and Shin'ō Academy didn't have a practice of comparing students across year levels.

The problem was...

As of yesterday, the headmaster of the Shin'yō Spiritual Arts Academy was Mitarai. Looking at it that way, the nickname "Giant Arm" really was well deserved.

The former headmaster of Shin'ō Academy, meanwhile, had been assigned to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.

Because it had happened so suddenly, Mitarai had learned of it even later than many of the students from noble families.

Haruto had also heard the news from Byakuya first.

The details had yet to be announced, but according to rumors, a number of Seated Officers from various squads had recently been ambushed and killed by Hollows while out on missions, leaving their ranks short-handed.

It was attacks involving squad members that had prompted the Gotei 13 to consider establishing the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force in the first place. Now, as the situation worsened, the furious Captain-Commander Yamamoto had ordered personnel to be mobilized from the squads on an even larger scale.

Even two Captain-level fighters would accompany the expedition.

For those reasons,

Mitarai, being old enough, had not only been spared conscription into the expeditionary force but had even managed to take a further step up into the headmaster's position.

As for the reason Haruto was giving a speech onstage...

"Are you nervous?"

"A little. Mostly, I don't know what to say."

It was because there weren't enough teachers.

That was right.

Although Teacher Mutsuki hadn't been conscripted, half the teachers at Shin'ō Academy had joined the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force. The Gotei 13's work couldn't be neglected, so with a shortage of teaching staff, the sixth-years naturally had to take on the responsibilities of their senior status in earnest.

That was especially true of sixth-year Class One, which was full of top students: they even had to teach the lower-year students.

"...Would you like this?"

Hearing Haruto's answer, Isane Kotetsu carefully held out a stack of papers she had prepared beforehand.

"What's this?"

"A speech my mother gave when she was head of the family. I adjusted the wording and tone a little. You should be able to use it after you've familiarized yourself with it."

Whatever Isane's combat ability, when it came to providing support, none of her peers at Shin'ō Academy could match her.

"I'd feel bad taking this."

Despite saying that, Haruto smoothly took the papers from Isane's hands.

He could speed-read even secret teachings on advanced Kidō, so skimming through this ten lines at a time was no trouble at all.

"Sorry for the trouble with the clothes, too, and I didn't manage to bring back any decent souvenirs from this trip..."

Two evenings ago, Isane had run into Haruto in his tattered clothes while on her way to deliver something to the dormitory.

And then...

In just two days, she had brought Haruto a brand-new set of clothes.

Isane had surely been too embarrassed to take his measurements herself, but since their height and builds weren't very different, she had simply altered a set of her own clothes for Haruto.