A Shinigami Career Officially Begins: Part 1

At the graduation examination for Jun's class, the siblings had stolen the show.

Jun, the elder brother, had shocked the Shinigami bigwigs. A mere fifty-odd years was nothing in Soul Society, yet Jun had used that time to reach heights many people could never attain in their entire lives.

His Hakuda had earned the approval of Yoruichi Shihōin, head of the Shihoin Family and Soul Society's foremost Hakuda expert. She had even said outright that he could found his own school one day.

His exceptionally solid fundamentals had been taught by Tachikawa Zan, Soul Society's master swordsman. His instructor had personally acknowledged that his Zanjutsu had reached the level of a menkyo, qualifying him to leave his tutelage.

His mastery of Shunpo was excellent too. Since the strength of Shunpo depended on Reiatsu, Jun's only problem was that his Reiatsu was not yet all that strong—a weakness that barely counted as one. As long as Jun didn't die, his Reiatsu would grow stronger sooner or later.

Then there was his most terrifying skill: Kidō. He was the first student in Soul Society's history to graduate with a Kidō level of +50. Generally speaking, many single-digit seated officers couldn't use Kidō numbered in the eighties or above, and even some captains and lieutenants might not have mastered them. That wasn't referring specifically to the 11th Division, either.

At that level, the captain of the Tenth Division had stated outright that Jun would be given the ninth seat. That was only because every change to a single-digit seat had to be submitted to the First Division for processing, so every such change had to be put on record. Otherwise, Jun would probably have held a single-digit seat in the Tenth Division as soon as he graduated.

Then there was his younger sister, Jing.

She had just turned twelve, with intermediate Hakuda, intermediate swordsmanship, intermediate Shunpo, and Kidō +3.

She had met the graduation requirements in only six years and executed everything perfectly. In other words, her fundamentals were extremely solid, and her future development was well worth anticipating.

Jing had also joined the Eighth Division with a flawless performance, successfully breaking Soul Society's record for the fastest graduation after formal enrollment. She had cut the record in half, from twelve years to six.

After the examination, Shunsui Kyōraku had taken Jun and Jing away. After all, Kyōraku was still nominally their guardian.

Jing was now also the young lady of the Ise Clan. Jun certainly wouldn't be adopted again, so the Shimizu surname had been entrusted to him to carry on. With his current achievements, Jun could be said to have done a perfect job, and that was what the outside world thought too.

The Kyōraku Clan had become lively for the first time in a long while. The siblings' achievements and talent were worth such a grand celebration from a great noble clan.

Shunsui Kyōraku's position in his family had been greatly strengthened. Although he had already been the eldest young master, the favor he had done back then had now brought returns beyond imagination, leaving those in the family who had questioned him with no choice but to shut up.

After the celebration, Jun had gone to the Ise Clan to thank them for taking care of his sister all these years. He had also said that Jing had no intention of changing the surname Ise and would remain the Ise Clan's young lady.

The Ise Clan had been delighted by Jun's generosity and stated clearly that their home was Jun's own from then on, with no distinction between family and outsiders. The Shimizu and Ise families would be brother families from that day forward, with no distinction between them.

After staying with the two families for three days, Jun received more good news. The Eighth Division had acted quickly: the Shimizu family home from over fifty years ago had been vacated and given to Jing. Since Jing had become a member of the Eighth Division and had her own barracks, they had made the house available.

Jun didn't have any strong feelings about it, though he was a little gratified. It brought him some comfort about his transmigration. He felt he could now completely put aside the influence the couple who had died in battle had on him. Jun had brought honor to the family name, and from now on, the Shimizu family would be his own.

On the other hand, Soul Society's favoritism toward the strong and oppression of the weak were already out in the open. No one questioned it; in fact, everyone upheld it.

Jun had known that before, but now it had happened to him, and he was on the side oppressing others. He had mixed feelings about it.

Putting all that aside, Jun made a trip to the Twelfth Division. Unfortunately, he was turned away, so he had no choice but to go to the Tenth Division's offices.

"Jun Shimizu, new recruit of the Tenth Division, reporting for duty!" In accordance with regulations, Jun had to call out at the main gate before formally joining.

"Granted! Enter the division!" one of the guards shouted back. The two looked curiously at Jun, then hurried to push the gate open for him. They were especially polite. "Please come in, Shimizu."

The two guards were also members of the Tenth Division. New recruits always handled assignments like this, so they might have been seniors from the class before Jun's. But neither of them treated Jun like a new recruit that year; they already knew better.

Jun thanked them. A little courtesy was enough; there was no need to say more. Someone had heard him call out and was already waiting.

"Greetings, Lieutenant."

"Haha, no need to be so formal. Why did you come today? Why not rest a few more days?" Isshin Shiba laughed as he led Jun inside. Even that smile was a rare sight for the other division members, let alone him coming out in person to welcome someone. What ordinary recruit got that kind of treatment?

"I've rested enough. My only family now is my little sister, and when I wanted to see my girlfriend, they wouldn't let me in because I wasn't a Shinigami."

"Pfft." Isshin Shiba was defeated by that formidable reason. Laughing, he patted Jun on the back a few times and encouraged him. "You're something else. I'll be waiting for the wedding feast."

"I'm looking forward to it myself."

"Hahaha, Jun, you really are an interesting guy."

"You're pretty great yourself, Lieutenant."

After joking around with Isshin Shiba, Jun had grown a little closer to him. Isshin then took him through the procedures. There wasn't much to it: he just had to collect a Shihakushō and an identification badge. His Zanpakuto's blank blade had only been handed in recently, so it wouldn't be returned so soon.

Once that was done, Isshin Shiba told Jun to wait a while. A young woman arrived, and this girl named Asai Shinten was the Tenth Division's current ninth seat.

"I look forward to working with you." The young woman gave him a very formal bow right off the bat.

"Wait, what?" Jun was a little bewildered.

Isshin Shiba laughed without a care. "Hahaha, didn't we say we'd test you for the ninth seat, Jun? Shinten happens to be here today, so we might as well get it done. If you lose, you'll only get the 132nd seat."

"..." Jun was speechless. The gap was far too big. He looked at the young woman. She appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen, though there was no telling how old she really was. With no other choice, Jun took up a stance.

"Begin the match!"

As soon as Isshin Shiba spoke, Asai Shinten vanished from where she stood. But Jun could sense her speed. Strangely, this ninth seat's Shunpo didn't seem particularly good.

"Bakudō number sixty-one: six rods prison of light."

Without moving a muscle, Jun sent the six rods prison of light at her, and his opponent was bound in midair.

The young woman was astonished. She certainly hadn't expected Jun to cast Kidō so quickly. Even Isshin Shiba was shocked. Incantation Abandonment still required spiritual power to cast a spell, so using it without an incantation and being able to use a spell in actual combat were fundamentally different things.

Ninth Seat Asai still had to make an effort, increasing her Reiatsu to break free. It was indeed a good approach, since Reiatsu was Jun's only weakness.

But of course, Jun wouldn't give her the chance.

"Bakudō number fifty-one: Eye's Prohibition; Bakudō number fifty-two: seal the ears; Bakudō number fifty-three: seal touch; Bakudō number fifty-four: seal the nose; Bakudō number fifty-five: seal taste."

"Favored child of heaven, blessed in heart, deeply felt in soul. Face the enemy with mercy, unable to bear killing. Seal the eyes, seal the ears, seal touch, seal the nose, seal the mouth. The five senses are hidden, the soul alone remains."

"Bakudō number eighty-five: Soul Seal."

Watching that whole combo made Isshin Shiba's body tense. Using Bakudō number eighty-five, Soul Seal, required casting numbers fifty-one through fifty-five first. Because it was so troublesome, it was usually a debuff applied slowly after capturing someone. This was the first time Isshin Shiba had seen anyone use the whole sequence in actual combat, and he had actually damn well succeeded.

Soul Seal's effect was to block the flow of spiritual power in its target. Being hit by it was as good as losing the ability to fight, so Jun undid the first five seals.

Ninth Seat Asai emerged from the loss of her five senses and showed the outstanding response of a veteran Shinigami. She immediately found Jun and pointed her sword at him, but in the next moment, she discovered that she couldn't summon any spiritual power.

"All right, Asai, you've lost." Isshin Shiba felt quite sorry for the young woman. She was a veteran member, after all. "Ahem, Jun, undo the seal."

"Reverse, return the soul, Bakudō... release!"

Only then did Reishi come back under Asai Shinten's control. At that point, she realized she had been hit by a Bakudō, and one numbered eighty-five at that.

"How could this be?" The young woman dropped to the ground and stared blankly at Jun.

Jun walked over and tried to help her up, but she instantly retreated a long way, as though she had seen something terrifying. Jun was quite hurt. Then she ran off, leaving him even more speechless, and he looked at Isshin Shiba.

Isshin Shiba, however, didn't seem to care. "She just can't accept it for the moment. Don't worry, she'll be back soon. A Shinigami ought to be able to accept reality."

Fine, nobody cared about this sort of thing at all. Apparently, it was normal in Soul Society. Sigh... no wonder things kept going wrong there. With enough incidents like this, a few people were bound to be driven insane sooner or later. Soul Society deserved it.

After all that was settled, Jun was given another month off. This was the regular leave for new recruits, but this time Jun had identification, so he returned to the Twelfth Division.

"Brother, let them know this time. I'm here to see someone."

The guards looked at Jun as though fire would shoot from their eyes. The Twelfth Division already had fewer women than men, and new recruits were pitifully scarce. Isuzu was one of only two women to have joined in the past fifty years. The previous one was already taken, making Isuzu their only remaining target.

And what happened? Isuzu was even more ruthless than the last one. At least the previous woman had found someone within the Twelfth Division itself, so there was nothing to complain about. When Isuzu joined, nobody knew she had a boyfriend, but now Jun had suddenly appeared. Worse still, the two had already pledged themselves to each other for life.

What kind of attitude could the Twelfth Division's many male members possibly have toward Jun? If they could beat him, they would probably have attacked him by now.

"Brother, I'm a Shinigami now. Look at these clothes. Look at this badge. Well? What else do you want? I'll go get it for you."

Jun was quite angry. Just because these researchers didn't have lovers, why wouldn't they let him see his? What kind of logic was that? If they were so capable, they could have Soul Society hand out sweethearts to them.

What Jun didn't know was that later on, Soul Society really would resolve the Twelfth Division's family problems, and Jun himself would be the one to do it. Of course, Jun would earn the boundless support of the entire Twelfth Division for that.

Though the two guards were resentful, fire burning in their eyes, there was nothing else they could do. One went inside to announce him. Jun waited at the gate, every second feeling like a year, until a figure suddenly rushed out.

Jun was overjoyed and rushed forward too, ready to embrace the person he had longed for day and night. But he was intercepted—or rather, one could say Isuzu was intercepted.

"Oh my, you're Jun, aren't you?"

On the other side, Isuzu saw her lover being held and wouldn't stand for it. "Captain!! What are you doing!?"

Only then did Jun escape the danger of suffocation, though he was still shamefully being held. The woman was a great beauty with purple hair, a voluptuous figure, and a perfect face. As a woman, she was truly flawless.

Kirio Hikifune, the current captain of the Twelfth Division and a future member of the Zero Division.

"Oh, little Isuzu, don't be so stingy. Your boyfriend finally came for a visit, so of course I had to welcome him."

"But!" Isuzu came forward, grabbed Jun, and pulled him out. Then she hugged him herself, glaring at Kirio Hikifune's huge breasts. "Captain, your welcome went too far! And I can welcome my own boyfriend! No! He's my fiancé!"

Only after gaining some distance could Jun take in the full scope of that vast magnificence. For a comparison everyone could understand, Rangiku Matsumoto's weren't as big as hers. Jun thought another welcome would be fine. It really had been too comfortable. Ahem.

"Uh, you're too kind. I can hardly take it." Jun held back his feelings. On the surface, he still had to side with his fiancée.

Kirio Hikifune wasn't angry. She smiled at the young couple, then clapped her hands. "You really are a match made in heaven. Hahaha, Jun, how many days of leave do you have left? Never mind. Take little Isuzu with you. Just bring her back when you return to duty."

Jun had expected her to be somewhat openhanded; that was her personality in the original work, after all. So he laughed heartily in response.

"Then thank you so much, Captain Hikifune. Don't worry, I'll bring her back safe and sound in a month."

"Hahaha!" Kirio Hikifune laughed and patted Jun on the shoulder.

"Hahaha!" Jun laughed and scooped Isuzu up in a princess carry.

Isuzu was dumbfounded. She found her own captain's temperament rather hard to handle, but she hadn't expected Jun and Kirio Hikifune to get along so well. Before she could say anything—

"Have fun!" Kirio Hikifune called from far behind them.

"Thank you!" Jun called back.

Then Jun swiftly left the Twelfth Division with his fiancée.