On the vast plaza, Tsunayashiro Kojiro's half-white hair stood out with particular harshness.
He clearly still had the face of a young man, yet he gave off an air of decay and senescence. A few wrinkles had appeared at the corners of his eyes, and even his once-straight posture seemed somewhat hunched and diminished.
The captains present all wore different expressions as they watched the youth.
Jushiro Ukitake looked slightly helpless, while Shunsui narrowed his eyes faintly. Byakuya Kuchiki frowned, then instinctively glanced at the two Tsunayashiro Clan authorities seated on the platform, a nearly imperceptible flicker of disgust in his eyes.
As for Kojiro and his half-white hair, Head Captain Yamamoto showed no expression. He merely asked, "Tsunayashiro Kojiro, are you certain you wish to graduate early?"
Hearing the Captain-Commander's words, Tsunayashiro Kojiro remained calm and nodded lightly before repeating himself once more.
"I choose to graduate early and challenge the Fifteenth Seat of the Fourth Division."
At Kojiro's words, sighs and jeers rose from below the platform. After all, challenging a Seat Officer from the Fourth Division, whose primary duty was healing, truly seemed like an unfair victory.
There had been people who graduated early in the past, but they had all been exceptionally proud geniuses. Most had chosen Seat Officers from combat-focused divisions such as the Eleventh Division or Gotei 13. Choosing the Fourth Division like this was almost unprecedented among early graduates.
Yet the scornful murmurs below did not cause any extra emotion to appear on Kojiro's face. To him now, things like dignity had long ceased to matter.
He knew what his goal was, and he knew that after challenging a Seat Officer, he would face his true enemies. He would not waste even a trace of spiritual pressure on something so laughable. His mother's