Go Dream, Shizuya-kun

Go Dream, Shizuya-kun

The exchange with the Student Council higher-ups had not been complicated.

Perhaps because Kotetsu Isane and Ise Nanao had both mediated, the Parties felt that this interrogation had been little more than a simple formality.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already back in the classroom.

It should be fine, right?

By noon, as they had previously agreed, Arima Shizuya found Kotetsu Isane at the entrance.

After all, her height was rather striking. Standing head and shoulders above the crowd, she was impossible to miss at a glance.

"Kohaku-senpai, sorry... Did I keep you waiting?"

Kotetsu Isane smiled gently and replied as though she did not mind at all.

"It's fine. I only just got here too."

The two went in together, ordered, and took their seats.

Thanks to Kotetsu Isane's help, Arima Shizuya finally got to try the Steak Set Meal he had been craving.

The Soul Society had a relatively varied food culture. There were traditional Japanese dishes, as well as more fashionable Western food and desserts.

The smell alone was enough to make his mouth water, but Arima Shizuya still felt somewhat embarrassed.

After all, Kotetsu Isane, seated across from him, had once again ordered only a bowl of Plain White Porridge.

"Kohaku-senpai, won't you become malnourished if you only eat that?"

Holding the hot bowl in both hands, she showed a rather awkward smile.

"Of course I will. But I'm controlling my diet precisely because I want to take in less nutrition."

After all, her height was an extremely troubling matter.

Perhaps because she had already grown familiar with Arima Shizuya, the woman who had initially seemed somewhat dull gradually became much livelier.

"Before enrolling, I was clearly only one meter seventy-eight, but over the years I've still kept growing taller without any control..."

"It's so troubling. If I keep growing like this, what am I even going to turn into...?"

"I can't wear the clothes I like, and it's hard to buy shoes in sizes I want. This happened often when I was little, and it's only gotten worse now that I'm grown up."

"Sometimes, I even feel as conspicuous as a lightbulb. Ah... Perhaps my life ended the moment I was born."

No, no, no. Kotetsu Isane was actually this full of negative energy?

He had to comfort her somehow.

Arima Shizuya considered his words before speaking.

"But Kohaku-senpai has your own unique qualities, so I don't think you need to compare yourself to others like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't a more androgynous style be an advantage too? Kohaku-senpai doesn't need to dwell on that sort of thing."

The cute tomboy route was great, after all.

Yet merely hearing those words did not seem to affect the Parties' mood at all.

She lowered her hands and could not help sighing softly.

"Is that so? Well, I'll keep that in mind for now. But speaking of which, if I could, I'd like to try growing my hair out..."

"Why? You look good like this too."

"Because if I don't speak, people often mistake me for a man."

Arima Shizuya nearly lost it when he heard that...

Although the True Spiritual Arts Academy uniforms came in male and female versions.

They were distinguished by the blue and red stripes embroidered on the chest, so from behind at a first glance...

This skinny person over one meter eighty tall with short silver hair.

Really might be mistaken for a man.

Imagining the embarrassed and conflicted expression Kotetsu Isane would make, Arima Shizuya finally could not hold it in.

"...Pfft."

Kotetsu Isane wore an expression that said, Just as I thought, and pointed at Arima Shizuya with her right hand.

"Ah! You thought so too!"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. Kohaku-senpai, calm down~"

No matter what, his reaction just now had been a little too exaggerated. He had to find a way to salvage his image.

"Short hair has its own unique charm. Especially for someone like Kohaku-senpai—if you look closely, you're actually very cute."

However, Kotetsu Isane seemed immune to that by now.

Cradling the bowl of porridge in both hands, she took a small sip. Her eyes were full of unmistakable disdain.

"You... You said something similar to Ise-san yesterday too, didn't you?"

Gulp.

Ise Nanao was actually the type to tattle? Seeing Arima Shizuya's expression grow a little strange, the disdain in Kotetsu Isane's eyes deepened further.

"So that's how it is~ Arima-kun is amazing. You can be so approachable with anyone. Oh my, how impressive. It really is quite something."

That sarcastic tone was already making sweat break out on Arima Shizuya's forehead.

At this point, all he could say was that regardless of personality, women always seemed to share the same attitude in certain subtle matters.

Would apologizing work at a time like this? "Um... Kohaku-senpai?"

"What?"

Kotetsu Isane casually glanced to the side. She drank her porridge, but her gaze never settled on Arima Shizuya.

"May I ask... Are you angry?"

"No."

The answer caught Arima Shizuya slightly off guard. He watched her rub the small bowl in her hands, her expression exceptionally calm.

"After all, who Arima-kun chooses to interact with is your freedom. I never had the right to interfere with anything. Calling it anger... would be going a little too far."

But if she had to describe it.

Yes.

Perhaps disappointment was more appropriate.

Kotetsu Isane's eyes dimmed slightly. She hid half her face behind the porcelain bowl and murmured as if speaking to herself.

"My Kido isn't that bad either, is it? Why didn't you come ask me about something like this?"

Was it a complaint? An accusation? Or was she simply saying it for herself to hear?

Arima Shizuya froze slightly. He looked up at her, only to discover that Kotetsu Isane's cheeks had turned uncontrollably red.

As though merely saying those words had already put her in a difficult position.

Seriously...

That reaction was way too cute.

Though he did not know the answer, facing the girl's quiet words at this moment, Arima Shizuya had to respond.

"Kohaku-senpai, then could I trouble you—"

"No."

The refusal came swiftly. Arima Shizuya scratched the corner of his mouth and gave an awkward smile.

"But I haven't said anything yet."

"You're going to ask for advice about something anyway, right? Didn't you already arrange to meet Ise-san? Wouldn't it be more suitable to ask her?"

The expression from just now seemed like no more than a fleeting bloom. Kotetsu Isane turned her gaze back to him.

The expression on her face now carried a distinct hint of indignation.

Kotetsu Isane practically wrote all her feelings across her face.

Arima Shizuya could not help laughing.

"What are you laughing at!"

"Sorry, sorry, senpai. I suddenly thought you resembled an animal."

She looked a little curious.

"What animal?"

"A curled-up hedgehog."

Covered in spines but soft inside. Such behavior was merely self-protection, not born from any particularly strong aggression.

"You really are very cute, Kohaku-senpai."

Before, that might have been a devastating blow to her heart, but Kotetsu Isane seemed to have developed resistance now.

Slurping her porridge, she huffed slightly.

"...You probably say that to other people too."

"No. Only Kohaku-senpai makes me think you're cute. After all, you were willing to help treat my injuries the first time we met. That shows you're a very kind person inside too."

Becoming the Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division required not only skill, but also meant that the girl's ideals had been acknowledged by Retsu Unohana.

The First Generation Kenpachi's approval. Its value could not be overstated.

"..."

The wall around Kotetsu Isane's heart, which she had just built, instantly collapsed.

The composure she thought she could maintain was immediately thrown into turmoil again. Pretending to cough twice, she wiped her mouth so she would not appear too nervous.

"Th-then we'll let it go this time! If something like this comes up again, remember that you can ask me too!"

She was so easy to talk to.

But that was precisely Kotetsu Isane's charm. After all, kindness did not mean naivety.

He had to cherish these feelings properly...

At the very least, Arima Shizuya intended to treasure the feelings Kotetsu Isane was showing him now.

The boy smiled happily. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, then nodded respectfully.

"Alright, then I'll be in your care when the time comes!"

From returning from the cafeteria to the classroom, until meeting Tōsen in the evening...

Arima Shizuya began a cycle that continued for an entire week.

There was no longer any room to gain attribute points from daytime classes.

So during this period, Arima Shizuya focused on thinking about the Asauchi.

At what stage of soul fusion could one call out its name?

Regarding this, Arima Shizuya asked several of the "seniors" he knew, and received different answers from each of them.

Ise Nanao...

He would set this one aside for now.

Kotetsu Isane.

When faced with this question, the girl could only offer some less important advice.

"After all, I'm only at the soul fusion stage myself."

Tōsen Kaname.

"Once you've completed the fusion, strive to form a spiritual resonance with the Asauchi."

It was a somewhat abstract description.

But Tōsen Kaname had not mastered release either, so this could only serve as a reference.

Aizen Sōsuke.

As expected of someone who had become an instructor, he built upon Tōsen Kaname's words and broadened Arima Shizuya's understanding further.

"Shikai? What a nostalgic thing... Actually, achieving it is very simple."

He vaguely recalled Aizen sitting in his chair, smiling as he pushed up his glasses.

An intelligent gaze shone calmly from behind the frames.

"If two beings who understand each other wish to become partners who trust each other, then naturally, they need to communicate further."

"Yes, that means conversation and synchronization."

"Bring your heartbeats closer together, make your breathing align. To accomplish that, both sides need to put in the corresponding effort. So..."

"Go dream, Shizuya-kun."

In a fabricated world, converse with his own true heart.

—That was easy to say, but how exactly was he supposed to do that?

Recalling the original story, Arima Shizuya fully understood the importance of the "inner world."

Because it was the manifestation of one's inner state, and the union of the soul's exterior and interior.

Just as whenever Strawberry Bro entered his inner world, rain would fall from the sky... Even if the Parties themselves did not acknowledge it, their body and subconscious would make the most correct response.

So speaking from the heart was a step he had to go through.

Then the question was...

How do I get in?

He had absolutely no clue where to begin.

As he pondered, a piece of chalk struck Arima Shizuya's forehead.

"Ow!"

"Hey, dear star pupil, could you stop spacing out during my class?"

"Ah, sorry, Taniyama-sensei. I got a little distracted..."

"Honestly~ This is already the third time you've spaced out today. Your grades may be good, but that still won't do. As a teacher, I will not approve of this kind of learning attitude!"

"I understand. I'll listen carefully from now on."

"That's more like it~ You must have stayed behind because you wanted to hear my lecture too, right? At least set an example for others, an example~"

There were occasionally people like this.

The sort who treated a feather as an imperial decree.

After all, everyone knew there was meaning behind the class rankings for each year.

The closer a class was to the front, the better its students' grades and backgrounds. Therefore, the resources assigned to them were also of the highest grade.

Compared to that, teachers assigned to "Commoner Class" students like Arima Shizuya had rather limited abilities.

Though in terms of strength, the other man was no match for him at all.

Yet because of the difference in their statuses, this guy could so easily sulk at him, order him around, and make snide remarks.

There was nothing to be done about it. This was also part of the dregs of tradition.

There were no shortage of old fossils in the Soul Society. Conservative ideas and customs ran rampant, practically ingrained in their very bones.

If he wanted to make a living here, he had to get used to it sooner or later.

Besides...

If not for Aizen serving as the instructor of this class, Arima Shizuya would have applied to transfer to one of the top classes long ago.

As for now?

He could just roll his eyes inwardly. There was no need to argue with someone like that.

The morning lessons had ended, and as the students packed up their things, Aizen, who had long been waiting outside, entered the room.

"Gentlemen, as I mentioned yesterday, this afternoon's class will be temporarily canceled. It will be replaced by this month's examination."

"As for the examination content, I presume you have all made preparations."

"It will be Hakuda, one of the Four Great Basic Skills."

"This will be your first time displaying your talents before your seniors, so please give it your all."

Aizen wore a gentle smile as his gaze swept across everyone's faces before finally settling on Arima Shizuya.

"As someone who has been through this before, let me offer a friendly reminder... please do not eat too much indigestible food at lunch today."

"Otherwise, you may end up looking rather miserable—and unsightly."

"Of course, I am also looking forward to your performances."

"Well then... see you all this afternoon."