Moonlit Night

Moonlit Night

"Eh? So Teacher Aizen has already been transferred back to the Fifth Division?"

"Yeah, but I heard he'll still be teaching a regular Calligraphy Class every month, so he'll come back to the Academy from time to time."

That was what they said, but...

"Doesn't it still feel a little lonely?"

Kotetsu Isane bit down on her spoon, her expression rather wistful.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Arima Shizuya, seated across from her and stuffing steak into his mouth, asked in confusion.

"Arima-kun, you and Teacher Aizen were fairly close, weren't you?"

"I heard he looked after you quite a lot in everyday life too. Now that your instructor has suddenly left..."

"Don't you feel any regrets?"

Ah... if that was what she meant.

If things were as they had been before, then from a student's perspective, he probably would have felt sad. After all, they had only spent a month or so together.

There had still been so much he wanted to ask, yet Aizen Sōsuke had heartlessly left just like that... Gah! Just thinking about it was enough to make him feel utterly miserable! But the Parties were different.

Arima Shizuya swallowed the steak in his mouth and grinned.

"Not. At. All!"

Kotetsu Isane narrowed her eyes.

"...Your smile feels kind of gross."

"It's a sign of health, a sign of health!"

"Well, it's definitely a good thing if you can keep your spirits up..."

"People have to keep looking forward. Staying in one place forever isn't a good thing."

After a brief moment of sentimentality, Arima Shizuya smoothly changed the subject with a smile.

"More importantly, Kohaku-senpai, you've been doing a Fourth Division Internship lately, right? Have you already decided what you want to do after graduation?"

Kotetsu Isane set down her porridge bowl and nodded with a smile.

"Mm... My other abilities are all fairly ordinary, after all. I don't really have a chance at the popular First, Sixth, or Eighth Divisions."

Arima Shizuya nodded thoughtfully.

The Gotei 13 did not merely have different names. Given the differences in their respective duties, the positions within each division also varied.

As the Leading Squad, the First Division assigned and issued missions, while managing and commanding the other twelve divisions. Naturally, it was the most popular.

The Sixth Division was led by nobles, and the entire division operated with the core purpose of protecting noble interests.

The Eighth Division was mainly responsible for information. Compared with the other divisions, its work was primarily Document Work, so it was naturally quite popular as well.

Everyone could see things pretty clearly... which divisions were beast-of-burden hellholes and which were made for slacking off could be sorted out at this stage.

"I was a little nervous at first, but after meeting Captain Retsu Unohana, I felt much more at ease."

Kotetsu Isane ran her fingers over the empty bowl in her hands, the smile on her face turning somewhat shy.

"She really is such a gentle and meticulous captain. If I can train and study under her, I don't think I'd have any complaints."

So was this some kind of historical inertia, or simply because the two of them were naturally compatible? That was hard to say.

"In any case, I'll work toward joining the Fourth Division for now. I need to buckle down and review my coursework, and improve my Healing Way skills!"

Being full of fighting spirit was certainly not a bad thing.

But...

"There shouldn't be any hard requirement for Fourth Division recruitment saying Academy students have to excel at the Healing Way, right?"

Kotetsu Isane replied with a serious expression.

"It's about attitude, attitude! More importantly, Arima-kun, someone as careless as you is the one with a problem!"

To think he had been lectured in return. How moving.

So her feelings for Retsu Unohana had already surpassed her fondness for me?

Wah, what a terrible older lady!

Arima Shizuya merely sighed to himself. When he came back to his senses, he gently nodded and offered a word of encouragement.

"If it's Kohaku-senpai, you'll definitely make it."

Rarely, Kotetsu Isane did not say anything discouraging. She nodded heavily, looking as though she were ready to give it everything she had.

"I'll take that as a good omen, Arima-kun!"

"Ha, you're welcome..."

He wanted to ask her out somewhere, to strengthen the emotional connection between them.

But considering Guiganjo might be waiting outside to catch him the moment he went out, Arima Shizuya ultimately could not bring himself to say it.

After all, bringing danger to those around him was itself a sign of immaturity.

So he still had to find a way to deal with this threat first. Standing at the cafeteria entrance, he said goodbye to Kotetsu Isane.

As Arima Shizuya headed back toward the classroom, his expression turned somewhat subtle.

Three days had passed since Aizen returned to the Fifth Division—he had initially thought the Prison Master would take him away from the Spiritual Arts Academy.

Yet the instruction he received was to wait.

"There are still a few matters to take care of here. Until then, Shizuya-kun, please continue living as you have been for a while."

What kind of undercover-agent nonsense was this...

You weren't going to pull some "three years later, then another three years later" routine on me, were you?

"Good evening, Arima-kun."

People he knew and people he did not know all greeted him.

Arima Shizuya was not the type to put on airs, so he would more or less nod in response. But looking at these Academy students of every sort now, he could not help feeling rather sentimental.

We're no longer walking the same path...

It could only be said that looking at things from a different angle truly let one see entirely different scenery.

Compared to the nervousness and thirst for knowledge he had felt upon first entering the True Spiritual Arts Academy, all that remained now was an indescribable sense of discomfort.

What they taught was far too shallow. Arima Shizuya could no longer draw even the slightest nourishment from it.

And if he wanted to keep improving, he needed to take the initiative to approach some "strong people"... which brought him to another problem.

With even Dora Aizen no longer at the Spiritual Arts Academy...

How was Arima Shizuya supposed to find resources and support in that regard?

Tch, just thinking about it gave him a headache...

Looking back, all the improvements and resources he had gained over the past month or so had been the result of Aizen giving him private tutoring.

Now it was truly difficult not to think of the Prison Master.

Compared to the boring daytime classes, only the sparring sessions at night were still worth looking forward to.

His Kendo had improved, and he had also become familiar with Tōsen Kaname. Their Exchange Blows were no longer limited to a single format.

So long as they did not beat each other to death, they would use every method at their disposal...

It was practically a daily pop quiz. The intensity was not high, but it was extremely entertaining.

Occasionally gaining one or two attribute points was an unexpected bonus.

As usual, Arima Shizuya arrived at the dojo and began waiting for Tōsen Kaname.

But when they met, Tōsen said something that left even Arima Shizuya stunned.

"Come with me, Arima."

"Lord Aizen is already waiting for you."

Arima Shizuya quickly understood.

The full moon hung overhead, and the night was deep and still.

Beyond the bright surface of light and heat lay the endless dark and cold expanse.

Only at times like this would Aizen...

begin to act.