Chapter Summaries

On his first day at the True Spiritual Arts Academy, Arima Shizuya discovered that Aizen Sōsuke was his instructor and nervously tried to judge whether he was already dangerous. Aizen praised Shizuya’s kendo, gave him guidance that boosted his system attribute, and left Shizuya cautiously optimistic about their relationship.

• Arima Shizuya met his new instructor, Aizen Sōsuke, and learned that Aizen held the Fourth Seat in the Fifth Division.
• Aizen called on Shizuya to introduce himself, and Shizuya told the class he came from the Kusajishi District and excelled at Kendo.
• Shizuya went to the Kendo Hall to practice, where Aizen found him and asked to observe his sword work.
• Aizen praised Shizuya’s form and coached him, causing Shizuya’s system to award him five Kendo points.
• As they walked toward the dormitories, Shizuya asked why Aizen was paying attention to him, and Aizen said he was learning how to guide students.
• Shizuya and Aizen shook hands and agreed to work together.

Arima Shizuya studied hard at the Academy and trained at the Kendo Hall, where he found an injured student who had challenged a noble lord. After initially leaving him alone, Arima brought him to his dormitory and gave him water, urging him to stay alive and grow stronger before seeking revenge.

• Arima attended lessons in Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido, gaining attribute points and filling a notebook with notes.
• Arima went to the Kendo Hall at night and learned that a noble lord and his attendants had crowded the dojo.
• Arima found a badly injured student in the dojo after the student had challenged the noble lord, then left him when he staggered away.
• Arima later found the student unconscious on the way back and took him to his dormitory.
• When the student awoke, Arima introduced himself, explained why he had helped, and urged him to drink water and build up his strength.

Arima Shizuya helped Tōsen Kaname recover, then explained to Aizen why he was late to class. Their conversation about injustice and resistance ended with Arima asking whether Aizen had ever considered standing in the heavens, leaving Aizen intrigued by the idea.

• Tōsen Kaname thanked Arima Shizuya for helping him and warned him to keep his distance because of the nobles he had provoked.
• Arima Shizuya arrived late to Kidō Course after caring for Tōsen, and the strict teacher punished him and reported him.
• Aizen Sōsuke spoke with Arima Shizuya and believed his explanation for being late.
• Aizen brought Arima rice balls and asked what someone should do when faced with unfair circumstances; Arima answered that they could endure everything or overturn everything.
• Arima asked Aizen whether he had ever thought of standing in the heavens, and Aizen called the idea interesting and arrogant.

After Aizen helped Arima Shizuya resolve his trouble with an instructor, he invited Shizuya to an evening lecture by a captain. Hirako Shinji’s irreverent visit left the students with advice to work hard and revealed that Aizen had gone out of his way to bring him to the Academy.

• Aizen helped Arima Shizuya settle his dispute with an instructor, then told him to attend an evening lecture by a special guest.
• Arima Shizuya spent the afternoon studying and improving his fundamentals before attending the lecture.
• Hirako Shinji introduced himself as the Fifth Division Captain, complained about speaking to freshmen, and urged them to join his division.
• Arima Shizuya pointed out that Hirako Shinji had written his name backward, prompting Hirako to praise his humor and ease the tense students.
• Hirako Shinji complained about Academy life, then advised the freshmen to train well and avoid regretting wasted time after graduation.
• As he left, Hirako Shinji revealed that Aizen had visited the Fifth Division to invite him, and Aizen asked him to keep such efforts quiet.

Arima Shizuya sparred with Tōsen Kaname, gained Kendo experience, and was healed by Aizen, who offered to sponsor his application to borrow an Asauchi. The chapter left Arima realizing he had neglected Hakuda and needed to prepare for the upcoming monthly exam.

• Arima Shizuya met Tōsen Kaname outside his dorm, and they agreed to settle their differences with a sword spar at the training grounds.
• Arima and Tōsen fought for two hours, both suffered injuries, and Arima gained three Kendo points.
• Aizen healed Arima's bruised face and praised him for making a friend, while warning him against reckless fighting.
• Aizen offered to guarantee Arima's application to borrow an Asauchi, and Arima accepted the offer.
• Aizen reminded Arima that the monthly exam would test Hakuda, prompting Arima to realize he needed to improve his other abilities.

After Tōsen Kaname advised Arima Shizuya about Hakuda and student healers, Arima visited the Academy’s Mutual Aid Station to seek treatment and met the student in charge. She asked to inspect his injuries before helping him find a healer.

• Arima Shizuya asked Tōsen Kaname about learning Hakuda, and Tōsen explained that skilled instructors were difficult to find and urged him to focus on his stronger Kendo.
• After their sparring, Arima discovered his injuries had not healed, and Tōsen told him students specializing in Kido could provide Healing Way treatment.
• Tōsen directed Arima to the student-run Mutual Aid Station on the first floor of the School Building.
• Arima visited the station and met a tall, silver-gray-haired student who was clearing notices and identified herself as being in charge of the area.
• Arima explained that he wanted a student skilled in the Healing Way, and she asked to see his injuries.

Arima Shizuya had his injuries healed by Kotetsu Isane, then asked Aizen to find him a strong Hakuda sparring partner. Aizen brought him to meet a fearsome off-campus visitor who had already defeated a group of students.

• Kotetsu Isane treated the bruises and broken bones Arima Shizuya had suffered while sparring, and offered to help him again whenever he needed it.
• Arima Shizuya rushed to class after Kotetsu Isane reminded him that it was about to begin.
• After class, Arima Shizuya asked Aizen to find someone skilled in Hakuda who would spar with him.
• Aizen agreed to introduce Arima Shizuya to an off-campus visitor giving a lecture at the school.
• Aizen led Arima Shizuya to a hall where a valiant woman stood over defeated students and called them weak.

Arima Shizuya accompanied Aizen to watch Yoruichi Shihouin put Academy students through brutal sparring sessions. As he observed her Hakuda and Shunpo, he gained attribute points and began to understand her movements more clearly.

• Yoruichi recognized Aizen as the glasses-wearing associate of Kisuke Urahara, then learned he and Arima Shizuya had come to observe a sparring session.
• Yoruichi ordered the battered fifth-year students to get up and continue fighting, while Aizen and Arima watched from the sidelines.
• Aizen explained that Yoruichi, Head of the Shihouin Clan and commander of the Stealth Force, held Academy guidance sessions to spot talented students for her forces.
• Arima watched Yoruichi overwhelm the students and gained ten Hakuda points and ten Shunpo points by observing her techniques.
• Arima focused on Yoruichi's movements as they became clearer to him, while Aizen watched him with a pleased smile.

Aizen encouraged Arima Shizuya to spar with Yoruichi, and Shizuya accepted despite the vast gap in their abilities. After surviving her first strike, he used his observations and newly accessed Hakuda and Shunpo skills to close in and attempt a throw, catching Yoruichi’s interest.

• Aizen urged Arima Shizuya to test his abilities against Yoruichi, and Shizuya agreed to fight.
• Yoruichi offered to recruit Shizuya into the Mobile Corps if he could withstand two of her moves.
• Yoruichi launched a powerful kick, but Shizuya blocked it with his forearms and stayed on his feet.
• Shizuya used his observations of Yoruichi’s fighting style to push her leg aside and move into close range.
• Shizuya grabbed Yoruichi by the collar and began twisting to throw her, prompting her to show genuine interest in him.

Arima Shizuya lost his spar with Yoruichi but gained Hakuda experience, and Aizen recognized his unusual talent. Yoruichi offered him early graduation and a place under her command, but he refused to leave Aizen, who said he would make other arrangements for him.

• Yoruichi used Empty Cicada to evade Arima Shizuya, then defeated him with a chokehold that knocked him unconscious.
• Arima Shizuya woke beside Aizen and learned that twelve minutes had passed since he lost consciousness; Yoruichi and the other upperclassmen had left.
• Arima Shizuya saw that the spar had increased his Hakuda by ten points, while Aizen praised his ability to learn and adapt during combat.
• Aizen told Arima Shizuya that Yoruichi had offered to help him graduate early and join her in the Second Division, the Stealth Force, or the First Division of the Correction Corps.
• Arima Shizuya refused Yoruichi's offer because he did not want to leave Aizen, and Aizen said he would make other arrangements for him.

Arima Shizuya helped Kotetsu Isane escape an awkward scene in the cafeteria, and the two opened up to each other over a meal. When Isane mentioned a Student Council part-time position, Shizuya eagerly accepted, leaving him with a chance to ease his financial worries.

• Arima Shizuya spotted Kotetsu Isane being questioned about her plain porridge and invited her to sit with him in a secluded corner.
• Kotetsu Isane confided that people had stared at her because of her height and asked Arima Shizuya to pretend he had not heard her complaints.
• Arima Shizuya told Kotetsu Isane that she seemed cold and hard to approach, then said she would look cuter if she smiled more.
• Kotetsu Isane expressed concern about Arima Shizuya's intense training and asked whether he had enough money to support himself.
• Kotetsu Isane offered Arima Shizuya a Student Council part-time position, and he eagerly accepted.

Arima Shizuya enjoyed his new Student Council job and wondered whether Kotetsu Isane had feelings for him, while she grew flustered by his attention and treated his injury. After morning classes, Aizen told him his Asauchi application had been approved and that they could collect his Zanpakuto.

• During a break from sparring, Arima Shizuya told Tōsen Kaname about his Student Council job, and Tōsen suggested Kotetsu Isane had arranged it out of affection for him.
• Arima Shizuya reviewed his improved attributes and realized that sparring with Tōsen Kaname helped both of them grow.
• Kotetsu Isane explained Arima Shizuya's work while nervously wondering what he thought of her appearance.
• Arima Shizuya called Kotetsu Isane cute and showed her his swollen shoulder, so she treated his injury instead of scolding him.
• Aizen told Arima Shizuya he had afternoon leave and that his application to borrow an Asauchi had been approved.

Aizen explained how Asauchi became Zanpakuto and took Arima Shizuya to the Sword House, where Shizuya let his instincts guide him and earned an Asauchi's approval. Aizen then brought him to the Kendo Hall and challenged him to a real-sword match.

• Aizen explained that an Asauchi became a Zanpakuto once it gained a name, and encouraged Shizuya to discover his own.
• Aizen escorted Shizuya to the Sword House, where his guarantor status allowed him to choose an Asauchi.
• Surrounded by swords that seemed to watch him, Shizuya followed Aizen's advice, trusted his instincts, and let an Asauchi choose him.
• The Sword House attendant later found the keys intact but could not remember speaking to anyone, while the key to the room of Problem Asauchi remained in place.
• Aizen took Shizuya to the Kendo Hall, drew his Zanpakuto, and challenged him to a Real Sword Practice match.

During real-sword practice, Aizen pressured Arima Shizuya until he drew his Asauchi and struck him with a devastating blow. Aizen praised Shizuya for surviving, and Shizuya fainted as Fukai Senda realized the blast had been unleashed spiritual pressure.

• Aizen explained the dangers of real blades and taunted the terrified Arima Shizuya while holding his sword at Shizuya’s neck.
• Aizen urged Arima Shizuya to fight for survival, and Shizuya reflexively drew his Asauchi.
• Shizuya’s strike tore through Aizen’s body and released a powerful burst of spiritual pressure that damaged the Kendo Hall and threw Fukai Senda away.
• Aizen congratulated the exhausted Shizuya for winning the chance to survive and told him to remember the power to struggle.
• Arima Shizuya fainted, and Fukai Senda recognized the destruction as the result of spiritual pressure.

Aizen explained spiritual pressure to Arima Shizuya and revealed that Shizuya’s power rivaled that of a Low-Ranking Seat. After Aizen left, Shizuya prepared to leave the hospital, but Tōsen Kaname arrived and asked whether he had been self-indulgent.

• Aizen explained that spiritual pressure could intimidate weaker souls, then admitted he had deliberately pressured Shizuya to provoke him into unleashing his power.
• Shizuya felt guilty about badly wounding Aizen during their spar, but Aizen told him not to blame himself and called the reckless exercise a lesson.
• Aizen taught Shizuya that controlling spiritual pressure was essential for Shinigami and revealed that Shizuya’s pressure rivaled a Low-Ranking Seat’s.
• Shizuya considered whether improving his Four Basic Attributes could strengthen his soul and spiritual pressure, then prepared to leave the hospital after resting.
• Tōsen Kaname entered carrying a fruit basket and asked Shizuya whether he had been somewhat self-indulgent.

After Tōsen Kaname warned Arima Shizuya about his lack of killing intent, Arima defended his own approach and learned that Tōsen considered him a friend. Arima made plans for his upcoming internship and lunch with Kotetsu Isane, then spotted an unexpected girl in the Academy corridor.

• Tōsen Kaname told Arima Shizuya that his swordsmanship lacked killing intent and warned that this could leave him unable to survive a fight.
• Arima Shizuya said he believed he would adapt when the time came, and Tōsen Kaname revealed that he hoped his friend would live safely.
• Kotetsu Isane told Arima that his outburst had made him a topic of conversation, excused him from paying for the damaged Kendo Hall, and explained his upcoming exam and internship.
• Kotetsu Isane refused to spare Arima's pay but invited him to steak for lunch, and Arima complimented her appearance as she left.
• After Kendo class, Arima Shizuya saw an unexpected girl in the corridor.

Arima Shizuya accompanied Ise Nanao to the Student Council to answer questions about the Kendo Hall damage, and their conversation revealed her difficulty taming an Asauchi and his weakness in Kidō. After gaining Kidō insight from her, he reflected that his overwhelming strength could make friendship with weaker people inherently unequal.

• Ise Nanao found Arima Shizuya and escorted him to the Student Council to discuss the damage to the Kendo Hall.
• Ise Nanao asked whether Arima Shizuya had received an Asauchi, and he explained that Teacher Aizen had approved one for him.
• Arima Shizuya asked Ise Nanao for Kidō guidance, and she taught him the basics, increasing his Kidō attribute by five points.
• Arima Shizuya praised Ise Nanao and teased her, lifting her mood before she left him at the Student Council door.
• Arima Shizuya reflected that people might fear him because of his strength and questioned whether an elephant could truly be friends with an ant.

Arima Shizuya sought advice about communicating with his Asauchi, while growing closer to Kotetsu Isane over lunch. After a week of training and reflection, Aizen announced a Hakuda examination for the afternoon.

• Arima Shizuya ate lunch with Kotetsu Isane, who admitted she felt disappointed that he had asked Ise Nanao for advice instead of her.
• Arima Shizuya reassured Kotetsu Isane, and she agreed to help him with future questions.
• Arima Shizuya asked Ise Nanao, Kotetsu Isane, Tōsen Kaname, and Aizen Sōsuke how to communicate with an Asauchi; Aizen told him to dream and speak with his true heart.
• Arima Shizuya struggled to figure out how to enter his inner world and got distracted during class, prompting Taniyama-sensei to reprimand him.
• Aizen announced that the afternoon class would be replaced by a Hakuda examination and warned the students not to eat too much indigestible food at lunch.

Arima Shizuya’s Hakuda exam became a public spectacle as his classmates were overwhelmed by senior students and his acquaintances gathered to watch. Just as his final match began, Yoruichi Shihouin interrupted and took over the exam, hinting that she had a challenge in mind for him.

• Arima Shizuya watched Commoner Class students lose to sixth-year students during the open Hakuda exam, then helped one of his classmates after a defeat.
• Tōsen Kaname, Kotetsu Isane, Ise Nanao, and Aizen Sōsuke arrived to watch Arima Shizuya’s final match.
• Arima Shizuya stepped onto the platform and bowed to his senior opponent as his classmates called on him to win.
• Yoruichi Shihouin interrupted, teased Arima Shizuya about allegedly grabbing her chest, and sent the senior student and proctor away.
• Yoruichi Shihouin took over the exam and called Ōmaeda to come over.

Yoruichi forced Arima Shizuya into a Hakuda match against Ōmaeda Marechiyo and promised him a reward if he won. As the crowd gathered to watch, Marechiyo took his stance, leaving the two ready to fight.

• Ōmaeda Marechiyo arrived after Yoruichi called him over and was named as Arima Shizuya's next opponent.
• Yoruichi roused the spectators by announcing Arima's reputation and urging them to demand a match.
• Arima and Marechiyo exchanged polite greetings, and Marechiyo quietly admitted that he was not confident in his Hakuda skills.
• Yoruichi urged Marechiyo to fight seriously and offered Arima an enticing benefit if he defeated him.
• Arima noticed Yoruichi returning to Aizen's side, then watched Marechiyo assume a stance that seemed designed to use his size and weight.