Making Friends, Then Gaining Soul Abilities

"Senior Gaoyu, what are you spacing out about?"

Suddenly, a voice called out.

Gaoyu turned his head and looked over, only to see a red-haired man wearing a black, kimono-like outfit with a sword at his waist.

A sword?!

Gaoyu's pupils dilated because it wasn't just the red-haired man who had a sword; many people around him did. No, everyone had a sword at their waist!

This...

Had he transmigrated? Had he transmigrated to ancient Japan? Otherwise, why would they have such strange attire, and why would everyone be carrying a sword?

While Gaoyu was stunned, he also noticed something on the red-haired man's chest, where his heart or perhaps his soul was located. There was a line of text there.

"Star Chaser: You who chase the stars in the sky can transcend classes and limits."

?

What... what was this?

In an instant, countless pieces of information and memories seemed to flood Gaoyu's mind.

Only then did he understand what had happened.

He had actually transmigrated?

He had transmigrated to the world of Bleach, become a Shinigami in the Seireitei, and it was currently forty years before the story began, a time when Kuchiki Rukia and Renji Abarai had not yet graduated!

That's right, his current identity was Gaoyu Kouun, an ordinary Shinigami in the Fifth Division, and the person beside him was the future Sixth Division Lieutenant, Renji Abarai!

Renji was currently a fifth-year student at the Shino Academy, graduating in one year.

Because he was in class one and was valued by the Fifth Division Captain Sosuke Aizen, he was destined to join the Gotei 13 and become a Shinigami even before graduating.

Therefore, when the academy was short-handed, they would sometimes let students 'intern' early.

Like now, Renji Abarai was patrolling the Seireitei with Gaoyu.

Gaoyu also had his own cheat after transmigrating: the 'Superpower System,' which allowed him to gain superpowers.

The way to obtain superpowers was simple: make friends with others. Each person represented a superpower.

This superpower wasn't the ability of their Zanpakuto, but originated from each person's traits, past, and even future experiences.

For example, Renji Abarai's representative ability was 'Star Chaser,' which represented Renji's desire to face Rukia, who had now become a noble, by transcending class.

It also represented his desire to become stronger step by step as a stray dog, reaching a level where he could converse as an equal with nobles.

If Renji Abarai's favorability towards him reached sixty, Gaoyu could use this ability once. If it reached eighty, he could use it limitlessly.

Sixty points of favorability represented friendship, while eighty points of favorability already indicated that they were very close friends. One hundred points of favorability...

Their feelings would be so good they'd break the sky!

He checked. His favorability with Renji Abarai was already above 60, which meant he could use the 'Star Chaser' ability once.

This friendship was great.

Instantly, information about this ability flooded his mind again. Gaoyu browsed through the information while keeping pace with Renji.

"Senior Gaoyu, I remember you graduated almost five years ago, right?" Renji suddenly said.

Gaoyu recalled the memories in his mind and then nodded, saying, "Yeah, when you were a first-year, I was already a sixth-year."

He checked. He had graduated in the same year as Hizaki Shūhei and joined the Fifth Division after graduation. It had been four years now.

Because the original body's Shinigami talent was not outstanding, even after graduating for more than four years, he was still just an ordinary Shinigami with almost no special skills.

It was evident that even in ten years, his status would not change.

Thinking this, he felt a bit sad again.

Shinigami like him would definitely be cannon fodder in the later Thousand-Year Blood War, the kind of ultimate mooks that wouldn't waste much of the enemy's time.

Fortunately, he had a cheat now. If he didn't have a cheat, he would have to consider sneaking away when the war started.

Although the Gotei 13 was an organization that did not allow desertion, perhaps no one would notice if he secretly escaped during the war.

But now that he had a cheat, everything was fine.

"Four years, and you couldn't even become the lowest-ranking Lieutenant?" Renji looked somewhat disappointed and excited, clenching his fists.

"What are you talking about?" Gaoyu was a bit speechless. Wasn't he just calling himself useless?

But he still advised, "I'm the one who couldn't become a Lieutenant in four years, not you. With your talent, becoming a Lieutenant is more than enough."

"Eh?"

Renji paused, looking at Gaoyu with some surprise and saying, "Really? That's a Lieutenant?"

"Are you scared by just a Lieutenant?" Gaoyu patted Renji's shoulder and said.

"If you want to see Rukia again, this kind of resolve won't be enough."

Unexpectedly, after he finished speaking, Renji's face turned completely red, and he looked at Gaoyu with a huge reaction.

"Who, who, who said I wanted to see Rukia again?!"

"Who told you that?"

"Huh?" Gaoyu was taken aback, then realized that he had already graduated by the time Rukia was adopted by the Kuchiki family, and Renji hadn't mentioned Rukia to him either.

But soon he said earnestly, "Renji, do you think I don't have my own sources of information?"

"I graduated from the Shino Academy, after all. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to know what's going on inside? Besides…"

"With that gloomy look you have all day, I don't even need to try to know you're thinking of someone."

"Huh? I'm gloomy? Is it that obvious?" Renji pointed at himself in surprise and couldn't help but say, "I always thought Kira was the gloomy one. He wasn't like this before…"

"After enrolling, you encountered an environment completely different from Rukongai. It's only natural that you would change," Gaoyu continued walking with Renji, saying at the same time:

"If you can adapt to your current environment, with your talent, you'll quickly become powerful Shinigami. Don't forget to watch my back then, haha."

By this time, they were almost at the Shino Academy. The two exchanged a few more words before falling silent, adopting a serious patrol demeanor as they returned to the school.

Renji Abarai naturally needed to return to the dormitory, while Gaoyu needed to go to the teachers' area to grade Renji's 'internship' this time.