So he went to find Renji. Renji was talking with Kira, and when Gaoyu approached, Renji couldn't help looking over.
"Senior Gaoyu, is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Ah, no. There's nothing in particular." Gaoyu thought it over, then said,
"I have high hopes for you, especially when it comes to Rukia. Chasing after the stars in the sky and all that—it's pretty interesting, isn't it?"
"Although I'm just an ordinary Soul Reaper, I'd like to lend a hand with something like this. How about coming over to my place tonight?"
"Perhaps I could teach you all a few things."
Renji exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?! Senior Gaoyu, are you going to teach me how to train?!"
"Not you."
Gaoyu looked at Renji, then turned to Kira and Hinamori. "You three. You're all together, right? If I taught only you, wouldn't the other two feel left out?"
"Us?" Hinamori pointed at herself in confusion and asked in surprise, "Can I come too?"
"Of course. You're all promising juniors Captain Aizen has his eye on," Gaoyu said kindly.
"Honestly, you'll all probably join the Fifth Division after graduation anyway. It's only natural for me to give my future juniors some early instruction."
Kira, Hinamori, and Renji were all a little puzzled about what Gaoyu could teach them. After all, he was just an ordinary Soul Reaper. But he was their senior, so they still wanted to see what he had in mind.
"In that case, we'd be very grateful. I'll bring Kira and Hinamori to your place tonight."
"Then I'll see you tonight."
Gaoyu waved and turned to leave.
Gaoyu came from a minor noble family, but both his parents had been killed in battle.
Still, he had a house in Seireitei, not far from the Fifth Division Barracks.
His patrol was over, but his shift hadn't ended yet, so Gaoyu still had to return to the Fifth Division.
On the way back, he checked out the new ability he had obtained: "Strict Teacher, Talented Student."
Once activated, the ability lasted for three days. During that time, Gaoyu would become the "strongest teacher," able to easily spot his students' shortcomings, while his students would gain a mysterious boost to their learning ability.
With this ability, teaching the trio of Renji and the others would be no problem at all.
The only trouble was that he could only teach them in the evening.
He still had to go on patrol tomorrow, and not in Seireitei—he'd be patrolling Rukongai.
So the evenings were his only chance to teach them.
Come to think of it, the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 were basically civil servants, but they didn't get weekends off.
They did get leave, but most of it was reserved for seated officers. Ordinary squad members had to work most of the time. Thinking about it, they really did have it rough.
Back at the Fifth Division, Gaoyu greeted his teammates, then spotted Gin Ichimaru wandering around outside.
Gin Ichimaru was currently the Fifth Division's Vice-Captain, but he'd probably transfer to the Third Division soon.
Not long before Renji and the others graduated, Gin Ichimaru would become the Third Division's Captain, while Kuchiki Byakuya would take over as Captain of the Sixth Division.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Gaoyu. Right now, he really wanted to be friends with Gin Ichimaru!
Gin Ichimaru's ability was "Venomous Snake"!
"Venomous Snake: You can transform into a venomous snake. Even in human form, you can secrete a deadly poison that dissolves cells, and you can also conceal your true strength."
Another offensive ability, with the added benefits of transformation and concealing one's strength. Of course Gaoyu wanted to get his hands on it.
A deadly poison that dissolved cells—could that be the poison Gin Ichimaru released when he used his Bankai? If so, it was incredibly powerful.
Gaoyu remembered that the poison could even dissolve Hogyoku Aizen's body. Even Deathdealing D from the Royal Guard would be poisoned to death before adapting to it.
Or did the poison grow stronger as his Spiritual Power increased?
Until he obtained the ability, Gaoyu couldn't get any detailed information about it.
He checked, and his favorability with Gin Ichimaru was terribly low—only a single-digit number. He was nowhere near gaining a temporary ability.
Although he really wanted to get along with Gin Ichimaru, becoming friends with someone like him wasn't easy. Better to put it off for now.
Besides, approaching people like Gin Ichimaru and Aizen without a good reason was dangerous. Until he gained the ability to protect himself, he should keep his distance from them as much as possible.
So Gaoyu merely glanced at Gin Ichimaru as usual, then threw himself into his next training session.
The Fifth Division was a support division, so during peacetime its members didn't have too many demanding assignments. When they were at the barracks, aside from patrols, they often had to train.
That suited Gaoyu just fine. He wanted to get stronger, so he trained even harder than before.
A Soul Reaper's training focused on Zanpaku-tō, Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo: swordsmanship, Hand-to-hand Combat, Flash Step, and Kidō.
Of those four skills, the one Gaoyu most wanted to improve was Flash Step. After all, speed was the key to everything.
Being fast made everything easier.
Besides, Flash Step was a seriously cool ability. Just imagine: when someone attacked you, you vanished, then appeared behind them in an instant and casually said, "Too slow." Wouldn't that be awesome?
Or when an enemy tried to retreat, you appeared in front of them in a flash, then pressed one hand against their chest and said, "The distance between us means nothing," or, "Just like this—I can pierce your heart whenever I want."
Wasn't that just too cool?!
Flash Step training had three stages: Preparation Stance, Foot Lift, and Flash Step. When Soul Reapers talked about Flash Step, they usually meant the final stage, but the first two were important too.
He didn't use his Star Chaser ability, because that would only leave him in a position where his abilities outstripped his status. He'd become a seated officer, but he'd still be an ordinary Soul Reaper.
His strength might be enough to barely qualify for the Tenth Seat, but that wouldn't mean much.
It was better to save Star Chaser. As long as it remained in his skill slot, he could keep accumulating its "passive" effect, which would let him break through his limits.
If Renji never managed to raise Renji's favorability to eighty, at least Star Chaser's limit-breaking effect would keep working for him.
By late afternoon, as the sky began to darken, Gaoyu had met all the seated officers in the division and seen the abilities they possessed. Most importantly...
He had seen Sosuke Aizen, the Captain of the Fifth Division!
And the name of his ability was simple—
"Ascension to Godhood."
Before you continue