So the three of them had become my teachers in their own ways.
After teaching them for three or four hours, all three youngsters had learned a great deal, and even Gaoyu felt he'd made significant progress.
What was that saying again? Teaching others was the best way to reinforce your own knowledge.
And Gaoyu hadn't merely reinforced what he knew. He'd used special methods to teach his students ahead of schedule, and in turn, their progress had helped him improve.
When the lesson ended, Gaoyu took the three of them out to eat. After spending the afternoon learning together, they'd grown much closer.
When they heard that Gaoyu was going to patrol West Rukon District the next day, Hinamori said, "If you're going to the first district in West Rukon, you might run into Little Shiro."
"Hm?"
Her words caught Gaoyu off guard.
Little Shiro? She must mean Toshiro Hitsugaya, right?
Wait a minute. At this point in time, hadn't Toshiro Hitsugaya entered Shino Academy yet?
Gaoyu immediately fell into thought.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
Toshiro Hitsugaya had come to Seireitei after Rangiku ran into him five years after Hinamori enrolled.
Which meant...
This year?
If Hinamori was right, Toshiro Hitsugaya still hadn't started school. Wasn't this the perfect chance to befriend him?!
Toshiro Hitsugaya definitely had talent, and as a major character in the original story, he was sure to be powerful!
Fantastic!
Suppressing his excitement, Gaoyu asked Hinamori about Toshiro.
Hinamori cared a lot about Toshiro, too, so she told Gaoyu all about him.
Because Toshiro Hitsugaya had silver hair and green eyes, and was a little aloof by nature, he didn't have many friends in Rukongai.
Hinamori and Toshiro Hitsugaya simply lived in the same district, RinAn. They weren't siblings, which surprised Gaoyu.
He'd thought they lived together. So they just lived in the same district?
"I'll keep an eye out for him when I go tomorrow," Gaoyu told Hinamori with a smile. "If he has talent, maybe he can become a Soul Reaper."
"Little Shiro..." Hinamori said with some concern. "He could definitely become an excellent Soul Reaper, but he seems a little reluctant to become one."
"That's normal," Gaoyu said. "People in Rukongai tend to be wary of Soul Reapers. I can understand that, but RinAn is the first district, so it shouldn't be that bad."
The people of Rukongai had always felt wary of the Soul Reapers in Seireitei. Maybe it was because nobody wanted to spend too much time around the police.
And Rukongai wasn't exactly safe, either. The farther out you went, the worse it got.
For example, if you lived somewhere with terrible law and order, where murderers and bandits ran rampant, would you really have a good opinion of the police?
But the first district was one of the safest in Rukongai, so there was no need to worry.
Speaking of Rukongai, Renji began reminiscing, too.
He and Rukia had once lived in Inudari, the seventy-eighth district of South Rukon. It was one of the worst districts, full of scum. Almost everyone there had blood on their hands.
Their little group had once been large, but after more than ten years, only he and Rukia remained.
Likewise, although Kira was descended from a noble family and his situation was similar to Gaoyu's, he lived in Rukongai. So all three of them had plenty to talk about when it came to life there.
After they'd eaten and chatted for another half hour, the three of them headed off.
They still had to return to the student dormitories at Shino Academy.
After seeing them off, Gaoyu returned home, excited, and checked his skill slots.
Great. He'd successfully obtained Kira's Bird Killer and Hinamori's Strongest Defense.
Their friendship had skyrocketed—surged, even, gone through the roof!
Renji's favorability had reached 75, while Hinamori's and Kira's had both passed 60.
Favorability grew fairly quickly at first, but the higher it got, the harder it was to increase.
Gaoyu suspected that even married couples might not reach 100.
Well, perhaps couples who were deeply in love could.
In truth, a friend with a favorability of 80 was already someone you could trust completely.
Come to think of it, my predecessor had a few friends he got along with, and he was on good terms with Hizaki Shūhei, too.
Gaoyu figured Hizaki Shūhei definitely had abilities. Their favorability might not have reached 60, but it was probably close.
After all, they'd been classmates...
Come to think of it, perhaps he could visit the Ninth Division when he had time.
He turned on the light, lay down on the bed in his clothes, and drifted off to sleep, full of hope and anticipation for the future.
The next morning, he got up early.
He was going to patrol West Rukon District that day, and it was a long way from the fifth district to White Road Gate.
Even with a Soul Reaper's stamina, the journey would take a long time on foot.
After checking in with his division, Gaoyu set off for West Rukon District.
He'd gotten up at five, but by the time he reached West Rukon District, it was nearly ten.
RinAn, the first district of West Rukon, was the closest to Seireitei. Its law and order were decent, and the economy was fairly prosperous, with plenty of shops.
In places as far out as the fortieth or fiftieth districts, people couldn't trade normally in shops. They couldn't even afford a pair of straw sandals.
Once there, Gaoyu began searching for Toshiro Hitsugaya in the direction Hinamori had described.
RinAn wasn't very complicated, so it didn't take long for him to find Toshiro's house.
The layout was much like Gaoyu's own home, but the locations were different. One was like a farmhouse in the countryside, the other like a courtyard house in the capital. They might look similar, but their values were worlds apart.
When Gaoyu arrived, he knocked on the door.
"Coming."
An elderly woman's voice came from inside. She was probably Toshiro Hitsugaya's grandmother.
When the old woman opened the door and saw Gaoyu, she froze for a moment, then asked in a frail voice, "Sir Soul Reaper, what brings you here?"
Seeing her, Gaoyu could tell that exposure to spiritual pressure from outside had left her weak.
"So it's true," he murmured. "Hinamori was right."
"Hinamori?" The old woman smiled when she heard the name. "Are you a friend little Momo made in Seireitei? Please, come in."
"Sorry for the trouble," Gaoyu said.
Gaoyu followed the old woman into their home and noticed that she had an ability of her own.
"Kind Elder: After obtaining this, your children and grandchildren will be especially filial to you"
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