In the original story, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro had been classmates. But ever since Lin Nan had met Kyoraku, he'd never once heard him mention Ukitake. He'd assumed his own arrival had changed the timeline, but now Ukitake Jushiro had shown up anyway.
Could the original timeline really be impossible to change? Lin Nan smiled and greeted Ukitake, wondering to himself.
With Yamamoto leading the way, Lin Nan and the other two became the most eye-catching group around. Before long, a sociable noble's son, acting on his family's instructions, came up to strike up a relationship with them.
"It's an honor to make your acquaintance! My name is Amamiya Keiji, from the Amamiya House, which deals in jewelry in Rukongai!"
A handsome young man with short, light-gray hair walked over to Lin Nan and the others. As he fell into step beside them, he greeted them with easy confidence.
Noble children had different habits from commoners. They usually introduced themselves by naming their family, while commoners, with no background worth boasting about, simply gave their place of origin.
The three of them politely nodded to Amamiya.
Amamiya Keiji's eyes passed over their faces, then suddenly lit up. He grabbed Kyoraku's right hand and shook it firmly. "You must be Mr. Kyoraku Shunsui! I've heard so much about you. It's even better to meet you in person!"
Kyoraku was still dazed. When Ukitake had turned around just now, he'd nearly dropped his jaw. He'd thought Ukitake was a pretty girl, only to discover that his voice was even deeper than Kyoraku's.
He looked at Amamiya Keiji with some hesitation and asked, "You... you've heard of me?"
Amamiya Keiji smiled openly. "The genius from Shino Academy! Your story has already spread far and wide. Everyone knows there's a curly-haired genius who took down the rebels' intelligence outpost!"
Kyoraku and Lin Nan exchanged a look. It was the first time they'd realized gossip traveled so quickly in Seireitei.
But they barely knew the man, and it wasn't a good idea to talk much about the rebels. So Kyoraku gave him a polite smile and pulled his hand free.
Amamiya Keiji hadn't passed the friend request, and a hint of awkwardness appeared on his face.
Seeing this, Ukitake stepped in to smooth things over. He politely shook Amamiya's hand and replied, "Sorry, we're still a bit unfamiliar with the place. We didn't mean to slight you. Hello, I'm Ukitake Jushiro, from East District 76."
Ukitake's warm, lively voice made him instantly easy to like.
Lin Nan couldn't help praising him inwardly. No wonder Old Man Yama himself acknowledged him as a beloved pupil. Not everyone could be this approachable.
But Amamiya Keiji's expression suddenly changed.
"What? He's just a commoner kid from some remote part of Rukongai?!" Amamiya frowned and yanked his right hand away, wiping it on his clothes in disgust. His finger nearly jabbed Ukitake in the nose. "You're a commoner attendant who came with your master to enroll. How dare you thank the guests on your master's behalf? Didn't you take lessons in servant etiquette?!"
Ukitake's smile froze. His right hand hung awkwardly in the air, unsure whether to reach out or pull back.
A hand shot in from the side and clamped around Amamiya's pointing hand, then forced it firmly onto Ukitake's.
"Didn't your mother teach you how to shake hands? There are no nobles or commoners today, just classmates from the Spirit Arts Academy. It's the first day of school, a wonderful occasion. Don't make me slap you in the happiest place on earth!" Lin Nan stared Amamiya Keiji down, tightening his grip.
"My name is Lin Nan, from Rust Face District. I'm currently Gen Style's senior disciple. If you have any questions, do ask me for guidance!"
He'd made up the part about being the senior disciple. If trouble arose, it would make things easier to handle and keep anyone from causing problems for the Captain-Commander. After all, the punishment could simply be to "strip him of his position as first disciple"—and no one could object.
Amamiya Keiji felt as if his right hand were about to shatter. The pain was so intense he couldn't speak. All he could do was yelp and nod frantically.
Kyoraku had been about to dispute Lin Nan's claim about being the senior disciple. But then he looked up and saw that Lin Nan was half a head taller than him and considerably more muscular. With a helpless twitch of his lips, he let the claim stand.
"Exactly~ Whether you're a student of Old Ma—Yamamoto, or a student at the Spirit Arts Academy, from today on, we're all classmates. There's no distinction between high and low. Besides, even if we were discussing status—does your Amamiya House even qualify?"
The Kyoraku family were upper-class nobles and had served the Shihōin family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses, for generations. The status of being retainers to one of the Four Great Noble Houses was beyond the reach of ordinary upper-class noble families.
When it came to family background, the Amamiya House wasn't even qualified to pretend to be noble, let alone measure up to the upper-class Kyoraku House.
Amamiya Keiji had hoped to ingratiate himself with Kyoraku, but instead he'd managed to offend him. He had no inclination to talk back now. All he could do was keep nodding and say, "Yes, yes, you're both right! I didn't mean it. I apologize!"
Lin Nan tightened his grip. "Not to us. Apologize to Ukitake."
Amamiya Keiji's knees nearly buckled from the pain. Half crouching, half kneeling in front of Ukitake, he grimaced and said, "Ukitake... uh... classmate, I was wrong. I said the wrong thing. Please forgive me... Oh... please forgive me..."
Ukitake had never been in a situation like this before. He stared blankly at Amamiya Keiji, then nodded. "Ah, okay... I... forgive you..."
Yamamoto, who had been waiting quietly up ahead, finally spoke in a low voice. "Lin Nan, Shunsui, today is the first day for the new students. Don't take things too far."
Lin Nan understood. He released Amamiya's hand and put on an act. "Yes, teacher!"
Kyoraku followed suit and bowed deeply. "Yes! Old Ma... Old Man... Yamamoto, teach... teacher."
The little commotion drew curious looks from the people outside the school gate. The three of them quickly left Amamiya Keiji behind and followed Yamamoto inside.
Once through the gate, Yamamoto went straight to the school administration office to take care of some business. After giving them a few instructions, he left. Without a guide, Lin Nan and the others could only follow the crowd toward the school building.
"Sorry! Please accept this little gift!... Sorry! Please accept this little gift!... Sorry! Please accept this small gift!"
They hadn't walked far when they saw a new student standing by the roadside, constantly handing out gift bags to passing students.
Lin Nan tilted his head slightly and teased, "Kyoraku, look at how generous he is. He's making friends right away. When are you going to make up the gifts you owe Ukitake and me?"
Kyoraku Shunsui stared at the student handing out gifts, looking dazed. Lin Nan's sudden question seemed to catch him off guard. "Huh? What did you say?"
Lin Nan didn't notice the surprise in Kyoraku's eyes and kept teasing him. "What do you mean, 'huh'? Where are our gifts? What about the gifts for me and Ukitake? If you're not giving them to anyone else, we should at least get some, right?"
Hearing this, Ukitake smiled, but he didn't have the nerve to join in and tease Kyoraku.
Kyoraku ignored Lin Nan's joke and turned his gaze back to the young man. "How could it be... I must have seen wrong."
As they spoke, the three of them arrived in front of the student handing out gifts.
The young man beamed and took three jade rings from a bag beside him. "Just a small token of my appreciation! Please accept it!"
Lin Nan glanced at the rings. They were finely made and intricately carved. He didn't know much about them, but he could tell they weren't cheap. He couldn't help taking a closer look at the young man in front of him.
The man wore silk clothes that were clearly different from everyone else's. He carried a beautifully woven bag with neat embroidery.
His dark-green-tinged hair was neatly combed, leaving his shining forehead exposed. With a kind smile, he looked at the three of them sincerely.
For some reason, Lin Nan suddenly felt that something was off, though he couldn't say what. So he smiled politely but didn't take the jade ring from the young man.
Ukitake also smiled politely without reaching for one.
Kyoraku, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to confirm something. He ignored the ring being offered and snatched the embroidered gift bag, then carefully examined the family crest on it.
"You... you..." He stared at the crest in disbelief and asked, "This bag... you picked it up, didn't you?"
Although no one had accepted his gift, the young man wasn't annoyed or offended. Hearing Kyoraku's question, he replied with a cheerful smile, "No, this is my bag. I brought it from home especially because I wanted to give my classmates gifts today."
Kyoraku froze again.
Lin Nan saw that something was up and cut in. "What should we call you?"
"You didn't accept my gift. Is it because you don't like me?" The dark-green-haired young man slowly put the jade rings back in the bag and politely asked the three of them.
Lin Nan looked back at Kyoraku, who was still frozen, and Ukitake, who didn't know how to respond. He shook his head slightly. "No, it's just that we shouldn't accept gifts without a reason. Once we become friends, we won't turn down your presents."
Hearing that, the young man seemed relieved. He nodded solemnly. "Then I'll do my best to become good friends with all of you. Whatever you like, just ask!"
I hope I meet more people this friendly in the future.
The young man hung the bag at his waist and politely held out his hand to the three of them. "Hello, my name is Tsunayashiro Tokinada."
At that, even Lin Nan couldn't keep his expression straight.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada? The sinister, scheming, cold-blooded, vicious boss from the original story?
Tsunayashiro, you're a notorious old scoundrel, infamous for your vile character. And yet here you are volunteering to hand out gifts? Did you get your shows mixed up?
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